Nature Photography How To

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Ron Leach  |  Sep 30, 2024

There are numerous reasons why experienced landscape photographers avoid shooting wide open and prefer stopping down the aperture to f/8 or f/11— even if that means bumping up the ISO setting. So why does a German landscape pro advocate for faster glass when he rarely shoots at maximum aperture?

Ron Leach  |  Oct 06, 2023

Dodging and burning is a classic image-editing technique dating back to the heyday of film and the darkroom. Back then, dodging was used to lighten a specific portion of an image, while burning did the opposite.

Ron Leach  |  Dec 20, 2016

Muhhammad Roem considers himself an “amateur” photographer, but you wouldn’t know that from looking at the incredible close-up images he shoots of insects and other critters.

Jim Zuckerman  |  Jul 21, 2014

The beautiful designs and colors that can be found in the feathers of many species of birds offer wonderful photo opportunities. You can create frame-filling shots of unique patterns, and it’s also possible to make interesting arrangements of the feathers that become a unique art form unto itself.

Staff  |  Jul 19, 2016

Shutterbug reader Bill Tiepelman captured this profile of a beautiful red-bellied woodpecker in his backyard in Wentzville, Missouri. An avid bird watcher, Tiepelman has on old swing set in his backyard that he repurposed into a bird sanctuary in an effort to “attract as many species as possible.”

Staff  |  Aug 23, 2016

While Shutterbug reader Robert Dunham dreams of shooting the vast landscapes in Montana, he has found “great wonder and satisfaction in shooting macro” at his North Carolina home. He combines his two favorite pastimes, gardening and photography, by “taking a bunch of gear to the garden and splitting time between the spade and the camera.”

Lynne Eodice  |  Apr 01, 2005

Besides photographing people, nature ranks among the most popular subjects. Much of this appeal comes from the fact that there's a sense of wonder and mystery at the beauty of flora and fauna. Through photography, we can express our fascination with flowers and share it with others. Whether you enjoy shooting close-ups of a bud unfolding, or a field of wildflowers in the...

Ron Leach  |  Jun 27, 2023

Remember last July 4 while watching the Independence Day festivities, and you thought to yourself, "I wish I had taken time to figure out how to photograph fireworks because I really could make some great images tonight?" That turns out to be a common refrain, so we're go to help you prepare for next week in advance.

Ron Leach  |  Nov 20, 2024

What if an experienced pro told you that one simple shooting technique can instantly improve every image you capture in the great outdoors? This may sound implausible, at least until you watch the following video from the Gary W YouTube channel.

Ron Leach  |  Oct 02, 2024

One big challenge when photographing birds or other types of wildlife involves dealing with subjects that appear in front of busy backgrounds—a situation that tends to happen more often than not. There are ways to remedy this problem in post-processing, but wouldn't you rather get things right in the camera? This tutorial from Backcountry Gallery explains how it's done.

Ron Leach  |  Jun 05, 2024

Converging vertical lines can spoil all sorts of photos, whether you're shooting in the city or out in the field. The problem occurs when it's necessary to point the camera upward to include the top of tall objects in the frame.

Ron Leach  |  Apr 07, 2022

Distortion is often a challenge with outdoor photos, like landscape images with tall trees, or city scenes with soaring buildings and other vertical lines. Fortunately, these distractions are very easy to fix during the editing process, as you’ll see in the quick tutorial below.

Ron Leach  |  Dec 13, 2023

If you've been following our image-processing tutorials you likely understand that this task often comprises a number of small, simple enhancements. But when taken as a whole, these seemingly minor adjustments can have a huge effect on the look of your work.

Ron Leach  |  Nov 29, 2022

It’s not impossible to capture compelling landscape photos on flat, foggy days, but more often these conditions result in boring, uninspiring images. If that’s what you get on your next outing in the field, we encourage you not to trash the photos with the intent on returning on a better day.

Ron Leach  |  Dec 21, 2022

It’s impossible to capture great images if your photos are consistently unsharp. There are several fixable issues that can result in soft photos, from faulty technique, incorrect camera settings, gear malfunction and more.

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