107 Nature Photography Quotes: Captions for Beautiful Views

Here’s a selection of inspirational nature photography quotes that you can use as captions on Instagram and social media.

Reading one line that encapsulates our love for nature photography and the great outdoors reminds us of the importance of our art and surroundings. 

Whether you’re a nature photographer looking for the best picture caption about a beautiful view or you just came here for some inspiration, this list of 107 iconic nature photography quotes will help you reconnect with our incredible planet.

And if this list isn’t enough, be sure to check out our other quotes about photography and funny quotes for photographers for more inspiration. 

• “To the complaint, There are no people in these photographs, I respond, There are always two people: the photographer and the viewer”
  – Ansel Adams
• “Nature never goes out of style”
  – Unknown
• “Landscape photography is the supreme test of the photographer – and often the supreme disappointment”
  – Ansel Adams
• “I look closely for moments like a fleeting tender touch or expression that is character-revealing”
  – Alison Langevad
• “Normally, the best photos are arrived at not by coincidence”
  – Paul Goldstein

• “It all ultimately comes down to showing respect to nature and understanding the species you want to photograph”
  – Riddhi Mukherjee
• “Without nature and a life in harmony with the animals, as you can see now in the time of the pandemic, will also make us endangered individuals!”
  – Thorsten Milse
• “Nature, especially wilderness, has a calming effect on the mind”
  – Percy Fernandez

• Wildlife photography “…combines knowledge of natural history, biodiversity, development, man-animal conflict,  conservation policies, and so on”
  – Percy Fernandez
  (See also: best cameras for wildlife photography)
• “I appreciate these moments where I can get away from life and focus on living”
  – TJ Thorne
• “My main motivation is to find new spots, or replicate them in a different way, with unique lighting conditions”
  – Alessandro Laurito
• When asked about his inspiration for landscape photography: “An unbounded love for Mother Nature, complemented by a passion to travel”
  – Sankar Salvadi

• “I love landscape photography because it clears my thoughts and it brings light and inspiration into my mind”
  – Jan Bainar
• “Timing is everything, but it all comes down to what your motivation is”
  – Erin Babnik
• “It is my intention to present -through the medium of photography- intuitive observations of the natural world which may have meaning to the spectators “
  – Ansel Adams

• “We see in color all the time. Black and white is, therefore immediately an interpretation of the world, rather than a copy”
  – Michael Kena
• “Colors are the smiles of nature “
  – Leigh Hunt
• “I like to shoot peaceful and minimalistic pictures with respect for nature, pictures that get your attention a bit longer”
  – Piet Haaksma
• “If you can see it, you can shoot it “
  – Ted Grant
• “My interest in photography […] evolved through an intense devotion to wilderness that eventually shaped all parts of my life and brought them together “
  – Galen Rowell
• “Mountains are personal. They belong to the viewer, the hiker, the skier, the climber” (from: Mountain captions)
  – Ruth Rudner
• “Every photograph that is made whether by one who considers himself a professional, or by the tourist who points his snapshot camera and pushes a button, is a response to the exterior world “
  – Eliot Porter

• “For me, it is more often an immediate reaction: the more I look for something, the less chance there is for finding anything of value”
  – Ansel Adams
• “Beauty is, after all, in the mind (and heart and soul…) of the beholder “
  – Michael Kena

• “Often my pictures will have two dates: the date that I made the negative and the date that I finally made the print “
  – Thomas Joshua Cooper
• “It’s great that we’ve been able to infect an entire community with this idea about – it’s not just about making pretty pictures, it’s about making pictures of value “
  – Robert Glenn Ketchum
• “I want to interpret the natural world and our links to it”
  – Frans Lanting
• “Anything that is worth pursuing is going to require us to suffer, just a little bit”
  – Chris Burckard
• “The typical nature photograph shows a butterfly on a pretty flower. The conservation photograph shows the same thing, but with a bulldozer coming at it in the background”
  – Joel Sartore
• “Nature always wears the colors of the spirit “
  – Ralph Waldo Emerson

