Nature Photography How To

Outdoor scenes that appear boring during the day are often transformed into a sparkling tableau after dark, full of interesting lights, colors, and reflections. Unfortunately, some photographers avoid this great opportunity because of a mistaken notion that complex skills and special gear are required.

One of the challenges with outdoor winter photography is dealing with dull overcast conditions that are so common this time of year. Today’s tutorial from one of our favorite landscape photographers provides a number of helpful tips for capturing great images of scenes illuminated by flat, cloudy skies.

We regularly share videos on composition techniques because proper framing is one of the most important aspects of photography. While most of these tutorials have been targeted at landscape shooters, today’s tips are all about photographing birds. 

Last year we featured some great shooting tips from bird photographer extraordinaire Tim Boyer. And today Boyer is at it again, with “seven more rules of bird photography” that will really up your game.

One common mistake when photographing action is using a shutter speed that’s too fast to convey motion. When shooting motorcycle races, for example, a high shutter speed results in tack-sharp wheel spokes, yielding static images without a sense of motion. As you’ll see in the five-minute video below, the same is true when photographing birds in flight.

Bright blue featureless may be great for a trip to the beach, going on vacation, taking a bike ride, or hiking in the great outdoors. But when it comes to nature and landscape photography, well, not so much.

It often takes a serious commitment to venture out with your gear in winter, when temperatures hover around freezing, the wind is howling, and the landscape is covered in snow. But the stalwart photographer will be justly rewarded with great images by following the 10 must-know tips and tricks in the video below.