nature photography

Nature photography captures the breathtaking beauty of the natural world, transforming fleeting moments into timeless images. Nature photography allows us to connect deeply with the environment and appreciate the intricate details of our planet. This widely popular genre spans a variety of topics including landscape photography, wildlife photography, macro photography and more.

This article explores the art, technique and visual guidelines behind nature photography, offering insights into how you can capture the essence of nature. Whether you're a seasoned photographer or just starting out, you'll find inspiration and practical tips to elevate your work and deepen your connection with nature.

nature photography topics

Nature photography encompasses a wide array of subjects, each offering unique opportunities to explore the beauty and diversity of the natural world. From sweeping landscapes, through macro photography revealing the hidden world of insects, untamed moments and behavior in wildlife photography, down to underwater worlds and up to the milky way.

Each of these topics are a world on their own to explore and learn, but I will do my best to give you the most important tips to start with and links to in depth guides about specific subjects.

TOPICS CONTENT SHORTCUTS:

1. Landscape photography

2 Wildlife photography

3. Astrophotography

4. Macro photography

landscape photography

Landscape photography is one of the most popular genres of all. It is a wide topic on its own, that captures the vast beauty of the natural world. From rugged mountains to serene beaches, still deserts to skies full of stars. This genre of photography invites us to explore the majesty of our surroundings, highlighting the play of light, weather, and seasons in creating breathtaking scenes. Photographing breathtaking landscapes requires mastering the essentials of different techniques and developing visual style which we will discuss.

Rain storm at Masai Mara with Acacia tree | Tomer Razabi

landscape photography recommended gear

Landscape photography usually does not require high end or expensive cameras. Photographing during the day time and even relatively low light scenes, when there is no need to use high ISO, means even cameras with a simple sensor will do a great job. There is also no need for a camera with a sophisticated focus system since most of the times we will only need a single focus point.

Camera - for most situations a simple camera will be enough, weather its a crop sensor, micro for thirds, DSLR or mirrorless camera. High end cameras with full frame sensors will definitely have the advantages of better ISO performance, dynamic range, color depth and general image quality.
Wide angle lens - is probably the most popular choice for landscape photography. Wide lenses have great advantages like a wide field of view, a sense of depth and it is easy to achieve large depth of field using them.
Telephoto lens - are also very popular and are usually used when you want to capture a smaller and more interesting part of wider scene. It also helps "narrow" the distance between the foreground and background, creating a "tighter" scene. Using Telephoto lenses in landscape photography might seem less obvious, but it produces unique images.
Tripod - is not mandatory, but definitely useful and sometimes necessary. A tripod will help you shoot an accurate composition, and capture long exposure scenes using a slow shutter speed otherwise impossible when shooting hand held. Choosing the right tripod for you depends on your need that may include different specs like height, weight, price and more. My tripod guide can help you with that.
Filters - the most commonly used are ND filters which help with long exposures and balancing background and foreground light, or a polarizer. Understanding and using filters in landscape photography can greatly help you overcome lighting challenges and increase your creativity.

Diamond beach sunrise in Iceland | Tomer Razabi

A wide angle shot of glaciers with long exposure at diamond beach in Iceland.

Landscape photography of sunrise at Deadvlei Namibia - Tomer Razabi

A Telephoto shot of camel thorn trees and red sand dunes at Deadvlei in Namibia.

landscape photography technique

The technique and exposure settings in landscape photography (during day time) will be quite similar in most situations and repeat themselves. It is highly recommended to get to know the exposure considerations and their meaning, so that you can choose the right exposure settings and also know when you can deviate from the rule and still get a good result. If you want to get more in depth, read my full Landscape photography technique article.

