Photographing in Nature Tips

How to Take Your Pictures to The Next Level

Hello ladies and gents and welcome back to another installment of Ash Nichole attempts to blog. I first got interested in photography because I love finding and creating beauty, both in places you would expect it, but also in places where it might not be as obvious. Today I want to talk to ya’ll about how you can really capture the essence and the beauty that comes with nature, and a few of the tricks of the trade that I have learned throughout the years.

Timing is Everything:

It may sound cliché, but when it comes to taking the perfect nature photos, timing really is everything. My favorite time, and maybe the most obvious, is during the evening. I usually try to schedule most of my outdoor times around sunset, or in the 6pm-8pm range. During the golden hours of the day, you get wonderful lighting. All of the colors of nature really pop, and as an added bonus, the sunset leaves a really cool sunflair that is fun to play around with in Lightroom. Sunrise, as well, there is fabulous lighting, (maybe even better than sunset), but the logistics can be difficult. It is hard to convince someone to get up that early haha. When It comes to the middle of the day, the lighting is rough. Most of the time it is way too bright and there is way too much sun in the pictures. It is possible, and I have gotten some amazing photos during lunchtime, but you have to get really good at playing around with lightroom and tonal curves. 

Location, Location, Location

This one should seem pretty obvious so Im not going to spend a lot of time here, but location is very important. If you want pretty pictures, you need a pretty setting right? Well the answer is yes and no. If you have a beautiful location, of course you are more likely to get beautiful pictures. However, I have gotten some breathtaking pictures from areas you may not expect. Here are a few snapshots from locations you may not expect. One is from a small garden at the entrance of my apartment, the other is from a patch of weeds behind my apartment. Finding odd and obscure settings and trying to make them beautiful is one of my favorite things to do.

Using the Objects Around You:

I love love love using different objects in nature to add to my photos. In the past I have used leaves, sticks, and other objects to make it look like you are in a completely different setting. Just a simple stick or leaf can make you look like you are submerged in the forest. Also, I have found that you can play around with leaves to add shadows to your pictures. This is one of my all time favorite pictures.

Matching Your Setting with the Gender:

I have found that when taking outdoor pictures, understanding the personality and gender of your client is very important. Guys, generally speaking, photograph better with a more modern, sharp edges, stone, or city background. Women, typically work better in a more floral background. This isn’t always the case of course, and anybody can look great anywhere, but I have found that this tends to be the most natural.

Hopefully these quick little tips help you in your journey to beautiful photos in nature. If you have any comments or questions, please feel free to leave them below, and thank you for your support of my blog.