Keep it natural
Spring is synonymous with rejuvenation. Animals, plants and mother nature are all busy. Time to dust off your telephoto lens and shoot frame-filling nature shots
21 Worm’s-eye view
Get low and shoot from ground level to capture an intimate and natural perspective. Discard your tripod and use your elbows for stability or support your lens on a beanbag. A low angle, together with a telephoto lens and large aperture, will help subjects ‘pop’ from their surroundings.
22 Background check
Background choice can make or break your shot. Aim to capture flattering, non-competitive backgrounds. A diffused wash of colour typically works well – for example, out-of-focus vegetation, spring flowers, sky or water. You can typically exclude distractions by changing the shooting angle or setting a larger aperture.
23 Beautiful butterflies
During spring, butterflies return to gardens, flower meadows and wooded glades. Few insects are as photogenic. Attach a macro lens or close-up accessory. They are easiest to locate during the heat of the day, but also at their most active. Wait for one to feed or bask and then approach carefully. Patience is required. Use a largish aperture to keep backgrounds diffused.
24 Two by two
To help your nature images stand out, capture seasonal behaviour. Spring is the perfect time to photograph courtship displays or bonding. Grebes, swans and nesting seabirds are among the best subjects to photograph in pairs. Predictive AF will
Subjects are accustomed to human activity, making them ideal for photographers with limited time
help you achieve sharp images of moving subjects. Select a high ISO to generate a fast shutter speed.
25 Natural space
When shooting nature, the temptation is to fill the viewfinder for impact. However, recording your subject smaller in frame can provide scale, context and balance. Negative space provides room for your subject to look, fly or run into. Use a shorter focal length to include a slice of your subject’s habitat. Adopt this approach to capture seasonal-looking photographs.
26 Rise and shine
Set your alarm for daybreak and enjoy golden hour sunlight. The sun’s low position provides warm, attractive light, adding atmosphere to shots. Visit large open areas, like moorland, grassland and large bodies of water, away from the shade of trees and overgrowth. Shoot towards the light for dramatic, backlit results.
27 Island life
This is a great time to take a day trip to a seabird colony. They are home to many subjects during the breeding season. Birds like puffins and gannets can be very approachable. Use a telephoto lens for isolating subjects or shooting birds in flight.
28 Emerging life
Visit a local pond on warm spring mornings and search surrounding vegetation for emerging dragonflies and damselflies. Nymphs will climb out the water onto reeds and grasses to hatch. They are vulnerable at this stage, so tread carefully.
29 Young animals
29 Visit the countryside to photograph lively lambs and calves, or a local lake or waterway to shoot fluffy ducklings, goslings and cygnets. Use a long lens to minimize disturbance, together with a low angle. But never go near nests, or knowingly distress the parents of these animals.
30 Park life
You don’t need to go far to find great sources of nature. Local parks are often home to an abundance of wildlife. Subjects are also much more accustomed to human activity, making them ideal for photographers who have limited time and money. You’ll want to visit during morning or evening, when the lighting is best and there are fewer cyclists and dog walkers roaming around, accidentally getting in the way of shots. A telezoom, in the region of 70-300mm, is a good choice for shooting in the park. Try and work handheld for speed and spontaneity, if you can.