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5 Things I Wish I’d Known Before Starting Nature Photography

30 Aug

5 Things I Wish I'd Known Before Starting Nature Photography - rose macro

How do you, as a beginning nature photographer, go about improving? How do you ensure that you gain useful skills as rapidly as possible so that you can start shooting professional quality nature photography?

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In reality, it’s often difficult for the beginner to recognize how they should learn nature photography.

But I myself am a nature photographer, and looking back the answers to these questions are clear. So I thought I’d make a tutorial that discusses several things I wish I had known at the beginning of my nature photography journey.

Read on. The sooner you know these things, the sooner you’ll begin to take consistently stunning images.

1. Photograph every day

The first thing I wish I had known when starting nature photography is extremely simple,

Photograph every day!

I cannot emphasize this enough.

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If you’re truly serious about improving as a nature photographer, you should try to take at least one photograph of nature, every single day. It doesn’t matter if you take it with your DSLR or your iPhone. Just get out and shoot.

You’ve likely heard that practice makes perfect, and this is part of that. But there’s more to it. By photographing every day, you’ll ensure that your artistic eye remains strong.

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What do I mean by that? If you photograph every day, thinking about light, color, and composition will become second nature. You’ll start to see photographic opportunities everywhere.

This is exactly where you want to be as a nature photographer.

2. View the type of photography you want to create

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This is a huge one, as well. If you want to create great nature photography, you have to view great nature photography.

When you view amazing photography, you develop an eye for light, color, and composition without even realizing it.

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This is an essential skill for a budding nature photographer. Plus, there’s an added bonus – it’s really fun!

Start by looking up the type of photographs that you’d like to create. You can use a well-organized site like 500PX. Or you can just use Google. The important thing is that you find photography to look at for inspiration.

For instance, if you’re an up-and-coming macro photographer, try viewing the portfolios of photographers such as Mike Moats and Kristel Schneider.

If you’re a beginning landscape photographer, look at the work of Ian Plant and Thomas Heaton.

If you’re a budding wildlife photographer, look to photographers such as Marsel Van Oosten and Matthew Studebaker.

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Then expand from there.

The purpose isn’t to memorize their images so that you can copy them in the field. Rather, the goal is to appreciate great imagery, while recognizing (if only subconsciously) what makes it great.

The goal is also to get inspired.

3. Light matters more than you think

I’ve emphasized the need to practice photography every day, and that truly is essential. However, when practicing, there’s something extremely important you need to consider. That is the light.

I’ll state it plainly. Photograph the two hours after sunrise, the two hours before sunset, and during midday only if it’s cloudy.

Otherwise, stay indoors.

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This generally takes some retraining of the brain. It’s easy to think to yourself, “It’s such a nice sunny afternoon; I should get out and photograph!”

But you need to resist this thought. Because photographing during a sunny afternoon will result in harsh, contrasty images that are almost never desirable in nature photography.

Start spending time observing the quality of the light. Notice how nicely illuminated your subject is when the sun is low in the sky. Notice how lovely and soft the light is on a cloudy afternoon. Notice how harsh the light is under the midday sun.

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As a beginning photographer, I often forgot about this rule. So my photographs paid the price. I have thousands upon thousands of photographs that are simply unusable because of the harsh sunlight.

Memorize the rule. You may not be able to see such a difference in your images at present. But in a few years, you’ll thank me!

4. Gear matters less than you think

While light is more important than you think, gear is also less important than you may imagine.

You might think that gear is essential. You may ask me, “Jaymes, if my gear really isn’t important, then why do you spend so much time reading gear reviews and upgrading your equipment?”

But my response is this: gear does matter. High-quality lenses will allow you to capture the detail on a singing bird or the movement of sparring polar bears.

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High-quality cameras will allow you to photograph a wolf under the cover of twilight or a hawk flying directly above.

Yet gear is nothing without the photographers that wield it. A good photographer can get stunning images with any equipment. Whereas a bad photographer cannot create stunning images, regardless of their gear.

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So focus less on making sure you have the right equipment. Instead, practice using the equipment you do have. Try to eke out as much as you can from it.

