Improve Wildlife Bird Photography by Focusing on the Details

In this video, I show some examples of how details can make your wildlife work stand out.
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[@TomReichner]

at 12:28 you ask, "I'm wondering ... does this work for you?" Yes, Scott, your fabulous Wood Duck image works for me 100%! I absolutely love it for all of the reasons you give - it's like you articulated exactly what I was thinking as I examined the image. To me, the water drop on the bill makes this so much more than it would be without it, because it gives my eye two places to go and my eyes and brain connect the two points of interest. That's so much better than just having the cool curves in the wake to look at.

[@charlesmcfarren6489]

The duck/wake photograph is no longer photography; it moves into the realm of art. Love it!

[@thomasberner6164]

The wave, the droplet and the colors are wonderful and make the picture. We all have seen a duck before but not that way. A piece of art.

[@larryrudnick1519]

The wood duck shot is great. You saw something that most photographers wouldn't and made the shot an abstract piece of art instead of documentary (even if the silhouette is nice).

[@WildlifeInspired]

Thanks

[@anaphylaxis2548]

Your photo definitely works for me. The light on the smooth water as the bird pushes it is awesome!

[@clausgiloi6036]

I totally agree. Details can be pleasing and set your photo apart from all the photos that have already been taken of your subject.

[@WildlifeInspired]

Thanks !

[@yophotodude7693]

One of the things I will tell others: “When you’re too close, get closer”. What this means is if you can’t get a good composition because you’re too close to your subject, start looking for something interesting in the smaller/detail/macro world. The cropped horse photo is an excellent application of that. Find something interesting by bringing it more into focus. For instance a close up of elephant wrinkles. I recently did this with a Zebra where it just didn’t want to give me anything that I could use of it’s full body, so I instead looked to see what abstractish thing I could make out of the pattern on it’s face. This concept of focus on the details is good advice, even for the seasoned pro.

[@WildlifeInspired]

Thanks so much

[@cathyklimes1289]

Water droplets always does it for me. In dark photography or light.

[@VABrowneMDPhD]

Gorgeous silhouette with the curved bright leading line of the water. Very artistic!

[@WildlifeInspired]

Thanks !!

[@amandaluker9268]

I loved the dark wood duck with the water droplet

[@WildlifeInspired]

Thanks

[@RetrieverTrainingAlone]

Excellent! As a newbie, I am not familiar with "dodging and burning". I usually crop and do minimal adjustments. On to youtube to learn about "dodging and burning"!

[@kevins8575]

Regarding cropping; I find that some photos work both ways. I duplicate them and use one as a wide shot and the other heavily cropped to highlight a detail.

[@neildbarker]

I like your point about Birders and Photographers. This is something I struggle with sometimes on my walks and hikes. As a birder, I always get excited seeing a bird that is uncommon or even one of my Lifelist on eBird. Unfortunately, I sometimes rush to get a photo instead of attempting to see potential for a more artistic photograph. Thanks for sharing.

[@craigwallace166]

I love your food for thought theme videos. It seems everyone is out in nature taking excellent images that look almost identical, what you are sharing here to me is a way to help your photography stand out from the crowd, be more unique. Thanks for sharing.

[@WildlifeInspired]

Glad you like them!

[@neilcole3406]

Well l know it’s my cup of tea Scott, the shot has to sometimes be about the art not just the subject, l love it!

[@WildlifeInspired]

Thanks !!

[@frankhaugwitz8178]

Thanks Scott for sharing ! Same here, I am transitioning from subject fixation (birds) towards back/foreground, light, details, habitat, etc., i.e. I am paying a lot more attention to these issues. Yes, the Wood Duck is just great and “that style or approach” would work for me too!

[@WildlifeInspired]

Very cool!

[@mazenhamdoun8448]

Love the edit on the wood duck ! I agree that the artistic approach elevated this image. One thing I would do is make that leading line on the left just a tad shorter. I think it makes the image balance out better left/right but again maybe you intended to make the image ever slightly imbalanced. Love your work and channel Scott ! Keep it up.

[@imagesbyoutlaw]

That last comp of the wood duck is nice! Notice how he had cocked his head at an angle showin he is lookin at somethin higher up that could be a predator and or is reactin to a sound heard. Very nice sir!

[@WildlifeInspired]

Yes, thanks

[@andrewkeir2282]

The Wood Duck photo is stunning. I have been getting into photography, through bird photography, but I find I am trying my hand at other discipline s and have entered shots into some local art shows, with some success. The Wood Duck would be a real winner whereas a beautiful composed portrait of a rare species would be ignored.

[@WildlifeInspired]

Wonderful!

[@penelopereeves8816]

That tip about looking for the something unique, however small, is an incredibly useful tip - thank you :)

[@WildlifeInspired]

Glad it was helpful!

[@TomReichner]

What you say at 9:55 reminds me of something a friend of mine told me years ago. He leads wildlife photo tours for a living, and he said that the biggest thing he has to help his clients get over is "subject fixation". As we advance and improve in our wildlife photography, we begin to be able to take the subject for granted and focus intentionally on things like the background, supporting elements, surrounding vegetation, interplay of light and shadow, etc.