• “Memory selects single important images, just as the camera does. In that manner, both are able to isolate the highest moments of living”
  – Galen Rowell
• “In my mind, I visualize how a particular […] sight will appear on a print. If it excites me, there’s a good chance it will make a good photograph “
  – Ansel Adams

• “Photographs are believed more than words; thus, they can be used persuasively to show people who have never taken the trouble to look what is there”
  – Eliot Porter
• “Nature is my muse, and it’s been my passion”
  – Frans Lanting
• “I often had to pass over photographs because in a mass of animals, invariably one would be wandering in the wrong direction, thereby disrupting the pattern I was trying to achieve. Today the ability to alter this disruption is at hand”
  – Art Wolfe

• “I have found that a photograph made in a fraction of a second might move me more than a painting made over days or weeks”
  – Michael Kena
• “It takes more than one image to make sense out of anything. You can get lucky with one. You can get pretty lucky with five. You have to actually start getting your shit together a bit to have ten or 20 or more in a project”
  – Thomas Joshua Cooper
• “It is up to the viewers to understand that it is worth preserving this natural world as it is important for the survival of our world and thus for the generations to come”
  – Piet Haaksma
• “Time is different in an ancient place. Not slower, but somehow bigger, perhaps less transient”
  – Ruth Rudner
• “No man has the right to dictate what other men should perceive, create or produce, but all should be encouraged to reveal themselves, their perceptions and emotions, and to build confidence in the creative spirit “
  – Ansel Adams

• “Life is a force in its own right. It is a new element. And it has altered the Earth. It covers Earth like a skin”
  – Frans Lanting
• “The most powerful stories are the ones that unite us, not dive us “
  – Ami Vitale
• “Photography is a strong tool, a propaganda device, and a weapon for the defence of the environment “
  – Eliot Porter
• “My mission is to document endangered species and landscapes in order to show a world worth saving”
  – Joel Sartore
• “Nature is pure spirit, it is the biggest artist. If you want to document its art, you have to see Art in nature”
  – Orsolya Haarberg
• “Travel is the best investment you can make in yourself. It teaches you that there are many ways to live a good, fulfilled life. It broadens your world’s view, yet makes you appreciate home all the more”
  – Joel Sartore

• “I believe one should relate to and react to works of art on the basis that each work is unique. I don’t think we need to make general rules “
  – Michael Kena
• “I don’t think it’s necessary to put your feelings about photography into words”
  – Eliot Porter
• “I don’t come taking millions of pictures. I spend time with them and simply observe. If you wait long enough, those amazing images will come”
  – Ami Vitale
• “When you spend your life in a creative mode all the time, mindless leaf blowing can be a welcome break”
  – Art Wolfe
• “I assume that somewhere in my DNA is a prey instinct, and that’s an instinct worth listening”
  – Krista Schlyer

• “The most interesting part of the natural world are the edges, places where ocean meets land, meadow meets forest, timberline touches the heights”
  – Galen Rowell
• “I do not photograph for ulterior purposes. I photograph for the thing itself – for the photograph – without consideration of how it may be used “
  – Eliot Porter
• “Photography allows you to be a part of the action and document stories. it is a perfect extension of my body. I can take it pretty much everywhere and tell a story with a photograph”
  – Chris Burckard
• “I think a photograph, of whatever it might be – a landscape, a person – requires personal involvement. That means knowing your subject,  not just snapping at what’s in front of you”
  – Frans Lanting

• “I think the most important thing an artist can do is to constantly push themselves and improve their craft”
  – Ami Vitale
• “You learn to see by practice. It’s just like playing tennis, you get better the more you play. The more you look around at things, the more you see. The more you photograph, the more you realize what can be photographed and what can’t be photographed. You just have to keep doing it “
  – Eliot Porter
• “When the magic hour arrives, my thoughts center on light rather than on the landscape”
  – Galen Rowell
• “Quite simply, I want to thoroughly embrace every second of my existence”
  – Michael Kena
• “A great photograph is one that fully expresses what one feels, in the deepest sense, about what is being photographed  “
  – Ansel Adams

