Nature Photography How To

If you've never had the time or money to go on a photo safari, today is your lucky day. You don't have to pack a suitcase or pay for hotel rooms and expensive plane tickets, because the itinerary here is a quick trip to your own backyard. Apartment dwellers should pay close attention too, since the tips in the tutorial work equally well at your neighborhood park or at a close-by nature center.

This video from the Adorama TV YouTube channel is designed to help capture extraordinary close-up images of a variety of subjects with simple gear that you probably already own. In less than 10 minutes this helpful guide covers everything from primary gear, helpful accessories, composition and other techniques, camera settings, and using light to advantage.

Instructor Gavin Joey is an accomplished British photographer and educator based in the UK. He often travels far and wide to capture his stunning imagery, but in this behind-the-scenes "excursion" he steps outside his studio and into the convenience of his garden to demonstrate how easy it is to make attention-grabbing macro photos close to home.

Hoey kicks off the journey by shooting with available light, explaining the camera settings he prefers for a variety of situations.  Then he demonstrates how a simple, affordable reflector can turn good photos into great ones by transforming harsh sunlight into soft shade.

Next Hoey adds a simple flash to improve results even further. If you're one of those photographers who proudly "always shoots with available light" because you secretly think flash is too complicated, Hoey belies these fears by explaining how easy it is to do.

This is perhaps the best time of year to put on your seldom-used safari vest, because your backyard is likely full of great subjects from colorful flowers and buds, to all kinds of creepy crawlies like lizards, spiders, butterflies, and other interesting insects.

There's also a discussion of the simple gear Hoey recommends, and a few tricks for maximizing depth of field to give macro shots more depth and dimension. You can find more helpful tutorials on the Adorama TV YouTube channel, and view Hoey's amazing imagery on his Instagram page.

And don't miss the explainer we posted from another top pro, with a complete guide to using inexpensive lens filters to capture better outdoor photographs.