Portrait shots, or simply photographs of individual animals in typical pose, are greatly enhanced when the subject matter ‘pops’. When it jumps out at you from the photograph. When your eye is immediately drawn to what ever point the photographer was intending to be the main point of attention.
There are a few ways to accomplish this ‘popping’ effect, but in this short post, we’ll just discuss two.
The first one is to try and make sure your subject is in focus, but everything else is out of focus. In photographic terminology, this is known as the depth of field. Ideally you want your subject matter far enough away from whatever the background is to ensure that that background is nicely blurred.
Obviously the animals in the bush haven’t taken a course in photography and aren’t just going to lie down or move to photographically convenient positions whenever a camera hoves into view, so you may have to wait awhile before an opportunity presents itself. A decent knowledge of animal behaviour comes in very handy here, and given the situation and species in question, your ranger should be able to make the call on whether he/she thinks the opportunity for a good photo will be forthcoming.
One of the Tsalala cubs separated itself from the rest of its litter and came to lie on the road. A relatively uniform colour scheme of green and grey brown emphasises the tawny coat of the lion and makes it pop. Notice how the background is blurred, and the ‘rule of thirds’ is employed to make the cub look into the photograph.
This photo of the Mhangeni cubs climbing a fallen tree trunk near the Manyelethi riverbed was a wonderful moment, yet the effectiveness of the actual photo is marred by the clutter in the background. Lots of branches and a bright sky act as a distraction.
Shooting with your aperture wide open is the next step. The wider the aperture, the smaller the depth of field. I shoot with a Canon 70-200mm f2.8, which allows for a very shallow depth of field, but anything up to around f4.5 can be OK, especially as lenses that can go to really low f-stops tend to be rather more expensive, and not ideal for a first time bush visitor.
Getting closer to the subject can significantly increase the effectiveness of this depth of field effect.
We are very lucky at Londolozi in that the more high profile species such as lions and leopards have usually seen vehicles since they were young and have learnt to ignore them completely, allowing for unrivalled photo opportunities around relaxed animals exhibiting their natural behaviour.
One of the Majingilane walks across Fluffies clearing. The background is uncluttered and blurred, focussing the attention on the lion. Also, he is framed to be walking into the photo.
This photo of the Mashaba female is nice and crisp, yet the branches and background do draw the eye away slightly. She was up on a termite mound, and although the eye-level angle helps give her presence in the shot, the background was not as uniform as I would have liked.
The Tamboti female. She was close to us, yet far from the background (which was green and uncluttered) and up on a log (so at eye level). The ingredients were there for a sharp photograph of her face with no distractions.
The second way to increase the effectiveness of a ‘popping out’ shot is to try and reduce background clutter. Not only is the distance from the background important, but the less going on there the better. A uniformly thick green tree or bush as a background will be far better than one which has tangled branches leaving gaps of sky through them. Ideally you want your animal isolated, but again, it’s up to the animal. Repositioning the vehicle can change the angle, but ultimately, it is about patience and waiting for the right moment.
So trust your ranger to get you into position, make sure you have the right settings on your camera, be patient, and be ready!
Written and Photographed by James Tyrrell
Bravo Sir James – I know that Rogers will benefit from these tips. And happy birthday old man!
Haha thanks Steve! A few more grey hairs but still young at heart!
Hope you are all well!
James
Great advice James! I will make sure to try these tips. I LOVE your photo of the Tamboti female and, although I can see what you mean regarding the background in your photo of the Mhangeni cubs, I really love that photo as well and I think the light shining through from the background is so beautiful.
James I ask you with tears in my eyes, you are in the bush, how do your subjects just sit & pose in the right spots? So for me, all the pictures I see on the blogs are PERFECT! Thanks once again. I hope you had a good rest in the Cape Town heat & all the 40+km winds? Did you manage to ID that funny creeping thing you showed us in your last blog?