Acknowledgments

The idea for this book was conceived many years ago,
Text copyright © 2013 by Art Wolfe, Inc., Martha Hill,
and Tim Grey
Photographs copyright © 2013 by Art Wolfe, Inc.
Text copyright © 1993 Martha Hill
Photographs copyright © 1993 by Art Wolfe
All rights reserved.
Published in the United States by Amphoto Books,
an imprint of the Crown Publishing Group, a division
of Random House, Inc., New York.
www.crownpublishing.com
www.amphotobooks.com
AMPHOTO BOOKS and the Amphoto Books logo
are trademarks of Random House, Inc.
Originally published in different form by Three Rivers Press,
an imprint of the Crown Publishing Group, a division of
Random House, Inc., New York, in 1993.
I would like to thank my staff, without whom this book
while I was still picture editor at Audubon magazine.
To the many fine photographers I worked with over
the years, I would like to express my gratitude. Theirs was a
dedication born out of love and concern for their subjects,
which, more often than not, meant sacrificing creature and
material comforts in pursuit of their craft. Because of, or in spite
of, these qualities, they came up with the outstanding images
with which we could work.
In any project such as this book, certain key people play a
more active role, albeit behind the scenes. To these colleagues
and friends, I would like to give special thanks: to Guy Tudor,
bird artist and naturalist, and to my late father, Oscar Mertz, an
innovative art professor, for their careful vetting of the artis-
tic concepts contained in the manuscript. Thanks also to Jo
Gershman, Harriet Huber, and Jessica Cook, whose insights
and support were much appreciated.
To my coauthor, Art Wolfe, I want to express my deep appre-
ciation for his beautiful imagery. And to Deirdre Skillman, his
right hand, my eternal gratitude for keeping us on track and on
time with unflagging enthusiasm.
And finally, to my husband, Kevin Schafer, whose criticism
and advice were invaluable. This book belongs, in part, to him.
would be an impossibility: senior editor Deirdre Skillman
for shepherding this project through with the help of
photo assistant Amanda Harryman, workshop coordinator Libby
Pfeiffer, web and tech expert Bruce Decker, personal assistant
Christine Eckhoff, and field assistants past and present, John
Greengo, Gavriel Jecan, and Jay Goodrich.
Special thanks go to Martha Hill for agreeing to go another
round in the pursuit of superior nature photography education—
her old-school work ethic and sensibilities are refreshing. My
thanks also to Tim Grey for coming on board and enriching
the project with his technical expertise, to editor Julie Mazur
for taking on the project in the first place, and to agent Peter
Beren for getting The New Art of Photographing Nature into
the right hands.
—Art Wolfe, 2012

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data —Martha Hill, 2012

Wolfe, Art.
The new art of photographing nature: an updated guide
to composing stunning images of animals, nature, and
landscapes / by Art Wolfe and Martha Hill; with Tim Grey.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
1. Nature photography. I. Hill, Martha, 1946- II. Grey, Tim.
III. Title.
TR721.W6565 2013
779’.3--dc23 2012016487

ISBN 978-0-7704-3315-4
eISBN 978-0-7704-3375-8
Printed in China

Design by Jenny Kraemer

Cover design by Jenny Kraemer
Cover photographs by Art Wolfe

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

Revised Edition

wolf_9780770433154_3p_001-017_r1.indd 4-5 9/20/12 12:41 PM

 q SNOWY FOREST, HONSHU, JAPAN
70–200mm F4 lens, f/13 for 1/60 sec.,
ISO 400

p SNAIL TRAILS
THROUGH POLLEN, A Portfolio of Lines they invite us to forget the subject and simply
enjoy their rhythms.
u GREVY’S ZEBRA,
TANZANIA
HONSHU, JAPAN 600mm lens with 2x
Lines are created by the contrast of dark I find Art’s shot of the snail trails in pollen
17–40mm F4 lens, f/11 teleconverter, f/5.6 for
for 1/50 sec., ISO 400 against light, by the edges of forms and delightful, because of the intriguing pattern and 1/125 sec., Fujichrome
shapes differentiated by color or tone. unusual subject. The image of snowy tree trunks Provia 100
Lines have character, too. They can be the main is also a subtle beauty, focusing on the irregular
elements of pure graphic design, as in the zebra dance of lines created by the light-dark contrast
skin pattern or the snail trails. As abstractions, of snow on the trees.

