Wildlife cropping, what are the rules? (Buzzards)

ErectedGryphon · Nov 8, 2009

From what I have seen in this section, when cropping wildlife, most people center the subject instead of using the rule of thirds. So today I shot this photo and cropped it using both methods, I like the way both came out, but they "feel" different to me. It's hard to explain, but maybe you can "feel" what I mean, and explain it to me? I'm new to shooting wildlife and am trying to learn what I can, though 95% of what I shoot is unusable, I'll blame my auto-focus, for now...

#1 Some type of buzzard maybe? (I stumbled upon them eating someones dead pet, they discarded in the woods)

#2 Same shot, different crop.

Camera: Canon 5D
Lens: Canon 300mm f/4L IS USM
ISO: 100
Exposure: 1/100 @ f/4.0

Thanks in advance for any constructive comments!

Overread · Nov 8, 2009

ErectedGryphon said:
From what I have seen in this section, when cropping wildlife, most people center the subject instead of using the rule of thirds.

The rule is (and listen close) there ain't no rule

The reason you see so many shots in wildlife which have a very centred subject is because most people who shoot action based subjects in often overgrown or complex scenes tend to set the camera so that only the middle af point is active. That way they can point the camera direct at the subject they want to take the photo of and have the camera lock onto that - rather than let the camera pick the AF point because then its always going to pick the closest thing it can (that is how AF works) to focus on which might not be the thing you want it to.
Also (especailly the case for lower end camera bodies) the middle AF points tend to be the most accurate and fastest AF points with the outer ones being decent, but no where near as good. In the mid and higher range bodies the edge AF points are far more refined.

However after saying that there are no rules - well there are some guidlines you can follow - first one is to have frame in teh direction of travel or the subject or the direction of its attention (with most animals if they are moving their attention is also in that direction.) Its important to have frame for them to move into if they are moving or frame to look into if they are looking - if the viewers eye hits the edge of the frame when following that the shot feels constricted.
The rule of thirds is also a good guidline to follow when composing as well and certainly it gives a good basic starting point for being more creative with composure.

Of course composing without needing to crop in the field is a very good skill to master and certainly means better resulting images since you will no longer have to crop away and lose frame when finishing the shot.

If I take the example of your shot above if I were to crop it I would cut away the top areas above the bird and the ares to the left of the bird - leaving a little space to his left and above him (so as not to constrict the framing around the bird) but also leaving space to the right and the lower part of the shot. This is the area he is looking into and so it needs some framing to make it work. Though I might also crop away the green empty space below the branch as well.

ErectedGryphon said:
though 95% of what I shoot is unusable, I'll blame my auto-focus, for now...

Camera: Canon 5D
Lens: Canon 300mm f/4L IS USM
ISO: 100
Exposure: 1/100 @ f/4.0

Thanks in advance for any constructive comments!

Bad photographer bad!

Ok whilst you have IS (and IS is great) I would really try to get your shutter speed up - your shooting on a 5D so noise is really nice for you. Myself I sit at ISO 200 as a base point to get that little bit of extra speed when shooting - in this case and with you camera I would have upped to ISO 400 and got a nice fast shutter speed. 1/100 is rather slow for a long lens and wildlife in general so try to get that speed up if you can. I know (bitter experience

) that its very easy to let the shutter speed drop low, but its also a harsh lesson that when one gets back that it results in soft shots.

The AF part might be helped by adjusting your AF method - looking at the framing I'm thinking that your not using your middle point and might be letting the camera choose - that is a bad move. If you do get a chance to frame offfcentre then do set the single edge AF point and use that - just get control over the AF system

JamesMason · Nov 8, 2009

95% of what I shoot is unusable

Way things are for all of us unfortunately.

I think i know what you are getting at, heres a link to an article by mark carwardine witch details quite alot about wildlife composition. http://www.markcarwardine.com/articles/photomasterclass/animalsinenviro.pdf PDF

Overread · Nov 8, 2009

Good points in that article - you might tell but I am a big fan of the close focus on the animal type shots - they are easier to compose overall ( at least I find them to be) but the article is very right in saying that in the environment shots are very valid and worth taking -but that they are more demending on your compositional skills. It's certainly something that I am finding that I am having to learn more about (sadly I don't appear to have one of those natural photographic eyes

)

JamesMason · Nov 8, 2009

Overread said:
Good points in that article - you might tell but I am a big fan of the close focus on the animal type shots - they are easier to compose overall ( at least I find them to be) but the article is very right in saying that in the environment shots are very valid and worth taking -but that they are more demending on your compositional skills. It's certainly something that I am finding that I am having to learn more about (sadly I don't appear to have one of those natural photographic eyes )

Yea its quite a specific article, the others on his website are well worth a read, the zoo one is excellent.

If any1 is interested
mark carwardine - wildife photographer - sharks - whales - dolphins - marine - natural history - photography

JamesMason · Nov 8, 2009

While we are on the subject of close focus wildlife shots, Overread is that a scottish wildcat in your avatar ?

