Nature Photography How To

I know someone who calls these photographs my Alfred Hitchcock Project. You know, The Birds through a Rear Window. Nice touch, but the truth is the Master of Suspense was not in my thoughts when I began to shoot.

Shutterbug readers are always enthusiastic about Julieanne Kost's post-processing tutorials because of her vast knowledge of all things Adobe and her uncommon knack for simplifying seemingly complicated concepts and tasks. In the next four minutes she demonstrates a foolproof method for enhancing images with Lightroom's Presence Sliders.

Nature photography may encompass grand landscapes or large wild animals, but it can also incorporate the smallest of objects. There is an entire delicate world of light, beauty, color and form in macro photography. Wonders that can be documented while on vacation on a tropical island, in a national park or even in your backyard. I have spent mornings lying in a bed of wildflowers, moving no more than a few feet, recording everything from the dew on a spider web to the shape of a purple iris. I am often surprised and rarely disappointed.

So what's holding you back from giving macro photography a try? In many cases it's the lack of a costly, specialized lens offering a 1:1 reproduction ratio. If this sounds familiar you're in for a surprise because today's 10-minute lesson from the Hamed Photography YouTube channel demonstrates how to capture stunning images of tiny subjects with affordable accessories and a few easy-to-master shooting techniques.

Whether you’re photographing exotic beetles in the rainforests of Ecuador like entomologist Phil Torres, or shooting more common insects in your backyard, the video below will help you capture dramatic images that look like they were shot in the studio.

There's no doubt that some outdoor scenes cry out for a monochrome rendition with all of the striking contrast or moody effects that are possible with b&w imagery. Other times, however, the vivid color you see through the viewfinder makes this decision a no brainer.