Nature photography is a genre that covers a wide range disciplines, each with its own subjects, equipment, techniques and challenges. They all share a common devotion to portraying elements of nature with an aesthetic that hopefully leaves the viewer with a sense of awe and wonder about the natural world.

I like to divide nature photography into five main categories, with numerous crossovers and specialties under each of those. The main ones are birds and wildlife (which I feel are separate), macro/close-up, flowers and plants, landscapes and the night sky. I have managed to photograph all of these subjects at one point or another over the years, and have captured images in each that I am proud of. However there are three of these (well, four—remember I said birds and wildlife are separate?) that I enjoy the most and have especially embraced. These are the ones where I concentrate my time and effort, in improving my skills and seeking out subjects for new images. They are, in the order that I started them:

• Birds
• Wildlife
• Landscapes
• Night Sky

I now spend probably almost equal time and energy each year working on each of these subjects. The great thing about having diverse areas of interest is that at any given time of the year and in almost any condition there are subjects to photograph in one of these areas. There are times of the year when birds are abundant and resplendent in their breeding colours, and other times when the Milky Way core is high in the sky.

Over the next few weeks I’m going share my thoughts about each of these disciplines, including a tip or two for anyone interested in joining this amazing pastime. Feel free to read along, and please leave me a comment if you enjoy my posts.

Thanks!