Photography Articles

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Nature photography

Nafiseh Tabari

Canada, 2014

Nature photography is about outdoors photography and displays different aspects of natural elements like landscapes, wildlife, plants, and close-ups of natural textures. In nature photography, the aesthetic value of the photo is very important and higher than other genres of photography like photojournalism and documentary photography.

Wild life photography, displays animals in action; actions like eating, fighting and flying, however, game farms could be considered as wild life photography.

The techniques of the nature or wild life photography are different from landscape photography; for example, small apertures are used in wild life photography, while in landscape photography, wild lenses are used to achieve a fast shutter speed, freeze the subject’s motion and blur the backgrounds. Wild life is usually photographed by telephoto lenses, which are heavy and hard to handhold, so it is necessary to use a tripod.

Wild life photos can participate in ‘open’ or ‘nature’ photography competitions. In CAPA’s nature competition, photographs of living, untamed animals and uncultivated plants in a natural habitat, geology and wide diversity of natural phenomenon, from insects to icebergs are acceptable, while domesticated and caged animals and also cultivated plants are ineligible.

The important aspects of nature photography are story-telling theme, aesthetic value and accurate record of subject and environment.

In photography competitions, the original photo should be captured by the photographer and any manipulation or modification to the original image must not impact the content of the original photo or make it look unnatural.
Nature photos should have the highest level of aesthetic value. The backgrounds should look natural or part of story- telling theme.

In nature photography, to display the subject clearly, the lighting should be natural and sufficient, especially in the photos that the eyes are seen.

To have a blue sky and modified colors in sunlight, usage of polarized lens is a necessity.
In order to avoid harming the environment and the small animals and birds, it is recommended to use telephoto lenses rather than close ups.

In photography competitions, the original photo should be captured by the photographer and any manipulation or modification to the original image must not impact the content of the original photo or make it look unnatural.
Nature photos should have the highest level of aesthetic value. The backgrounds should look natural or part of story- telling theme.

Evidence of human in any part of the image is not acceptable in nature photo competitions, however, where this evidence is minimal and part of the nature story, like birds sitting on wire or top of a post, barn owls and storks, it is considered eligible.

To have a clear image in nature and landscape photography, including all of the dark and bright parts, HDR technique is recommended.



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