That is the question I'd like to pose; what is it that lures you to this activity? Though some of you practice photography full time or part time for a living, I believe many of us do so simply for the enjoyment of it.
So tell us below - what is it about nature photography that keeps you interested and engaged?
I relate strongly to all three of yours, Jim. It may be a different way of saying the same thing, but for me, being an amateur naturalist and photography work hand-in-glove. While I started out being interested in the natural world and wanting to better understand how it works, photography gives me a way to carry that enjoyment home and to share it with others as I explore areas (like my backyard, ) in depth.
It's good for my soul! I love capturing moments in time in nature. It makes me appreciate everything around me and I feel connected to something bigger than ourselves. I also enjoy the challenges that nature photography gives us. Photographing in a studio lets you control the light and conditions. In nature, all bets are off and you have to roll with it!
Posted by Ian Wolfenden on June 25, 2015 at 12:42 PM
As my background is in the arts I was grabbed initially by a desire to photograph the forms and colours of flowers, especially their fascinatingly varied centres. Gradually, because of photography, I've come to look at their settings and habitats, at the insects which visit them ( I've even shed my dislike of some little creatures ) and am now beginning to wander with more purpose through meadows and landscapes.
I believe it was John Ruskin who said that drawing teaches you to look - I guess you might say the same about photography. When so many species of plants, insects and aninals are endangered ( i think we have only about 55 species of butterfly left in the UK ) I reckon photography helps you look at and also think about the natural world more deeply than you perhaps might otherwise.
Posted by Richard Hahn on June 25, 2015 at 10:27 PM
I originally started it after getting out of a long bad marriage and going into a long bitter divorce, it was a survival tool from me. I went from photographing Fire Scenes for work to nature for relaxation and enjoyment. Then I got my younger son involved in it and we have have spent countless hours togther out in nature enjoying what has been given to us. Good exercise too.
Posted by Bill Chambers on June 25, 2015 at 11:14 PM
My entire life revolves around my family and nature. I have always been involved one way or another in nature. I began photography as a way to record my travels and adventures and gradually nature photography became my number one activity. My wife now has a debilitating neurological disease and I'm her only caretaker so my time outside has been curtailed quite a bit, so If I can't be in nature for whatever reason it's wonderful to be able to at least look at nature on the computer monitor.
It started as a work-tool for me, as I was issuing wetlands permits for a local municipality and often wanted to record the plants and animals around the various sites, trying to identify them. That morphed into largely bird photography as come winter almost all animals of interest are absent (save for the occassional fox or deer). Over the years it has evolved time and again and recently I have been much more into landscapes than ever before.
I love being out in Nature, where it is quiet and I'm simply enjoying the sites and sounds. I loathe being in a "group" of photographers or interacting with anyone other than my wife or perhaps a long-time photography/birding acquaintance. Photography has lead me to explore all sorts of places on this island I live on and driven many of the trips I have taken with my wife (who is an excellent spotter!). While I sometimes long for the days of being single and spending however much time I wanted to on photography - it is such a joy to be able to share my experiences with another person and have that person push me to be better (all while we get exercise/fresh air and build our relationship).
I was into nature long before I was into photography. I thought I'd like photography, but I thought I couldn't afford it. ( I was right about that.) I still enjoy nature. My photographic interests have moved beyond just natural subjects, so most of my pictures now probably would not be considered nature photography. Almost none do not show the hand of man.
I bought a Canon FT-b in '71 (No, Harley--not 1871 ) to document my Sierra climbing and hiking trips. Straight documentation led to attempts to refine my vision in order to reflect more of what I felt, rather than what I saw.
I still love photographing landscapes, details, and nature abstracts, but I enjoy architecture and architectural details, also.
Either way, I continue to learn, and it's still fun.
This made me think Jim. How did I get into nature photography and why do I enjoy it so much.
I was raised by a scientist. Scientific exploration still runs through the family. I was a fishing fool when I was kid. Wish I still could be, no time and wife's wishes to consider. Always loved to go camping, backpacking, traveling . . . Being outdoors in natural settings is a fairly inexpensive way to spend quality time, relax, observe amazing things, learn . . . that's the nature part.
