ABSTRACT
Composition is the thoughtful placement of visual elements—a worthy subject and its environment—to make the strongest possible image. This chapter assimilates some of the "guidelines" that offers into the photography habits. Wildlife painters approach their final print quite differently than photographers do. Painters begin with an image in their heads, or perhaps a simple drawing or photograph to work from. They begin with a clean canvas when they start their painting. The wildlife photographer has a very different task. They must find a place where American widgeons are approachable. Then they must use their camera lenses and photo skills to select a fine specimen and isolate it as much as possible. The photographer begins with everything in the marsh and arrives at their composition by excluding much of what is present while thoughtfully placing the widgeon somewhere in the image. The photographers use a wireless triggering system with a tripod-mounted camera to capture this aerial viewpoint.
