Recent Nature Articles

"Evil Eyes" Sunrise Captured During Solar Eclipse

Historically speaking, solar eclipses have been surrounded by myths, legends, and superstitions. If you're one of those individuals who remains superstitious about sunrises and solar eclipses, then you should probably avoid looking at this image for too long.

Plan Your Meteor Shower Photography From Your Smartphone

Experienced night sky shooters know that some of the most challenging targets are meteors. While meteor showers, which happen several times a year, will make capturing the elusive meteors easier because there are more of them, you can still point a camera to the sky with a 30 minute exposure and get nothing. Then, suddenly, a meteor can appear where you weren't pointing.

Fall Landscapes and Changing Your Mindset

Landscape photography is just as much about creating a plan as it is about being able to change that plan when what you are hoping for simply won’t work. Here’s a simple reminder to get out of your own way when creating art in the field.

How to Take Photos Faster

As a photographer, you have probably been told to slow down and focus on your composition to make the best possible photo. What we also know is there are many fleeting moments and being ready for these are of utmost importance if you want to catch them.

Wildlife Filmmaker Has a Close Call With a Leopard

One way to increase your chances of getting a good wildlife image is to carry out a thorough overview of a potential area. That's why having a solid understanding of the subject's behavior is so important. Sometimes, though, even the most seasoned wildlife veteran can get caught off guard, as this incredibly lucky gentleman was reminded.

Finding Calm Photographing Gloomy Minimalist Flowers

Call it a personal project or way of finding the calm again in photographs, lately I've been shooting a portrait style “sad flower” collection and I love it. Check out the how and why and if it tickles your fancy you can give it a try too.

Safety Tips for Nature, Wildlife, and Landscape Photographers Going off the Trail

There has been a rise in tourism and exploration of our natural world and with that, a rise in interest at photographing these beautiful places. Of course, with that rise, we have also seen an increase in accidents as more and more people venture off the trail hoping to capture even better images.

Telling Better Travel Stories: Taking a Lesson From Instagram Influencers

Instagram influencers have been accused, among other things, of caring more about perception than reality. But maybe there's some justification for that and something we can learn from it. The problem may not be the idea itself, but only that it's sometimes taken too far.

Falling in Love With Your Backyard and Getting Fantastic Photos You Want to Hang on Your Wall

The best analogy for photographing well-photographed locations is to make covers of famous pieces of music. Just like a musician practices his guitar skills with “Nothing Else Matters” and makes his own version, a landscape photographer might do the same at Skogafoss in Iceland or Mesa Arch in Utah. When you are done practicing, or made enough covers of the same location, you might want to make your own original pieces.

National Geographic Photographers Explain What It Means to Be a Contributor to the Famous Publication

National Geographic Magazine has been educating people since 1888 about cultures, places, wildlife, and science. While the writing is always well researched and written, it is the photography supporting the essays that has really captured the attention of its readers. Some of its current crop of contributing photographers discuss their roles, photos, and why photography plays an important part of raising awareness in this video.

Photographing Jackson Hole Wildlife With the Sony a7R IV and 200-600mm

In late September 2019, I joined up with three other wildlife and landscape photographers to take on Jackson Hole, Wyoming for a few days surrounding the International League of Conservation Photographers (iLCP) WildSpeak West symposium. In this video I review my best images taken with my new gear from this short but productive three-day trip to the Tetons.

The Art and Science of Photography: Color Theory

Let me first say, for reasons that will become clear momentarily, that I’m a six-foot-seven-inch tall male who weighs approximately 200 pounds and has about a week’s (…okay, week-and-a-half’s) worth of stubble. And my favorite color is pink. Did you just do a double-take?

When the Sky Gives You Clouds Like These, Just Go Shoot

When the weather gods do something crazy, don't ask questions; just say thank you. You can try and plan your outdoor photography until you're blue in the face, but sometimes, when it starts to look like the conditions might be epic, you need to be spontaneous and just get out there.

Nature Photographers and Filmmakers Wanted

Calling all nature photographers and filmmakers. A groundbreaking new media platform designed to connect more of us to nature is launching its apps' first beta iteration this week.

Photographing Whale Sharks

Photographing whale sharks tends to be a top bucket list item for many underwater image-makers, and for good reason. The largest fish in the sea, whale sharks offer uniquely special photo opportunities. For those of you who have yet to photograph one of these gentle giants, I’ve put together a few tips to keep in mind for that first encounter.

Think You’re Ready to Be a Professional Adventure Photographer?

Got a hankering to get dirty? Ready to spend a couple of hundred nights a year out under the stars — in 20-below temperatures, wearing five jackets, with your hair frozen in front of your face? Prepared to go for a month without showering so the wolves won’t smell you?

