Nature Photography How To

When it comes to bird photography, no species is more majestic and more sought after than the bald eagle. Its status as America’s national bird wasn’t always a sure bet (Benjamin Franklin wanted the turkey). Bald eagles also nearly went extinct during the 20th century from their eggshells thinning due to the proliferation of DDT. But today as a result of aggressive protections under the Endangered Species Act, as well as the banning of DDT, these beautiful birds have made a dramatic recovery.

Kamchatka, Eastern Russia: I am standing at the crater rim of the active Tolbachik volcano, taking pictures. Suddenly the volcano spits out a red-glowing lava bomb that is heading precisely in my direction. Luckily enough it doesn’t hit me but lands just by my side. Although afraid at first, I delightedly grab my camera: this is a rare opportunity to take close-up shots from still very hot and glowing cinder bombs.

Wildlife and nature photography is certainly a niche market but it turns out to be bigger than many think. According to our contributing photographers in this month’s column, photos of nature and wildlife can be sold for a broad range of uses, including stock, editorial, book publishing, interior design, fine art, and even assignment. Other important questions we ask our wildlife and nature photographers this month include what does it take to make your passion for these subjects a business? How do you market and promote your images?

You could really learn a lot from watching how landscape photographer and educator Serge Ramelli shoots and edits his photos, which is why we like the below video where he walks you through the complete process.

If you've been reading some of our stories, you know that the leaves are turning bright colors and that now's a great time to shoot beautiful photos of fall. To help you on this photographic endeavor, here's a new video from pro photographer Mark Denney with his tips on how to "create powerful fall landscape photos with these easy on-location tips."

When you combine a beautiful sunrise with a spectacular seascape there’s a great opportunity to capture stunning imagery if you do things right. British nature photographer Thomas Heaton arrived at the beach early to demonstrate his techniques for getting the job done.