Peak portraiture: Photo tips for better wildlife portraits (Part two)
This is part two of a two part series on wildlife portraiture. You can see part one, from last week, here.
Utilise Negative Space
It can be easy to want to fill the entire frame with a tight portrait or with as much texture and interest as possible, but it’s a powerful composition tool to keep empty areas within the photograph too.
Incorporating negative space around the main subject can create a sense of solitude and evoke a much stronger emotion within the viewer. This emphasises the power of the animal, creates a stronger focal point, and allows for breathing room and balance within the image.
This is especially important for photographs of moving animals, as you want to give enough space for the subject to move into the frame (once again, not out of it).
For example, when photographing a bird in flight, try to leave space in front of its path to give the illusion of it flying into the image – refer back to the rule of thirds for extra help with this.
Capture the Animal in its Environment
Don’t always opt for close-up portraits; sometimes the most captivating images are those that show the animal in its environment.
Think of lions walking across the savanna, a koala sleeping in the eucalypt, a colony of flying foxes in the treetops – a scene that adds further context to the animal’s story and the environment in which they live.
Using a telephoto lens is a helpful way to quickly switch between taking close-up portraits of the intimate details, and zooming out to show the animal in its environment.
Try to take a variety of shots as being able to show the same scene through several focal lengths is a powerful storytelling tool.
Look for Ways to Show Scale
When looking for interesting compositions of an animal in its environment, scan for components that can help to add a sense of scale to the scene.
Perhaps a tree next to a giraffe, a water droplet next to a small insect, a bird next to an elephant, a mountain in the distance etc.
This is quite dependent on where you are and the specific surroundings, but try and adjust your angle and perspective to see where you may be able to incorporate some scale.
Scale can sometimes get lost in imagery, so finding ways to show the size of the animal will help give the viewer a further understanding of the species you’ve photographed.
Combine With the Moon/Other Elements
One of my personal favourite composition techniques to make a wildlife image more intriguing is to combine it with other elements of nature.
Whether it’s the moon, a rainbow, a dark and stormy cloud etc., try going out into the field at unique times (and in typically unfavourable conditions) to see how you might be able to add further interest to your images.
When photographing with the moon, the best time is when it sets a few hours after sunrise, or rises a few hours before sunset.
At these times in the cycle, the moon will still be low enough in the sky that you’ll be able to position it behind your subject with enough light to easily expose your shot.
The key is to not restrict yourself and be open to making a quick dash to a new spot in order to line things up when it's needed. ❂