Timothy
Parker Consulting Incorporated
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Photographing natural wonders You might think that photographing natural landscapes and
outdoor scenes is among the easiest tasks for a digital camera, and for
snapshots you would be correct. However,
if you are trying to capture dramatic outdoor photographs, digital cameras need
help from you. You need to override
the camera’s built-in exposure modes and adjust them manually to create
exactly the mood and lighting that you envision, something few digital cameras
can guess at properly. In this
article, we’ll look at the tricks of good landscape and natural light outdoor
photography, showing you the two main factors in a good photo: light and
composition. Basic equipment You’ve come across a dramatic column of tufa columns
rising from the desert floor. Or a
sweeping view of the Grand Canyon. Or
a beautiful fall color tableaux. Do you just whip out your digital camera,
frame, and click? Or do you spend
the time to capture the mood of the place, emphasizing the drama of the scene
and its colors? If you want a
snapshot to show others, the quick click is fine.
If you want to create an exhibition quality photograph, you need to take
your time and do it right. Let’s start with the basic equipment you’ll need.
Of course, there’s the camera. Since
it’s unlikely you have several digital cameras slung over your shoulder, all
with replaceable lenses, we’ll assume you’re using a typical digital camera
with fixed (or zoom) lens. Your
first piece of supporting equipment (literally) should be a tripod.
The tripod does two things: it forces you to slow down and frame the
scene properly, and it provides a solid, vibration free mount for your camera.
Although bright light exposures are unlikely to cause vibrations in your
camera, the tripod ensures you have a frame that minimizes any chance of losing
the shot. The next piece of equipment you need to consider is a light
meter. We’ll talk about light
meters in a moment. If your camera
allows filters to be attached to the lens, you should consider carrying at least
two filters: a polarizing filter to enhance the colors of a scene and minimize
reflections off water, and an 81B warming filter that adds a touch of orange to
the scene and “warms” it up. Most
digital cameras allow filters to be screwed in front of the lens, and filters
are often inexpensive ways to enhance your camera’s capabilities. If your
camera doesn’t allow filters to be attached directly, vendors offer filter
holders that can snap onto the body of a camera or onto the flash hotshoe mount,
if your cameras has one. If all
else fails, handhold the filter in front of the lens! Finally, you might want to consider some reflectors to
provide bounced light for some scenes. A
reflector is a piece of fabric, cardboard, or other material coated with a
reflective surface. You can make a
simple reflector from a large piece of cardboard coated with tin foil, but
professional reflectors that collapse into a small shape cost less than $100 and
can make or break some photographs. The
reflector is used to provide additional reflected light to a scene, usually
close in, that balances and highlights or fills the natural light. When to take outdoor shots The best time for dramatic landscape photos is early in the
morning or late at night, when the sun’s rays are at a low angle, gentle, and
less intense. Light at these times
of the day tends to be more diffuse and softens the images you are trying to
capture. Sunlight in the early
morning and evening also has a golden glow about it that warms the scene. From the morning warm light, the sun climbs slowly and the
rays can accentuate the texture and form of objects. It’s often a good idea to hang around a scene you really
like because the image will change dramatically as the day progresses.
By noon, the light rays are usually so strong colors are bleached out and
landscapes can appear lifeless. Things improve again as the sun lowers, leading
to warm orange images as it sets. Time of year and weather can change a shot considerably.
A scene that looks bland in the summer can take on extraordinary beauty
in the other seasons. Many
photographers have favorite locations they return to several times a year,
waiting for the magical combination of color and exposure that makes a fantastic
image. Light meters Although most digital cameras have very good light meters
built in, they tend to average a scene and produce the best overall exposure.
This isn’t what you want in most cases, especially when there is a great deal
of sky or monotone color (such as desert or grass) in the scene. The exposure
will be incorrect as the meter takes into account the entire scene, and not what
you are concentrating in. Some digital cameras have a spot or adjustable zone
feature for their metering system which allows you to select a specific area to
meter, but if you are trying to place the subject of interest off-center
(following the rule of thirds, for example), the camera will often re-meter the
entire scene when you press the shutter release instead of retaining the
exposure for the selected area. The one sure solution to metering problems is a good light
meter. There are many models of
light meter available ranging in price from less than $100 to well over $1,000.