Overread · Nov 8, 2009

good link James - I also added it to the FAQ wildlife sticky (yah we got one of those we have

). As for the photo nopes not a wildcat at all, though by the markings I'm sure there is probably some blood in there at some point. The offspring of the offspring of a stray that wandered into our home - so just your average housecat pet (and the shot is horrible when viewed large too - using a 2*TC and focusing right at the lenses min focusing distance)

JamesMason · Nov 8, 2009

You can never tell by the head, its the tail that gives em away (and the size). Makes a great avatar shot tho

good link James - I also added it to the FAQ wildlife sticky (yah we got one of those we have ).

Just been checking out the survival website, love the can a chocolate method for fire. Tho personally i prefer a ciggie lighter.

Rifleman1776 · Nov 8, 2009

I'm not a fan of having a lot of nothing in a picture. The subject is what matters. Especially with an unusual subject like a buzzard. As long as the quality doesn't fall apart, your close up is the way to go.

pugnacious33 · Nov 9, 2009

I think in shot number one, you've got too much space above the bird and tree. In the second shot you cropped in too close and lost detail. I think a balance between the two would be perfect. Nice shot though.

leighthal · Nov 9, 2009

I love turkey vultures. They make me smile. Do you think it is their ugliness that makes them so fascinating? Kind of like that ugly cousin you can't help love.
Also on the make me smile list.... overreads comment. Nicely done critique and information! I especially liked this part.

Myself I sit at ISO 200 as a base point to get that little bit of extra speed when shooting - in this case and with you camera I would have upped to ISO 400 and got a nice fast shutter speed. 1/100 is rather slow for a long lens and wildlife in general so try to get that speed up if you can. I know (bitter experience ;-) ) that its very easy to let the shutter speed drop low, but its also a harsh lesson that when one gets back that it results in soft shots.

I like when members divulge their base settings and then what they would have done in the photos case. It makes much more sense to me when I see it put together. (((Thanks overread))))

ErectedGryphon · Nov 9, 2009

Thanks for all he great input, I will definately look at those articles this evening when I have some free time.

Battou · Nov 9, 2009

With True wild life there are only two rules: get it focused, minimize/eliminate the human elements, Nothing else matters.

Below are some shots I've taken:
Luna Moth by Battou - Photo Lucidity
Cedar Waxwing by Battou - Photo Lucidity
Flutterbye by Battou - Photo Lucidity
Barred Owl by Battou - Photo Lucidity
Turkey Vulture by Battou - Photo Lucidity
Dukat by Battou - Photo Lucidity
Cold COld COLd COLD by Battou - Photo Lucidity
Sparrow by Battou - Photo Lucidity
Blue Jay by Battou - Photo Lucidity
Common Crow by Battou - Photo Lucidity

These images where all taken with various manual focus lenses A handful are completely uncropped wile some are cropped considerably. You will find that composition in wildlife photography holds less relevance than it would in portrait or product photography. Your composition in wildlife photography is determined, Not influenced, determined by your focus.

Now, back when photographers where using manual focus and centerstationed splitprisms and lesser focusing aids, you will find that composition is much like you saw above, kinda willy-nilly. This leads into what Overread was going at in a round about way. Wild Life photographers simply don't have the time to sit and think about composition out in the field, they simply had to get the what they could get and work with what they got by recomposing during cropping. The more centered the subject the easier the shot was to focus, the ability to focus off the focusing aid was the difference between the men and the boys, Being able to focus off the focusing aid helped to provide a better base image to crop from.

With the modern equipment the photographers ability to focus off the focusing aid is taken out of the equation in it's entirety by giving the user the ability to pick, choose and preset the focusing points used. This will increase the difficulty of the shot only marginally over the center point, This minor difficulty change can be countered by simple knowledge of ones equipment. It is in this ability that a photographer can have a more active thought process in the composition of a wild animal and have a better base for cropping to the desired effect. Even then, it is unlikely you can shift compositional themes on the fly in the field, you will need to plan it out in advance.

lvcrtrs · Nov 10, 2009

Great info here. I kinda think of critter shots two ways. One, i just like to see the critter. Like, look here's a such and such, up close, you can really see what he looks like. And, two, showing the critter in his natural environment and surroundings. Say an eagle out on a cliff edge. You'd have to pull back to give the viewer that perspective. Right now the trees have a lot of berries on them and I think some bird pics look really nice pulled back with some of the branches and berries.

Overread · Nov 10, 2009

Battou said:
Even then, it is unlikely you can shift compositional themes on the fly in the field, you will need to plan it out in advance.

Whilst it is possible to flick compositional themes in the field quite quickly it is correct that with an unpredictable animal most of us are like to stick with one theme and focus on getting shots as opposed to composing.
Experience is one thing that affects this massivly - not just expereince with your gear and photography but also with the animal itself - not just its species but that particular animal in question. Familiarity with the species can give you tell tale signs of how they are possibly going to react and when - giving you time not only to consider composing differently but also to consider what in the environemnt (if your shifting to an environmental shot) is important for that animal itself.
Being familiar with the actual indevidual animal gives one even more considerations over their possible reactions and movements - thus allowing more prediction and thus more planning.

Finally its often the case that the more we see something the more creative we get - we move past the OMG its a soandso where pressure is to just get the shot with the animal well presented technically (ie in focus, correctly exposed etc) - and more into the mindset that we've shot it head on 50 times so lets try something new - essentailly we have shots in the bag so we are more free to be experimental