A NATURE PHOTOGRAPHY MANIFESTO
BY ROB SHEPPARD
• CHAPTER 1 •
This book is a pdf version of my e-book designed for the iPad. It has nearly all of the photos of the iPad e-book and all of the text, but it does not include the multimedia and interactive capabilities of the original iPad version.
Top, Johnson Shut In, Missouri; Sony sweep pan Right, praying mantis, Los Angeles, California; 300mm, APS-C
Redwoods in fog, Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park, California; 18mm, APS-C
A note on sensor format and focal length You will notice that all of the photo information about focal length includes the sensor format size. Mostly they are APS-C, which is what I shoot now. APS-C is the next smaller format size from 35mmfull-frame, and is misleadingly called a cropped format. Some images will show Four Thirds as the format, a format slightly smaller than APS-C. Focal length is meaningless without knowing the format used. I now shoot Sony NEX cameras for their size, video and some other features I quite like.
2
• CHAPTER 2 •
BEYOND PRETTY PICTURES
I believe that nature photography is important. I also believe that we have to look beyond what has been traditional in the field, from types of photography to selection of subjects. Tradition is important and we can honor that in our photos. But too much attention on tradition and on how nature photography has been done in the past can also keep us from finding fresh views of nature today. I believe we need to find and share the wild always around us beyond the old icons and explore new ways of affecting modern audiences.
Left, orbweaver spider, Los Angeles, California; right, mountain mahogany seeds, Kings Canyon National Park, California; both 200mm, APS-C
I never want to forget the great traditions of nature photography, but we need to think beyond them, too. Sunrise, Kings Canyon National Park, California; 200mm lens, ! APS-C
Tradition
therefore has a long tradition, a strong tradition that still influences us today.
Photography got started with landscape photography. That was because landscapes didn't move for the extremely long exposures that were needed when photography was young over a hundred and 50 years ago. Outdoor and nature photography became very important to early photographers because there was enough light outside to make early photography viable. Nature photography
This tradition is important because it affects how we approach and what we do with nature photography. The standards of nature photography set by photographers like Ansel Adams, Eliot Porter, Ernst Haas, and so many other nature photographers of the past are important. These photographers cared deeply about 4
their subject beyond simply getting a pretty picture, and they cared about the craft of photography beyond the latest hot camera.
that nature. Yet we have to be careful that “being unique� is not simply a superficial technique that creates an interesting photograph of momentary interest that has no other effect on a viewer; effect becomes more important than affect.
These photographers thought a lot about how they presented their subjects to the world. It was important for them to share what they cared about in ways that would affect the viewer and make that viewer think about the nature around all of us. They wanted to affect people, not simply show off photo effects. That's a standard that is just as important to us today.
Cars stream past Balanced Rock on the way out of Arches National Park at twilight; six second exposure, 18mm, APS-C
When tradition fails But tradition can also stifle fresh views of nature today. It can be easy for photographers to be stuck in the past and keep repeating the photography of their heroes when today's world needs new approaches, too. We need to find a way of bringing together the great traditions of nature photography with unique and special ways of photographing today to connect audiences with nature who are increasingly separated from 5
Death Valley can be harsh and unforgiving, but surprisingly, some life thrives there, such as the desert pupfish in Salt Creek. As photographers, we help others see such unique parts of our world.
Nature photographers are 
 the eyes of the public
have a responsibility that means going beyond simply capturing pretty pictures. Pretty pictures are nice, but if that is all the average person sees, they really won't connect much with nature.
Not everybody has the time or energy to get out in the field and really experience the nature that is all around us. This doesn't mean that people don't care. I think they do. But life today can be so busy and work so demanding that people simply don't get out and connect with the nature around them. When they do, it is often to some dramatic national park, important, but certainly not all of nature.
Pretty pictures? I suppose I'd better explain what I mean by pretty pictures. With today's camera gear and all of the instructional photography available, it is possible for nearly everyone to take dramatic, beautiful images of scenes around them. There is nothing wrong with that. But many of these pictures are pretty and little else. People admire the photograph because of the color, the dramatic
Frankly, if people today don't “see it�, they often aren't aware of it. A way they see things is through the eyes of the camera, the cameras of nature photographers, our cameras. This means we 6
light, the striking patterns, all good things about photography, but then they don't see the nature behind the pretty picture. They start to perceive nature as simply a series of pretty pictures rather than something that engages them and makes them think about the world around us. Much of what we see with nature and landscape photography today is just superficial, pretty pictures that start to look a lot the same. The public sees calendar photos as only that, calendar photos, and not something that connects them with the natural world. Pretty pictures can be soothing, great to have on the wall, and certainly worth doing. But if all we do is look for superficial, pretty pictures of the scenes around us, then they become merely decoration and not something that can connect people with the world. Now I want to be clear that I'm not advocating creating boring pictures that happen to have some sort of deep meaning behind them. You just can't do that today either. Photography has become so pervasive in our society that if images do not catch a viewer's attention, then there is no way that viewer is going to connect with anything seen in the photograph.
Why pretty pictures are easier today Cameras and camera technology have gotten really good. There is no question that it is easier to get sharper photos, better exposed photos than ever before. I have seen some pros feel threatened by this because it means you no longer need to have as much specialized instruction or a long “apprenticeship� to start
Yosemite Falls – the iconic Kodak moment! But the photo is the type of shot we have seen again and again. It is pretty, but does not engage us much more than that. 50mm, Four Thirds
7
taking attractive photos. Combine that with the easy shots, the shots that are Kodak moments, the iconic location that everyone visits, the big animals that everyone photographs -- pretty pictures become pretty easy! For a lot of these subjects, all you need to do is be there and point and shoot with almost any camera. But that can lead to superficial photography. If all one needs to do is point a camera at a pretty scene and get a nice shot, why bother learning more about the location, the wildlife, the nature? Why bother, indeed! Because nature is worth it, but better cameras don’t automatically encourage that.
“Nature is perfect� trap Sometimes I've heard people say that nature is perfect, therefore all we have to do is be in nature at the right time with the right equipment and you will have a great picture of nature. f/8 and be there! Well, nature might be perfect, but photography is not. That approach is more likely to lead to boring photographs that the average person doesn't care about rather than to give us striking nature photography that goes beyond the superficial.
