Nature Photography

photographs in the great outdoors, you’ve come to the right place.
What is nature photography? In the context of this book, it’s making photographs of natural subjects
using natural light. Nature photography is wide ranging and can encompass anything from a panoramic image of a scenic vista to a close-up of a flower or rock pattern.
As a photographer, it’s important to continually hone your craft. Making effective photographs is not
easy, especially in nature, where you have little or no control over the elements that make up the picture.
When learning about nature photography, some people learn a lot by reading about specific topics; others prefer hands-on exercises to fully understand the material. You find all this and more in this book.
When I first fell in love with photography in my early 20s it was all about nature. Like many other
photographers, I was most inspired by the work of Ansel Adams. I wanted to do that. During the week of my 22nd birthday I went on a backpacking trip through Yosemite. I packed my Pentax K1000 SLR and six rolls of film; four of them Tri-X black and white. The next five days became a study in frustration and a test of my dedication to the craft of photography. I struggled enormously. Weeks later, when I got the film back from the lab, my disappointment confirmed what I had suspected all along while shooting in Yosemite: I had no clue what I was doing.
All around me I knew there were amazing photos to be made. After all, I stood in the same places as
Mr. Adams, at about the same time of year that he made his iconic photographs. Why couldn’t I get
anywhere close to replicating the quality of vision the master appeared to so effortlessly demonstrate?
Clearly I had a long way to go, and for the next ten years I dabbled in photography off and on, never
really serious about learning or improving my work.
Then came digital cameras and with them a career change for me. Around 2002, my interest in photography was renewed just as I was transitioning out of a long career in digital media production. The timing was perfect, and this time I jumped in with both feet (or was it head first?). Either way, I was hooked. I became dedicated to learning the art and craft of photography as best I could. And once again, my first love of nature photography was rekindled.
For me, learning about photography has meant complete immersion. But that’s just my way of doing
things — all or nothing. You don’t need to be a professional, an advanced amateur, or even a serious
hobbyist to learn to make better nature photographs. With this book, you learn the essential methods
for approaching nature photography at any level.
The first chapters introduce you to nature photography, including methods for learning to see the natural world in new ways, characteristics of natural light, and the fundamentals of composition. You then get an overview of the range of digital camera and computer equipment available to help you make your pictures. Next are chapters that provide an in-depth look at photographing nature, from grand scenic vistas down to intimate close-ups. You learn how to process and share your digital pictures, and the workshop wraps up with an examination of ways to continually improve your nature photography.


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