7
Composition
WHAT IT IS PHOTOGRAPHICALLY
Composition is the thoughtful placement of visual elements—a worthy subject and its environment—to make the strongest possible image. This sounds simple enough. But, what makes a worthy subject? Where should the subject appear in the image? How big should it be? Is the foreground important? What about the background? How does the light affect everything? Are there some perspective choices? Should you use a shallow depth of field or a lot? What direction should the animal be facing? Do you photograph it from a low viewpoint or a higher one?
Composing well requires you to answer a lot of questions quickly, before the light or subject disappears. In many ways, composition is far more difficult than exposure or shooting sharp images. Either the exposure is right on or it is not. Either the image is sharp or it isn’t. The “gray” areas for exposure and sharpness are few. Composition, however, is highly subjective. A fine composition often depends on the eyes of the beholder and varies from person to person. There are few absolutes in composition, but endless variables and possibilities.
We assume you want us to be completely honest with you in this book—so we will be. Even after decades of professional nature photography experience, we are still steadily improving our ability to see fine images and to make pleasing compositions. All of the mechanical aspects of photography—focusing the lens, exposure, flash, white balance, using tripods—are much easier to master than composition. Unfortunately, many photographers and especially beginners assume their ability to see a terrific composition is naturally easy for them. Usually, this is not the case. But it is easy to understand this because everyone knows when their images aren’t perfectly exposed or sharp,
Lilac-breasted rollers are spectacular birds that thrive in grasslands with some acacia trees in many Kenyan parks. By driving slowly up to them, and being in position ahead of time to shoot as soon as the Land Rover ignition is turned off, it is often possible to photograph them at close range. This composition is simple and the uncluttered background really makes the bird emerge from the image. Canon EOS 7D, Canon 500mm f/4.0 lens, f/11 at 1/640 second, ISO 500, Shutter-priority with a +2/3-stop exposure compensation.
but who is to be the judge of whether the composition works or not? After all, if the composition works for you, then it does, but it may not be all that pleasing to most who view the image. The problem with composition is there is no definite wrong or right composition that we can all agree on.
We hope you will read this chapter carefully and work to assimilate some of the “guidelines” we offer into your photography habits. Often we hear about “Rules of Composition,” but we find there are so many valid exceptions to the rules that it is more useful to say everything is a “guideline,” rather than a rule. Please consider the guidelines to follow, but feel free to modify or ignore them altogether. We’ll stress the concepts that have proven to be especially valuable to us over four decades earning a living from wildlife photography.
PAINTERS AND PHOTOGRAPHERS
Wildlife painters approach their final print quite differently than photographers do. Painters begin with an image in their heads, or perhaps a simple drawing or photograph to work from. They begin with a clean canvas when they start their painting. Gradually, they add elements to the painting. For example, as I write this, I am looking at my 2010 Federal Duck Stamp that showcases a wonderful drake American wigeon on it by master wildlife painter Jim Hautman of Minnesota. Perhaps Jim started with the duck and its reflection. Then the cattails were added to the left and middle portions of the painting. Finally, the light tan background is added to complete this simple, but elegant wildlife painting. By simple, I mean the subject is obvious and the painting is uncluttered. Only enough reflection and cattails are included to create a sense of the marsh where American wigeon live. No unnecessary elements are included.
The wildlife painter enjoys the advantage of starting with a clean canvas to paint on and chooses the elements they wish to include. Of course, painters have a critical disadvantage. They must have the talent in their eyes and hands to make the wigeon actually look like one. If I painted one, it would be a huge success if some viewers could recognize that it was some sort of duck-like bird. I actually tried painting early on, but the results were dismal!
The wildlife photographer has a very different task. They must find a place where American widgeons are approachable. Then they must use their camera lenses and photo skills to select a fine specimen and isolate it as much as possible. In other words, the photographer begins with everything in the marsh and the sky and then simplifies the image by excluding unnecessary or distracting objects as much as possible. Often this requires waiting for the duck to swim to a favorable spot and assuming an interesting pose. If all goes well, unwanted distractions like ugly branches, litter, or the bill of another duck don’t appear in the image. The photographer must be ready and hope it all comes together for a moment to capture the image. The painter’s composition is determined by what they include and where they put it. They start with nothing and add the elements they want. The photographer begins with everything in the marsh and arrives at their composition by excluding much of what is present while thoughtfully placing the widgeon somewhere in the image.
