Nature Photography How To

We regularly feature tutorials on outdoor photography from Romanian pro Toma Bonciu because we love his images and his calm easy-to follow style of instruction. Bonciu is a successful self-taught shooter, specializing in travel and landscape photography.

He enjoys imparting his knowledge to others, and in today’s episode he demonstrates seven practical tips that will help photographers of all skill levels improve their work. To do this he presents seven of his images and describes everything it took to get the shot—from his personal vision to camera settings, composition and more.

He begins with an interesting way to photograph a sunrise; namely, composing the shot so that the first light peaking above the horizon only falls on what becomes the main subject in your scene. As you’ll see, this approach can result in some very dramatic images. As an aside, he suggests being on location at least 30 minutes before sunrise so you’re ready to capture this fleeting moment.

Bonciu has a unique style that often diverges from popular trends, like the common approach of using long exposures to give flowing water a smooth, milky look. In his second tip he demonstrates how faster shutter speeds can offer beautiful images of water with a different look. He says he used this method for the image in the video because, “I wanted the viewer to realize how violent the waves were.”

Bonciu’s other tips involves placing a person in the scene for a sense of scale, finding an object that contrasts in color or size from other components in the frame, and learning how to blend multiple exposures. He also explains a useful technique for making the most of long exposures.

You can find more helpful videos like this on Bonciu’s YouTube channel. And be sure to check out our earlier post, revealing another pro’s favorite gear for landscape photography.