NATURE

Today’s Photo of the Day is “Ghost Trees” by Paul Laurenza. Location: Yellowstone National Park, California. Want to get your images in the running for a Photo of the Day feature? Photo of the Day is chosen from various galleries, including  Assignments ,  Galleries  and  Contests . Assignments have weekly winners that are featured on the website homepage,  Facebook , Twitter and Instagram . To get your photos in the running, all you have to do is submit them. The post Photo Of The Day By Paul Laurenza appeared first on Outdoor Photographer .

Photo By Gary Nack Today’s Photo of the Day is “Into the Clouds” by Gary Nack. Location: Italy. “I traveled to The Dolomites this past fall hoping for some of those moody, foggy scenes that I’ve seen in other photographs,” explains Nack. “Mother Nature didn’t disappoint us! On this evening high in the mountains, we had dense clouds covering the mountains with the peaks dancing in and out of them. Finding the right composition was a challenge as the scene changed second by second. This photo captured exactly what I had in mind. Enjoy!” Want to get your images in the running for a Photo of the Day feature? Photo of the Day is chosen from various galleries, including  Assignments ,  Galleries  and  Contests . Assignments have weekly winners that are featured on the website homepage,  Facebook , Twitter and Instagram . To get your photos in the running, all you have to do is submit them. The post Photo Of The Day By Gary Nack appeared first on Outdoor Photog...

I deliberately chose a commonly written about topic for this week’s tip to encourage everyone to take every piece of information deep to heart and integrate these concepts into your workflow. If you’re new to it, may this reading be the start of your using it. If you’re somewhat familiar, may depth of field become one with you. And if you’re a frequent user of it, may it help further reinforce its importance.   The Basics There’s a direct relationship in how much depth of field is created in a photo to extremely important variables: the focal length of the lens, the aperture at which the photo is made, how close the subject is to the background, how far away the subject resides from the camera and how much the subject is magnified. (This assumes a DSLR is used to make the image. A point and shoot inherently provides a lot of depth of field due to its small sensor size.) Proximity To The Background The farther away the subject is from the background, the more the background c...

Photo By Kathy Ritter Today’s Photo of the Day is “Fog Creep” by Kathy Ritter. Location: Arizona. Want to get your images in the running for a Photo of the Day feature? Photo of the Day is chosen from various galleries, including  Assignments ,  Galleries  and  Contests . Assignments have weekly winners that are featured on the website homepage,  Facebook , Twitter and Instagram . To get your photos in the running, all you have to do is submit them. The post Photo Of The Day By Kathy Ritter appeared first on Outdoor Photographer .

Photo By eabowe Today’s Photo of the Day is “Howling Coyote” by eabowe. Location: Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming. “It was very cold, but I had been watching this coyote for about 45 minutes as it hunted in the snow-covered Lamar Valley,” explains eabowe. “My hope was that I would be able to catch it as it jumped in the air to get a vole. Instead, it stopped in the middle of the field, threw back its head and let out a howl.” Want to get your images in the running for a Photo of the Day feature? Photo of the Day is chosen from various galleries, including  Assignments ,  Galleries  and  Contests . Assignments have weekly winners that are featured on the website homepage,  Facebook , Twitter and Instagram . To get your photos in the running, all you have to do is submit them. The post Photo Of The Day By eabowe appeared first on Outdoor Photographer .

After new flagship full-frame camera releases in 2021 from Canon, Nikon and Sony, 2022 was quieter on the full-frame mirrorless front, but there were some exciting introductions of smaller-sensor cameras. Full-frame models tend to draw the most attention, but there are advantages of APS-C and Micro Four Thirds sensors in terms of focal length magnification for wildlife and sports photography. Here are Outdoor Photographer ‘s 10 favorite cameras and lenses of 2022 including our picks for Camera of the Year, Super Telephoto of the Year, Zoom Lens of the Year, and Wide-Angle Zoom Lens of the Year.  The post 10 Best Cameras & Lenses of the Year: OP Editors’ Picks 2022 appeared first on Outdoor Photographer .