GUIDELINE 1: DETERMINE THE CENTER OF INTEREST
This is easy because it is usually the animal you are photographing. However, if a variety of critters are frolicking in front of your lens, be careful to select the better-looking individual or groups for your images. Some birds may be missing feathers while others of the same species sport a pristine plumage. Some mammals may have an immaculate fur coat while others don’t. Look for dirt and twigs sticking to the creature, too. Some animals are unappealing because an insect pest, such as a swollen tick in the ear, makes it undesirable as a photo subject. However, ticks and other blemishes are part of nature, so don’t reject all animals for these problems.
At the beginning of my career in 1975, I remember photographing Belding ground squirrels near Yosemite National Park. Only when I reviewed the images later did I notice the objectionable tiny metal ear tags a researcher had fastened to them. In Ontario years ago, Barbara and I found a group of easily approached gray jays. Unfortunately, all had a few colored bands on their legs in various color combinations. Later we met the jay researcher and mentioned the colored bands. We told him we caught the birds and removed the bands. After photographing the birds, we caught them again and put the bands back on—though not necessarily in the order we took them off. We laughed when we saw his look of alarm, but he soon realized we were just kidding. Marked wildlife with ear tags, neck collars, and leg bands are surprisingly common. Many elk, bison, and wolves in Yellowstone National Park wear neck collars for tracking purposes. However, we know the head wolf researcher who told us some especially photogenic wolves aren’t collared because, in his words, “the photographers complain too much.” For those who are handy with Photoshop, small imperfections such as bands and tags can be removed or covered using software solutions. Some purists are against this sort of thing, and Barbara rarely does it, but it remains a legitimate tool for removing small distractions. If you are against it, then don’t do it. If you don’t mind working some magic, then go for it. It’s your choice. We prefer to keep our images as natural as possible.
Along with selecting the subject, as a gentle reminder, make sure the light on the subject is favorable. If the unattractive subject is in photogenic light and the pristine subject is in harsh light, wait until the reverse happens. Remember, any great-looking subject in poor light will most likely produce a poor image. Don’t waste your time and effort fighting bad light.
SIZE OF THE SUBJECT
Once the subject has been selected, how big do you make it in the image? Of course, this depends a lot on how long your lens is, how close you can approach the subject, how big the subject is, and what type of statement you are trying to make. Shoot first to capture a record shot is common advice. How valid this advice is depends on your purposes. If you do indeed want a record shot of everything you see, then it is
Golden-mantled ground squirrels love to eat succulent flowers, such as this dandelion. I spread my tripod legs out flat and lay on the ground to get this low shooting viewpoint. Canon EOS 5D Mark II, Canon 500mm f/4.0 lens, f/7.1 at 1/320 second, ISO 640, Shutter-priority with a +1/3-stop exposure compensation.
valid. We depend on using our images to earn a living or make fine prints for our wall. We have absolutely no use for a record shot of a creature that is uselessly tiny in the image. We never shoot record shots. The problem with shooting a record shot is it takes time. Most animals remain near you for only a short period. Why waste this often fleeting amount of time by shooting a poor image? Since we can only use quality images, we
valid. We depend on using our images to earn a living or make fine prints for our wall. We have absolutely no use for a record shot of a creature that is uselessly tiny in the image. We never shoot record shots. The problem with shooting a record shot is it takes time. Most animals remain near you for only a short period. Why waste this often fleeting amount of time by shooting a poor image? Since we can only use quality images, we continue working closer to the animal until we can actually shoot a quality image.
Our primary interest in quality once was a problem for our Kenya safari drivers. They are accustomed to driving up to lions, cheetahs, elephants, and giraffes that normally completely ignore the Land Rover. Most of the bigger animals never look at the vehicle or the humans within it. Unlike most photo safari groups, though, we photograph many of the small gorgeous birds of Kenya. At first, our drivers were reluctant to drive close enough to a small bird, such as a lilac-breasted roller or little bee-eater, until we got a record shot. Eventually
Vermilion flycatchers are tiny active birds that are impossible to photograph with a tripod because they constantly flit about the forest. Barbara hand-held her camera, favored ISO 800 to get more shutter speed, shot with a big aperture, activated the vibration reduction mechanism on her Nikon lens, and shot as many images as possible hoping to capture a sharp image. Nikon D3, Nikon 200-400mm f/4.0 lens, 1/250 second at f/4.5, ISO 800, and manual metering.
we convinced them to keep on slowly approaching until we were close enough to capture a nice image when we stopped the first time. We all realize small birds are far more likely to fly away than larger animals. We told the driver, “If it flies, it flies.” We understand the small bird might flush on approach and we don’t blame the driver if it does. We realize we may not get the shot, but if we don’t try, we are guaranteed we won’t get the shot. We don’t consider flushing a small bird that isn’t nesting to be harassment. They fly all over the place anyway. One more short flight surely isn’t harmful. Just don’t keep after it if the subject clearly doesn’t want you that close. Fortunately, the use of long lenses, teleconverters, and camera crop factors now allows us to capture a large image of many small birds, while still keeping a non-threatening distance away.