102 THE NEW ART OF PHOTOGRAPHING NATURE THE ELEMENTS OF DESIGN 103
 q SNOWY FOREST, HONSHU, JAPAN
70–200mm F4 lens, f/13 for 1/60 sec.,
ISO 400

p SNAIL TRAILS
THROUGH POLLEN, A Portfolio of Lines they invite us to forget the subject and simply
enjoy their rhythms.
u GREVY’S ZEBRA,
TANZANIA
HONSHU, JAPAN 600mm lens with 2x
Lines are created by the contrast of dark I find Art’s shot of the snail trails in pollen
17–40mm F4 lens, f/11 teleconverter, f/5.6 for
for 1/50 sec., ISO 400 against light, by the edges of forms and delightful, because of the intriguing pattern and 1/125 sec., Fujichrome
shapes differentiated by color or tone. unusual subject. The image of snowy tree trunks Provia 100
Lines have character, too. They can be the main is also a subtle beauty, focusing on the irregular
elements of pure graphic design, as in the zebra dance of lines created by the light-dark contrast
skin pattern or the snail trails. As abstractions, of snow on the trees.

102 THE NEW ART OF PHOTOGRAPHING NATURE THE ELEMENTS OF DESIGN 103
 7 Creative
Options
T
t AURORA BOREALIS, he camera enables us to see and do
BROOKS RANGE, things creatively that are beyond the
ALASKA
capability of the human eye. It expands
17–35mm lens, f/2.8 for
30 seconds, Fujichrome our range of seeing and gives us new
Provia 400 film options. Fast shutter speeds can freeze a moment
in time that is too quick for the eye to see, and
slow shutter speeds allow us to capture motion in
a way we cannot experience. The simple choice
of shutter speed, therefore, can have a dramatic
effect on the final image.
At the same time, while our eyes can adjust
focus to varying distances almost instantly, our
depth of field is rather shallow. The camera lens,
by contrast, is able to change the apparent
depth of field, depending on whether its aperture
is small or large. It is a property of lenses that
the smaller the chosen aperture, the greater the
depth of field. As photographers, we can take
advantage of this, choosing to leave some things
in focus while intentionally blurring others. This is
selective focus, one of the many creative tools a
photographer can use. (If you look again at the
screech owl comparisons on page 47, you will
see selective focus at work.) Other tools at the
nature photographer’s disposal include filters,
flash, and High Dynamic Range (HDR) imaging.
Together these allow us to move beyond a literal
interpretation of the world we see.
Art generally uses only two filters for his
photography: a graduated neutral-density filter
to balance high-contrast lighting and a polarizing
filter to reduce glare and reflections and intensify
color. In the past, a photographer could be
expected to carry an assortment of other filters
to adjust for a variety of lighting situations, but
one of the great advancements of digital has been
the ability to make many of these adjustments in
the camera itself.
And finally, the use of flash offers a means
of expanding opportunities when light conditions
aren’t ideal. Although flash was once thought of
as a tool just for shooting at night, it is increas-
ingly useful in the daytime as well. Fill-flash can
be used to fill in dark shadows in high-contrast
situations, and to help restore the natural colors
of your subject.
 7 Creative
Options
T
t AURORA BOREALIS, he camera enables us to see and do
BROOKS RANGE, things creatively that are beyond the
ALASKA
capability of the human eye. It expands
17–35mm lens, f/2.8 for
30 seconds, Fujichrome our range of seeing and gives us new
Provia 400 film options. Fast shutter speeds can freeze a moment
in time that is too quick for the eye to see, and
slow shutter speeds allow us to capture motion in
a way we cannot experience. The simple choice
of shutter speed, therefore, can have a dramatic
effect on the final image.
At the same time, while our eyes can adjust
focus to varying distances almost instantly, our
depth of field is rather shallow. The camera lens,
by contrast, is able to change the apparent
depth of field, depending on whether its aperture
is small or large. It is a property of lenses that
the smaller the chosen aperture, the greater the
depth of field. As photographers, we can take
advantage of this, choosing to leave some things
in focus while intentionally blurring others. This is
selective focus, one of the many creative tools a
photographer can use. (If you look again at the
screech owl comparisons on page 47, you will
see selective focus at work.) Other tools at the
nature photographer’s disposal include filters,
flash, and High Dynamic Range (HDR) imaging.
Together these allow us to move beyond a literal
interpretation of the world we see.
Art generally uses only two filters for his
photography: a graduated neutral-density filter
to balance high-contrast lighting and a polarizing
filter to reduce glare and reflections and intensify
color. In the past, a photographer could be
expected to carry an assortment of other filters
to adjust for a variety of lighting situations, but
one of the great advancements of digital has been
the ability to make many of these adjustments in
the camera itself.
And finally, the use of flash offers a means
of expanding opportunities when light conditions
aren’t ideal. Although flash was once thought of
as a tool just for shooting at night, it is increas-
ingly useful in the daytime as well. Fill-flash can
be used to fill in dark shadows in high-contrast
situations, and to help restore the natural colors
of your subject.

