Nature Photography How To

Outdoor photography presents a variety of challenges for shooters of all skill levels. Light is ever changing, composition can be difficult with complicated scenes, and arriving at a proper exposure is difficult when there is a wide range of tones in the frame.

In the tutorial below, one of our favorite landscape pros reveals 10 favorite tips that that are easy enough for anyone to use. Based in Nova Scotia, Simon d'Entremont specializes in nature, travel, and wildlife photography, and he's a superb instructor.  This eight-minute episode will help you achieve far better photos during all your outdoor pursuits,

Simon begins with a very useful tip when there's a wired fence between the camera and your subject. This works particularly well when shooting at the zoo, or at other enclosed locations like nature centers or parks that lock their gates at the end of the day.

All you have to in situations like this is position yourself really close to the fence. With the proper camera settings the fence is thrown out of focus and virtually disappears as you focus on whatever appears further back in the scene. Under some circumstance this method may impart a slight haze to a photo, and Simon demonstrates how to easily eliminate that by using Lightroom's Dehaze tool.

Simon's second tip explains how to use a monopod more effectively when you didn't bring along a more stable three-legged camera support. With this trick you place the foot of the monopod close to your foot, lean it forward, and press the lower section against your shin. As Simon says, "The bows out the monopod, creates a more stable base for your camera, and results in sharper photos."

What about when you post a photo to Facebook or Instagram and the image doesn't appear as sharp as the original? Simon has a workaround for that too. By following his advice your photos will look great and remain sharp when you share them online.

This lesson includes six more helpful tips that are just as straightforward and effective as those mentioned above. They literally take no time to master and will help you greatly up your game.

Simon's instructional YouTube channel contains many more tips and tricks like these, so be sure to pay a visit when you have time.

And be sure to watch the tutorial we posted recently from another accomplished outdoor photographer, explaining how to make stunning landscape photos when the light isn't right. .