Don’t go to Africa, go out your back door

 

One of the startling realities of wildlife photography is that while we fantasize about taking photos of lions in Africa, Tigers in Asia, or Eagles in Alaska, that image of a Blue Jay taken in your back yard is easier to sell. There is also less competition too. Seems counterintuitive, huh!

Think about it. When you go to Yellowstone, or Denali, or on a Safari in Kenya you are often surrounded by other photographers. And this scenario plays out every day in almost every locale all year long. The amount of people taking an image similar to yours is staggering. Now what makes you think that you can compete with them? I’m not saying it isn’t possible, I’m saying there are easier games to win at.

Head to your local park or setup a bird feeder in your back yard. If you live in the suburbs get your yard certified as a Certified Wildlife Habitat with the National Wildlife Federation. Start attracting your subjects to you. Learn to identify every species that comes into your yard and what months they frequent. Become a local wildlife expert.

Once you’ve got them coming start setting up photos. Take a picturesque looking log, drill some holes in it and fill them with bird feed, hang it from a pole outside a window or near a hide you have set up and wait.

As time grows you will create an inventory of photos for many of the species that frequent your area. Then you need to sell them. Contact local ad agencies or graphic design firms that might need images of local wildlife. Contact your local universities and see if any of the professors are writing books that might need your particular type of wildlife photos, see who handles the ads for your city government and see if they need images like that. There really are endless opportunities here. You could also frame the images and try to sell them as prints.

There is a very old story about a man who sold everything he owned to go searching for diamonds and the land he sold to finance his expedition turned out to have acres of diamonds. Are you off looking for diamonds when they may be in your own back yard?