The large Mule Deer buck pauses between bites to watch you climb the steep, snow-covered hill below him. Zig-zagging back and forth across the slippery hillside, you try your best to appear like you have no interest in him. Stopping for a second to catch your breath, you take a few insurance shots as the buck lifts his head, keeping a watchful eye on you. "Closer" you say to yourself "I still need to be closer!" Carefully you slide into position below the buck, he fills the frame in your viewfinder. You are close enough. Snap, snap-whirrrrr, the motor drive rips through film every time the buck lifts his head between bites. "This is good stuff" you whisper to yourself.

But is it? You're close enough and it sure looks good through the viewfinder. But will you be satisfied with the images back on the light table? Will they express the same feeling and mood you see and feel here on the mountain? Close-up portraits of wild animals are typically one of the things that draw most of us to wildlife photography in the first place. This type of imagery is arguably the most sought after by nature photographers and editors today. The desire to fill the frame leads us to get closer and closer, and use longer and longer lenses. But are we making the best of each opportunity? What makes a really good wildlife portrait?

What exactly is a close-up portrait? A close-up portrait, at least by my definition, is an image of a single animal where the animal fills at least half of the frame and is instantly recognizable as the main subject. This can be of a bird, fish, reptile or mammal. Portraits are not limited to just one species.

What is considered to be a successful portrait? In my book it is an image, which portrays the subject as I wish viewers to perceive it. Does it look menacing? How about regal? Does the subject move the viewer either with direct eye contact or with emotion? Does the image have the WOW! Factor? I consider it successful if it appears on the light table, as I perceived it in the camera. Fitting an image into one or several of these categories helps to make a successful image.

Five Items to consider when you're making wildlife portraits.

Composition: Designing or composing the image is arguably one of the most difficult aspects of close-up portraiture. With the subject filling a majority of the frame, it becomes more difficult to arrange the elements of the image pleasingly within the viewfinder. One of my favorite composition techniques is "the rule of thirds". A basic technique of dividing the viewfinder into three sections both vertically and horizontally so the you end up with an elongated "tic tac toe" board. By placing items of importance at any of the intersecting points or along one of the "lines of thirds" will help give your image balance as well as providing a multitude of uses.

A common misconception about the "rule of thirds" is the idea that the subject must lie off to one side and follow one of the dividing lines to the top of the frame. While this can be true, several of my most successful images have had the subject right in the middle of the frame but had the eyes in the middle third and the feet on the lower third. This works particularly well with antlered animals as it leaves plenty of room at the top for their rack. Keep in mind what the intended use for the image will be and provide enough room to accommodate it. Nothing hurts editorial sales more than an image that is too tight and doesn't allow for placement of text or magazine title. It is always easier to crop in a little than to add space later.

Lighting: Light that is flattering to your subject is critical in all types of photography, but becomes essential when you are working in close. Bright overcast days and hazy sunrise/sets typically provide the most pleasing light. Images made in harsh midday situations can be difficult and I tend to void them if possible. However, if I must shoot in less than optimal conditions, I lean toward placing the sun behind my subject and fill in the shadow side with fill flash or a reflector. When using fill flash I typically set my flash compensation at -1 for medium toned subjects -1 1/3 or -1 2/3 for light or white subjects and -1/3 or -2/3 for dark or black subjects. Using fill flash on a day of heavy overcast can doing a fine job at making your images come to life. Be careful not to overpower the ambient light and I will normally turn my flash down -1/3 to -2/3 more than I would in a brightly-lit situation. A bright overcast day is probably my favorite but I will never turn down a nice sunrise or sunset shoot. The big rule of thumb here is to ensure that the light is flattering to your subject and doesn't eliminate detail that is important to the photograph.

Space: A lot of credence is given to ensuring that your image fills the frame and rightfully so. However, it is as equally important that you give your subject room in the frame as well. This becomes particularly important for those of us who try to sell our work. Having space in the frame for a variety of cropping options makes the image that much more salable. While a good percentage of my close-up portraits are made in vertical format, horizontal is always a choice depending on the orientation of my subject. The more vertical my subject the more I tend toward a vertical format and vice versa. This is a basic rule of photographic composition but becomes increasingly important as your subject moves closer. I almost always try to have my subject looking or moving into an empty portion of the frame. If my subject is looking to the left, I typically move him to the opposite side of the frame regardless of his body position. I personally feel that having the subject "looking" into the empty portion makes for a stronger image than having him "look" out of the frame. This rule is certainly not absolute but one I follow regularly. This helps to give the image balance as well as provides that valuable empty space for editors as well.

Background: Nothing can make or break an image quicker than a distracting background. A strong background makes your image stand out. We all strive for those velvety smooth, seamless backgrounds but having one with detail that enhances the image can make for an even stronger statement. Be careful here, as it is easy to overdo it. A background with detail is much harder to pull off well than one that is nothing but a total blur of color. Be particularly mindful of mergers with your subject such as a branch sticking out of his head or a tree trunk running through his body. Sometimes these little gremlins cannot be seen with your lens wide open so if your camera body has a depth of field preview...use it often.

The EYES have it: We have all heard that the eyes of an animal need to be sharp and in focus for a wildlife image to work. There is much more to the eyes than just being in focus. The eyes make the connection to the viewer. In my images where the animal is looking directly into the camera, I try to capture an expression that can give an indication of its mood or state of mind. These looks can range from quizzical, to angry, scared or alert for danger. Delivering an emotion to your viewer through the animal's eyes can take a simple portrait and make it something extraordinary. Sometimes this can be accomplished with only a simple turn of the head or change in camera position.

Having the eyes in focus is critical but too often photographers stop there. It is also important to get the majority of the face sharp as well. As the animal moves closer or as your focal length gets longer, it becomes more difficult to obtain the depth of field you need. Closing down to a smaller aperture is the answer and using your depth of field preview button will ensure that you have just the right amount. Experience will help guide you here as well for often the opportunity to get the best expression is fleeting.

While this may seem like alot to remember, know that as you practice, it will become second nature. Remember to pay attention to what is going on within your viewfinder and that there has never been a rule that wasn't made to be broken. If the image connects with your viewer and delivers the message that you intended, then in my book it is a success.

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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!