PhotoNaturalist - nature photography tips and tutorials
nature photography tips and tutorials
There are a few unique problems with winter photography because of the bright white snow and cold weather. So, here are a few resources to help you deal with these problems and capture some great natural light this winter season: [Read more…] about 7 great resources for winter photography
“There’s no success like failure, and failure’s no success at all.”
It’s one of my favorite lines. I don’t always think failure is such a bad thing, because we learn so much more from failure, than we do success.
So, I’d like to try a new type of post here at PhotoNaturalist. I’ll start by sharing a recent photo I took that I don’t think came out very well. Then, I’ll explain why I don’t like it and why it “failed.” [Read more…] about What went wrong with this dragonfly photo?
A few weeks ago, I explained how to use the histogram to get a better exposure. And although the default histogram will give you a general idea of an image’s exposure, there’s actually a special histogram that’ll tell you a lot more: the RGB histogram.
Here’s how it works:
If you understand the regular histogram, then the RGB histogram is simple: it shows you the histogram of each individual color channel (red, green, and blue).
The bad thing about the regular histogram is that it lumps all these color channels together, making it hard for you to see if you’re underexposing or overexposing a specific color channel. And, on some cameras, I’ve heard that the regular histogram only shows you the green channel. [Read more…] about How to use the “special” RGB Histogram
I first discovered John and Barbara Gerlach about a year ago through Nature Photographer Magazine. I remember looking at their photos for the first time and just saying, “wow!” They seem to have mastered every type of nature photography: everything from wildlife to landscapes.
But, they’re not just amazing photographers, they’re also pretty awesome writers. I always look forward to their clear and useful articles in Nature Photographer Magazine. I’ve already shared a lot of what I’ve learned from them here on PhotoNaturalist, like how the Live Preview on your camera can help you take better photos.
So, when I heard about their new book, Digital Landscape Photography, I immediately ordered it on Amazon!
Well, I’ve had a chance to read it, and look through it again pretty thoroughly, so I thought I’d share my reaction to the book. [Read more…] about Book Review: Digital Landscape Photography by John and Barbara Gerlach
In last week’s post, I explained how to use the histogram to check if you exposed a photo properly. Another thing you probably want to know after taking a photo is whether or not it’s sharp.
Well, one way to see if a photo came out sharp enough, is to zoom in as much as possible on the LCD preview.
This won’t show you exactly how sharp the photo is, but it’ll give you a much better idea than just looking at the zoomed out preview (which almost always looks sharp). [Read more…] about How to check sharpness out on the trail
One of the first things you probably want to know after taking a photo is whether or not you got your intended exposure.
You might be tempted to look at the preview on your LCD screen, but when you’re shooting photos outdoors in the sun, those previews can be very deceiving, making your photos look much brighter than they actually are.
So, how do you know if you got the right exposure? Well, one way is to use the histogram. [Read more…] about How to use the histogram to get a better exposure