Environmental vs. Tight Portraits by Russ Burden Should you go for the wide-angle environmental shot when shooting wildlife or tighten in for the close-crop headshot?  Why settle for just one? Article rating: 9.21

So you’re heading out to do a wildlife shoot of your favorite mammals or birds. A natural instinct is to grab your longest lens to get that once in a lifetime shot. While it’s true that capturing a full frame portrait of your favorite subject can produce a winner, does it always provide the best shot? Conversely, showing too much of the surroundings in which the animal is located can leave the viewer wondering about the intent of the image. This is a dilemma facing every wildlife shooter. Should we zoom in to get the head shot and come home with a full frame portrait or lay off the huge lens and include some of the environment? The best of all worlds is to have a situation present itself where coming home with both types of shots occurs. The key lies in remembering to make sure you take advantage of each and every opportunity rather than concentrating on one or the other.

The Head Shot: A full frame head shot has long been deemed a trophy image. But to truly meet this criteria, there are many factors that must fall into place. Simply filling the frame does not raise an image to this elite status. First off, the light needs to be addressed. Is the face well lit or is the light contrasty? Is the face in shadow or is does direct light fall upon it? Are there distractions in the background that direct the viewer’s eye away from the animal? A busy background along with poor lighting dictate the image is destined for the delete button. Is the face dark and set against a bright background? If so, it will be hard to rescue the image. Conversely, if the face is well lit and set against a dark background, set the motor drive to high and fire away. Is the animal communicating any sort of interesting emotion or is it simply portraying a lack of expression? Wait for the subject to do something expressive. While it means keeping your eye glued to the viewfinder, coming home with a winner makes it worth the effort. Wait for the eyes, ears, or mouth to portray something emotional. Note the direction in which the animal looks. If the eyes are too close to the edge of the frame, tension is created as it has no room in which to maintain its glance. In other words, leave room at the edge of the frame regarding the direction the animal stares.

Showing the Environment: Rather than filling the frame with just the animal, include some of the terrain or location in which it resides. This establishes a sense of place and educates the viewer about where and how the subject dwells. Refrain from fully zooming the lens or getting too close. While it feels great that an animal trusts you to get close enough, it may not make the best image. By all means, get in tight and create the head shot as explained above, but learn to back off a bit a go wider. A more common flow of events is to progressively let the animal gravitate closer to you or slowly enter its world to get the head shot. Should this be the scenario, even as you’re getting closer, think about the perspective of the shot if while you were close, you went wide and get a unique look to your wildlife images.

The environmental image tends to be more of a story teller as it denotes a sense of place. The head shot is powerful as it provides an up close and personal look at the species. Both have their place in wildlife photography and I strongly encourage you to capture both options. Regardless of the one you choose, adhere to the compositional rule of thirds. For the head shot, the eyes should fall into the top third of the frame. For the environmental image, position key elements into the power points that constitute the position of a third to create balance and intrigue in your compositions.

To learn more about this topic, join me on one of my Photographic Nature Tours. Visit www.russburdenphotography.com and click on the NATURE TOURS button for more information. Also, pick up a copy of my new book, Amphoto’s Complete Book of Photography. You can purchase a signed copy directly from me or visit your local book store or Amazon. Contact me at rburden@ecentral.com to order your signed copy.