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Courtesy of: National Wildlife Federation

Courtesy of: National Geographic Society

Ape Case ACPRO1600 Pro Digital SLR Camera Luggage at Walmart NEW!

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MORE PHOTO ARTISTS AT WORK↓

Randle, Scott - Surf & city photos along the west coast of California.

Collier, Grant -Variety of photos from Colorado, Utah, Tahiti, and Patagonia.

Hardeman, Michael - Color landscape fine-art photography from all over America.

Bloom, Steve - Large and impressive collection of wildlife images.

Bulson, Ray - Photos from the U.S. and Canada, including 17 national parks.

Wood, Gary - Large number of images from throughout the U.S.

Murray, Geoff - Landscape photos from Tasmania, Australia.

TOP FIVE NATURE & WILDLIFE MAGAZINES

Outdoor Photography Magazine

Nature's Best Photography Magazine

National Geographic Adventure Magazine

National Wildlife Magazine

Smithsonian Nature's Best Photography Magazine

Nature Photography-Page Two

 

3. Eight Tips for Buying & Using Digital Cameras -

• Image Pixel Resolution-
  One of the first things to decide when choosing a digital camera is how many megapixels you should have.  This is important because it determines how large you can print an image and still maintain good quality.  Generally speaking, the more megapixels your camera has, the larger the print.  7 megapixels is a good starting point for an entry-level-digital camera.  You should expect excellent prints at 4 X 6 and even as large as 8 X 10(2) .

• Digital SLR or Point-and-Shoot Camera?
  The next important thing when buying a camera is which type to get.  A Digital SLR (Single Lens Reflex) camera is expensive, but if you are looking for a high-resolution camera with excellent picture quality, SLR cameras are the way to go.  This would be the digital equivalent of a 35 mm SLR film camera.  If you are familiar with 35 mm SLR film cameras, you will find many of the same features on a Digital SLR.  One of the most popular features of a Digital SLR is the ability to change lenses (i.e. - close-up lens, wide-angle, zoom, telescopic, pancake lens).

• If you are not as particular with your photography and want a simpler camera to use, you may want to consider a Point-and-Shoot Camera, which generally will cost much less.  Point-and-Shoot Cameras are usually smaller and easier to use.  Another advantage of the Point-and-Shoot Camera, is they usually have many automated features and pre-set shooting programs.  This makes it possible for you to shoot beautiful photographs even if you don't have allot of camera experience.

•  Memory Cards- Format, Storage Capacity & Image Compression-
  After you get a camera, you must choose a good memory card for your camera.  The most popular types/format of memory cards for digital cameras are Multi-Media Card (MMC), Memory-Stick (MS), Smartmedia (SM), Secure Digital (SD), xD-Picture Card (xD), and CompactFlash (CF).  Certain cameras require certain memory card types, so make sure you ask an expert which memory card is right for the camera you have.  CompactFlash cards(3) are the standard media for most all digital SLR cameras from the consumer-priced Canon Digital Rebel XTi and Nikon D70s all the way up to the $9,000 Canon EOS-1Ds Mark II(4) .

• Also, make sure you get the proper memory-card storage capacity for your camera, since there are many different storage capacities.  If you plan to keep the pictures stored in your camera, instead of transferring them to your computer, you will need to get a memory card with a larger storage capacity.  This will allow you to save many more pictures.  A card with 128MB is a low capacity card, while 16GB is very high capacity.  The last point regarding memory cards is the file/image format- (i.e. jpeg or raw data).  Most memory cards have the Jpeg Compression, however; check the owner’s camera manual to find out the manufacturer’s specifications(5) .

• Transferring Photo Images- You’ll have to learn how to transfer the pictures from your camera to your computer if you are planning on e-mailing them to your friends or arranging them for a calendar etc.  A few digital cameras come with software packages, which enable you to transfer images.

• Memory Card Reader & USB Cables-   A memory-card-reader is a piece of hardware that plugs into your computer via one of the USB ports.  You take the memory card out of your camera and insert it into the card reader.  The benefit of a card reader is that it is usually faster to download the pictures.  Also, by using the memory card reader, it allows you to save the batteries in your camera.  You can usually “power down” the camera during the transfer.  Some digital cameras come with a USB Cable, while other cameras do not.  If you have a USB cable, this is the cable you connect the camera to the computer. 
  Once you have completed the download process and the pictures are on your computer, you can delete the pictures from your memory card.  By emptying or erasing all of the images on your memory card, your card is essentially blank.  Then you can start taking pictures with a “fresh” memory card.

