How To Photograph Wolves: Tips For Great Wolf Photography

Wolves come in a variety of colors and sizes, but one thing is certain. They're captivating to watch, and with a few specific tips and the right camera gear, easy to photograph successfully. This post will help you get a great start with photographing wolves. The wolf photos included in this post are the best that I took within a single 2-hour time span.

"The Stare of The Wolf"
Canon R6 Mark II mirrorless camera.
Canon RF-S 18-150mm zoom lens

Photographing wolves in their natural habitat is a dream for many wildlife photographers. 

However, successfully capturing them in photographs in the wild requires patience, skill, and a deep understanding of their behavior.

Photographing these majestic wolves in their natural habitat is a dream for many wildlife photographers, but it may not be practical or affordable to do so. These majestic creatures, with their piercing eyes and graceful movements, can make for stunning images.

Depending where you live, you may have several options to explore these awe-inspiring animals. 

The very first step to take regarding how to photograph wolves is finding the best location to photograph them. If you've already got your location for wolf photography picked out then you can jump ahead to the best gear to use.

Where To Photograph Wolves

Finding the best location to photograph the wolves is likely the most daunting thing to take care of first. There are multi-day workshops designed specifically for wolf photography that are priced well over $7,000 (Natural Habitat Adventures)

I was fortunately to find a 2-hour tour less than a 3 hour drive from my home and the investment was only $300 (Lakota Wolf Preserve).

See the map below to see the states where wolves live in the wild according to: https://www.californiawolfcenter.org/wolves-in-the-usa

The darker green areas represent states that have wolves

FROM A GOOGLE SEARCH I FOUND THE FOLLOWING:

1. Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming

• Lamar Valley: Known as the "Serengeti of North America," this valley is home to several wolf packs and offers excellent opportunities for wildlife photography.
• Hayden Valley: Another popular spot for wolf sightings, especially during the winter months when the snow-covered landscape provides stunning backdrops.

2. Denali National Park, Alaska

• Park Road: This scenic road offers numerous opportunities to spot wolves, especially in the fall when the animals are more active. 
• Kantishna: A remote area within the park where wolf sightings are more frequent, particularly during the winter months.

3. Isle Royale National Park, Michigan

• Island-wide: This remote island in Lake Superior is home to a unique population of wolves and offers stunning wilderness photography opportunities.

4. Other Wolf Photography Notable Locations:

• Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado
• Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming
• Voyageurs National Park, Minnesota

National Parks and Wildlife Refuges

National parks have large well established wolf populations that give you safe and ethical wolf photography opportunities. You can wing it on your own or set register for (payment required) for a guided tour. For the highest chance of success, an experienced guide is your best bet.

Zoos and Wildlife Sanctuaries

While not the ideal setting for capturing wild behavior, these facilities offer controlled environments where you can practice your photography skills and get close-up shots. It's certainly not the same experience you get as out in the wild, but don't dismiss photographing wild animals in contained areas as a pleasurable experience and an opportunity for photography.

Wolf Tours

Tours that are specifically orchestrated for photographers offer the best opportunities for great wolf photos with travel to and from as the biggest obstacle. Experienced guides are adept at knowing where and how to get the best angles and activities of the wolves.

Wolf Photography Equipment

The two essential pieces of camera gear to be successful at wolf photography are the right camera and the right lens. Additionally, for sharper images and for supporting the added weight of longer lenses either a tripod or a monopod will be helpful.

Due to the challenging nature of wildlife photography, generally the higher end cameras and lenses will yield you the best photos. With that said here are 3 key bullet points for wolf photography lenses and cameras.

Best Wolf Camera

• SENSOR. A camera that's equipped with a sensor that has at least 20 megapixels (20 MP) or more enables you to crop your photos and still get outstanding image quality.
• BURST RATE. You're more likely to get the perfect timing for photographing a moving object if your camera can shoot at a fast burst rate such as 8 frames-per-second or faster.
• FOCUSING. Your best chance of getting sharply focused wolf photographs is with a camera with advanced focusing technology. That includes subject recognition option and continuous focus tracking capabilities.

Best Wolf LensES

The best lens depends on the environment you're shooting in. When the wolves are at a great distance, you need as much magnification in your lens as you can afford and carry.