NIGHT FISHERMEN, LI
RIVER, GUANGXI, CHINA
The fifth image (below left), is a vertical.
Everything is working here. The light was coming
alive. I still preferred the horizontal composition,
but I often license images for magazine covers or
ads, which usually require vertical compositions.
Never turn your back on a sale, I always say.
Finally, with the final shot (below right), it all
came together. The cormorants stood stock still,
heads up and blocking the lantern light like cham-
pions. The fishermen, now bored out of their skulls,
were occupied with their tasks, transforming a
posed image into a genuine candid shot. The light
was in perfect balance: background, foreground,
and warm lantern fill. The fisherman received their
tips, I had my shot, the cormorants swallowed
some morsels, and everyone was happy.

p 16–35mm lens (for 17mm), f/8 for 1/3 u 16–35mm lens (for
sec., ISO 400 16mm), f/8 for 1/3 sec.,
ISO 400

194 THE NEW ART OF PHOTOGRAPHING NATURE IN THE FIELD WITH ART WOLFE 195
 To communicate the vastness of the
Patagonian plain, I used an extreme wide-
angle and a two-stop neutral density filter
to darken the sky. This allows the texture of the
clouds and the sweep of the open landscape to
be the main objective. With a wide-angle, I was
able to include these beautiful, curious New World
camels to complete the story.
In the second shot (opposite), I framed a
distant island off the Washington coast between
bold columns of rock. The island communicates
a sense of place and scale to the viewers so that
they intuitively know what they are looking at.
u GUANACOS,
PATAGONIA, CHILE
17–40mm lens, f/10 for
1/125 sec., ISO 100
50 THE NEW ART OF PHOTOGRAPHING NATURE
We used to receive photos at the maga-
zine with a dime or ruler or even the tip of
a person’s finger to give a sense of scale.
This is an academic approach, used by scientists,
but hardly aesthetic, especially where nature is
concerned. The secret is to find something whose
size most people will easily recognize.
In the shot of the guanacos, the animals
provide the proper scale to the landscape. By
choosing a wide-angle lens, Art included more
of the environment in the frame, emphasizing its
importance, while the choice of a low camera angle
draws attention to the dramatic clouds and sky.
I love the bold, graphic composition of the sea
stack image and the use of the framing to create
emphasis. We don’t need to know how large the
rock columns are, nor the size of the island. It is
their juxtaposition that gives us what we feel—a
sense of drama and distance. What ends up being
most important is the contrast of angular verticals
with the delicate, graceful shape of the island.
q SEA STACK, CAPE FLATTERY,
WASHINGTON
70–200mm lens, f/14 for 1/30 sec.,
Fujichrome Velvia 50
DEFINING YOUR PERSPECTIVE 51
 To communicate the vastness of the
Patagonian plain, I used an extreme wide-
angle and a two-stop neutral density filter
to darken the sky. This allows the texture of the
clouds and the sweep of the open landscape to
be the main objective. With a wide-angle, I was
able to include these beautiful, curious New World
camels to complete the story.
In the second shot (opposite), I framed a
distant island off the Washington coast between
bold columns of rock. The island communicates