• “The most memorable photos are layered, in good light, and have something really interesting going on in them. If you can get all three elements into a single frame, now you’re talking”
  – Joel Sartore
• “It is in the wild places, where the edge of the earth meets the corners of the sky, the human spirit is fed”
  – Art Wolfe
• “To approach animals in their most natural, native settings. I have to understand the mysteries of their behaviour. With careful preparation, I can show the animal in its best light, demonstrating its beauty, strength, and intelligence  “
  – Paul Nicklen
• “Empathy is the key to great stories “
  – Ami Vitale

• “Every experience is a form of exploration “
  – Ansel Adams
• “Sometimes you can tell a large story with a tiny subject “
  – Eliot Porter
• “There are advantages and disadvantages to photographing famous places. My conclusion is that is not worth worrying about “
  – Michael Kena
• “For me, it’s always just been about experiencing the things I love and documenting them. I have gotten a lot of joy out of what I do, and I feel lucky to be able to spread that joy”
  – Chris Burckard
• “It is folly to think that we can destroy one species and ecosystem after another and not affect humanity. When we save species, we’re actually saving ourselves”
  – Joel Sartore
• “There is nothing worse than a sharp image of a fuzzy concept  “
  – Ansel Adams

• “But before all else, a work of art is the creation of love […] Love is the general criterion by which the rare photograph is judged. It must contain it to be no less than the best of which the photographer is capable”
  – Eliot Porter
• “Never stop looking, no matter where you are, everywhere there are good photographs”
  – Art Wolfe

• “All my work is geared toward growing an awareness that we are not alone on the land, that everything we do to alter the world has ripples of implications – which can be negative or positive – on a vast community of other creatures”
  – Krista Schlyer
• “To roam the farthest corners of the Earth, where wild creatures live, is a privilege reserved for an  adventurous handful”
  – Cristina Mittermeier
• “Part of my mind is constantly placing the world in rectangles, reducing it to black and white, and imagining it in two dimensions”
  – Michael Kena

• “Images can help us understand the urgency many photographers feel to protect wild places”
  – Cristina Mittermeier
• “A photograph is usually looked at – seldom looked into”
  – Ansel Adams
• “My emotions, instincts, and interests are all with nature”
  – Eliot Porter

• “I’ve had encounters with bears, cats, coyotes, and venomous snakes, but I’ve studied how best to respond and afford them the distance and respect they deserve”
  – Krista Schlyer
• “For me making a digital photo is like making a watercolor […] it’s not a painting, and it’s not a photo. It’s something altogether new”
  – Art Wolfe
• “The more I travel, the more I realize that happiness has very little to do with material stuff and has a lot to do with the way we choose to live our lives”
  – Cristina Mittermeier

• “Certainly, a sense of curiosity and willingness to be patient to allow the subject matter to reveal itself are important elements in this process”
  – Michael Kena
• “Gear is the least important part of the equation. Having a vision and being able to articulate an idea visually are much more important”
  – Paul Nicklen

• “Enoughness is a sense of fulfillment that comes from within and throughout our natural environment”
• – Cristina Mittermeier
• “Once something catches my eye, I do not stop until the captured image is balanced, the scene is simplified to its essence and keeps surprising me even after looking at it again and again”
  – Orsolya Haarberg
• “Wilderness, our original home, is the place from which all life comes, the place that offers us challenge and beauty, adventure and comfort, triumph, and memory”
  – Ruth Rudner

What are your Favorite Quotes About Nature Photography?

Nature inspires the most amazing thoughts, feelings and photographs. Nature photography is a wonderful pursuit, and I hope this article gave you some inspiration to get back out their and capture some more beautiful views.

How about you? Do you have a favorite nature photography quote? Share it with us in the comments, and be sure to check out the latest web story for more quotes.

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