Trogon Photo Tours

APRIL 2013 NEWSLETTER

This month's newsletter discusses bird photography composition, specifically instances when it makes sense to break the basic bird photography composition rules.  I previously discussed out some of those
rules in my last newsletter than included tips.  That info can be found here
 
One generally accepted composition rule that I discussed in the last newsletter was that you usually want to give the bird room to move into the frame or give it more room in the frame in the direction that it is facing.  In other words you usually don't want the bird to be looking out of the frame

Lilac-breasted Roller photographed October 2008, Ngepi Camp, Caprivi Strip, Namibia.  Canon 1D Mark III, 500mmF4 lens, 1/2500 at F8, iso 500, handheld.  I was hoping to get a take off shot of this bird and this was the result.  This image is cropped just slightly on the bottom and the right.  This shot definitely breaks the rule of having more room for the bird to fly or move into but I think the composition works well here for a couple of reasons.  First the frame is balanced both horizontally and diagonally by the branch on the right.  Secondly the shot illustrates the take off of the bird because of the wing and tail position and shows the branch that it just took off from. 

Black-throated Sparrow photographed May 2009 at Green Valley, Arizona.  Canon 50D 500mmF4 lens, 1.4x teleconverter.  1/2000 at F6.3, iso 400, handheld, uncropped.  In this image of a Black-throated Sparrow singing on an Ocotillo plant the bird has more room to the right to look into the frame but I don't think the image works very well because he feels blocked by the branch on the right. 

Contrast the previous image with this one.  In this image the Black-throated Sparrow has turned it's head and now has less room in the frame in the direction that it is looking.  However I think this works quite a bit better than the previous image because it doesn't seem as blocked by the branch on the left in this frame.  The Octotillo flower towards the top right center of the frame balances the composition with the bird looking left as opposed to competing with the bird when it is looking to the right.  While it is true that the majority of the time you want to give the bird more room to fly or look into, these 2 shots and the previous shot of the roller illustrate that you need to take all of the elements of the photo into account
when deciding which compositions work better or worse.  This image is left uncropped and I think works pretty well but it does work even better with a small crop from the right.

Black Skimmer photographed June 2008 at the Audubon boardwalk on Mustang Island, Texas.  Canon 1D Mark III, 500mmF4 1/5000 F5.6, iso 640, handheld.  One of the general rules for photography composition is not to center your subject.  I find an exception to this is reflection shots which I try to center both vertically and horizontally so that there is equal space around the bird and the reflection.  This creates a look of symmetry to the image.  I cropped this image slightly to accomplish this, mostly from the left but also a little bit on the top.  The image works well full frame as well with more room on the left because the trail left by the skimmer in the water balances the frame nicely.  Images where the bird has left a splash or a water trail are another good example of when it's not necessary for the bird to have more space to move into.

Great Blue Heron and Bald Eagle, photographed June 2011 at Seabeck, Hood Canal, WA.  Canon 7D 500mmF4 lens, 1/1250 at F8, iso 400, manual exposure, handheld.  I have a series of images of this adult Bald Eagle coming in and stealing this fish from right in front of the heron.  In this one the eagle is exiting the scene.  Ideally I would have a little more room on the right but with this kind of action, the action more than offsets any compositional deficiencies.  In other words, if you have caught great action or a rare moment, don't disregard the image just because the composition isn't perfect.  I would rather have an image that shows great action and behavior than a perfect "bird on a stick" type of image.  This kind of interaction between herons and eagles is the reason I love shooting at this location.

Nazca Boobies photographed on Isla de la Plata, Ecuador, December 2011.  Nikon D7000, Sigma 150-500mm OS lens, 1/1250 at F9, iso 320, handheld.  Images with one bird in focus and the other bird out of focus some people like a lot and other people don't like much.  I posted this image on a couple of the nature photography sites and some people loved the image and composition while others didn't like it at all.  So while there are some rules which generally it's good to abide by in photography composition, personal taste will differ greatly at times.  I personally think this is a compelling composition and the reason I like is for the opposing positions of the birds faces.  The fact that the one looking the other direction is out of focus adds to the contrast and for me improves the image. 

In conclusion while it is important to understand basic compositional rules, it's also good to
think about when and why you might break those rules.