ISO - use the lowest native ISO of your camera to achieve a clean image with the lowest noise, best dynamic range and color depth (considering you use a tripod).
Aperture - will be mostly used towards the narrow values in order to increase the depth of field. There is not rule here, you might be able to use a wide aperture and still achieve enough depth of field depending on other factors, but most of the times it will be necessary to set to F/8 and up to F/22, depending on the situation and composition. In relatively rare situations when sufficient depth of field can't be achieve in a single image, you might need to use a technique called focus stacking.
Shutter - considering we'll use low ISO and a relatively narrow aperture, the shutter's main job will be to balance the general exposure. In some situations we may want to use a slow shutter and do long exposure to create visual effects like smearing clouds and water.
Focus - the best practice to is to focus on the closer area of your image. Not in the middle, not in the third, not in the background. The focus is an important factor of the depth of field. It will be to hard to explain in a few sentences, so I advise you to read my full guide about focus and depth of field.

landscape photography composition guidelines

A good composition is the main key to creating a successful landscape image! The goal is to create an image as attractive as possible, with strong and clear elements, good balance in the frame, special lighting and interest that will attract the viewer's eye. There are several important elements that can make landscape images really stand out.

Foreground anchor - The foreground (let's generally consider it as the lower third of the frame) is one of the most important parts in a landscape image, especially when shooting with wide angle lenses which make it very prominent. Our goal is to make a very interesting foreground, something that can be achieved by composing an "anchor". The anchor would usually be a natural object or element in the foreground that attracts the viewer's eye. In order for the anchor to be attractive, it has to follow 3 basic characters: a defined and complete shape, stands out of the surrounding, takes a good and aesthetic volume.

צילום נוף - שקיעה בחוף פלמחים | צילום: תומר רצאבי

The small puddle here is the anchor - located at the bottom third of the frame, defined and complete, stands out of it's surrounding and has good volume.

צילום נוף זריחה בים המלח - צילום: תומר רצאבי

The salt mushrooms are the anchor - located at the bottom third, defined and complete, stands out of it's surrounding and have good volume.

Foreground textures - interesting texture and patterns, which sometimes may include lines, also create a lot of interest in the foreground. It can be anything for ice patterns, rock texture to sand waves.

צילום נוף דיונות החול של ניצנה בשקיעה - תומר רצאבי

Leading lines - will allow us to lead the viewer in a very continuous and interesting manner in all parts of the image and will add interest to the viewer's eye between the parts of the image. It is possible to create leading lines with any prominent element (river, fence, road...). The goal is to usually create a diagonal guide line from one of the lower corners of the image to the background.

צילום נוף קרחון אלץ' בשוויץ - צילום: תומר רצאבי

The glacier in this aerial image acts as a leading line, attracting the eye from bottom left going up and right towards the background.

The smeared lines of the waves create leading lines that lead the eye from the foreground to the background.

Background - a very important element that will add a lot of interest to the photo. A good background can be a variety of things such as a special sunset with vibrantly colored clouds, a snowy jagged mountain peak, a rainbow, a lightning storm, northern lights and more. Being outdoors in nature, we obviously can't control the environment, therefore we will try to shoot towards the most interesting background found in a specific situation.

צילום נוף שקיעה בחוף הבונים - צילום: תומר רצאבי

צילום נוף שקיעה בנחל צין מדרשת שדה בוקר - תומר רצאבי

Wildlife photography

Wildlife photography brings the wonders of the animal kingdom into focus, capturing the behavior, beauty, and diversity of creatures in their natural habitats. This genre requires patience, skill, and an understanding of both the technical aspects of photography and the unpredictable nature of wildlife. Mastering the key techniques, composition guide lines and animal behavior will help you create compelling images that tell the stories of the wild and inspire a deeper appreciation for the world’s animals.

צי'טה בטנזניה בשמורת סרנגטי, צולם במהלך טיול ספארי

wildlife photography recommended gear

wildlife photography usually requires more demanding and high end gear including cameras and lenses. You can shoot great photos with simpler cameras, but many situation require performance reserved for advanced and naturally more expensive gear. You'll find more about recommended gear in this article.

Camera - the best cameras for wildlife photography are usually full frame cameras, which boast good ISO performance, a fast and accurate focus system and high continuous shooting speed. High ISO performance is usually required in many situation where we need to compensate light due to the use of fast shutter speed. A good focus system is key to get sharp photos. Both for static and especially in dynamic situations when animals move, run or fly. High continuous shooting speed raises the chance for a successful shot.
Telephoto lenses - are the most commonly used lenses in this genre, due to their ability to zoom in on animals which we can't get very close to.
Wide angle lens - are usually used by professional photographers, who have a deep understanding of wildlife and can get close to animals, weather in person or by placing a remotely operated camera.
Tripod - is not mandatory, but definitely useful if you are static and using a rather heavy telephoto lens.