ANIMALS IN THE ENVIRONMENT
As you approach an animal, always consider the environment. Many fine wildlife images keep the animal small to reveal more of its immediate surroundings. This works especially well when the surroundings are highly photogenic. A sea of green or golden grass, a shoreline of colorful pebbles, a field of snow, a pool of floating ice chunks, or a canopy of red maple leaves are good examples of desirable photo environments.
Keeping the primary subject, such as a grouse, small in the image gives you a few advantages. First, it isn’t necessary to approach as closely, reducing the chance of frightening it away. Second, by keeping your distance, the animal is more likely to exhibit normal behavior. Third, magnifying the subject less gives you more depth of field to work with at all f-stops. This makes it easier to cast enough depth of field on the subject to sharply focus the subject adequately.
GUIDELINE 2: MAKING ANIMALS LARGE IN THE IMAGE
There are no fixed parameters for this category, but let’s say if the animal occupies one-third to three-quarters of the image, then it fits. A Unita ground squirrel that fills 1/3 of the image reveals plenty of detail in the squirrel and shows some of its environment. Many wildlife photographers shoot these kinds of images with fine results. By not filling the frame too tightly, there is more room to crop the image, if necessary. And there is less chance of unintentionally cutting off the feet or tail of the subject. When photographing running animals or flying birds, it helps to avoid overfilling the image. All too often, the best pose, or the only one that is super-sharp, cuts off an important part of the subject.
FULL-FRAME
These are captivating images that clearly reveal the animal and minimize the environment. Filling the frame works best with really cute creatures, especially if their faces have interesting expressions. Many photographers seek to shoot this tightly much of the time. It does work well, but composing all of your subjects this tight becomes boring after a while. It is always best to vary how much the subject fills the frame. Be careful to avoid cutting off the nose, tail, ears, or feet of the animal. Sadly, we often see images of an outstanding subject
Mountain goats frequent the high peaks of the northern and Canadian Rockies. This one peers down at me from its lofty perch near Alpine, Wyoming. Animals don’t always have to be large in the image. Sometimes composing them small in the image amid their environment tells their story better. Canon EOS 5D Mark II, Canon 500mm f/4.0L lens, f/7.1 at 1/1000 second, ISO 160, manual exposure.
where the feet or tail are inexplicably cut off. Be careful and always watch the edges of the frame in your viewfinder to avoid this common problem.
PORTRAITS
While it makes little sense to cut off a small portion of the animal, portraits are the exception. A full-frame image of an animal’s head and neck does work as a fine portrait. Do remember the magnification is quite high when you do this. Increasing magnification reduces depth of field, so stop the lens down more, if possible, to increase the depth of field. Generally, portraits work best as head and shoulder compositions. It makes little sense (usually) to cut the animal in half—compositionally speaking, of course.
HORIZONTAL AND VERTICAL COMPOSITIONS
Your camera’s imaging sensor is probably rectangular in shape and not square. Since one side of it is longer than the other, you’ll make more interesting images if you make
This blue-headed parrot was a captive at a nature center in Ecuador. We visited the park because the Galapagos boat we hoped to board that day was adrift at sea from engine failure. Since Barbara could not get to her packed tripod, she shot hand-held, used vibration-reduction, and teleflash to capture a sharp well lit image. Nikon D3, Nikon 200-400mm f/4.0 lens, auto projected flash, f/5.6 and 1/250 second, ISO 500, and manual metering.
both horizontal and vertical compositions when it suits the subject.
Horizontal compositions work best when the subject is wider than it is tall. An elk standing broadside to you that is looking to the left is an obvious horizontal. Place the elk on the right side of the image, avoid cutting the tail and feet off, and let it look left into the frame. It is a simple guideline that works incredibly well. However, if this same elk turns toward you and raises its head, it now is much taller than it is wide and makes a vertical composition more desirable and compelling.
Vertical compositions, of course, typically work well with subjects that are taller than they are wide. Giraffes, great-blue herons, and ground squirrels standing up on alert are obvious examples. Beginning photographers typically start out shooting nearly all horizontal images. Since the horizontal format seems natural, most of us shoot plenty of horizontals. However, make sure you shoot vertical compositions, too, especially when it really works best with the natural shape of the subject.
