Capturing Nature
A good nature photograph can evoke such wonderful emotion when a beautiful or majestic moment is captured. A dragonfly caught buzzing over a pond or a bear catching a salmon in mid-air – these moments inspire us and leave us in awe with their peace and tranquility. Most people would think that they could never take an amazing, high-quality nature photo like a professional whether due to not having the right equipment or the right know-how. This is a myth as anyone can take stunning mature photographs. You just need some time, dedication and a love of the outdoors.
Following a few simple tips should stand you in good stead. Firstly, the old saying that quality is better than quantity does apply in most situations but not so in this instance. You might think that the perfect picture is captured in one lucky shot but there will have been countless failed attempts that never make the photographer’s portfolio. Taking many shots is more likely to end up with ‘the one’ that comes out perfectly. While there is an element of luck and being in the right place at the right time, mostly it will come down to taking as many shots as possible in the hope of coming up trumps. This is much easier now with digital cameras than it was in the past, when changing film was time-consuming and expensive.
Another tip may seem counter-intuitive but will make a much better artistic photograph. Try to avoid putting the subject of your picture right in the centre. With nature photography, there will be many different things in the shot, it’s not like a posed portrait in a studio. You want to aim to show the world existing around your subject and so place your subject slightly off centre. This is an effective way of drawing the viewer’s eye to what you want them to see.
This can also be applied when capturing something far off or in the background. It’s more interesting to look at an image that isn’t bisected right through the middle but for example, offsetting a horizon closer to the top or bottom of your image is far more compelling. Positioning yourself in unique ways can also make your pictures more exciting. A rising or falling diagonal line stretching across your image will draw the eye right to the area you are trying to achieve. For nature captured in a more permanent way, why not consider Bronze animal sculptures. For more information, visit http://www.gillparker.com/.
It is also a myth that you require an expensive professional camera. Yes there are incredibly sophisticated cameras with swappable built to purpose lenses and extremely high resolution image capture but remember that your photo is only as good as the photographer, no matter what camera is used. Many of the more advanced features are also available on less expensive models. Anyone with a point and shoot camera or a digital smartphone now has the capacity to take incredible nature photos as these devices have fairly decent zoom features. Once you have taken some amazing shots and have a bit more experience, then you might feel like upgrading but to begin with you really don’t need to.
