Nature Photography How To

The National Wildlife Federation recently announced the winners of their 44^th annual National Wildlife photo contest. Operated by National Wildlife Federation's award-winning magazine National Wildlife, the contest celebrates the beauty of nature while raising funds to help the organization protect wildlife and wild places.

Selected from more than 29,000 entries, this year’s winners include a grand prize recipient who spent years perfecting a photographic technique that resulted in a one-of-a-kind image of grey herons and another winner who was able to grab his camera just in time to capture a rare image of praying mantis nymphs hatching on his backyard deck. 

Nature photographer Brendan Pattengale employs his love of the great outdoors and a few secret techniques to capture vivid, painterly landscape photos during his travels around the world.

Brendon Cremer is a wildlife and nature photographer known for his stunning images of exotic animals in Africa. Among his most spectacular photographs are those in which he shoots his subjects by moonlight.

James Zwadlo is a London-based photographer/graphic designer/director who combines his unique vision to create an unexpected point of view with his infrared photography

The landscapes surrounding San Francisco Bay are so beautiful that it’s sometimes difficult to make a really bad photograph there. But the work of local resident Nick Steinberg is truly captivating—especially his images of fog rolling over the region like giant waves.

Simon Baxter is a landscape photographer living on the edge of England’s beautiful North York Moors National Park. He says there are three requisites for those interested in capturing the splendor of the great outdoors: Composition, Patience & Perseverance.

Here’s a fun and revealing behind-the-scenes video shot by nature and landscape photographer Thomas Heaton. In the four-minute clip, Heaton walks you through one of his recent shoots in Yosemite Valley, showing you the steps he took to make a gorgeous image.