The Prepared Wildlife Photographer
Ready Before the Moment Arrives.
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Wildlife doesn’t wait.
Moose gets you ready before it shows up.
About the Course
When the bear steps out of the trees, you have seconds to get it right, and if you're still thinking about exposure or focal length, the moment is gone. Moose Peterson built this class on one idea: make the technical decisions before the subject shows up. From firmware checks and sensor cleaning to long-lens handholding, his teddy bear exposure exercise, flash for color, and choosing between teleconverters and crop mode, Moose shows you how to make your gear and settings second nature so all that's left is the story.
Why This Course Matters
Most wildlife education covers what to do in front of the animal. This class is about everything before that — which is where most photographers quietly lose their best shots.
A teleconverter that wasn't cleaned. A battery never conditioned. An exposure guess on a dark subject against snow. None of these are talent problems. They're preparation problems, and preparation can be learned. You'll leave with a repeatable gear-readiness system, a practice routine you can run in your backyard, and the confidence to stop worrying about your camera and start paying attention to the animal in front of you.
Who's Teaching You
Learn from one of wildlife photography's most trusted voices
Moose Peterson has spent more than four decades photographing wildlife, from songbirds to grizzlies, and nearly as long teaching photographers how to do it. He's the rare instructor who talks about gear, technique, and the animal in the same breath, and here he hands you the preparation routine behind every one of his shots.
Moose Peterson is one of the most respected wildlife photographers working today, with a career spanning more than four decades and a long list of books, columns, and workshops behind him. He's known for straight-talking, field-tested teaching that makes technical skills feel like second nature — exactly what makes him the right guide for being ready when it counts.
What You'll Learn
Skills you'll use on every trip
From the night-before gear check to the split second the subject appears — here's what you'll walk away knowing how to do.
Make your camera field-ready
Firmware updates that sharpen autofocus, battery conditioning that stretches every charge, and the simple fix for a camera that locks up from static.
Keep your sensor and glass spotless
A safe, step-by-step routine for mirrorless sensors and telephoto rear elements, plus the everyday habits that keep dust out in the first place.
Handhold and pan at 600mm and beyond
Three points of contact, the finger roll that fires without shake, panning from the trunk, and a tripod routine you can run without looking.
Master exposure with the teddy bear exercise
Bracket three stuffed bears through changing light, understand how long lenses shrink your focus band, and set up a shot in under 30 seconds.
Use flash to bring out color
Where to position it for shadow-free light in any orientation, and how distance, ISO, and aperture control the result.
Get the right image size every time
Zooming with your feet, teleconverters, or crop mode: what each costs you in light and autofocus, and why crop mode wins when flash is in play.
Try Before You Join
Watch a full lesson, free
No signup. No credit card. Press play.
That's one full lesson, free. The other eight are ready when you are.
The Full Curriculum
9 lessons, start to finish
Just watched Lesson 6? Here's everything around it — tap any lesson to see what's covered.
Moose explains why panic over settings is the number one reason great moments get missed, and how making your technical skills automatic lets you focus on the story.
Firmware updates for better autofocus, battery conditioning for longer life, and a simple field fix for a camera that locks up from static.
Moose’s safe, step-by-step method for cleaning mirrorless sensors, why your telephoto’s rear element matters just as much, and the habits that keep dust off in the first place.
Three-point-contact handholding, the finger roll that fires without shake, panning from the trunk, and a tripod routine that lets you change height without missing a beat.
Weather, clothing, visual gear checklists, and researching your subject so you know what you’re looking for and how big it will be in the frame.
Moose’s decades-old drill for mastering exposure and depth of focus with three stuffed bears, so you can set up a shot in under 30 seconds.
Flash isn’t about exposure, it’s about revealing color. Learn where to position it for shadow-free light, and how distance, ISO, and aperture control the result.
Zooming with your feet, teleconverters, or crop mode: what each costs you in light and autofocus, and why crop mode wins when flash is in play.
When the variables are gone, all that’s left is you and the subject. Moose closes with a challenge to make every photograph count for the wildlife you love.
All 9 lessons are streaming right now. Join KelbyOne for just 54¢ a day →
From the Course
See the preparation in action
Loved by Members
You're in good company
Rated 4.8 out of 5 — "Excellent" — across 1,843 reviews on Trustpilot. Here's what members say.
KelbyOne is so inspiring, exhilarating, fascinating and downright exceptional. Every aspect of KelbyOne is like a good novel that you can't put down. Great technical and useful knowledge.
These courses don't treat you like you're an idiot, but still walk you through step by step. Other members really go the extra mile to help you understand and progress as a photographer.
I am soooo pleased that I found this program. I am learning and growing by crazy leaps and bounds in my photography skills. The teaching style makes everything stick.
