1: Use Your Zoom – Don’t scare away animals – use your digital camera’s optical zoom to record detail.

2: Snap Quickly and Often – Snap plenty of digital photos to compensate for random animal movements.

3: Show Some Patience – The best things come to those who wait.

4: Use a Fast Shutter Speed – Compensate for fast animal movements with your digital camera settings.

5: Avoid Flash – Avoid flash with your digital camera whenever possible to keep animals from getting startled.

6: Don’t Smell! – Odors can give away your presence to animals, making digital photography more difficult.

7: Disable All Camera Sounds – Even the slightest beep produced by your digital camera may scare away wildlife.

8: Don’t Let Perfectionism Keep you from Shooting Any Photos – Don’t let the “rule of thirds” stifle your digital animal photography.

9: Don’t Just Focus on Animals at a Zoo – Digital photos of peoples’ interactions with animals can help tell a story.

10: Don’t Be Afraid of Blurring – When up against the right backdrop, a blurred animal might help make an attractive digital photo.

11: Talk to a Park Ranger – Looking to take digital photos of animals in national parks and wildlife reserves? Don’t neglect park rangers as valuable source of information on animal behavior.

12: Shoot at Different Angles – Varying the angles of your animal and wildlife photos can create interesting effects.