Photo By Beth Baker Today’s Photo of the Day is “Winter Morning Along the Merced River” by Beth Baker. Location: Yosemite National Park, California. “Even when the grand landscapes of Yosemite are socked in, there’s plenty of beauty to be found in more intimate scenes,” says Baker. Canon 5D Mark III, Canon EF 70-300mm f4/5.6L. Exposure: 1/300 sec., f/11, ISO 400. Want to get your images in the running for a Photo of the Day feature? Photo of the Day is chosen from various galleries, including  Assignments ,  Galleries  and  Contests . Assignments have weekly winners that are featured on the website homepage,  Facebook , Twitter and Instagram . To get your photos in the running, all you have to do is submit them. The post Photo Of The Day By Beth Baker appeared first on Outdoor Photographer .

Congratulations to Karthik Subramaniam for winning the recent Stillness Assignment with the image, “Patience.” View the winning image and a selection of submissions below. And be sure to check out our current photography assignment  here  and enter your best shots! The post Stillness Assignment Winner Karthik Subramaniam appeared first on Outdoor Photographer .

Photo By Stephani Holdorf Today’s Photo of the Day is “Snow and Frost Covered Trees” by Stephani Holdorf. Location: Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming. Want to get your images in the running for a Photo of the Day feature? Photo of the Day is chosen from various galleries, including  Assignments ,  Galleries  and  Contests . Assignments have weekly winners that are featured on the website homepage,  Facebook , Twitter and Instagram . To get your photos in the running, all you have to do is submit them. The post Photo Of The Day By Stephani Holdorf appeared first on Outdoor Photographer .

Photo By Douglas Croft Today’s Photo of the Day is “Dent du Géant” by Douglas Croft. Location: Chamonix, France. “The needle of Dent du Geant towers over the French Alps near the ski town of Chamonix,” describes Croft. Want to get your images in the running for a Photo of the Day feature? Photo of the Day is chosen from various galleries, including  Assignments ,  Galleries  and  Contests . Assignments have weekly winners that are featured on the website homepage,  Facebook , Twitter and Instagram . To get your photos in the running, all you have to do is submit them. The post Photo Of The Day By Douglas Croft appeared first on Outdoor Photographer .

Photo By Gary Fua Today’s Photo of the Day is “Retrospect” by Gary Fua. Location: Yosemite National Park, California. Want to get your images in the running for a Photo of the Day feature? Photo of the Day is chosen from various galleries, including  Assignments ,  Galleries  and  Contests . Assignments have weekly winners that are featured on the website homepage,  Facebook , Twitter and Instagram . To get your photos in the running, all you have to do is submit them. The post Photo Of The Day By Gary Fua appeared first on Outdoor Photographer .

Photo By Beth Young Today’s Photo of the Day is “Uniform Sequoia Grove” by Beth Young. Location: Sequoia National Park, California. “A uniform grove of sequoia trees framing a view of the foggy forest beyond,” describes Young. Canon EOS 5D Mark IV, 70mm, ISO 160, 3.2 seconds at f/16. See more of Beth Young’s photography at www.optimalfocusphotography.com . Want to get your images in the running for a Photo of the Day feature? Photo of the Day is chosen from various galleries, including  Assignments ,  Galleries  and  Contests . Assignments have weekly winners that are featured on the website homepage,  Facebook , Twitter and Instagram . To get your photos in the running, all you have to do is submit them. The post Photo Of The Day By Beth Young appeared first on Outdoor Photographer .

I was leading one of my June safaris to the Serengeti and was asked a question. In that a “correct” answer depended on a number of variables, my short reply was, “It depends.” I garnered more info by asking follow-up questions and finally gave a solid response. A short while later, I was asked another question based on variables, so my answer was, “It depends.” We dug deeper, and once again, a solid answer was provided. Guess what happened a short while later—yes, I was asked another question and by now you see the pattern: “It depends.” It actually became the slogan of the safari for the entire two weeks and each time a question was asked, smiles did abound anticipating the response. I want to provide fodder so you get the idea why it depends always comes into play. We are in the safari vehicle and I hear, “Russ, what’s the best way to photograph that elephant?” We’re in the Ngorongoro Crater and the morning sun just crested the rim. The light on the elephant is beautiful. So is t...

