This tutorial with five pro tips for capturing eye-catching nature and wildlife images is different than others we’ve featured in the past, thanks to the thoughtful and contemplative style of professional photographer Kevin Nordstrom. You’ll follow him explore the shore of a lake while capturing amazing photos of birds, turtles, wildflower and more.
Nordstrom isn’t one of those shooters who sets the camera to high-speed continuous mode and jams down on the shutter release—hoping to grab a decent image or two as he fires away. Rather, Nordstrom takes a more methodical approach in today’s chaotic world. He prefers quality to quantity and as a result his “batting average” is really high.
The essence of the eight-minute tutorial is this: “Nature and wildlife photography is about much more than the gear. It’s the experience of using your senses to see, touch, hear, and smell, while listening to what nature is trying to teach us during the photography process.” In other words, slow down and learn to concentrate on the art rather than on the gear.
In short, the handful of tips that Nordstrom provides will both simplify your nature and wildlife photography and improve your work. The advantage of shooting at a slower pace makes it far easier to identify the best opportunities at every location, and you’ll be more “intentional” about the images you make. You’ll also discover than your enjoyment of the great outdoors will increase by leaps and bounds and the photos you capture will be far more meaningful.
This methodical approach also enables you to be more thoughtful about the camera settings you choose and the manner in which you frame a scene. Another suggestion is to embrace both your superpowers and flaws as a photographer. Or as Nordstrom puts it, “your superpower is not your camera or lens, it’s your ability to understand what you’re looking at and what you’re feeling along a river, on a mountain, in a valley, or even at a local duck pond.”
Apart from these rather philosophical considerations there are also practical suggestions for experimenting with Nordstrom’s approach, and we’re pretty sure your enjoyment of photography will increase as much as the quality of the images you make.
If you’re more interested in f/stops shutter speeds, and other technical matters, Nordstrom’s instructional YouTube channel has plenty of that too.
In that regard, don’t miss the tutorial we posted from another accomplished outdoor shooter who demonstrates an easy Lightroom technique for transforming a dull landscape photograph into a dreamy eye-popping masterpiece
The use of negative space is a powerful compositional tool employed by experienced outdoor photographers to give photos a minimalist quality that really grabs attention, whether you’re shooting landscapes, seascapes, or all sorts of nature photos. This quick and easy tutorial demonstrates everything you need to know in less than five minutes.
Today’s how-to video was produced by our friends at the Viewfinder Mastery YouTube channel, an online community of photographers and educators who share interesting techniques that enable you expand your vision and the types of images you shoot. This episode will convince you that negative can be super positive.
This behind-the-scenes lesson takes place during an inspiring sailing adventure in Northern Norway with Matt Anderson who is the channel’s Director and Lead Instructor. He notes that shooting on the water is “the perfect location for practicing with negative space photography and composing with minimalism in mind.
Don’t worry if you don’t have access to the sea because everything you’ll learn can be applied to shooting in the field. After briefly introducing his motley shipmates, Anderson explains the concept like this: “Negative space is closely related to minimalism and it emphasizes not just the subject but also the empty space around the subject.”
What makes this style so compelling is this: Although the viewer’s eyes may focus on a central element, they can’t help but notice the vast area of emptiness that defines this solitary subject. In short, regardless of whatever form this featureless portion of the frame takes (on the water or on the ground) it helps you tell story by providing definition and emphasis to the key object in the shot.
While demonstrating how to accomplish this style of photography Anderson notes that it “requires a single focal point of some kind, and that person or object is considered the positive space.” The featureless area in the frame, be it a blank sky, an empty field, or even a white background in the studio, is the negative space that can be artfully employed to accentuate the main focal point of the scene.
According to Anderson, the negative space should be “impossible to miss and occupy at least 50% of the frame.” In other words, you want this space to sort of steal the show. His clear advice is illustrated with beautiful imagery that will provide all the motivation you need for give this unique form of composition a try.
Be sure to visit the Viewfinder Master YouTube channel, and take a look at another tutorial we posted, explaining how to shoot sensuous portrait photographs without flash. All you need are a few candles and two mirrors.
It’s a fact that some landscape scenes look far more compelling in b&w, and if you’ve ever made a dramatic monochrome conversion you know how true this. We’ve previously featured tutorials on this topic, but this one from a pro who says, “I’ve cracked the code,” takes a very different approach.
Instructor Richard Brockwell is a landscape pro based in Malta who says, “I love exploring new ways to create amazing images,” and he posts weekly tutorials that reveal his powerful and unique techniques. He considers this approach to converting color to b&w “revolutionary,” and given his vast experience it pays to take a close look.
Brockwell kicks off the episode with this bold claim: “I’ve discovered the best and very easy editing technique on how to edit any landscape image into a b&w fine-art masterpiece.” Whether or not you think of yourself as a fine-art photographer doesn’t really matter, because the beautiful results you’ll achieve are all that really counts.
As you’ll see, Brockwell’s simple-but-transformative method goes far beyond mere desaturation, through careful adjustments to exposure, contrast, and brightness. He insists that by taking his advice you’ll be able to significantly boost the depth, dimension and visual impact of just about any photo you capture in the field.
Brockwell’s sample image is a rather bland seascape that would be difficult to improve substantially in color. His amazing transformation takes a three-pronged approach. He first walks you through the straightforward conversion to b&w, and then he makes various adjustment that significantly improve the initial result.
But the coup de gras occurs when Brockwell demonstrates how to take things even further by applying several of his fine-art enhancements. He proudly says, “You won’t be disappointed” and we whole heartedly agree!
Brockwell’s instructional YouTube channel is a great source of unique editing and shooting techniques, especially if landscape photography is your thing. So if you want to elevate your skills and become more “artistic,” be sure to take a look.
We also recommend that you check out the earlier tutorial we posted from another post-processing expert who reveals a surprising one-click fix for a “big problem” with Photoshop’s Magic Wand tool.
