Before you start nature photography, you must have the correct lenses and cameras to take close up pictures. Most cameras do a fine job of taking landscape photography, however if you plan on photographing wildlife animals you may need a zoom lens since you will probably not be able to get as close as you would like without scaring the animal off.

Macro photography is the photographing of small objects usually shot very close up. Examples would be such things as blades of grass, insects, and small flowers. Some cameras have a built-in setting that allows them to take very good pictures close up, while some need special lenses to take close-up shots. With the right tools, macro photography can be very rewarding.

Macro photography does require more patience. This is especially true when photographing small animals or insects. However, patience and persistence does pay off. Also if you are photographing outdoors the wind can play an important factor in the quality of your photos. This is because when you’re zoomed in close, even small movements can be very exaggerated and will cause your picture to be blurred. To compensate for this extra movement, you can purchase various accessories for your camera to help stabilize the flowers or plants especially in windier conditions. They usually clip onto the tripod and then gently hold your subject in position.

To compose a great nature picture, you first must decide what you want to photograph. Do you find beauty in the sun shining through a leaf, or do close-ups of insects make you happy? If you have chosen plants, you only need to wait for the lighting to be right (whatever lighting you choose will give the photo personality and feeling). If you choose to photograph animals, you must wait until one comes along that you can photograph. See our Wildlife Photography article for information on photographing animals.

To compose the best picture, put your camera on a tripod or hold it straight. A crooked picture will make you look inexperienced, while a straight picture will make the photo look professional, so even if it is on a tripod, make sure it is level. To do this, aim you camera at something like a porch step or even a tree trunk, and see if it looks straight. Some tripods come with a bubble level or you can purchase one separately that fits on your camera. This will assist you in leveling your tripod and improve the quality of your photographs. After checking this, you can begin taking pictures.

After you have practiced with your camera, try to take a nature picture that shows a feeling, such as joy or serenity. You might see the bright sun reflecting off of a window as joy, while the sun melting on top of the ocean may be viewed as serenity. Try using different lighting to give you photo personality, or capture of the emotion of an outdoor event.

If you practice with your camera a lot, you can get great pictures that when you look at them, you think, “Wow! I can’t believe that I took that picture!” If you take a really good photo, if you wanted to you could sell it, get a large print of it and hang it on your wall, or put it on a card, mug, pillow, etc. You will be rewarded with the smile from friends and family.