Home Nature Projects

Most photographers like shooting nature, but sometimes our health and physical limitations make it difficult or impossible to do that. Thanks to the Internet, we can purchase for just a few dollars nature subjects that can be mailed to your home and photographed at your leisure and under ideal conditions.

For example, you can buy packages of bird feathers for under $10. Many people raise birds and sell the feathers that fall out and naturally get replaced. You can find online for purchase the feathers of many species of birds including exotic chickens, peacocks, jays, parrots, ma- caws, kingfishers and many more. On Google, search for “Exotic bird feathers for sale” and you’ll be amazed by how many people are selling them. The colors and patterns available af- ford you many compelling macro photographic opportunities. Use natural window light, open shade, or flash, and you can arrange the feathers for striking compositions. Just make sure the images are tack sharp from edge to edge.

You can also find other nature subjects online such as seashells, rocks and minerals, dried and preserved flowers and leaves, insects, and coral. With creative arrangements and lighting, you can produce a whole new genre of work and never leave your home.

The lambis shell, above, was photographed with backlighting. I noticed it was translucent, so I placed it on top of a piece of cardboard covered with black velvet. I cut a hole in the cardboard and the fabric for a flash, and the bright light penetrated the shell to make it seem like it was glowing from within.

At insectnet.com, you can find suppliers of dried and packaged exotic insects. The metalic wood boring beetle from Indonesia, below, was shot with a macro lens, three extension tubes, and I used the focus stacking procedure to maintain complete focus on the insect. I bought the packaged insect online.

It’s challenging, and fun, to find unique ways of capturing these beautiful nature subjects. §