How to be a Professional Outdoor and Nature Photographer

Charlie Borland

You never talk over my head and sound like you actually want me to learn and not just earn yourself a paycheck. I thank you. - Gerald S.

I like the pace Charlie Borland is speaking, the images he uses, and the narrative style of the presentation. The course is just amazing. He has so many important details on the subject of photography. For example, I now understand how to use my Flash and trust me, I have many books on the subject. Best photo course. -Renzo D.V.

Do you love nature and photography and wish to make money photographing the great outdoors? Would you like to make outdoor and nature photography your career?

Learn how to be a professional outdoor and nature photographer. -There is no more fulfilling "career" than being a full-time Outdoor and Nature Photographer.

-Do you want to get published in magazines, brochures, and calendars?

-Do you want to photograph assignments for magazines and outdoor product companies?

-I have been published in over 1000 calendars, many of the major outdoor magazines, advertising brochures, photographed magazine assignments, and outdoor product catalogs, and I have founded and co-founded two stock photo agencies.

-I can show you how to create images for the markets and get paid.

You will learn:

-How the outdoor and nature photography markets work.

-Techniques and approaches for making marketable images of nature and outdoor adventure.

-What type of camera equipment and other gear is needed?

-How to organize your stock photos and set up your business.

-How to make even more money with concept photography.

-How to create marketable compositions.

-How to master natural light and supplemental flash and strobe lighting.

-How to master the technical sides of photography.

Marketing and promotion are crucial to the success of any business and I will show you several strategies that work.

-How to market yourself and your business.

-How to price and negotiate a photo sale.

-How to be represented by stock photo agencies.

-One key ingredient that will ensure your success as an outdoor photographer is photography assignments. You will learn:

-How to bid on photo assignments.

-How to photograph outdoor products and portraits.

-How to plan and prep for the big assignment.

-How to create a portfolio and present it in a meeting.

-How to find models.

-This course also includes a downloadable stock photo pricing guide to help you determine a fair and accurate price for your photographs.

-What are the course requirements?

-Passion.

-A love for the outdoors, nature, wildlife, and the environment.

-A willingness to work hard.

-Oh, a camera, tripod, computer, and software.

-What’s included?

-Over 125 videos and 10 audio lectures.

-A downloadable pricing guide.

-Examples of top-selling images.

-See a photograph my friend captured that has earned over $900,000. (That's not a typo)

-Strategies for pricing and selling your photography.

-Strategies for succeeding in the business.

-At the end of this course, you will be able to plan your business strategy, organize and market your business, and submit your quality photographs to publications and clients.

Who’s the Instructor?

There are many courses on how to be an amazing photographer, but how many are taught by true professionals who have a career and worked as a photographer?

I was formally trained at Brooks Institute in the 1980s and have worked every day since. I have photographed for Fortune 500 companies, been published in countless magazines (you’ve probably heard of), and photographed in every state in the USA.

I have taught photo workshops across the USA and the Middle East. Founded two stock photo agencies, and sold thousands of stock photos. I love to teach and want to ensure you succeed and love photography like I do. You can trust me to teach you photography.

You get full unlimited access to this course forever including all future video lectures. In case you did not know, Udemy has an unconditional 30-day money-back guarantee and it is not your standard guarantee, it's my promise to you that you will have the needed information to succeed in outdoor photography.

What they say:

This was by far the best course I have taken. – Joe C.

Better than ever expected. This course has taken me from zero knowledge to understanding how a huge amount of work goes into even one promo shot in a catalog. This course does not hold back or sugarcoat the work behind the great photos or give you constant reassurance - it honestly teaches all areas of the experience from taking better photos for your own benefit through to what the most professional client would require. I'm very grateful for Charlie Borland to be so helpful and present in such a lovely manner it makes the experience very rewarding and easy. -Michelle C.

Hi Charlie,I'm not quite finished getting through all of the video but what a tremendous amount of work you have gone through for this course. Not to mention all of the content. It's simply a staggering variety of such valuable, insightful, and important information.I would have been bumbling about forever without your course, what a difference it will make as I begin and go forward from here.Thank you for all of your time and effort and for sharing your knowledge so generously, it is greatly appreciated. -Angela P.

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What's inside

Learning objectives

You will be able to recognize marketable images
You will be able to successfuly negotiate selling your photos and getting assignments
You will be able to price for profit

You will be able to design your business around your interests
You will begin to see all the photo opportunities for marketable imagery

You will be able to recognize marketable images
You will be able to successfuly negotiate selling your photos and getting assignments
You will be able to price for profit
You will be able to design your business around your interests
You will begin to see all the photo opportunities for marketable imagery

Syllabus

The Profession of Outdoor and Nature Photography

This beginning lecture provides a broad overview of the business of outdoor photography

This lecture looks at the realities involved in professional photography and will help guide new photographers in understanding the steps to get started

Introduction to the Business of Outdoor and Nature Photography

In all businesses there are guidelines that need to be addressed and these usually help in creating a successful business. Here we look at the so called 10 Commandments of Professional Photography.

