Nature Photography How To

Hyperfocal distance is an important photographic concept, particularly for landscape shooters, that enables you to obtain maximum depth of field by focusing on a specific point within the frame—somewhere between the foreground and background.

Jack Fusco is a nature photographer and professional musician who had a crazy idea: He wanted to capture a time-lapse of the night sky in Hawaii with molten lava flowing into the ocean. The amazing video below proves that his idea wasn’t so crazy after all.

Correct technique is essential for fast and precise focus, and sometimes it's necessary to give your camera some help. That's because if you focus on the wrong spot within the frame, all is lost before you snap the shutter—even if you use a high-end pro camera with a premium lens.

Toma Abonciu is a pro landscape photographer with some really helpful tips on shooting and editing nature images. In the quick video below he discusses six essential accessories he says should be in the arsenal of every photographer who is serious about shooting the great outdoors.

For Jess Findlay, outdoor photography was a natural. Growing up in British Columbia (BC), Canada, surrounded by lush landscapes, enthralling wilderness, and birds of every feather, nature called to him every time he stepped outside, spurred on by family activities that included hiking, mountain biking, and birdwatching. As a young child, he would buy disposable cameras for family outings, and that only whet his appetite for the photographic arts. Before he knew it, he was thoroughly immersed. Nature and photography were on converging paths, meeting at a crossroads that would mark his future forever.

Optimum image quality is the holy grail of all photographers regardless of whether they shoot portraits, landscapes, wildlife, or just about any other type of images. And when photos fail to meet expectations, it’s easy to blame our gear or the shooting conditions we confront.

(Editor’s Note: Exploring Light is a monthly Shutterbug column featuring tips, tricks, and photo advice from professional photographers in Canon Explorers of Light education program. This month's column is by Bob Davis, with great tips for shooting sharp photos of wildlife and birds in flight.