As I’m preparing to search for black bears to photograph, my personal safety has certainly come to mind a few times. When photographing wildlife, the combined safety of both ourselves and the species we are seeking out should be the top priority. In this article, I go over a few things to keep in mind when you head out into the great outdoors with your camera.
There are mysterious places that swirl with intrigue and evoke dreams of the sights that lie within the unknown. These are the places that often seem so perfectly suited for a photographer with a wandering spirit. Arriving at the wondrous location, however, is only half the battle for the inclined documenter.
Flying a drone is a feeling that can be hard to describe. However, the photos and videos people are able to achieve using these tools are absolutely amazing and can have people staring at their screens for quite a while.
When people in the movie-viewing world think of sharks, the 1975 hit movie “Jaws” often comes to mind. Who could forget its ominous theme song or that menacing movie poster of a massive great white shark about to consume a swimmer?
One of the keys to you becoming the best photographer possible is working well in every season and using the different colors and moods to your advantage. Here's how to improve your photography during Spring.
Every day it seems like there’s a new unpredictable and intense weather phenomenon on the horizon — state-wide wildfires, raging storms causing massive flooding, polar vortexes, and my recent favorite: the bomb cyclone.
Wildlife photographers have a gift of patience that isn't always required in other photography genres. The key to a great shot is always finding a great backdrop, which can be difficult when your subjects are on the move.
How many of you have ever been to a national park or hiking trail only to find people disregarding the rules and trails all in pursuit of an ever better selfie or photo for Instagram? Then check out this Instagram account that's getting traction right now for calling out those very people and their bad behavior.
Why would you want to simplify your landscape compositions? And once you're convinced, how do you start?
Plans are good. Most of us live by plans, and we like things to go as planned. But sometimes just showing up and going with the flow can yield immense rewards for photographers. There is nothing wrong with wanting to know what to expect so you can plan appropriately, but sometimes we just need to let go. Here are a couple of examples of some amazing moments I would have missed if I had stuck to plans and took shelter in my comfort zone.
In this video, go behind the scenes with adventure sports photographer Christian Pondella as he travels to Greenland and photographs professional climber Will Gadd ice climbing in the polar landscape.
Do you struggle to get proper focus when photographing the stars at night? Has nothing you tried worked for you? Then this video will help with your astrophotography aspirations.
Spring is one of the harder seasons to pull off landscape and nature photography. There is ways to get around it and here is some inspiration.
Learn how one photographer edits his wildlife photographs in Lightroom.
How often do you think about either being deceived by or deceiving the viewer when you think about landscape photography? It's a topic worth talking about, as depending on how strongly you feel, it's a potentially polarizing subject.
This is a really good idea, and as far as I know it's an original one. The folks at Skylum, who have given us the Luminar and Aurora image editors, are today offering AirMagic, a Mac or PC app designed to apply AI (artificial intelligence) to any drone or aerial-based image you drop into the app, either a single image or a bunch of images. The app will be released March 21, but I got an early review copy and I'll share my impressions below.
As photographers we tend to always look for the big sweeping image; one that says as much as possible. But sometimes it's the little things that say a lot. In the context of storytelling, the detail shot is often overlooked for its power and simplicity.
With endless dunes stretching for hundreds of kilometers, abandoned houses, rocky mountains, and soils that look like the Martian surface, Namibia should put some wind in your photography sails. Check out the full list of the best photography locations in Namibia, as well as advice about appropriate gear and shooting times for each of them.
What's the point of your photography? And how do you engage viewers with your images more? I reached a stage where I struggled to clearly answer these questions but then I implemented a few very helpful techniques evident in these images that really helped me define my photography.
Black leopards are a rare sight in Kenya, one of the few remaining places the elusive animal can be found. But that rarity didn't stop British wildlife photographer Will Burrard-Lucas from recently seeking out the creature.
Canadian creative Jordan Manley is a master of capturing artistic, storytelling moments in the outdoors through both stills and motion. Find out some tools of the trade and learn what makes him tick.
When it comes to breathtaking and technically masterful nature films, nothing tops what BBC Earth produces. And now, they have announced five more incredible TV series are on their way, including "Planet Earth III."
I do mostly outdoor photography and anyone who does this can get bitten by the night sky bug. All those beautiful stars and the dramatic Milky Way beckon, but for many beginners it seems an impossible task. They think of needing tracking mounts, ultra-long exposures, and complicated processing. The good news is, it's not all that hard to get started with a fairly modest investment.
If you, like I, are stuck in less than inspiring locations you might need a little push or kick to actually get out and do what you love: landscape photography.
