A few weeks ago I received a copy of Ralph Clevenger’s book, Photographing Nature. I finally got some time to sit down with it this past weekend and boy am I sorry I didn’t open it up sooner. As a person who loves landscape photography, I was extremely impressed with the content, layout, and beautiful illustrations in this book. Ralph brings a world of experience to this project with his knowledge as a former biologist and as an instructor at the Brooks Institute and guides the reader through the finer points of photographing every aspect of the great outdoors.
I really like the way that Ralph kicks things off with the first chapter. It’s not really about photography as much as it is a statement on how to treat the environment that you are trying to capture. It’s the age old message of “take nothing but photos, leave nothing but footprints”. It not only covers the ethics of nature photography but also a look at some of the special tools that he uses to help get his shots without damaging the environment, like his plamp, which lets him carefully move and hold leaves or branches out of the way without damaging them. It’s something that a lot of photographers don’t necessarily think about but probably should.
From there the book moves into a subject that is near and dear to my heart, camera gear. Chapter 2 takes an in-depth look at what type of equipment it takes to take great nature shots, from cameras to lenses to all the little accessories that make photography easier and camera bags heavier. You even get a look into some of the camera bags and gear that Ralph takes on his many different assignments.
Moving into the third chapter, we get a great lesson in light. Because after all, there is nothing more important for making a photograph than great light. And not just the natural light that rises and falls with the sun but also placing light into the scene using modifiers and flashes. Yes, that’s right, using flashes. I have to say that Ralph opened my eyes into the use of a flash for shooting all sorts of subjects, including landscapes and wildlife. Something that I really hadn’t given much thought to before but I will now.
The rest of the book guides the reader through the process of photographing plants, flowers, insects, animals, landscapes, birds, and so much more. There are also chapters dedicated to composition, preconception, shooting on the road, and even some thoughts on post-processing. I also like the Q&A sections at the end of each chapter that answer many of the most common questions that would come up for each topic. Each chapter also wraps up with a list of assignments to help you get started practicing the lessons and start moving yourself towards making better nature images. This is a concept that I put into my books and I am glad to see Ralph include it in his.
The bottom line on this book is that if you want to be a better nature photographer, you won’t find a better resource than Photographing Nature. I think George Lepp put it best in his forward, “Some folks are born teachers, and some born photographers, but the accomplished photographer who can also teach is a rare gift indeed. Such a man is Ralph Clevenger…”
You can find this book at Amazon
, Borders, Barnes & Noble, or Peachpit.com.
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