How to Start Your Nature Photography Journey, Tips From Max

Ready to start your nature photography journey but unsure how to move from curiosity to real, eye‑catching images? 

We sat down with UK-based nature photographer Max (@Mspelziniphoto), whose calm, intuitive approach to wildlife photography blends patience, soft light, and a deep respect for the outdoors. From early forest walks to spontaneous roadside stops in the Lake District, his work combines beautiful landscape photography, close-up macro wildlife, and dramatic lighting to create powerful, natural scenes.

In this Q&A, Max shares practical nature photography tips, advice on editing and learning, and what it really means to build a creative process around consistency and respect - not perfection. You’ll learn how he edits using Lightroom presets for nature, keeps his workflow simple, and what tools are best to get started.

Whether you're shooting a landscape photo shoot or chasing wildlife photography goals, Max’s insights will help you stay grounded and inspired.

Could you tell us a bit about yourself and how you got started with wildlife and nature photography?

First off, Hey! My name is Max, I grew up in the outskirts of London, I’m 31 and have always enjoyed the outdoors.

Being so close to London and working full-time time it’s often hard to get out as much as I’d like. I’ve always been a huge animal lover, ever since I was little, I drove my parents round the twist always bringing home wildlife asking my parents if I could have it as a pet, and my dad would take me out to where I found it to teach me that it should be kept untouched, which has stuck with me.

This is why nature and wildlife photography has become my hobby, I get to admire it from a distance and leave no trace.

What inspired you to begin capturing nature and wildlife through your lens?

I guess this sort of falls into the previous question. I’ve always thought of myself as a creative person. I’ve tried different types of photography, but wildlife has always been the one I most enjoyed.

I remember when I bought my first camera, went out in a woodland area behind my house, and a red-tailed kite decided to land on a fence maybe 12 feet away from me.

It just shows when you go out looking to take a nice photo, you never really know what you’re going to find, and that’s really what the excitement in this hobby is for me.

Do you have any favorite places or environments to shoot in, either locally or during travel?

People often think of the U.K. as a very grey and dull place to live, but in fact it couldn’t be further from that.

My favourite thing to do is get up early, bring my flask of coffee, and just head out into the forest, you’d be very surprised what you might find.

I would recommend for anyone into wildlife photography to do this. I often stay local as there are a lot of forests around me, but I would say the Lake District has to be up there with my favourite places to travel to in the U.K., especially for photography! 

How do you approach photographing wildlife and nature? Do you have any techniques for finding and getting close to animals without disturbing them?

Patience. And just enjoy the process really, don’t ever go out with the intent to get the award-winning shot, or the shot of a lifetime, because in my opinion, most of the time that’s luck.

I always leave where I go undisturbed, every time you venture out, there will always be something slightly different, and if you’ve got the eye for it, you’re basically there.

Don’t go out and alter anything or disturb wildlife to get your photo. Always respect where you go, and good results will follow.

What equipment do you currently use, and how has it influenced your photography?

So for my camera body, I use a Canon Mark III and typically a 300mm lens. I find this best because you don’t have to get too close to be able to get a good shot.

It also shows that you don’t really need the most expensive setup to go out and have some fun. 

I also like to use my macro lens for smaller wildlife like bugs and other small mammals.

I bought my first camera from Cex for like £150, and really just went from there. It was a Canon 4000D, and I just used it to learn the basics 

I eventually upgraded, but you really don’t need to spend thousands to get good quality photos.

How do you typically plan your photography outings? Do you go out with specific shots in mind or let the moment guide you?

Never plan, I just take my camera everywhere with me because you never know what you might find.

I’ve always found that if I go out looking for something specific, I’ll end up with something completely different from what I had in my head, and that’s what I love about it. 

I’ll find myself at home looking through hundreds of different photos, and I’d probably end up with only a handful that I actually like.

Take your camera everywhere and photograph everything. 

Could you share a memorable experience you've had while photographing nature?

