Nature photography: How to take great nature photographs

Great nature photography explores the natural setting, records natural history and the facts and phenomena of nature. Nature photography should not contain images of man or man’s presence, such as power lines, automobiles, radio towers, etc. Nature photography records organisms, weather, animals, natural landscapes and any aspects of the natural environment.

For a photograph to be a “nature photograph” it must completely fit the rules for nature photography. Nature photographs cannot be “arranged” in any way. There should be no manipulation of the scene to convey a message. The content of a nature photo can be purely pictorial or can relate a story or information about nature or natural history. Nature photography’s subject may be an abandoned beehive or the reflection of trees in a stream.

Subject or theme. To compose a nature photograph, it is helpful to see the order present in the disarray of the natural scene. Look for rhythm and pattern, and what doesn’t fit the rhythm and pattern. What stands out in a sea of fallen leaves? 

Format. Decide on a format for your photo – horizontal suggests expansiveness, vertical suggests height, and square is neutral.

Fill the Frame. Fill voids with clouds, branches or other naturally occurring objects. Try to allow enough space around the subject that the viewer can explore around the subject in the frame. Aim to capture the whole of the subject in the photo. If not possible, aim to convey a sense of completeness in the image you capture. 

The Rule of Thirds. Imagine dividing your picture area into thirds horizontally and thirds vertically. Where the lines intersect are the “thirds” – the area next to the direct center of the frame. Center your subject on one of the “thirds” to give more interest and movement to your photo.

Look for Lines and Shapes. A meandering stream, a curled fern frond and a row of corn all give strong lines to the composition. Some items are triangular, round, square, etc. A butterfly is triangular, a leaf oval. Look at the scene you want to photograph in terms of balance of line and shape.

Texture and Pattern. Texture and pattern add dimension and can sometimes give an abstract quality to the photo.

Perspective. Create the illusion of distance and depth through capturing close foreground objects within the scene depicting distance, or vice-versa.

Viewpoint. Take the photos of the acorns at ground level, or climb the tree and capture the squirrel at branch level. Take photos with the viewpoint of the insect or bird. Use the zoom feature to get close to the leaf spores or the sand crab.

Color. Pay close attention to both the subtleties and drama of color in nature. The same scene saturated in green in the early morning turns brown, green and blue at noon.

Equipment. Great nature shots have been taken by observant photographers with nothing more than just a simple instant camera. Equipment that is recommended, however, for the serious-minded consists of an SLR camera, light filters, lens shade, tripod, and light meter.

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