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8 Tips For Photographing Sunsets

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Photo by Lindsey Graham
Photo by Lindsey Graham

Photographing the sunset is all about catching rich colors, interesting reflections, dazzling highlights, and dark silhouettes that emerge during this golden hour. As the day wanes, the color and light change minute by minute and elicit an enticing sense of addictive urgency.

The perfect shot is all about timing and the ever-changing combination of weather patterns, available light, and time of year ensure that every sunset is different. Be sure to stick around once the sun has vanished so you don’t miss a hue; but most importantly, take a minute to enjoy the show.

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How To Photograph The Aurora Borealis

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Wiseman, Alaska Nikon D800E /14-24 Nikkor f2.8 / 15 seconds/ ISO 3200 -- Photo by Jeff Stamer
Wiseman, Alaska Nikon D800E /14-24 Nikkor f2.8 / 15 seconds/ ISO 3200 — Photo by Jeff Stamer
Surreal, scintillating and sensuous, the Aurora Borealis (Northern Lights) have mesmerized humans since the dawn of time.

Unfortunately, they’re a sight few get to experience unless you happen to live in the far northern (or southern) parts of the globe. For the rest of us, seeing this awe-inspiring phenomena involves quite a bit of traveling and expense! If you are going to invest the time and treasure to cross this off of your bucket list, then let me help you take great Aurora photographs. [Read more…] about How To Photograph The Aurora Borealis

How To Stay Warm on Those Cold Days

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Adult Bald Eagle sitting on a snowy tree limb
Bald Eagle in Snow / Photo by Jim Braswell
Ironically, as I write this post, I’m sitting in a motel room in the Colorado Rockies, waiting for the temperatures to warm up. I arrived here a couple of days ago, to shoot the bighorn sheep in the rut. Although I love to shoot nature in the winter, you also need to use common sense.

When temperatures are record-breaking lows (like right now), or wind chill advisories are in effect (like right now), it may be best to stay indoors. What makes the frigid temperatures I’m encountering on this trip even more of an issue, is the fact that I have to hike back into a canyon for about 3 miles to find the sheep. Then, of course, 3 miles back out. But tomorrow’s forecast is for warmer temperatures (in the 30’s), so I will be getting out tomorrow! So how do you prepare for shooting in cold, winter weather? [Read more…] about How To Stay Warm on Those Cold Days

How To Prepare For An African Safari Trip (Part II)

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Photo by Jack Dausman
Photo by Jack Dausman
Last week, Jack talked about how to prepare for an African safari trip. This week, in part two of his post, he talks about how to capture the moment once you’re there.

Early Morning

Landscape photographers enjoy the early light of pre-dawn. Be sure to explain this interest to your guide, well in advance, as it will take some extra planning. Game reserves have a lock-down policy against any night time excursions because there are still incidents of poaching. To leave before dawn will require some coordination. [Read more…] about How To Prepare For An African Safari Trip (Part II)

New eBook – 53 Tips For Nature Photography

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53 Tips For Nature PhotographyIn the last six years, we’ve published over 240 posts here on PhotoNaturalist. With each new post, it gets harder to dig through the older posts and find the ones you might be interested in. It’s one of the most common comments I get from new readers.

So, I thought now was a good time to create a “best of PhotoNaturalist” eBook that contains all of our most popular posts (but only including posts written by me, because I do not have permission to resell other writers’ posts).

The eBook is 108 pages, and has 53 of my top posts. I determined the “top posts” by looking at traffic, and how much each post was shared on social media. I also tried to include a nice balance of subjects, so I separated the posts into four sections: general, landscape, wildlife, and close-up. [Read more…] about New eBook – 53 Tips For Nature Photography

The Most Useful Filters for Nature Photography

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When photographing nature, there are many times when a photographic filter on the end of the lens can help improve the image, or give the image a different effect. Such is the case when I captured Maroon Creek (Colorado) with a Neutral Density filter:

Maroon Creek landscape, Colorado
Maroon Creek / Photo by Jim Braswell

Kind of like “creativity in a can.” What filters are most useful for shooting nature? [Read more…] about The Most Useful Filters for Nature Photography