Photo By natrpixdvm Today’s Photo of the Day is “Icy Tree” by natrpixdvm. Location: Guadalupe Mountains National Park, Texas. “An ice storm in late autumn leaves trees encrusted with intricate ice formations,” describes natrpixdvm. Canon 5D Mark II, Canon 100mm F2.8 IS L lens. 1/400 sec., f/8, ISO 500. Want to get your images in the running for a Photo of the Day feature? Photo of the Day is chosen from various galleries, including  Assignments ,  Galleries  and  Contests . Assignments have weekly winners that are featured on the website homepage,  Facebook , Twitter and Instagram . To get your photos in the running, all you have to do is submit them. The post Photo Of The Day By natrpixdvm appeared first on Outdoor Photographer .

Photo By Jeremy Hansen Today’s Photo of the Day is “Sniktau Wind Lines” by Jeremy Hansen. Location: Loveland Pass in Colorado. “The way the wind howls along portions of this trail will keep the majority away, but I find it very exhilarating to be surrounded by high alpine views of the glorious Rocky Mountains when the light is putting on a show,” says Hansen. “I’ve done this hike numerous times for sunrise, but this was taken at sunset with the wind blasting me as I made a human barrier to try and reduce the wind shaking my camera and tripod during exposures. Having views like this is motivation to be hiking up at pre-dawn hours or hiking down under stars and moonlight.” Want to get your images in the running for a Photo of the Day feature? Photo of the Day is chosen from various galleries, including  Assignments ,  Galleries  and  Contests . Assignments have weekly winners that are featured on the website homepage,  Facebook , Twitter and Instagram . To g...

Photo By Sandra Rust Today’s Photo of the Day is “American Robin in a Flurry ‘Waiting on Spring’.” Location: Joliet, Illinois. Want to get your images in the running for a Photo of the Day feature? Photo of the Day is chosen from various galleries, including  Assignments ,  Galleries  and  Contests . Assignments have weekly winners that are featured on the website homepage,  Facebook ,  Twitter  and  Instagram . To get your photos in the running, all you have to do is submit them. The post Photo Of The Day By Sandra Rust appeared first on Outdoor Photographer .

Congratulations to Joung Ji Kang for winning the recent “Working” The Scene Assignment with the image, “The Way Together.” View the winning image and a selection of submissions below. And be sure to check out our current photography assignment  here  and enter your best shots! The post “Working” The Scene Assignment Winner Joung Ji Kang appeared first on Outdoor Photographer .

We had so many incredible submissions to our weekly assignments last year. With seasonal themes to those focusing on composition and technique, our weekly assignments were created to inspire photographers, and we hope you gained inspiration and new skills over the year. The gallery below features the winning image from each assignment in 2022. Check it out for inspiration, and then get ready to enter our assignments in 2023! The winning images from our weekly assignments are featured on the  OP Blog , as well as our Facebook , Twitter and Instagram  pages. The post 2022 Photography Assignment Winners appeared first on Outdoor Photographer .

Photo By Garry Everett Today’s Photo of the Day is “Sun Powder” by Garry Everett. Location: Yosemite National Park, California. “An overnight snowstorm deposited a fresh layer of powdered snow in the higher elevation of Yosemite,” explains Everett. “The windy morning was blowing the snow off the tops of the ridges towering above the valley floor.” Want to get your images in the running for a Photo of the Day feature? Photo of the Day is chosen from various galleries, including  Assignments ,  Galleries  and  Contests . Assignments have weekly winners that are featured on the website homepage,  Facebook ,  Twitter  and  Instagram . To get your photos in the running, all you have to do is submit them. The post Photo Of The Day By Garry Everett appeared first on Outdoor Photographer .

