Take a Step Back
Take a Step Back
by
Rob Read
If you’re anything like me, then you will have spent a lot of time over your photographic career attempting to get as close as possible to your subjects in order to fill the frame with them. As impressive as some of these images can be, I’m often guilty of not taking a literal step back and considering compositions that give the subject more space and conceptualise them in their environments. Personally, I think it’s a bit of a mistake to overlook these broader views as they often provide an opportunity to create a more artistic feel. It’s something that I am consciously going to try and address more often with my own photography, and is one of the lessons I’m attempting to learn from my peers.
As mentioned in another of my recent blogs, I’ve been doing a lot of digging around in my old image archives over the last few months, as I’m sure many of you have also found yourselves doing. It’s amazing what you find in these hidden treasure troves when you look at them with a fresh pair of eyes and a different mindset. Low and behold, there is some nice stuff in there that I’d overlooked simply because I had initially considered the subject too small in the frame for it to be of merit. True, I’d never use any of these to illustrate articles on identification – and I write quite a lot of those. They also wouldn’t be my ‘go to’ photos for social media posts as they don’t seem to do that well most of the time. But if I was looking for something to print and hang on the wall, then there are some that are more than worthy of the paper and the printer ink.
WildArt is all about the artistry of the image, those photographs that would get the printer ink running. I hope that the name of the competition does give some clue as to the direction the judges will be looking in. Just because a particular style may not be the most popular with your social media audience doesn’t mean to say that the competition judges will feel the same way. While the spectacularly detailed close up may have immediate impact and get people reaching for the like button, the initial sugar rush could also soon dissolve. Something a little more subtle and nuanced may draw a more lingering gaze and a winning appreciation for the art. Food for thought.
The perfect category for this type of image is our February offering themed ‘Space’ and is the concept of ace wildlife photographer Andy Rouse. To get some of your own creative juices flowing, here are few examples of images I ‘rescued’ from my archives recently.
Above: This is an image that I initially overlooked completely having discounted the subjects as too small in the frame. Sure, this isn’t going to work for a field guide or help with id, but this group of three Mallards is in a pleasing area of the frame. Not only that, but they are evenly spaced, are in a straight line and their wings are beautifully mirrored in alternate up and down positions. The clouds are taking on the colourful hues of dusk and are nicely layered across the frame. Why did I not see this before?! ©Rob Read
Above: I knew that I would not get close enough to this female Stonechat to get anywhere near filling the frame with her. In any event, a literal portrait wouldn’t have worked well as I was shooting into the sun. But that was the key to this shot - a nice rim-lit bird with some gorgeous warm colours in the background and a bit of bokeh produced by the dew soaked vegetation. For me, this is a nice memory of a beautiful summer morning last year. ©Rob Read.
Above: Back in early November I met up with WildArt POTY judge David Tipling at his home in Norfolk. We made a brief visit to the coast at Cley looking for a particular bird that turned out to be a no-show. The weather on the Norfolk coast can change quickly and is often quite dramatic. As we stood chatting, a squall rolled in across the North Sea and was lit by the setting sun behind us creating the most amazing rainbow. I love photographing rainbows tightly cropped like this so you can see the array of amazing colours, but I wanted an extra element in the image and waited for a bird to drift into the scene. I didn’t have to wait long before this Black-headed Gull obliged - and in the perfect position too. ©Rob Read.