Photography Tips

Falling softly

October 11, 2011 by Younes

Fall is in full swing around here and the colours are just about to peak in the area. If you are out and about in the coming week or two, here are a few tips to maximize your shooting opportunities:

Catch the colours at the right time to take advantage of the entire colour array

1- Do your research

Like many things in life, luck favours the prepared mind. Photography is no different. It is always a good idea to monitor fall colour progression reports on the net before you head out on a shoot. Most weather forecast websites will have one, and I encourage you to use it. There is no sense traveling across the country only to realize colours have yet to peak, or worse, are past their prime. If you are shooting in your area, it is also always a good idea to pre-scout a week or two beforehand to get a better sense of where your best opportunities will be. To illustrate how important this can be, here is a little anecdote from this past week. Amanda and I are preparing for a shoot idea this fall that involved bringing models to a couple of favourite waterfalls. Lo and behold, on our scouting trip we discovered that both waterfalls are completely dried up this season, forcing us to change our plans. Had we not pre-scouted, it could have made for some embarrassing moments with our models (and a wasted shoot).

2- Reflections

When most people concentrate on shooting foliage and trees directly, one of my favourite subjects to photograph in the fall is reflections of fall colours on water. There are endless ways to do this, but to add interest to your scene include rocks or other objects (tree trunks) in your images.

You've got to love reflections with such amazing colours

Find a tree stump, then OWN IT

3- Get close

With the explosion of colour characteristic of our region, it is easy to get dazed and confused. There is so much to look at and work with that it is hard to concentrate on a subject, leading to somewhat ineffective compositions at times. One easy way to avoid this is simply by concentrating on smaller, intimate areas. Bring out your telephotos or macro lenses and hone in on specific details. Make the image just about the colour by focusing on one or two leaves, on or two trees.

Get close and focus on small elements of the scene

Get even closer

4- Take advantage of fall weather

One of the main characteristics of fall is the juxtaposition of warm days and cool nights. The direct effect of this is the frequent presence of fog or mist early in the morning. Watch the weather forecast and make sure you get up early on cool humid mornings following a warmer day. Take advantage of the soft contrast provided by the fog, then watch it burn off as the sun rises above, leading to some extraordinary light conditions.

Mist=Awesome

Yeah, awesome. That's what I said

5- Camera shake

As nature/landscape photographers I am sure you have all been told time and again to steady your camera to nth degree. Well, sometimes you want to just forget about that, take your camera off the tripod and shoot handheld. Find yourself a bunch of tall dark trees or a nice grove of aspens, make sure you’ve got some gorgeous fall colours as a backdrop, then move your camera up and down as you take your exposure. This will result some lovely abstract photographs with a nice impressionist touch.

I like to move it move it!

Crap light

September 13, 2011 by Younes

…or is it?

As soon as the weather turns a bit sour, dark clouds, rain, windy, cold, most of us just pack their gear and call it a day.

Yet, if there is one time you should really stick it out just a bit longer, it’s certainly during crappy weather.

Rain, sunshine and stormy sky over Ottawa

When sun meets storm, anything can happen

For one, you just never know! The instability in the air can give rise to some truly spectacular light…I mean the sort of light legends are made of.

Even when the light doesn’t seem to be there, there are still plenty of opportunities out there. At the very least you are most likely to come up with an original take on the place (since most people packed their gear, few got a chance to record it). More importantly, I find that dark, stormy sky are extremely atmospheric and lend a great moody look to the most mundane of scenes.

Storm over Britannia beach

I was reminded of this as recently as yesterday. The skies were hovering between dull and menacing. I decided to give it a go anyway, and I wasn’t disappointed.

And when all is done, you can just settle for a nice long exposure, with some sweet cloud action

Do you have a third eye?

August 30, 2011 by Younes

Keeping an eye out for what’s happening around you will greatly increase the chances of getting the shot you are after (even if technically you’re not after *that* shot. Don’t worry it’ll make sense in a moment).

As for the third eye, you don’t know you have one, but if you look closely you might just find it…

…Well not really.

That said you should really work hard at developing one.

