While powerful high-end cameras have their place, it’s ultimately the skills and techniques that you build up that help you achieve amazing shots—and for that, the best camera is the one that’s with you.  Desiring a fresh experience, wildlife photography enthusiast Wayne Chng took a break from his usual EOS R3 to take things slow and easy with the entry-level EOS R50 and kit lenses, and loved how it helped him to rediscover joy in the photography process. He shares five of his favourite images and the stories behind them together with some photography tips. (Photos by Wayne Chng; as told to SNAPSHOT)

 

1. Catching the decisive moment

EOS R50/ RF-S18-45mm f/4.5-6.3 IS STM/ FL: 40mm (64mm equivalent)/ Manual exposure (f/14, 1/160 sec)/ ISO 400/ Built-in flash with diffuser (Flash compensation: EV +1)/ Cropped

The joy of waiting for the moment

As photographers, we always seek to capture moments that others usually don’t see. The tiny world of insects is rich with such moments. However, close-ups of tiny things require patience above everything. It’s often a matter of simply staying there, observing, and waiting for the moment. This benefits your shot, and also helps you better understand your subject’s behavior.

For this shot, which shows the moment before a bee landed on a flower for its meal, I observed the surroundings and decided I wanted to create a black background (technique explained below), using the EOS R50’s built-in flash to keep the bee and flowers properly exposed. It took a few tries before I managed to capture the shot.

A small and compact camera setup like the EOS R50 and RF-S18-45mm f/4.5-6.3 IS STM allows you to wait in the same spot with relative ease while staying still.

 

2. Wildlife’s little antics

EOS R50/ RF-S18-150mm f/3.5-6.3 IS STM/ FL: 150mm (240mm equivalent)/ Manual exposure (f/8, 1/400 sec)/ ISO 800/ Cropped

Like street photography, but wildlife

White-throated kingfishers are common in Singapore, and make great practice subjects for moments and even for flight shots. Here’s a pair of them sharing a meal: the bird on the right looks extremely excited to behold the snake! Small moments like this can be compelling, too—you just need to watch out for them, and be ready with a camera to photograph it.

I found myself walking around and exploring more with the EOS R50, which is small, portable, and easy to carry around. There were so many little things I managed to observe walking around the park in Singapore, like the scene above. I felt like I was there in the right place at the right time, and the EOS R50 was there, helping me seize the moment with relative ease. The saying “The best camera is the one you have with you” fits this moment perfectly.

The camera’s 12 fps maximum continuous shooting speed in electronic first-curtain shutter mode is more than enough to capture any moment especially once you’ve understood an animal’s behavior.

 

3. Chasing the light

EOS R50/ RF-S18-150mm f/3.5-6.3 IS STM/ FL: 150mm (240mm equivalent)/ Manual exposure (f/6.3, 1/1600 sec)/ ISO 320/ Cropped

Great light makes a great image—and you can play around with it

With the limited reach from the lens I used, I would not be able to get the typical close-up shots of this Grey-Headed Fish Eagle. So, I played to the advantage that nature provided me that day, which was the harsh morning light. I underexposed the background by 1 stop, and then waited for the light to hit the subject as it flew past. This not only made it stand out better against the background, it also created an image that is a lot more dramatic than a typical bird-in-flight image.

Understanding light and how it works can change how your images turn out. It doesn’t have to be limited to shooting at a place or timing with beautiful lighting—you can also play with exposure settings to adjust the light the camera captures, like I did here!

Also see:
Lighting in Landscape Photography (2): Underexposing for Drama
Photographing Solo Sakura Trees: 3 Techniques for Impressive Pictures

 

4. Testing my composition skills

EOS R50/ RF-S18-150mm f/3.5-6.3 IS STM/ FL: 150mm (240mm equivalent)/ Manual exposure (f/7.1, 1/800 sec)/ ISO 1600/ Cropped

Experiment with different angles
Framing is a great way to make your images look different, especially when there’s a pool of photographers shooting in the same spot. Once you’ve taken a few shots of the image you intended, walk around to find a different perspective. See if you can apply a different composition technique—for the image above, I’ve used the leaves to create a frame within the frame. You’ll get a variety of images with different compositions, which gives you the luxury of choice beyond your initial intended shot.  

A small setup helps you shoot stealthily
Sometimes, you want to shoot stealthily to avoid startling the animals, and large gear can get in the way. The EOS R50 with the RF-S18-150mm f/3.5-6.3 IS STM kit lens was small enough for me to squeeze into a tight spot to achieve the composition above.

Also see:
In Focus: Basic Composition Techniques
How to Use the Quadrant Technique to Balance Subjects and Scenery
Effective Composition: Drawing Attention to a Tiny Frog in a Flower

 

5. Playing with different focal lengths

EOS R50/ RF-S18-45mm f/3.5-6.3 IS STM/ FL:18mm (28.8mm equivalent)/ Manual exposure (f/8, 1/250 sec)/ ISO 100/ Built-in flash with diffuser

Wildlife photography can be done wide-angle, too

Many people associate wildlife photography with telephoto lenses or close-up animal portraits. However, there are different ways to photograph wildlife. A wide-angle shot can present a different perspective of the animal compared to what you usually see online. For example, going closer and shooting at the lens’ wide-angle end enabled this minimalistic shot of a Wagler’s Pit Viper along with its reflection. 

 

 

Wayne’s advice for improving your wildlife photography

1. Go to the zoo to practice
The zoo is a great place for practising photographing animals without as much uncertainty and waiting time. You’ll most likely find the subjects you want to shoot, and against a decent background too. Spend your time there working on subject tracking and understanding your camera before heading out into the wild.

2. Shoot with friends
When you shoot with friends, you get different perspectives. Two (or more) pairs of eyes are also better than one—your friends might notice subjects you missed.

3. Before you get a new camera, consider upgrading your lenses first
Shooting with the EOS R50 and kit lenses, the first thing I started missing was my lenses, not my more advanced camera bodies. Lenses can change your pictures tremendously, so if this is your first camera and you’re already thinking of upgrading your gear, consider getting a new lens first before looking at new camera bodies.

For example, a lens with more reach could help you avoid the image quality deterioration caused by over-cropping, and a higher quality lens with a larger maximum aperture would help you shoot better in low light. And you’ll still be able to use them when you’ve outgrown your existing camera!

 

Reflections on the EOS R50

I usually shoot wildlife with the EOS R3 or EOS R6 and super telephoto lenses. Having specialised gear is excellent, but I also feel it’s good to take a step back and go back to photography basics: relying and building on your skills without overreliance on the camera.

Decent autofocus; limitations hone photography skills
The EOS R50’s autofocus was reasonably “sticky” on the subject, allowing me to capture most shots easily while trusting the camera to do its job. I could focus on finding moments and being creative without thinking too much about the technicalities. While there was a slight lag between pressing the shutter button and the image being captured, overcoming that also brings us back to the importance of understanding the subject and learning to anticipate moments—a crucial wildlife photography fundamental!

The perks of better mobility
The EOS R50’s compact, lightweight body is refreshing compared to the weight of my usual gear, especially in combination with the RF-S zoom lenses. It’s literally a weight lifted off my shoulders. I realised I walked around hunting for shots for longer durations compared to with my usual gear.

Overall
Advanced cameras like the EOS R3 are built for speed and efficiency, with tons of technology to help professional photographers firmly nail decisive moments in situations with little margin for error. But the sense of achievement can also come from the process. Using the EOS R50 helped me slow down and enjoy taking photos again.