Photo By Gerry Groeber Today’s Photo of the Day is “Grand Sunset” by Gerry Groeber. Location: Grand Canyon National Park, Arizona. Want to get your images in the running for a Photo of the Day feature? Photo of the Day is chosen from various galleries, including Assignments , Galleries and Contests . Assignments have weekly winners that are featured on the website homepage, Facebook , Twitter  and Instagram . To get your photos in the running, all you have to do is submit them. The post Photo Of The Day By Gerry Groeber appeared first on Outdoor Photographer .

Today’s Photo of the Day is “Fox Tracks” by James Day. Location: Yellowstone National Park, Montana. Want to get your images in the running for a Photo of the Day feature? Photo of the Day is chosen from various galleries, including Assignments , Galleries and Contests . Assignments have weekly winners that are featured on the website homepage, Facebook , Twitter  and Instagram . To get your photos in the running, all you have to do is submit them. The post Photo Of The Day By James Day appeared first on Outdoor Photographer .

Photo By Gene Putney Today’s Photo of the Day is “White On White” by Gene Putney. Location: Colorado. “On a November day, I went to search for white-tailed ptarmigan and hopefully have some photo opportunities,” explains Putney. “I was lucky to have found this cooperative one that paused briefly for me to capture its portrait. During the summer, their feathers are brown, and in the winter they turn white, blending into the snowy environment for natural camouflage.” Want to get your images in the running for a Photo of the Day feature? Photo of the Day is chosen from various galleries, including Assignments , Galleries and Contests . Assignments have weekly winners that are featured on the website homepage, Facebook , Twitter  and Instagram . To get your photos in the running, all you have to do is submit them. The post Photo Of The Day By Gene Putney appeared first on Outdoor Photographer .

Everything in life has a purpose, but does a given item that performs a given task need to be relegated to only that task? The human brain is an amazing organ that allows those who are so inclined to construct implements that make life easier. But even more special are those who ingeniously come up with alternative ways to utilize any developed product for totally different purposes for which they were invented. Not all of the below tips relate to inventions or their alternate use but still relate to the above context. I hope everyone ascends to the next plateau and figures out some ingenious tricks to incorporate into their own photography. I also hope this tip sparks your creativity so you can add a technique or two to capture better images. Wet Those Rocks Rivers and streams are a scenic photographer’s go-to subject. They can be used as leading lines, shutters can be slowed to provide a cotton candy look to water, they attract animals that may enhance the scenic and much more. De...

Photo By Laura Zirino Today’s Photo of the Day is “Dawn Light Begins” by Laura Zirino. Location: Grand Canyon National Park, Arizona. Want to get your images in the running for a Photo of the Day feature? Photo of the Day is chosen from various galleries, including Assignments , Galleries and Contests . Assignments have weekly winners that are featured on the website homepage, Facebook , Twitter  and Instagram . To get your photos in the running, all you have to do is submit them. The post Photo Of The Day By Laura Zirino appeared first on Outdoor Photographer .

  Photo By Joung Ji Kang Today’s Photo of the Day is “First Snow and Aspen Tree Meet” by Joung Ji Kang. Want to get your images in the running for a Photo of the Day feature? Photo of the Day is chosen from various galleries, including Assignments , Galleries and Contests . Assignments have weekly winners that are featured on the website homepage, Facebook , Twitter  and Instagram . To get your photos in the running, all you have to do is submit them. The post Photo Of The Day By Joung Ji Kang appeared first on Outdoor Photographer .

Photo By Laura Schoenbauer Today’s Photo of the Day is “Fawn in Winter” by Laura Schoenbauer. Location: St. Paul, Minnesota. Want to get your images in the running for a Photo of the Day feature? Photo of the Day is chosen from various galleries, including Assignments , Galleries and Contests . Assignments have weekly winners that are featured on the website homepage, Facebook , Twitter  and Instagram . To get your photos in the running, all you have to do is submit them. The post Photo Of The Day By Laura Schoenbauer appeared first on Outdoor Photographer .

