Cellphone cameras can produce some amazing images of Wyoming’s critters, and amateur wildlife watchers can find telephoto attachments for about $60 to bring the action in closer.
However, none of that will make up for the tens of thousands of dollars invested and the countless hours in the field it takes to build a professional-grade portfolio of the fauna in places like Grand Teton and Yellowstone National Parks.
For those willing to spend the money and take the time learning the skills, the higher-quality images can be worth it, Wyoming wildlife photographer Jorn Vangoidtsenhoven told Cowboy State Daily.
“There’s actually so much to go into this topic that my book on wildlife photography is written from the perspective of what makes a good wildlife camera and lens,” he said.
“As a short answer, professional camera equipment will typically give you cleaner, noise-free images that have more sharpness and allow you to be creative, for example, by choosing to minimize depth of field,” he added.
Wyoming wildlife photographer Jorn Vangoidtsenhoven relies on professional-grade equipment, such as camera with a 500mm Nikon lens. (Courtesy Jorn Vangoidtsenhoven) 
Those who want to stick with their cellphones should consider some sort of enhancement, such as an add-on telephoto lens or a telescope adapter, photographer Savannah Rose of Jackson told Cowboy State Daily. (Courtesy Savannah Rose) 
Wildlife Photographer Deb Richardson of Star Valley loves a place near Wyoming’s Grand Tetons that draws gobs of bull moose during November and December, but she’s worried the spot might have been “discovered” and will start drawing human crowds too. (Courtesy D. Greiner-Richardson Photography)
Cellphones Just Don’t Cut It At Distance
Those who want to stick with their cellphones should consider some sort of enhancement, such as an add-on telephoto lens or a telescope adapter, photographer Savannah Rose of Jackson told Cowboy State Daily.
Trying to get clear photos of wildlife with only the phone’s built-in camera isn’t practical. Nor is it safe, for either people or wildlife, she said.
“If you want a decent photo of an animal a cellphone camera is not sufficient at the legal distances in the park,” Rose said.
“You can also go with a guide or purchase a scope and adapter for your phone and that works as well,” she said.
And even with such enhancements, don’t expect to get the sort of images that a pro-grade camera and lens will produce.
“They (phone cameras and professional cameras) are entirely different mediums. You can get images and videos at a much farther distance. But at the end of the day, it’s still a cellphone photo/video and not the same size, definition, and quality of a professional camera sensor,” Rose said.
This image shows the same owl that was photographed with an iPhone camera. (Courtesy Savannah Rose) 
This image shows an owl that was photographed with a professional-grade NIKKOR camera and 800 mm lens. (Courtesy Savannah Rose)
Don’t Count On Sunny Days
Under ideal conditions, the untrained eye might not be able to distinguish between a cellphone vs. a camera photo, Vangoidtsenhoven said.
“On a bright sunny day with an animal standing nearby it’ll be extremely hard to tell the difference between an iPhone shot and a professional camera shot,” he said.
However, nature’s best scenes hardly ever play out under such circumstances.
“Unfortunately for wildlife photographers, the best images are not made on a bright sunny day, so your equipment has to shine under the difficult conditions of light rain, limited light, a fast-moving animal that requires a fast shutter speed and a very light-sensitive image sensor to allow for noise-free images at higher shutter speeds,” he said.
A serious photographer’s equipment must stand up to all sorts of weather conditions. And it must work well in limited lighting, since wildlife is most active at dawn and dusk, Vangoidtsenhoven said.
The guts of the camera, or the image sensor, make all the difference, he said.
Cellphone cameras have sensors that are “tiny” compared to those in actual camera bodies, he said.
Bigger image sensors “have bigger pixels that can gather more light without introducing grain and noise in your images,” Vangoidtsenhoven said.
“Add to that the flexibility of having interchangeable lenses and it is easy to understand why most serious wildlife photographers nowadays still lug all the heavy equipment into the field with them,” he added.
A visitor to Yellowstone National Park takes photos with a cellphone. (Getty Images) 
Wyoming wildlife photographer Jorn Vangoidtsenhoven relies on professional-grade equipment, such as this camera with a 200-500mm Nikon zoom lens. (Courtesy Jorn Vangoidtsenhoven) 
Wyoming wildlife photographer Jorn Vangoidtsenhoven relies on professional-grade equipment, like this camera with a 600mm Nikon lens. (Courtesy Jorn Vangoidtsenhoven)
Consider The Cost
Those who want to take their wildlife photos to the next level should make sure they have a healthy bank balance.
“For most purposes, a zoom lens and nice camera body will be a few thousand dollars. The highest tier of prime lenses are over ten grand ($10,000),” Rose said.
“That’s a professional tier though. There are options for any price range that are better than a phone. It just depends on what you’re trying to do with them. Most people are not trying to create fine art prints at large sizes,” she added.
Vangoidtsenhoven said the price for top-grade equipment can easily hit five figures.
“If you reach the moment that you decide that your cellphone isn’t cutting it anymore for wildlife photography and you want to step up to a full-frame camera with a big light-sensitive telephoto lens, you may end up going from a $1,000 cellphone to $20,000 for a professional camera body and light-sensitive big telephoto lens,” he said.
Mark Heinz can be reached at mark@cowboystatedaily.com.
