Do you need every grass, leaf and branch in its place?

I do a lot of wildlife photography each year. Much of it is of wild animals and some of it is photography of captive animals. I've attended events photographing captive animals as a member of a workshop, a group of friends, by myself and as a workshop leader.

One thing I'm continually amazed by is how some people seem obsessed with having the animal trainers prune the shooting location to remove every last element that might possibly creep into their view finder and provide a distraction. This can drive people to distraction and instead of working on their photography, they distract themselves worrying about the environment. I've even seen photographers miss great shots because they were worried about a grass or leaf.

Don't get me wrong. One of the great things about photographing at a game farm is that you are photographing under controlled conditions. This means there are animal trainers working to get the animals into optimal positions for photography. The locations are chosen to reflect the animal's natural habitat and are designed to optimize the light.

And don't get me wrong. I love a beautiful portrait of an animal regardless of it being shot under controlled conditions or in the wild. But what I really love, and what many find more compelling, are images of an animal in their environment looking "wild". Those are the sort of opportunities I look for when I'm photographing under controlled conditions.

The following photograph of a Canada Lynx was made as the young lynx stalked a lure that her animal trainers use to get her attention. I love the brush around the lynx and the fact that it easily looks like a picture that might be made of an elusive wild Canada Lynx. Even though the lynx is moving through the brush, I still waited until I had a clear, unobstructed view of her face before pressing the shutter.