How to get closer, without dying

In his latest column for AP, nature photographer Marsel van Oosten tells you how to shoot close to animals… without risk of dying

- Marsel van Oosten

The vast majority of wildlife images are shot with telephoto lenses. There are several reasons for this. One, most wildlife prefers to stay at a safe distance from us because it has learned that humans cannot be trusted. Two, some wildlife is medium-sized or smaller, so you need a lot of magnification for your subject to show up at a recognisable size in your frame. Three, getting physically close to certain animals is simply not a good idea because of the risk of dying while trying.