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BY TIM BOCK

Nature photography is one of the best ways to create an appreciation of nature, whether the subject is flowers, landscapes or animals.

Nature photography can be one of the most rewarding — and one of the most frustrating — types of photography. Wind can cause blur, not only with too much motion in the flora, but also making it difficult to depress the shutter smoothly. (If background is unimportant in your nature photography, consider a light tent to reduce wind and to block out background.) Sunlight can also cause problems with too much exposure. Experiment to find what works best with what you want to accomplish.

One thing that you’ll want to be able to do with nature photography is to take close-ups of flora. Make sure to have a zoom or macro lens. A tripod is helpful to stabilize the camera; they ussualy have a rotating central shaft that allow you to get in closer.

Experiment with angles. The most common angle in nature photography is looking down from the top. Try eye level or photographing upwards for an interesting and unique shot.

Try differing backgrounds. If you have nothing in the background, context is hard to determine. Too much in the background, though, will detract from the main focus of your photograph. However, by zooming in closer, the background will become softer. Your main focus, then, will stand out in sharp relief.

Another way to experiment with nature photography is with camera position. Most photographs are horizontal. See what kind of self-expression you come up with by simply rotating the camera 90 degrees.

Tim Bock writes the Photography blog.