This photo of the California Coast near Los Angeles is not the coast, but a representation, an interpretation of that coast that can fit on the page! That nature might have been perfect, but the photo required deciding to be at this location at a particular time for the light, selecting an appropriate focal length (12mm, Four Thirds), choosing the right angle and height to the scene, knowing to use a polarizer to help bring out the sky, choosing the right timing for the wave and so forth.
8
Nature is not a photograph; a photograph is not nature. We have to keep that distinction very clear because any photograph that we create based on nature can only be an interpretation of that nature. A photograph cannot show us real nature because you cannot cram real nature inside a camera.
Beyond beautiful record keeping In order to really care about nature and about photography, we have to go beyond simply beautiful record keeping of the natural world. This can start very simply by stopping long enough to go beyond the “always shot” subject, scene and way of shooting. It is so easy to get into habits of photography that simply portray nature the way we have always seen it. You don't have to be a brilliant genius sort of photographer to gain an image that goes beyond the obvious. Just stopping a moment as you are photographing to question yourself as to what else can you find from the subject beyond your first inclination (which is often something common and obvious) is a good start. Sometimes this can be something as small as a change in the background, a slightly different f-stop, an unexpected focal length – something that allows you to approach the subject in a fresh and unique way that will also share your vision of nature in a fresh and unique way as well.
Bold, unusual places like Bryce Canyon National Park, Utah, can overwhelm us so that we forget to go beyond beautiful recordkeeping. Yet we can do it if we stay conscious and focused on really seeing what is happening in front of us so that we find something unique and fresh about the scene.! 400mm, APS-C
9
National Parks vs Ordinary Nature
(How to Be Wild, by the way, is not readily available in the U.S. I got my copies from AbeBooks.com – “copies” because I have shared this wonderful book with many friends.)
In today’s world, there is a tendency to make everything so polarized, so black-and-white, as if the world could truly be divided in such a way. That’s why if I write about how we have to find nature in places besides the national parks, that may be seen as a challenge to national parks, like somehow there is a polarizing conflict.
Big and Small Places Are Impor tant
“If you think ordinary nature is worth photographing, then you are disrespecting all the work done to preserve our national parks.” “If you think you have to find nature in national parks, then you are losing touch with the reality of nature all around you.” It doesn’t have to be this way. The title of this section should be changed:
National Parks and Ordinary Nature British writer Simon Barnes puts it very well in his book, How to Be Wild. He says that there are two ways of enjoying nature, the special treat and nature as an aspect of everyday life, and that both are important. “Nature is an occasional pilgrimage and nature is also part of daily devotions.” Top, Zion National Park, Utah; 400mm, APS-C Bottom, grasshopper nymph on wooly sunflower in my native plants garden; 200mm, APS-C
10
Pretty much everyone knows that national parks are a good thing and wonderful places to photograph (that does not mean, of course, that everyone always treats them well). But when nature and photography of nature become something only done in national parks and other places like them, then a good deal of important nature around us is left unseen, first by us, second by the public who we provide eyes for.
Daisies on a rainy day in an ordinary field near Freeport, Maine. Many people pass this ordinary bit of nature every day on the way to work, but never see it or connect with it. One of our jobs as nature photographers is to help make that connection. 12mm, Four Thirds
To really connect with nature, we have to be able to connect that wild part of ourselves with nature regularly, and few of us can do that with national parks alone. I believe all of us need to connect with the nature that fills our world all around us. This is the nature that can ground us and keep us a part of nature rather than apart from nature. And as nature photographers, this is critical nature we need to share with others so that they stay grounded in the world we share with other life on this planet.
11
Pressures on the natural world
just the polar bears that are being threatened. Everybody first thinks about polar bears because of global warming, but everything from native bees to uniquely adapted flowers to birds that fly the sky around us have been, are and may be threatened.
I really feel that every nature photographer’s vision of nature is important. The economy and harsh environmental realities put a lot of pressures on the natural world. Animals and plants are endangered, entire species are at risk of being lost forever, species that are important to the ecosystems that define our world. It isn't
A world that loses its diversity loses some of its strength and definitely much of its beauty. It becomes a duller place for all of us as well as sometimes a more dangerous place. Yet, people don't like being hit over the head with doom and gloom predictions of the future. I didn’t particularly like writing that last paragraph and you probably didn't care much to read it. That was not even all that harsh, but we just aren’t comfortable with it.
People want a connection to nature Yet all people seem to want a connection to nature. This seems to be a part of our history, our genetics. In addition, nature often becomes an antidote to the stresses of our times. There are few people, young or old, liberal or conservative, male or female, who won't stop and be amazed by the exploding color from California poppies in bloom. Few of these people won't stop and breathe more slowly and begin to relax when seeing a beautiful stream going through a green forest. That’s important! Photographs can help provide that connection to nature or at least point
The Los Angeles River once was a beautiful drylands river, but is no longer ! because some people didn’t see their connection with nature. Compact digital camera
12
California poppies in bloom have the power to make you smile! Montana de Oro State Park, Los Osos, California. 50mm, APS-C
13
people in the right direction.
Methods for Getting Better Close-Ups. Such ideas can be important and helpful, but they can only start you on a path of finding your own unique vision of nature and how you share it with others.