As photographers, once we have locked our sight on a given subject, we just tend to concentrate on that and roll with it, losing track of everything around us. This is especially true when you get to your favorite location and that sunset or sunrise looks soooo promising. You just know you’re going to hit a homerun. You find a great foreground, a composition that works for you, you set up your tripod, the camera is in place, so is your lens and your filters. All you have to do is wait for the sun to start singing and you’ll nail it. Sometimes that light materializes. Often it doesn’t.

Often times however, it’s not so much that it doesn’t materialize, it’s simply that you weren’t looking in the right place. If I have learned one thing in landscape photography, it is that you should *always*, and I mean always, keep an eye out for what goes on behind and around you. Even as sunset colours are raging in front of me, I still take glimpses around the scene to make sure I am not missing some even better light, or at the very least an alternative, yet equally pleasing composition. That’s what I mean by growing your third eye. As much as your brain is telling to keep your eyes glued to the viewfinder on the target at hand, learn to take a few instants here and there and keep a tab on what’s happening around you.

Sweet light and a rainbow to boot!

This doesn’t just apply to landscape photography. You can really adapt this to all types of photography. This is why many street photographers and photojournalists will tell you to shoot with both eyes open. One on the viewfinder, one on your surroundings. You never know where the best opportunity will come from, but you’d better be prepared to see it and grab it.

In this image, I was shooting a sunset on this Casablanca beach. A glorious sunset was about to explode in the sky, but I knew that the rain clouds that were in front of me a few minutes prior had moved behind me. As soon as the sun came out from behind the clouds, I knew it meant one thing: rainbow. Behind me. That’s when I quickly turned around and scrambled to find a half decent composition to take advantage of the incredible light. Had I not kept my third eye on the lookout, I would have never known about the rainbow, let alone photograph one.

Spring is around the corner

March 29, 2011 by Younes

…a looong corner, mind you, but the corner nonetheless.

Before I delve into today’s post, let me first thank you all for the great feedback you have provided on last week’s post. I strive to provide you with the best possible experience here, and knowing what you think and what you are looking for helps greatly in this process. Be sure I will be integrating your thoughts and ideas into the blog in earnest. So, again, Thank you!

Now, back to spring. Well, it isn’t quite here yet in my neck of the woods, but it isn’t less of a reason to get ready for it. Winter is hopelessly trying to hang around, but we all know it is futile resistance. So, for those of you dusting out their photo equipment, or those who just feel that they have had enough snow pictures already, here are a few tips to take full advantage of spring.

20090801_adirondacks-ausable-river-valley-lake_0088-87

Waterfall in the Adirondacks High Peaks Region near Lake Placid

Spring Fast

Spring colours are short-lived. There is a short window of time, when nature suddenly springs back to life. It takes less than two weeks to go from completely bare trees and yellow grass to leaf-covered forests and green grasses. In my area, the trilliums were out in full force not even a week after I saw the first blades cut through the forest floor. Be aware of your surroundings, ready to pounce on the opportunities when they present themselves.

Spring Water

Unless you are one of the lucky ones who live in the Pacific Northwest of similarly rainy areas, waterfalls are not as appealing or available all year long. As the snow melts, rivers, streams and waterways are at their peak and help fill waterfalls and rapids. If you relish photographing fast flowing waters, get your ND and polarizing filters on and head to your favourite spot. April and May are the peak waterfall season around here. For those in the area, there are a number of waterfalls in the Gatineau Park that only last for a short period of time and are therefore not necessarily on the maps. Be sure to follow the streams flowing down to lake Meech up the adjacent hills; there are many a hidden secret in those woods.

Shoot early in the morning…

Fog or mist make for excellent landscape photography. They often occur in spring due to the contrast between night and daytime temperatures, with the cool night temperatures causing warm, moist air in valleys to condense. In wooded areas, fog acts as a massive diffuser making distant trees fade into the background to create an atmosphere of mystery. The brightness of fog or mist can fool an exposure meter so take your initial readings from the midtone, then take the shot and check your histogram. Mist largely occurs in the early morning hours, just before or around sunrise, so make sure you are up to catch it, it will surely take your photographs to the next level. In fact this reminds me that my mist photograph collection is in a serious need for an update .

…and in low evening light

By late March the sun climbs quickly in the mornings to be far too high and harsh around the middle of the day for shooting landscapes. Use this time wisely to do your legwork and check out potential shooting locations. This approach will help you find images without wasting good light, so that you can return later in the day or early the next morning when the sun is at its lowest.