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.
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Most of the time, photographers seek out a single subject to emphasize in the image. Be it a lion on the savanna, a leaf in the snow, or a child chasing a soccer ball we tend to think of photography as being about the subject. There are times, however, when the subject is not an object, but rather the patterns that are revealed as we look through the camera. Patterns can be literal or abstract, but either way they shift focus away from the subject itself and encourage the viewer to see things in a new way.
Successful pattern images tend to fill the frame with the pattern. By extending to the edges of the image, the impression is given that the pattern repeats forever. While this is not really the case, it captures the viewer’s imagination and pulls them into the illusion we are creating.
The image above shows threads of wool mounted on a traditional loom and was created during one of my photo workshops in Otavalo, Ecuador. By zooming in and emphasizing the individual threads, the image becomes about the pattern rather then the loom. The image was created using a Canon 1Ds mark 3, 24-105mm lens (set to 35mm), at 400 ISO. The camera was handheld and lighting was provided by bouncing a Canon 580 EX II speedlight off a nearby wall.
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Previously we discussed the idea of getting down on the subject’s level when taking photographs. We spend our lives watching the world from the same perspective. We look up at trees, down at flowers, and straight across at people. Studies have shown that one of the reasons few people like seeing themselves in pictures is because the only time we see ourselves is in the mirror and the image is backwards. Breaking preconceived ideas about how things should appear tends to make us uncomfortable and can add psychological impact to our images. One way to do this is to photograph a subject at a unique angle. Rather then capturing the traditional flower closeup or field in bloom, use a wide angle and shoot the flowers from above. Climb into the tree and photograph it looking down. The perspective will be fresh and help your images to stand out from the crowd.
The above image was created during the annual wildflower bloom in the Texas Hill Country. The Texas bluebonnet is our state flower and I wanted to capture an image that showed its beauty in a different way. I set my wide angle zoom to its widest setting, held the camera over the flowers at arms length, and pressed the shutter. The image was captured using a Canon 1Ds mark 3, 17-35mm lens (set to 17mm), at 400 ISO. The camera was hand held.
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Cameras are designed to shoot in the horizontal format (imagine a rectangle with the longest sides along the top and bottom). The position of the buttons, the ease of holding the camera, and the very idea that the camera has a right side up encourage us to stay horizontal. The horizontal format does a great job of encompassing the scene and drawing our eye from one side of the image to the other. It is ideally suited for wide subjects.
Unfortunately, not all subjects are suited to the horizontal format. As photographers, one of our main objectives is to reduce visual clutter. Incorrect use of the horizontal format forces us to include areas that have nothing to do with the subject, thereby increasing the distractions in the image.
By turning the camera sideways, we produce a shift in the visual dynamics of the scene. While the horizontal format emphasizes width, the vertical format emphasizes height. The physical height of the subject becomes obvious as our eye moves up and down through the frame.
Each subject is unique and must be evaluated to determine which format will make the most successful image. As a starting point, ask yourself, “Is taller or wider?” If the subject is wider then it is tall (a hippo for example), shoot horizontal. If the subject is taller then it is wide (the giraffe seen above), the image will likely be improved by turning the camera on its side and going vertical.
This Masai giraffe above was photographed in the northern part of the Serengeti National Park. Several controlled burns were being conducted in the area, creating a smoky haze that did a great job of diffusing the light. The image was created using a Canon 1D mark 2, 500mm IS lens, at 200 ISO. The image was taken from a vehicle and a beanbag was used to provide camera support.
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How do we move beyond the basic record shot and record something that pulls at our emotions? One way is to capture interactions. From lions and cheetah fighting over a kill to a baby baboon turning to its mother for comfort animals are constantly interacting with each other. The challenge, as a photographer, is to capture those interactions and the relationships they represent when they occur. Calling relationships an element of composition might be a stretch, but incorporating relationships into your photographs can increase their impact and help them to stand out from the crowd.
Even when successful, capturing an interaction is often not enough. The goal is to capture the interaction in such a way as to showcase the relationship in a clear, unambiguous manner. Good images are simple, without distractions. The more elements we add, the more potential distractions exist, and the more difficult it is to hold the viewer’s attention. As a consequence, a good relationship image requires three things:
Interactions are a one of the most difficult, yet rewarding aspects of wildlife photography. While our attempt to photograph them fail more often then not, the successes are often the some of our most compelling images.
This mother and baby baboon were photographed in Tarangire National Park during a wildlife photo safari. As often happens when photographing a troop of baboons, photographic opportunities could be found in every direction. The key is to slow down and look of the little interactions and relationships that result in strong images. Just such an opportunity presented itself when I spotted this young baboon hugging its mother. The image was captured using a Canon 1D mark 2, 500mm IS lens, at 800 ISO. The image was shot from a vehicle using a beanbag to support the lens.
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Always look beyond the subject when photographing. Good advise, but often ignored. We get so excited about the subject in front of us that we get tunnel vision and ignore everything else in the frame. Take the above images for example. What is the difference? They both show an almost identical image of a yellow tulip, but the difference lies in what is behind the tulip.