So a challenge we have as nature photographers is to create images that get attention for our subjects. This isn't simply a matter of 10 Top Tips for Better Landscape Photography, or the 10 Best
If viewers get bored, they quit paying attention. But even the best images start to look boring if they look like all of the rest. So much of the pretty pictures that are being shot today and shown off by everyone from pros to amateurs displaying them on Facebook look great, but they start looking like everyone else's pictures. We all have a unique way of seeing the world and it is possible to put some of that uniqueness into our photography. I believe that nature is important. I believe that nature deserves our attention as photographers and the public needs to feel connected to it. Nature is worth the effort. I believe that we nature photographers can work to find fresh and effective ways of portraying the world around us. This image was shot with the camera on the ground, pointing up toward the sun. Nature can be worth taking the time to find a unique view of the subject and setting. These paintbrush in the Lasal Mountains of Utah were shot with an extreme wide-angle lens. 8mm, Four Thirds
14
Consider these ... 1. What traditions of photography do you want to honor in your images? 2. What traditions do you think are no longer valid for you? 3. You can be the “eyes of the public� for people who have not seen nature as you have seen it. 4. What are pretty pictures to you? When are they just pretty pictures and when can they be something more? 5. No matter what your experience and skill level are as a photographer, you can make your nature photography unique and special that make nature look unique and special, too. 6. What pressures do you see on the natural world? 7. Be proud and excited to share your vision of nature through photography. If you find this book interesting, helpful, useful or otherwise worth considering, please let other photographers know about it such as friends, at camera clubs, on Facebook and so forth, plus give it a review at the iBookstore. It is, and will be, free from the iBookstore. Thunderhead building somewhere over Mojave Desert, photographed while flying home to Los Angeles. Compact digital camera!
15
• CHAPTER 3 •
WORDS MATTER
Words affect what we do, how we photograph and the choices we make. How we think about nature and photography can dramatically affect how we get the best from both. I believe nature is worth the effort, in this case, to examine how we think.
Nature at a city park – great blue heron on deodar cedar, Los Angeles, California;! 400mm, APS-C
What it might look like if words got in the way; lupine and fog in Northern California; APS-C, 18mm
Self talk
The words we choose do matter. The words we use definitely affect our photography and our approach to nature, so words do matter in how we look at our nature photography.
There is a common theme that goes through much of the self-help literature and that is the idea of self talk. Research shows that we definitely carry on a conversation with ourselves, deep inside our mind, conscious and unconscious, using words to describe ourselves, what we do, how we act, and so forth. These internal conversations also affect how we see the world, including nature.
Most of this internal dialogue is done without a lot of thought. The words have often been “chosen� for us because of the way our parents talked about us when we were kids, how teachers talked about us, how our peers talked about us, and so forth. The words
17
that they chose became embedded in our minds and now are the words that we automatically choose to talk about ourselves if we have not made a conscious decision to think differently.
that an attitude of thinking you can do something can help you become successful, even when the odds are against you. Remember those words? “I think I can, I think I can, I think I can …”
If you think you can
As we get older, though, we forget that lesson. We even start to see such a story as okay for kids, but certainly naïve for adults.
Most of us grew up with the children's story about the little engine that could. There's a lesson there that adults wanted to teach kids,
Henry Ford said something that I think is very important, and it applies to “I can” thinking, “If you think you can or you think you can't, you're probably right.” How often has that affected you? I know this certainly has affected me. I still sometimes get trapped into thinking that I can’t do something because of … well, I could fill in a lot of excuses here and guess what results? I can't and I don't. This can be something very simple. I can't take that picture because I didn't bring a wide enough angle lens. I can't take that picture because there's not enough light. I can't take that picture because I will have to use too high an ISO. I can't take pictures like that until I get a better camera. Think about how limiting these statements are. As Photo: Climbing redwoods in Northern California
18
good landscape photographs because the landscape near me is boring – and it always will be as long as I keep telling myself that. And this definitely can affect our confidence in how we photograph. I'm just a (fill in the blank) so I can't possibly take good pictures. My photographs are okay, but they can't match (someone else’s photos – fill in the blank). I work hard at my pictures, but I can’t ever be a real master at this. As you just read these statements, these words, can you feel how they start to restrict thinking and limit possibilities?
Beliefs Here's a really obvious statement: our beliefs affect what we believe. Really? Who doesn't know soon as we say can’t about such things, we immediately have set limits on what we can do and so we don't.
that this is true? I think that most people “know” that this is obvious, but they don't actually know that in their hearts. We believe that our beliefs are well reasoned, certainly better thought out than those “other guys”, and we definitely have a lot of common sense. And so our internal story is that we are reasonable people who think clearly, use common sense, and will change our beliefs when something new truly does make sense and is reasonable.
This can affect our approach to nature. I can't get to the park this week so there won't be anything to photograph next week – guess what, I'll be right. I can't get any good pictures of nature nearby because I don't live near a big national park – once again, that is self-fulfilling. I can't get any 19
Researchers in psychology find this simply isn't true for any of us. Our beliefs create an internal system that affect what we will believe about the world around us. If we believe that the world is a nasty, ugly place, guess what we will see there and believe about it? If we believe that the world is a beautiful, striking place, that is what we will see there and believe about it. Jay Maisel, a very influential photographer who was once considered the best color photographer anywhere, once said, “There are no boring subjects, only boring ways of photographing them.” Consider that for a moment. Imagine being outside photographing nature with those words echoing in your head. Will you consider new subjects? Will you think harder about how you approach them? Words matter. Think about this – if we start to believe that nature is important and that our photography can be a way of honoring that importance, we must be aware of the words we start to tell ourselves as we photograph. If we believe that nature is only a place to take pretty pictures, that will affect us as we walk through nature with the camera. If we believe that we can take fresh and unique views of nature, we will start using different words inside our heads as we are out photographing in nature.
20
The inner critic One thing that can really hold us back from achieving our goals as nature photographers is that nagging self critic that sits in the back of our head telling us we can or cannot do certain things. Sometimes that self critic throws words at us that make us cringe and keep us from being all that we can be. I can tell you from experience how bad that self critic can be. There have been times that I have felt that there is this dark monster sitting somewhere in the back of my head critiquing all of my thoughts and making me less confident and certainly a lot less empowered in my photography. There have been times where I've had to stop and yell at myself, at the self critic, “Shut up! Shut the (blank) up!”
with rejection than others. The self critic is trying to create some boundaries to protect us from rejection and criticism from others. In some ways, that might be a noble thing to do, but the self critic can get carried away and be way too protective. Mine is.
