Nature Photography How To

Today one of our favorite wildlife photographers shares a secret he says significantly improves how the subject of an image is perceived. What makes this simple trick so powerful is that it can works wonders for just about any photo you shoot outdoors.

Everyone knows that “blue hour” is a great time for photography; whether you’re shooting cityscapes, travel images, or other types of outdoor photos. Typically lasting 20-30 minutes, blue hour is that magical time immediately after sunset or just before sunrise. The exact timing of blue hour varies by location, and changes depending upon the time of year.

When most landscape photographers edit their images they strive for a bright and vivid effect, especially during autumn when beautiful warm, golden tones are just about everywhere you look. But how about marching to the beat of your own drummer by giving images a dark and moody effect that's full of eye-catching drama?

There are numerus ways to shoot and edit landscape photos depending upon the look you're after. Sometimes you may want a dark and moody image, while other times the goal is to accentuate interesting atmospheric condition like fog, snow, or rain. Another common approach is to create vibrant images full of eye-catching color—even when shooting under flat light or in the shade.

Professional photographers often add vignettes to their photos to create impact and direct a viewer's eye to the most important part of a scene. Less-experienced shooters tend to ignore this powerful technique that is actually very simple to accomplish.

Nothing spoils an otherwise great photo more than a really unattractive or distracting background. And that holds true whether you’re shooting portraits, macro, flowers, or certain types of wildlife images.

We all been in situations when shooting landscapes or outdoor portraits when the images we capture aren't quite as dramatic as we would like. Sometimes that's because lighting conditions could be far more interesting.