This article came about after a deviant specifically requested that we write ten clear, simple tips for Photographing Nature. Troubleshooting articles and information can be very useful, but sometimes breaking it down into manageable memorable chunks is so much easier. So without further ado please enjoy our Ten Tips for Nature Photographers!


When we talk about photographing Nature, we don't necessarily mean wide expansive rolling landscapes. Whilst they contain any number of elements that are nature focused and made up from natural resources - Nature Photography is about getting into your environment and getting up close and personal with these elements. So think of it like you are Photographing the components that make up that beautiful landscape, or the inhabitants of those rolling hills. With this thought in mind, you need to jump into the environment you're photographing. Whether that means wading into a lake, climbing a tree (carefully!) or crouching down in the forest floor.



I find that my latest D-SLR is fantastic for capturing low-angle shots purely because it has that ingenious feature of a tilting and swivelling LCD. Coupled with live view and you're in tilt and swivel heaven! It's something to consider if you're looking at getting a new camera and you're seriously into nature photography.


A shallow depth of field is often great for focusing on something large in an expansive environment. But if you're wanting to capture tall plants in a wider, longer field then consider using a deeper depth. This is perfect for singly out a few poppies in a long stretch of bobbing flowers.


Macro lens's can be fantastic for shooting up close with various nature beings, but also consider using it for those wider shots too. A wide-angle lens is great for capturing expanse, but a macro lens (especially the one I have which doubles up as a fantastic portrait lens) is very useful as well. Just be sure to check your auto-focal points within the camera so that you're not inadvertently capturing a blur.

I mention this in almost every Photography article that I write, but in most D-SLR cameras you can set your white balance now to fit in well with the conditions. Do this! If you've got a dreary day you can set it to make the most of the conditions, if you've got an overly bright day you can ensure it doesn't give you too much over-exposure. Working with white balance will save your images, working against it...well. Let's not go there!

Editing your Photos isn't bad, it isn't something you should hide under your bed, or something you don't want your parents to catch you doing or even something you should do in the middle of the night because nobody will see you....Yes, you know what I'm talking about! Post-Production! Giving your shots a little boost afterwards can save them, honestly it can. In the image above, I used photoshop to enhance the greens so that they contrasted better with the blue. That's all I did, just a few minor tweaks here and there and you'll be fine!


Being patient, especially when waiting to capture that million pound shot of a wild animal that nobody has seen for a trillion years, is difficult. I know. I've been there. (Still waiting for the shot!!) But you need to have patience, and you need to not have one eye on the clock. Enjoy your surroundings and take some random shots here and there, you might be surprised when you get back and have a closer look.

Lens hoods are simple, cheap, effective things that will save your life. Probably not in an apocalypse. But more in times when you're beating yourself up because you didn't have a lens hood on. Honestly, they really are fantastic, they cut out a lot of sun glare and flare and when you're bored waiting for that awesome shot, you can have competitions to see who can roll theirs the furthest!



There are things out there that scare us, that we don't want to get up close to, and that we'd rather just walk in the opposite direction of. Spiders, bugs, wasps, bees, ants...the list for many, can be endless. But if you've got the right lens, the patience and a bit of time then you can capture most things without having to get too close and risk your life...

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JUST BECAUSE YOU SHOT IT IN THE STREET IT DOESN'T MAKE IT "STREET PHOTOGRAPHY"

Street Photography is a largely misunderstood and misinterpreted photography genre [link] .
So, let's try to kill the most common misunderstandings:
Street photography is not photography of (empty) streets and it is not necessarily a photo taken in a street.
Street photography most definitely is not photography of your All Stars shoes in the street, it is not photography of your cat, or of graffiti or 'street art' (that's another genre of photography), it is not photography of your friends or family on trip.

I love seeing results on the camera screen, and through the lens. Often after I've taken a photo, I can't wait to get home and see it on the computer screen too. But my pet peeve is the maths and numbers behind getting it spot on. I can't deal with that, I loathe it, and actually it takes the fun out of Photography (for me anyway!) I know that some people love the technical details, I think that's why ~TouchedD and I work so well - he does the figuring out, I do the seeking for the shot - but if you're purely a creative type with no passion for delving into technicalities then hopefully this article will be able to help you.