a sense of place and scale to the viewers so that
they intuitively know what they are looking at.
u GUANACOS,
PATAGONIA, CHILE
17–40mm lens, f/10 for
1/125 sec., ISO 100
50 THE NEW ART OF PHOTOGRAPHING NATURE
We used to receive photos at the maga-
zine with a dime or ruler or even the tip of
a person’s finger to give a sense of scale.
This is an academic approach, used by scientists,
but hardly aesthetic, especially where nature is
concerned. The secret is to find something whose
size most people will easily recognize.
In the shot of the guanacos, the animals
provide the proper scale to the landscape. By
choosing a wide-angle lens, Art included more
of the environment in the frame, emphasizing its
importance, while the choice of a low camera angle
draws attention to the dramatic clouds and sky.
I love the bold, graphic composition of the sea
stack image and the use of the framing to create
emphasis. We don’t need to know how large the
rock columns are, nor the size of the island. It is
their juxtaposition that gives us what we feel—a
sense of drama and distance. What ends up being
most important is the contrast of angular verticals
with the delicate, graceful shape of the island.
q SEA STACK, CAPE FLATTERY,
WASHINGTON
70–200mm lens, f/14 for 1/30 sec.,
Fujichrome Velvia 50
DEFINING YOUR PERSPECTIVE 51
 Portfolio of
t ASTERS,
purple—because they have an unusual optical
YELLOWSTONE
effect on us. When used next to each other, each NATIONAL PARK,

Complementary Colors complement vibrates more intensely.

The nineteenth-century French impressionists
WYOMING
70–200mm, f/16 for 1/8
Artists have long known to use colors based on were the first painters to exploit this phenomenon. sec., Fujichrome Velvia 50
q COCK-OF-THE-ROCK,
their relationships to one another. On the color It is no different for photographers: the bright red
ANDES, PERU
400mm F4 lens with 2x
wheel of primary and secondary colors, those cock-of-the-rock, for example, will stand out much
opposite each other are called complementary— better against the backdrop of green foliage than q PARSON’S CHAME-
teleconverter, f/8 for 1/4
LEON, MADAGASCAR
sec., ISO 500 red and green, orange and blue, yellow and that of a pale blue sky.
70–200mm lens, f/5.6 for
1/50 sec., ISO 400

70 THE NEW ART OF PHOTOGRAPHING NATURE THE POWER OF COLOR 71

 Portfolio of
t ASTERS,
purple—because they have an unusual optical
YELLOWSTONE
effect on us. When used next to each other, each NATIONAL PARK,

Complementary Colors complement vibrates more intensely.

The nineteenth-century French impressionists
WYOMING
70–200mm, f/16 for 1/8
Artists have long known to use colors based on were the first painters to exploit this phenomenon. sec., Fujichrome Velvia 50
q COCK-OF-THE-ROCK,
their relationships to one another. On the color It is no different for photographers: the bright red
ANDES, PERU
400mm F4 lens with 2x
wheel of primary and secondary colors, those cock-of-the-rock, for example, will stand out much
opposite each other are called complementary— better against the backdrop of green foliage than q PARSON’S CHAME-
teleconverter, f/8 for 1/4
LEON, MADAGASCAR
sec., ISO 500 red and green, orange and blue, yellow and that of a pale blue sky.
70–200mm lens, f/5.6 for
1/50 sec., ISO 400