A telephoto shot of a Hummingbird in Costa Rica

פיל בטנזניה בשמורת סרנגטי, צולם במהלך טיול ספארי

A wide angle shot of an elephant in Tanzania

wildlife photography technique

Achieving the perfect shot in wildlife photography often comes down to precise control over exposure and focus settings. These technical aspects are crucial for capturing sharp, well-lit images, especially in unpredictable and fast-moving scenarios. Whether you’re photographing in low light, tracking fast moving animals, or simply taking a portrait, mastering these settings will help you capture stunning wildlife images with clarity and impact.

Exposure mode - no rules here, choose what works best for you. My choice is using Manual mode with automatic ISO. This allows me to set and change the shutter speed as necessary, set a wide aperture to compensate for light and let the camera determine the necessary ISO to balance the exposure.
Shutter - probably the number one factor to set and change as necessary. When using telephoto lenses our ground rule will be to set the shutter speed to 1/focal length or higher to get sharp images. For static situations this will work well, but once animals start to move, you'll have to use faster shutter speeds to get a sharp photo. Slow moving animals usually need shutter of 1/500 and higher. Fast moving animals like birds or a running cheetah will require a shutter speed of 1/2000 and higher.
Aperture - will be mostly used wide open. This allows to compensate for less light from using fast shutter speeds and also creates shallow depth of field which highlights and separates animals from the background.
ISO - will mostly be used to balance the general exposure. High iso is often required considering we will use fast shutter speeds, especially in low light situations.
Focus - Mastering focus settings in wildlife photography and specifically of your camera is very important. Each camera has different settings and characters, so I advise to learn yours really good. My general key notes are as follows. For static situations use one focus point and lock focus mode. For dynamic situations use extended focus points (small area expansion) and continuous focus mode. For most of today's advanced mirrorless cameras, focus is easier because they have face/eye recognition which automatically and continuously follow the subject.

Static/slow movement scene - Shot at 400mm, ISO 100, F/6.3, 1/500 seconds.

Dynamic/fast movement scene - Shot at 600mm, ISO 1600, F/6.3, 1/800 seconds.

wildlife photography composition

Composition is the backbone of compelling wildlife photography, telling a story through your images. Understanding how to frame your subject, capture a decisive moment and incorporate background of the surrounding environment can elevate a simple shot into a powerful visual narrative. Below are the essential composition guidelines for wildlife photography, from the rule of thirds, through the importance of negative space, framing and to the holy grail of this genre - animal behavior.

Thirds and negative space - a known composition guide line that works increadbly well for people, animals and even still objects. When an animal faces a certain direction, compose it in the opposite third and leave a negative for the viewer to imagine what the animal might be looking at.

Eye Level - shooting at eye level or closely as possible gives a sense of being with the animal in the same place and connects the viewer to the subject.

Background - a good background is key in wildlife photography. It can be simple blurred background that emphasizes the animal, or a wider more detailed background that includes the animal's surrounding and tell about it environment.

Framing - framing includes placing your subject in the frame, considering other animals, space from the frame edges, what to include and what not to include. Make sure your subject has sufficient space from the frame edges, try not to cut distinctive parts (like a rhino's horn, or an elephants trunk) and consider the background.

זברות בשמורת נגורונגורו, צולם במהלך טיול ספארי

Animal behavior - is the holy grail of wildlife photography. Quite frankly, it isn't too hard to take good wildlife photos once you get the basics, but capturing unique behavior in fleeting moments is what wildlife photography is all about. Capturing these moments usually comes with a deeper understanding of animals, their biology and behavior. Various behaviors can include interaction, motion, hunting and more.

