This lesson will make you re-think your approach to shooting landscapes.  The world is basically a 'compositional mess' -- rocks, trees, fallen logs, mountains, dirt, bushes are everywhere -- and it can be challenging to find good compositions.  Jim gives you a unique tool -- a concrete formula --to help you find winning shots in every location. If you have a hard time coming up with great landscape pictures, this will be invaluable to you.

Light is everything in photography. There are two types of lighting that you should be using for all of your outdoor nature photography, and this video demonstrates with beautiful examples the kind of light that makes all the difference. If you follow Jim’s guidelines in this lesson, your photography will instantly take a quantum leap forward.   

This lesson covers the all-important topic of depth of field – choosing what is in focus and what isn’t.  Jim explains the artistic considerations of rendering subjects and backgrounds sharp or blurred, and he explains what lens apertures are ideal under different circumstances.

This lesson covers the all-important topic of depth of field – choosing what is in focus and what isn’t.  Jim explains the artistic considerations of rendering subjects and backgrounds sharp or blurred, and he explains what lens apertures are ideal under different circumstances.

Learn why and how the shapes of your subjects are so important in making pictures outstanding.  This is one of the two main factors that make or break your pictures.  Jim compares and contrasts successful pictures with those that aren't good, and he discusses what you should look for to take winning images.    

Jim explains why including the sun in your compositions adds such a dynamic element.  He discusses how to correctly expose when shooting directly into the sun, and he distinguishes between exposures when the sun is small in the frame as well as large. This one lesson alone will have a big impact on your nature work.

Macro photography opens a whole new world to you.  In this video lesson, Jim explains your equipment options and teaches you the best ways to take great closeup photos.  He also introduces ring flash and shows how effective it is in lighting small subjects beautifully.  Finally, he gives you ideas of exciting subjects to shoot.   

Good exposure underlies all successful photographs, and in this lesson Jim simplifies the technique you can use to consistently arrive at good exposures.  It is surprisingly easy.  Contrast must be fully understood so you can deal with harsh shadows and bright highlights, and this video explains everything you need to know to be happy with your exposures.   

Capturing motion in a still photograph takes previsualization, knowledge of  your camera, and experimentation.  Nature is full of motion -- galloping horses, running cheetahs, flowers blowing in the wind, birds in flight -- and this video will expand your horizons so you can use simple techniques to freeze special moments in the natural world or blur them artistically to create fine art imagery.

Sometimes special moments occur in nature that are extremely brief, and you have to be ready to capture them.  Jim explains his technique for photographing split-second events like a cheetah running at top speed, the perfect position of a rearing horse, or a snake with its tongue out.

Jim offers some concluding remarks to the course.