Do you need some inspiration for your Instagram account? You’re in luck. June 15 is designated Nature Photography Day. According to the North American Nature Photography Association (NANPA), the day is meant to promote the enjoyment of nature photography, and to explain how images are used to advance the cause of conservation and protect plants, wildlife, and landscapes.
If you’re not sure what to take a picture of, flip through A Photographer’s Path from the Department of the Interior and National Park Service to get started. The book includes a collection of images from photographer Thomas Paradis that highlight nature and history in the Greater Washington, D.C. area, with photos from parks in Washington, D.C., West Virginia, Maryland and Virginia. Photographs of streamside ferns and queen snakes at Catoctin Mountain Park, dew drops on Magnolias at National Capital Parks – East, white trout lilies at George Washington Memorial Parkway, and a lone butterfly flying over a crowd of bur-marigolds, will leave you in awe of the elegant beauty of nature – and get you thinking about what you might want to capture. Is it the squirrel that scurries around your backyard, that waterfall you’ve been wanting to hike, or millions of stars twinkling on a clear night? This publication, in particular, takes you through trails, aquatic gardens, grasslands, tunnels, forts, streams, and forests, and would make the perfect coffee table book. The photos are part of the National Park Service’s Inventory and Monitoring program, which aims to communicate the significance of park natural resources. Check out the book for a full list of the 15 parks featured, then choose one to visit yourself!
Swallowtail perched on branch Manassas National Park, from A Photographer’s Path.
So you got a stunning nature shot that you’re really feeling good about? Post it to your favorite social media! You can also frame it and give it as an inexpensive gift to friends or family. Or, if you’re feeling extra creative, make a nature box. In it, keep your best photos, along with collected items like leaves, dandelions, twigs, seashells, or unique rocks you find as you go. If you have kids in your life, they will love helping out with a project like this.
The best part about Nature Photography Day is that you get to be in nature! Whether it be with kids, a grandparent, a friend, a significant other, a pet, or just yourself, make a day of exploring and studying flora and fauna. We want to hear from you! Where will you be heading this Nature Photography Day to capture the perfect shot? We hope to see you on June 15 in the great outdoors.
The GPO Online Bookstore – Easy Access to Federal Publications
HOW DO I OBTAIN THIS RESOURCE?
Sign up to receive promotional bulletin emails from the US Government Online Bookstore.
Shop Online Anytime: You can buy a vast majority of eBooks or print publications —with FREE Standard Shipping worldwide— from the U.S. Government Online Bookstore at https://bookstore.gpo.gov.
- Click here to purchase A Photographer’s Path: Images of National Parks Near the Nation’s Capital
- Check out our Environment & Nature resources collection!
- Find more Portraits & Photographs, Posters, and Prints too!
Visit our Retail Store: To buy or order a copy of any print editions from this collection at GPO’s retail bookstore at 710 North Capitol Street NW, Washington, DC 20401, open Monday–Friday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., except Federal holidays, Call (202) 512-0132 for information or to arrange in-store pick-up(s).
Order by Phone or Email: Call our Customer Contact Center Monday through Friday, 8 am to 4:30 pm Eastern (except US Federal holidays). From US and Canada, call toll-free 1.866.512.1800. DC or International customers call +1.202.512.1800. Email orders to ContactCenter@gpo.gov
Visit a Federal depository library: Search for U.S. Government publications in a nearby Federal depository library. You can find the records for most titles in GPO’s Catalog of U.S. Government Publications.
Find more than a million official Federal Government publications from all three branches at www.govinfo.gov.
About the author: Blogger contributor Cat Goergen is the PR Specialist in GPO’s Public Relations office.
Posted by Trudy Hawkins 
govbooktalk
Trudy Hawkins
Government Book Talk 