I’m an urban photographer. Why? Partly because most of my life I’ve lived in or near cities. But another big reason is that I was never especially successful with nature photography. My photos never felt differentiated. They were usually just one big green blob of blah. About 30 years ago, I mostly gave up.
Last week, I went shooting with Holden Herbert and it was his turn to pick the location. He promised to take me to one of his favorite spots it was a beautiful hiking trail so I was determined to try to figure out how to do better at nature photography. The overcast sky was a big help. And like my recent night photography, being able to go back and immediately review my results and settings was a big help.
One thing I knew was that opening the aperture would help separate the subject from the background. But what I learned was more interesting: the widest aperture wasn’t always the best choice. The in-between apertures mattered more.
Check out these two. The first image was shot at f/2. The flower itself is more in focus, but much of the plant disappears into blur. The second was shot at f/3.6. The flower isn’t perfectly sharp, but I like that more of the plant holds together as a subject.
Below are some more of my results.
Nothing here is remarkable. But that’s not really the point. For the first time in a long time, I felt like I had a bit of success with nature photography.
What changed? Maybe the skills I’d built doing urban photography came with me onto the hiking trail. I wasn’t consciously trying to photograph nature the way I photograph the city, but maybe this time we’re just able to see and photograph shapes, textures, and colors just like I do in San Francisco.
Maybe I didn’t need to become a different kind of photographer. Maybe I just needed to bring the photographer I already am into a different setting.
If this post gave you something useful — an idea, a setting to try, or just a reason to go out and experiment — you can buy me a coffee or upgrade to a paid subscription. Either one helps keep my energy up for shooting and sharing.
The wonderful thing about nature photography is not the photography but that it gets you out into nature. It’s good for the mind, body and soul.
You taught me something new with aperture! I'm a bird photographer, but the other day I came across an amazing, delicate Florida butterfly orchid. It's like time slowed down as I tried to capture the perfect lighting. Knowing that this flower wasn't going to suddenly fly away, I felt a peace I've never experienced before, almost meditative. Usually, bird photography feels like a sport, taking hundreds of shots to sift through until you find the perfect one. Then you feel disappointed when you miss a shot, especially of a bird you've never photographed before. It might be time for me to explore this new avenue of nature photography.