Whether the wildlife photographer needs to study formally in order to hold a known qualification depends on the career they expect or hope for. However, the subjects you need to study are not dependent on whether you enroll for formal studies or not.
The six areas for study are Photography, Art, Animal behavior, Post Processing, and Business
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Photography
It is important that you learn as much about your subject of photography as possible.
This starts with the principles of photograph focussing on aperture (how much light the camera lets in), exposure (how long the light from your scene falls o the film or sensor), and ISO (how quickly the sensor or film reacts to the light), the so-called Exposure Triangle. You need to understand how these work together and how you can manipulate the photograph you produce by how you select these settings.
Other parameters linked to the camera you use such as focal length, sensor size, crop factor, field of view, and depth of field need to be understood.
The photographer’s camera should also be “learned” and linked to the theoretical understanding outlined above. This must be done with the camera in hand, so it’s the same advice as always practice and practice.
In all this, you should give attention to shooting with natural light as that is the basis of wildlife photography and managing when it is not ideal.
Artistic Skills
Most likely you will have been drawn to photography because you have artistic skills.
However, formalizing and developing these skills through the study of the elements of art (color, form, line, shape, space, and texture ) and the principles of art ( rhythm, harmony, balance, contrast, movement, pattern, proportion, and variety ) is a must.
Start this with a formal study of the definitions and theory and exercise them by admiring and analyzing great art and photography and incorporating this knowledge into your photography.
Animal Behavior
It is important that you learn as much about the wild animals you are photographing and their environment as possible. This will make all aspects of taking a photograph from timing, location, equipment, camera settings, and style easier.
To even get into a position to take a photograph, you need to know the animal’s behavior patterns and habits.
Post Processing
Corrections and adjustments
These include white balance, sharpening, dehazing, sharpening, exposure correction, shadow and highlight exposure, and perspective correction and are available in most editing packages and improve the technical qualities of your photo.
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Transformation
These are other techniques such as filters, art simulations, HDR, and compositing that most often require specialized software which adds uniqueness to your photo.
Business, Networking and Promotion
So far the focus is on creating that image or skill that you are going to have to sell. There is also a need to develop networking and promotional skills which help you to sell.
There is more than enough information online for this – but use several sources to make sure the information is correct!