The short answer
Nature photography encompasses outdoor subjects like landscapes, wildlife, plants, and close-up textures, prioritizing artistic and aesthetic value over strict photojournalism. This genre reveals hidden natural details, engages audiences, and supports environmental conservation. Every nature photography needs passion and the vision in a photographer.
How it works
Different sub-genres require distinct gear and settings. Wildlife photography captures uninhibited animals in their natural habitats. This demanding specialty often relies on telephoto lenses for distant subjects, fast shutter speeds to freeze motion, wide apertures to isolate the subject, tripods for stability, and blinds or camouflage for concealment.
Landscape photography takes another approach, using small apertures to keep the entire frame sharp from foreground to background, with minimal artificial lighting. Specialized techniques include macro photography for extreme close-ups of tiny organisms and textures, revealing details invisible to the naked eye. Cloudscape photography captures the shifting nature of the sky to add drama to outdoor compositions.
Visual expression is not limited to color. Historical masters produced iconic work using dramatic monochrome and saturated color films. Photographers can choose the palette that suits the mood of their subject.
How to use it
- Use telephoto lenses. Pair long focal lengths with fast shutter speeds and wide apertures to isolate wildlife without disturbing them.
- Employ camouflage and blinds. Set up natural cover or permanent blinds to photograph animals showing uninhibited behavior.
- Select small apertures for landscapes. Close down your aperture to maintain deep depth-of-field, keeping both foreground elements and distant mountains sharp.
- Incorporate cloudscapes. Watch the sky and use changing weather patterns to create moody background elements.
- Explore macro abstracts. Get close to tree bark, stones, and leaves to reveal intricate patterns using dedicated macro techniques.
- Experiment with monochrome. Look for strong contrast, shapes, and textures that translate well into black-and-white tones.
Examples
Cherry and Richard Kearton set an early milestone in 1892 by publishing the first nature photography book featuring bird nests, showing that patience and fieldcraft could yield remarkable documentation of animal life.
George Shiras III revolutionized wildlife photography in the early 20th century by using camera traps and flash photography at night, allowing him to capture nocturnal animals like deer in their natural habitats.
Masters such as Ansel Adams demonstrated the power of careful exposure and processing with iconic black-and-white landscape prints, while Alfred Stieglitz explored the emotional resonance of the sky through dedicated cloud study series.
Common mistakes
- Photographing captive animals. Presenting images of controlled or captive animals as wild encounters misrepresents the definition of wildlife photography.
- Using identical settings. Treating wildlife and landscape subjects with the same settings ignores their opposing needs for shutter speed and depth-of-field.
- Neglecting fieldcraft. Relying solely on heavy cropping rather than proper concealment can alter natural animal behavior.
- Ignoring background distractions. Failing to check frame edges for stray branches or harsh highlights can ruin an otherwise strong composition.
Quick checklist
- Match the lens to your subject, using wide optics for vistas and long telephotos for distant fauna
- Verify that wild subjects are operating in uninhibited environments without human interference
- Utilize tripods to keep shots steady during low-light conditions or when using heavy telephoto glass
- Pay close attention to natural lighting, weather conditions, and the time of day to enhance mood
- Adjust your aperture depending on the genre, choosing small openings for landscapes and wide openings for selective focus