"Wildlife Portraits"

This section of " Wildlife Portraits" talks about what you should be looking for to get the great shots of wildlife. I will talk about what to depict when you are trying to capture a photograph of an animal like a black bear. Here are some things to consider when photographing portraits of wildlife.

TELEPHOTO ADVANTAGES: Using a telephoto lens is a great advantage when you are in Africa for example, and you want to capture an elephant in motion. Telephoto lens allows you to feel like you are close to your image when in reality you are not. Beside telephoto lenses are safer for both you and the animal. Another nice aspect to having a telephoto lens would be, it allows for a change in the depth of the floor ground without a lot of movement. Finally, since you are farther away from your subject it will allow for the subject to come closer to you for a better picture because, you aren't so threatening.

BUILD A THREE-LAYER PICTURE SPACE: One of the most important skills to have when photographing portraits of wildlife would be, to divide your photo into three different sections. The first section is the foreground which usually consists of wildflowers, limbs of trees, grass, and stumps. Midground would be the next section which consists of the subject itself. The last section is the sky.

SIZING UP THE SUBJECT: When you see professional pictures they are usually capturing something that is bright or extra big,long, or shiny. What I mean is you don't want your image to be dull and boring, you need something dramatic that captures the viewers attention. Now that you have a subject in mind ;how much of that subject do you want in the frame? Some things to keep in mind would be, to watch and observe the behavior of the animal. One final key to think about when photographing portrait animals is to make sure you have focus on their eyes. The eyes can tell you everything wether it is a human being or an animal.

FACIAL FEATURES IN FOCUS: like in "sizing up the subject" you want to make sure to eyes are in focus. However, you also need to make sure the animals face is in focus too. For the best dramatic look you want the animal or subject to be looking into the light and have the ears pointed straight forward. Adding these key factors will produce a more professional look.

LIGHTING: Different kinds of lighting will obviously produce different effects but in reality when photographing outdoors the early morning or late afternoons are the best sources of light.

For more information on " Wildlife Portraits" I would highly recommend reading the book," Nature Photography" written by, Tim Fitzharris.