# Photographing animals from moving boats: 4 key tips

> How to keep sharp images and dry cameras when shooting wildlife from rocking boats.
- Title: Photographing animals from moving boats: 4 key tips | Shortify
- Summary: How to keep sharp images and dry cameras when shooting wildlife from rocking boats. Shooting animals from moving boats requires securing the camera, using…
- Keywords: photography, wildlife, boat, shooting, camera, seals, hippos, monkeys, lens, focal length, shutter speed, aperture
- Source: Digital Camera World — https://digitalcameraworld.com/photography/nature-and-wildlife-photography/photographing-animals-from-a-moving-boat-is-tricky-unless-you-follow-these-top-tips-to-keep-your-images-sharp-and-your-camera-dry
- Published: 2026-10-10T06:15:00+00:00
- Read time: 1 min
- Topics: photography, wildlife, boat, shooting, camera, seals, hippos, monkeys, lens, focal length, shutter speed, aperture
## Safety first
Secure yourself and your camera to prevent falls when shooting from a rocking boat.

> Falling in when there are hippos about is not a good idea as these amiable-looking creatures are, in fact, aggressively territorial and will happily tear you limb from limb.
## Camera security
Attach a strap to your camera to avoid dropping it over the side.

> Seals are the next menace because there's little difference to them between a juicy fish and a fleshy hand holding a camera over the side.
## Shutter speed settings
Use 1/1,600 sec for fast-moving seals and 1/1,000 sec for slower animals like hippos.

> I was aiming for a shutter speed of 1/1,000 sec but the light was changeable and increasingly murky, so I switched to Manual mode.
## Aperture and ISO
Set f/6.3 and Auto ISO to balance light and sharpness for seals in murky water.

> It's a trade between noise and getting the speed and aperture that you want.
## Focus settings
Use wide area focus detection and animal tracking for seals and hippos.

> Focussing on the gorillas, hippos and monkeys wasn't a problem because they weren't moving around very quickly.
## Lens selection
Choose 180-600mm lens for hippos and monkeys, 150-300mm for seals.

> The seals got quite close to the boat so anything from 150-300mm would have been fine to get a close up shot of them.
## Seals and hippos
Hippies move slowly but seals require fast shutter speeds and continuous focus.

> It takes some practice to follow where they are going but it makes for much more dynamic and action-filled shots.
## Final settings
Use continuous shooting and fixed settings for seals in changing light conditions.

> Having Auto ISO and fixed settings here was also the best option because with reflective water and patchy sunshine by this point, the metering was changing with every shot.
## Key takeaway

Shooting animals from moving boats requires securing the camera, using manual settings for fast shutter speeds, and selecting appropriate lenses for different animals.