We’ve likely all experienced something along these lines: The feeling of standing amidst a lush forest filled with every shade of green imaginable as the first rays of the rising sun break through the canopy creating dancing strings of light. Or witnessing the vibrant and constantly shifting hues of a sunset over a tranquil alpine lake high in the mountains.
Whatever this experience may be for you, I’m sure we’ve all had some encounters with the natural world that we wish we could stay in forever. A moment in time that we wished would never end. If only there were a way to preserve that.
Well, as it turns out, there is a way to preserve these perfect moments in time, at least in a sense, and that is the beautiful and immersive art of nature photography.
Nature photography allows you to freeze such moments in time and share them with the world. It's a way to connect with nature on a deeper level, explore new places, and develop a unique perspective that highlights the natural beauty that surrounds us.
Nature photography, quite simply, is a captivating and rewarding art form that allows you to capture the beauty and wonder of the natural world. From breathtaking landscapes to intricate macro shots to bold wildlife photographs, nature photography offers a wealth of opportunities for creativity and self-expression.
In this comprehensive guide, we'll take you through the essential steps to embark on your journey as a nature photographer, providing insights, tips, and techniques to help you capture stunning images. After all, there’s no time like the present.
Let’s get started!
Understanding Your Equipment and Choosing the Right ToolsWhere to start?
Well, in order to actually capture photographs and create images you’ll need the right gear. You don’t necessarily need the Absolute Best Cameras or the Highest Performance Lenses from main manufacturers like Canon, Nikon, and Sony, especially when you’re first getting started. But, having something that doesn’t limit you and knowing the best accessories to bring on every outing will get you going in the right direction off the bat. Cameras:
Before you start your journey, it's important to choose the right camera for your needs. There are a ton of options out there drastically ranging in price and performance which can make selecting “the right camera” seem impossible. Luckily most of the popular options on today’s market are quite capable and will likely do a great job getting you started. That being said, it’s definitely worth investing a lot of time into researching different options and comparing models. In addition, you don’t want to buy something too limiting as you may want to quickly upgrade as your skills and knowledge develop.
Entry-level DSLRs or less-expensive mirrorless cameras are excellent options for beginners, offering a balance between quality and ease of use. Research different camera models and consider factors like sensor size, resolution, and available lenses. Although you can find many DSLRs for great prices the entire industry is moving in the direction of mirrorless and it may make sense to start out with one of these cameras.
Camera Settings:So, now that you have a camera you’re going to need to learn the ins and outs so that you can take full advantage of your powerful new tool. In my opinion, the best way to learn is to go out and take photos with a more experienced photographer who can answer questions and provide advice in real-time. This is exactly what we do here at Backcountry Journeys and education is a huge part of any trip we run. If this isn’t a realistic option for you there are plenty of incredible resources online and simply learning by trial-and-error works as well.
When it comes to learning camera settings it’s best to start with the basics. I’ll touch on what I believe are the most important to learn off the bat, starting with the exposure triangle. The exposure triangle consists of 3 elements, shutter speed, aperture, and ISO, each of which controls the way light enters your camera and therefore the image you capture.
Shutter speed controls the duration of time your camera is letting light in. A longer shutter speed will let in more light whereas a shorter shutter speed will let in less light. Check out this article to learn more about shutter speed.
Aperture controls the diameter of the aperture ring inside your camera’s lens. A wide-open ring will let in more light and also reduce your depth of field, whereas a narrow or small opening will let in less light but will increase your depth of field. To learn more about aperture check out this article.
And ISO is a way of changing your camera's digital sensor’s sensitivity to light. Increasing your ISO will increase the sensitivity of your camera to light but will also add digital noise to your image. To learn more about ISO check out this article.
A few other very useful tools to use within your camera are the light meter which lets you know if you are under or overexposing your image, and the histogram which tells you similar information but in a more precise and detailed manner. The histogram portrays the distribution of tones from blacks to shadows to mid-tones to highlights and whites in an easy-to-read graph.
There are countless other camera settings and tricks to the trade but for the sake of keeping this article relatively short, I believe these are some of the most important that all beginners should start learning about. Lenses:And cameras are only half of the equation. Sure, a camera can do a lot but it’s all worthless without the right lens attached to the front. Lenses are fundamentally altering and bending light to create a desired and crystal-clear image inside your camera. And depending on what you want to photograph you’ll need some basic knowledge to select the right type of lens.
There are many different types of lenses all with varying fields of view, levels of distortion, and magnifications. For instance, if you want to capture a wide open landscape and want a large field of view a wide-angle lens is probably right for you. But if you want to photograph a small bird that is flying through the sky far away you’ll likely need a telephoto or maybe even a super-telephoto lens to get up close and personal with your subject. Or maybe you’re shooting something in the middle. Whatever you may want to photograph there is likely a lens that will work great you’ll just have to do some research to figure out what’s right for you. Check out this article to learn more about the different types of lenses.
It's also worth noting that lenses can be very expensive. After all, these are high-tech and complex optical devices. As a beginner, a great way to save some cash is to buy used lenses from trustable sources like MPB or KEH which is how I buy almost all of my lenses. You also don’t need to buy lenses made by the same manufacturer as your camera. Third-party lens manufacturers such as Sigma and Tamron produce some excellent lenses that are likely compatible with your camera often for significantly less. Essential Camera Accessories:Now that you’ve got the camera and maybe a couple of lenses, let’s move on to some of the accessories that will make a world of difference. When it comes to accessories, not all are created equal, and there are several accessories that I bring with me on every outing. These essential accessories include a trusty and well-built tripod, a solid camera bag that can carry everything you need while out on a shoot, extra batteries, lens filters, an L-Bracket, extra memory, a lens and camera cleaning kit, a remote shutter release, extra clothing, as well as extra snacks and water. These are what I consider my essentials and I bring them out with me every time! To read more about these accessories, check out this article.