Photo By Pam Dorner “I spent a week exploring Grand Teton National Park in late spring,” explains Pam Dorner. “I was fortunate to be able to photograph the most famous brown bear mother in the world, Bear 399, with her four cubs. “In this image taken near the Jackson Lake Dam, one of her grizzly cubs was having fun playing with traffic cones. Many bears in the area are ‘roadside’ bears and have learned to use the roads to traverse the park. This is a good reminder to slow down while driving through our national parks, as wildlife can cross the road at any moment.” See more of Pam Dorner’s work at pam-dorner.smugmug.com . Canon EOS R5, Canon RF100-500mm F4.5-7.1 L IS USM. Exposure: 1/1250 sec., ƒ/8, ISO 250. The post Last Frame: Traffic Control Cub appeared first on Outdoor Photographer .

Photo By Jody Partin Today’s Photo of the Day is “Frozen Fun” by Jody Partin. Location: Merrill, Wisconsin. Want to get your images in the running for a Photo of the Day feature? Photo of the Day is chosen from various galleries, including Assignments , Galleries and Contests . Assignments have weekly winners that are featured on the website homepage, Facebook , Twitter  and Instagram . To get your photos in the running, all you have to do is submit them. The post Photo Of The Day By Jody Partin appeared first on Outdoor Photographer .

Sigma just unveiled the massive 60-600mm F4.5-6.3 DG DN OS Sports ultra-telephoto zoom lens for mirrorless camera systems, which should be a great tool for capturing everything from landscapes to wildlife and bird photos. Our colleagues at Imaging Resource , OP’s sibling website, have already got their hands on this whopping, 10x lens and posted a first look review . “Wildlife, nature, and outdoor sports photographers should all take notice, as Sigma has added yet another extremely versatile telephoto zoom to its arsenal of mirrorless lenses,” writes William Brawley, Imaging Resource ‘s managing editor. “The new Sigma 60-600mm F4.5-6.3 DG DN OS Sports for Sony E-mount and L-mount full-frame mirrorless cameras is unique amongst Sigma’s existing telephoto zooms for mirrorless cameras — and indeed the full-frame mirrorless market as a whole — being the world’s only 10x optical zoom lens for full-frame mirrorless cameras.” We’ve included a few of Brawley’s test images capture...

Congratulations to Julia Cook for winning the recent Fall Wildlife Assignment with the image, “Framed by Gold.” View the winning image and a selection of submissions below. And be sure to check out our current photography assignment  here  and enter your best shots! The post Fall Wildlife Assignment Winner Julia Cook appeared first on Outdoor Photographer .

Photo By Marti Phillips Today’s Photo of the Day is “Spot of Sunshine” by Marti Phillips. Location: Yukon, Canada. Want to get your images in the running for a Photo of the Day feature? Photo of the Day is chosen from various galleries, including Assignments , Galleries and Contests . Assignments have weekly winners that are featured on the website homepage, Facebook , Twitter  and Instagram . To get your photos in the running, all you have to do is submit them. The post Photo Of The Day By Marti Phillips appeared first on Outdoor Photographer .

I had seen this North Dakota scene a few times before, but it was not until I passed it on a cloudy day after a new snow that the pattern and shapes really stood out. I was standing on top of 2 feet of snow in an open North Dakota field more than a quarter of a mile from where I parked my truck. I was fully encased inside a down parka, carrying a full photo backpack and a large tripod with snow feet. The 1996/1997 winter was especially snowy—it would eventually flood the entire Red River Valley, causing more than $3.5 billion in damage—and everything was awash in blinding white. The temperature was hovering in the mid-20s, and the surface of the snow was a hard crust, which supported both me and my tripod. I don’t remember what, exactly, I was photographing at the time, but I do recall I was out on that snow for more than an hour as the sun rose. When I turned to head back to the car, my first step broke through the crust, sinking me above the knee. As I tried to extricate myself, ...