Light and angle. My story.
I started serious photography 20 years ago. My first guru was a brilliant cinematographer Colin Patrick-Johnson. His take photography is all about angle, angle, angle. I use to be kicked with such pictures (Ground Hornbill) cause of low angle.

If you have an eye level angle, your subject looks normal. A higher angle like here makes your subject appear smaller. While lower angle make the subject appear larger than life.

I went for nicely front lit subjects because back then I use to think that front lighting was the best light. A few years later, I started getting bored of front lit scenes but I didn't really understand other lighting. Back to square one.

It took me a decade to figure out different kind of outdoor lighting (I dont like flash. Period) and how to even try to handle it.
This shot of an Impala looking at a leopard walking in the background was shot much after sunset on the way to Narok in Kenya. ISO 25600. It works

In outdoor lighting the nicest situations are around dawn and dusk. Great drama that makes even commonly found 'not so glamorous' animals look like rock stars. Like this Topi here.

Back lighting when the sun is justxrisibg or setting is stunningly gorgeous. You need to keep the light hitting the subject at an angle. When u have moving animals that is a very tough job, especially as time runs out very fast. You deserve your sunrise beer when you get it right

Silhouettes of still or slow moving animals, with a rising or setting sun are awesome and easy to shoot. You just have to make sure that the subject's profile cuts into the horizon. The more it cuts in the better it is, generally.

If you get a LITTLE mist or fog with sunrise, particularly, you are blessed. The background colours get unreal. The soft and warm sunlight gets filtered through the mist/fog to get softer and warmer. A good sunrise followed by this is party time.

On misty conditions with low light hitting an animal from the side or back, the animals breath or dust thrown up lights up amazingly. If you find a lion roaring in such light, do tip very well.

Front lighting could never have lit up this Crowned Crane's crown like this.
Whenever you get a good situation, maximize it. Shoot close ups, wide angles, mid range.....change the angle and repeat. In the words of an NG producer "shoot the fucks out of it - till it lasts"

Follow the light you like and you will find things to shoot. End up with great images that you like.......contd.

.....and if you do it for a reasonable amount of time, you will keep getting some lucky moments. Like this sub adult leopard playing with a hare before killing it. Not a great picture by any standards, just a lucky one.