Nature Photography How To

The first thing most landscape photographers do upon arriving on location is to pull a wide-angle lens out of their bag. This approach may work great for shooting expansive scenes, but it will also give images a familiar look, and can even stifle one's creativity.

Outdoor photography in winter requires doing things a bit differently, especially when fluffy fresh-fallen snow paints the landscape white. This behind-the-scenes tutorial from the First Man Photography YouTube channel discusses exposure settings, composition and other important considerations that will help you get the job done.

All outdoor photographers are at the mercy of the weather, and we have to accept whatever Mother Nature gives us. That’s especially true if you travel to a location, and it’s impossible to return on a different day when conditions improve.

One of the "rules" outdoor photographers learn from the get-go is to avoid contrasty midday light. The idea is to shoot in early morning or late afternoon when colors and soft illumination is far more preferable. That's good advice but we can't always choose when we'll come upon a beautiful scene, and there are ways to capture epic photos under harsh conditions.

Spring and summer usually come to mind when most photographers think about shooting macro and close-up photos, when budding flowers, insects and other creepy-crawlies are just about everywhere you look. But if you’ve already stashed your macro lens for the year, you may have second thoughts after watching the video below.

Some outdoor photographers make the mistake of stowing their gear when the weather turns foul, and as one pro says, “They run off into the trees like a little girl.” That’s a shame, because many of the best opportunities for dramatic landscape photos present themselves when rain, snow, or storm clouds roll in.

We addressed the first problem in an earlier tutorial and today you'll learn how to cope with the latter. Instructor Simon d'Entremont is an accomplished Canadian pro, specializing in wildlife imagery, and he walks you through the steps he takes to capture great images when the light is far from ideal.