Of this list, arguably the most important accessory and a tool that can drastically improve your capabilities is a tripod. Tripods give you great control over compositions, prevent camera shake and movement on longer exposures, and so much more. I am also a firm believer that it’s worthwhile to spend a bit of extra money and invest in a high-quality tripod off the bat. Check out this article to learn more about different types of tripods!
Having the right accessories in addition to a solid camera and maybe a few lenses will get you going in the right direction and increase creative possibilities. Getting the Shot
You’ve got the camera, you’ve found just the right lens or a couple of lenses for your style, you’ve learned how to use them both, and have invested in some essential accessories. What’s next? Well, this is where the fun begins. Now that you’ve covered all the basics and have all the tools it’s time to get out and start exploring, experimenting, and learning even more! Let’s discuss some helpful tips and tricks when you’re actually out with your camera.
Practice makes Perfect:
I’ve hinted at this multiple times already, but just like anything, practice makes perfect. You can buy the nicest camera gear in the world but if you have little to no experience and haven’t practiced much it won’t matter. Even if you’re just going into your backyard to master changing your camera settings or to experiment with a new style of photography, this is invaluable to your progression as a photographer. I head out around my house and neighborhood frequently to practice my skills so that when I’m on a trip or in a beautiful location I’m more likely to capture a great image.
Proper Planning: Set Yourself Up for Success:
It’s never a bad idea to do some research before embarking on a shoot or traveling to a specific location. You can look at other photos that have been taken there, research ideal times of day and lighting, and check weather conditions to maximize your chances of capturing stunning images. You’ve invested all this time and money into photography so you as well go the extra mile and really get to know the place you’ll be going and perhaps the subjects you might find there.
Understanding Composition:
Composition is quite simply the way in which individual elements are oriented in comparison with another inside your image. This may seem very simple but composition is incredibly important in determining the ultimate look and feel of an image and subtle differences can fundamentally change the way someone views your image. This is arguably a skill that no one can ever master and I find myself constantly thinking about composition and how I can improve the layout of a scene to better portray what I want. It’s also very subjective, photography is an art form after all, and is ultimately up to you as the artist.
When first getting started, however, there are some basic guides to keep in mind. The most well-known is of course the rule of thirds. I still use this “rule” all the time and it’s pretty crazy how well it works. The rule of thirds is a way of placing subjects or elements that you want to highlight in a location that the eye is naturally drawn to. If you divide your image into thirds both horizontally and vertically you’re left with 4 lines (two each between your horizontal and vertical divisions). Where these 4 lines intersect with one another is where the human eye will naturally gravitate when viewing an image. If you can’t decide where to place something in your composition you can always default to this.
Two additional key aspects of composition to keep in mind are leading lines and distinguishing between your foreground and background. Leading lines are a great way to naturally guide someone’s gaze toward a point of interest. For example, if you take a picture looking down a hallway all the lines are pointing towards the middle of the image or the end of the hallway that’s far away from you. If you place a subject in the middle of this composition all the leading lines will be pointing directly at the subject. The foreground and background are simply referring to what in your composition is close to you and what is far away. By blurring the background you can isolate a subject in the foreground and by portraying the distance or gap between the two you can add depth to your image.
Photo Editing and Post-Processing
You’ve captured some awesome images but what’s next? How can you get the most out of your photography and either truly recreate something just as you saw it with your own eyes or perhaps add artistic effects to alter the look and feel of an image? Sure you can do some of this in-camera but a huge part of photography today is post-processing or editing. I virtually edit every single one of my images that I want to keep and it’s pretty impressive just how powerful modern editing tools are.
File Formats:
When shooting digital images there are different file formats you can choose between and two of the most popular are RAW and JPEG. Let’s break each down and see how it relates to post-processing. If I know I’m going to edit my images, which I almost always do, and if storage or file size isn’t a concern I always shoot in RAW. This is because I want to capture the absolute highest level of detail and amount of information in the images I’m capturing. This allows you to do more when editing without degrading the quality of your image. If you’re trying to save space, don’t want to edit your images, or don’t need the maximum amount of data you can shoot in JPEG. JPEGS actually look nicer off the bat when they come off your camera but there is less information stored in these files and they aren’t nearly as good for editing. You’ll have to experiment with both to determine what’s right for you.
Adobe Lightroom:So where does one actually edit their photos? What software should you use? There are many great editing platforms out there all with slight differences to one another. The one I’ve always used and by far the most popular and widely used photo editing platform is Adobe Lightroom. This is an excellent piece of software that makes it easy to organize, catalog, edit, manipulate, and export your final images all in one place. The user interface is great and once you’ve gotten the hang of it you’ll be able to move lightning fast and create stunning images with ease. If you want to learn some helpful tips and tricks in Lightroom check out this article and if you want to avoid some common Lightroom mistakes off the bat, then give this article a read as well. Lightroom is an exceptional photo editing tool and I recommend it to all beginner photographers. Conclusion
And that’s really all I have. When it comes to getting started on your own nature photography journey each and every step along the way is really up to you. This article is simply designed to be something you can reference or a way to find some initial direction. At the end of the day, photography is a subjective form of art and eventually, you’ll have to decide what you like best and develop your own unique style and aesthetic.
Nature photography is a captivating journey that combines technical knowledge with artistic expression. By understanding your equipment, refining your technique, and embracing the creative process, you'll be able to capture moments of beauty and wonder that will inspire both yourself and others.
As you embark on this adventure, remember that each click of the shutter is an opportunity to learn, to share your unique perspective, and to contribute to the world of visual storytelling. So, grab your camera, explore the great outdoors, and let your creativity soar through the lens. Happy shooting!