Articles - Nature Photographers Network

Peripheral Landscapes

Perception is not limited to just the visual sense, but rather it is a way of interacting with the world around us. Murray Livingston suggests that engaging a perceptive agency that is out-of-sight requires surrendering ourselves to a conversation with nature and being open to what lies beyond our horizons. He explores the concept of periphery in photography, which refers to the edges or margins of a photograph; this is important because it forces the viewer to imagine what lies beyond the frame and can become an ethical question of what the photographer reveals or conceals.

Murray Livingston March 15, 2023 10 Comments

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The Ramifications of AI on Photography

This excerpt is about Artificial Intelligence (AI) and its impact on photography. AI systems are designed to examine millions of images to generate new images based on keywords and text prompts. There are many ways that photographers are using AI, such as generating AI images and sharing them on social media, taking their own photographs and uploading them as inspiration for the AI system to make changes, or using AI as a conceptual starting place for a sequence of images based on a theme. The article also touches on the copyright implications of AI-generated images, as there is still uncertainty surrounding whether or not AI-generated images meet the standard for copyright.

Matt Payne March 1, 2023 36 Comments

On Discipline

Francesco reflects on what it means to have discipline, the importance of structure, and how it all correlates to photographic practices.

Francesco Carovillano February 22, 2023 3 Comments

The Joys of Starting Something New

After years of photographing wildlife on land, and learning more about conservation and storytelling through photography, Ashleigh Scully decided to try her hand at underwater photography. Though it came with a multitude of challenges – unexpected and otherwise – she found joy in starting something new, venturing down a new path with her work.

Ashleigh Scully February 15, 2023 4 Comments

Your Subject is Not Your Subject

Good photography is a process of making an effective photograph that is often counterintuitive. To excel at photography, one must learn to see the world the way the camera sees it, use limitations as artistic opportunities, and include other visual elements that work together with the subject to engage the viewer with the story being told.

Ian Plant February 8, 2023 3 Comments

Simplicity

Hank discusses the importance of simplicity in photography, paired with the differences between the way the camera captures a scene versus how the human eye perceives that same scene. He emphasizes that the power of photography lies in its ability to express feeling and perception, rather than serving solely as a document of a moment in time. He notes that it is the artist’s job to clearly communicate their intended message through their photograph, rather than leaving it up to the viewer to search for the meaning.

Hank Erdmann January 25, 2023 10 Comments