From Strong to Award-Winning: Two Post-Processing Techniques Every Wildlife Photographer Should Master
By Hope Darrin
Wildlife photography is often described as a test of patience. And yes, patience matters. Long hours. Missed chances. Animals that never quite do what you hope. But once you get home and open your files, another test begins—judgment.
Especially in Africa, where light is unforgiving, distances are vast and nothing about the environment is neutral. Even a technically solid image can feel slightly off. Not wrong, exactly. Just… unsettled. Too busy. Too flat. Or subtly unrealistic in ways you can’t immediately put into words.
That’s where post-processing steps in. Not as decoration. Not as digital trickery. But as refinement.
After years of photographing wildlife across Kenya, Tanzania, and Namibia, two post-processing techniques have proven consistently decisive. When used with care, they transform strong images into work that holds up in exhibitions, portfolios, and competitions: intentional monochrome conversion and precise distortion correction.
Neither is flashy. Both are powerful.
Why Post-Processing Matters More Than We Like to Admit
Wildlife photographers rarely work under ideal conditions. We shoot from vehicles. Through heat shimmer. In dust. At dawn or dusk. With long lenses that compress space and exaggerate perspective. Backgrounds are rarely clean. Light changes minute by minute.
You can do everything right in the field and still come home with files that feel visually cluttered or anatomically uneasy.
Post-processing is not about changing the story. It’s about removing friction between the subject and the viewer. The best edits don’t draw attention to themselves. They simply make the image feel calm, confident, and intentional.
Reading the Image Before Editing: Knowing What the Photo Wants
One mistake many photographers make is deciding on an edit before truly looking at the image. Wildlife photographs often reveal their needs slowly. At first glance, colour may seem essential. But after a few seconds, you might notice that the real strength lies elsewhere: the curve of a horn, the tension in a muscle, the intensity of an eye.
Before touching any sliders, step back and ask yourself a simple question: What is this image really about?
Is it about colour and environment, or is it about presence and form?
If the answer is presence, monochrome often becomes the natural choice. If the answer is realism and scale, distortion correction may be the first step. Let the image lead the process, not the software.
Technique 1: Monochrome Conversion as a Storytelling Choice
Colour is seductive. It’s also distracting.
In wildlife photography, colour often competes with what actually matters: texture, form, expression, and gesture. Foliage, sky, dust, and reflected light can all pull attention away from the animal itself.
This is where black and white earns its place.
Choosing to turn an image black and white is not about nostalgia or style. It’s a narrative decision. You are deciding what the viewer should notice first—and what they no longer need to process.
When colour leaves the frame, shape takes over. Texture speaks louder. Light becomes structure. Emotion surfaces.
When Monochrome Works Best
Black and white tends to shine when:
Fur texture carries the emotional weight (lions, bears, wolves)
Skin detail tells the story (elephants, rhinos)
Eye contact is central (predators, primates)
Background colours are chaotic or visually dominant
Light is harsh but directional
A close portrait of an elephant bull in Amboseli is a perfect example. In color, the pale sky and dusty browns compete with the subject. In monochrome, the cracked skin, heavy tusks, and reflective eye command the frame.
Suddenly, the photograph breathes.
African Safari Example: Lions in Midday Light
Midday light in the Serengeti is brutal. A resting male lion in tall grass may be perfectly sharp yet emotionally flat. The yellows blend together. Contrast disappears.
Convert that same image to black and white, and everything shifts. The mane separates from the grass. Shadows sculpt the face. The lion regains weight and authority. What was a record shot becomes a portrait.
How to Convert to Black and White Properly
Good monochrome work starts before you remove colour.
First, avoid the temptation to simply desaturate. That almost always leads to muddy midtones and lifeless contrast.
Instead:
Use a black-and-white conversion tool that lets you control individual colour channels
Adjust how reds, yellows, and greens translate into grayscale tones
Protect highlights, especially in fur and feathers
Add contrast gradually, watching midtones closely
Use local adjustments to guide the eye toward the subject’s face or eyes
Texture is your currency. Preserve it.
Fine-Tuning Contrast in Black and White Wildlife Images
Once you commit to monochrome, contrast becomes your most powerful tool—and your biggest risk. Wildlife subjects demand subtlety. Push contrast too far and fur turns brittle, feathers lose softness, skin becomes harsh.
A strong approach is to work in stages:
Start with global contrast adjustments, keeping them modest.
Then refine local contrast using clarity or texture controls, but only where detail matters most: eyes, facial structure, key muscle lines.