These images were taken in my front yard when I lived in Salt Lake City. Spring had arrived and my driveway was lined with a beautiful collection of yellow tulips. So, I pulled out the camera and went to work. The first image (on the left) showed all the detail I could have asked for, but there was a problem. My driveway fills the bottom half of the shot. Is it a major distraction? Probably not, but it is one more element competing with the viewer’s attention and good photography is about removing ALL of the distractions. By moving the entire camera down a mere two inches, I was able to eliminate the driveway, creating a clean green background.
The trick to controlling the background is choosing the right lens. For maximum background control, you want to use a telephoto lens (200mm or longer). Telephoto lenses provide a narrow angle of view, meaning that small shifts in camera position result in dramatic shifts in what portion of the background is included. While wide angle lenses certainly have their place, their wide angle of view make it difficult to control how much of the background is included. So if background control is important, pull out the telephoto lens and try moving around a bit before taking the shot.
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Want to take better wildlife pictures? Get down on your knees. Better yet, drop to your belly. Day after day, we watch the world pass by from somewhere between five and six feet off the ground. It is easy to take pictures from here, unfortunately, it is also boring because it is what we see every day. If you want your shots to stand out, get down to your subject’s level. If you are photographing a giant tortoise, you should be on your belly. Who cares if the ground is wet, learn to love the mud. We’re wildlife photographers! Dirt is part of the image. Get down and dirty and get the shot that everyone else passed up.
Shooting from the subject’s eye level creates an intimate connection between us and the subject. One of the goals wildlife photographers aim for is to get viewers to stop thinking about the physical photograph and move themselves into the picture. Share my vision, share my experience with this animal. Meeting a wildlife animal at eye level is a new experience for most people and can result in a shift, making them feel like part of the pack (or the creep in the case of a group of giant tortoises). So, stop standing around and get down in the mud. Your viewers will thank you.
The image of the Lucas and Philip photographing the Galapagos Tortoise was taken in the highlands of Santa Cruz Island in the Galapagos, Ecuador during one of my Galapagos photo tours. Despite the fence seen in the background, the tortoise was a free ranging, wild tortoise. The image was created using a Canon 1Ds mark 3, 17-35mm lens, at 400 ISO. The camera was mounted on a Gitzo tripod using a ballhead.
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We have established that placing the subject in the center of the frame is rarely the best option. For the sake of argument, lets say we agree that the rule of thirds offers the best starting point when deciding where to place the subject within the frame. Where do we go from there? The rule of thirds gives us four points of power with which to work. Which is the best one?
The answer depends on your subject and how it is positioned in the frame. With wildlife, and people, the main item of concern is which way the animal is facing. Given the choice, it is more effective to place an animal with extra space in front rather then behind. Take the image above. The mongoose is taking in the beautiful light of sunset while look off to the left. For placement, I have three choices:
Option 1: Put the mongoose in the center. This is a common choice for many photographers, but produces the least appealing results. Lets stick with the rule of thirds and forget about the center.
Option 2: Put the mongoose on a point of power on the left side of the frame. This will place the mongoose near the edge of the frame on the side he is looking. All of the empty space in the photo will be behind the mongoose rather then in front of it, making the image feel crowded. Viewers will subconsciously want to know what they are missing. Why is he looking over there? What does he see that I don’t? Why didn’t this @#$#% photographer show me what I want is over there? Putting the mongoose on the left side of the frame will look like you made a mistake.
Option 3: Put the mongoose on a point of power on the right side of the frame. This is the correct choice. How do you know? It will be obvious when the stars align, the sun shines down on the mongoose, and triumphant music begins to play……OK, maybe not. By placing the mongoose with space in front of him, we give the viewer the opportunity to see the world through the mongoose’s eyes and we want to see what he sees. Ironically, it doesn’t really matter that nothing is there, it just feels right.
The image of the dwarf mongoose was captured while on safari with my family in Tarangire National Park, Tanzania. The image was taken 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 the lens was supported on a beanbag.
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The first rule of composition we all learn is, “don’t put your subject in the middle of the frame!” Yet, I like the above image. The subject is almost perfectly centered in the frame yet the composition works. True, there are some strong diagonal lines created by the wings, but how do we explain the fact that this image successfully shatters the number one rule of photographic composition?
Wanting this post to be more then a single paragraph, I have two theories.
First, my experience is that centering the subject rarely works, with one exception. Look at a picture and cut it in half. What do you see? If the answer is two mirror images, the subject will probably look good in the center. People find beauty in symmetry and we can take advantage of that when designing our images. In those rare occasions where the subject can be divided into identical halves, try placing it right in the middle of the frame. With that in mind, lets rewrite that first rule of composition.
Don’t put your subject in the middle of the frame, unless you have a good reason.
My second theory can best be summarized by stealing a line by Captain Barbosa, “….. their really more guidelines then actual rules.” The fact is there are no composition police out their. If you break one of the rules, no one is going to take your camera away. The rules of composition exist because most of the time they make our pictures look better. Let me say that again. The rules of composition exist because most of the time they make our pictures look better. There are exception to every rule and you will come across situations where it is best to throw the rules out the window and try something different. That doesn’t mean the rules should be ignored, but they should be treated as the recommendations and guidelines that they are and not the absolute rules many photographers believe.