Nature photography generally falls into two categories: landscape and wildlife. Both require different equipment and involve different techniques.
While you don't need thousands of dollars of equipment to take decent nature photos, equipment does matter. It is unlikely that you will be able to take great nature photos, particularly wildlife photos, with your smartphone.
Many of the Missouri Department of Conservation’s more than 1,000 conservation and natural areas around the state are popular sites for photographers and videographers. Whether getting a great shot of area wildlife, taking pictures of the landscape, or taking a family photo, conservation areas can offer great places to practice your skills.
Know before you go: In some cases, photography and filming on conservation areas requires a permit.
A Commercial Photography Permit is required for commercial photographers on department areas with an associated fee of $100 annually (expires June 30 each year). Commercial photography is defined as any photography activity that directly or indirectly results in financial benefit or gain, or where money is exchanged in connection with the activity, including professional photography. A Commercial Photography Permit is NOT required for news agencies.
Commercial photographers will also need a no-cost Special Use Permit in certain situations:
Commercial Photography Permit (please allow 10 business days for processing).
A Commercial Videography Permit will be required for all commercial videography on department areas with an associated fee of $500 per day. Commercial videography is defined as any filming activity that directly or indirectly results in financial benefit or gain, or where money is exchanged in connection with the activity, including, but not limited to promotional efforts, television, or documentaries. A Commercial Videography Permit is NOT required for news agencies.
Commercial Videography Permit (please allow 30 days for processing).
This category is probably the most accessible to the amateur photographer. It doesn’t require as much specialized equipment as wildlife photography, and landscapes don’t move around, so they are much easier to catch!
To take a good landscape photo, the only equipment you need is a decent camera with good resolution and a good lens. While it is possible to capture good landscape photos with a point-and-shoot camera, it is important to have a camera with adjustable settings, such as shutter speed and aperture, to improve your chances of success. Adjustable settings allow you to select a small aperture to maximize your depth of field, or select a fast shutter speed to minimize wind movement, or slow shutter speed to emphasize the movement of water in the scene or similar effects.
Cameras with interchangeable lenses or zoom lenses are also helpful, but if you only have one lens, the best choice is a wide-angle lens. The only other piece of equipment that is very helpful, though not essential, is a tripod, which will help you increase your shutter speed and aperture options.
Two key elements to a successful landscape photo are an interesting scene and light. The first is obvious. Presumably, you are taking the photo because you see a particularly special or beautiful scene that you want to capture. Light is less obvious but equally important. In fact, with the right light, a scene that is somewhat ordinary and mundane can be transformed into something special and beautiful.
Most of the best landscape photos are taken within an hour or less before or after sunrise or sunset. Photographers call this the golden time, and the quality of light created by these times of day greatly enhances a scene's drama and detail. The interplay between light and shadow becomes richer, textures are enhanced, and the light takes on an inviting golden quality.
Composition — what to include in the frame, and where to position it — can be tricky.
We tend to concentrate on just the center of the frame, and we often overlook what is going on around the edges, which can include distracting details. An important rule of photography is to “fill the frame,” to include only that which is important.
For example, if you are shooting a portrait, you want to get close and fill the frame with the subject's face. You don’t want to shoot so loosely that extraneous objects become a distraction. The same thing applies to landscape photography. Look over the whole scene captured in your viewfinder. If you see something that detracts from the scene and the feeling and mood you are trying to convey, crop it out. Change your shooting angle or the focal length of the lens.
Many of the most successful landscape photos include a strong foreground element that guides the eye into the scene but doesn't dominate it. This could be a flower, or a small waterfall, or any number of other things. The wide-angle lens helps with this, as it tends to emphasize things in the foreground.
Use the rule of thirds when composing a landscape shot with a strong foreground element. Imagine your frame is divided into thirds both horizontally and vertically. The best place to position strong foreground elements and other key elements is at the four intersections created by those imaginary lines. In other words, you don’t want your strong anchoring elements to be centered in the frame.
Good wildlife photography requires equal bits of luck and preparation. You don’t need a lot of specialized equipment, but it is really essential that you have one good, big, telephoto lens. Most wildlife is shy and will not allow you to get very close to it.
Even with a long lens, many people are surprised at how close they still have to get to their subject in order to “fill the frame.” Using a blind, vehicle, or some other kind of cover to hide yourself, and keeping as still as possible will improve your chances of getting close to your subject matter.
Long telephoto lenses and long zoom lenses can vary widely in price and size. You can have two lenses that are identical in focal length (magnification factor) but one of them may be three times the size and three or more times the cost of the other. This is because of two main things.
There may be nothing wrong with the smaller, cheaper lens, but you just need to understand its limitations. Using a tripod can help.