Nature and wildlife photography can often be a difficult genre of photography to be successful in. But award-winning nature photographer Thomas Mangelsen is an exception. Watch this video to learn about what makes this photographer's work stand out from the rest.
Photographer Tim Shields recently took part in a photo walk in the city White Rock, British Colombia. As the weather started getting wild, the situation went from interesting to deadly in the blink of an eye.
Wildlife photographer Will Burrard-Lucas has come up with creative means of getting close to some of the world’s most dangerous and shyest animals. Check out this short video to find out some of his gadgets for getting shots that would otherwise be impossible without putting yourself in a lot of danger or scaring off your subject.
I mainly work in locations that are associated with storm and rain and I absolutely love the results of that photography.
I got through the Sunday eclipse and helped a couple of friends with their first time try at eclipse imaging. It got me thinking about what I've learned over the years that might save you some time when the next one comes along.
Simon Roy is an award-winning wildlife photographer based in the UK. Watch this video to learn how he captures incredible images of wild birds.
Could a very niche genre of underwater photography, that people travel great distances for, be capable of protecting bizarre critters few know exist? During a visit to the Lembeh Strait in Indonesia — a mecca for macro photographers — I met with Belgian researcher Maarten De Brauwer to learn more about his research into the economic value of muck diving and underwater macro photography.
Learn how one creative went from paddling in the American Southwest while growing up in Colorado to navigating and documenting Glen Canyon as a National Geographic Explorer.
Sometimes, life decides to throw a load of crap at you. It's up to you how you deal with it.
It’s no secret that geotagging locations on Instagram posts has led to an increased traffic at many national monument and natural landmarks. Now, a huge cave discovered in British Columbia, Canada, is having its precise location kept secret in an attempt to avoid Instagram users visiting and causing potential damage.
As cameras get better and more capable, it has become easier than ever to capture an amazing photo. But for some photographers, pushing possibilities beyond comprehension is the only way to roll. Check out the amazing results produced by combining over 2,000 carefully focus stacked images of butterfly wings.
No matter what camera you have, it will be missing some feature available on another brand or model. I found that with my Canon DSLR, and when I moved to a Sony a7 III, I gave up some good features and gained a few.
If there is one creature I could spend the rest of my days photographing it is the California sea lion. These acrobatic pinnipeds commonly known as the “puppies of the sea” never disappoint and are by far the most playful of all marine life I have encountered.
Golden light kissed Matt McDonald's face and fresh snow greeted him while he walked out of Iceland's Keflavík airport. McDonald recently flew to Iceland for the first time in his life to research for a book he is co-authoring with Chris Burkard. But how did a former Silicon Valley entrepreneur get to this stage in the first place?
Documentary photographers have the opportunity to see the world in ways the everyday photographer may never understand. With the ability to chronicle events, they can tell stories from inside the action. However, this can also take a toll on the mind, making even the most hopeful person become cynical.
A film crew have found themselves amid controversy, after they “broke with convention” and interfered when a group of penguins got stuck during filming for David Attenborough’s new BBC series.
A newly-released timelapse has condensed 929 hours of blooming flowers into a casual three minutes. The video captures the moments the flower heads pop open to reveal the insides.
As fall draws to a close and we head into the colder winter months, the scenery around us shifts for the season. If there is something that you'll miss the most from the warmer weather, what would it be?
Thomas Heaton breaks down an essential woodland editing technique, known as the Orton effect. He recommends using it when shooting natural, woodland scenes. It provides just the right amount of pleasing glow and softness to take down the artificial and overly contrasty look that can sometimes crop up with photos of trees.
Merrell, an outdoor footwear brand, wanted a photography concept that would celebrate diversity on trails, but in a way that felt genuine and reflected reality. While outdoor brands usually look towards more of a traditional commercial photography approach, Tim Kemple had something else in mind to achieve their goals.
If you're an aspiring professional landscape and outdoor photographer, it might be time to stop capturing those iconic landscape scenes.
A chilly September morning. The crispness in the air added weight to the solemn moment. My composition was all figured out. I patiently waited for the final elements to come into place.
An artist and philosopher created special cameras to document the next 1,000 years of environmental change.
I first met Mike Olbinski back in 2009 or 2010, during the golden age of Flickr and personal photo blogs. Back then, most everyone I knew was focused on preening their websites, almost all of whom used the same ProPhoto Blog template.
I recently wrote an article asking photographers to stop tagging locations of outdoor photographs. Here's a follow-up to that piece, with a great supplemental video from Vox.
A young couple fell to their deaths in Yosemite National Park last week. We should all take it as an unfortunate reminder: no photograph is worth your life
