Shooting from a low angle with a long telephoto lens can instantly simplify your composition by throwing all but the main subject out of focus, particularly effective when photographing many species of animals and birds.

Composition is a key element to wildlife photography and is one subject many clients learn from me when they attend my one to ones, workshops.  I am very strong on composition and feel it can make an image.  When photographing wildlife it is often necessary to make compositional decisions very quickly as in most parts wildlife won’t stay still longer enough to let you compose the image as you’d like.  With good fieldcraft, knowledge of the subject, listening to nature these key elements may afford you just that bit longer to compose your subject as you wish.

Whichever way the subject is looking or facing implies interest and possible movement in that direction, with the viewers eye being naturally drawn that way,therefore it is important to leave extra space in that direction,whether it be portrait or landscape.The best way of achieving this effect is to employ the ‘Rule Of Thirds’.  Arranging the elements in your picture to form the strongest possible composition by imagining a grid of lines drawn through the viewfinder to split the frame into nine equal parts,the subject should be placed roughly where the two lines cross.

These intersections are known as ‘Power Points” they are the areas within the rectangular frame where the eye tends to fall naturally and can lead to a successful composition with more room in front of the subject than behind and as I like to put it, giving the subject the space to  ‘Breathe’.

There are no hard and fast rules on composition, check the background to make sure that it is interesting but not fighting for attention from the main subject, small distractions make a big difference to photographs.  Composition can make or break an image for me and that’s why its one of the most important elements to wildlife photography there is, when and where possible try to get level with your subjects ‘eye’ to obtain an image that looks like you are at their level,giving a more personal view of the subject you are trying to photograph.

Look for the best and cleanest backgrounds,the best angle in which to capture your chosen subject.This may mean shifting your shooting position slightly but with active birds and animals you can simply wait for the subject to move, the light should be behind you or to the side, avoid direct sunshine,the best times are dawn and dusk all adding to a beautiful image with very strong composition.

The rule of thirds is not something you have to always follow. it simply suggests that an image should be imagined as divided into a grid of nine equal parts, using two equally spaced horizontal and vertical lines.  You then place the important compositional elements along these lines or intersecting points. Within my own work I love to capture the subjects character, emotion through strong, simple and powerful composition.  Whether that be small in the frame or a close up image, wide-angle or long lens having space through good composition within your photograph will transfrom the end result.

Try not to over complicate your photography when you’re composing your images, its easy sometimes to just be enjoying what you are witnessing in front of you instead of thinking like a photographer.  This can result in messy shots, full of distractions, with no focal point which forces the viewer’s eye to wonder around the image with no real sense of where to settle.  By just taking time to consider your subject and its environment you’ll find your photography will improve and the term less is more will become very apparent to you.

Enjoy your wildlife photography first and foremost, being at one with wildlife is the most rewarding part of my job even before any photograph has been taken.  Apply some of these simple elements to your photography and your images will really improve, never put any pressure on yourself and the rest as I say will fall into place. If you would like any further help or advice then please send me an email here many thanks.

Where I have resisted in parts the temptation to fill the frame with the subject on most occasions,instead capturing my style where I love to include some of the surrounding habitat.By doing this I feel the image can tell more of a story about the animal and it’s relationship with the environment.Where the subject itself may be very small in the frame,this helps to illustrate the scale of the landscape and something I have always been drawn towards in my work.But as shown below a large in the frame image works in giving a close up into their world.

Composition plays a key role in this type of image so its important to remember the Rule Of Thirds that I covered in a previous post on‘Composition’ remembering to place the subject away from the centre of the frame.

I have three Dippers sites I am visiting quite regular,time permitting at present,compiling images throughout the year, where all birds are all doing well in different ways within the Peak District,Derbyshire.These birds as you know if you are a regular visitor to my blog have amazed my from when i was a small lad,and they still amaze me to this day,with their character and constent  ‘Dipping’ behaviour ever present when you first see these birds in and around freshwater.Dippers nest early and in alot of cases can have a second brood of chicks throughout the season.One pair I have watched are feeding around three at present,when their parent lands the cries and screaming from the chicks in the nest is deafening,piercing through the noise from the fast flowing water close to their nest.

I run Dipper Of The Dales one day workshops,where I take you to the best site depending on the time of year within the Peak District.Giving you the chance to see and photography these Master’s Of The River

Also on the same stretch of river is a family of Grey Wagtails,where I have enjoyed watching their intense and frantic movement gathering food for the chicks,with the male pausing for a second in these lovely shaped tree branches below before he entered the nest,with a bit of a chance shot of the bird taking off using a slow shutter speed below this,beautiful to watch all this happening as its a great time to go out and watch wildlife now,with parents feeding young,juveniles having left the safety of their homes all happening around you as you immerse yourself in nature.

I have also been able to have a few days at the coast photographing Seabird’s,with the Puffin being high on my wish list again.I just love the clown-like faces on these beautiful birds,which apart from the four months of the year they come ashore to breed they spend the other eight months,living and feeding at sea,now that’s a very hardy bird.

My image called Fighting Puffins made the final round of this year’s BBC Veolia Environmental Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2010,where I was chuffed to bits as it was the first year I had entered this highly prestigious competition,with ten images in the semi-finals,and one in the final round,below is the image of two male Puffins fighting over a woman.

Where if you click onto the link here it will take you to the site,put in craigjones00@hotmail.co.uk and the code 223682 and you will see the fore mentioned images.Good luck to all those that have won there respective categories and now go forward to the big prize..co.uk

With my most enjoyable time of late being in photographing Barn Owls in the lovely evening light we’ve been afforded lately.This is the male I have photographed from the beginning of the year who survived the prolonged cold spell,he’s doing really well and has young to feed at the moment.Here he is seen small in the frame with the surrounding habitat turning this beautiful red and orange-yellow colour as the sun had almost set,just beautiful.

A big thank you to all the interest I have had in regard to my Limited Edition Tiger prints,that are now officially on  21 Century Tiger website,promoting these images,where 50% of the profits go to helping Wild Tigers as I really wanted to help these amazing animals that I was privileged to see earlier this year in India.

My Tigers Of India photo-tour is now live on my workshops page,which promises to be an amazing adventure over the 8 days,also my Amazing Africa photo-tour is now live also .Where I am running a Photo-Tour to Kenya to photograph the Masai Mara Migration this year and next year alongside Paul McDougall who runs PhotographyKenya another amazing trip for wildlife photographer’s and enthusiasts alike.What ever you’d like to photograph it is really, as said a great time to go outdoors to photograph wildlife right now,where nature will always be challenging but when it all comes together there can surely no better feeling and satisfaction as a photographer in getting your images,good luck.