Wildlife Photography_ From Snapshots to Great Shots - Laurie Excell [37]
Figure 6.18 A curious Pronghorn actually closed the distance between us as he came closer to check me out.
Watch for signals from your subject that you are getting too close: ears back, tail raised, rump flared, and so on. Know the signs of distress that your subjects exhibit so that you can avoid causing them to flee at your approach. Be patient, move slowly, and make as little noise as possible. You’ll find that you can get closer to your subject than you had originally thought.
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Note
Avoid noisy clothes. The sound of your legs scratching together as you walk is a sure signal to wildlife that you are there.
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Be sure to understand and follow the rules, and you’ll be rewarded with great shots of the wildlife you encounter.
Chapter Assignments
Approaching wildlife to capture successful shots takes awareness, good judgment, and patience. With planning and practice, you’ll improve your close-up photography skills without affecting the behavior of your wildlife subjects. Be sure to complete the following assignments to increase your proficiency.
Get Closer with Your Longest Lens
Give it all you’ve got—focal length that is. With your longest lens mounted, go into your backyard or to a local park and try to approach the birds and squirrels. Chances are they will be somewhat habituated and will let you get fairly close. See just how much of the frame you can fill with your subject. Pay attention to your body, and avoid any sudden noises or movements.
Get Closer Using a Blind
Pitch your tent in your backyard to use it as a blind. Set it up near a feeder or other location where wildlife visits, and take a chair with you to sit it out for a few hours. When you first set up the tent, the wildlife will be a bit skittish, but soon they’ll get used to it. Then you can go inside, and with the door open, set up to photograph whatever comes near. Even though you are not as visible in the tent, remember that wildlife can still hear or smell you. You must be very quiet, even in a blind.
Get Closer with a Slow and Careful Approach
Try to sneak up on your pet. That’s right; you need to sneak up on your pet and get a shot before it awakens from the sound of the shutter. You’ll be surprised at how well your pet hears when you think it is dead to the world. OK, some of you might not have pets, or your pet might be able to sleep through an earthquake. If so, try this exercise on someone else’s pet. A friendly pet works best.
Share your results with the book’s Flickr group!
Join the group here: flickr.com/groups/wildlifephotographyfromsnapshotstogreatshots.
7. Creative Composition
Basic Guidelines for Improving Your Photographic Composition
Composition defined is the pleasing arrangement of the elements that make up a photograph within the frame. Many suggested guidelines are available to help you learn the art of good composition, from leading lines, patterns, and shapes to depth, subject placement, and camera angle. Perspective, background, even or odd numbers, and spatial relationships also play a part in effective composition. The art of directing your viewers’ eyes through the frame to your subject in the most direct path is a skill that takes time to master. Knowing the rules, and even more important, knowing when to break them will take your image making from snapshots to great shots.
Poring Over the Picture
Following the rule of thirds and placing the subject in one of the four power quadrants is an effective compositional technique.
Poring Over the Picture
Odd numbers of subjects generally make better compositions than even numbers. They break up the tendency to pair up even numbers and draw your viewer’s eye through the frame. Composition with even numbers has a more static feel to it.
Using Lines, Shapes, and Patterns