Inspiration, Resources, and Recommended Reading for Nature Photographers (2018 Edition)

Over the last few years, we have sporadically shared links to inspirational/thought-provoking articles, good resources, and other recommendations for nature photographers. Instead of sharing this information in a bunch of separate posts, we are going to collect everything in this single post and keep it updated over the course of 2018. If you have recommended additions, please share them in the comments. 

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January 2018

Articles on Originality and Personal Expression: These three articles each take a different view of some of the current issues facing photographers in the areas of personal expression, originality, giving credit, and copying. 

Michael Kenna Interview with Light & Land: In this interview, the highly-respected black and white photographer Michael Kenna shares some insights about his life as a photographer and his creative process. 

The New Publishing Landscape: If you have any interest in publishing a hard-copy book of your photography, this interview with Iain Sargeent is a must-read. Sargeant is a photographer who has created his own publishing business, publishing nine books so far. This article is an in-depth look at his experience and advice. 

Josh Cripps at Nikon Live: Our friend Josh Cripps recently gave a 30-minute talk on his wilderness photography, sharing inspiring stories about his backpacking trips and the resulting photographs. The talk will be available through June and you can view it by clicking the link and selecting "Nikon Live from CES Day 4." 

North American Nature Photography Association Showcase: Each year, NANPA publishes a collection of wildlife, nature, landscape, and macro photography that includes many inspiring photographs. You can see this year's collection using this link. I do wish that NANPA would upgrade the viewing experience with larger photos and a slideshow option, as the current presentation is quite cumbersome. 

Adapting to Light by Eric Bennett: In this post, Eric shares what we consider to be an essential lesson: all lighting conditions can create opportunities for photography. By moving beyond the confining box of colorful light at sunrise and sunset, nature photography can become a much more expansive pursuit. 

Tired of Perfection by David duChemin: This post was on fire on Facebook and it seemed to resonate with many readers. In sharing it, I will add one small quibble. I do not think the issue is so much perfection as it is creating soulless photographs. For my own photography practice, seeking some kinds of perfection can be a positive habit (for example, being precise with composition and technique while in the field). Otherwise, the message in this post is certainly worth considering as you pursue photography in 2018. 

Relevance by Zachary Bright: In this brief post, Zachary Bright continues in a similar thread to David duChemin's post. Here, Zachary discusses what he sees as some of the pitfalls of seeking to stay relevant with the quickly changing whims of social media audiences. 

Ron's 2017 Year in Review: In case you missed it, Ron shared his favorite photos (a quite diverse collection!) and a quick wrap-up of 2017 in this post. 

Top 25 Photographers of the Year By Christian Hoiberg of Capture Landscapes: Christian's Capture Landscape's site has become an excellent resource for photographers over the last year. He shares a lot of inspirational interviews and practical advice for nature photographers. In this specific post, Christian shares his list of 25 favorite photographers during 2017 (including me - thank you, Christian!). This list included quite a few photographers who are new to me so I hope it might also help our readers find some new sources of inspiration.

From our Archives: Ten Tips for Creating Better Black & White Nature Photographs: In our most-read post from 2017, Sarah shares an in-depth list of ten tips for black and white nature photography - covering everything from field practices to photo processing.