It is often said that the difference between good and great can be measured in inches. Nowhere is this more true than in the field of photography. Have you ever had an image on your light table or computer screen that was good, but something about it kept it from being great? Did a slight turn of a bird's head here, or a bright spot in the background there, keep this image out of the great category?

So what do I mean by "viewfinder awareness"? The easiest way to explain it is to think of your viewfinder as a window frame. In order to make the most pleasing image you must fill your window only with items that belong and support your main subject - and exclude all else. Become habitual in scanning not only the section of the screen that contains the main subject but also the area above, below and to the sides as well. Pay particular attention to the edges of the viewfinder where little surprises always seem to pop up. A drawback to scanning the edge of your window lies in the fact that very few camera viewfinders show 100% of the image being taken. Depending on camera body brand and model you could only be seeing 70-90% of the actual image. Be sure to check your camera's manual to know what your coverage is. Knowing this information can help to avoid having little surprises coming at you from the side.

This habit is typically easier to develop with landscape or macro photography, as the subject is not as likely to being fast moving. The more static your subject, the better suited it is to practice raising your viewfinder awareness. However with faster moving subjects such as birds or mammals, scanning your entire viewfinder becomes increasingly difficult. This can sometimes be avoided by setting a stage for your animal to walk or fly into by focusing and composing a pleasing scene and waiting for the subject to move into it. Other times it is necessary to follow the action in the viewfinder as best you can and try to keep your frame as clean as possible. Practicing while your subject is more static can help this become more of a habit for times when it needs to be second nature.

One of the best tools I utilize in observing my viewfinder is the Depth of Field Preview button. This button's function is to stop your lens down to its taking aperture so that you can see exactly what will be in sharp focus when the image is made. Since the camera keeps the lens open to its widest aperture to aid in focusing, the depth of field is limited to that f/stop. By stopping down to the taking aperture you are able to view the entire scene just as the camera does, which will allow you to catch "one of those aforementioned surprises" appearing where you don't want it - or you may find that the background is more detailed than you'd like. It will also show areas where you may not have sufficient DOF for the effect you desire.

Another habit I have gotten into is when I see a particularly attractive scene I will make an image that I call my "insurance shot". Once I have that image on film I can then concentrate on cleaning up my window and scanning my viewfinder looking for distractions. My "insurance shot" is rarely the best image from the series, but if the subject is fleeting, at least I got one image before the scene changed.

The biggest part of this process is to get into the habit of only including elements in your image that belong and are supportive to your main subject. That beautiful autumn-colored branch may be attractive, but is it supporting the bird, or is it merely distracting? Could it be placed differently to support rather than to draw attention from the main subject? Or should it be eliminated? Only you can answer these questions when the image is made but by simply asking the question, you are on the road to improving the image.

Developing your viewfinder awareness takes time and patience but the pay off can be great. Get in the habit of being aware of what is happening in your viewfinder and watch how quickly your images start to improve.

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Les Voorhis is a nationally published nature and wildlife photographer based in Morrison, Colorado. His photographic career began in 1988 in his home state of South Dakota as a photojournalist. After working for several small town newspapers, he soon returned to school to study commercial photography. After graduation he began working for a stock photo agency as the photo editor. Always an avid outdoorsman, concentrating on producing images of nature and wildlife was a natural fit.

Les' images have appeared in many national and regional publications including Bugle Magazine, American Hunter, Game and Fish Publications, Colorado Outdoors as well as used in several calendars, postcards and for advertising. He is currently also marketing his images through a series of prints and a successful website which you can view here: Les Voorhis Photographics. Please welcome Les to our fine lineup of contributing authors!