Nature Photography How To

Australian nature photographer Warren Keelan lives on the South Coast of New South Wales, and has always been fascinated by the ocean and its ever-changing forms. The remarkable photos you see here are a testament to his goal of, “creating an image that tells a story or leaves an impression on the viewer."

I know someone who calls these photographs my Alfred Hitchcock Project. You know, The Birds through a Rear Window. Nice touch, but the truth is the Master of Suspense was not in my thoughts when I began to shoot.

Nature photography may encompass grand landscapes or large wild animals, but it can also incorporate the smallest of objects. There is an entire delicate world of light, beauty, color and form in macro photography. Wonders that can be documented while on vacation on a tropical island, in a national park or even in your backyard. I have spent mornings lying in a bed of wildflowers, moving no more than a few feet, recording everything from the dew on a spider web to the shape of a purple iris. I am often surprised and rarely disappointed.

This is a great time of year to make macro magic, as there are flowers, insects, and other small creatures just about everywhere you look. All you really need is a close-focusing lens and the following tips from Swedish pro Micael Widell.

All outdoor photographers have experienced the dilemma of coming upon a scene that would make a stunning image, were it not for the dull light. But all is not lost, as you’ll see in the video below, demonstrating how to magically transform a flat photo by painting with light in Photoshop.

Many of history’s greatest photographers gained their fame making b&w landscape images. With today’s modern cameras, and the digital darkroom, most of the goals remain the same but techniques often differ.

One of the challenges with all forms of outdoor photography is that scenes often have a wide-range of tones—often beyond the density range of your camera. The best way to deal with situations like these is editing selective portions of the image.