The classes are well done and I always learn something new. I especially enjoy the no-nonsense approach to teaching. It keeps what could be a dry topic interesting.
More Than One Course
This course is just the beginning
The Prepared Wildlife Photographer comes with your KelbyOne membership — and so does everything below. Tap any benefit to see what's included.
The full KelbyOne library covers photography, Lightroom, and Photoshop from first principles to professional technique — portraits, landscape, travel, studio and flash, wedding, sports, street, food, fashion, business, and more. Every course is taught by a working pro, broken into focused lessons you can watch in any order, and available to stream whenever you want. Start a class on your lunch break, finish it that night, and come back to it any time you need a refresher.
KelbyOne releases a new course every single week, so your membership is worth more the longer you hold it. New techniques, new gear, new software releases, and new instructors are added continuously — meaning the latest in photography and post-processing is always waiting for you, and you'll never pay extra for it.
Not sure what to watch next? Curated learning tracks sequence the right courses in the right order so you build skills step by step instead of jumping around. The Photographer's Fast Track is designed to save you years of trial and error, and your progress is tracked along the way so you always know what you've finished and what's next.
Your membership includes a growing toolkit of free Lightroom presets, Photoshop brushes, and other downloadable resources you can put to work right away. Many courses also include downloadable practice files so you can follow along with the exact images the instructor is using — learning by doing, not just watching.
Stream on your computer, phone, tablet, or Apple TV and pick up right where you left off on any device. The KelbyOne app also lets you download classes for offline viewing, so you can keep learning on a plane, a road trip, or anywhere without a connection. Your account works anytime, anywhere.
Learning is easier with people in your corner. KelbyOne members are a welcoming, genuinely helpful community — the kind who go out of their way to answer questions and help you progress. When a technique doesn't click, there's a place to ask, and real photographers at every level who are happy to help.
If you're unhappy for any reason, contact us within the first 30 days of an annual membership (or the first 7 days of a monthly membership) and we'll gladly cancel and issue a full refund. You also get access the moment you join, and you can cancel anytime from your account page. There's nothing to lose by trying it.
Membership
One membership. Everything unlocked.
The Prepared Wildlife Photographer and the entire library of courses come with a KelbyOne membership. Go annual and you'll pay just $249 $199 — about 54¢ a day — and save $40 over paying monthly.
Everything included
- This course — The Prepared Wildlife Photographer, all 9 lessons
- Full access to all 1,000+ courses
- A new course every week, at no extra cost
- Guided learning tracks & the Photographer's Fast Track
- Free presets, brushes & downloadable practice files
- Watch on desktop, mobile, tablet & Apple TV — even offline
- Friendly, helpful member community
Still on the fence?
Start monthly at $19.99/mo and switch to annual anytime. Heads up: paying month-to-month works out to $239.88 a year — $40 more than going annual.
Backed by a 100% Money-Back Guarantee
Not happy for any reason? Contact us within the first 30 days of an annual membership (or the first 7 days of a monthly membership) and we'll gladly cancel and issue a full refund. You get access the moment you join.
Questions? Answered.
Everything you need to know
Right away. The moment you join, you can sign in and start watching The Prepared Wildlife Photographer — and every other course in the library — immediately, on any device.
Absolutely. KelbyOne has courses for every skill level, taught in plain language, step by step. This course meets you where you are, and the rest of the library grows with you as you improve.
No. Moose teaches with long lenses, but the prep routine, handholding technique, teddy bear exercise, and flash lessons all work with whatever you shoot. In Lesson 8 he shows how crop mode and teleconverters get more reach out of the lens you already own.
Annual is the best value by a wide margin: $199 for a full year (regularly $249) works out to about 54¢ a day and saves you $40 compared to paying month-to-month ($239.88/year). Monthly is there if you'd rather start small — and you can switch to annual anytime.
Yes. Cancel whenever you like from your account page and you'll keep access until your membership period ends. You're also covered by our money-back guarantee — 30 days on annual, 7 days on monthly — so there's no risk in trying it.
Yes. Stream on desktop, mobile, tablet, and Apple TV, and pick up right where you left off on any device. The KelbyOne app also lets you download classes to watch offline — on a plane, a road trip, anywhere.
Of course — KelbyOne has members all over the world. All prices are listed in US dollars (USD), so just keep your local exchange rate in mind at checkout and renewal.
Yes. Watch the trailer at the top of this page, then scroll down to Lesson 6, The Teddy Bear Exercise, which is free to watch in full. No signup or credit card needed. If you like how Moose teaches, the rest of the course is one membership away.
Your next great wildlife shot
starts before you leave the house.
Join KelbyOne today and stream The Prepared Wildlife Photographer — plus 1,000+ more courses from the world's best instructors — with a single membership.
Join KelbyOne & Start Watching$249 $199/year · about 54¢ a day · Money-back guarantee