Nature Photography How To

The seasons are changing, with spring less than a week away. Today one of our favorite outdoor shooters explains how to make the most of what is many photographers’ favorite time of year.

Whether you photograph birds, budding flowers, or insects beginning to emerge, the quick tutorial below will help you make the best images possible. Toma Bonciu is a Romanian landscape and travel photographer, and in this episode he provides 13 tips for taking advantage of everything spring has to offer.

This first thing that typically comes to mind is that the drab winter landscape quickly comes alive, transforming into lush green scenes. As Bonciu explains, capturing that verdant tableau should be at the top of your list.

Spring is also the time when fog seems to be the default state of nature. That’s because nights are still quite cold with high humidity, mornings a bit warmer, and temperatures rise throughout the day. By shooting at the proper time you can capture beautiful moody images.

If you’re lucky enough to live near the mountains, a pre-day hike up the hill provides great opportunities for spectacular spring sunrise photos. Bonciu also explains why spring sunsets can be equally compelling.

You’ll also learn how to capture great images of spring flowers in good light by shooting from a low vantage point and using a long lens with a wide aperture to separate your subject from the background.

Bonciu provides a number of other tips, from shooting panoramas and taking advantage of dramatic spring atmospheric conditions, to using long exposures to capture the movement of clouds and much more.

After watching the video head over to Bonciu’s YouTube channel where you’ll find more travel and landscape photography advice. And check out another helpful tutorial we posted recently, demonstrating several simple techniques for avoiding unsharp photos when shooting outdoors.