BACKLIGHT

Photography is full of rules. Compositional rules like the rule of thirds and leading lines, and functional rules like don't hand hold below a certain shutter speed are designed to give you the best chance at a good image with minimal risk.

For the most part I use the rules as suggestions. One rule, however, has a little validity, Don't shoot into the sun. For starters, arbitrarily putting the sun in the frame can damage you equipment or more importantly, your eyes. Since there is not much call for blind photographers, I tend to avoid this. But without pointing at the sun you will never get that sunrise, or the great effect of backlighting.

Back lighting is great for lighting up fall colors, adding sparkle to snow & ice, or putting that halo effect on an animal's fur. But there are a few rules (here we go again) and suggestions to follow.

1: Keep the sun out of the frame (see blind photographer above). Blocking it with the subject or branch is OK.

2: Use fill flash to get detail in a solid object you are backlighting. ( I'll cover fill flash some other time as soon as I figure it out.)

3: Check your image for lens flare. Flare is those little annoying dots that apear on your picture from time to time. These can be easily taken care of by using a lens hood, moving your camera slightly to get it out of the direct sun, or by simply shading your lens with your hand.

CHANGES

One of the things in life that invokes a high level of emotion is change. In most areas of life we fight and fear change in an effort to gain control of our surroundings. However, in photography, I have found that the images that invoke the most positive of reactions are the images of change. When a river suddenly changes elevation, the sun rises or sets, or the seasons change we react with feelings of peace, tranquility, and awe.

Capturing these feelings of change in a two dimensional snapshot in time is the challenge and privilege of the photographer. I am drawn to these places and times to experience them first hand and then try to put them to film. Sometimes it is easy to be so engrossed by the sounds of the rushing waters or the changing colors of a sunrise that you forget to push the shutter release. It's fairly easy to capture the visual experience of the scene. But to convey the sound, motion, or feel of change is much more difficult. Many times these are left to the memory of the occasion or of a similar encounter as triggered by the photograph.

So even though it may never be possible to totally capture these daily transformations in a picture, I'll keep trying to meet the challenge, by adapting my technique and methods in the attempt. Hopefully producing images that continue to pull experiences out of everyone's memory that helps them realize that some change is good.

PHOTO TIPS

VISTA LANDSCAPES PHOTO TIPS

OOPS!

One thing you have to do with your pictures at some point is edit out the 'bad ones'. This becomes even more important with the increased use of digital cameras and the ease of eliminating images with very little effort. I've learned over the years to edit my images in stages so that pictures that at first appear as though they were made to line a trash can that really do have value.

A good example of not being too quick to toss an image happened to me a few years ago. I was in Salzburg Austria and was preparing to go into the cathedral. I loaded a roll of 400 ASA film and preceded to shoot. When I returned home and looked at the slides, I found that the film had been double exposed from an earlier trip. My first thought was to pitch them without looking. But I tried to follow my editing rules.

About 10 slides in I found the 'keeper". It had an original exposure of 3 crosses on a bright green field on the lower 1/3, and a 2nd exposure of the high cathedral windows. The combination left the silhouette of the crosses, the hint of the clouds, and with the windows of the cathedral.

My Editing Steps:

1. Quickly review the images and only remove images that are totally out, such as pictures of the inside of your lens cap ( I already have plenty of them).

2. The next day review the images a little more critically and remove the ones that are out of focus or have a bad exposure. Before you pitch them, be sure that this was not a picture you do not have a chance to re-take. If this is the only picture you have of a Black bear and it is a little out, keep it until you get a better one.

3. Critical review, remove a few more that just don't make your personal criteria.

PHOTO TIPS

    VACATION PHOTOGRAPHY

    When it's time to pile the crew in the mini-van and head out for the family vacation, how do you get time to shoot some serious film and not take the fun out for the rest of the family? Well there are a few ways. First, the rest of your family could be just as crazy about photography as you. Then there is no problem. Second, you can look at your particular family and see what will work.

    1. Shoot when they are asleep. My family loves to sleep in when they are on vacation. Getting started before 9:00 am is an early day. So this is perfect for me. I get up, get the sunrise, shoot in the morning light, and get back before anyone ready to go.

    2. Take one day to shoot: Make plans with the family for you to shoot one day at a special location. You can make sure they are doing something they want to do.

