Photography in wild places can be a very big challenge for anyone. Many variables come into play, - cold, hot, rain, clouds, extremely sunny, etc. These variables can become even more challenging being a new photographer learning the ropes of outdoor photography.
That's also not all you have in front of you as challenges. camera settings, gear, and how to work through an ever changing world of light or lack thereof for light sources to aid your photography.
So where does one begin?
Well, to simplify things a bit first, we must talk gear. My rule #1 is to buy the gear you can afford, not the latest and greatest shiny object.
Camera gear is an ever changing world of out with the old in with the new. However, it's like this, if you have a Corvette but dont know how to drive......well, you'll never know your or the cars full potential. Along the way, you will get frustrated with not knowing how to use the vehicle to its full potential.
Camera gear is a lot like that. You can have a Sony A9, which happens to be the latest and greatest. However, if you don't know anything about how to use it, you might as well shoot with a Polaroid.
Buy a starter DSLR camera like a Canon 90d with a sigma 150-600mm. This camera setup will get you shooting photos of wildlife. There are many different setups! Mainly, you just need the reach of a 600 mm lens, and knowing your settings will get you 80% there.
After learning on a basic setup, you can then build upon it and buy renewed or new next level stuff when you're ready. A good company to look at is MPB.com. They buy, sell, and rent used gear. It's a great way to rent a potential newer camera without the full buy-in to ownership until you know you love it!
So, buy what you can afford, learn the functionality of the camera you choose, and then apply steps from my get close blog to start putting it all together.
Up next learning light and composition!