Outdoor Photography

If you’ve picked up this magazine, chances are you’re as passionate about the outdoors as we are—and share the same desire to capture on camera the wonders of the natural world. Acquiring the technical skills necessary for taking pictures is the easy part; the biggest challenge lies in creating images that stand out from the crowd and hold the viewer’s attention. We’ve put together this guide with some of the leading experts in the field of outdoor photography, to offer inspiring insights into a range of genres and to help you take your image-making skills to the next level. Whether you want to capture the beauty of the landscape through the seasons, improve your wildlife photography, or take better travel pictures, you will be sure to discover plenty of tips to take…

MARK BAUER One of the UK’s leading landscape photographers, Mark Bauer is best known for his evocative images taken in southwest England, although he regularly travels further afield. He has more than 15 years’ experience as a professional photographer and is the author of six books. markbauerphotography.com ROBERT BIRKBY Based in West Yorkshire, UK, Robert Birkby specializes in classical landscapes, nature, and travel photography. His images are widely published and have featured in several photographic competitions. robertbirkbyphotography.co.uk LEE FROST Lee Frost has been a professional photographer for more than three decades and is the author of 20 books and thousands of magazine articles. For the last 20 years he has also been leading sell-out photography workshops and tours around the globe. leefrost.co.uk PETER GORDON Based in Dublin, Ireland, award-winning landscape photographer Peter Gordon aims to present the viewer with a…

While it is true that some great photographs are the result of opportunism alone, most shots owe their success to thorough planning and preparation. Don’t under-estimate the importance of doing your homework before heading out on location with your camera. By researching your subject or location and understanding the significance and influence of light, weather, and timing, you will maximize your chances of returning with a successful shot and reduce the risk of frustration. FAIL TO PREPARE, PREPARE TO FAIL Yes, you could simply decide to “wing it” and rely on luck and opportunism when you head out on location. Undeniably, some of the best shots you’ll ever take will be the result of good fortune—after all, nature, weather, and light are wonderfully unpredictable. But why leave more to chance than absolutely…

Beginners often find composition to be the trickiest aspect of photography. This is mainly because it’s a creative process that relies on our individual way of seeing the world, rather than a technical challenge such as exposure or using filters. There’s no right or wrong, but there is success or failure because composition is the foundation on which everything else stands, regardless of subject. In reality, composition isn’t a difficult concept to grasp. All you’re doing is arranging the elements of a scene in your camera’s viewfinder, so they form a visually pleasing whole. A successful composition is balanced and stimulating to look at. It leads the viewer’s eye around the frame, so it takes in all the important elements without any great effort. An untidy composition does the opposite. It…

Think back to when you were a kid and, armed with some pots of poster paints, you set about creating a masterpiece for your mom to stick on the refrigerator door. There was no delicate brushwork in pastel hues, no intricate detail—it was all big, brash splodges of primary color slapped on the back of an old roll of woodchip wallpaper. Reds, yellows, blues, greens—the brighter and bolder the better. Houses were depicted as squares with triangles on top; mom and dad looked like lollipops with sticks for arms and legs. At the time, you probably had no idea what you were doing, other than having fun and making a mess, but subconsciously you were paring everything down to the simplest form, rejecting all the details that didn’t matter and concentrating…

Largely thanks to social media, we see more landscape photographs these days than ever before. And to be fair, a lot of it is of a really high standard. But as you scroll through the images on social media, how often do you see a shot and instantly know who the photographer is? The fact is that creating images that are recognizably yours, with their own distinctive style, is one of the hardest things to achieve, no matter how good a photographer you are. It depends on your developing a unique way of seeing the world and knowing what you want to express through your images. Although a personal style is not the same as a formal style, such as impressionism or minimalism, the chances are that you will find yourself drawn…