Nature photography is partly technical; you certainly won't get far until you know how to use your camera. But good nature photography also requires sensitivity to the subject and an understanding of natural light.



Have you ever met someone who has thousands of dollars worth of gear, can talk all day about cameras and lenses...but still takes lousy photos? Such people fail to understand that good photographers are not judged by the equipment they use, but by their results. Of course technical knowledge is important, but it will only take you so far.



When it comes to nature photography, it is essential to understand how natural light can trasform the impact of a photo.



I have a simple saying for nature photographers to live by: you can't take a good photo in a bad situation. This simply means if you approach your subject at the wrong time of day, or in the wrong weather conditions, no amount of technology i... [more]

The truly amazing thing about fine art nature photography is what it provokes and inspires . An image is seen of something incredibly beautiful and it makes you feel that you are right there - you feel as if you're in the photo - you are in awe of its wonder . And this is exactly the impression photographers really want to instill in viewers who see their work .

The impression that photography of nature makes on each person is subjective as photography happens to be. If three people look at the same fine art photograph , they all may get a different impression . A bad impression may be made on one person from the photography, the other person may get a good impression and the third person's impression could be indifferent .

Look at a duck photograph in its own habitat. One person takes a look and quickly makes a comment on the lovely color of the wings . They may mention that the crisp clear reflection is so great that it makes it look that a duck is right the... [more]

Filters are used in photography to bring back an image to the way our eyes have perceived the original scene. Some times it's not possible for our cameras to record an exact scene - so we have to rely on the manufacturers of camera products.  

Filters also help us to create mood in our images and bring out the best in a scene.  A small selection of filters is well worth packing when heading off for a trip. They don't take up too much space and will definitely add a bit of spice to your images.

Filters work by being placed in front of your camera lens. You can also place several filters in front of your camera at any given time.

Lets take a look at the most important ones to use.

Neutral Density Filters (ND): Neutral Density filters will certainly help you with tough exposures.  These filters work by cutting down the light that reaches your lens. These filters come in a variety of strengths with the most popular being 0.3, 0.6 and... [more]