Behind the Image: Prepare for the Unexpected

In my last "Behind the Image" article I talked about looking where other photographers aren't. This week I'd like to talk about the importance of being ready for just about anything — particularly when it comes to wildlife photography, as well as how images can impact our behaviors.

Photographing the Moon With Jaworskyj

In case you've never taken the time to just sit outside at night and look (or howl) at the moon, it's actually freaking awesome. The logical next step is to setup your gear and trying to photograph our lunar friend.

How to Create Unique Waterfall Photography

A dramatically cascading waterfall is one of the most iconic scenes that can be captured by a nature photographer — by any photographer. Here are some tips to get the most out of such a scene, no matter the scale of your subject.

Top Five Photography Spots in the Dolomites

There’s no denying that Italy’s Dolomites are stunning. This monumental mountain range in northeastern Italy is an idyllic playground for both outdoor adventurers and those seeking a taste of the region’s cultural heritage.

Let Your Photograph's Hook Be Your Subject's Eyes

Remember the cliché expression the eyes are the window to the soul? They aren't kidding around with that one, and when you capture a piercing look, you can instantly and easily grab the viewer's attention.

Can Nature Photography Help Improve Your Images?

More and more, we are seeing headlines about how doctors are prescribing patients time outdoors. Ailments such as obesity, anxiety, and high blood pressure are just some of the issues nature can help with. As photographers, we spend more time than we care to admit in front of screens. This can lead to depression and other issues. A healthy mind and body are essential to every aspect of our lives—including our photography.

Skylum Is Adding Sky Replacement to Luminar 4

The next version of Luminar, called Luminar 4, will include a one-click sky replacement feature. Other photo editors can get it done, but it usually involves masking, and it often doesn't work very well with foreground objects like trees with a lot of leaves. Adobe demonstrated a one-click sky replacement in 2016, but alas, it never appeared.

Gran Canaria Was so Much Better for Landscape Photography Than I Expected

Gran Canaria is known for parties, booze, and family resort vacations, but this island in the Canary Islands archipelago has some amazing nature worth visiting for any landscape and travel photographer. Not to mention, it is easier to combine this with a family vacation than Iceland, The Faroes, or Norway is.

What to Do When You Just Don’t Have Anything Worth Photographing

Have you ever made the effort to go out and look for something beautiful to photograph, only to find that it just wasn’t happening for you? Like many of us, Steve O’Nions has, and instead of just chalking it up to failure, he tells us why it's ok to not get it every now and then.

Photographer Jack Dykinga Celebrates 100 Years of Grand Canyon National Park

2019 marks the 100th anniversary of The Grand Canyon’s designation as a National Park, but for Arizona resident and Pulitzer Prize-winning photographer, Jack Dykinga, that’s not the only milestone to celebrate this year. For Dykinga, this summer also marks the 5th anniversary of his life-saving double lung transplant. Both occasions are being celebrated in the summer-long exhibition Jack Dykinga: The Grand Canyon National Park (1919-2019) at Tucson, Arizona’s Etherton Gallery.

How to Use a Polarizing Filter

The polarizing filter is an essential part of the landscape photographer’s tool kit. It can make a huge difference to the final photo. However, there are a few things to be aware of.

Conservation Photographer Paul Nicklen Spreads a Little Love for the Manatees

Everyone's favorite aquatic marshmallow, the manatee, is having a bit of a moment. Just a couple weeks ago, Florida's warm waterways set the mood for a sizable manatee orgy, causing traffic jams on nearby roads. Rubberneckers first thought they were witnessing a whale in distress, but it was just good old fashioned sea cow polyamory.

The Mesmerising Results of Shooting Macro Water Droplet Refractions

I have no qualms in admitting macro photography isn’t my thing, but these images stopped me in my ferocious scrolling. One photographer is sharing images he creates of water droplets refracting light from what is behind them. Click through for some of the most mesmerizing macro photos you’ve ever seen.

Shooting Long Exposures in the Arctic Circle

If you had the opportunity to visit the somewhere in the Arctic Circle, what sorts of images would you hope to shoot while traveling? If long exposures cross your mind then this one's for you.

OPTIC: Outdoor, Photo/Video, Travel, Imaging Conference in NYC

If you are an avid outdoor photographer like myself and will be in the New York area next week, you’ll be delighted to know B&H Photo and Video is holding their annual OPTIC Outdoor, Photo/Video, Travel Imaging Conference this coming June 2-5.

Photography and Hiking for Pleasure, Not Profit

When's the last time that you let yourself shoot images without giving a thought to their monetary value? It's too easy to get caught up thinking about how to monetize our profession and it's so important to step back, slow down, and just shoot for the fun of it.

A Guide to the Not so Obvious Photo Spots in Arizona

People are constantly visiting me here in Arizona, and wanting me to point out the best places to take photos. Of course everyone wants to hit the Grand Canyon, Monument Valley, Antelope Canyon, and maybe Horseshoe Bend.