A picture is the expression of an impression. If the beautiful were not in us, how would we ever recognize it?
— Ernst Haas
Everyone can find a sense of place in the outdoors. Think of the soothing, calming feeling that comes from a walk in the woods. The routines, obligations and stresses of daily life fall away quickly as we surround ourselves with flora, fauna, the sounds of leaves underfoot and the breeze through the trees. We become aware of the heartbeat in our chest.
When we bring a camera along on an outdoor adventure, we naturally become more of an observer, looking to photograph something in the scene that moves us. Maybe it is the tangle of branches above or the patches of cornflower-blue sky peaking through. Or perhaps we are down on the ground, intrigued by colorful fungi or the monotony and muted tones of a carpet of dead leaves.
You don’t necessarily have to travel outside a city to find this type of beauty—parks, community gardens, even flower boxes can hold natural treasures. In this section of the book, we explore how to make a variety of landscape and nature images, both with a DSLR and a mobile device. We’ll discuss how to shoot broad landscapes, close-up and macro scenes, flora and fauna, sunsets, water, urban landscapes and more.