There's Lots Of Room To Roam

May 9, 2023

Say Your Cup Of Tea Is A Wall Of Branches

I’ve written about the importance of taking your own art reference photos previously. This week, I’m going to expand on that entry with a topic near & dear to my heart: Nature photography.

Rule One

Take many photos! Take them from many angles, at many distances. This is important for any type of photography, but it is especially important when you are outside. Indoors, you have a more protected area to work in, where you may even have total control of the lights. Outdoors, everything is up in the air & can change from moment to moment. You cannot always see the ideal ray of light or breath of wind coming, but if you take many pictures instead of just one you have a much higher chance of capturing that perfect shot.

Brightest Green Tree This picture makes me so happy. The other 14 I took of this same tree, not so much.

Come Back Again & Again

If it’s at all possible, come back & take more pictures at many different times of day, or even different days. Nature photography relies so heavily on the sun & weather that it is practically impossible to take the same picture twice. Each photo will have a slightly different tone, which will produce a slightly different effect. This happens with all outdoor photography, for example, architecture-focused photographers benefit from the drastic changes in shadows over the course of the day even though their subjects remain largely static. This effect is much greater with nature photography however, where the subject of your photos can drastically change day to day or even hour to hour.

BigBud I checked this flower bud every day, but it did not bloom in time to help me make this point.

The Magic Hour is Gold & Blue

Fun fact: the so-called “golden hour” typically lasts less than an hour, & it’s only half the story. The golden hour is the first 20 minutes after sunrise, & the last 20 minutes before sunset. During the golden hour, the light is warm (reddish) & shadows are soft. The blue hour is the last 20 minutes before sunrise, & the first 20 minutes after sunset. During the blue hour, the light is cool (blueish) & shadows are soft. Try playing with different types of natural light, & don’t forget to contrast them to the stark light of midday, with its crisp shadows! (Specific amount of golden/blue hours depends on the time of year, location, elevation, weather, pollution levels, etc.)

Also pretty important

As you walk around taking your amazing photos, be aware of your surroundings. I once saw someone almost walk out into traffic while taking pictures!
Play with the horizon line. So many people put that smack in the middle of the photo! Tilt your camera so the horizon line is in the top or bottom third of your photo.
Think in terms of things like shape, shadow, & contrast. You know what you like!
Think about your own skill level. High contrast & basic shapes are easy, low contrast & complicated shapes are hard, everything else falls somewhere in the middle. What should you be aiming for?
I really, really can’t say this enough: take a lot of pictures! Take many, many pictures, & nothing else- leave the pretty plants to grow where others can enjoy them.
You don’t need a fancy camera! The odds are very good that, if your cell phone has a camera in it, that camera is good enough to take nice photos. All my photos are taken with a Samsung Note 8 that’s at least four years old & it does a great job!

Tulip Reminder: not all nature photography takes place outside!

Incoming Reference Photos Alert!

I’m traveling to see family right now. I’m taking a ton of pics using all these tips & tricks! Keep an eye out on Ko-Fi & mastodon.art for a superfluity of super photography!

Karin Wanderer Learns