There is no question that this self critic has kept me from doing certain types of photography, working in certain ways as a professional, speaking up about things that are important to me regarding nature and photography. Even though sometimes I have gotten angry with this self critic and frustrated, I have come to learn that is actually a part of me that is trying to “protect” me. None of us particularly like rejection, though some of us deal better
This goes beyond how we think about ourselves as photographers, though that is certainly important. This also affects how we interact with nature. If we start getting interested in some small aspect of nature, maybe a spider, a flower that isn't the obvious one 21
everybody photographs, a landscape that is not part of Yosemite, or something like that, our self critic will chime in and say, “What do you think you're doing? No one else cares about that! You're just wasting your time and people will give you a hard time for photographing such an insignificant part of the world. The people in the camera club will look down their noses at you. Your dad will wonder even more so why the heck you're wasting all this time with photography.� Think about what such an inner dialogue will do to you both as a photographer and in affecting your choices of what to photograph. Sometimes we need to acknowledge that our self critic is a part of us that is trying to protect us, then reassure this self critic that they can relax, but it's okay for us to do something outside of its restrictions. And sometimes we just need to tell it to shut up and then consciously pick better ways of talking to ourselves.
Words do matter! Top: Who cares about little flowers on the beach when you are in the redwoods or ... beach morning glories show o" the diversity of life. Compact digital camera Bottom: A paper wasp on a garden chair? Get out the wasp killer or ... be amazed at paper wasp resourcefulness gathering material to manufacture paper for its architecture. 180mm, APS-C
22
Empowerment resource
Consider these ...
Tara Sophia Mohr is a popular women’s empowerment blogger. I think she has a lot to say that also strongly applies to creative people, including us photographers. Just because you are a man does not mean you won’t learn from her. I certainly have. Her blog posts and videos about the inner critic and about praise have a lot of application to what is in this chapter. Check her website out at: http://www.taramohr.com.
1. What are you telling yourself that you can’t do concerning your photography? 2. Where do you think that self-talk comes from? 3. Change your self-talk to make it more empowering. This can be hard, so keep at it. 4. What is your most common self-talk about your connection to nature? Does help or hinder you in finding fresh photos of nature?
Her blog post about praise is “for” women, but it definitely is about both sexes when it comes to creativity: Tara Mohr on praise. Her post on the inner critic will also get you thinking: Tara Mohr on the inner critic. These links worked as of the publication date of this e-book, but blogs change. If you have trouble, just go to her main site and look around there.
5. Pause to think about how your beliefs about photography and nature affect what you do when you are photographing nature. How can your beliefs help you better connect with nature through your photography? 6. What nature subject have you always considered to be boring? How could you photograph it so it was not boring? 7. How often does your inner critic try to control your photography? Have you told it to shut up yet?
23
• CHAPTER 4 •
ENGAGING PHOTOS We cannot be the eyes of the public if they are not looking. If viewers don't engage with our images, they don't care. If they don't care, they don't see the nature that we consider important. So how do we engage viewers, help them see the excitement we see in nature, and gain attention to nature through our photography? How can we create more engaging photos?
Paintbrush flowers shot from down low, using a strong telephoto focal length to create a unique look at these common flowers of the Hill Country, Texas. 400mm, APS-C
Engage nature yourself Creating engaging photographs starts by becoming engaged yourself in the subject and the scene. Sometimes it is so easy to get wrapped up in the technology or techniques of photography that they become a wall between you and your subject. All of us have been in the situation where we lose sight of what our natural subject really is so that it becomes an object to be captured by the
camera rather than a real-world representative of the wild for us to engage with. To be engaged with nature does not mean that we have to be some gung ho wilderness explorer. It does mean that sometimes we have to stop and press the pause button in our mind. Pause and really
25
look at the nature in front of us so that we understand what that experience means. Don’t allow your camera to become a barrier between you and nature.
unique relationship with nature and with photography. It is so easy to be distracted from this. So much of photography magazines and photography books emphasize tips and tricks that can be effective, but also can cover up what your photography is and who you are because they aren’t designed to reveal the unique qualities that make you and your photography distinctive.
Share what is uniquely you People respond today to what is authentic and true. This comes from being authentic and true to who you are and respecting your
I truly believe that all of us have a unique way of seeing the world around us and how we approach photography. We need to stay true to each of our unique views of nature and share that simply because that can be powerful and engaging for viewers. That said, it is important that we do get better at mastering the craft of photography so that we can better express and better share our vision of nature. But through all of that, we have to guard against being so distracted by technology, gear, other people’s comments, camera club competitions, photo contests, and so on, that we lose touch with who we are as photographers and explorers of nature.
I find bats fascinating creatures and photography gives me a chance to share that. Mexican free-tailed bats at the Congress Avenue bridge, Austin, Texas;! 85mm, APS-C, with flash
26
Engaging angles, distances, heights
standard height and distance from the subject, creating images that all too common, images that are not very engaging. Consider the first choice of your camera position to be that, the first choice of multiple choices. Then start looking for other angles, distances and heights to your subject that can change how you visually engage with that subject and scene.
Immediately get more engaging pictures by thinking about angles, distances and heights to your subject. One of the challenges that many photographers face is that they set a camera up at a very
Common angles to a subject are much less engaging to viewers. They’ve seen it all before, so they don’t care. By looking for a unique angle to your subject, one from an unusual side, for example, you immediately perk up the interest of your viewer because you are engaging them with the subject in a new way. There is no question this can be challenging because you may be faced with compositional problems to solve, but the results can be very effective. Since so many people tend to photograph at very standard distances from certain subjects (this includes both actual and visual distances), these distances tend to be commonly seen in photographs, which makes them less engaging for the viewer. When you first move toward your subject, think about other approaches that could put you either much closer or much farther away from your subject. As soon as you break the common boundaries of shooting distances, you immediately create a new and fresh way of seeing your subject. Too often photographers pick the middle ground sort of shot that is less interesting. Back up and Even the most photographed locations can gain a new and engaging angle if you consciously search for one. Half Dome, Yosemite National Park, California; 60mm, Four Thirds
27
Standard middle distance. Nothing dramatic, we’ve seen it before. Okay, but not very engaging. A record shot of a subject in nice light. 22mm, APS-C
shooting through foreground elements. Shoot at higher heights, even over your head, by holding your camera over your head as you shoot. You can do this by putting your camera on a tripod, setting the self timer, then holding the camera and tripod way over your head as the camera is triggered. A wide shot showing o" the setting and creating a di"erent, less common sort of view of the tree. Much more engaging. Canyonlands National Park, Utah. 10mm, APS-C
show the setting and environment of your subject or get in tight and close to dramatize its details. Have you ever noticed that when a group of photographers are out on a field trip or a class that they all set their tripods up to the same height, essentially eye level. Yes, that’s an easy height to shoot at, but it’s also the most common and so is the least engaging. As soon as you start looking for additional angles beyond that standard eye-level height, you can effectively capture the viewer’s attention and engage them because they are seeing something different than the usual. Shoot at super low heights to your scene, even if that means 28
Showy primrose shot at its eye-level, the lens looking through foreground plants. Lockhart, Texas 400mm, APS-C
Try shooting at the eye level of the subject or scene, not your eye level. Every scene will have sort of an eye level. Wildlife of any kind has an eye level because of their eyes. Flowers have an eye level when you’re down at their level rather than shooting down on them. Landscapes don’t really have an eye level, but they will have heights that work better to give a feeling that you are really engaged with the scene.
