Wildlife photography shows animals in their natural habitats. A photograph of even the most adorable bird or animal is belittled by harsh light, which we witness through most parts of a day. When the sun is above us, it illuminates the world from above uniformly, as a result we don’t see a play of light and shadow horizontally.

When the sun is lower down, closer to the horizon, we can position ourselves in a way that the sun is on one side of us, and as a result the sun will illuminate everything we see from one direction, casting shadows on the other with a smooth transition from brightness to shadow. This gradient of light brings things to life.

Explore lighting techniques for wildlife photography in my comprehensive wildlife photography course and crash course.