Nature Photography: Capturing the World Around You

Often referred to as the inventors of nature photography, brothers Richard and Cherry Kearton discovered their passion for wildlife photography when capturing a photo of a bird’s nest in 1892. Known for scaling sea cliffs with their heavy, nineteenth-century camera equipment and waiting for days through cold nights, wet weather, and stinging insects, the Kearton brothers went to great lengths to get their pictures of breeding kittiwakes and maneless lions. 

While you won’t need to scale any mountains with a twenty-pound tripod to get into nature photography as a beginner, learning about the many different types of this beloved 130-year-old craft will help you find the subjects and styles you feel most drawn to as a photographer.   

What is Nature Photography?

Nature photography is the art of capturing and showcasing the beauty, diversity, and awe-inspiring images of the natural world through digital and analog film. For some, this might be the sun disappearing behind the snow-covered peaks of the Rocky Mountains, a whale breaching the surface of the water off the coast of Cape Cod or a cardinal perched in the pines of Vermont.

Becoming a nature photographer is just as much about connecting with your camera as it is about connecting to the world around you. A high-quality digital single-lens reflex camera (DSLR) with a powerful zoom might help you capture crisp and professional-level photographs, but anyone with a smartphone can participate in nature photography if they have a passion for the natural world. 

If the Kearton brothers were able to come back and give you some nature photography tips, they might mention the importance of patiently waiting for the right shot, getting to know your subjects and exploring different angles and perspectives to capture the perfect depth of field. But as advocates for photographic safaris rather than shooting ones, the Kearton brothers would also be sure to advise a true care for your subjects as one of the most important nature photography skills. 

Types of Nature Photography for You to Explore

Flowers in your local park, a bird perched outside of your bedroom window and fallen leaves on the sidewalk on your walk to work are all examples of nature photography subjects—no matter how close they are to home. Discovering the varied types of nature photography and some inspiring nature photography ideas will help you find what you’re most drawn to outside of what you’ve already tried.

Landscape Photography

Landscape photography is a genre that has captivated explorers, travelers and nature conservationists for decades. As an art that requires photographing an entire scene, it requires a keen eye for composition, a strong understanding of photographic techniques like the rule of thirds, and some technical proficiency in using certain lenses to shoot the entire landscape. 

Landscape photographers need to know how to scout quality locations, have the patience to wait for optimal lighting conditions, and understand more advanced camera settings and post-processing techniques to enhance the final images of natural areas in their landscape photos. 

Learning more about landscape photography will help you photograph turquoise glacial lakes, sandy and serene coastal waves, and golden, hilly deserts.

Astrophotography

Stargazers, escapists and romantics all flock to astrophotography for its exhilarating ability to capture the world outside of the one you know best. This astrological photography genre focuses on shooting celestial objects like stars, galaxies, planets, and the overall mesmerizing beauty of the night sky. 

To get into astrophotography, you’ll need a solid grasp of both photography and astronomy, as well as specialized equipment, including a camera that has a strong enough lens to snap the night sky. You’ll need a general understanding of celestial events and their timing, knowledge of long exposure techniques, and proficiency in using telescopes and star trackers in order to shoot the intricate details and events of deep space. 

With those skills, you’ll be able to shoot the sparkling curves of the Milky Way, star trails, and even rarer occurrences like meteor showers and shooting stars.

Macro Photography

Macro photography opens up a tiny, intricate world. Magnifying small subjects to lifesize or bigger, photographers with an appreciation for the smaller things in life are usually drawn towards macro nature photography.

You’ll find macro photographers capturing close-up shots of small subjects like morning dew drops and emerald-colored beetles. Capturing smaller subjects requires careful attention and waiting for the perfect moment so macro photographers need to have a keen eye for detail and be able to spot the hidden beauty in tiny animals and plants. 

Wildlife Photography

Wildlife photography is about capturing the life and behavior of animals in their natural habitats. You can photograph a wide range of creatures like majestic cats roaming the savannah, colorful birds in flight over the jungle and graceful dolphins gliding through the ocean

Wildlife photographers need to have an understanding of animal behavior to anticipate and shoot unique moments, a suitable lens to zoom in on far-away subjects and the ability to work in challenging outdoor environments in order to capture the perfect wildlife photo. You also might encounter more dangerous environments and subjects, which means you’ll need to research before setting out on a riskier expedition. 

Flower Photography

Step into a world of delicate beauty and vibrant colors with flower photography. As an art form that captures the overall aesthetic as well as the intricacies of flowers, it is one of the most popular nature photography genres for a reason. 

Flower photographers have a general knowledge about flower types, when they bloom and the best time of day to capture certain colors. You’ll need an eye for each flower's unique shapes, textures, and hues to photograph elegant, red roses, cheerful, yellow daisies, and delicate, pink cherry blossoms. 

Underwater Photography

Similar to astrophotography, explorers and escapists love the world of underwater photography. As a place that feels like a world of its own, underwater photography can immerse anyone in the realm beneath the water's surface. 

As an underwater photographer, you’ll get to capture subjects like otherworldly aquatic creatures, vibrant coral reefs and sparkling schools of fish. Unlike other nature photography genres, you’ll need a range of precise underwater photography skills before capturing your first deep green sea turtle. Besides an underwater camera, you’ll also need to know how to scuba dive or snorkel and know enough about marine life and ocean behavior to keep yourself safe from potential dangers like larger predators and underwater currents. 

