PhotoNaturalist - nature photography tips and tutorials
nature photography tips and tutorials
In a previous post, I talked about how you can build a light diffuser out of a shower curtain and wire clothes hanger. You can use this diffuser to help cast a soft light on your subjects, which helps eliminate harsh shadows and really makes the colors of your subject pop. It’s especially helpful for photographing wildflowers.
Here’s an example of the difference this diffuser can make: [Read more…] about How a Light Diffuser Can Help Your Close-Up Photos
But, I look forward to the overcast skies because although they produce some gloomy feelings, they also create some very unique lighting conditions that bring out some of the best colors found in nature. [Read more…] about What To Photograph On An Overcast Day
Well, if you’ve already tried looking at a hundred photos, and still don’t feel that creative energy kicking in, then there’s something else you can try that I just recently discovered:
Limit yourself to just one lens and one camera body.
So, instead of taking all your lenses (or even just a couple) on your next hike, just take ONE. And, preferably choose a prime lens (a lens with a fixed focal length), so you eliminate even more variables. [Read more…] about Quick Tip For Recharging Your Creativity
Although you can definitely get good shots this way, I think it’s also beneficial to slow down a little bit and take lots of photos of your subject. Here are a few reasons why: [Read more…] about Why You Should Always Shoot Lots of Photos
This Sunday, May 20th, there will be an annular solar eclipse, visible from parts of Asia and the western United States. I wrote a detailed post about the eclipse last month, which includes some great links to maps, but I forgot to list some tools to help you scout out a location to photograph this rare event. So, if you’re a procrastinator like me and still haven’t planned out your shot, here are some helpful tools:
The Photographer’s Ephemeris is an essential tool for any landscape photographer, because it helps show you where the Sun and moon will rise or set, and overlays that on top of a Google map. If you’d like to try and photograph the eclipse as part of a landscape, then this software can help show you where the Sun and moon will be in relation to a particular landscape feature (such as a mountain or lake). There’s a free desktop version, and an inexpensive iPhone/iPad/Android version as well. [Read more…] about 3 Tools To Help Prepare You For the Annular Eclipse This Weekend
To get these faster shutter speeds without sacrificing your desired depth of field, your only option is to use higher ISOs (making your camera’s sensor more sensitive).
Unfortunately, at these higher ISOs, sometimes you get some really ugly noise in the background.
Well, there just happens to be a great way to reduce this noise in Photoshop. Here’s how: [Read more…] about How To Reduce Noise In Your Close-Up Photos (using Photoshop)