Get out of the center The chaparral ecosystem in the Santa Monica Mountains, California, gains a unique look from a high angle shot that shows o" the setting and a bold composition that creates a strong relationship from the blooming yucca to the background. 50mm, Four Thirds
Centered pictures are not visually engaging images. A very quick and easy way of getting viewers involved with your photographs is to get your subject, horizons, and other strong visual elements out 29
of the center of the picture. When a subject is centered in the picture, viewers tend to look at that subject and nothing else in the photograph. Their eyes circle around the subject, get tired of it and move on. As soon as you get your subject out of the center, you immediately offer interesting relationships of visual elements throughout the picture for your viewer to engage with. If it helps, use the rule of thirds. The rule of thirds is good as a guide, but not as an arbitrary rule. The rule of thirds was designed by artists who create from a blank canvas such as painters. As photographers, we can’t do that, so blindly following it can result in awkward arrangements of the real world in a photo. This rule should be seen as a help and not really a rule. The point is that to get engaging pictures, look for ways to compose an image where your subject is not centered.
By placing the bush in the foreground low and to the right in the composition, an interesting relationship is created with the woods behind it on this barrier island landscape along Northeast Florida coast. 150mm, APS-C
30
Unique foreground/background views
become a common and expected way of working a landscape so it is less engaging to viewers. Second, no one does David Muench photos better than David Muench, so his images will be fresh because he knows how to make them fresh.
David Muench pioneered a particular foreground to background composition with landscape photography. However, if you simply copy his approach, you will miss on two accounts. First, this has
However, there are lots of opportunities to create unique and unusual foreground to background compositions of a scene. Once you start looking, you will start seeing these unique views a little at a time, but as you gain experience, you will see more and more possibilities. The key is a strong foreground that matters combined
Bold foreground to background compositions add interest and engage the viewer in these images: left, penstemon blooming on granite dome, Yosemite National Park, California; 12mm, Four Thirds; right, Fremont peppergrass in bloom, Arches National Park, Utah;10mm, APS-C
31
with a strong background that matters, then something in between that works well with the composition and causes no distractions.
The extraordinary Several times in this chapter, I have talked about how the usual way of photographing things can be less than engaging for a viewer. Viewers want and need fresh ways of seeing the world through photography. They want to see the extraordinary. Research even indicates that we are wired as human beings to look for the novel, the unusual, because that helped us spot enemies a long time ago. That might seem a little intimidating. If it is, go back and reread the chapter, “Words Matter”! Extraordinary does not have to mean something impossible. It is simply something beyond the ordinary, something unique and unusual: extra-ordinary. This is especially important as we photographing the common and familiar parts of nature around us. If we photograph such subjects the same way that we always photograph them, the same way that everybody else photographs them, then we’re showing our viewers nothing fresh and new about these subjects, so why should they bother engaging with the photos? Or even caring about the subject? We need to find ways of making the ordinary ... extra – ordinary. The chaparral is an amazing ecosystem in California as unique as the redwoods, but without impressive big trees, so it is seen as “just brush.” How do you capture a landscape that is mostly tall shrubs? I have had folks tell me it is “too hard.” But again, nature is worth the e"ort. This is shot from below to deliberately include a bold sky above the uplifting redshank bushes in bloom. I used HDR to control the brightness from bushes to clouds. Santa Monica Mountains; 10mm, APS-C
32
And this applies to unique and unusual subjects as well. Simply photographing them as pretty record-keeping shots doesn’t honor your vision or the subject. Sure, an unusual subject is going to attract attention from a viewer, but if they sense that you have taken the time and effort to put more care into that photograph, they will also care more about your image and subject. This does not mean you have to run out and try something like infrared photography or buy a new lens that you have never used before. Certainly, unusual techniques can help you create fresh views of the subject. But often all it takes is a mindset that you are going to find something fresh and new about your subject. It might mean simply a new angle, a new height, a different way of using your craft as a photographer, an unusual use of light, a special time of day, and so on. It all starts by simply realizing that you need to honor your subject and your self by going beyond the easy to see and commonly shot photographs.
Bright contrasty areas always fight for attention in a photo, taking away from your subject and your viewer. Bush snapdragon, native plants garden, Los Angeles, California; 100mm, APS-C
particularly striking or exciting subject in front of our lens. Your camera’s LCD can certainly help if you start using it to look at the entire photograph all the way out to the edges, and not simply seeing if your subject is in the picture or not.
Distractions Distractions in a photograph can keep your image from engaging any viewer. That will keep viewers from paying attention to the nature that you care about. Distractions can make your photo less accessible.
A very common and nasty distraction is a big bright area away from the subject. Bright areas, especially bright areas that have contrasty edges, will always attract a viewer’s eye away from the subject. When these bright areas show up, they can totally take the viewer away from what is important about the photograph.
