Nature Photography How To

Color Flow

Last October Shutterbug reader Neil Williams planned a two-day trip to Asheville, North Carolina, “to get some fall color on the Blue Ridge Parkway but the weather didn’t cooperate (heavy rain and complete lack of visibility).” So, he decided to change course slightly and make a quick trip to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park in Tennessee instead. 

Born in 1829, Carleton Watkins was perhaps the greatest of early American Western photographers, yet his images are largely unknown today. His photographs of Yosemite Valley and throughout California’s Sierra Nevada mountains have been compared by some to those of Ansel Adams that followed.

Greg Benz is a Minneapolis-based photographer known for his stunning landscape and cityscape images, and he creates some real magic by using his camera’s Live View mode and a neutral density (ND) filter.

Anchorage-based Jeff Schultz is a professional shooter best known as the official photographer for the Iditarod. He also does corporate and editorial photography as well as nature, wildlife and adventure stock photos.

While it may not seem that way in some parts of the country, spring is in the air and it’s time to start thinking about shooting some macro images outdoors. Florida-based photographer Matthew Cicanese has a varied portfolio, but his close-up work is really special—despite the fact he is blind in one eye.

Have you ever wondered how some photographers add a dreamy, ethereal look to their landscapes photos? More often than not, this soft glow is a result of a post-processing technique known as the  “Orton Effect” which is quite popular these days among nature photographers.

Nature photographer Brendan Pattengale employs his love of the great outdoors and a few secret techniques to capture vivid, painterly landscape photos during his travels around the world.