• TELEPHOTO ZOOM LENS.  There are many variations to choose from depending on the brand of your camera. In addition to Canon, Nikon, and Sony making their own lenses, there are Sigma and Tamron 100-400mm, 100-500mm, 200-500mm lenses are good examples.
• PRIME LENSES. For the ultimate in image quality prime (Non-zooming) lenses can't be beat. Although not as versatile as zoom lenses for wildlife photography, they're generally faster. Focal lengths of 400mm, 600mm, and even 800mm are the most popular.
• WIDE TO TELEPHOTO ZOOM. These lenses are appropriate when you'll be in close proximity with your subjects. Wide angle lenses can give you shots of the surrounding environment, including more than one wolf in the photo.

Watch and listen to this wolf howling in the video below

After shooting a few stills of this guy howling I switched over to video and got this short, but priceless video of this wolf and his friends howling.

Timing

There are good times of the year and good times of the day to get the best wolf photos. Professional wildlife photographers will tell you that the best time of year to photograph the wolves is during the winter. It is then that the wolf packs are on the move because it's the time of year when they mate.

Wolves look their best when their fur is at its thickest in the cold months and some of the most striking images are taken when the snow provides a simple, but spectacular white background.

Avoid the Spring months for wolf photography because wolves shed their fur in clumps and don't look their best.

Camera settings

Wildlife photography of any kind, including wolves can be challenging and knowing how to set your camera is vital to the quality of the images you take. There are 4 elements of wildlife photography that can cause a lack of sharpness, or much worse, a blurry photo that is unusable. 

1. SUBJECT MOVEMENT.  Wolves at rest near normal shutter speeds. Use the reciprocal of the focal length of your lens. For example, use 1/400th second for a 400mm lens. See the post on recommended shutter speeds for action photography. For running wolves double or quadruple the shutter speed to freeze the action.
2. CAMERA MOVEMENT. Image stabilization (IS) will handle the moderate camera movement that occurs when you press the shutter button. Alternatively, a tripod or monopod will reduce camera shake for sharper photos.
3. MISSED FOCUS. Whether you shoot with manual focus or use one of the automatic focusing modes, the eyes of your subject must be in focus.
4. EXCESSIVELY HIGH ISO SETTING. Using a super high ISO can cause a lack of sharpness and increased digital noise.  Unfortunately, you may be forced to user higher ISO settings on your camera when shooting in dim lighting conditions.

It's plain to see as "Black and White"
Lakota Wolf Preserve, Columbia NJ

Camera Modes

Setting your camera to a fully automatic mode is not a good strategy when it comes to photographing wolves. Experienced wildlife photographers often shoot in manual mode for reasons that are based on the specific conditions they're shooting in.

As a beginner there are two better choices when is comes to what mode to set on your camera.

1. Shutter Priority

Shutter priority gives you control over setting the shutter speed to get a desired result in terms of sharpness and allows the camera to pick the best aperture for a good exposure. You set the shutter speed fast enough to freeze the motion of your subject AND eliminate any camera shake.

2. Aperture Priority

Aperture priority mode gives you the opportunity to set your lens "wide open" with your lens's maximum aperture so that you get the fastest shutter speed at a given ISO number.

REFERENCES And Resources

TripAdvisor.com  Great place to read reviews of specific wolf photography trips. You can search by location or by activity.

Wolfpark.org /private-photography. If you live in or can travel to Indiana.

Yellowstone Wolf Photography. Yellowstone is a great place for wolf photography.

Gray Wolf
Canon R6 Mark II RF with 18-150mm lens @ f/6.3 for 1/200 second

Summary

Although I've been shooting photos for over 45 years, this was my first ever experience with photographing wolves. For my initial attempt, as a beginner wolf photographer, I was happy with the photos I got. See the post on my personal website for my Photo Excursion to the Lakota Wolf Preserve.

With a little planning, you can get great wolf photos too! 

ABOUT BRUCE LOVELACE

Bruce is the publisher of this website. He is the author of the book "Improve Your Photography Instantly."  Read more on Bruce on his Bio Page. He's been known as The Traveling Photographer ever since 1994. Read more about this website.

View some of Bruce's photos on Instagram.   Visit the Facebook Page. Watch him on YouTube.  Bruce runs photo workshops for kids and adults, and provides one-on-one photography coaching.

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