When shooting nature shots, getting close to your subject can be very tricky. Using a telephoto lens can bring your subject closer with great result.

However, there are a couple of issues when using telephoto lenses that need to be considered: camera stability and shutter speed.

The role of a tripod is of primary importance when using telephoto lenses. No matter how stable you can handhold a camera, you will never match the stability of a tripod.

The shutter speed should also be set fast enough to freeze any motion. Generally, the shutter speed on the camera should be set to one over the focal length of the lens for any hope at a sharp shot. In other words, if you have a 250mm lens the minimum shutter speed you can hand hold the camera is 1/250 of a second. Using this formula will get you close but adding the tripod will get you there.

In the following lesson we will look at shooting waterfowl at a local park using the Olympus 50-200mm zoom and the 150mm and the 300mm fixed focal length lenses. We will show how to correctly mount telephoto lenses to the tripod, allowing you to take quick action as needed when shooting wildlife.

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