To start, you need to look beyond the subject. There’s a tendency for all of us to become so focused on the subject that we don’t stop and observe what is going on around the subject in areas still being seen by the camera. This is especially true when we get a
One challenge that we all face as photographers is that we see 33
subjects extremely well, but cameras don’t. Cameras could care less about subjects. All the camera cares about is the light, especially the contrast of the light from the bright areas to the dark areas. So we may see the subject very well in front of us, but if the light is not appropriate, then the subject will not be seen well in the photograph. This can mean a bright spot of light fighting for our attention away from the subject; it might mean a pattern of light that makes the subject blend with the background; or it can be any situation where the light is emphasizing something away from and other than the subject. It also helps to use the LCD for this. If your subject is hard to see in your LCD because of the way the light and shadows are on it, then that picture is never going to engage a viewer. Light can reveal a subject, but it can also hide and distract from a subject. If the shadows are in the wrong places on a subject or scene, then nothing you can do will ever make this image as engaging as a could be.
A common subject with a di"erent look o"ers connection to a viewer. California ladybird beetle on Cleveland sage, native plants garden, Los Angeles, California; 180mm, APS-C
communicate with the viewer. This is truly about communication. Sometimes it is easy to get wrapped up in the technology or techniques of photography and forget that ultimately someone else is going to be looking at these images.
Connect with the viewer Pictures that engage a viewer are pictures that connect with a viewer. This starts, I believe, with a very specific mindset that says that you as the photographer want to both show off nature and
That is why so much of this chapter talks about what happens in an image that can affect how a viewer engages with the photograph. Things like getting out of the center, watching for distractions, 34
looking for fresh angles and views on your subject are ways of creating images that will better engage the viewer and connect them with your subject. Connecting with a viewer does not mean condescending to or pandering to the viewer. This does not mean you have to compromise your vision and your unique view of nature. Your vision and view are important. Connecting with a viewer is, again, about communication. Good communication is not about condescending, pandering or losing your self. It is about being authentic and true to who you are while also honoring who you are communicating with. Engaging with the viewer means you care about you, your photography, the viewer and nature. It is a balance, not a compromise. Ultimately, I think this effort is worthwhile because, as I have said before, nature is worth the effort.
Finding a Feeling of Place Place is important. Place engages a viewer of photography because it is something they can identify with, even if they have never been to the location. The challenge for us as nature photographers is to show nature places as places that viewers can connect to.
A paper wasp is a beautiful animal, but most people won’t get close enough to see that. Photographs help. Los Angeles, California; 180mm, APS-C
unless you show them? If all they see are your photographs from far away locations, they may get the impression that nature doesn’t exist except in far away places. That is very dangerous and separates us from the vast majority of nature.
I believe this truly starts when you photograph the nature in your area. First, it is just the right thing to do because otherwise, how will others, non-photographers, know how important the nature is 35
Second, by shooting in areas nearby, you will constantly refine your technique, plus you will discover all sorts of things because you get out on location again and again. I have found that when I return to a location I love, such as the Santa Monica Mountains near me, I am constantly discovering new things, even though I have been there many times before.
small – their tallest is only 2500 feet high. Compare that to Mt. Whitney also in California – 14,505 feet high. This area is just as overlooked as a beautiful marsh outside of a midwestern city. I know the latter, too, because I lived much of my life in Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minnesota. I used to get people coming to my classes and telling me there was nothing to photograph.
You might say, but you are not by mountains. Okay, have you ever heard of the Santa Monica Mountains? These mountains are pretty
I can never accept that. There is always something to photograph. It is a matter of being open to what is around you, and I think this is possible, no, critical for all of us as photographers if we truly are going to share nature with others. Ansel Adams spent his time in Yosemite, and gave us a sense of place for that location. Clyde Butcher is a superb photographer from Florida, and he has given us a sense of place for Southern Florida. The late John Netherton put Tennessee nature on display in ways that no one had photographed before except in the Great Smokies and gave a sense of place for that location, too. There are examples like these photographers everywhere – you can do it, too, for your special place that you can visit over time. Prickly phlox blooming in the chaparral. Santa Monica Mountains, California; 19mm, APS-C
36
Consider these ... 1. How do you personally engage nature as you photograph? 2. What about your nature and photography is unique to you and how do you express that? Are you hiding or sharing this? 3. Look beyond the first angle, height and distance you set up to your subject. 4. What are you doing to keep your subject out of the center of the photo? 5. Make the effort to search for unique foreground to background compositions. 6. What can you do to lift the ordinary to the extraordinary? 7. What can you do to help root out distractions? 8. No matter what your experience as a photographer, you can find ways to connect nature with others. Not many people will get this close to a rattlesnake or even consider its beauty. Yet you can make an image of any part of nature that will engage a viewer and help them better see a less seen part of nature. Bishop, California; 200mm, Four Thirds
37
• CHAPTER 5 •
HEALING
Watching flowers blowing in the wind can be relaxing and mesmerizing. Point Dume, Monica Mountains, California; 400mm, APS-C
Nature and nature photography can heal Throughout this book I have been talking about how important nature is and how we honor the importance of nature through our photography. I can tell you from experience that it is easy to get overwhelmed by the perceived seriousness of that idea. When that happens, we can be so focused on things outside of ourselves that we forget how much we need nature and how our connection to nature can heal us, especially as we photograph. I once had a shy young woman come up to me after a presentation I had made to a nature photography group. She wanted to talk to me, but was uneasy with all of the other people around. When they cleared somewhat, she told me that my book, The Magic of Digital Nature Photography, saved her life. She said that she had been depressed and had faced some challenges in her own life, but this book took her out of them and encouraged her to get outside and connect with nature through photography. That meant more to me than any sales figures that might come from that book.
Ferns and birch in the White Mountains, New Hampshire (18mm, APS-C)
What some folk s say about nature and healing: Richard Louv: “Short, quiet encounters with natural elements can simply calm us and help us feel less alone.” from The Nature Principle
Nature photography has also had a direct impact on me. 9/11 is a day that will be forever etched in the minds of anyone older than a kid at that time. The actual event was bad enough, but the endless loops of video of the event seen on TV were very disturbing. I went to a park and photographed wildflowers there. This was a connection to wild nature that helped calm my brain and psyche.
Simon Barnes: “Short, quiet encounters with natural elements can simply calm us and help us feel less alone.” from The Nature Principle Wendell Berry: “When despair for the world grows in me … I come into the peace of wild things.” from The Peace of Wild Things
Nature and nature photography can do that.
