Animal Photography: 5 Composition Techniques To Keep in Mind

Animal photography is one of the most popular, although difficult, categories in photography because it is a little difficult to capture your subject. Also, there are many things you have to consider to capture the essence of your subject, from its natural habitat to its movement.

1. Simplicity

One of the best things to remember when you try to compose your animal photos is to always keep it simple. Unlike other photos, your subject is complex enough, so keeping it simple will draw the eye to the animal rather than all the things happening in the background. Often times, wildlife photographers try to see what they can subtract from the photo. Keeping it simple means you do not have to include the wild flowers, tall trees or rushing pond in your photo. You can just focus on the animal itself.

2. Background

Since most animal shots will be taken outdoors where there are so many elements to deal with, it is important that you are always aware of these. One factor that you should always look out for when shooting animals is the background. Make sure that the background is not so busy or cluttered that it draws the attention away from the animal - your subject. Also, it is important to watch out for anything that may hinder you from taking a clear shot of the animal. Move around a bit and check to see which angle or position will give you the best clear view of the animal.

3. Center Frame

One of the best ways to put the focus on your subject is to center the animal in the frame. When centering the animal in the frame, it is important that you remove as much of the background as possible. You can also use center-frame composition for vertical shots. However, you have to be careful when using this kind of composition because it can result in what professional photographers refer to as a bullseye composition.

4. Using Angles

Using angle compositions is one of the best techniques to get a great shot of an animal. Angle composition simply means that you shoot your subject in a different angle, may it be from a high or low angle. This composition also creates an interesting look for the subject without being straightforward. You can shoot animals from a low angle if they are on all fours to get the impression that you are eye-to-eye with the animal when you look at the photo.

5. Eye Contact

Another technique that you should remember when shooting animals, especially for a focused shot, is to shoot the animal while it is facing the camera. The shot becomes more interesting if there is eye contact between your subject and the camera lens. Just like a photo of a person, it is more interesting to see the face of the person. It is, however, important to take note that you do not have to shoot the animal head all the time. There will be circumstances when the profile of the animal is more interesting, particularly if you can capture the reason why.