When it comes to taking breathtaking photos, nothing beats mother nature for setting the scene. The great outdoors provides the ultimate catalog of settings which, if done correctly, can create some of the world’s most spectacular shots.
So what’s the catch? As any photographer will tell you, the greater the outdoor scene, the harder it is to get to it. A successful outdoor photographer is also a hiker, a climber, and an immaculate weather forecaster. This is before we mention the skill required to carry large, expensive gear around on the trip. So how does one go about mastering these things to get the ultimate shot? Let’s take a look.
The human element
You may have heard this one. When we mix the beauty of mother nature with the presence of a human being, the result is quite a powerful photo. Whatever brilliance you can achieve with your camera in the great outdoors is magnified further by having a person, be it child, elderly person or just a friend of yours, adding that human element. This is a very obvious trick and perhaps one you’ve heard time and time again, but one that lots of photographers tend to forget about. So grab your nearest willing participant, and make for the hills with your gear. The result will not disappoint.
Use foam!
Now for one a little less obvious, but absolutely necessary to a successful, outdoor photography venture. Protect your gear with custom cut foam. Why? Because this added protection gives you a free ticket to venture further into the world without worrying that your gear won’t take it. There’s nothing quite like a bit of foam padding to give you that peace of mind, and it’s a very affordable way of keeping your stuff safe. Oh, and it weighs nothing. You’ll have enough weight to carry without worrying about extra weight! The Case Farm is known amongst photographers for it’s foam products, check them out here.
Embrace bad weather (but pack for it)
One mistake a lot of us make time and time again, is shying away from the weather. We don’t want our gear getting wet for a start, or we don’t want to end up with frozen hands at the top of a mountain, which aren’t very useful for taking that ultimate shot. The best photos are actually taken when we embrace bad weather and take those risks! So get yourself some decent waterproofs, invest in some specialist photography gloves (you can find them cheap enough on Amazon) – and grace mother nature with your presence.
Photo via Pexels
Enjoy yourself
Your passion for photography shines through in your work. There’s no point trudging through mud in the middle of November if you’re actually quite reluctant to do so. If you are embracing the challenge of the great outdoors and enjoying your time finding things to take photos of, you are more likely to come up with the good stuff. Take a fellow photographer friend with you and look for opportunities together, camp out, do things that will help you to love what you do even more. It will all come out on the other side of the lens.
Happy photographing!