70 THE NEW ART OF PHOTOGRAPHING NATURE THE POWER OF COLOR 71

 Portfolio of Related or
Harmonious Colors
Harmonious colors are those that are related in
hue or are next to each other on the color wheel—
yellow, green, and blue, for example, or pink,
orange, and yellow. Because of this, they tend to
make a different kind of statement, less bold when
placed side by side than complements, yet very
appealing to look at. Certain seasons are charac-
terized by harmonious colors, such as fall, with its
reds, browns, oranges, and yellows.
u AERIAL, ORD RIVER
DELTA, WESTERN
AUSTRALIA
70–200mm lens, f/4 for
1/640 sec., ISO 100
Editors take color into consideration when
selecting their magazine covers. Audubon’s
bestselling cover was a fairly somber fall foliage
shot of a gray-phase screech owl; what made
the picture were the tiny orange berries left on a
vine. As images to frame and hang on the wall,
harmonious color schemes are soothing, like the
subtle earth colors in the aerial of the Ord River.
They wear better over time when they have to be
looked at and lived with every day.
Portfolio of Pastel Colors
Pastel colors can be thought of as simply muted
versions of primary and secondary colors, with
the same relationships still applying. They are
often associated with spring, a season of pinks,
lavenders, pale yellows, and greens—the colors of
emergent vegetation. But they are also associated
with winter, as in the image of the firs on Mount
Rainier (below). The image of the Bolivian salt hills
(following pages) with their soft pinks and blues
also resembles a winter landscape.
The prismatic effect of abalone shell produces
pastels in the whole color spectrum, satisfying and
fascinating as they change according to the angle of
the light. Like harmonious colors, pastels are emo-
tionally pleasing and have a quieter impact, making
them soothing, and therefore easy to live with.
p ABALONE SHELL, CALIFORNIA
24–70mm lens, f/22 for .4 sec., ISO 100

u BAT STARS, HAIDA

GWAII, BRITISH
COLUMBIA
50mm macro lens, f/11 for
1/8 sec., Fujichrome 100

p FOREST, MOUNT RAINIER NATIONAL

PARK, WASHINGTON
80–200mm lens, f/16 for 1/8 sec.,
Fujichrome Velvia 50

72 THE NEW ART OF PHOTOGRAPHING NATURE THE POWER OF COLOR 73

 Portfolio of Related or
Harmonious Colors
Harmonious colors are those that are related in
hue or are next to each other on the color wheel—
yellow, green, and blue, for example, or pink,
orange, and yellow. Because of this, they tend to
make a different kind of statement, less bold when
placed side by side than complements, yet very
appealing to look at. Certain seasons are charac-
terized by harmonious colors, such as fall, with its
reds, browns, oranges, and yellows.
u AERIAL, ORD RIVER
DELTA, WESTERN
AUSTRALIA
70–200mm lens, f/4 for
1/640 sec., ISO 100
Editors take color into consideration when
selecting their magazine covers. Audubon’s
bestselling cover was a fairly somber fall foliage
shot of a gray-phase screech owl; what made
the picture were the tiny orange berries left on a
vine. As images to frame and hang on the wall,
harmonious color schemes are soothing, like the
subtle earth colors in the aerial of the Ord River.
They wear better over time when they have to be
looked at and lived with every day.
Portfolio of Pastel Colors
Pastel colors can be thought of as simply muted
versions of primary and secondary colors, with
the same relationships still applying. They are
often associated with spring, a season of pinks,
lavenders, pale yellows, and greens—the colors of
emergent vegetation. But they are also associated
with winter, as in the image of the firs on Mount
Rainier (below). The image of the Bolivian salt hills
(following pages) with their soft pinks and blues
also resembles a winter landscape.
The prismatic effect of abalone shell produces
pastels in the whole color spectrum, satisfying and
fascinating as they change according to the angle of
the light. Like harmonious colors, pastels are emo-
tionally pleasing and have a quieter impact, making
them soothing, and therefore easy to live with.
p ABALONE SHELL, CALIFORNIA
24–70mm lens, f/22 for .4 sec., ISO 100

