Taking better photos

When taking photos for a sighting, ask yourself these questions. If you can answer ‘yes’ to each, then you're giving your sightings the best chance of getting identified - and scoring gold!

• Is my subject in the centre of the frame?
• Is it taking up a good amount of frame, and not too small?
• Is it in focus, so that I can make out its details?
• Is the lighting good, so that I can see its colours?

If you have to answer ‘no’ to any of these, then try a few things to get a better photo. This may mean you need to move to a different angle, get closer to your subject (without scaring it off), experiment with your camera settings (such as using the 'focus lock'), or use your flash. Often it can be helpful to take lots of photos and then pick out your best ones.

Once you’re happy that you are able to take good photos, make sure that you try and include shots from several different angles with each sighting if you can. Having photos from in front, behind, and the side can show different details about your subject that may help it get identified.