As the price increases you get more flexibility and features in the
meter, such as adjustable coverage, a zoom feature, flash metering, and multiple
averaging of spots. Investing in a good light meter is something every serious
photographer should consider, especially since it can turn a well-exposed shot
into an excellent one. Light meters are robust and reliable, and often last
decades. If you don’t want to invest in a light meter, use the
spot metering feature of your digital camera and take readings from several
areas in the scene that you want properly exposed. Use an average or weighted
calculation from the critical areas, and manually adjust your camera for that
exposure. Turn off the automatic
program mode and the metering system, and trust your average.
It will usually be close enough to produce excellent exposures. To be
safe, many photographers bracket a couple of f-stops on either side of the
calculated exposure. Photographing water Photographing oceans, rivers, ponds, and streams is a
favorite. Getting good exposures of
these scenes is difficult with most digital cameras because the reflections of
light off the water’s surface makes the image appear brighter than it really
is, resulting in exposure errors. When photographing water, a few tips should be
kept in mind. First, use a
polarizing filter if possible to minimize reflections and darken the color of
the water. Second, view the scene
from many angles, looking for a unique vantage point. Too many water shots are taken from standing position, when
crouching produces a much more intimate photograph. Third, use a tripod,
especially if you are going for long exposures to produce blurred water images.
It’s fine to blur the water, but the rest of the scene should be rock
solid. Using long focus lengths is often good for streams and wooded
scenes, as they compress the image and often lead to an almost three-dimensional
effect when you have a good foreground object (such as a tree) against a distant
background (such as a forest). Photographing large expanses of water or shots like a
sunset over the ocean require more effort.
Because cameras cannot exposure sunsets properly, tending to make them
too light, you need to manually choose the exposure. As a general rule, you should meter both shadow and highlight
areas, and then choose an exposure between the two. Filters for sunset shots
tend to be a personal choice, but a polarizing filter will deepen colors and
minimize reflection effects. A
light blue filter can cool down a shot slightly to avoid the artificial look,
and a light red filter can warm the same image for a more intense sunset. Moving water shots are a favorite of many photographers,
but you need to have a solid tripod to take them effectively. To blur the water,
an exposure of ¼ to 1/8 of a second is usually needed, depending on the rest of
the scene. This is an excellent
exposure range for water bubbling over rocks, for example. Because of the long
exposure time, the aperture will be small.
Manual exposure settings are necessary with most digital cameras, because
their internal computers will not allow this range of exposure normally. Skies A dramatic shy photograph can be rewarding and extract many
comments from others. Getting a sky
shot right requires a little effort, though.
First, a warning: if the sun is in your shot, either bright or diffused
by clouds, take care with your eyes and equipment. The bright sun can cause retinal damage if you look at it
through a lens. It can also cause
damage to camera CCDs, burning out pixels permanently.
If in doubt, skip the shot. It’s
not worth the risk. Having said
that, though, most of the times the sun will be behind clouds or other objects
in this type of photograph, and as long as you don’t stare at the sun’s
image too long directly, you and the camera will be fine. Exposures with a bright sun in the frame will always be
miscalculated, so you need to resort to better metering techniques. Sun and cloud effects are often good targets for
photography, especially when the sun is highlighting clouds in different ways.
To properly expose clouds take a meter reading from the brightest part of
the sky, which will help accentuate the shadows in other areas.
If the sky is the main focus of the shot, keep the horizon in your
photograph low, usually in the bottom third of the frame.
Filters can help bring out the colors even more, such as using a red or
light red filter to enhance the oranges, or a blue filter to darken clouds down
and make them look more threatening. Sunsets are difficult to get just right with automatic
exposure cameras because they will be overexposed. Manually meter the orange part of the sky that you want
exposing, and base your photographs on that reading.
For best results, bracket your shots a couple of stops on either side.
Often you’ll find the bracketed photos more dramatic than the
calculated exposure. Summary The general rules for photographing outdoor scenes are
simple: ignore the camera’s recommended exposure and determine it manually,
carry filters to enhance colors, use a tripod for a solid foundation, and
experiment both with vantage point and exposure. Bracketing is a handy technique the all outdoor photographers
should employ. With these tips you
should find your outdoor shots more dynamic, colorful, and full of texture.
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