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Shipboard Photography: Carrying, Stabilizing, and Protecting your Gear

By & filed under All Articles, Equipment & Gear, Tips & Techniques Articles, Travel Photography Articles.

More and more photographers are taking to the sea to visit island destinations like Svalbard, Greenland, and the Galapagos. Antarctic tourism, for example, has surged in recent years, with over 44,000 people visiting the frozen continent in the 2016-2017 summer season—and almost all of them by ship. Ships provide access to remote landscapes and a stunning array of marine species including polar bears, sea otters, penguins, and seabirds. Read More

Using Triangles in Landscape Photography

By & filed under All Articles, Ian Plant, Landscape Photography Articles, Tips & Techniques Articles.

In my over ten years as a professional landscape photographer, I’ve learned that artistic composition—the positioning of visual elements within the picture frame—is vitally important to taking successful photos. A critical component of mastering composition is learning how to recognize and creatively use abstract shapes. When assessing potential landscape subjects, I always keep an eye out for objects that form a triangle shape, as I’ve found that you can make powerful compositions by using triangles in landscape photography. Read More

The Best Times to Take Outdoor Photos

By & filed under All Articles, Ian Plant, Landscape Photography Articles, Tips & Techniques Articles.

I’ve been a professional landscape, nature, and travel photographer for over ten years, and I often get asked the question: what are the best times of day for taking outdoor photographs? The answer, of course, depends in large part on what you are photographing. Outdoor photographers like myself spend weeks in the field hoping for incredible displays of natural light to fully bring their subjects to life. Understanding light, how it changes during the day, and how you can best use the light to your advantage are all critical aspects of successful outdoor photography. Read More

The 7 Elements of a Great Bird Photograph

By & filed under All Articles, Tips & Techniques Articles, Wildlife Photography Articles.

In order to create beautiful images of birds on a consistent basis it is important to understand the many elements that combine to make a good photo. This includes: exposure, composition, light, sharpness, perch, pose, and background. However, these components are not absolute rules that must be followed in every image. As a matter of fact, some of the best images are those that break some of the rules or that are “outside of the box”. Nevertheless, understanding these 7 elements as a starting point will inevitably lead to better bird images. Read More

The Importance of Photographing Clouds for Outdoor Photography

By & filed under All Articles, Ian Plant, Landscape Photography Articles, Tips & Techniques Articles, Wildlife Photography Articles.

Whenever you include the sky in your photos, chances are your compositions will look better if there are clouds—the right kind of clouds, that is. Photographing clouds is really important for landscape photography in particular, but I find the presence of clouds to be useful with other types of outdoor… Read More