Here's a copy of a PM I sent to Ric when some info was requested. Nothing fancy, and certainly not in-depth at all, but just a list of important things to consider when taking wildlife images. If you have any specific questions, please don't hesitate to ask away. I'm sure most of this info will be common sense to some of the photographers here, but some good basic info nevertheless.
If more in-depth discussions would be helpful, I'd be happy to help out if I can.
Also, the gear used for most of these photos:
Canon 1D MK III, 1Ds MK II, 40D
EF 500mm f/4 L IS
EF 300mm f/2.8L IS
Gitzo 1325 tripod w/ Wimberley Head II
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Rick. Man, I sure appreciate you enjoying my images. I don't really consider myself a special photographer, I just put myself where the wildlife is, and work very hard to get the best images I can.
You have a fantastic kit, very capable of capturing you some top quality images. That landscape I posted of the Tetons was taken with the 16-35 II, very similar to yours. In fact I haven't noticed a shred of difference between them so far.
To me, wildlife is the easiest type of photography to get professional quality images. Of course, the hardest part is to put yourself in front of worthy subjects. Then luck has to be on your side a bit to have some nice lighting that's not too harsh. I look for bright but overcast days, the sky/clouds can act like a big flash diffuser.
So... VERY quick, down and dirty list of important issues in my mind.
#1) Good Light. You will not achieve good images without good light. Sure you can sidestep it a bit, use some creative techniques to make up for it, but great images need great light. 1-2hrs after sunrise, and 1-2hrs before sunset. These are known as "magic hour" to photographers. The light being at such a low angle in the sky casts a nice, warm, glowing light rather than the blue cast regular daylight.
#2) Exposure. Do your very best to NAIL exposure. When I'm photographing a nice subject it's not casual at all. It's like work. Constantly bumping up and down exposure comp, ISO, and shutter speeds to give me a nice choice of different images when I sit down to process.
#3) Shutter Speed. Shutter speed is king. With your 1-4, I'd keep it at 1/500th minimum, and adjust your ISO to compensate. Also, being the owner of that same lens, avoid 400mm and f/5.6! Use either about 350mm and 5.6, or better yet, 400mm and f/7.1 or higher. At least that's the case with my 1-4, images soften up substantially when using the aforementioned combination of settings. With that tangent aside, keep in mind this... It's much easier to fix up a slightly noisy image (from higher ISO) than it is to fix up a blurry image (due to slow shutter speeds). Keep that speed up.
#4) Use a tripod!, or at least a good solid rest. No matter how high the shutter speeds, a tripod will always yield sharper images.
#5) Composition. Really concentrate on good composition, and this might very well mean you have to scramble yourself to a slightly different location. I'd always opt for getting 1 good image from a better vantage point than to reel off 100 images from just wherever it was convenient. This is of course more important for landscapes than wildlife. But in the case of wildlife, my (very general) rule of thumb is if the subject doesn't fill about 70% of the frame, then go wider and grab a more environmental or habitat type shot. You'll always be happier with this result than having to crop out 80% of your resolution to get a frame filling portrait animal image. I don't think I posted any examples, only posted frame filling portraits. If you do end up zooming out for a habitat photo, try to never place the subject in the center of the image. There are of course some exceptions, but usually the result is much more pleasing with the subject off center, both above/below as well as left/right of optical center.
Now, there's of course much more in depth info that could be discussed, but I think these 5 things are the most important to keep in mind while shooting.
The next subject would be post processing! In my mind equally as important as the actual photography.
Thank you again for the compliments on my images, that's what makes it all worth it for me.
Have a safe trip, an promise to post a report with images when you return.
Rob
