The fine art of nature photography: what inspires you?

I’m still not quite sure what it is that distinguishes ‘art’ from ‘fine art’ – other than the price tags, of course. Or how many letters follow the artist names, perhaps.

Still, if we use this phrase in nature photography to distinguish work that masterfully achieves a unique expression of the beauty of natural form, it’s probably truly worth sharing.

I realize that the great bulk of iNat shots puts the task of species ID as the primary visual goal of the photographic process, but I also know it’s important that all observers be inspired to continue to participate, volunteer, and recruit new observers.

To that end, what are the nature photographers that you have come across that truly inspire you?

I’ll kick off with one I just discovered this morning, UK photographer Levon Biss. He specializes in insects, insect eggs, AND seeds.

https://levonbiss.com/

And a portfolio of work done for the Oxford MONH: http://microsculpture.net/

3 Likes

Florida photographer Rex Adams takes absolutely stunning photographs of Florida’s saltmarshes and coastal ecosystems.

2 Likes

Since I started using instagram, there are many talented and creative photographers sharing nature pictures. I’m not a fun of the super-zoom-extra-macro crazy closeups, but plenty of other variety of insects and spiders out there. I occasionally get pictures worth sharing like this, but it feels more luck than art.

Fine art nature photography is nature photography that is not taken casually, but has been made with the highest standards - technical and aesthetic, and capable of making huge prints.
Fine art photos would be taken with high-end cameras and best lenses. However, depending on the photographer’s experience, such photos can be obtained with cheaper cameras. Fine art also entails a degree of specialty in a particular genre.l of photography (art).

There’s a certain Inat user from India I noticed years back. His observations are few, but they would classify as fine art.

I’ll try my luck digging his page.

I also found an old (2016) video of Mr. Biss when he was contracted by the Oxford MONH for promoting a show about insects. Even though this is seven years old, it does give you a good idea of the process and painstaking effort it takes to get these superb results.
https://youtu.be/FMefm1thqiY

1 Like

This topic was automatically closed 60 days after the last reply. New replies are no longer allowed.