Follow these horizontal and vertical guidelines loosely. Even a vertical subject can be a fine horizontal image if you work the environment into the composition. A giraffe that is standing straight up could be placed on the far right or left side of the image, and composed as a loose horizontal. Even tall animals like the giraffe don’t work as a vertical composition when composed tightly if their head is down as they feed on a low bush.
It is easier to compose vertical compositions if you look through your camera properly. If you use your right eye to
Reticulated giraffes suggest strong vertical compositions because they are tall. Canon EOS 1 D Mark III, Canon 300mm f/4 lens, f/10 at 1/500 second, ISO 400, and manual metering. However, it is possible to shoot a fine horizontal composition by composing a little bit looser by allowing the giraffe to “look” through the image. An animal looking to the left as you see here works well on the right side of the image. If the animal looks to the right, then compose it on the left. Canon EOS 1 D Mark III, Canon 300mm f/4 lens, f/10 at 1/500 second, ISO 400, manual metering.
look through the viewfinder, how you orient the camera does matter. Photographers who use their right eye should rotate the camera 90 degrees counterclockwise. This position is more comfortable for pressing the shutter button and your nose clears the camera body, instead of being smashed into the back of the camera. Unfortunately, it isn’t so easy for those who shoot with their left eye. If left-eyed shooters turn the camera clockwise 90 degrees, their nose clears the camera, but it is awkward to trip the shutter. Turning the camera 90 degrees counterclockwise makes it easier to trip the shutter, but they must smash their nose into the back of the camera. In cold weather, if you use the “smashed nose” style of peering through the viewfinder, you’ll have another problem with fogging the viewfinder because you are more likely to breathe on the viewfinder when shooting this way.
VIEWPOINT
Camera placement determines the viewpoint. Many animals are most often photographed when they are on the ground or in the water. Extending your tripod legs to let you look through the viewfinder while standing up is popular—unfortunately. This high viewpoint (low aerial) gets boring rather quickly and the images are far less intimate and appealing. Many photographers do this because it is easier for them. A high viewpoint can be quite effective, though, especially for large groups of animals. Penguin rookeries in the Falkland Islands or Antarctica photograph well this way because the individual birds show up better, revealing the magnitude of the dense nesting colony. We sometimes see fine images of birds incubating their eggs from directly above that are quite striking. The photographers use a wireless triggering system with a tripod-mounted camera to capture this aerial viewpoint.
A low viewpoint is best for many animals that are near the ground. This is a strong guideline that approaches the status of a “rule.” By placing the camera at eye level to the animal or slightly below, the camera captures a more intimate and compelling image of the subject. Our favorite viewpoint for
This hoary marmot was eating grass along the highway between Canada’s Banff and Jasper National Parks. I pulled off in a safe parking spot and slowly approached the marmot quietly. When I laid on the ground to use a low shooting viewpoint, it resumed feeding. Canon EOS-1 D Mark III, 500mm f/4.0L lens, f/5.6 at 1/200 second, ISO 640, Shutter-priority with a +1- stop exposure compensation.
animals on the ground is slightly below the eye level of the animal. Admittedly, it isn’t always possible to put the camera in this position. If the animal is lower than the ground you are on, then it isn’t possible. However, if the animal is even a few inches above the ground you are on, it is quite feasible to use this low viewpoint. Lie on the ground, spread the tripod legs out flat, and shoot as close to the ground as possible. Capturing this low viewpoint is easier if you use long telephoto lenses, such as a 500mm or equivalent, because the angle between the subject and the lens is less with more distance from the subject. Of course, some of us rise from the ground easier than others. Do what you physically can. Being in excellent physical condition is enormously helpful for nature photography and wildlife photography in particular.
Of course, don’t overdo the low viewpoint idea. Many birds and some animals are photographed perching in trees. Shooting up at steep angle toward their belly seldom makes a pleasing image.