• Backing Up Your Images-
  Finally, it is a very good idea to regularly make a backup copy of the pictures on your computer.  You can either burn them to an external hard drive or perhaps a blank CD or DVD.  You have invested a lot of time and effort in taking your beautiful pictures and you would not want to lose them.

For more Info on Cameras & Photo Tips, go to:

• Top 10 Photography Books from Imagine123.Com,
• Top Outdoors Camera Reviews-
• Shutterbug.Com-
• PhotographyReview.Com,
• Outdoor Photographer.Com,
• Shutterfly.Com,
• General Reference Source-
• Digital Camera Database (with 1,000s of models, accessories, and reviews.)
  

4. Nature & Wildlife Photography Workshops-

• National Geographic Traveler “putting the WOW into Nature & Wildlife Photography"
• Gerlach Nature Photography Seminars, one-day to multi-week workshops in Kenya,
• Mark Lissick Wildlight & Nature Photography Classes,
• Mountain Trail Photography Workshops,
• Collier Workshops-teaching nature photography in Colorado and Utah. He is currently looking for photo interns; contact him at:grantcoll@aol.com
• John Baker’s Travel Images Photo Tours

5. Top 7 Colleges & Schools for Outdoor, Nature, & Wildlife Photo Classes-

• The North American Nature Photographers Association,
• The Brooks Institute of Photography ,
• Rocky Mountain School of Photography,
• Nikon School of Photography-Underwater Photography Program,
• The Arts Institute of New York- Photography Classes, with campus in Minneapolis,
• The New York Institute of Photography,
• For More Information on Photography Schools click here

6. Most Popular Nature Photography Sites or Locations- 

USA-

• Grand Canyon
• Zion’s Park, Utah
• The Niagara waterfalls between Canada - United States of America
• Yosemite Park,
• The Adirondacks
• The Blue Ridge Mountains
• Yellowstone
• See our Most Popular U.S. Nature Spots Page for other great photo locations.

Global-

• The Serengeti Park
• Swiss Alps
• The Victoria waterfalls in Zimbabwe – Zambia
• The great coral reef in Australia
• The tropical jungles Guatemala or Ecuador
• The Bora-Bora islands in French Polynesia
• Sand Dunes of the Sahara
• For the rest of the list of 100 most beautiful places,click here

7. National Nature Photography Contests-

• 8th Annual National Wildlife Photo Contest, sponsored by National Wildlife Magazine,
• Nature Magazine Photo Contest,
• National Wildlife Refuge Association Photo Contest,
• The Nature Conservancy in Minnesota Photo Contest,
• The National Geographic International Photography Contest,
• The Canadian Museum of Nature, Canadian Wildlife Photography Contest,
• The EPA Earth Day Photo Contest,
• Nature’s Best Photography Magazine Photo Contest,
• British Natural History Museum, The Wildlife Photographer of the Year Competition,

8.  The Top 7 Nature-Wildlife Photographers- 

Unfortunately, there isn’t common agreement among Nature & Wildlife photographers, as to who is the best.  Artists have their own technique of photography so it is very difficult to rank them objectively.  However, we have provided the biographies of 7 outstanding photographers that we think are worthy of your review. 

At the bottom of this section, you will find links to three Nature Photography Biography Books, if you decide to pursue this topic further.

• Ansel Adams, 1902-84, the grand-father of American Nature Photography, b. San Francisco.  He began taking photographs in the High Sierra and Yosemite Valley.  His name is permanently associated with Yosemite Valley. He became a professional photographer in 1930.  A co-founder of the “zone” style of photography.

•  Imogen Cunningham 1883-1976, American photographer, b. Portland, OR.  Cunningham began taking pictures in 1901.  After studying abroad, she opened a studio in Seattle in 1910; and for six decades produced an extraordinarily varied body of work including many strong, exquisite portraits.  Cunningham was a member of the f /64 group.  In the late 1920s, she began her celebrated series of plant photographs, which exhibit an unsurpassed pristine sensuality.