While luck plays a large role in wildlife photography, most successful wildlife photographers spend a lot of time researching their subjects. They learn the habits and behaviors of their subjects, including preferred habitats and foods. This helps them maximize their chances of success by putting themselves in the right places and at the right times. They also network with other nature photographers and enthusiasts who share notes about sightings of certain wildlife.
Corvids: crows and ravens
are very intelligent and curious birds.
Encountered in many mythologies:
significant to shamans, they speak from the other world;
as tricksters, they carried light to the indigenous peoples;
often, they play a role in creation stories;
they guard souls on journeys to other worlds.
Their perspective of height
and the capacity of breadth
allow them to quickly message patterns of change.
As a multidisciplinary artist, I am committed
to a curious mind, learning from nature
and the elements of water, earth, air, wind, and fire.
My work encompasses sculpture, paintings, and photography,
oftentimes using a combination of media:
beeswax, resin, and oil; stones an wood;
lead sheeting, wire, and precious metals; textiles;
collected papers, found objects, cast bronze and glass.
The historical reverence for the power
and sacredness of earth
spans our cultural memory.
We live in a chaotic world.
It is difficult to feel a part of the whole
with the loss of balance and control:
personally, politically, and spiritually.
When we become still and silent,
we may then listen
to the past, the present and the future.
Hopefully, we will continue to find ways
to understand and bond,
not only to our environment,
but most importantly,
to each other.
Catherine Eaton Skinner
2022
www.ceskinner.comHave you wanted to get into nature photography, but don’t know where to start? Come join us as we learn basic nature photography tips and tricks and hike the 2-mile loop at Pickle Springs Natural Area in Ste. Genevieve. You don’t even need a fancy camera to take stunning nature photographs. You may be shocked by the amazing pictures you can take with smartphones and point-and-shoot cameras!
Pickle Springs Natural Area is a geological wonderland with scenic waterfalls and cool box canyons that harbor unusual plants and animals. Besides the geology, this site supports over 250 vascular plant species including many uncommon species that are considered glacial relicts. Glacial relict species at Pickle Springs include the four-toed salamander, hay-scented fern, large whorled pogonia, and ground cedar, all species of conservation concern, as well as rattlesnake plantain and shining clubmoss. We’ll explore all Pickle Springs has to offer, stopping along the way to snap some amazing photographs.
All levels of nature photographers are welcome!
The hike is about 2 miles in length on natural terrain and of moderate difficulty. Please wear sturdy footwear, and bring a walking stick, water, and snacks if you’d like.
Specific directions to the parking lot will be sent out the day before the program.
Please register everyone individually.
The arts of piano music and photography combine as the Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) welcomes popular northwest musical artist John Nilsen for a statewide tour* of live performances at five of its Nature Centers. The concerts are free and open to the public. Nilsen is a noted pianist and acoustic musician who comes from Portland, Oregon. Nilsen is a sought-after performer throughout the U.S. He has performed in all 50 states and on four continents. As a Yamaha signature artist, Nilsen travels internationally playing over 225 performances a year.
For this multi-media engagement, Nilsen will compliment his nature-inspired music with the spectacular landscape and wildlife images of MDC Photographer Noppadol Paothong. Paothong’s photography can be seen regularly in MDC’s Missouri Conservationist magazine, as well as many other MDC publications.
Notable album releases by Nilsen on the Magic Wing label include, Places I Go, Local Ocean, and the folk-rock CD, John Nilsen and SWIMFISH. More details on Nilsen’s work can be found at johnnilsen.com.
*Tuesday, May 2 at Anita B. Gorman Discovery Center
Wednesday, May 3 at Springfield Conservation Nature Center
Thursday, May 4 at Runge Conservation Nature Center
Friday, May 5 at Powder Valley Conservation Nature Center
Saturday, May 6 at Cape Girardeau Conservation Nature Center
The arts of music and photography combine as the Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) welcomes popular northwest musical artist John Nilsen for a statewide tour* of live performances at five of its Nature Centers. The concerts are free and open to the public. Nilsen is a noted pianist and acoustic musician who comes from Portland, Oregon. Nilsen is a sought-after performer throughout the U.S. He has performed in all 50 states and on four continents. As a Yamaha signature artist, Nilsen travels internationally playing over 225 performances a year.
For this multi-media engagement, Nilsen will compliment his nature-inspired music with the spectacular landscape and wildlife images of MDC Photographer Noppadol Paothong. Paothong’s photography can be seen regularly in MDC’s Missouri Conservationist magazine, as well as many other MDC publications.
Notable album releases by Nilsen on the Magic Wing label include, Places I Go, Local Ocean, and the folk-rock CD, John Nilsen and SWIMFISH. More details on Nilsen’s work can be found at johnnilsen.com.
