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nature photography tips and tutorials

Tips

Connect with other photonaturalists on our new Facebook page!

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pnat-facebookFor awhile now, I’ve been trying to think of the best way to create an online forum for us, where you can meet other photonaturalists, and share your photos, stories, and useful links.

Well, I just created a Facebook fan page that I hope will become a part of that.

Why you should join our Facebook fan page

Facebook has become the premier social network, so it seems natural that we should have a fan page on there, but why should you join? Well, here are 3 great reasons:

  • Meet other photonaturalists
  • Share photos and ask for critiques
  • Participate in discussions (check out our first one: how do you feel about HDR?)

So, if you’re on Facebook, please join our page at:
http://www.facebook.com/pages/PhotoNaturalist/72505424246

I’m looking forward to seeing you there! [Read more…] about Connect with other photonaturalists on our new Facebook page!

How to get a closer focus with your lens

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800px-extensiontube5733Every lens has a minimum focusing distance: the closest point where the lens can get a sharp focus. Generally, the longer the focal length of the lens, the greater the minimum focusing distance.

Most of the time, this distance isn’t too important: with longer lenses you’ll generally be photographing a distant subject, because you just can’t get close to it.

But, sometimes you can get close to your subject and you’ll want to use a long lens to get that great bokeh (a result of the narrower angle of view). Good examples of this include wildflowers and butterflies. In these cases, to fill the frame with your subject, you’ll usually need to focus closer than that minimum focusing distance.

So, how do you make your lens focus closer? [Read more…] about How to get a closer focus with your lens

How to reduce noise for long exposures

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Photo by Steve Berardi
Photo by Steve Berardi
If not handled properly, noise can really degrade the quality of your photographs. Those pesky little dots can become a big distraction in an otherwise great photo.

You can usually avoid noise problems by shooting at a low ISO (400 or lower for most cameras), but noise becomes a problem again when using a long exposure (anything longer than one second). [Read more…] about How to reduce noise for long exposures

What to do when auto exposure doesn’t work

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Photo by Steve Berardi
Photo by Steve Berardi
If you haven’t ventured into the world of manual exposure yet, then you may have noticed that auto exposure doesn’t always work too well. Sometimes changing your metering mode can help, but if that fails, what do you do?

Fortunately, there’s another method that can help you get that perfect exposure, while still avoiding the world of full manual. This method is known as bracketing exposures. [Read more…] about What to do when auto exposure doesn’t work

Announcing our first podcast episode!

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podcast3A few weeks ago, we asked you for nature photography questions, and today we’re happy to announce the release of our first podcast (hosted by Matthew Fletcher), where we answer some of these questions.

Thanks to all those who sent in questions, and although we don’t answer them all in this first episode, we may get a chance to answer them in a future episode (or write an article about it). So, stay tuned!

In our first episode we talk about the top 3 things to know before a trip to Yellowstone along with the top 3 things to bring, tips for getting sharper macro photos, and a critique of the photo below of a male Frigate Bird taken by Janet Atkinson. We also summarize a few news stories. [Read more…] about Announcing our first podcast episode!

Why timing is everything for landscape photography

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Photo by Jurvetson (used under the CC-Attr-2.0 license)
Photo by Jurvetson (used under the CC-Attr-2.0 license)
During the day, lighting conditions are usually pretty consistent. Sure, the Sun may hide behind a cloud for a minute or two, or a storm may roll in, but on most days, you’ll have pretty consistent light throughout the day (at least from the perspective of a landscape photographer).

But, that all changes during the golden hours–those precious moments of warm sunlight that occur around sunrise and sunset.

During these times, the quality of light constantly changes as the Sun rises or sets and the light scatters more through the atmosphere. Add some clouds in there, and you’ll see some really drastic changes–in minutes or seconds.

To illustrate just how drastic the light can change during a sunrise, here’s a photo I took at the Alabama Hills (Eastern Sierra, California), about 15 minutes before sunrise: [Read more…] about Why timing is everything for landscape photography