I have always been a fan of a great photo, whether it’s taken at a sports event, a wedding, or is just one of me hanging out with some friends. I love taking pictures of moments in my life and looking back on them. Recently I have been taking photos of wildlife at my house, and here at work! The pandemic really gave me a lot of time on my hands to start exploring the world of nature photography and that also led me to purchasing my Canon Rebel. 
Since then, I have taken hundreds of photos of just about everything.
One of the greatest things about nature photography is that it is truly for everyone. Photography is an art, and everyone has their own art style. I very much enjoy seeing photos that other people take and learning their process in composing and editing their photos. When you are first exploring the world of nature photography, it can be a bit of a challenge finding your style. Personally, I found it hard initially to try to be original and at the same time take photos that make me happy, but these are some pointers that I followed to help me get to where I am:
- Take lots and lots of pictures! Especially if you are taking pictures of an animal that moves quickly! The more pictures you take, the better the chance you’ll take a great photo. I take about 10-20 pictures of the same bird and only end up keeping about 3 good ones!
- Stay in one spot for a while and take pictures from there. Once you move into a new area, wildlife will be disturbed. So, staying in one spot will allow wildlife to come back to your area and there’s less chance you’ll disturb them as well!
- Look at professional nature photos such as ones in National Geographic to study photo composition. You don’t have to completely copy their style, but it is a good way to get some inspiration as to what you want your own photos to look like.
- In the end, there is no right or wrong way to enjoy nature photography. You don’t need to have a fancy camera either. I have taken a couple of my favorite pictures on my phone and I enjoy them just as much as the photos I have taken with my camera!
Personally, my goal as a nature photographer is to do what makes me happy. My photos may seem like the worst photos in the world to someone else, but as long as they make me happy then I will continue to take more and share them with my friends and family!