u BAT STARS, HAIDA

GWAII, BRITISH
COLUMBIA
50mm macro lens, f/11 for
1/8 sec., Fujichrome 100

p FOREST, MOUNT RAINIER NATIONAL

PARK, WASHINGTON
80–200mm lens, f/16 for 1/8 sec.,
Fujichrome Velvia 50

72 THE NEW ART OF PHOTOGRAPHING NATURE THE POWER OF COLOR 73

 DIGITAL WORKSHOP

Converting Color Images

into Black and White
The digital photographer no longer needs to
feel locked into a decision between black-and-
white or color photography. Although with film
you needed to make a choice (or carry more than one
camera), with digital you can simply capture all images
in color, then later convert those that seem to warrant a
black-and-white interpretation.
Although it is possible to instruct your camera to cap-
ture in black and white, more than one photographer has
been confused to discover that their RAW captures show
up in full-color when downloaded to the computer. That
is because a RAW capture is really a data file containing
the information gathered by the image sensor, not a true
image file. Therefore, most settings found on the camera
related to the appearance of the image don’t apply to
RAW captures.
Generally speaking, only the exposure settings of
aperture, shutter speed, and ISO will affect the data in
the RAW capture (though there are some exceptions to
this, such as the highlight priority mode found in some
recent digital cameras). What that means is that black-
and-white photography, for the photographer capturing
in RAW, is largely a post-processing issue. You can set
your camera to capture in black and white to get a sense
of the scene with a basic black-and-white translation,
but that is just a preview of one of your many options.
There are many software tools available to create
black-and-white interpretations of your images. Both
Photoshop and Lightroom provide tools for black-
and-white conversions, and there is a wide variety of
other tools, such as Silver Efex Pro from Nik Software
(www.niksoftware.com).

t When converting an
image from color to black
and white in Lightroom,
you can adjust the
image’s brightness values
based on the colors in the
original image, providing
a great deal of control and
flexibility. p Silver Efex Pro from Nik Software
allows you to select from a wide variety of
presets to create an initial black-and-white
version of a photo, and then optimize the
u In Photoshop, the Black
final result.
and White adjustment
panel allows you to adjust
brightness for the six pri-
mary colors, to fine-tune
the tonal values of the
final image.

80 THE NEW ART OF PHOTOGRAPHING NATURE THE POWER OF COLOR 81

 DIGITAL WORKSHOP

Converting Color Images

into Black and White
The digital photographer no longer needs to
feel locked into a decision between black-and-
white or color photography. Although with film
you needed to make a choice (or carry more than one
camera), with digital you can simply capture all images
in color, then later convert those that seem to warrant a
black-and-white interpretation.
Although it is possible to instruct your camera to cap-
ture in black and white, more than one photographer has
been confused to discover that their RAW captures show
up in full-color when downloaded to the computer. That
is because a RAW capture is really a data file containing
the information gathered by the image sensor, not a true
image file. Therefore, most settings found on the camera
related to the appearance of the image don’t apply to
RAW captures.
Generally speaking, only the exposure settings of
aperture, shutter speed, and ISO will affect the data in
the RAW capture (though there are some exceptions to
this, such as the highlight priority mode found in some
recent digital cameras). What that means is that black-
and-white photography, for the photographer capturing
in RAW, is largely a post-processing issue. You can set
your camera to capture in black and white to get a sense
of the scene with a basic black-and-white translation,
but that is just a preview of one of your many options.
There are many software tools available to create
black-and-white interpretations of your images. Both
Photoshop and Lightroom provide tools for black-
and-white conversions, and there is a wide variety of
other tools, such as Silver Efex Pro from Nik Software
(www.niksoftware.com).

t When converting an
image from color to black
and white in Lightroom,
you can adjust the
image’s brightness values
based on the colors in the
original image, providing
a great deal of control and
flexibility. p Silver Efex Pro from Nik Software
allows you to select from a wide variety of
presets to create an initial black-and-white
version of a photo, and then optimize the
u In Photoshop, the Black
final result.
and White adjustment
panel allows you to adjust
brightness for the six pri-
mary colors, to fine-tune
the tonal values of the
final image.

80 THE NEW ART OF PHOTOGRAPHING NATURE THE POWER OF COLOR 81