Nature photography fascinates me. Whether I am looking at an expansive horizon or narrowing my field of vision to a small area of interest, the environment is constantly changing and each time I look around me, I see something different. It includes the outdoors i.e. landscape, wildlife, flowers, etc.
When photographing outdoors, I utilize the natural light, preferring not to use a flash, but that is a personal preference. My favorite time is early morning or late afternoon (going into the golden hour, as the sun sets). At these times of the day, the sun is lower in the horizon and doesn’t create the harsher shadows/contrast that occurs on a sunny day around lunch time. If the sky is cloudy (providing some diffused lighting without the harsh shadows of a sunny day), this is my preferred natural lighting scenario. Photographing during the golden hour provides a magical golden warmth that can turn even the most mundane looking environment into something eye-catching and spectacular. For me, shooting later in the day is usually not possible, as life obligations take over later in the day (chores, shopping, meals, etc) so early morning photo walks work best for me.
As you can see, off in the distance of this photo, there are a lot of clouds in the sky. This helped to diffuse the sunlight and soften the shadows, providing a more even wrap-around light for my subject (the owl).
When framing my shots, I try to follow the rule of thirds. (Some cameras display the 9 square grid but it’s easy to imagine the intersecting lines.) It divides the framing, as shown below. I am not a stickler for this rule, I don’t spend more than a moment lining up my shot, but I will slightly shift my framing to place the focal point on a guide line, if possible. As my photos are for my own enjoyment, to preserve my memories, I feel that the most important thing is to capture the moment, then secondary is the technical aspect of taking the photo.
The rule of thirds is applied by aligning the focal point/subject with an intersecting guide line, placing the horizon on the top or bottom line, or allowing linear features in the image to flow from section to section.
This image is a bit tricky to set up with the guide lines as there are many focal areas, not just the ducks or the landscape itself. But I was able to frame this image by placing colorful bushes to the left and right (intersecting with guidelines) and the railing up top is close to lining up with the upper horizontal guideline, as are the ducks (which are just above the lower horizontal guideline.
Also with this image, I’m using “leading lines” to draw the eye across the photo, from the upper left down into the right corner, following the edge of the river bed.
Nature is abundant with color, patterns, shapes, texture, etc, as seen here in a wildlife photo of a Canadian goose I took recently at a local bird sanctuary.
Because we are not always able to photograph at the best times of the day, under optimal circumstances, sometimes you just have to make the best of the situation. I was heading back to my car, finished with the photo walk through the sanctuary, when I came upon this little guy. The sun was beating down on me, high overhead, creating some very harsh shadows, but how could I resist stopping to take a photo? He was so cute! So I crouched down to his level and took the photo, coming in fairly close, watching where the shadows fell. The dark shadow on his neck and leg was acceptable, as the most important aspect of my framing was to capture his sweet little face.
As much as I love to photograph landscape and wildlife, there is a special place in my heart for flowers, greenery, trees, etc. The colors and textures just fascinate me and I can wander for hours through gardens, taking in the beauty of it all. In my opinion, nothing beats natural light for bringing out the gorgeous colors of the greenery and blooms, as in this photo I took last summer.
I think one of the best tips I can give you is, if possible, take your time, relax and slowly look around you, see what the outdoors has to offer in terms of texture, color, patterns, etc. Look at how the light falls on your subject. Can you change your position to capture the best lighting on your subject? Can you change the angle/distance to best frame your subject?
As summer is approaching, I an excited to spend more time outdoors, marvelling at the beauty of our BC coastal region. Many early mornings I will be heading out with my camera, coffee and my dog, Taz. What better way to spend my time is there! I hope you get a chance to get outdoors and enjoy the nature around you!
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