Every few years various species of birds come spilling out of the far north into more southerly locations in mass. Most of these birds are specialists, species who are so finely tuned to life in the boreal and arctic world but whose survival rests upon finite food resources. In the far north, where the perils of winter dictate all, when natural boom-and-bust cycles occur, the populations of species as diverse as great gray owls, boreal owls, northern hawk owls, snow owls, black-backed woodpecker...
Jan 31, 2025•1 hr 3 min•Season 2Ep. 25
In season one of the PhotoWILD Podcast, we talked about how we prefer not to use camouflage in the field, relying instead upon our body language and behavior to help keep animals calm. However, there are times in which camouflage is a necessity in wildlife photography. Whether it’s working with animals that experience hunting pressure or photographing sensitive situations such as nests and dens that require the upmost stealth and concealment for the protection of the animals, camo is a tool that...
Jan 15, 2025•47 min•Ep. 24
For birds, wind dictates everything Studying wind speed and direction can have dramatic impacts on your photography if you pair that knowledge with an understanding of light and your backgrounds In order to move beyond creating cliche and trite images of birds in flight, we have to begin exorcizing creative compositional strategies Sometimes the most beautiful images come about as we are forced to overcome challenges in the field Kicking off season 2 of the PhotoWILD Podcast, Jared and Annalise ...
Jan 02, 2025•1 hr 6 min•Season 2Ep. 23
Ethology is the study of animal behavior. As wildlife photographers, what could be more important to our success in the field? Things like autofocus systems and exposure, while important, are the most rudimentary aspects of the craft. The ability to create in-focus photographs that are properly exposed only means you are now able to properly use the equipment in your hand. This doesn’t translate into a compelling or beautiful photograph any more than learning how to hold a paintbrush and mix pai...
May 06, 2024•1 hr 3 min•Season 2Ep. 22
Highlights Photographing birds in flight happens one of two ways: incidentally or purposefully. If you are serious about creating these types of photographs, then you need to set yourself up for success first. Eagles come together in huge aggregations based around the two primary driving forces on Earth: food and sex. It’s these aggregations that give us the best opportunity for photographing eagles, especially in flight. To be successful at photographing birds in flight, we need to simplify eve...
Apr 07, 2024•53 min•Season 2Ep. 21
things hummingbirds Hummingbirds are some of the most extraordinary families of birds in the world whose natural history often defies belief Understanding the natural history of these species is important for trying to sell photographs of these birds as 99% of photographs we see of hummingbirds are created with non-native species in situations that would never occur in the wild Understanding how to use flash will dramatically elevate your bird photography, especially when working with hummingbir...
Mar 25, 2024•59 min•Season 1Ep. 19
Key Takeaways Animals live or die by the ways in which they respond to changing weather Wildlife photographers can dramatically increase their success rate in the field by understanding how animals are going to behave, feed, move, and react to weather Barometric pressure is often the most reliable predictor of wildlife behavior in the winter months Let’s face it: if you can’t find animals to photograph then you are going to have a very tough time being a wildlife photographer. It doesn’t matter ...
Mar 15, 2024•59 min•Season 2Ep. 20
In this episode, Jared and Annalise discuss their time photographing rare and endemic species in the cloud forests of Panama. Forget everything you think of about the tropics when it comes to exploring the forests that grow at 8,000 feet in the mountains. Dripping with moss and bromeliads, the high mountain peaks are like islands in the sky. Each mountain holds its own menagerie of endemic species and thanks to the elevation, each and everyone must be cold adapted despite being so close to the e...
Dec 26, 2023•50 min•Season 1Ep. 18
On this episode, Jared and Annalise talk about photographing the moose rut inside Denali National Park. Come September, once the national park bus system shuts down, wildlife photographers can drive the first 30 miles of the park. This gives us access to the prime moose rut area as well as caribou, lynx, wolves, ptarmigan, spruce grouse, and so much more. The only catch is, you have to camp. 99% of the moose rut takes place at night. When we find and photograph moose this time of the year during...
Dec 14, 2023•57 min•Season 1Ep. 17
In this episode, Jared and Annalise do a deep dive into how camera companies are adding Artificial Intelligence to our autofocus systems and the ways in which this is truly revolutionizing wildlife photography. Making several treks by boat to a horned puffin colony this summer to experiment with the new autofocus modes that capitalize on this new technology, Jared and Annalise discuss how this has dramatically improved action photography like birds in flight. Photographing puffins in flight is a...
Oct 17, 2023•58 min•Season 1Ep. 16
In this episode, Jared and Annalise discuss everything photographers need to know about the natural history of brown bears and how to stay safe when working in bear country. Do you know about Overt Reaction Distances? Bear bubbles? The signs and behaviors of bears we should all know to keep ourselves safe? This episode covers all of that. From the research on the efficacy of bear spray versus firearms to how food sources drive behavior, this episode is a must listen for anyone who spends time in...
Sep 22, 2023•1 hr 5 min•Season 1Ep. 15
In this episode, Jared and Analise begin their series on photographing brown bears along the coast of Alaska. Wildlife photographers the world over know about the legendary opportunities the combination of salmon and bears provide. From July through September, wildlife photographers willing to go the extra mile, willing to hop on bush planes and float planes and travel to the remote wilderness of this landscape are presented with what can be non-stop action photographing bears as they fish for s...
Sep 07, 2023•1 hr 9 min•Season 1Ep. 14
In this episode, Jared and Annalise discuss some of the unique equipment that they always bring with them when photographing coastal brown bears. Far from being something that is only applicable to bear photography, however, this piece of gear is a vital part of how they photograph wildlife in many different situations. Since the release of the podcast, many of the questions that come through to PhotoWILD have to do with camera equipment and one question keeps coming up over and over again: how ...
