Everyone takes a picture of the zebra. Few photographers think to take a picture of just its eye. When in doubt, get closer.
This image was captured using a Canon 1D mark 2, 500mm IS lens with a 1.4 teleconverter, at 400 ISO. The image was shot from a vehicle and a beanbag was used to stabilize the camera.
I don’t crop my images very often. I started photography back in the days of film and I always shot slide film. When processed, slides came back outlines in little cardboard frames ready to be shared with the world, no printing necessary. There was something fundamentally appealing about getting the perfect picture in camera and displaying it the way you shot it. With a slide, what you shot is what you got. So, for almost 12 years I got what I shot (sounds like a Dr. Seuss rhyme). On the positive side, I became very good at fine tuning the image before pressing the shutter. On the negative side, cropping images is something I still hesitate to do, even though it often improves the image. Eight years after moving to digital and I still find it difficult to break the habit.
Digital has made photography easier in some many ways, not the least of which is the ease with which we can crop images. Is there a distraction along the upper edge of the frame? Crop it. Want your image to be a square? Crop it. Like the panoramic look? Crop it. Where is it written that photographs have to maintain their aspect ratio in which they were shot? Yet photographers, especially those who got their start with slide film, often forget that cropping is a tool and if it helps to improve the image, we should use it.
The image of the zebra herd running through the water was captured in the Serengeti in Tanzania. The image was captured using a Canon 1Ds mark 3, 120-300mm sigma lens (at 176mm), at 400 ISO. The image was taken from a vehicle using a beanbag for support.
Previously, we discussed the quality of light. While describing light as either hard or soft is a good place to start, the quality of light is only one of light’s many characteristics. Another aspect of light is the direction light moves across the subject. In photography, there are three primary angles of light: front light, side light, and back light. Lets take a look at each one.
(Elephant in front light)
Front light occurs when light passes from the photographer to the subject. To record front light, a photographer should position himself so that his shadow points directly towards the subject. The result is a clearly lit subject, with shadows falling away from the photographer. Front light is very popular among bird photographers and can be used to create some stunning images. The limitation is that by pushing all of the shadows behind the subject, front lighting runs the risk of making subjects look flat. Photography is a two dimensional art-form that depicts three dimensional subjects. Shadows are a key part of this process because shadows help to create a sense of depth. Remember, light illuminates, shadow defines.
(Lioness in side light)
Side light, in contrast, provides a wealth of shadows to an image. As the name implies, side light occurs when the light comes from either the right or left of the subject. The result is an image that contains both shadows and highlights and a strong feeling of depth. Go through and look at the work of famous painters, and sidelight is what you will find. It is the primary lighting angle used by both portrait and landscape photographers. In the wildlife realm, side light brings out the texture of a mammal’s fur and creates a sense of drama that makes the scene more compelling. On the downside, side light can increase the contrast levels of an image beyond the camera’s ability to record.
(Zebra in back light)
Back light is the reverse of front light. Where front light travels from the photographer to the subject, back light travels from behind the subject towards the photographer. Back light can create a beautiful glow around the edge of the subject (called rim light) and adds drama to the scene. Back light also adds the challenge of dealing with shadows on the subject. With the light being behind the subject, the side of the subject facing the camera is heavily shadowed. If the shadows are two dark, the animal’s beauty will be hidden.
The angle of light is a key part of the photographer’s toolbox. Photography is about light, and learning to see light and playing with it will provide variety and visual impact to your images.