Photography started when we had little boys. Which went really well with the outdoors, scientific exploration, wading through the creeks, turning over rocks, discovering bugs and spiders and worms and lizards and snakes and well you get it with little boys. We had to document their growing up. Which led to buying a Nikon Coolpix camera for my oldest son to help him document his study of insects in college. He ended up leaving it and not using it. I couldn't let that happen, so I started taking photos of anything and everything outdoors. That was the early 2000's. My understanding, and love for photography has grown a lot since then. A great deal of that is due to this website and the help that the members give each other to improve. It is humbling to hear how what you perceived to be a really great photograph could have been greatly improved by a slightly different f-stop, aperture, iso, angle, etc., etc.
My sons both grew to love nature as much as my wife and I do. One is a state scientist for California who identifies bugs for a living, the other is a grammar school teacher in Hood River, Oregon who loves the mountains, forests and the sea.
Thanks to all for your responses! It seems that we are all connected by a common reason - the joy of being outdoors and enjoying nature. It also seems that photography itself is something we all enjoy, regardless of what we have framed in the viewfinder (or on the LCD screen).
I love to be out in nature because it beings me closer to my Creator. I have been interested in photorgaphy for much of my life. I enjoy capturing nature because I can show people that there is still some beauty in this would that, if you watch the news, seems to be falling apart. There a countless photographers that are capturing and sharing the human plight, but we all need to be reminded that there is some very beautiful places left in the would and hopefully reminded to take care of them.
I love to be out there in a natural environment, where there is - preferebly no, but at least little - noise from human activity. And I love animals and observing their behaviour. It gives me great pleasure when I am able to capture that in a photograph and I hope my photographs make a contribution to helping people understand animals better and make them more conscious of how beautiful nature is and that it is so important to preserve it.
You know, I've never thought of myself as a "nature photographer," but more of a wildlands advocate who uses photography as a means of getting the word out as to how valuable our wild places and wildlife are to ourselves as individuals and to our species in the future. Eliot Porter once published a book called, The Place No One Knew, about Glen Canyon. The crux of it was we lost Glen Canyon because it wasn't well-known enough by the environmental community. Now it's at the bottom of Lake Powell. I'm encouraged by the growth and interest in nature photography in recent years because the more people are out there, the less chance there is that places like Glen Canyon will be unknown in the future. Keep shooting.
Posted by Buddy Scott on November 3, 2016 at 3:27 PM
For me, I have always enjoyed the outdoors, I no longer hunt but missed getting out in the woods. I decided to get more serious about photography, took an in-depth online photography course and they stressed to shoot what you enjoy. so wildlife, nature, the outdoors is just a natural fit.
Discussion
16 repliesThat is the question I'd like to pose; what is it that lures you to this activity? Though some of you practice photography full time or part time for a living, I believe many of us do so simply for the enjoyment of it.
So tell us below - what is it about nature photography that keeps you interested and engaged?
My reasons;
I look forward to hearing yours!
I relate strongly to all three of yours, Jim. It may be a different way of saying the same thing, but for me, being an amateur naturalist and photography work hand-in-glove. While I started out being interested in the natural world and wanting to better understand how it works, photography gives me a way to carry that enjoyment home and to share it with others as I explore areas (like my backyard,
) in depth.
It's good for my soul! I love capturing moments in time in nature. It makes me appreciate everything around me and I feel connected to something bigger than ourselves. I also enjoy the challenges that nature photography gives us. Photographing in a studio lets you control the light and conditions. In nature, all bets are off and you have to roll with it!
As my background is in the arts I was grabbed initially by a desire to photograph the forms and colours of flowers, especially their fascinatingly varied centres. Gradually, because of photography, I've come to look at their settings and habitats, at the insects which visit them ( I've even shed my dislike of some little creatures
) and am now beginning to wander with more purpose through meadows and landscapes.
I believe it was John Ruskin who said that drawing teaches you to look - I guess you might say the same about photography. When so many species of plants, insects and aninals are endangered ( i think we have only about 55 species of butterfly left in the UK ) I reckon photography helps you look at and also think about the natural world more deeply than you perhaps might otherwise.
