Continuing on with last week's topic, always try to add something special to wildlife photography. Capture special little moments. Ideas about what helps to provide special moments are:

• Capturing action, such as animals fighting

• Animal interaction, like a mother looking at her baby or birds intertwining their necks

• Typical animal behavior that shows their character

• Running, jumping, diving, etc.

I say it again but the best advice I have for wildlife photographers is to keep following your subject through the viewfinder always being ready. Even slowish moments can happen too quickly for you to react if you are not ready. Be on the lookout for behavior that is repeated because that will tell you what to expect and warn you to be ready when it happens again.

          Many elephants crossed the river to graze on islands because the grass there has not been eaten by other animals (they can't cross the river in fear of crocodiles). An elephant started to kick/push the ground with his foot to loosen the grass. He did it quite a few times which got me this image:

Would this image have been a capture of a special little moment if the elephant just stood there? These images are all about capturing the right moment. The right moment is when something special is happening. The right moment captures a slice of time that is more interesting than other times, a slice of time that asks questions, create wonder, that draws attention, and that makes the viewer want to look at your image.

          Sure, I have many images of animals just standing there, but they are not that good and people don't get excited looking at them. To make your images stand out something in the image has to be outstanding, different, special, say something, evoke emotion, and generate curiosity. Capturing the right moment does that.