GUIDELINE 3: CONTROL THE BACKGROUND
The background, whether soft or sharply focused, is critically important to the image. A distracting background competes for the viewer’s attention, drawing it away from the subject. Specifically, what is a distracting background? A bare bush with lots of branches that appear as distinct lines behind a beautiful bird is certainly distracting. A bird in the shade photographed against a sunlit background is objectionable due to the extreme difference in contrast. The bright background pulls the viewer’s eye away from the bird. Bright backgrounds occur on cloudy days, too. While the light under cloud cover is diffuse, photographing a bird against a light cloudy background is distracting. A white background is a contrast problem if the subject is quite dark. For many years, we avoided photographing animals against a white background. It became a habit, but now we find it is advantageous to use some white cloudy backgrounds, especially if they aren’t too bright. While a white bird against white clouds tends to merge together, it can be an appealing image if there is a bit of color in the subject such as a yellow beak or eye. When nearly everything in the image is some shade of white, a small splash of color in the subject becomes a strong center of interest that makes a strong image.
Even a nicely illuminated completely out-of-focus background is often distracting. This is a common problem with, unfortunately, far too many wildlife images. Many animals like deer, elk, elephants, and giraffes are photographed as they graze in a field with a forest or skyline in the background. In many cases, the edge where the field meets the forest creates a distinct horizontal line in the background that passes through the head or neck of the subject. Even if this line is completely unfocused, it remains quite noticeable and objectionable. The same problem occurs when an out-of-focus field or treeline meets the sky. The last thing you want is the horizon line, even if totally unfocused, creating a line through the subject.
USE A LONGER FOCAL LENGTH LENS
Long lenses in the 300mm and up range automatically minimize background distractions. The longer the focal length, the smaller the angle of view. Therefore, the field of view covered by the lens is smaller, too. Since the lens “sees” less of the background, this makes it much easier to isolate the subject against a diffused out of focus background with similar colors and brightness. If a distracting background is a problem, switching to a longer lens or zooming the lens out to a longer focal length might solve the problem.
USE A LARGER APERTURE
Using f/2.8, f/4.0, or f/5.6 throws the background out of focus more because the depth of field is much less than you get with f/ 16 or f/22. The more out of focus the background is, the less distracting. Remember, aperture and f-stop are really not the same thing, though many photographers use the words interchangeably, including me sometimes. The aperture refers to a specific size hole in the lens that lets light pass through it. The f-stop refers to a mathematical ratio between the focal length and the diameter of the aperture (f-stop = focal length/ aperture). A large f-stop number such as f/22 is created with a small aperture. Conversely, a big aperture generates a small f-stop number like f/2.8 or f/4.0.
Using small f-stops (big apertures) to reduce depth of field is quite effective for concentrating the attention on the face of an animal. In fact, this has a name and is called “selective focus.” Using the biggest aperture on your lens, such as f/4.0, throws the background far out of focus, forcing the viewer to look at the subject. This technique works quite nicely when shooting through foregrounds because they become unfocused splashes of color that beautifully frame the subject. Selective focus works exceptionally well when the foreground is colorful wild flowers, especially under low contrast cloudy skies.
FILL THE IMAGE WITH MORE SUBJECT
Making the subject larger in the image offers benefits for controlling the background. First, if the image is occupied with
The magnificent antlers in velvet of this bull elk make a superb photo opportunity. I stayed with this elk for at least two hours while it fed. During this time, I got plenty of fine poses and good situations. This image is badly flawed because the white skyline bisects the elk. Canon EOS-5D Mark II, 500mm f/4.0L lens, f/5.6 at 1/500 second, ISO 400, Shutter-priority with a +2/3-stop exposure compensation.
more subject, there is less room for a distracting background. Second, filling the image with more subject increases the magnification, which reduces the depth of field and throws the background more out of focus. Both these factors make the background less noticeable.
CAREFULLY SELECT THE SHOOTING ANGLE
Although our native Kenyan driver-guides are superb, they aren’t photographers. Therefore, I tend to carefully guide them (in a friendly way) to the best spot to stop the Land Rover as we drive up to the animal. I take into consideration how approachable the animal appears to be, where the best light is, what lenses the other folks in my Land Rover have, foreground obstacles, and the background. Often I stop the vehicle at a specific spot when many places seem like they should be equally good. Why? I am looking for the best background. There is no point in stopping the Land Rover at a spot where
These Masai giraffes are wonderfully spotlit by the golden sunshine against the black storm clouds behind them. Anytime you find golden sun and black skies, work quickly to find worthwhile subjects to photograph during this often fleeting, but tremendously magical light. Nikon D2X, Nikon 70-200mm lens, f/8 at 1/200 second, ISO 200, and manual exposure.
the horizon line bisects the head of the giraffe when moving over ten yards to park slightly higher up the gentle slope lets us isolate the same giraffe against an out-of-focus all-green background. At other times, we park the Land Rover lower down the hill to isolate the animal against the sky. This against-the-sky viewpoint is incredibly effective when the sky is boiling with formidable black storm clouds, especially if the giraffe is lit with golden sunshine.
