Wildlife Photography Blog – Capturing nyala silhouettes

This stunning nyala image was captured by wildlife photography expert, Manus van Dyk, from the sunken hide at Indlovu River Lodge.

The hide provides a fantastic angle from which to produce these unique silhouettes.  The image is made even more dramatic by the reflection on the surface of the waterhole.

When mastering the skill of wildlife photography, one of the first principles is the employment of dramatic lighting.

German wildlife photographer Gabriela Staebler offers some advice for beginners looking to make dramatic lighting work in their favor. Specifically, she details how to capture animal silhouettes in the context of a sunset. “Most cameras have various functions like ‘low light,’ or ‘sunset’ you can choose. The 10 to 20 minutes after sunset can produce a fantastic colored sky. If you use a digital SLR-camera:  Select your exposure reading based off the brightest part of the picture. Focus on the animal and take the picture.”  Read more.

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