To get intimate portraits of animals and birds its always best to get down to their level so you are shooting eye to eye. If an animal is looking left or right, leave room in the fram for them to look into it.

Always check the background foreground carefully before taking shot- wild animals have a tendency to stay awhile in areas full of photographically distracting branches leaves and grasses. On occasion a small change in the place from where you are photographing is all that is takes to improve your shot so we always try to go the extra mile to get it right.

Remember to frame the animal or bird, in case of a close up or portrait, it's eyes- using the always powerful rule of thirds.

Key points not to forget:

Always be ready for something to happen by selecting a high drive speed and continuous auto focus for wildlife that is on the move.

Use a single auto focus point and do your best to keep in on the animal or bird you are photographing so you don't accidently focus on the background.