Tips for capturing nature photography.

Nature photography for beginners.

When shooting outdoors, there are several things to keep in mind. Thanks to inclement weather, constantly changing light, and uncooperative wildlife, nature photography shoots are different every time. As renowned animal and wildlife photographer Carli Davidson says, “Studio photographers have waking nightmares about having to shoot in nature because it’s such an uncontrolled environment.” If you’re used to working in a studio, shooting outdoors pushes you outside your comfort zone — physically and creatively.

• Make the “Golden Hour” your best friend

Animal photography in the wild.

When it comes to capturing wildlife and animals in motion, preparedness is key. Animals move fast, and any delay on your part can mean a missed opportunity. An appropriately fast shutter speed can save you in this situation. Make sure your shutter is fast enough to eliminate accidental camera movement so you can freeze your subject in time.

Animals can be tricky to find and hard to track. And while you may not see them, they definitely see you. Sometimes you’ll immediately stumble upon a great shot or a rare animal; otherwise, you’ll have to practice patience. Just when you decide no moose will show up, one could pop out of the woods a few yards away.

Birds are a great subject because they’re everywhere, but Carlson says, “Unless you’re shooting a hummingbird feeder, none of the birds will be very close. If you use a mid-range lens, you will capture the bird, but it will be a tiny speck. Depending on the resolution of your camera, you can zoom in and you might still have a good shot.” This is one reason why understanding the limits of your gear is so important. It can help you make artistic choices in the moment and influence what you choose to capture with each shot. Having access to a zoom lens can greatly improve your photos of wild animals, although it also increases the amount of gear you're carrying.

Animals are not always willing subjects — even when they’re trained pets. Approach your shoot with a plan in mind and be prepared to work with your photos in post-processing. You can’t always find an original or interesting shot in the moment but applying edits later can turn a mundane photo into a great image.

Understand the basics of plant and flower photography.

Plants, when it comes to predictability, are the perfect subject. “The tricky thing is depth of field,” teacher and nature photographer Ben Long says. “When you’re getting close to a flower, your depth of field will be shallow, so you may not get all the details that you want in focus.” Bring a tripod with you so you can use longer exposures and smaller apertures to make your depth of field deeper. While you have more control over your subject with plant photography, you still have the elements to deal with. Don’t let a breeze ruin your long exposure. Try shielding your subject or bring clamps to hold the flower in place.

Davidson suggests shooting in aperture priority mode to give you more control over depth of field. Plants are an agreeable subject, but they’re also a very common subject. Rather than being intimidated by this, Davidson says this “allows you to play and try new things.” Push your creativity and find a unique way to make your image interesting.

Nature photography tips for landscapes.

Shooting landscapes is its own skill, but it also falls within the category of nature photography. To capture the best possible shot, landscape photographer Samuel Nute says, “Be patient for the conditions to line up and try to get a different spin on popular landscapes.” Outside of dealing with the weather, finding your voice and style is the most challenging part of landscape photography.