There are thousands of people taking pictures every day. Since zoo photos are so popular, I am using a lot of them to illustrate the rules of good composition.

Let's look at this picture. Can you tell me why this is a great shot? The shot is obviously clear. There is heavy shadow on the subject, so, you can assume that this shot was taken on a pretty bright day. What can you observe about that? Well, the photographer understood how to use the camera's light meter to get a proper exposure.

I took the shot with a long lens, so, you should assume that I used a tripod to keep camera shake from being a problem. Not only did I take the shot with a long lens, I was able to use a fast shutter speed thanks to the sunlight, but, hand-holding any lens over 200 mm in focal length is not recommended.

NOTE: When you use a digital SLR, you might want to tripod the camera shooting any 200mm lens to get the clearest, sharpest images possible if there is a "lens factor" or "multiplier" to be considered.

The "lens factor" or "multiplier" is the measure of difference in size between 35mm frame (24x36 mm) and your camera's CCD or CMOS sensor (typically APS frame, or about the size of a postage stamp). That figure is typically 1.5 or 1.6, meaning 150 percent to 160 percent of the lens focal length. The result is a "cropping" of the image that would be captured in film. This means that digital images are not really magnified.

When you shoot with a digital camera, that lens factor can be best described as if you took a picture of a subject and cropped it. So, you are really getting an image that looks as though you were closer to the subject. The real difference between a digital image cropped by "framing the shot" or an image that is cropped and enlarged to be the size you would like to print is this: In the former, image quality is the best the camera can achieve. In the latter, the image is degraded by the cropping and enlargement process.

Any camera movement at all can soften an image. Consider the latter scenario, above, and you would further degrade the image.

With that lesson in mind, consider this point. You want the sharpest pictures possible. If you anticipate making any enlargements at all, then it makes sense to compose the picture in the camera and make sure you are either close enough to your target or you have a lens long enough to get you where you need to be.

In the leopard shots below, I used a long lens. I also used a sturdy tripod to get the highest sharpness possible. Getting right on that cat's nose made for a very dramatic image.

The left shot was taken with the same camera as the one on the right. On the left shot I used the 500mm lens. The shot on the right was taken with a 200mm lens.

Looking at these two images side-by-side, you can see how much more dramatic the close-up shot really is. Both shots were taken with the camera mounted on a sturdy tripod, from the same vantage point. The left shot, though, was very tightly "framed" while the right one was composed to tell the story, it was a bright sunny day and the cat was basking in the sunshine.

What this lesson illustrates is this: From the same vantage point, you can compose several pictures and by changing lenses or using the full range of one zoom lens, you can take a series of shots that look as though you moved closer to your subject or farther way when in reality, you just switched the lens or slid the zoom in or out accomplishing the same thing.

This is called "framing the shot." With this technique, you can remove unwanted background elements that would distract the viewer by drawing his or her eyes away from the subject.

Using a long lens also has the advantage of "compressing the background." By understanding depth of field, you can use that "compression" to blur annoying things in the distance that would compete with your subject. This is even more effective when the background is in shadows.

The next shot is the entrance to "Old Man's Cave" in the Hocking Hills of Southeastern Ohio.

I shot this digitally and used a 400mm lens to compress the depth of field. By doing so, the background became a very dark blurry area in the uppermost section of the image. It added contrast and value to the image. Capturing all of the texture in the foreground and middle of the photograph, adds interest to the scene and guides viewer's eyes right up the stairs into darkness. It is as though you are there, walking into the cave. Even the rocks on the left center start to fade into that emptiness at the top of the frame.

Keep this lesson in mind when you compose a shot. You want to lead the viewer into your photograph. Where will you take their eyes? This is a very powerful technique when you master it.

A well-framed shot will win a photo competition every time. Once you start looking at your background and where your subject is in relation to everything else in your view finder, you will start taking better pictures. It's the difference between a snapshot and a work of art.