Techniques | Russ Bishop Photography | Nature Photo Blog

April 21, 2025April 21, 2025

Chasing Waterfalls

Chasing Waterfalls. There’s something about flowing water that soothes the soul and sparks the imagination. Mesmerizing ripples on a lake, the fluid dynamics of an eddy as it dances over rocks in a stream, or the powerful force of a cascading waterfall. It’s poetry in motion – nature’s visual elixir.

Preserving these moments of natural movement on film or sensor is a tireless indulgence for the outdoor photographer. Varying shutter speeds and focal lengths can create dramatic landscapes or freeze intimate moments of light and form. And most impressive is the fact that no two images will ever be the same!

Learning to read the flow of the water becomes intuitive with experience and helps solidify the visual appeal of each frame. Waterfalls in particular are constantly changing their course as the wind shifts, and timing your exposure for the best flow can greatly reduce editing time when reviewing dozens of images.

As with all nature photography, time spent thoughtfully viewing a scene and carefully framing your composition is paramount. It will ensure that when the decisive moments arrive you’re able to capture the dancing waters at peak performance.

October 17, 2023October 17, 2023

Simplify, Simplify

Simplify, Simplify. Thoreau’s famous words apply as much to successful landscape photography as life itself. Often when we first approach a classic scene we’re inclined to capture as much of it as possible in hopes that nothing is left out.

Many times a wide-angle view is the best perspective for those grand vistas, but it needs to be carefully composed in order to guide the viewer’s eye through the frame. Problems arise when there is too much information and the image becomes cluttered and confusing. That’s the time to go long and distill the key elements down to their essence.

As with taking on too much in our lives and missing the forest for the trees, sometimes we need to simplify the scene to make it stronger. By carefully cropping out distracting elements and focusing on light and form we can create images with more visual impact that connect with our audience on a deeper level.

May 25, 2023May 25, 2023

Visual Drama through Leading Lines

There are many ways to create stronger compositions in landscape photography, but one of the easiest and most effective techniques is the use of leading lines. Dynamic lighting and great subject matter are the desired cornerstones of any great composition, but even when these elements are less than exceptional there is still a way to create an emotional connection with your audience. Draw them into the scene with leading lines.

The wide-angle lens (anything 24mm and wider) has numerous benefits for the landscape photographer from incredible depth of field and relatively small size to a viewing angle that really captures the big picture. But all that visual information can be a bit overwhelming without some direction.

Using the rule of thirds and carefully composing to include natural lines such as a shoreline, forest edge, stream, or mountain ridge can lead your viewers into the frame or guide them to a specific part of the image. Diagonal lines in particular create visual tension, which is a sure-fire way to add drama to your images and create an emotional response with your audience.

Next time you’re out photographing the landscape, take a moment before you trip the shutter to make sure the elements within the frame are being used to their best advantage. Think of yourself as a director guiding your audience rather than just a photographer documenting the scene and you’ll be rewarded with stronger, more exciting images.