    3. Always invite the family to come along: OK so they may not want to get up at 5:00, but maybe for sunset or something in the afternoon. One of the best times I had on vacation was a few years ago in the Smokey Mountains. I was going to hike up to a waterfall and my daughter said she wanted to come along. GREAT! She did not take pictures, but loves to draw. So we packed her sketch pad and up we went. We got to the water fall and I sat her on a rock to draw while I shot. Mine did not come out to good, but she did well.

    4. Learn to leave the heavy equipment out of the daily activities with the family. Take the camera and the bear necessities. Get shots for the VACATION. Get some disposible cameras for the kids and let them get in on shooting some.

    I've always had alot of fun on our vacations doing what I love to do, but try not to let my hobby bore the rest of the family. The result is usually a fun vacation for everyone and some great images to enjoy later.

PHOTO TIPS

SUNRISES

  1. Find our where the sun will rise. Checkout the Naval Observatory link to get directions and times that the sun will rise and set at your location.

  2. During the daylight (it's easier to see the compass and not trip over your feet during the day) look for places you can access in the dark, and will provide interesting foregrounds for the sunrise picture

  3. Arrive at the location you have selected before the beginning of twilight. A good tripod is a must. Look for signs of good sunrise conditions (cirrus clouds, clear horizon with high clouds to reflect off, etc). Remember your flashlight, you have to set up in the dark.

  4. Before the sun actually rises, check exposure using the sky, the foreground will be in silhouette, unless you use a graduated neutral density filter to allow the sunrise colors to come through and a little definition to the foreground. After the sun rises meter off the sky near the sun, not the sun itself.

  5. HAVE FUN!

PHOTO TIPS

WATER FALLS

I enjoy shooting waterfalls or any moving water. My favorite way of shooting waterfalls is to make a long exposure and get the silky appearance in the water. Here are some tips in getting that look.

  1. Find a waterfall or any water in motion

  2. Use slow film 100 ASA or below, I use Fuji Velvia that is 50 ASA

  3. Place your camera on a firm tripod

  4. Adjust exposure to 1 to 2 seconds, Exposure can be tricky many things can mess with your camera's automatic exposure including dark rocks, white water, bright sky with a waterfall in the shadows. First select what you will read your exposure from and take an exposure with a hand held or in camera spot meter. Try to read off of a neutral object (not the dark rocks or white water) that is in the same light as the waterfall. If there is a large difference in exposure between the water fall area and any other part of the image you may want to use a graduated neutural density filter to level the exposure in the frame.

  5. Shoot

PHOTO TIPS

LET IT SNOW!

    Snow can be tricky to get. I have trouble getting the exposure that I want and still wait for a good snow to go practice. Basically your automatic meter sees the snow and sees gray, since it is trying to get to an average picture of grey, it says 'Great!" a long exposure is not needed here. So you end up with grey snow.

    First you have to get to the snow. I like to shoot just after a snow when it is still on the tree branches etc. This gives the best images. Unfortunately, this is also the hardest time to get around after a snow. First, scout out the area(s) you want to shoot. Find places to park and walk that will be accessible. Second, it is sometime good to wait for a light snow (2-3 inches) that may follow a larger snow. This gives you the bulk snow on the ground, some snow in the trees, and it is much easier to get around.

    To get the correct exposure meter off of something in the light of the subject. If the only thing to meter off of is snow then make the exposure longer by atleast 1 to 2 stops. Bracketing is the best way to ensure you get the proper exposure. If the sun is very bright 2 stops will probably be the best.

     

PHOTO TIPS

THE GADGET BAG

When you go out in the field you may want to take more than just your basic camera gear. Here are a few things I like to carry that you probably won't find in your neighborhood camera shop.

ZIP LOC BAGS- These are great, especially the quart size. I shoot a lot in the rain and mist and carry a few just to keep things dry. In a pinch you can cut a hole in one end and make a cover for the camera. They are also useful to gather leaves in the fall to use later in the day for shots.

COMPASS- It's good not to get lost, but my main reason for the compass is to locate where the sun and moon will be later that day or the next day. You can go the the Naval Observatory site (see the links page) and get print outs of the times and locations of the sun & moon. This allows you to set up shots ahead of time.

MULTI TOOL- Either a Swiss Army knive or something of this nature for quick repairs to equipment or cutting stuff (like your zip lock bags). This is a simple thing to carry that is very useful.

EMERGENCY PONCHO- You just never know when you might need this one.

CELL PHONE- This is becoming an important item to carry. Most of the time Nature photographers are in the field alone and usually away from other people. I've gone most of the day sometimes and never saw another person. You may not be able to get a signal from all of the valleys, but in an emergecny, it could be better than yelling.

