I just returned from a great trip to Costa Rica with ANPW, looking forward to returning next year! We spent our days photographing wildlife and jungle scenes all through this friendly country. We found all sorts of critters to photograph including iguanas, turquoise Morpho butterflies, 4 species of monkeys and countless exotic birds. After getting the mandatory clean shots of various animals, the question came up in the group on how to photograph wildlife in a more creative way. My response was ‘shoot through it’.
Landscape photographers are big on creating depth and dimension in their images by introducing more layers into the scene. The same can be said about wildlife photographers. Try photographing your favorite subject through some branches, leaves or trees to create a sense of place and add context to your shot.
This iguana is a good example. We got incredible close up shots of iguanas, they were easy to approach. After getting some nice tight head shots of their scaly skin, I tried photographing one through some vegetation. I really liked the different mood of this image; shooting through leaves gave this iguana personality and drama. The next time you are shooting wildlife, try shooting through something to spice things up.