Nature Photography Best Practices | Peggy Farren

From the botanical gardens, to the beaches Naples, Florida is an excellent location for nature photography. However, Naples nature photography can be tricky if you don’t have the right tips and tricks.

Here are a few lessons in nature to maximize your photos:

1. Leave your camera in Shutter Priority mode. This useful for when birds fly out of the brush quickly. When taking portraits, typically your camera always shoots in manual. So of course the settings are all wrong to capture wildlife. Make sure you double check this!

Dial your mode to S on the Nikon or Sony, TV on the Canon dial. It’s an automatic setting where you set the shutter speed and the camera chooses the aperture for a good exposure. For bird photography, you’ll want a fast shutter speed. If you are using a long lens, you’ll also want a fast shutter speed. We recommend putting your shutter on 1/1000.

Even if you are photographing a quick landscape, being in that automatic mode makes you ready for anything.

image by Peggy Farren

2. Use automatic ISO. When in Shutter Priority mode, you can set your ISO. Most cameras are calibrated for best quality at ISO100, but when you are out in nature with the lighting changing constantly, it’s a good idea to set your ISO to Automatic to let your camera decide.

image by Peggy Farren

3. Know your camera. All camera are different, so it’s good to understand how your camera works and what each of the settings do. This will allow you to get the best quality images while out shooting.

image by Peggy Farren

4. Bring two camera bodies. Carrying multiple lenses in a backpack is a lot of added weight, especially for walking around so much in nature. It also seems very inconvenient to constantly be stopping to change lenses.

If I you put anther lens on a second camera body, yes, it would have been heavier, but you don,t risk having missed so many beautiful photographs!

image by Peggy Farren

5. Have a camera bag that you can carry easily.  Many people prefer backpacks. However, on a hot day, that option is not very appealing. A fanny pack style camera bag is another great option. You can keep the camera on your shoulder and everything else in the bag.

image by Peggy Farren

6. Carry water and snacks. Another rookie mistake you don’t want to make is to go out in the heat with no food in your stomach. Hiking for 30 minutes or so in the hot sun will make you start feeling a little woozy. So eat before you go is another tip!

image by Peggy Farren

7. If you have a great guide, your trip will be so much more amazing!  A guide has the awareness and the experience to notice everything! They can hear the different animals or see their shadows. They also can point out the alligator trails and see some pink spoonbills!

8. Use manual focus if necessary. If your guide points out small creatures, you may want to use your manual focus!  On that big 100-400mm lens, it is a necessity!

image by Peggy Farren

9. Remember you are in Shutter Priority and automatic ISO. At dusk you need to balance the dark foliage with the sky. If your camera is in manual, when you look back at all the pictures you took they will all look the same!! Automatic ISO!! Change the ISO and take your shots again.

image by Peggy Farren

image by Peggy Farren

Images are all provided by Peggy Farren of Understand Photography, located in Naples, Florida. Understand Photography provides photography lessons and tours to photographers who prefer step by step, easy to understand instructions.She can help you turn your photography skills around by learning and experimenting with different techniques of lighting, composition, posing and camera control in a professional studio environment, and on location with her working career photographers. Sign up for one of Peggy’s workshops here!