Introduction

The world in which we live is a beautiful place. But as far as many people are concerned (including me), nothing quite beats a beautiful natural landscape filled with trees, flowers, and wildlife. Communing with nature is a wonderful experience. When you do it with a digital SLR (single lens reflex) camera around your neck, the experience is even more rewarding, because you get a chance to slow down and really see the beauty. You also get to capture the beauty as digital photographs. But having a camera with you and capturing great images is another story. When you photograph landscapes, nature, and wildlife, you not only need the right equipment, but you also need to know how to use it.

About This Book

My goal in writing this book was to demystify landscape, nature, and wildlife photography. The ability to observe and capture beautiful images doesn't always come easy, but if you understand the equipment and techniques involved, you're one step closer to becoming a competent photographer of the wonders of nature.

This book will help you

Understand the various aspects of nature photography

Know which equipment you need to become a competent landscape, nature, and wildlife photographer

Learn how to safely and effectively photograph wildlife in state parks

Master photography of nesting, wading, and flying birds

Discover and use creative tips and techniques

Conventions Used in This Book

To help you navigate this book as efficiently as possible, I use a few style conventions:

Terms or words that I truly want to emphasize are italicized (and defined).

Website addresses, or URLs, are shown in a special monofont typeface, like this.

Numbered steps that you need to follow and characters you need to type are set in bold.

What You Don't Have to Read

This book is designed to show you how to photograph nature, landscapes, and wildlife effectively. They all go hand in hand, which is why they're all in the book. However, you might only be interested in photographing landscapes, or perhaps birding is your thing. Although I'd like you to read each and every chapter of this book, you can let your fingers do the walking and fast-forward to the table of contents or index. Find a topic you want to know more about and then read the section. If you really want to cut to the chase, you don't have to read the introductory paragraph in each chapter.

You can also fast-forward through each chapter. The images will give you an idea of what the content is about. The icons are another landing point. If you see an icon that piques your curiosity, put your feet up, relax, and read the associated content.

Pay special attention to the “Choosing the Right Focal Length for the Job” section in Chapter 1, especially if you own a camera that has a sensor that is smaller than a 35mm frame of film. This section takes about five minutes to read and demystifies what different focal lengths will do and how these focal lengths react on various camera sensors.

Foolish Assumptions

There are certain prerequisites for using this book effectively. You should own a digital SLR and a wide-angle to medium telephoto zoom lens for landscape and nature photography. You should have a long telephoto lens to effectively photograph wildlife and birds. You can photograph nature with a point-and-shoot camera, but I recommend getting a decent digital SLR for the best results.

How This Book Is Organized

Digital Landscape and Nature Photography For Dummies is split into five parts. You don't have to read it sequentially, and you don't even have to read all the chapters in any particular part. Use the table of contents and the index to find the information you need and quickly get your answer. Following are brief descriptions of what you'll find in each part.

Part I: Nature Photography and You

Every book has to start somewhere, and this book begins in earnest — whoever he was — in Part I. In this part, I introduce you to the wonderful world of landscape and nature photography. I introduce some basic photography techniques, discuss the equipment you need, show you how to use your equipment, and much more. Even if you know your equipment, there are certain things about it that you need to know for this type of photography. If you think you're a competent photographer, but are new to landscape, nature, and wildlife photography, I suggest you at least skim through this part of the book.

Part II: Honing Your Skills

After you learn how to use your equipment, you still need to know some skills specific to this type of photography. You can't simply point the camera at something and shoot. Well, you can, but . . . there are certain tried and true rules of composition that are designed to help you capture better images. I discuss the rules as they apply to landscape, nature, and wildlife photography.

Of course, rules are made to be broken. I also discuss the creative use of shadow and light. A photograph without light is like a blackboard with no chalk. I discuss the times of day that are best for this type of photography, and I also show you how to photograph during inclement weather. The last chapter in this section is designed to get your creative juices flowing. I give you some tips to inspire you and help you develop your unique photography style.

Part III: Photographing Nature

Birds, animals, and flowers are citizens of the natural landscape. Many photographers prefer this trifecta of photography to landscape photography, while other photographers add landscapes to the mix of their photo portfolios. If you like furry, feathered, stamened, or scaled creatures, this section is for you. I reveal tips and techniques for capturing compelling pictures of birds and animals. I also show you how to effectively photograph flowers and insects. In fact, I devote a large section of Chapter 9 to Lensbaby photography. A Lensbaby and flower photography go hand in hand.

Part IV: Photographing Landscapes

If a beautiful landscape is within driving distance of your home, or if you're vacationing in an area like Yosemite National Park, this section of the book has lots of good stuff that will interest you. In this section, I show you how to photograph landscapes, mountain ranges, and seascapes. I also explain how to photograph the sunrise and sunset. In addition, I introduce you to the wide, wide world of panorama photography and the dynamic world of HDR photography.

Part V: The Part of Tens

In this section, you'll find three chapters with ten sections: the time-honored Part of Tens chapters. In this section, I show you ten techniques for processing images and sharing them with friends. I also show you how to troubleshoot your images in-camera. In addition, in Chapter 15, I dissect ten of my favorite photographs from this genre and share the settings I used, the inspiration behind the photographs, and more.

Icons Used in This Book

What's a For Dummies book without icons pointing you in the direction of really great information that's sure to help you along your way? In this section, I briefly describe each icon I use in this book.

The Tip icon points out helpful information that is likely to make your job as a photographer easier.

This is like a virtual piece of string. When you see this icon, it contains a fact that you should remember to help you perform the task at hand more efficiently.

This icon notes a pitfall that your friendly author has discovered so that you won't make the same wrong move.

Where to Go from Here

Now that you've read the Introduction, you have a good idea of what's ahead. You can start with the first paragraph of Chapter 1, or delve into the table of contents to find a chapter that contains information you need to know. If you want to get really specific, refer to the index to find a topic you need to know more about.

After you read a chapter or section, I suggest you grab your camera and take some pictures. Photography is about doing. After you assimilate information, it's time to put it to use. Take lots of pictures and take them often.

Please note that some special symbols used in this eBook may not display properly on all eReader devices. If you have trouble determining any symbol, please call Wiley Product Technical Support at 800-762-2974. Outside of the United States, please call 317-572-3993. You can also contact Wiley Product Technical Support at www.wiley.com/techsupport.