Have you ever asked yourself if you are a Specialist or a Generalist? This video lecture takes a close look at the advantages of both profiles.

What is outdoor stock photography? It is images that meet a specific client’s needs and in this video lecture we examine examples of good selling images.

Every business needs clients and in this lecture we will examine the variety of markets and types of clients that use outdoor and nature photography.

Some of the most successful selling images are strong on concepts and this lecture takes a close look at applying concepts to outdoor photography.

This assignment is to get you thinking about your existing images and their marketability.

Learn the fundamentals of photography if you are new to photography

This lecture looks at cameras for outdoor and nature photography.

This lecture looks at lenses for outdoor and nature photography

There is a lot of equipment out there that is valuable to outdoor and nature photographers and here we look at some of them.

What’s the best ISO to use? This lecture looks at the options.

White balance is useful in capturing proper color but is also valuable as a creative tool

The histogram is very valuable to your digital photo exposures and this video looks at how to understand them.

Watch this to learn why you want to expose to the right.

Depth of filed is crucial to good photography and is a great creative tool. This video looks at compositional guidelines to create more powerful photography.

Do you fully understand the power of depth of field?

Creating Nature Photography That Sells

Just what should you photograph? This lecture examines the types of subjects that clients are searching for.

This is a great newsletter with excellent details on finding awesome places to photograph. These are however, popular locations to they may not be the best places to shoot for marketability.

Should you photograph locally or nationally or internationally? This lecture examines all of these business approaches.

Introduction to nature photography and how to create stunning images.

Composition can make or break a great photograph and this lecture explores techniques to creating marketable compositions

Composition can make or break a great photograph and this lecture explores the framing technique

Composition can make or break a great photograph and this lecture explores the leading lines technique

Composition can make or break a great photograph and this lecture explores the S and Z technique

Composition can make or break a great photograph and this lecture explores the stacking and negative space technique

Composition can make or break a great photograph and this lecture explores the patterns technique

This lecture is a general overview of photographing wildlife

Lighting is crucial to great photography and this in-depth lecture examines various light qualities

Lighting is crucial to great photography and this in-depth lecture examines various light qualities and this lecture looks at lighting angle

Lighting is crucial to great photography and this in-depth lecture examines various light qualities

Photographers always strive to create stunning photography and this lecture provides some tips on finding your vision

Learn why you should photograph Photo Elements

There are many strategies for creating strong and marketable photography and this video examines those.

Hiking to and photographing Utah’s Fallen Roof Ruin

Self Assignment: Calendar Company Request

Understanding the color of light

Creating Adventure Photography That Sells

Introduction to outdoor and adventure recreation photography

Should you be an adventure specialist or generalist?

This lecture gives a broad overview of the markets for outdoor adventure photography

Equipment and props are useful in adventure photography and this lecture examines some of them

Concepts can be applied to adventure photography and make the images more salable. This lecture examines those.

A close look at composition and lighting for adventure photography

This lecture looks at way of creating marketable adventure images

Images that stand out and sell well often have models in them and this lecture mentions how to find them and strategies to get the best ones.

If you want to stay out of hot water, watch this video on the importance of model releases

Self assignment #2

Free Model Release

Free Photo Shoot Agreement

Free Property Release

Free download. If you are hiring models or asking adventure athletes to perform a feat, like a kayaker going over a waterfall, have them sign this and acknowledge that they are responsible for their own safety.

Model releases

Lighting on Location: Supplemental Light

Mother nature does not always provide perfect light so this lecture examines the use of supplemental light like flash and reflectors

To use flash effectively outdoors one needs to understand how they work with outdoor lighting

How to apply flash to your outdoor subjects, both nature and adventure as a supplemental light

When outdoor light is not that great flash can act as the sun

Sometimes wireless or multiple flashes are perfect for a particular subject and lighting effect, so this lecture examines how to do that.

There are many ways to use supplemental lighting for creative effect and this lecture examines a few of those

Other tools that are very useful for lighting subjects is panels and reflectors and we take a look at how to apply those here.

This lecture takes an even deeper look at strategies for lighting outdoor subjects.

One way to create dramatic adventure imagery is to create blur action images using flash

How I photographed the hiker in the forest with wireless flash

Self Assignment #3

Photographing Outdoor Products for Customers

Some clients might ask you to photograph there outdoor products and this lecture discusses how to do that

This lecture shows the setup to photograph products indoors

How to setup a backpack to photograph

How to use studio light on the backpack

This lecture shows the steps to building a photograph of the backpack

How to photograph a water bottle

How to prep a shoe for photography

How light and photograph the shoe

Studio product photography wrap-up

Self Assignment #4

Whats the best light for product photography?

