We always tend to want to fill the frame with the bird. It is exciting to see the fine detail of the feathers. We use long lenses and then we still crop the image in post-processing to get it even larger. However, I want to encourage you to show a bit more. Show the habitat. Show their behavior. Show the perch. Give them room to live within. So what if the bird is a bit smaller in the image?

I love the way the perch is shown here. It adds to the image. This images shows more than just a portrait of a bird. Yes, the bird is smaller in the image, but the perch is now part of the image. I could have cropped the image more but then I would have lost some of the perch.

Show more than just the bird in flight. Now we know where the bird comes from. The perch acts as a barrier to prevent the viewer's eyes from leaving the image on the right. Make sure to leave enough space for the bird to fly into. Once again, the bird is smaller in the frame but it tells more of a story than it would have if it was cropped to only show the bird.

          So don't be afraid of zooming out a bit, or cropping less deeply, or shooting from further away. Show a bit more.