3 Tips for Better Nature Photos

We take pictures of our experiences everywhere we go and creating them is so much easier than in the past. Even so, many people want to improve their photography skills, so they can create a photo they can be proud of printing and hanging in their house. You don’t have to be a professional or have the fanciest equipment to create a nature photo you can be proud of. I’m a professional photographer and believe that everyone can capture beautiful photos with whatever they have to use. Whether using a phone or professional camera, these are three things that you can do to create more interesting and beautiful nature photos.

1. Create layers. This is probably one of the key principles I use a lot. I find it works best when you have a singular subject or the landscape needs a little more depth. The easiest way to do this is by finding something that can create a front layer to the photo. Usually foliage is good to use for this. You can also use items in the front of your camera to frame your subject creating a different look to a possibly ordinary scene.

   

   The tree branches create a front layer adding a frame and depth.

   

   The rocks create an added layer in the front giving a different perspective to an iconic structure.

   

   There are five layers here-the front grass, grass in front of the horses, the horses, the grass behind them, and then the skyline. This gives a lot of depth and interest to this photo.

2. Look for lines. All great photos have something in them that draws you through a photo or toward a subject. Our eyes don’t like to wander aimlessly when looking at a photo. Our brain and eyes like order. When examining something, you naturally look at something from top to bottom and left to right. To break this pattern, you can use strong lines to lead your eye in a certain direction. This creates a pleasing direction for your eye to follow and your brain to engage with a photo.

   

   The trees and road create a straight line down the middle of this photo leading to the end of the road, which your eye follows. Even the log on the right hand side points in the same direction of the road.

   

   This photo has strong lines of the road, trees and coastline that all resolve to a point on the horizon.

   

   This trail is a line between the two grass patches. A different perspective allowed me to capture these lines.

   
   
3. Use a different angle. Taking a photo looking up in a gorge can make the walls seem more massive. Getting up close to a flower can bring out more detail than you would normally see. Looking down from a mountain will give the viewer a perspective of the height. Backing away from a scene can add grandeur! Once you start experimenting with different angles, you won’t want to take a photo from chest or eye height again. My favorite angle is usually getting low, maybe it’s because I’m taller, but I find it to be my go-to angle for most things. Even switching your phone from horizontal to vertical can add a different perspective too. Experiment with taking the same photo both ways and see which one you like better.

   

   Using my phone vertically and not taking a photo of this waterfall directly from the front adds more interest to this photo.

   

   Going wide and backing up allowed me to capture the sun’s reflection and the layers of waves and foam. Taking this at a lower angle also helped with capturing the sun’s reflection.

   

   Mushrooms may not be the most interesting subject, but get up close and you can see the textures. Shooting low and aiming up adds more visual interest as well.

   
   
4. *Bonus tip* Use panorama mode on your phone!  This is an easy trick to use. Some scenes are so much more interesting using panorama mode. Either going from left to right or up and down, you can give a photo a new perspective by using the panorama setting on your phone. This is a feature where phones can shine over an expensive camera where the process is much more complicated to create such an image.

   

   Seeing the wide expanse of this marsh wouldn’t be possible without panorama mode. Capturing the sky and the rivulet of water make this a moment where panorama shines through.

   

   This spot is called a cave, but that’s really hard to see in real life without using panorama mode. Panorama here gave a new perspective to this spot that you wouldn’t be able to capture in a normal camera mode.

Once you start using these methods, your perspective of the world around you will change. Taking just a little more time to line up a shot could produce your favorite image from a trip! Keep taking and sharing your nature and adventure photos! We have a community dedicated to sharing photos from our adventures to inspire and be inspired by! Come join us!

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