SELECT SUBJECTS THAT ARE FAR FROM THE BACKGROUND
Sometimes there are numerous animals to choose from. Some are close to background distractions while others are farther away. The farther away the background, the more out of focus it will be, assuming focal length, magnification, and f-stop remain the same. Admittedly, you don’t get as many opportunities to select an animal that is farther away from the background as you do if you were photographing wildflowers, but it does happen at times. More likely, though, this concept is incredibly useful if you are photographing squirrels or birds at your backyard seed feeders. I recently set up a feeding station on my property in southern Idaho. Common birds in the yard during spring include American goldfinch, house finch, red-winged blackbird, white-crowned sparrow, California quail, and house sparrows. All of them are most comfortable when they are near thick cover to escape the predatory sharp-shinned hawks that cruise through at regular intervals. Therefore, I set up the tray seed feeder along the side of a thick brush pile. I put the blind on the south side of the feeder because the light is better more often when shooting north. The brush pile is only a few feet away, but does not appear in the background at all. A thick stand of hawthorn and Russian olive trees about 25 yards behind the feeder occupy the background. I selected this distance from the background, rather than having it closer, because our 400mm and 500mm lenses make the background completely out of focus at 25 yards.
GUIDELINE 5: CONSIDER THE DIRECTION THE ANIMAL IS LOOKING
Look for the flow. This is a simple concept that works remarkably well. If a single animal is looking to the left, the flow
Providing water in a dry environment will attract many animals. It’s a successful strategy to compose the image to make the Gambel’s quail look through the image, not out of the image as you see here. There is too much empty space on the left side of the bird. Canon EOS-1D Mark III, Canon 500mm f/4.0L, f/11 at 1/500 second, ISO 250, manual exposure.
follows the direction it is looking. Put the animal on the right side of the image and give it room to look through the image to the left. Should it suddenly look to the right, recompose quickly and place it on the left side of the image, as the flow now goes to the right. Many perched birds constantly look left and right. If you try to change the composition each time they look the other way, you constantly fiddle with the camera and tripod head and don’t shoot many images. We surrender to birds actively looking in all directions. We compose the image with the bird on the left side of the image and wait for it to look to the right, only shooting images when it does so. When we get enough, we recompose and put the bird on the right side of the image and shoot when it looks to the left. Letting the animal look into the image effectively solves two common problems. Composing by “going with the flow” tends to stop you from filling the frame too tightly all of the time. It also keeps the subject out of the middle of the image which gets boring if all of your subjects are centered.
WHEN TO LET THE ANIMAL LOOK OUT OF THE IMAGE
As with all guidelines, there are exceptions. A duck steadily swimming to the right with a perfect mirror reflection looks
This composition works much better because the inherent flow in the image is the direction the quail is looking. In this quail example, the quail was centered in the middle of the original frame to allow us to easily compose it two different ways. Normally, we would compose the quail on one side of the image or the other, depending on the direction it is looking
good on the left side of the image. This subject placement provides empty space to the right for the duck to swim into. However, if water ripples or downy ducklings follow the swimming mother duck, then it works to put her on the right side of the image, allowing the ripples or ducklings to occupy the space behind her.
MULTIPLE COMPETING FORCES
What do you do with a giraffe that is standing upright, but looking to the left? There are two competing forces. The vertical posture of the animal strongly suggests a vertical composition. However, the animal looking to the left creates a force in that direction and suggests a horizontal composition. Here’s two ways to handle competing forces. First, compose a tight vertical, but allow a little extra space on the left side. Second, shoot a loose horizontal and place the giraffe on the right side. Let it look left through the image. Both work! If you see other possibilities, then go for it.
AVOID DEAD CENTER COMPOSITIONS
Avoid putting the primary subject right in the middle of the image, especially if it occupies less than half of the image. We find this bull’s-eye subject placement is a common problem among our clients. Perhaps this is true because their autofocus points are centered around the middle of the frame, so it’s easy and seems natural. However, placing the subject in the middle of the image all of the time ignores the natural flow and quickly becomes boring, especially to an audience that has to look at the same uninspired composition shot after shot. It’s better to compose more thoughtfully to keep your images interesting to the viewer. This dead-center habit (we call it the bull’s-eye syndrome) is a widespread problem for many photographers. Examine your images to see if you are prone to centering all subjects. If so, follow these guidelines to acquire a new habit of using the natural flow to compose more appealing images.
