Wildlife photography can be tricky.
Animals are just that – wild – and don’t always do what you expect. Branches get in your way and if the light goes, it goes. No studio dimmer switch is going to change that.

But by simply sticking to a couple of composition principles you can make sure that at least most of your shots from your safari are usable, even if they aren’t award winning.

Here are three to bear in mind.

1. Rule of Thirds

The rule of thirds is an effective way to frame the elements in your scene so that the final image is more visually captivating. Like most other so-called “rules,” it’s not really a rule at all — more of a guideline.

But if you stick to it with wildlife, more often than not it will leave you with a photograph that’s mor pleasing to the eye.

Put very simply, you want your subject either moving or looking from one third of the photo into the remaining two thirds. If it’s looking left, place it on the right looking into the left hand two thirds of the picture. If it’s looking right, place it on the left, looking into the right hand two thirds.

Have a look at this elephant picture:

The elephant closer tot he camera (the subject) has its head (which is the main point of interest) roughly a third of the way into the frame, moving into the further two thirds. You always want an animal moving or looking into space, and not butting up against the edge of the frame. If we divide the image up into thirds using vertical lines, we get the following:

You can see how it’s not an exact science, but by using these approximate measurements, we get an image that tells more of a story.

The same proportions were used in the following image of a wild dog, but this time, both vertical and horizontal thirds were used:

The four points where the horizontal and vertical gridlines intersect are known as power points, and the more you can place the main subjec tof your image on one of these power points, the ro visually appealing it will be.

2. Central Framing With Symmetry

When an animal is looking straight at you, especially in close up/portrait, go for the central placement:

The rule of thirds doesn’t necessarily apply here as the straight-on image creates a connection and intensity.
Remember, these are guidelines, not rules. If we refer back to the wild dog image above, it’s also looking straight at the camera yet it was placed off to one side. This was mainly to compensate for the body being visible out to the right.

Because the lion in the above image has an even balance of mane on both sides, the symmetrical central framing works.

3. Use Foreground to Create Depth

Photography is ultimately about storytelling, and by simply having a foreground element in frame (which doesn’t have to be in focus), one can give far more context to an image.
Take a look at the following two photographs:

Both were taken to deliberately have people in frame in the foreground, which shows us that the animal/s is/are being viewed in a game drive setting.
There is far more story than a simple picture of two elephants or a leopard walking.

In wildlife photography as in many things, rules are there to be broken, but by keeping the above concepts in mind when on your next safari, we’ll be willing to bet that the percentage of your shots that you really like will be significantly higher.

Get in touch with us through info@iconicafrica.com for more photography tips and tricks…