39
Nature time A challenge I constantly face is making time for myself to get outside and reconnect with nature. I think this is true for a lot of people in today’s very busy world. We all have so many things going on, so many things we have to do, so much to keep up with. Right now I’m excited about working on this book and so sometimes stay in my office longer than I should. I live in the city though I know a lot of great natural areas that aren’t far away. The most important place for me to spend nature time is in my native plants garden. I can stop what I am doing, walk outside into the yard and experience nature in the wild that is there. I have spiders that build webs across my garden and through the plants, and spiders are probably one of the most important predators on the planet. I have native bees that visit my flowers, bees that are very different than the common honeybees. I have hummingbirds that chatter at each other and at me as I go through the garden. And I’ll always have something blooming showing off its bold shapes and colors of wonderful flowers throughout the year.
This little critter is a katydid nymph hanging out in a seaside daisy in my native plants garden. Our small yard is filled with flowering plants, mostly native species, and it keeps me sane. 300mm, APS-C
need to spend some time in larger areas of nature (our yard is typical of yards in LA – very small!). I have been so busy this past summer working on a number of book projects that I have neglected, and neglected is the right word, to get out into the Santa Monica Mountains and the chaparral. That is an amazing ecosystem that is not well-known, as unique as the redwoods, and not far away.
Lately, I have been forcing myself to take breaks and just go out in the garden for nature time. That’s important, but I know that I also 40
Icons and Details I definitely love the special treat of going to a national park. I try to visit several every year. I have some friends who have a lifetime goal of visiting all of them. Our national parks truly are a national treasure. I find such joy being out in such large expanses of amazing nature, and there definitely is something important to doing just that. It reconnects us with wild spaces in ways that you cannot do in any other way. Big, bold images of national park iconic scenes are fun and inspiring. They can be important connections to big-scale nature that we don’t otherwise see. But such images can also seem far away and disconnected from average, daily life. There is a second option, even at the big national park.
Above: Monkey flower in bloom along Castro Crest in the Santa Monica Mountains, about an hour away from my home. I have photographed this area over and over again, and I rarely see another photographer there unless I bring them. 18mm, APS-C
Images of a smaller scale, photos of the details of nature are often scenes that we better connect to as human beings. Detail is what we can relate to. Big icons of nature are often untouchable, yet there are always details of nature around us that we can touch and get close to with our cameras. These details ground us and connect us with nature in a visceral way that no distant vista can ever do.
Isn’t it funny that sometimes we who love nature and nature photography have to actually force ourselves to get out into certain areas, especially if they are nearby? I think it is so important that we do that, however. This keeps us connected with nature and photography.
41
Left: a well-known icon of Arches National Park – Balanced Rock ! 150mm, APS-C
can understand and it is open to us. You’ll notice that most of the images in this chapter are of the scale of ordinary nature.
Right: A more intimate view of the details of Arches National Park. Such details ground us and the viewer in nature because they o"er a scale we can immediately relate to. Compact digital camera, fixed lens
Photographs of bold icons and small details are both important. We need both types of connections, I believe, in order to feel whole in our relationship with nature.
This is also part of nature inherent in the ordinary life all around us. This is nature we can literally reach out and touch on a regular basis if we stay open to it. We readily relate to nature at a scale we 42
Nature friends
and he was also wellknown for his flower photography. I asked him if he knew what the flower was. He said that if a flower wasn’t something he could photograph and sell the photo, he wasn’t interested. He had no idea.
In many ways, we have been taught to make nature an object for our use. Regardless of what you or I might do personally, nature is where we harvest trees, where we hike, where we hunt and fish, where we extract oil and gas, where we fence off “our” land, where national parks are, where we go for vacation, and so forth. While any of these activities could allow us to connect with nature, often they encourage us to see nature as an object, something that is very separate from us.
I want to know as much about nature as I can, not so that I can identify everything, but so I can get to know the names of my friends. A good friend of mine These are cream cups, a flower of the grasslands of central California. This group was literally the first has said that when he plants I had seen of these in the wild. I wanted to know their name, because knowing their names goes out photographing made them personal, and new friends! 200mm, APS-C with me, I start talking I’ve seen this happen to nature photographers. I know many nature about the nature around us as if I am introducing him to my good photographers who don’t really care much about nature other than friends. And I suppose I am. I would never consider making my it being a subject, or “object”, for their photography. I once was at a human friends objects simply to be used, whether that is for meeting of professional photographers. I took a little hike in the harvesting timber or harvesting images. I believe that if we are to morning and found a small flower that I didn’t know and couldn’t get the most from nature, and to really have it speak to us, we have find in my guidebook. I went back to the meeting to one to be open to nature as more than an object and respect what it has photographer who was supposedly an expert in flowers in this area, to say to us. 43
Nature photography helps us focus
A Focus on Bees
One of the things that I have learned over the years is that when I allow myself to use my camera as a way of connecting with nature, I discover that my focus is enhanced and everything goes away except that subject and photograph in front of me. I sometimes like to joke that I am a little like Dug, the dog in the movie, Up, who would pay attention to something and then all of a sudden be distracted, “Squirrel!” My mother used to say I was like the absent-minded professor – it wasn’t that I was really absentminded, I just got distracted. When a natural subject is in front of me and my camera, distractions go away. I become extremely focused. I start seeing things that I never noticed before. I think this is even enhanced with digital photography because when I take the picture, a little image shows up on the LCD that helps me further see what the camera is capturing. The camera and its frame around the composition forces one to focus in on a limited part of nature. If you are willing to be open to this small area of nature, you can discover all sorts of things there that go way beyond simply seeing the subject. You will start to look at the nuances of light and shadow on the subject and its surroundings. You will look at what happens to the subject and the background within the image area. But to do this, you have to be willing to immerse yourself in what is happening in the area framed
Ground or miner bees in the Santa Monica Mountains. These bees are constantly on the go and buzz like crazy around their colonies. Yet they are relatively harmless to people. 10mm top, 180mm bottom, APS-C
44
for your photograph, not simply thinking about recording a subject with a good camera.
light table. The difference between Lightroom and a light table is that I can change the size of these images to better focus in on individuals or groups of photos.