There are times to dead-center the subject, though. If the animal looks directly at the camera, especially if it appears formidable and dangerous, placing it dead-center in the image works nicely. The flow travels straight at the viewer, making the dead-center placement dramatic with intimidating animals such as lions, buffalos, and leopards.
Sometimes it is best to “temporarily” dead-center the subject. Soaring birds and loping cheetahs are challenging to compose to give them room to move into the image without cutting off their tails or feet. Therefore, a successful strategy is to bull’seye them and don’t fill the frame quite as much as you would like to provide a wee bit more empty space around them. This greatly reduces the chance of cutting off part of the animal. Then crop the image a small amount to let the animal move into the image a bit without cutting any portion of the creature off. Now the subject is no longer centered in the image. That’s why it is a “temporary” dead-center composition. Don’t shoot too loose, though. Some people shoot far too loose and they don’t have enough pixels left when they make a print to get good resolution.
Groups of animals can suggest a flow, too. Several zebras quietly resting in a row suggest a strong horizontal flow. Conversely, a herd of wildebeest and zebras running down the steep bank of the famous Mara River is clearly a strong vertical image as the action flows primarily up and down.
OVER THE SHOULDER
Photographing an animal from the rear as it looks back over its shoulder toward the camera is a captivating composition. This angle is especially beneficial for birds because it nicely reveals their tail and wing details, while keeping their face as the primary interest in the image.
THE “RULE” OF THIRDS
This concept is widely known and used, so let’s not spend too much time rehashing it. It is a simple idea that does work nicely. Divide the image into thirds, both horizontally and vertically. The lines intersect at four points called “points of power.” According to the rule (guideline), the main subject should be on one of the power points. This does not mean all power points work equally well for every image, however.
Early one morning in the Masai Mara, we happened upon a lioness carrying a cub. It was the first of four cubs she would carry to a new hiding spot. Since lions pay no attention to safari vehicles, we parked near the path she would use to bring the other three cubs. We got three good chances to capture this motherly behavior. Nikon D2X, Nikon 200-400 f/4 lens, f/5.3 at 1/500 second, ISO 400, Shutter-priority with a +2/3-stop exposure compensation.
They don’t. You must still keep in mind the natural flow in the image. The power point idea does work quite well, especially for an animal amid the landscape. If you fill the frame tightly, though, it is less useful because the subject overlaps two or more power points. You could put the eye of an animal on a power point, though. This guideline reduces the tendency to shoot bull’s-eye composition a lot, so it is quite valuable there.
PERSPECTIVE
Perspective is often confused with viewpoint which is a different concept altogether. If you photograph a robin while lying on the ground and then stand up and photograph it from that height, you have changed the viewpoint, but not the perspective. To change the perspective, you must change the shooting distance which changes the size relationship between the subject and the background. For example,
Whooper swans flock to northern Japan to winter along the coasts and at hot springs along the margins of ice-covered lakes. Nearby local shops sell tourists food to feed the swans. Therefore, they are easy to photograph well because they will approach you closely. The 70mm focal length nicely captures the two swans in the foreground while showing the larger environment in the background, too. Nikon D3, Nikon 70-200mm lens at 70mm, f/11 at 1/1600 second, ISO 500, and manual exposure.
imagine photographing a black-browed albatross incubating eggs on Saunders Island near “the neck” in the Falkland Islands. These large birds are unafraid of humans, making them easy to closely approach. If you photograph it full-frame with a 300mm lens, you’ll capture a fine image, especially if you isolate it against the wildflowers growing immediately behind it. But, what if you wish to include more of its sea cliff environment, and continue to keep the nesting albatross equally large in the frame? How do you accomplish this? Change your perspective by moving closer to the bird and shoot with a 24mm lens. Keep the albatross the same size in the image, but you’ll notice the background now contains the flowers, sea cliff, ocean, and sky. The image still has a large albatross, but now includes far more background information. This effect is a result of a change in perspective.
Perspective is incredibly important to consider, but let’s not make it too complicated. Let’s summarize it. To isolate the subject against a small portion of the background, stay away from it and use a telephoto lens. To show more background, while keeping the main subject large, move in much closer to change the shooting distance and use a wide-angle lens. Creating wildlife images with short lenses to achieve this wonderful perspective is only possible with trusting creatures or with remote triggering devices. Be careful where you do this. In many places there are rules about how close you can approach the subject. In Antarctica, for example, I read there are now rules where you must not approach an animal closer than 15 feet. This rule makes it impossible to shoot those dramatic wide-angle perspectives. Although 15 feet sounds close, it really isn’t with wide-angle lenses.