That’s a hard one, I feel like it’s all memorable, and each photo I take a look back at, I can remember the whole outing around that photo.

But if I had to pinpoint it down to one experience, it would have to be my recent trip to the Lake District, driving through the national park, just feeling extremely small surrounded by all the snow-capped mountains. It was definitely a core memory unlocked.

Having to pull my car over every 5 minutes because I see an opportunity to take an amazing photo, seeing the sunlight beam through the valleys and casting shadows, was definitely a highlight in my photography journey for sure. 

What’s your post-processing workflow like? Are there specific tools, presets, or techniques you rely on to bring your images to life?

I mean I wouldn’t say I’m perfect, I’m still 100% learning how to edit and take photos. But it’s the process that matters.

I use Adobe Lightroom to edit all my photos. Take my advice and don’t over-edit your photos.

I used to do this in my early stages, and looking back at them, they look ridiculous.

Less is key. 

You can turn what you think is a really boring photo into something completely different. I think I spend more time editing the photos than actually taking them, but I enjoy this process as much as I do taking them.

If you’re really struggling to edit your photos, just use some free tools on either the App Store or head over to Woodland Presets for some of the ones they have on their store ;)

I would say try the free tools before you make buy any subscriptions.

What challenges have you faced as an amateur photographer, and how have you overcome them?

I guess it would have to be learning all the different settings on a Digital camera, learning different exposure methods, and editing (I’m still very much learning).

I can remember I wanted to learn how to take photos at night, so a lot of googling and YouTube sessions taught me a lot.

I travelled out to some woodland area and got a really good shot of the night sky with a cabin in the foreground.

It took me so long to figure out the exposure settings and edit it to reveal the final photo.

YouTube is definitely your friend and consistency.

Are there any photographers or artists who have influenced your style or approach to photography?

I wouldn’t really say that anyone in particular has influenced my style of photography, it was more about trial and error to try and find the style that I liked most.

I would say that my photos are quite moody. And like I said before, I am very much an amateur photographer, so I’ve probably still not found my style.

I’m still learning and trying to be creative. I am happy where I’m at in my journey so far! 

What advice would you give to others who are just starting out in wildlife and nature photography?

Do it, don’t buy an expensive setup, just get yourself something cheap to learn.

It’s always good to get out, and if photography is your thing and you’re an animal lover, then what’s stopping you? Just respect it. 

I also think it’s really good for your mental health. Like myself, I’m working in an extremely busy city, and it’s like a breath of fresh air walking through a forest with no one else around.

So my advice would be to just give it a go, get yourself a basic setup and just learn by trial and error, we’re all still learning.

Where can our audience view more of your great work or connect with you online?

The only platform I use is Instagram, which is @mspelziniphoto, you’re more than welcome to come and follow and say hi.

If you’re into photography, no matter what style, it would be great to see other people's work! 

Bonus question: Anything you’d like to share about yourself or your work that we didn’t cover?

First off, I’d just like to say thank you to the team at Woodland Presets for taking an interest in my work, it’s always nice to talk about something I’m very passionate about.

I am also in the process of starting pet photography, I think the work I do would combine great with taking photos of people's pets. I would probably start a new page for that one, my main platform, I would like to keep natural.

Thank you for having me! Max 

Thanks for reading! Max’s story is a reminder that patience, observation, and a simple workflow can turn everyday forest walks into striking wildlife photography and sunrise drives into cinematic golden hour photography. With subtle edits, trusted Lightroom presets for nature, and a consistent, no-pressure approach, he shows how anyone can create powerful, mood-rich landscape imagery without chasing perfect conditions or high-end gear.

Ready to put his advice into practice? Revisit Max’s top nature photography tips, experiment with your editing process, and see how slowing down can sharpen your vision in the field.

Huge thanks to Max for sharing his journey and for being part of the Woodland Presets community over the past two years. We’re incredibly grateful to have photographers like him stick with us for so long, and we can’t wait to see what he creates next!