Seeing nature multiple times One thing I really love about nature photography is that it helps me see nature better as I am out in nature: first, I focus in on that interesting part of nature in front of my camera, then I focus a second time when I look at the images on my LCD, next a third time when I am going through my images after I’ve imported them into the computer, then a fourth time when I am working with a specific photo, and this can go on forever. For me, this truly is a reexperiencing of that nature, not simply a way of seeing what my photographs look like. This is also one thing that I really love about Lightroom. Before Lightroom, I could have certainly looked at my photos and dealt with them, but I did not have the tools to really help me directly connect with the nature of my photography. Lightroom allows me to instantly change the way photos are displayed on my screen – I can empty the screen of everything except photos and look at them all lined up as a group like I might see them on a
Woods after sunset in Shenandoah National Park, Virginia; 40mm, Four Thirds
45
Then I can quickly change the screen to display an image full size. It gives me instant connection with the photograph and the nature within it. I never felt that connected with my photography when I was using Photoshop and Bridge. There was always this disconnect because those programs tended to make the program the star rather than the photograph. Lightroom was designed by photographers, not just computer people, and it shows because the photography is the star, not the interface.
Consider these ... 1. When has nature been an important part of your psychological and spiritual life? 2. Have you ever felt the healing touches of nature? 3. Plan to spend deliberate time in nature and in photographing nature this week.
(A couple of quick notes about using Lightroom – Shift + Tab will hide everything on your screen except the photos. Press those keys again and you’ll get back all of the panels, film strip and so forth. Press the letter “g” and you’ll instantly go to the Grid in Library. Press the letter “e” and you’ll instantly go to a full screen view of your photo within the central work area. Press the letter “d” to quickly go to the Develop Module. Try out the function keys at the top of your keyboard – you may have to tell your computer to accept them as function keys – especially F6, F7, and F8. They change what is displayed on your monitor to allow you to better focus on your photograph.)
4. Everybody photographs the icons. What details can you find to photograph near the icons? 5. Think about the scale of nature in your photographs and how details can make you feel more connected. 6. Are you looking for the ordinary nature all around us? And photographing it, too?
46
• CHAPTER 6 •
GOING FURTHER What can I say? Well, this is a free book, so you probably expected something like this. Since this e-book does not get into a lot of technical detail about nature photography, I want to share some links to books and classes
I have done on photography that you might find useful. And don’t forget to check out my blog www.natureandphotography.com and my reference website, www.robsheppardphoto.com.
A FEW OF MY BOOKS THAT READERS OF THIS PHOTO E-BOOK MIGHT LIKE Landscape Photography: From Snapshots to Great Shots One of my latest books, just about photographing the landscape. I am really pleased with the way this book turned out. It includes a lot of very recent photography from around the country, as well as ideas on getting better landscape photos. Chapters include: • • • • • • • • • •
Equipment needed Seeing as your camera sees Working with light Better composition Perspective, space and depth of field Sky Connecting with a landscape Black-and-white basics HDR Traditional darkroom work on the computer
Book link
48
The Magic of Digital Landscape Photography This is almost a companion book to the previous book. This is an older book, so the equipment section is starting to be dated, but that is a very small part of the book. This book overlaps the first book some in terms of techniques (including light and composition), but also looks at landscape photography in ways that few other books of this type do, by looking at photography of specific landscape types. Chapters include: • • • • • • • • • •
The proper gear Setting your camera Mountains Forests Deserts Oceans Flower landscapes Prairies Small Scale Landscapes Winter
Book link
49
Digital Photographer’s Complete Guide to HD Video You have seen some video in this book (though this type of e-book compresses video to such a degree that it is far from HD video!) and maybe you are interested in shooting some video, too. This book truly is a complete guide for digital photographers. Some photographers have told me that it looks like only a book for pro video shooters because of the cover, but that is misleading. This is a book for every photographer who wants to shoot video. Chapters include: • • • • • • • •
Video DSLRs vs Camcorders Getting great audio Accessories for better video Shooting HD video Creating visual variety Recording audio Editing video Video output
Book link
50
The Magic of Digital Nature Photography This book really puts together some of the best techniques I know for all types of nature photography. This book is older and the digital gear chapter is outdated, but this will be updated in the next year for an updated book that will include a good portion of new photos, though the basic nature photography information is not going to change much because it is the same! Chapters include: • • • • • • •
Possibilities Color Landscape Flowers Wildlife Close-Ups Connections
Book link
51
National Geographic Field Guide to Digital Photography This is also an older book with an outdated section on digital cameras, though the core information about digital technology is correct. The rest of the book is sound about all types of digital photography. It is a good, compact reference and includes some special sections on photographers including National Geographic photographers Jim Brandenburg and Bruce Dale. This book has also been translated into many languages and is available throughout the world. Chapters include: • • • • •
Effective camera techniques From camera to computer The digital darkroom The print Ethics
Book link
52
Totally Biased Close-Up and Macro Photography Book This is a little book I did on close up photography to encourage photographers to try new things with close up and macro photography. It truly does reflect tips and techniques that I really do use all the time. It also includes information about each photo that is about the nature and photography. The book includes how to work with: • • • • • •
Extension tubes Macro lenses Achromatic close up lenses Wide-angles up close Telephotos for close ups Light and close ups
Book link
53
A DVD VIDEO YOU MIGHT LIKE
Landscape Photography: From Snapshots to Great Shots, The Video! This video complements my book, Landscape Photography: From Snapshots to Great Shots. We shot this in a beautiful location in the rolling hills of Sonoma County in Northern California. I offer a lot of tips from the field for getting better landscape photos. Segments include: • • • • • •
How time of day affects you Working with directional light Seeing better compositions How to use the histogram for better exposure Choosing focal length to affect perspective Getting better skies
DVD Link
54
• CHAPTER 7 •
ENDING MESSAGE Have fun with your photography and your connections to nature! ... Rob
If you found this book interesting, helpful, useful or otherwise worth considering, please let other photographers know about it such as friends, at camera clubs, on Facebook and so forth, plus give it a review at the iBookstore. It is, and will be, free from the iBookstore.