Nature Photography How To

Have you ever stumbled upon a gorgeous nature scene, only to be disappointed with your images when you viewed them on the computer? As you’ll see in the helpful video below, it’s not enough to discover a great location, if you don’t know how to make the most of the opportunities it presents.

Nigel Danson is an acclaimed British nature photographer, and in this 20-minute tutorial he demonstrates how he “massively improved” his landscape images by taking his time to study a location, and apply a few key principles when capturing the scene. In fact, he says, “This is the most important topic about getting better in photography.”

Danson begins with a simple suggestion: Avoid the temptation to pull out your camera and start shooting as soon as you arrive at a location. Instead, like a fly fisherman who studies a stream before he begins casting, the best approach is to survey the scene, explore various compositional opportunities, observe the clouds floating by, and review the prevailing light before commencing to shoot.

Danson uses images he shot in Iceland and Scotland to demonstrate how to visually manipulate a location to make truly epic images. You’ll see how it’s easier to capture the money shot once you’re “in tune” with a location and can make the most of leading lines, a strong foreground, various patterns running through the scene, and a beautiful sky.

You can find more nature photography tips on Danson’s YouTube channel, and in an earlier tutorial we posted with his top tricks for landscape photography.