Saxen Van Coller - Where To Place The Subject In Wildlife

PhotographyWildlife photography comes easy to some, but many

newbies in this field struggle to get the right pictures. Many photographers, have this notion that when taking photographs it is necessary that the animal should be in the in the middle and not towards the right or left. This is simply not true rather it creates a lot of delusion to many photographers. Many photographers have this query as to where they should put the animal if not the middle, then where?

Saxen Van Coller, who has spent years, taking wildlife photograph states that its entirely a photographer’s choice. Like most compositions it entirely depends on your sense of visual balance. You need to have the confidence and trust your judgment and make the placements.

Can we position the subject in the middle?

In some situations, this can work fine and some not. If you are taking a close up where the animal fills the space, then its right to place the animal in the center to get the most of the photograph. This is seen perfectly when the subject is looking right in the camera. For e.g. taking pictures of a panther perched on a tree branch here the subject is right in the center where the subject fills most part of the picture. Here the picture looks more balanced as the entire image is not clamped.

Should the subject be on the left or the right?

Here what matters is the physical positioning of the subject. As a general criterion, it’s better to have the subject looking towards the middle of the picture rather than the edge of the frame. If the subject is to the left, then shifting the camera position to the right for a better view is advised. When you are in the wild the chances are you cannot move the subject all the way to one side. It’s the way you move your camera and position yourself with it to get the right shot. This way the subject's head will be in the right and body leading on one side with ample space in front.

These things may sound simple states Saxen Van Coller. But these require a lot of practice and perfection. To get the best wildlife photographs, there is need of patience, preserving and lots of wasted photographs before you get the perfect shot. Every time you take out your camera to take those perfect photographs you are simply adding things to your experience.

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