Eventually, if you work hard enough, you will get beautiful images, high-quality gear or not.

5. Most of the images you take will be terrible

Beginning nature photographers often have a dangerous misconception about nature photography. That is that the best photographers rarely take bad images.

This belief can lead to discouragement on the part of the budding photographer.

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This type of abstract photograph comes amid a huge number of deleted images.

After looking through your memory card, to find that only you’ve managed to nail a single image (out of a hundred!), you may want to give up.

Don’t.

Why?

Because most of the early images you take will be terrible, and that’s okay. This is true for nature photographers of all levels. Of course, at the higher levels, the nature photographer’s standards are higher, but the tip still applies.

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This is true for me, as well.

I go on dozens of photo shoots each month and take around 600 images per shoot. Yet I’m happy if I get a single image with which I’m really pleased.

Because uncertainty, guesswork, and reaction are part of the game. This is the nature of nature photography.

So let me reiterate. Don’t get discouraged. Most of your shots will be terrible, but it’s the good ones that count.

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In Conclusion

Starting nature photography can be daunting for a lot of people. It can be difficult to know how to improve. You want to take stunning images as soon as possible, but you just can’t figure out how.

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By understanding the lessons above, you’ll be well on your way to creating beautiful nature images.

Just remember:

  • Shoot every day.
  • View the type of photography you want to create.
  • Light matters more.
  • Gear matters less.
  • Finally, don’t be discouraged if most of your images are terrible.

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Someday soon, you’ll be a great nature photographer.

What are some things you wish you had known when first starting out as a nature photographer? Let me know in the comments area below.

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The post 5 Things I Wish I’d Known Before Starting Nature Photography appeared first on Digital Photography School.


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Oldest known portrait of a US president unearthed after over 100 years in storage

18 Aug

The oldest known original photo of a U.S. president will go up for auction at Sotheby’s on October 5th, the auction house has revealed. The daguerreotype is a black and white silver-plate portrait of John Quincy Adams, who is featured sitting in a chair as a Massachusetts congressman following his term as president.

The photo was originally gifted by Adams to Vermont congressman Horace Everett, who remained in possession of the photo until the time of his death.

Though the photo had remained at Everett’s house since it was first gifted to the congressman, it was only recently realized to be a photo of Adams. The image was taken by photographer Philip Haas in Washington DC, according to journal entries made by Adams, who described visiting the photographer’s studio twice in March of 1843. The previous oldest original portrait of a president was also of Adams, taken only a handful of months later in August 1843.

The back of the framed portrait features Everett’s name, as well as the initials ‘J. Q. Adams,’ the date ‘Feb. 1843,’ and a bookplate that reads, ‘Presented by J.Q.A to his Kinsman H.E. 1843.’ The auction house has the portrait listed with an estimated sale price of $ 150,000 to $ 250,000.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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Here’s the first known photo of a US Presidential Inauguration

20 Jan

When James Buchanan was sworn into office on March 4, 1857, John Wood made history by making the first known photograph of a US Presidential inauguration. 

Wood was hired by Montgomery C. Meigs, an engineer managing the expansion of the US Capitol which added wings for the Senate and House. According to Robert O’Harrow’s The Quartermaster, Meigs was an early days photography enthusiast. As prints became easier and more affordable to produce, he saw the value in using photography to make copies of architectural plans and hired Wood.

For the inaugural photo, Meigs constructed a small stage so that Wood could capture the scene. The crowd of more than 20,000 mostly stood on a platform Meigs had built to hide construction debris. His journal mentions that Wood was able to make the inauguration exposure in 4 seconds, as he had been experimenting with a ‘photography process of great speed,’ referring to the wet collodion process that was being widely adopted at the time. The image that resulted is an albumen print, resulting from a method of making prints that used a substance found in egg whites and table salt to bind photographic chemicals to paper. 

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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Earliest known Nikon camera fetches over $400,000 in Austrian auction

01 Dec

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A Nikon 1 camera sold at auction in Austria this month has become the most expensive Nikon ever, achieving a sale price of €384,000 (approx $ 406,000) – double the expected maximum estimate. The camera, which is said to be only the third Nikon body ever made, is the earliest known surviving Nikon camera having been made in occupied Japan in April 1948. It was matched with the 11th 5cm F2 Nikkor H lens ever made.

