Nature Photography How To

One of the challenges with outdoor photography is that we’re all at the mercy of Mother Nature. That means dealing with bad light, ever-changing weather, and less-than-ideal skies whenever we’re in the field. For most of us, packing up and going home is rarely an option, so it’s important to know how to make the best of whatever situation you confront

Spencer Cox is a young Denver-based landscape photographer who is wise beyond his years, and in this tutorial he explains how he captures amazing images regardless of what Mother Nature has to offer. As you’ll see, Cox ventured into Florida’s notoriously unpredictable weather to demonstrate several helpful tips for shooting under overcast skies, in glaring midday sun, and during pouring rain.

These are all common conditions you’re sure to confront if you spend any time shooting landscape and nature scenes. The solution is being prepared, patient, and willing to change your approach to composition, camera settings, choice of camera gear, and other variables. By doing that and following the tips Cox provides, nothing can hold you back.

Cox regularly consults a weather app on his phone whenever he’s shooting outdoors—not only to avoid storms, but also to know where and when to find a deluge. That’s because vicious weather often provides a great opportunity for awe-inspiring images. We’re all familiar with the notion of being patient and waiting until a quick storm rolls past. But another option when the weather is decent is to wait patiently for an impending storming to arrive.

Cox also discusses sunset and sunrise photography, which are popular genres for many outdoor shooters. And he demonstrates that while images of the sun peeking above or dropping below the horizon can be beautiful, the same scenes at blue hour are often more unique and equally compelling.

Bottom Line: If you follow Cox’ advice you can take control of your outdoor photography, rather than let prevailing conditions dictate your results. There’s much more to see on Cox’ YouTube channel, and in another landscape tutorial we posted, explaining the relative merits of manual focus, autofocus, and back button focus.