1. Saxen Van Coller ­ Where To Place The
Subject In Wildlife Photography
Wildlife 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?

2. 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.

3. 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.

4. 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.

5. 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.

6. THANK YOU