Nature Photography Tips For City Slickers
February 8th, 2009 by Dan BodensteinThere are many places and opportunities to take great photos in big cities. Did you know that New York City alone has over 5 million trees? For most people, you will only have to venture a few blocks from home to find some great places to begin shooting some beautiful photos of nature. Most major cities have a public zoo. For just a few dollars admission, you can wonder around a zoo for hours and take hundreds of photos. Many zoos have natural habitats for their animals which makes it very easy to take some beautiful pictures of your favorite animals. If you use a zoom lens, you will be able to take some awesome close up shots of the animals. Spend some time watching the animal and wait for it to do something interesting and take the picture. These animals are used to being around people and many of them will look directly into your camera lens.
All big cities have at least one public park. There are countless nature photo possibilities that can be found in a public park. Parks have beautiful flowers of different sizes and colors. You take a photo of a group of planted flowers for a splashy display or focus on just one beautiful flower for a calm and peaceful look. You will also find many different types of trees and bushes throughout a park. These trees and bushes can serve as great backgrounds when you are photographing. Trees can be used to lean against or to sit under. Look for a tree with low hanging branches and it can serve a natural frame for your photo.
Public parks are also great places to look for wildlife. Most parks have an abundance of squirrels and birds. The animals know that people come to parks to eat their lunch and will often either intentionally or unintentionally leave them some treats, so you don’t have to walk far in a park to see some wildlife. Many parks have also have fountains which the birds love. You can get some beautiful shots of birds playing and drinking from a fountain. Look for trees with acorns and other nuts on them, and you are sure to see some squirrels and chipmunks.
Use the weather to help you take some beautiful nature photos in the city. There is nothing prettier than bare tree branches covered with a fresh coating of snow. The white snow creates beautiful images against a dark city backdrop. You can also get some great shots during and after a rainstorm. Puddles glistening on the sidewalk make for some unique photos. Take the time to soak in all of the scenery surrounding you in a city, and you will uncover some great natural photo opportunities.
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