Photographing Snow Geese in the Wild

Snow geese are exciting to photograph during migration. In this video, pro wildlife photographer Doug Gardner travels to a South Carolina refuge where the snow geese gather. The birds are constantly moving, flying in and flying out in swarming flocks. You will learn the importance of shutter speeds to stop the action. Doug uses a long telephoto lens and shoots at 1/2000 at f8. He tries to focus on the bird’s eye or body for image clarity. The snow goose is pure white and highly reflective. To avoid overexposure, he spot-meters off the neutral gray trees and then backs off his exposure by a stop. Ultimately, the key to photographing migrating snow geese is patience.

See all videos in our Photographing Waterfowl Along the Eastern Coast Course:

• Photographing Waterfowl Along the East Coast—Course Preview
• Photographing Wildlife in the South Santee Marsh
• Capturing Wild Canvasbacks
• Photographing Snow Geese in the Wild
• Photographing Swans
• Waterfowl Photography: Tips and Techniques