Beach Photography

As one of the most popular places to vacation, almost everyone has had a little experience with beach photography. Its magic lies in the combination of sandy shores and wavy, blue water. With glitters of sunlight shimmering off the water and waves casting deep blue shadows beneath them, beach photography involves capturing the relationship between sunshine and shadows, land and sea and the sky and the horizon.

Beach photographers need to understand how to frame the vastness of the coastline, adjust exposure settings to handle the changing lighting conditions and have a sharp eye for shooting the constant motion of the sea. With so much variety, beach photography can include serene seascapes, joyful beachgoers and breathtaking sunset nature photography.

Bird Photography

When you try your hand at bird photography you’ll realize it isn't just a photography genre. It’s also an exhilarating pursuit of intricate, winged creatures who only stay in one place for a fleeting moment. As a type of wildlife photography, bird photography focuses on capturing the beauty and behavior of birds. 

To photograph these flying creatures, you’ll need to have a knowledge of nature photography fundamentals, an eye for detail, and an understanding of how to photograph moving objects since birds can be elusive and unpredictable. If you’re already a bird lover, you’re on your way to having what you need to photograph an eagle flying over treetops or the dotted feather pattern of a spotted owl. 

Ocean Photography

The art of ocean photography is all about photographing the vast and captivating beauty of the world's largest bodies of water. Not to be confused with underwater photography, which focuses on any body of water, ocean photography also differs in that it can include images taken both under and over the surface. 

Ocean photographers can capture coastal landscapes, crashing waves, and otters floating close to shore. They need to have a general understanding of outdoor photography techniques, be able to adapt to challenging environments and handle water-resistant camera gear. 

Micro Photography

The intricate and delicate genre of micro photography delves into the extraordinary world of small subjects and focuses on the details that often go unnoticed by the naked eye. Not to be confused with macro photography which usually focuses on reproducing a very subject on at least a 1:1 scale, like a beetle or an orchid’s flower. Though, sometimes the two terms can be used interchangeably. 

Micro photographers tend to focus more on textures and details like the eye of a bee rather than the bee itself. Within micro photography, you’ll find images of the zoomed-in patterns on a seashell, the tiny shells that make up sand, and the furry legs of a spider. 

Micro photographers need to have an eye for subjects that might have interesting textures and shapes that they can’t see without their lenses. You’ll also need to purchase a micro or macro lens for your camera so that you can photograph those delicate insect wings, the intricate patterns of flower petals and detailed textures of fabrics. 

Sunset Photography

When the sun casts its warm glow over the horizon, it’s hard not to want to capture it and keep it forever. Sunset photography involves taking pictures of the eye-catching transition from daylight—known as golden hour—through twilight. 

For you, this might be shooting the sun as it dips beneath a mountain range or the seaside horizon. Most sunset photographers have a strong knowledge of exposure settings and the patience to wait for the perfect moment to shoot.

If you want to become a sunset photographer, you’ll be photographing serene coastal scenes, silhouetted trees against a colorful sky and tranquil lakes mirroring the colors of the sun.

Forest Photography

Wooded landscapes, a lush green canopy and bright green foliage are all popular subjects within the forest photography genre. For this genre you’ll need to understand lighting techniques and have an eye for composition to highlight the forest’s textures and colors. 

Navigating and being able to blend into the forest will also be important so that you to take photos of the towering trees, burnt orange autumn foliage and sun-dappled forest paths. 

Mountain Photography

If you’re looking to capture the grandeur and majesty of towering peaks or showcase the breathtaking beauty of an entire mountain landscape, mountain photography might be the perfect photography niche for you.

This genre involves shooting the rugged terrain, dramatic cliffs, and ever-changing weather conditions found in mountain ranges. Photographers who want to shoot mountains need to know how to capture mountainous landscapes in their entirety, adjust to changing light conditions and navigate more challenging terrains. 

Star Trail Photography

If you’ve ever seen the circular beauty that is a stair trail photograph, you’ll know why so many photographers want to learn how to recreate an astrologically-inspired picture of their own. Star trail photography captures the mesmerizing trails of stars that adorn the night sky, which forms a circular shape because of the Earth's rotation. 

Star trail photographers need to know how to take long-exposure images, set up a sturdy tripod for stability and understand exposure settings in order to shoot swirling celestial arcs above landscapes, ancient monuments, or tranquil bodies of water.

Sunrise Photography

On the flip side of sunset photography, sunrise photography is all about taking in those first few moments of sunshine and documenting the gentle transition from dark to light. If you want to take pictures of sunrises you’ll need to plan the ideal location and time and understand exposure and color. With these photography skills, you’ll be able to shoot rays of light streaming through clouds and the peaceful serenity that comes with the first light of day.

Panoramic Photography

Taking pictures of sweeping vistas and wide-format landscapes will immerse any viewer in the grandeur of a natural scene. Whether you use a panoramic lens or use the panoramic mode on a smartphone, panoramic photography creates a seamless and far-reaching view of its subject. 

Photographers need to know how to use a panoramic lens, keep consistent lighting and capture the essence of the entire scene into a single frame in order to craft a strong panoramic photograph. Then, they can take pictures of vast mountain ranges, sprawling cityscapes, serene coastlines, and breathtaking natural wonders like the Grand Canyon.

Time for Your Nature Photo Op

Now that you know a little bit about what it takes to shoot far-away galaxies, close-ups of morning dew drops and underwater landscapes, it’s time for you to grab your Canon, Nikon, or even your smartphone and try capturing nature in all of its beauty.

Written By

Calli Zarpas

Producer & Writer by occupation. Ceramicist & Newsletter Editor by avocation.

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