Shot of the Month – January 2022

Many photographers love to “fill the frame” when they photograph wildlife.  Many spend a tremendous amount of time, energy, and money to have the skills, equipment, and opportunities (photo tours) to allow them to get close to wildlife and capture an image that is filled from top-to-bottom, side-to-side with that fuzzy/furry/scaly natural wonder.  Photographers will spend thousands of dollars for the largest lenses to give them the extra reach to magnify their subject.

Yep, all sounds pretty familiar – you can lock me up for this also – guilty as charged.

Our offense is understandable – we love wildlife and such images allow us to see details that one can rarely see with the naked eye.  Such close-ups allow us to revel in the beauty of our subjects.

The downside is that you can go online and find thousands, and then many more thousands of images that look more or less the same.

To avoid this common mistake and get beyond the simple “animal portrait” when shooting I push myself to try and get at least 3 shots with different levels of zoom on the subject.  And if I have even more time I rotate the camera 90 degrees and take another 3 shots with different levels of magnification.  This can be achieved by either moving yourself (those boots were meant for walkin) or by using a zoom lens that can change focal length.

By pulling back I can place the animal in its environment or habitat and tell a more complete story about its life.  For example, in the image above I purposely did not zoom in to allow the viewer to see this brutal, albeit beautiful, winter landscape, because it is as important to the story as is the moose.   The wider view gives a sense of what life is like for a moose in the winter in the Grand Teton National Park (GTNP) in Wyoming.

Looking at that scene I can’t help but get a shiver down my spine.

Here is another one of my favorite images – by pulling back we see not only a magnificent bull moose but we also get to revel in the colorful bounty of fall in the GTNP.

I rarely share images of moose without antlers (cows, young males, post-rut males) as they usually are not as photographically interesting.  In the image below however, the landscape adds so much to the story it becomes a keeper.

So, don’t get me wrong, I love me a great close-up portrait.  My point is ok, once you get that shot, now keep going and explore what other stories can be told.  The “environmental portrait” is a wonderful way to broaden and deepen the story and connect the viewer to not only the animal but also to the place they call home.

Until next month….m

Nikon D5, Nikon 70-200 mm f/2.8 (@105 mm), f/5.6, 1/180 sec, ISO 140, EV +1.0