Help a newby!

[Im blundy]

Hey guys
So I recently bought my first bonsai. I have absolutely no experience in bonsai at all, but have been reading up a lot!
I bought this azalea and from what I understand you want a nice tight branch structure with lots of ramification. Am I right in saying the canopy of my tree is disproportionate to the trunk?
If so where do I begin with remedying? https://photos.app.goo.gl/753zTDTVBgWQA5uA6
Hope that link works

[shibui]

You can make a bonsai in any shape you like. Some will look better than others though and many of the bonsai guidelines help us make trees that look attractive.
Unfortunately it is not just black and white. There are always different alternatives when developing bonsai.

Azalea are mostly grown for the flower display so you really need to match the tree to the flowers. If it has smaller flowers a small tree might work but if the flowers are larger a really small bonsai might look funny when it flowers.

Tighter structure and more ramification is easy to get on azaleas. Pruning is the key. Azaleas will bud anywhere on the trunks so we can prune as hard as we like and still expect lots of new buds to grow after. If there are long, bare bits in your azalea that bother you just cut back to remove those and grow new branches from the buds that will grow after pruning.
When the canopy is smaller the trunk will look thicker in comparison but a smaller sized tree may not suit the flower display.
Your azalea looks as if it might already be a good size to display the flowers. Maybe you could put up with the open structure and thin trunk for the sake of the flower display? Over the years those thin branches and trunk will get thicker. It will take quite a few years but it will happen.

An alternative is to plant it into a larger pot or in the garden so it will grow much quicker. In a few years dig, prune and back into the pot to have a thicker azalea bonsai.

BTW. Try to upload photos direct to Ausbonsai if poss because it is easier to see them. File size does need to be under 1Mb

A rough location in your profile will also allow members to offer advice better suited to your climate. Australia (and the world?) is a big place with lots of different climates so advice for one area does not always suit another location.

[Im blundy]

Thanks so much! So could you potentially cut back the tree to litteral stubs and wouldn't be too worried about bad die back or anything? I'll get onto fixing up my account info

[shibui]

For azalea and a few other species you can definitely cut back to stubs and expect lots of new shoots and little if ant dieback.

In the cooler south response will be slow at this time of year (see how location matters?) so probably worth delaying pruning until spring, or even after flowering, if you want quick budding.
Rest assured that azalea are one of the most responsive specie for bonsai (provided you can give them the conditions they want )