Nature Photography How To

Common Travel & Nature Photo Mistakes & How to Fix Them in 2 Minutes (VIDEO)

Ron Leach | Aug 9, 2022

The best travel and nature images include a bit of artistic flair, but there are also several common mistakes to avoid if you want your images to be really special. In the two-minute video below, an accomplished New Zealand pro summarizes the most consistent errors we make and explains how to fix them.

William Patino lives on the beautiful South Island of the country, and he has a passion for helping others improve their craft. In this episode he provides several straightforward tips for “doing the right thing “ and taking your outdoor photography to the next level.

Patino discusses everything from exposure, composition and camera settings, to when and when not to use a tripod if you want optimum results. His helpful advice flies by in a hurry, so we suggest taking a few notes for future reference.

His first tip is one you may have heard before, and is particularly important when shooting with a wide-angle lens; namely, don’t place the horizon dead center in the frame. He explains that, “if you do that, the viewer’s eye doesn't know where to begin. It may start at the top, at the bottom, or in the middle of the scene.” In other words, it’s your job to direct a viewer to what you consider the most import part of the image.

You might find his advice regarding tripods a bit surprising, in that he recommends against using one if it’s bright enough to shoot handheld. That’s because he feels a tripod will slow you down, restricting movement and “compositional flow.”

Patino says that while long exposures are popular among landscape photographers, there are times when faster shutter speeds are a better choice. He also explains how he uses the foreground of a scene to complement the overall impact of a photo, and he often does that by not getting too close to what’s up front.