Nature Photography Part 1

For me, nature photos are my favorite, but I always have room for improvement. In chapters 3 of Nicole Woods's book Photography she talks about how to improve nature shots. Here are the tips I read about:

Making Use of a Tripod: I don't have my own tripod but my mom has used her tripod on many occasions to make the picture more stable. Woods says, "A tripod... helps you to capture something predictable" (Woods 35). One of the most predictable and beautiful pictures to capture is a sunset since the point of view doesn't change. 

My dad took both of these photos in Zion's National Park back in 2012 when we were there on vacation. It was very windy while the sun was setting and so it was very hard to get a clean shot. This is the reason the second picture is shaky. My dad found a stable place to put his hand for the first picture, which acted as a steady place, just like a tripod would.

Creating a Perfect Focal Point: When you walk into a room, what is the first thing you see? That is the focal point.

• Contrasting Shapes and Color: The best way to make the focal point stand out is if the shape or color is bold and/or flashy, while the background is mostly bland. It is easier to recognize the focal point when it stands alone, kind of like the picture of my dad and I from my last post.
• Let Foregrounds Strike: "The foreground is the part of the scenery that is closest to the viewer" (Woods 38), she explains. Basically, the rock and the water are the first thing that are the closest thing to us, but it isn't the main focal point.

Don't Rush It: The biggest tip with this one is that the more quality photos taken, the more options there are to choose from. Woods uses the National Geographic as an example of professional photography. She says to take many different pictures at different angles, because the best one is probably not the first one. For the cover shots of the National Geographic, the ones they use are most likely not the first and only shot the photographer takes.

Time of Day: The time of day is extremely important because of the lighting. During the daylight hours is when the clearest shots can be taken but right before the sun sets is when the colors of nature are normally at their best.

Don't Be Afraid of the Weather: The last tip in chapter 3 that Woods gives, is to not be afraid of the weather, but to use it to my advantage. Whether I like it or not, it rains a lot in Washington and I have taken her advice and used that to produce some really fun pictures of flowers after the rain (I don't have any at this moment but I will later). The key is to take what you have and be innovative, the more creative, the more interesting the shot can be.

Question: Have you ever been to Zion? Did you like it?