The rule of thumb with almost all photography is to follow the action. In landscape photography that may be where the color is, or where the drama is. In most sports photography it is where the ball, puck, etc. is. In wildlife photography that may be in behavior, or the teeth. Follow the action to get more dynamic and more interesting images.

          The baboons came to drink. There may have been 40 or more of them. Which one do your photograph? In which scene do you invest to yield the best images. The rule of thumb suggests following the action.

I decided to focus on the two fellows who were fighting. The little guy tried to get away. The bigger one went on the pursuit and caught up to the little guy. He grabbed him to pull him back down. He is already looking down to orchestrate their fall. The little guy is not happy. He is hurting as he is being pulled. His face tells the story. This image is alive with the story. Would an image of these two same fellows just sitting next to each other have been this interesting?

          Following the action paid off. Always ask yourself, what is the most interesting thing I can see right now? Photograph that. It may not always be the easiest thing to shoot. In this case, it was very difficult. The two are moving really quickly. Keeping up with them with a long lens is not easy. Keeping them fully in the frame is not easy. Keeping focus can be a struggle as they run behind obscuring objects. To make matters worse, most of the time there is an annoying stick, leave, branch, or whatever, in the wrong place to ruin the image.

          Just persist. Keep on going. Follow the action. The moment will come when you get that shot with the story. It is because these images are difficult to get that make them so scarce (the good ones). That is the very thing that makes your images stand out.