PHOTO TIPS

FOG IS OUR FRIEND

I got up this morning and it was on the verge of rain and fog was every where. I knew from the weather report the night before that there was no chance of of seeing the sun at all today. Do you roll over or jump out the door, camera in hand. Well of course you have to get out with the camera ! Fog can take an otherwise boring scene and add just enough interest to make the picure to make it worth while. It's the fog in the VISTA LANDSCAPES banner that adds to the beauty of the Smoky Mountains.

Shooting fog is a lot like shooting snow. If you want bright white fog with the sun shinning on or through it, meter off of the fog and over expose that reading by 2 stops. If you want more of a blue or grey fog, onlyu over expose about 1 stop or less.

You have to take your time with fog. By its nature, it is always changing. As it drifts or the sun lights it up differently, the composition of your picture can change dramatically. So stay put, and wait . Even if you don't get a better picture, you've spent some quite time outside.

PHOTO TIPS

    THE SHARPEST IMAGE STARTS WITH A FIRM FOUNDATION

    When you want to get that sharp image there are a few key things that must be done and they all start with a sturdy tripod. I use a tripod for almost 100% of my shots. The use of a tripod does two important things for you.

    First, it makes you slow down a little bit and take the time you really need to compose the shot. It makes you think about what you are doing and why you want to make that particular image.

    Second, it allows you better flexibility in exposure times. As a general rule, you can only hand hold the size of your lens. So if you have a 200mm lens you can only hold about 1/200 of a second and get a good image. This is just a rule of thumb, some people are steadier and some are worse. To get good depth of field or to show motion in water etc, I regularly shoot at 1 second or longer. There is just no way to hold steady for that amount of time.

    When you are selecting a tripod, be sure to get one that is rated for the weight of the camera & lenses you intend to use with it. While a lighter tripod may be easier to handle or less expensive, if it vibrates when the shutter opens it does not help you much. If you are willing to carry the extra weight, bigger is better. Check the maximum and minimum heights. Do they include the normal range of your photography? If you shoot close to the ground, can it do that?

    The one piece of equipment that has improved my photography the most in the past 5 years, has been the use of a good quality tripod. It is as important as good lenses, films, and cameras. And if you are in a bind, I've even used my tripod with a poncho to make a quick emergency shelter.

PHOTO TIPS

SOMETIMES THE BEST IS BEHIND YOU!

    When you are out shooting, sometimes you are so intent on the scene in front of you that you miss some wonderful things that are going on all around you. I can't tell you the number of times I have been setting to wait on a sunset and turned around to see wonderful light and color behind me. This goes for hiking as well. Since we are always shooting light, you can be hiking down a trail in one direction and not see anything worth shooting. But if you turn around the light will be different and the same area that was unimpressive in one direction may be great in the other.

    Being aware of your surroundings can also be a little of a safety issue. I'm usually alone and in the woods somewhere. If I am looking at a scene to shoot and become too intent on what I'm shooting, I can again miss things happening behind me. A few years ago while in Yellowstone, I was watching a scene on the Madison River. Concentrating on the trumpeter swans I did not notice a group of elk until they were all around me. Luckily, there were no bulls and they just could have cared less about me.

    The picture below is a result of being aware of my surroundings. I was out to get a picture of some fog in a field at Canaan Valley State Park. The scene was not developing the way I wanted, so I was looking around and the two deer showed up on the hill just behind me. Forgetting the picture I was originally trying to get, I turned and worked with this. I've never even printed any of the pictures from the original scene, but this one has been published several times.

    The next time you are out, keep your attention on the subject in front of you, but stay aware of your surroundings, both for safety and to catch that surprise when it happens.

PHOTO TIPS

MY FIRST LANDSCAPE

Recently I came across a picture that got me to look back to the beginning of my photoraphy. In February 1983 the Shenandoah Valley experienced a 30-inch snow fall. One of the things my new wife and I realized was that we did not have a camera to take pictures of the event. So as soon as the snow melted enough to move, we went to our local photo shop and purchased a used 35mm range finder camera. I was given a 12-exposure roll of film and told to go out, give it a try, and bring the camera back if I did not like the results. One of the images from that roll resulted in my first landscape. Since then I've improved my technique and equipment, but the main focus of my photography has remained the same: NATURE AND LANDSCAPE PHOTOGRAPHY.