Often, capturing habitat means showcasing specific plants and animals that are key parts of a bird’s habitat and ecosystem. Mangroves are a great example. When it comes to tropical wetlands, mangrove trees are the critical organisms providing food and shelter, giving life and form to an ecosystem. Although they move around, a cow is part …

This is something that I rarely do in bird photography because it usually is impossible to get close enough to a bird. With a nest, however, it is something that can work. Using a very wide angle lens, you can capture a nearby subject, like this nest, while also showcasing the whole scene around the …

Suppose you want to include habitat as a second subject in a bird photo, but also want to keep your photo simple: what’s the minimum you need to capture? There isn’t a specific answer to that question, but it is something to keep in mind. Composing a photo is often a battle between simplicity and …

In addition to habitat in general being a second subject, specific phenomena can be a second subject, too. Below are a couple examples of photos that are about birds and also about the influx of sargassum that has hit the Caribbean several times in the last few years. This has been a significant occurrence, impacting …

Sure, it’s obvious, but the easiest way to turn a bird’s habitat into the second subject of a photo is to zoom out and let the habitat fill the photo. The ratio of bird to habitat can send a strong signal about your intention for the photo. Below are two pairs of photos showcasing the …

This week we look at habitat as a second subject in bird photos. Here’s the article from The Daily Herald’s Weekender, and we will also be posting additional thoughts and examples here on the blog throughout the week.

By human element, I am unfortunately not referring to actual people. I am talking trash. On St. Martin, it is a huge problem. There are obviously huge downsides to having litter all over the island that go beyond the inconvenience of having trash in the background of one’s bird photos. That said, having trash in …

Backgrounds don’t have to be plain to be pleasing, but sometimes they’re just too busy to work. For example, the two photos below are similar in many ways. They both have a bird and quite a bit of vegetation, and the vegetation has a lot of detail. Aesthetically, though, the Glossy Ibis is lost while …

Here are two images of a Spotted Sandpiper with a crab in its bill. I don’t think this one really needs a lot of comment. Its a fidgety, fast-moving bird, and even with the leaf, the image is less than ideal. Without the leaf, though, you really can’t tell what’s going on at all. It …

In addition to finding plain backgrounds to direct focus towards your subject, you can also use backgrounds that divide the scene into multiple spaces. Exactly how you divide the scene gets into questions of composition: how the scene is balanced, using the contrast in backgrounds to lead the viewer through the photo, etc. Without going …