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Taking Unique Wildlife Photos
Jeff Coats
 Editor’s Note: Jeff Coats of Bel Air, Maryland, an avid waterfowl hunter and waterfowl and wildlife photographer, trains Labrador retrievers. He’s taken some of the most-breathtaking photographs of waterfowl, shore birds, wild horses, Sika deer, white-tailed deer and other wildlife. Living on the Eastern Shore of Maryland, Coats has unlimited access to a tremendous number and variety of wildlife found on the barrier islands.
Question: Jeff, when’s the best time to photograph waterfowl and other animals?
Coats: The best time is after hunting season, when the waterfowl are in their best plumage, and they’re not nearly as spooky as they are in hunting season. February, March and April seem to be the best months to photograph waterfowl and wildlife. At that time of year, no one’s running around in the marsh and spooking them, and you can get much closer than you can during hunting season. Using your Alpen binoculars, you’ll see more birds and animals and be able to move in closer to them.
Question: Jeff, what equipment would a person who wants to be a good wildlife photographer need?
 Coats: There are plenty of really-good cameras on the market, and I’m not qualified to tell you what cameras are best. But I’d recommend using a Canon camera because I’ve been shooting them most of my life. To take quality outdoor pictures, you’ll need to spend about $2,500. I suggest buying a Canon EOS Digital Rebel XTi camera body for about $600, and then purchasing a Canon L-series 400mm or 600mm lens with image stabilization, which will cost around $1,500. I’d rather have a quality lens than a really-good camera body. The lens and the camera body together will cost around $2,000. Get a few quality flash memory cards and a carrying case for the camera and the lenses. Also, you’ll need a quality pair of Alpen binoculars because you’ve got to find the birds and the animals and be able to identify them before you decide to make a stalk on them or move the boat in close enough to take a picture. Alpen binoculars and spotting scopes will give you the opportunity to see what you may be able to photograph before you try to get in position to take that picture.
 Question: If someone wanted to come to Maryland and learn wildlife photography with you, what will they have an opportunity to photograph?
Coats: They’ll be able to photograph ducks, geese, shore birds and the wild ponies of Assateague Island and Chincoteague Island that swam ashore many years ago from shipwrecks of old Spanish explorers. Also, on these islands, we have Sika deer, a form of Asian elk that escaped from a preserve and are now roaming free on the islands. We also have native white-tailed deer on the island as well as an abundance of waterfowl and shore birds. I take clients to the islands and help them find and photograph all the wildlife.
Question: Jeff, what do you charge for a photo safari?
Coats: I charge $1,000 per day for up to four people, which is about $250 per person. If the party tells me what they want to photograph before they arrive, I’ll scout the areas where I plan to take them and make certain those animals and birds are where I expect them to be. During the safari, I’ll also take photos with my own camera and provide them on a CD to my clients. This way, the clients can compare their photos to mine, which will teach them even more about wildlife photography. To really enjoy a photo safari on the Eastern Shore of Maryland, you’ll need to have a quality pair of binoculars, and you may also want to bring along your spotting scopes. I’ll not only take you to the wildlife, I’ll also teach you how to photograph it while you’re here.
To contact Jeff Coats, write to 1522 Southview Road, Bel Air, MD 21015, or call (410) 937-4034, or email jeff@pitbosswaterfowl.com, or visit www.pitbosswaterfowl.com or www.ducksdogsanddecoys.com.
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