You will find countless articles, tips, tutorials and theories on Composition. Many will throw advice and instruction at you before you can even press the shutter on your camera. In truth though, it can be much more basic than that. Before you take a photograph, think about why you're taking the shot. I know this doesn't work everytime, because often (like me) you'll end up racing for the camera then racing to your subject and snapping away before the moment has passed. We all have those times, and it's okay to disregard everything you've learned so far. But for those times that you're concentrating hard and want visible, perfected results - think first.

Look at your portfolio and consider why you were in that certain angle, facing that certain direction or choosing to shoot from that certain vantage point. I can look at several of my own shots and have no clue, but equally, I can look at others and realise that yes - I shot from over there because the light was better. Or I stood up there because the shadows fell differently. When you can begin to justify your work like this, you will start to realise that you are thinking more about composition. And that actually, it isn't all that complicated after all.

Once the plain and simple thinking has begun, you can start to introduce the theories. Learning backwards isn't always a bad idea. You shot that leaf in a certain sector of your image frame because you were using the rule of thirds. You angled the camera just so when capturing that street scene because you were setting up an invisible grid.

The things that our eyes see, and the things that are lens captures - are completely different. Until we learn that, we often will strive for something that is actually unachievable. You'll do it right here on deviantART - amazing colours, amazing setups..things you've never seen before with the naked eye, will astound and amaze you. Actually those things were never created with a single shot. Photo-editing has come on in leaps and bounds in the last few years. So it works both ways, our lens can capture something and in turn we can manipulate it into something that was never seen. Just like we can see things our lens will never capture. Learning that there is a distinct difference between the two is simple. But astounding. Don't forget that whilst we can see in 3D - our cameras, for the most part, capture in 2D.

There often seems to be some confusion over whether your Fashion Photography belongs in Photography -> People & Portraits -> Fashion Portraits or Photography -> Commercial Photography -> Fashion. Unlike other galleries that we are slowly defining and educating on through this series of articles, the difference between these two is quite clear cut and there are certain aspects of your Photography that will dictate where it should go. Have a read through the article and hopefully that will clear up some things if you were previously confused!

What are Fashion Portraits?

Photography -> People & Portraits -> Fashion Portraits
Fashion Photography is a genre of Photography that's dedicated to showcasing clothing and other items such as accessories i.e. shoes, scarves, hats, jewellery and so on. Within the People & Portraits Gallery here on deviantART there is a sub-category for Fashion. This means that if your work is being submitted to this gallery it must include a person or persons. Additionally there must be an element of fashion - so clothing/accessories and so on. If your work is show-casing just makeup then there is a specific place for it within Body Art. If it's showing an emotional facial expression, an emotive pose or a spontaneous type portrait without emphasis on clothing from a fashion point of view then it belongs within another sub-category of People & Portraits.

What is Commercial Fashion Photography?

Photography -> Commercial -> Fashion
Commercial Photography, to begin with, involves taking pictures of something for commercial use. For example in adverts, merchandising and with product placement. It can also be used in Brochures, Catalogues, Leaflets and other literature items used to promote services, products or businesses. In terms of Fashion - it's one of the strongest and most used forms of Commercial Photography. They can be used for a range of promotional things from posters and billboards to catalogs and editorials. If you're going to use the category here on deviantART for your Fashion Photography then your shoot must have been undertaken for one of the purposes listed above. *If you are simply undertaking a shoot with a model to better their portfolio - and yours - without monetary gain with regards to use of the after product then it's not Commercial Photography. *

When to use the Still Life Photography Gallery for Fashion?

Photography -> Still Life -> Other
If your work is of Fashion items but excludes the use of a person to showcase them, then it will likely fit into the Still Life Photography - Miscellaneous Category. Items of clothing Photographed on their own without a person present, or without parts of a person present, are categorised as Still Life.