Improve your Nature Photography and Join The Great Nature Project

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Lately, I’ve been working hard to improve my photography. Last week, I had a chance to speak with Kelley Miller,  a senior photography editor from National Geographic Kids. It was a really neat experience as she not only taught us how to improve our nature photography, but gave us an idea what it’s like to be a photographer for National Geographic.

Since I’ve become a National Geographic Kids Insider, one thing that I have learned about Nat Geo is their passion for curiosity. They always encourage you to explore your world and of course have a camera at the ready. This week that’s what the family and I did. We grabbed our cameras, and headed out to Fort Snelling State Park here in Minneapolis.

What I thought would just be a short hike turned out to be a four hour day trip. We ended up taking hundreds of pictures, and we were able to see tons of different interesting things on our trip. On our trip we saw a heart shaped rock, a skeletal spine, and even found a fossil! It was really amazing all of the things we found!

On our way down to the river, I told the kids to be observant and gave them a scavenger hunt list to look for. They were on the hunt for driftwood, shells, sticks, rocks, and a few other goodies. Once they had their lists they were off to the races.

 

During our hike, we ended up seeing a bald eagle, an awesome spider, and lots of really cool birds. Living in Minnesota, we are really blessed to have such great outdoor areas that are really close to us and super packed with wildlife and flora. We even found these really cool trees that the bottoms were hollowed out, so the kids took turns crawling in the trees and taking pictures of the outside world. There was even one tree that my husband, whom is 6’4”, could stand up in.

 

Normally, the kids are nagging after a little bit that they want to go back, or that they are tired. Since we were exploring, and seeing what cool things we could find, the kids actually whined when we said it was time to go home. (Mom and Dad aren’t quite as fit as they used to be).

That’s one of the reasons I really love homeschooling the kids though. We can go out into the world to do science and nature studies. We can challenge the kids to figure out what makes their world tick. They learn and don’t even realize it. Sometimes they even manage to teach us something we don’t know.

Part of the reason for our hike was to be a part of National Geographic’s The Great Nature Project. We are going to be a part of an attempt to break a Guiness Book of World records for the largest online photo album of animals. Check out this cool video to learn more!

Before you head off into the woods, want some tips to learn how to improve your nature photography? Then check out these great tips from National Geographic.

1. Be Observant

2. Make Eye Contact and Smile

3. Look for Details

4. Make the animal standout using a simple background or shallow depth of field

5. Include the animal’s habitat

6. Give a sense of scale. Pay attention to graphic elements

7. Pursue personality.

8. Try different angles.

9. Be patient

10. Practice your timing!

If you are ready to learn how to get involved with The Great Nature Project, make sure to visit The Great Nature Project website before 09/29. Then get to snapping those photos!

Love photography? Learn to Make Your Own Light Box and make your own frames by learning Cheap Photo Framing.