לביאה וגור אריות במהלך משחק בשמורת סרנגטי בטזניה, צולם במהלך טיול ספארי לטנזניה | Tomer Razabi Photography

ציטה לאחר ציד של צבי תומסון צולם בטיול ספארי בטנזניה - תומר רצאבי

Astrophotography

Astrophotography opens a window to the cosmos, capturing the breathtaking beauty of the night sky, from starry landscapes to distant galaxies and celestial events. This genre of photography combines technical precision with artistic vision, allowing photographers to reveal the wonders of the universe that are often invisible to the naked eye. Below are the fundamentals of astrophotography, offering tips on gear selection, exposure settings, and composition to help you capture stunning images of the stars and beyond.

שבילי כוכבים עם פטריית סלע במדבר | תומר רצאבי

astrophotography recommended gear

Astrophotography requires cameras and lenses which are more towards the high end spectrum in order to get good results. Capturing high quality images of the night sky will mostly require high ISO performance and wide lenses with fast aperture.

Camera - due to the need of the use in high ISO, full frame cameras with large sensors and good ISO performance are the best choice for this genre.
Wide angle lenses - are perfect for astrophotography which also include a foreground. A fast aperture of F/2.8 or faster are recommended.
Tripod - is quite mandatory, considering we will be using long exposures.
Remote - is not mandatory, but some photographers find it useful in order to avoid camera shake, set a very long shutter, or shoot star trails and time lapse. Most modern cameras have built in features that will allow you to do all the above without a remote.

תמונה מתוך סדנת צילומי לילה וכוכבים בחווארי מצדה - תומר רצאבי

צילום לילה כוכבים ושביל החלב עם סלע פטריה | תומר רצאבי

astrophotography technique

Capturing the night sky in all its glory requires mastering the technical aspects of astrophotography, particularly exposure and focus settings. These elements are crucial for producing sharp, well-exposed images of the stars and foreground.

Focal length - if you're aiming for night photography that includes a foreground, choose your wide angle lens to get a wide field of view that will include the foreground and a good volume of the night sky.
ISO - iso settings will be high, usually ranging from 400 to 6400 depending on what we want to achieve and the ambient light. It also depends on your camera's ISO performance and noise it produces. Most cameras with full frame sensors can produce pretty clean images with ISO of 3200 to 6400. Crop sensor cameras are mostly limited to ISO 1600.
Aperture - will usually be used at the widest to get as much light as possible.
Shutter - will usually be long, from few seconds and even up to few minutes. to capture images with still stars like small dots, you'll have to limit the shutter speed according to the focal length you use. You can use the 500 rule (500/focal lenght equals the maximum shutter speed in seconds without smearing the stars)
Focus and depth of field - since we usually use a very wide aperture, the depth of field will be relatively low. In order to make sure we have enough depth of field that includes the foreground and sky, we will have to focus according to the hyper focal distance or further away. It will be to hard to explain in a few sentences, so I advise you to read my full guide about focus and depth of field.
White Balance - is a choice of taste and style. If you shoot RAW, you can choose it later in post processing. I usually prefer a rather cool WB to get a bluish color of the night sky.

צילום לילה כוכבים ושביל החלב במכתש רמון - תומר רצאבי

Milky way above Ramon crater in Israel. Shot with 14mm, ISO 3200, F/1.8, 30 seconds.

צילום נוף וכוכבים בלילה בטיול ספארי בטנזניה - תומר רצאבי

Night at the Serengeti. Shot with 16mm, ISO 3200, F/2.8, 30 seconds.

astrophotography composition

Astrophotography composition is about more than just capturing the stars, it’s about creating a visually striking image that draws the viewer into the vastness of the night sky. Whether you're framing a stunning Milky Way panorama or a lone starry subject against a dramatic landscape, the way you compose your shot can greatly enhance its impact.

Foreground - in Astrophotography the foreground will usually take a smaller part in the overall composition than usual, in order to include wide view of the night sky, milky way and even northern lights (depending on the overall interest of the elements of the image). Foreground object will also be larger than usual, due to the fact we want them large enough and in focus and also the sky. As I mentioned above, to get sufficient depth of field we'll need to use the hyper focal distance, which usually means the camera will be a few meters from the nearest object in the image. Don't hold back if you want to shoot a composition with rather small objects in the foreground! it might cause the nearest parts to be a little out of foucs, or you can always use focus stacking.

