The Betterphoto Guide to Digital Nature Photography

From the tiniest ladybug to a towering glacier, from a horse running in a field to a leaf falling slowly from a tree, nature subjects offer some of the greatest challenges and the greatest rewards to photographers. In the BetterPhoto tradition, here's a complete photo course in a book. Hands-on lessons cover every aspect of digital nature photography, from buying the right camera for close-ups, landscapes, and movement, to understanding how the camera works, to taking great pictures. Author Jim Miotke uses straightforward text and inspiring yet informative photos to show the best ways to approach nature photography. Everything a beginner or intermediate photographer needs to know is here, including a buyer's guide, full information on camera features, file formats and settings, exposure, low-light photography, filters and white balance, composition and lens choice, creative ideas, manipulating, and printing, along with a glossary and list of useful websites. The Better Photo Guide to Digital Nature Photography helps photographers everywhere get great photos in the great outdoors.

Jim Miotke is the founder of the website BetterPhoto.com and an instructor at the site. He is the author of The BetterPhoto Guide to Digital Photography and The Absolute Beginners Guide to Taking Great Photos. He lives in Washington state.

Introduction — 1. Light — Quality — Assignment : before you start — Intensity — Direction — Time of day — Assignment : practice working quickly with the light — Weather — White balance — 2. Composition — Simplicity — Orientation — Lens choice — The rule of thirds — Color — Geometric elements — Assignment : consider composition — 3. Digital exposure — The three components of exposure — Exposure modes — Filters — Overall brightness — An introduction to interpreting raw files — Exposure compensation — Assignment : intentionally blur your subject — 4. Landscapes — Conveying a sense of place — Time of day and the landscape — Assignment : shoot the same scene throughout the day — Overcast skies — Waterfalls and rainbows — Mountains — Clouds — Sunrise and sunset — Simple composition and the landscape — Foreground elements — Using the rule of thirds — Leading lines — Aperture and the landscape — Breaking the rules — 5. Macro photography — What a macro image needs — Equipment — Light and macro — Macro composition : noticing everything — Fill the frame — The rule of thirds close-up — Geometric elements close-up — Assignment : try different points of view — Aperture and macro — Assignment : take stock of your macro work — Assignment : cheat on your macro background — Shutter speed and macro — Macro rule breaking — 6. Wildlife — Translating words into images — Light and animals — Flash : unnatural light in the natural world — Composition and animals — Getting closer to wildlife — Go wide, go vertical — Digital exposure and wildlife — Breaking the rules with animals — Assignment : practice both prolific and selective photographing.