What is a Photography Subject?
Oftentimes, photographers will have a goal in mind for their images and a big part of this is selecting a subject. Just as portrait photography focuses on capturing people, nature photography focuses on nature as the subject. While sometimes the goal of nature photography is to explore and take photos along the way, there are other times when photographers may be seeking a specific plant, animal, or scene. Since “nature” is a very broad category, it can be helpful to narrow this down and determine what you are hoping to photograph before heading outside.
Nature Subjects: Flora
Flora, referring to all manners of plant life, is a common subset of nature photography. Plants provide a lot of visual interest for photography, with a huge variety in shapes, colors, and textures. Many plants also change with each season, which means they may offer different photographic opportunities throughout the year. Despite these seasonal transformations, plants are also very accessible and easy to find since they are all around us. If you are interested in shooting plant photography, you might further narrow this category down into subjects such as flowers, mushrooms, trees and forests, aquatic plants, agricultural plants, etc. Or you could choose to focus on looking for certain colors, textures, and shapes among plant life. Here are some ideas to get started with photographing flora:
- Visit botanical gardens
- Go hiking and take a close look at the plants and fungi that you see
- Look at the plants in your own backyard or garden
- Photograph the colorful foliage in Autumn
- In the winter, focus on textures, dry seed pods, or photographing plants in the snow
Nature Subjects: Fauna
Fauna, referring to animals, is commonly done through genres such as wildlife photography, pet photography, or even macro insect photography. Animals are very rewarding subjects to photograph but can require a bit more work than flowers and plants. Wildlife photographers need to find their subjects before they can even begin taking pictures, which can involve a good deal of research, planning, and sometimes luck. Plus, animals (whether wild or domestic) can be fast, constantly on the move, and don’t often pose nicely for pictures. Even once a photographer has found their animal subject, they have to be quick to get shots before the animal moves. If you are interested in photographing wildlife, you might want to research what kinds of animals live in your area or which animals you are interested in finding. Bird photography is a wonderful way to get started with wildlife photography, as birds can be found everywhere. Some other ideas to get started with animal photography:
- Visit a local zoo
- Photograph animals at a farm
- Use your pet or a friend’s pet as your subject
- Go hiking to see which wild animals live nearby. Check different habitats such as forests, lakes, wetlands, or deserts.
- Set up a bird feeder in your backyard
Nature Subjects: Landscapes
Some photographers prefer to shoot nature on a larger scale and capture entire landscapes rather than focusing on the individuals that live within. This genre of photography can range from dramatic mountain ranges to intimate waterfall scenes. Finding a landscape subject is different from finding a living, moving animal, but can still involve some research and scouting to identify the best locations. Certain landscapes are popular among both professional and casual photographers, so looking for your own unique angle or perspective can provide a fresh take on a commonly-photographed spot. Just like plants, landscapes will also appear differently throughout the seasons and sometimes it is worth returning later in the year. Some ideas for beginning landscape photography:
- Bring along a tripod or monopod
- Explore the popular vistas in your area, and experiment with different ways of photographing them
- Go hiking in less-traveled areas to find your own special locations
- Look for interesting geographical features- waterfalls, caves, cliffs, rivers, isolated trees, etc
- Are you shooting from up high (a mountain, cliff, observation deck)? From below? Try different angles
- Consider doing longer exposures for water scenes
Conclusion
These three categories are easy ways to break down nature into photography subjects, but there are definitely other ways to observe and capture the natural world. Look for inanimate subjects as well, like rocks, or look up to the sky for clouds and stars. Consider playing around with macro photography, abstract photography, astrophotography, and long exposures in nature. And sometimes the best results come from capturing multiple different subjects. A zoomed-out, environmental shot of a wild animal in the landscape can sometimes have greater impact than a close-up image. A portfolio of images that showcase the plants, animals, and landscape can tell a deeper story than just a single image. And as always- have fun and enjoy your time out in nature!
Thanks for joining me in Part 2 of my Shooting with Sarah photography tips series. Keep an eye out for Part 3, which will discuss ethical nature photography. Or check out some tips on working with natural light when photographing nature subjects.