צילום לילה כוכבים עם סלע פטריה | תומר רצאבי

Soft milky way above a large lime stone mushroom rock. Shot with 14mm, ISO 3200, F/2.8, 30 seconds.

צילום נוף בלילה הר צין ושדה הבולבוסים - צילום: תומר רצאבי

Small Bulbus rocks with mount Zin in the background. Shot with 16mm, ISO 3200, F/2.8, 30 seconds.

Background - is a major part of the image composition. It isn't necessarily the main part of the image, but it definitely has to be interesting. Some of the most interesting elements for Astrophotography shots are the milky way, interesting star constellations or star trails variants. The balance between foreground and background in Astrophotography depends on the amount of interest of each part.

Tanzania Serengeti astrophotography - Tomer Razabi

Milky way above Acacia woodland in the Serengeti.

Milky way above mushroom rock in Israel.

macro photography

Macro photography unveils a hidden world of intricate details and tiny wonders, allowing us to explore the beauty of the small and often overlooked. From the delicate textures of a flower petal to the intricate patterns on an insect’s wings, this genre of photography magnifies the minute, revealing the extraordinary in the ordinary.

Macro photography recommended gear

Macro photography doesn't necessarily demands high end gear. It does require one basic and important things which are the macro lenses which enable the close up ability. Simple cameras will usually suffice, a descent tripod, remote trigger and sometimes a Speedlite (flash) and diffusers.

Camera - a simple DSLR or mirrorless camera will do a great job. There is usually no need for high ISO or sophisticated focus system.
Macro lenses - are a must of you want to ger descent close ups, especially of smaller creatures like insects. Extension tubes are also widely used to get macro ability with regular lenses, but the quality isn't the same as a proper macro lens.
Tripod - is very useful since you might be shooting in low light situation with relatively slow shutter, and also because any minute movement in macro will cause a blurry image. Some photographers use a Speedlite in macro photography and can avoid using a tripod due to the high speed light of the flash.
Speedlite - is used by many experienced macro photographers. It is used to add, fill or generally control the light in the image. It is mostly used with diffusers that soften the light and create a more realistic feel.

Macro photography technique

ISO - low ISO is usually recommended in order to achieve clean shots. If you're only using natural light and shooting during low light (morning when insects are less active and jumpy), you might also need to use a relatively slow shutter and a tripod. If you're using a speedlite it will be easier to use low ISO without using a slow shutter.
Aperture - will usually be relatively narrow in order to increase the depth of field. Depending on the lens, focus distance and how much magnification you want, you'll probably be using F/11 and higher.
Shutter - Will primarily be used to balance the total exposure. Depending on the other factors, it might faster or slower.
Focus and depth of field - the focus will obviously be on the subject like the insect, flower or anything else which is the subject. The focus distance will substantially affect to the depth of field, this will sometimes require a very narrow aperture to achieve enough DOF.

Macro photography composition

Subject - classic insect photos are usually shot with frontal angle or a parallel angle to include most or all the interesting parts of the insect in the depth of field. Flowers and other plants have various interesting angles to experience.
Background - if you want or not, due to the low DOF in macro photography, the background is usually blurred. Classic backgrounds are usually more aesthetic when they are relatively "clean" or "smooth" in texture, color and light, but don't be shy to experience.
General composition guide lines - rule of thirds, breathing space, framing and guiding lines work very well in Macro photography.

conclusions

Nature photography offers endless opportunities to connect with the world around us, capturing its beauty in landscapes, wildlife, the night sky, and the smallest details of life. Whether you're photographing vast mountain ranges, the delicate intricacies of a flower, the majesty of wild animals, or the brilliance of the stars, each aspect of nature photography invites you to explore and appreciate the wonders of our planet. By mastering the techniques and embracing the creative possibilities within landscape, wildlife, astrophotography, and macro photography, you can create images that not only capture moments but also inspire a deeper connection with the natural world.

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