GUIDELINE 6: WORK THE SUBJECT
SPEND THE TIME
We saved the most important “Rule” for last! Far too many photographers approach a subject, shoot a few images, and then move on. They photograph whatever the animal happens to be doing during the few minutes they spend with it. Often this only captures a static image of the animal staring at the photographer as it ponders what you are up to. This is a surefire way to capture many forgettable images. It is critically important to stay with a highly worthwhile subject and really photograph it. Oddly enough, many photographers move on long before they capture the best images a special opportunity offers. Of course, if it is their first Kenya safari, often they don’t know that the animal or behavior that is happening before them is special.
For instance, on a Kenya photo safari, we discovered a set of four adorable lion kittens in a thick clump of bushes at dawn. The intertwined vegetation made it impossible to shoot decent images. No adult lions were around, but we knew they would soon arrive. We parked the Land Rover about 20 yards away from the bushes and waited for the lions to return. Soon we spotted a lioness about 200 yards away in the company of several others. Over the next 20 minutes, she slowly ambled back to her kittens. Judging by her bulging belly, we knew she had eaten well during the night. As she closed the distance, we set our exposure ahead of time and waited. When she was ten yards from the bushes, all four of the cubs excitedly bounded out to greet her. After hugs and kisses all around, the playful cubs wrestled with each other completely in the open for more than an hour as two lionesses rested nearby. This morning was unusually cool due to the steady drizzle that fell during the night. The cool temperatures encouraged the lions to remain in the open. On warm mornings, lions soon retreat to the bushes to hide from the hot sun. We stayed with them quietly, but shot thousands of images as they scampered to and fro. They persistently jumped on each other, “caught” their mother’s twitching tail, and chased each other around. Eventually, all of the lions drifted into the dense bushes to snooze.
While we photographed these lions, other safari vehicles drove up, their clients quickly shot a few images, and then they sped away to find the next animal on their list. While this may be a way to see a large number of species, it is no way
Always work special opportunities thoroughly. We seldom see Egyptian vultures on our Kenya photo safaris. I noticed it quietly standing 20 yards away from a zebra the lions had killed. I carefully explained to my photo tour clients this is a rare opportunity and encouraged them to give this handsome bird some of their time. Otherwise, most of them would have photographed the more obvious lions, hyenas, and jackals surrounding the zebra carcass. Canon EOS-1 D Mark III, Canon 500mm f/4.0L lens, f/7.1 at 1/160 second, ISO 800, Shutter-priority with a +2/3-stop exposure compensation
to shoot memorable images. When a wonderful situation appears in front of you, spend the time to wait for the best action and poses. We are friends with Anup and Manaj Shah, both Kenyan wildlife photographers who work for NationalGeographic. They consider their day a huge success if they capture one super-image.
TAKE ADVANTAGE OF UNIQUE OPPORTUNITIES
Occasionally, you’ll find an easily approached individual of a species that is normally wary. For whatever reason, the subject poses nicely and doesn’t react to your presence. When you are the beneficiary of a trusting subject, spend extra time photographing it, as you may never find the same opportunity again. Once, while leading a fall color workshop along Lake Superior during mid-October, we spotted an American golden plover standing quietly near our group of photographers. This normally wary shorebird exhibited no fear of us. Perhaps it was tired from a long flight or simply was young and foolish. Although our group didn’t have 500mm telephoto lenses in our landscape photo workshop, they did have 300mm lenses. As long as we slowly crawled up to the plover, it calmly rested near us. This plover easily let us and our workshop clients approach within 10 feet to photograph it without showing any signs of distress and made no attempt to move away. We took extra time working this plover because it let us.
ALWAYS CONSIDER THE WELFARE OF THE ANIMAL
It is productive to spend lots of extra time when a terrific opportunity comes your way. However, always keep the welfare of the subject in mind. Some subjects might slightly protest your presence at first, but once they learn you wish them no harm, they accept your presence, and go about their business. Still, if the subject begins to protest again, then back off and leave it alone. No subject should be harmed by the actions of a photographer. We don’t think flushing a robin—once—that was perched on a branch will do it any harm. Birds are used to flying. Just don’t do it over and over again. Naturally, nesting birds and mammals require extreme care. If the subject puts up any protest at all, back off and leave the area. The risk to the subject simply isn’t worth the images you might get and your actions may be illegal in some places. By the way, the dictionary definition of “harass” is “torment by subjecting them to constant interference or intimidation.” Always avoid harassing wildlife!