I originally started it after getting out of a long bad marriage and going into a long bitter divorce, it was a survival tool from me. I went from photographing Fire Scenes for work to nature for relaxation and enjoyment. Then I got my younger son involved in it and we have have spent countless hours togther out in nature enjoying what has been given to us. Good exercise too.
My entire life revolves around my family and nature. I have always been involved one way or another in nature. I began photography as a way to record my travels and adventures and gradually nature photography became my number one activity. My wife now has a debilitating neurological disease and I'm her only caretaker so my time outside has been curtailed quite a bit, so If I can't be in nature for whatever reason it's wonderful to be able to at least look at nature on the computer monitor.
It started as a work-tool for me, as I was issuing wetlands permits for a local municipality and often wanted to record the plants and animals around the various sites, trying to identify them. That morphed into largely bird photography as come winter almost all animals of interest are absent (save for the occassional fox or deer). Over the years it has evolved time and again and recently I have been much more into landscapes than ever before.
I love being out in Nature, where it is quiet and I'm simply enjoying the sites and sounds. I loathe being in a "group" of photographers or interacting with anyone other than my wife or perhaps a long-time photography/birding acquaintance. Photography has lead me to explore all sorts of places on this island I live on and driven many of the trips I have taken with my wife (who is an excellent spotter!). While I sometimes long for the days of being single and spending however much time I wanted to on photography - it is such a joy to be able to share my experiences with another person and have that person push me to be better (all while we get exercise/fresh air and build our relationship).
I was into nature long before I was into photography. I thought I'd like photography, but I thought I couldn't afford it. ( I was right about that.) I still enjoy nature. My photographic interests have moved beyond just natural subjects, so most of my pictures now probably would not be considered nature photography. Almost none do not show the hand of man.
I bought a Canon FT-b in '71 (No, Harley--not 1871
) to document my Sierra climbing and hiking trips. Straight documentation led to attempts to refine my vision in order to reflect more of what I felt, rather than what I saw.
I still love photographing landscapes, details, and nature abstracts, but I enjoy architecture and architectural details, also.
Either way, I continue to learn, and it's still fun.
--P
This made me think Jim. How did I get into nature photography and why do I enjoy it so much.
I was raised by a scientist. Scientific exploration still runs through the family. I was a fishing fool when I was kid. Wish I still could be, no time and wife's wishes to consider. Always loved to go camping, backpacking, traveling . . . Being outdoors in natural settings is a fairly inexpensive way to spend quality time, relax, observe amazing things, learn . . . that's the nature part.
Photography started when we had little boys. Which went really well with the outdoors, scientific exploration, wading through the creeks, turning over rocks, discovering bugs and spiders and worms and lizards and snakes and well you get it with little boys. We had to document their growing up. Which led to buying a Nikon Coolpix camera for my oldest son to help him document his study of insects in college. He ended up leaving it and not using it. I couldn't let that happen, so I started taking photos of anything and everything outdoors. That was the early 2000's. My understanding, and love for photography has grown a lot since then. A great deal of that is due to this website and the help that the members give each other to improve. It is humbling to hear how what you perceived to be a really great photograph could have been greatly improved by a slightly different f-stop, aperture, iso, angle, etc., etc.
My sons both grew to love nature as much as my wife and I do. One is a state scientist for California who identifies bugs for a living, the other is a grammar school teacher in Hood River, Oregon who loves the mountains, forests and the sea.
What's not to love.
Thanks to all for your responses! It seems that we are all connected by a common reason - the joy of being outdoors and enjoying nature. It also seems that photography itself is something we all enjoy, regardless of what we have framed in the viewfinder (or on the LCD screen).
I look forward to reading more!
I love to be out in nature because it beings me closer to my Creator. I have been interested in photorgaphy for much of my life. I enjoy capturing nature because I can show people that there is still some beauty in this would that, if you watch the news, seems to be falling apart. There a countless photographers that are capturing and sharing the human plight, but we all need to be reminded that there is some very beautiful places left in the would and hopefully reminded to take care of them.
I love to be out there in a natural environment, where there is - preferebly no, but at least little - noise from human activity. And I love animals and observing their behaviour. It gives me great pleasure when I am able to capture that in a photograph and I hope my photographs make a contribution to helping people understand animals better and make them more conscious of how beautiful nature is and that it is so important to preserve it.
Mel