• Jim Clark has been an award-winning nature photographer, and writer for over 30 years.  His articles and images have appeared in magazines such as Outdoor Photographer, Nature's Best, Wonderful West Virginia, Birder's World, Country, Wild Bird, and Outdoor & Nature Photographer.  A native son of West Virginia, Jim is the author and photographer of two books about his home state and the Appalachians – “West Virginia: The Allegheny Highlands,” and “Mountain Memories: An Appalachian Sense of Place.”  Jim is currently completing two more books about some of his favorite places in the country.  The documentary film, "Mountain Memories," which was broadcast on PBS in 2003, profiles Jim's life and career as a nature photographer.  Jim is past president of NANPA and served on its Board of Directors.  Jim serves on the advisory board for Nature's Best Photography and is a member of Fuji Film's Talent Team Speakers Program.

• Robert Glenn Ketchum, In its centennial edition, Audubon magazine editors recognized 100 champions of conservation “who shaped the environmental movement in the 20th century.”  Included with such luminaries as John Muir, Rachael Carson and David Brower, was photographer, Robert Glenn Ketchum.  Ketchum has also been listed by American Photo as one of the 100 most important people in photography.  During 2000 to 2001, he was given the Robert O. Easton Award for Environmental Stewardship, the Josephine and Frank Duveneck Humanitarian Award, and was named Outstanding Photographer of the Year for 2001 by the North American Nature Photography Association, and Outstanding Person of the Year by Photo Media Magazine. The diversity of these acknowledgments reflect a unique 30-year career in which Ketchum has dedicated his art to addressing issues of natural resource management and habitat protection.  Combined with his personal activism, he and his work have been at the forefront of American artists expressing their concern for the state of the environment.

• Scott Bourne is an award-winning photographer who is known for his use of color, shape, and form in natural settings.  He is a pioneer in the digital imaging field.  Scott has conducted classes, workshops, tours and seminars for the Professional Photographers of America, Great American Photography Workshops, The Nature Photographers of The Pacific Northwest, The Northwest Council of Camera Clubs, Photo Expo East/West, The Seattle Professional Photographers Association, The Washington Professional Photographers Association, The Professional Photographers of Washington, The Winona International School of Photography, Photographic Center Northwest, The Pierce County Professional Photographers Association, and the Cooperative Communicators Association. Scott is working on several books with nature photographers Rod Barbee and David Middleton.  Scott's newest book “88 Secrets to Wildlife Photography,” with Rod Barbee was released in the Spring of 2005.

• Edward Kanze- This author, naturalist, wilderness guide, and photographer lives on the Saranac River in New York's 6 million acre Adirondack Park.  In 2005, the American Museum of Natural History in conjunction with the John Burroughs Association gave Mr. Kanze the award “Outstanding Published Natural History Essay of 2004,” for his provocative essay about the passenger-pigeon, “In Search Of Something Lost.”  (The Burroughs awards, bestowed annually at the American Museum, are America's highest honors in nature-writing.)  This essay also earned a gold medal in environmental writing by the International Regional Magazine Association.  Mr. Kanze was featured in the two-hour PBS documentary "The Adirondacks," directed by 7-time Emmy Award winner Tom Simon.  An acclaimed author, Ed has published five award winning photo-books, including “The World of John Burroughs,” which portrays the life of this famous naturalist, philosopher, and literary critic.

• Jim Brandenburg (6) - Quiet and contemplative, Minnesota photographer Jim Brandenburg is one of the most accomplished and prolific wildlife photographers in the world.  The immediacy and serenity Brandenburg captures in the wild often requires long solitary hours and is a reflection of his belief that "Photography is more primitive than writing...as the animals we evolved from, we rely on vision much more than language.”  Mr. Brandenburg received the World Achievement Award from the United Nations Environmental Program in 1991.  He is one of only five Americans to receive such recognition.  His award was for his exemplary achievements by using nature photography to enhance public awareness of the earth's fragile environment.

• Bill Silliker- moose and elk master photographer

 

• Galen Rowell- the grandmaster of outdoor photography.

• Check out these three biographical sketches-
  • World’s Top Photographers: Landscape by Terry Hope.
  • Wildlife: The World's Top Photographers by Terry Hope
  • The World's Top Photographers' Workshops: Travel & Nature by Andy Steel.

 

OTHER RESOURCES-

National Geographic offers professional photography tips, sponsors nature photo workshops and photo trips, has an international photo contest, and publishes two magazines related to photography-their Traveller Magazine and their Adventure Magazine. Last but not least, once a year, National Geographic Magazine publishes "The 100 Best Wildlife Pictures" Issue.

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