Backgrounds, on the other hand, often benefit from softer treatment. Reducing contrast behind the subject helps separation without obvious vignetting or artificial blur.
The goal is not drama everywhere. It is hierarchy. The animal should dominate the visual conversation, not compete with its surroundings.
Technique 2: Correcting Distortion to Preserve Realism
Distortion is the quiet saboteur of wildlife photography.
It rarely jumps out at first glance. But once you see it, you can’t unsee it. And judges, editors, and experienced viewers see it instantly.
Long telephoto lenses are essential in wildlife work, but they come with optical compromises. If left uncorrected, image distortion can quietly undermine credibility.
Common Types of Distortion in Wildlife Images
Barrel distortion can make large animals appear wider or heavier than they are, especially at closer distances.
Pincushion distortion often appears at extreme focal lengths, subtly bending backgrounds inward and compressing open landscapes.
Perspective distortion is common when shooting from low angles. Legs stretch. Heads grow. Bodies shorten. Sometimes it adds drama. Sometimes it breaks anatomy.
Safari Example: Elephant at a Waterhole
In Amboseli National Park, an elephant approached close to the vehicle at a waterhole. The moment was intimate. Calm. Powerful.
But the initial file told a slightly different story. The head looked wider than natural. The trunk felt exaggerated.
Correcting the distortion restored balance. Nothing dramatic changed—but everything felt right again. The elephant regained dignity. The photograph stopped calling attention to the lens and started honouring the animal.
Why Distortion Correction Matters
Viewers instinctively sense proportion errors
Judges and editors notice distortion immediately
Documentary credibility depends on anatomical accuracy
Distortion weakens trust, even subconsciously
This isn’t cosmetic work. It’s structural.
How to Correct Distortion Thoughtfully
Start with lens profile corrections if available. They handle the majority of optical distortion automatically.
Then assess manually:
Check limb proportions
Examine head-to-body balance
Look for bending horizons or warped backgrounds
Use transform tools gently. Small adjustments go a long way. Overcorrection creates its own problems.
When correcting perspective, anchor the body, not the environment. Animals matter more than straight trees.
Dynamic Scenes Where Distortion Is Most Harmful
Distortion becomes especially disruptive in motion:
Running cheetahs
Charging elephants
Birds in flight
Interacting animals
Correcting distortion stabilises these scenes visually. Movement reads as power, not chaos.
When Not to Correct Distortion
There are moments when slight distortion supports the story. Environmental portraits sometimes benefit from subtle exaggeration.
The rule is simple:
If distortion strengthens the narrative without breaking anatomy, keep it.
If it distracts or confuses, correct it.
Practical Workflow Tip: Correct Distortion Early
Distortion correction should happen early in your workflow—before cropping, before fine contrast work, and certainly before sharpening.
Why? Because distortion adjustments subtly reshape the image. Correcting them later can affect composition, edge detail, and even perceived sharpness.
A clean workflow often looks like this:
Correct lens distortion and perspective
Crop and refine framing
Convert to monochrome (if appropriate)
Adjust tonal balance and contrast
Apply selective sharpening last
This order preserves image integrity and avoids chasing problems created by late-stage corrections.
Why These Two Techniques Work So Well Together
Monochrome simplifies emotion.
Distortion correction restores physical truth.
One clarifies what the viewer feels.
The other stabilises what the viewer believes.
Together, they remove noise without rewriting reality. That balance is what separates polished images from professional ones.
Knowing When Subtle Is Stronger
In wildlife photography, restraint is often the difference between professional and amateur work. Judges, editors, and experienced viewers notice heavy-handed edits immediately.
A good test is distance. Step away from the screen. Come back after a break. If the edit draws attention to itself, it may be too much.
Monochrome should feel intentional, not trendy.
Distortion correction should feel invisible, not corrective.
When viewers focus on the animal instead of the processing, you’ve succeeded.
Closing Thought: Mastery Lives in the Quiet Adjustments
Award-winning wildlife photographs rarely rely on bold tricks. They rely on quiet decisions made with care.
Choosing to remove colour.
Choosing to straighten reality.
Choosing clarity over spectacle.
These choices respect both the subject and the viewer. And in wildlife photography, respect is everything.
By mastering monochrome conversion and distortion correction—not as effects, but as tools—you gain control over how your images are read, felt, and trusted. That control is what separates a strong photograph from one that truly endures.
If you’d like to order a framed print of one of my wildlife photographs, please visit the Prints page.
If you’d like to book a lesson or order an online photography course, please visit my Lessons and Courses pages.