Aug 24, 2023•1 hr 18 min•Season 1Ep. 13
In this episode, Jared Lloyd and Annalise Kaylor talk shop after spending 10 days on boats photographing in Kenai Fjords National Park, Alaska. Kenai Fjords is one of the most dynamic landscapes on Earth and plays home to an extraordinary diversity of wildlife from marine mammals to pelagic seabirds. The PhotoWILD crew timed their expedition to the edge of the world for the peak of the orca migration. Following huge schools of chinook salmon, each day was filled with countless orca sightings in ...
Aug 09, 2023•52 min•Season 1Ep. 12
In this episode, Jared and Annalise discuss their time photographing in one of the most endangered habitats in North America: the prairie potholes. Spending several days working from floating blinds photographing waterfowl such as ruddy ducks, redheads, and blue winged teal in peak breeding plumage along with various species of grebes, Jared and Annalise talk shop about the extraordinary biographies of their favorite species from this trip as well as the challenges they faced and how wildlife ph...
Jul 27, 2023•49 min•Season 1Ep. 11
Sometimes it's the ancillary equipment, all the other stuff we use in the field, that can be the most important pieces of equipment we own. As wildlife photographers working in the 21st century, we are bombarded by marketing and advertising for the latest greatest cameras and lenses. Should we buy this camera? Should we switch camera manufacturers? "If only we had ___ lens, our photography would be so much better!" But the truth of the matter is that the equipment you already have in your hands ...
Jul 12, 2023•49 min•Season 1Ep. 10
In Episode 9 of the PhotoWILD Podcast, Jared and Annalise discuss their time along the coastal plain of North Carolina before heading to Alaska to lead their Wildlife of Kenai Fjords Workshop . Spending several weeks working in the pocosin swamps of Alligator River National Wildlife Refuge and the Albemarle - Pamlico peninsula, barred owls proved to be the star of the show. The area is better known by wildlife photographers for playing home to the densest concentration of black bears. Far from b...
Jun 28, 2023•1 hr 7 min•Season 1Ep. 9
In this episode, Jared and Annalise discuss everything you could ever hope to know about photographing bighorn sheep. Given the extraordinary amount of snowfall in the Yellowstone this past winter, the bighorn sheep opportunities were truly incredible. Jared and Annalise spent two months this winter in Yellowstone and much of that time was spent working with and photographing these mountain monarchs. Key Takeaways Where to find bighorns in the winter and why you will find them in the same place ...
Jun 14, 2023•1 hr•Season 1Ep. 8
In this episode of PhotoWILD Podcast, Jared and Annalise talk about all things moose. Photographing moose was a big priority for them during their two months spent working in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem this past winter. And when it comes to photographing these swamp donkeys, timing is everything and there are a host of unique challenges we all face when when creating compelling images of these animals - especially in the winter. Key Takeaways Timing is everything. Moose are the first spec...
May 31, 2023•1 hr 4 min•Season 1Ep. 7
Winter brings a host of different challenges for us wildlife photographers. More often than not, we tend to think of enduring the cold and slippery road conditions as the big challenges of winter. However, when it comes to photographing animals this time of year, there is so much more to overcome than just our own physical comfort. Quite frankly, the very nature of physics is working against us this time of year. Key Takeaways Snow absorbs more red light than other colors. This tends to give sno...
May 17, 2023•1 hr•Season 1Ep. 6
In episode 5 of the PhotoWILD Podcast, Jared Lloyd and Annalise Kaylor discuss what it takes to plan a trip to Yellowstone National Park in the winter. This year, they spent a month photographing wildlife in this winter wonderland and discuss the many different considerations they make for preparing for their time there. From equipment choices to timing based on statistical averages for weather, if you have ever wanted to photograph in Yellowstone in the winter, you won’t want to miss this episo...
May 03, 2023•56 min•Season 1Ep. 5
In this episode, Jared and Annalise discuss photographing pelagic seabirds at a nesting colony along the Caribbean Coast of Panama. While many different species utilize the island, the red-billed tropicbirds and brown boobies stole the show. The word “pelagic,” means open ocean. These are species of birds that spend their entire lives on the wing out over the ocean, returning to land only once a year to breed. Of all the many species of birds around the world, pelagic seabirds are both the least...
Apr 19, 2023•1 hr•Season 1Ep. 4
Join Jared Lloyd and Annalise Kaylor as they travel from the Pacific Coast of Panama to the Caribbean. The northeast of Panama is a world apart from the rest of the country. Remote. Accessible only by boats. The region is characterized by warm and crystalline blue waters filled with coral reefs, lush lowland rainforest, and countless islands that has led the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute to refer to the place as the Galapagos of the Caribbean. The Bocas del Toro region of Panama holds ...
Apr 06, 2023•40 min•Season 1Ep. 3
There is so much that goes into planning a photography trip. It doesn’t matter if you’re heading out for the afternoon in the field or taking off on a monthlong expedition to some exotic destination, when it comes to what we do, there are always decisions to make and chief among those is what equipment to bring and why.
Apr 06, 2023•39 min•Season 1Ep. 1
Jared and Annalise spent over week working from small native skiffs along the Panama Canal and Lago Gatun in search of monkeys and snail kites. The challenge with photographing monkeys is multifaceted. They are fast, which requires a solid focusing strategy and the ability to keep up. They make their living in the dark recesses of the rainforest where overcast days make things simpler in terms of handling highlights and shadows, but force us to work at extremely high ISOs that can exceed 20,000....
Apr 06, 2023•1 hr 16 min•Season 1Ep. 2