Originally this rangefinder camera was known simply as the Nikon, but in later years it took on the name Nikon 1 as additional cameras, such as the M and S, were produced. Only available in Japan at first, Nikon came to the attention of the rest of the world when Life photographer David Douglas Duncan came across Nikkor lenses while covering the Korean war and spread the word among other press photographers.

The Nikon 1 camera is similar in design to the German Contax but used a 24x32mm film frame. This ultimately meant that it wasn’t taken up beyond Japan, and America wouldn’t allow the company to export to US because the film frames didn’t fit Kodak slide mounts. As a consequence the Nikon M was introduced in late 1949, which created standard 24x36mm frames. Japan finally got its way though, as many of us now use Micro Four Thirds and 6×4.5cm sensors with the same 3:4 ratio as that original 24x32mm film frame.

E. Leitz New York Leica Gun RITEL *

Second version of the famous RIFLE for the 40cm Telyt in 100% original, very fine and perfect working condition. Special viewfinder engraved ‘E.LEITZ INC. NEW-YORK PATENT PENDING’, modified PLOOT mirror housing no. 2486, special extended bottom plate, special leather belt, modified Leica IIIa no.235568, Telyt 5/40cm no.492069 with hood and cap, complete with extremely rare carrying case NUFIR. This is the only set in this combination we know to exist !

Leica M3 black paint ‘Herbert List’

Extremely rare and fully original double-stroke black paint M3 with black film counter and all early features of these un-official pre-series black cameras, the camera was delivered on March 15th, 1958 to Tiranty, Paris (code “Igemo” for black paint M3), with rigid Summicron 5cm no.1510883 (IROOA hood) – only about 90 of these pre-series cameras were produced, much less are known to exist. Camera and lens were owned and used for many years by the famous German photographer Herbert List (1903 – 1975) who worked for magazines, including Vogue, Harper’s Bazaar, and Life, and was associated with Magnum Photos.

The sale took place at the WestLicht Photographica auction along with a collection of 685 other lots of cameras, lenses, accessories and prints, including two Leitz New York Leica Gun rifles which sold for €168,000 each and a Leica M3 in black paint that belonged to Magnum photographer Herbert List – which reached €78,000.

For more information on the Nikon 1 auction and the other items visit the WestLicht

Auction notes

Nikon One

The earliest known surviving production Nikon in the world! Nikon started in March 1948 to assemble cameras (with serial number 60922). The offered camera is one of two cameras made in April 1948 and the 3rd of all Nikon production cameras. It comes with the original early Nikkor-H 2/5cm no.70811 (this is the 11th lens made, with matching Nikon cap) and is still in fantastic original condition. As all very early cameras it has the “8” screw front plate and sharp corner edges on top plate. The camera has still the original shutter. The interior shows the single pair of guide rails, with removable take-up spool. The baseplate with large ‘MADE IN OCCUPIED JAPAN’ engraving. It comes with the original and extremely rare double strap everready case. Published in: ‘The Complete Nikon rangefinder System’ by Robert R. Rotoloni (ps 51-59), ‘Nikon 100 Anniversary’ by Uli Koch (p 68) – provenience: collection of the famous Japanese collector Tad Sato.
World records at WestLicht Anniversary Auctions

Post sale report

384,000 Euro for the earliest Nikon camera

A Nikon One climbed from 90,000 to 384,000 Euro, the highest price ever paid for a camera from the long-standing Japanese manufacturer at an auction. The world record was achieved at the 30th Camera Auction in WestLicht’s 15th year. The record lot is the earliest known surviving example of a Nikon camera in the world, manufactured in April 1948 as the third ever serially produced camera by Nikon. This was also an early birthday present for Nikon company, which will celebrate its 100th anniversary in 2017.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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Natural Light Portraiture – Get A Little Known Secret!

01 Feb

Discover the elements required for perfect natural light & fill in flash portraiture. Get More FREE Training at my website: www.photography-tips-online.com * digital photography tips * digital portrait photography * photography tips * portrait photography * portrait photography…
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