[@TheWildlifeGallery388]

The Woody is fire🔥- my favorite shots are always backlit - those "pretty" scenes are hard to come by - unless you put the time in then they happen more often. Great Video

[@WildlifeInspired]

Thanks so much

[@SolheimRonny]

Thanks for remainding me way i love naturephotographing. Love your videos!!

[@WildlifeInspired]

Glad you enjoy it!

[@andrewwordsworth5364]

Really love the photo, cropped tight. And def something I prob would not see. But it really works I love ❤️ it

[@WildlifeInspired]

Thank you!

[@marshalhedin7538]

nature as art, masterful. thanks!

[@WildlifeInspired]

Thanks

[@tracykuenn4589]

I have to tell you , the words on the screen very helpful for me being sevre AdHd 😂and you in the background visuals spot on for me. I learn differently but my brain snapshots stuff for later lol 😂 so everything you show I’m listening more like snap shooting lol to store for later ❤Great job 😮❤

[@WildlifeInspired]

Thanks AD

[@tedbrown7908]

Great photo's. I just started to get "low" with my own duck photo's. Most are still shaky, but I did get a few good shots that I printed with some at the 13x19 inch size.

[@WildlifeInspired]

Thanks for sharing

[@Shannon-q2n]

Love this! Now I’m stoked!!

[@WildlifeInspired]

Thanks!

[@Remco1343]

That woodduck shot is absolutely phenomenal Scott! 😮🔥 It's almost as if it's from a sci-fi movie with the curves and colours

[@WildlifeInspired]

Thanks!

[@NickTheGreek-m3x]

Wonderful info!! Good job!!😀

[@WildlifeInspired]

Glad it was helpful!

[@kurtkemnitzer]

I love that wood duck edit! The composition is wonderful and the focus before the duck is incredible.

[@WildlifeInspired]

Thanks a lot!

[@maryellsworth]

After watching this video am going to look closer at my shots , I love that you see the details and hope that I can learn to look for them in my work

[@WildlifeInspired]

Thanks Mary!

[@Alan.Daniel.images]

Your wood duck is super.

[@WildlifeInspired]

Thanks !

[@kerrygrim7934]

The Wood Duck crop certainly does work well with me! Very artistic. Many birder/photographers are intentions are for documentation, and then move on to the the next. The more images they can cram into their eBird report, the better. And that is fine for them. But the artistic approach is everything to me.

[@WildlifeInspired]

Everyone has goals! Mine is pretty lol

[@csayban]

Love it. This is art.

[@WildlifeInspired]

Thanks !

[@ScottRitchie-bw9ls]

Great stuff Scott! Very Zen. I try and achieve some exoteric art, but often get lost in the bird. This focussing in on the "intriguing element" is a great tool.

[@stevethompson8154]

The last wood duck shot works for me. I've been in local camera club for 40 years and it is my opinion it would not do well in contests. BUT I think many of those people that would judge it poorly would not mind having a print of it on their wall.

[@WildlifeInspired]

Contests are so weird and subjective. To make them objective they often set rules or scoring rubrics which go against a lot of what art should be. I've won some but lost a lot more and regularly surprised at how others see the same images.

[@joanneabramson2645]

On the Oystercatcher, I was fascinated that you had the ground slanted down to the right. Many photographers would have straightened that ground. I think your editing was great. The bird would have been off-balanced if you had straightened the ground. On the wood duck, I have been working with the blue wake for a couple of years at a local pond. I adore it in my photos. I always thought it was the water's reflection of the sky above. I have played with just sharpening the bird and the blue wake in my photos, and letting the rest of the photo be soft. Your silhouette interplaying dark shadows with the colors is fantastic. And the warm leading line draws the viewer's focus directly to the bird.

[@mlevesque33]

Some of your patreon photographers are very talented.

[@WildlifeInspired]

MANY, its been great watching them grow and at times they are very inspiring

[@mlevesque33]

@@WildlifeInspired I didn't see them all so I can't say (only saw those in this video).

[@johnburns5426]

Hi Scott, you are making us, or at least me, think again. I have strived to get the "bird on stick with sterile background" for some time. Then you made me rethink with your video on "bird with a bit of habitat". Now I feel that you are showing how wildlife images can be an art form in themselves without the need for razor sharp detail. The images of the wood duck are quite beautiful, and this from a non "arty" person.

[@WildlifeInspired]

Always evolving !

[@JanicevD]

yes, it works for me!

[@WildlifeInspired]

Thanks !

[@birdsandscratch8331]

Very good advice and definately something that made me think. At first I didn't really like the last image, because I found it a bit jarring, but the more I looked the more it grew on me. It is an image that needs time to be fully appreciated.

[@WildlifeInspired]

Thanks!

[@Media-oq9ux]

Yes, made me think. Tons of very recent photos from CO to go revisit my edits. Thank you. I have yet to use my DYI frying pan/gimbal combo for ponds.

[@WildlifeInspired]

Put it to use! (Watch your neck)

[@naoufaltakroumt6373]

Thank you

[@WildlifeInspired]

Thanks !

[@maxwell131]

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