Week 1 – Scene Selection and Composition Basics

In the first week, we will discuss the fundamental elements of making successful images, and delve into the basic composition styles that are the cornerstone of powerful image making. Most important, you’ll learn how to think abstractly about the elements of a scene.

Week 2 – Working With Light and Color

Learning how to work with light and color is critical for making powerful nature images. In this lesson, we’ll discuss the best times of day to shoot, and how angle and intensity of light can make or break a photograph.

Week 3 – Nature’s Magical Moments

“Once-in-a-lifetime” moments are called that for a reason—they don’t happen often—so how can you make sure they happen to you, and frequently? In this lesson, we’ll discuss how you can optimize your chances of capturing unique natural events like rainbows, fog, and mass wildlife migrations.

Week 4 – Advanced Composition: Space, Lines, Shapes and Patterns

Nature is a chaotic jumble of random elements. Learning how to create order out of chaos is of utmost importance when composing nature images. We’ll discuss advanced composition techniques, using patterns, shapes, lines, and spatial arrangements to create effective images.

Week 5 – Capturing Time and Motion

Still cameras capture single moments in time. But how do you convey the essence of a babbling brook or an energetic flock of birds with a static photograph? This lesson will teach you how to successfully incorporate time and motion into your photography for dramatic artistic effect.

Week 6 – Nature’s Power Elements

This final lesson talks about the importance of incorporating powerful elements in nature—such as the sun and moon, or waves crashing on shore—into your images for dramatic effect.