Setting Up Your Photography Business

An efficient operation is important to any business and this lecture shows how to setup and organize your office and affairs

Not every image is a marketable image and this lecture shows how to edit the images from your photo shoot

This lecture demonstrates how important naming conventions are to organizing your photography

This lecture demonstrates how important naming conventions are to organizing your photography Part 2

Metadata is so important to all digital photographs in our world today and this lecture examines some of the important information you can add

A brief overview of Lightroom and how valuable it can be to organizing your image files

This lecture shows a strategy for captioning your images in Lightroom that might save you a lot of time

This lecture shows a strategy for keywording your images in Lightroom that might save you a lot of time

This lecture shows you several methods for burning and dodging, aka lightening and darkening, your digital images.

Self Assignment 5 Metadata

Metadata, Keywording, and Naming

Finding Clients and Photo Buyers

Now that you are ready to sell your photos, it is time to look at ways to find clients.

Where are the clients? This lecture discusses the many places you can find clients and buyers of your photography

This lecture looks at ways of making contact with clients

While you might be selling photography to clients you are also selling yourself. This lecture discusses ways to make a good impression

A client has asked for some of your images so this lecture examines ways to to submit your work

Good to know

Know what's good

, what to watch for

, and possible dealbreakers

Provides hands-on training on outdoor product and portrait photography

Offers tools to students to help organize their photography and help them brand their business

Teaches strategies to market the student's photography to potential clients

Recognizes the growing trend towards pursuing photography as a career

Offers a unique perspective on the professional application of photography

Provides examples of marketable images created by students and working professionals

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Activities

Be better prepared before your course. Deepen your understanding during and after it. Supplement your coursework and achieve mastery of the topics covered in How to be a Professional Outdoor and Nature Photographer with these activities:

Connect with experienced nature photographers

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Seek guidance and support from experienced nature photographers to accelerate your learning and improve your skills.

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Attend industry events or workshops to meet potential mentors.
Reach out to nature photographers you admire online and request a mentorship.
Set up regular meetings or communications with your mentor.
Discuss your goals, progress, and challenges with your mentor, and seek their advice and feedback.

Follow online photography tutorials

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Enhance your skills by following online photography tutorials covering specific techniques, such as capturing wildlife or creating panoramas.

Browse courses on Nature Photography

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Identify areas you want to improve in your photography.
Search for reputable online photography tutorials on those topics.
Follow the tutorials step-by-step and practice the techniques.
Experiment with the techniques in different scenarios and conditions.

Read "The Photographer's Eye" by Michael Freeman

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Gain insights into the art of composition, lighting, and storytelling in nature photography.

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Read the book thoroughly, taking notes on key concepts and techniques.
Apply the techniques learned from the book to your own nature photography.
Discuss the book's ideas with other photographers or join online forums to exchange perspectives.

Five other activities

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Compose test photographs

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Set up lighting, compose a test scene, and capture test photos to practice controlling exposure and lighting techniques.

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Set up a test scene with lighting equipment.
Compose a test shot and adjust the camera's exposure settings to achieve a desired exposure.
Capture a test photo and evaluate the exposure, lighting, and composition.
Adjust the lighting and exposure settings as needed and capture additional test photos until the desired result is achieved.

Practice shooting in different lighting conditions

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Practice capturing shots in various lighting conditions, including sunrise, sunset, overcast, and low-light situations.

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Identify different lighting conditions and their impact on exposure and composition.
Set up your camera for each lighting condition and experiment with different exposure settings.
Compose shots that take advantage of the unique qualities of each lighting condition.
Review your shots and make adjustments to your technique as needed.

Create a portfolio of nature shots

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Select and edit a portfolio of your most impressive nature shots to showcase your skills and build a brand.

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Review your existing nature photography and select the best shots.
Edit the selected photos to enhance their visual quality and consistency.
Create a portfolio website or online gallery to display your portfolio.
Promote your portfolio on social media and other online platforms.
Seek feedback on your portfolio from fellow photographers or potential clients.

Develop a nature photography project

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Embark on a dedicated nature photography project to apply your skills, challenge yourself, and produce a cohesive body of work.

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Define the scope and objectives of your project.
Scout locations, research your subject, and plan your shoots.
Capture a series of photographs that meet the project's objectives.
Edit and sequence your photos to create a cohesive narrative.
Share your project online, in print, or through exhibitions.

Create a photo submission for a contest or exhibition

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Prepare and submit your best nature photos to contests or exhibitions to gain recognition and showcase your skills.

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Research photography contests or exhibitions that align with your style and interests.
Review the submission guidelines and criteria carefully.
Select your strongest images that meet the contest's requirements.
Edit and enhance your photos to optimize their visual impact.
Prepare your submission according to the contest's instructions and submit it by the deadline.