Aren’t these photos gorgeous?  Well, the credit must go to our FLT friend, Becky (remember Becky from here and here?).  Becky has combined her love of nature and her interest in photography to capture many beautiful nature photographs and today, she’s here to share her tips with you!  Becky’s home is nestled on some beautifully wooded acres in the Southern Tier of New York State, so many of these were captured right in her own backyard.  Truth is, no matter where you live, God’s creation is all around you!  And, here’s how to capture its incredible beauty.

12 TIPS FOR GREAT NATURE PHOTOS

• BE READY!  Keep your camera charged and readily available.

• KNOW YOUR SUBJECT and what they normally do.  For instance, birds like to eat.

• DRAW THEM IN. I try to plant flowers that butterflies like, set out hummingbirds feeders. It fills my yard with opportunities.

• SET THINGS UP to make it easy for them to do it near your house.  I set up a picturesque scene (Scarecrow, Snow man, boot) and add food.

• KEEP AN EYE OUT to be ready to snap when they do.   I wait – they come – I shoot.

• GET DOWN…or UP.  Try to get on the same level as your subject if possible, but at the same time play around with different angles.

• CLOSE IN.  Don’t be afraid to get close up.  It might scare the live subjects, but it works great for plants or those who are less timid.

• ISOLATE your subject so there isn’t a lot of distracting “stuff”.  You can set your camera on portrait and it will blur the back ground a bit.

• KNOW YOUR CAMERA and what it can and can not do.  Exploit what it can do.

• USE THE BEST LIGHT, which is the morning and evening light. It is warmer and casts fewer harsh shadows.

• GAIN PERSPECTIVE to your setting by capturing a little something in the foreground, like a branch.

• GET OFF CENTERED.  Don’t center your subject.  There is more eye appeal if it is 1/3 of the way off to a side and also top to bottom.  Look up the Rule of Thirds.

• SNAP AWAY!  Take lots of pictures.  I delete at least 3/4 of what I take.  It’s how you learn.

If you love these photos and would like to make them part of your home, you can do that while at the same time supporting Becky’s foundation, Friends & Family for L.I.F.E that raises money to bring clean water to villages in Africa.  You can read more about Friends & Family for L.I.F.E and the difference it is making at our recent interview with Becky here or over at her blog.

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© 2012, Julie Sancken. All rights reserved. Love it? Print, email, pin, tweet or share but please don’t use my work without permission. {Copyright Fancy Little Things. All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce this article or portions thereof in any form whatsoever.}