Nature and wildlife photography encompasses a wide range of outdoor photography elements including landscapes and flora and fauna in their natural state. There is conjecture amongst photographers and the general community as to what specifically constitutes original nature photography. For example: Take a giraffe photographed within the confines of a suburban city zoo and another giraffe photographed within its natural habitat on the plains of an African reserve.
Have a look at the incredibly beautiful photographs and in-depth stories available at National Geographic for inspiration on your nature and wildlife photography journey.
TO LOVE NATURE IS TO LOVE NATURE PHOTOGRAPHY
Could both be classed as nature photography, or does the photography of the giraffe in the zoo become another genre of photography such as general outdoor photography? This can pose an ethical dilemma when photographing nature.
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The definition of nature and wildlife photography
There are not too many places on the planet that have not had some sort of human influence on either the landscape or natural environment. With this in mind, we believe the definition of nature and wildlife photography should be:
“The photography of landscapes, flora and fauna in a natural state, and without extended influence from human intervention.”
There is a fine line between nature and outdoor photography, and sometimes the difference can be as simple as a cropped photo! Nature photography can be as close-in as an ant carrying food right up to wide landscapes. The gear and equipment required for nature photography will depend on what the final aim of the shoot is
Unwind with nature photography
Nature photography can be a great way to unwind. What better way to relax than to pick up a camera and head into the open air and natural part of our world to find and document the most interesting aspects of our planet!
Plan ahead
As with most outdoor genres of photography, the best light can be early morning and late afternoon when the golden light of those times of day provides for a beautiful backdrop. The midday sun can be bright and harsh and can create deep shadows on the subject. So plan ahead, and be prepared to get up early to arrive at your chosen nature photography location.
If possible, stay overnight so that you can be up before dawn as there may be incredibly beautiful light across the landscape just before the sun rises for the day. You may also catch wildlife in abundance doing their thing at dawn. This could be especially valid if you are in a hot climate area – the wildlife will often use the early morning light to hunt and forage, then rest during the oppressive heat of the daytime.
Prepare yourself
When heading anywhere in nature endure you know the weather forecast, the terrain type, and for safety’s sake let someone know where you will be and always carry a phone or other communication or EPIRB device.
Wear the right clothing for the journey. If it is hot, wear appropriate clothing that will keep you cool and keep the hot sun off your body. Carry enough water for the length of time you will be away, and wear sunscreen and bug spray if needed. Hyperthermia can be a killer if you are lost in the hot wilderness without shelter or water. In cold climates bring enough warm clothing to ensure you do not develop hypothermia.
If snakes are in the area, wear snake proof pants, or ankle and leg guards. If in the wilderness in bear country carry bear spray, or other appropriate deterrence equipment.
Nature may be closer than you think
Even if you live in a large city, nature may be closer than you think. There may be nearby parks and gardens that you can visit to try out nature photography or trek a little further out to the edge of your city limits, and you may be surprised how close and beautiful local nature really is!
Helping the environment with nature photography
You can get involved with local ecological and environmental groups, which will give you ideas for nature photography expeditions, and it may give you access to otherwise out -of-the way places.
You can document the status of local wetlands, wildlife preserves and conservation lands. Look for areas of human pollution in these areas and document the damage with your photography to highlight the destruction.
Be ethical when you are out photographing nature and wildlife. There is a saying that goes “Take nothing but photos, leave nothing but footprints!” Respect nature and all it has to offer!
Social media and website
High-quality nature and wildlife photographs can be sought-after, and when composed beautifully will look amazing. Upload your best images to your website and to your social media accounts such as TikTok, Facebook and Instagram.
Nature photography lenses
Nature photography can include every lens from a macro lens to wide angle and super-zoom lenses. Lenses used in nature photography can include:
Macro lens: Insects and flowers.
Standard lens: Close-in landscape and nearby nature scenes.
Wide angle lens: Landscape and sky scenes including night astrophotography.
Zoom lenses: Detailed photography of distant landscape scenes and wildlife.
Nature photography exposure
Exposure can be a hard thing to master in nature photography. Especially if you are photographing a wide-open landscape and parts of it are covered with dark shadows from clouds.
It will be easier and less of a problem when you are up close with nature photographing wildlife such as birds, insects, reptiles, and flowers.
Camera settings
Nature and wildlife photography is a broad genre. The subject that you are photographing will determine your camera settings. Here are some examples of camera settings in different nature and wildlife photography undertakings.
A fast-moving bird at a distance requires a zoom lens and fast shutter speed. Most average zoom lenses will have an aperture that goes no wider than f/4.0, whilst the higher quality zoom lenses have up to f/2.8 or similar. With an f/2.8 lens you will be able to use a faster shutter speed with lower ISO, whereas and f/4.0 will either require a slower shutter speed if you want to retain greater detail in the photo, or use a higher ISO to maintain shutter speed, but at the trade-off of more grain in the photo.
To maintain focus on the moving subject, try the lens AF-C (Auto Focus Continuous). If correctly mastered AF-C can be the secret ingredient to successful fast moving wildlife photography. Also experiment using shutter priority,
Another example is photographing a large animal such as a bear in dark woods on a very overcast and dark day. In this type of circumstance, you will need to push ISO higher, and aperture wide open to f/2.8 or f/4.0. If that still does not provide a balanced image, then a slow the shutter sheep.
Have fun with nature and wildlife photography!
There is so much nature and wildlife to see in our world. Go out there and find it, and photograph it beautifully.
