Photography Tips

Photographing flowers isn’t easy. Getting close to the ground can be a challenge in itself… and wind and sunlight add complications too.

While it may be technically feasible to get everything is sharply in focus it is always necessary? Or artistically pleasing?

I stood by the window a few weeks ago, watching new snow fall on the snowdrops by the door. The tiny, white flowers were tightly closed against the chill – waiting for a moment of warmth. They were a quiet promise that Spring will come. I couldn’t help myself. I grabbed my camera and tripod, ...

As many of you know, my oldest son received his black belt in Jujitsu this January. I wanted to capture a few photographs of the testing process to share with family and friends, so I brought my camera along. Here are a few tips for shooting in similar conditions. 1. Capturing photos of people doing ...

Have you tried playing with different shutter speeds to see the changing impact on an image? I spent some time experimenting with my camera during our recent trip to Hawaii while taking abstract shots of a stream.  My objective was to create an abstract that captures both the reflected color on the surface, and the ...

Akaka falls is located just North of Hilo on the Big Island of Hawai’i. It’s a gorgeous location and well worth the short hike… plus a couple bucks to park and use the trails. When we arrived at the falls, it was bright and sunny. The ferns were brightly lit, but the base of the ...

The traditional use for circular polarizer in photography is for enhancing colors, reducing reflections on water, and cutting through glare on wet rocks. Here’s another great way to use a circular polarizer. Under right conditions, a circular polarizer can help intensify the colors of the rainbow. I used a circular polarizer to capture this shot from ...

When I decide to convert an image to monotone, it’s usually because I want to change what the image is about. What does that mean exactly? Well, take a look at this example. Here’s a photograph of a wave off the coast of California. The color is pretty intense, and it helps to define the ...

I know. That seems obvious. As a pro, you’d think I’d know better. And yet here I stand… guilty of not looking closely before I took this macro shot on the big island of Hawai’i. I was in a hurry to get the shot, and I didn’t do what I am always telling my students ...

This is a shot from Hawaii’s big island. Pay attention to the light. Maybe you think light isn’t very important in this shot. There are no brilliant sunbeams or brightly colored skies. But I’ll argue that light is critically important to this photograph. Maybe two more photos from the same location will help convince you. ...

This is a shot I took on the Big Island of Hawai’i. We were driving along the road, and we noticed a small road way down below us in a beautiful valley full. So, we pulled off the main drag and found the road we’d seen from above. I’m glad we did. We found ourselves ...

When we talk about using reflections, the first thing that comes to mind is capturing reflections on the smooth and still surface of a body of water. Most of us will ignore the reflections on a windy day when the surface of the lake is choppy – or in a flowing stream. But reflected light ...

I use masks in Photoshop all the time. Take a look at the layers and masks I used to process this photograph from Valley of Fire State Park in Nevada. You can see that I used a mask on all but my background layer. Here are the images I started with. These are actually a ...

We plan our landscape photography outings so that we maximize our chances of getting the best weather patterns and the right seasons. But things don’t always go according to the plan. Experience has taught us to be flexible and open… Read more ›

Landscape photographers know that you can’t always get what you want when you want it. So, what happens when you don’t get those dramatic skies and perfect clouds that light up like a fireworks show? Do you just give up… Read more ›

The word reflection is usually used in reference to reflections on wet surfaces… but light is often reflected from other surfaces as well. In nature, this phenomenon is most obvious when light reflects off surface with smooth textures – such… Read more ›

  This beautiful place in Bisti Wilderness in New Mexico is absolutely bizarre. These rocks sit on a smooth stretch of white ash and clay. The rocks themselves show striking evidence of erosion in the patterns and layers on their… Read more ›

If you have ever taken photographs in a forest, you know that it can be challenging to find a good composition in a cluttered environment. One of the techniques we use for cluttered scenes like these is to isolate elements… Read more ›

I took this pretty shot early on a rainy morning in a meadow. Oregon’s Columbia River Gorge is overflowing with flowers in Spring, so it’s a perfect time to pull out your macro lens and play with the possibilities. When… Read more ›

‘Why should I learn to use Layers and Masks? Can’t HDR software do all that for me?” Well… if somebody will hand me my soapbox, I’ll go ahead and answer that… Here we are in the digital age. It’s an… Read more ›

So you want to travel light? You don’t want to carry a heavy camera and all those lenses. Lots of people feel the same way – and with better point-and-shoot cameras available these days, you can actually get pretty good… Read more ›

Are you willing to go out and shoot in wet conditions? We often shoot in the rain – and we’ve been out there in some pretty nasty weather… thunderstorms, hail, sand-storms, windstorms, snowstorms… nasty weather can make shooting difficult. But… Read more ›

White balance can effect both the mood and appearance of an image. The correct white balance contribute to a finished photograph that accurately represents the original scene. The wrong color balance, on the other hand, can leave a photo looking… Read more ›

Compare these two images to see how distracting elements within the frame can impact a photograph. Jay captured the action is both shots beautifully – but the first image is much stronger than the second one. Why? Take a look… Read more ›

When we arrive on location, on of the first things we look for is a “foreground object”. We are looking for something distinctive. Something that stands out from the surroundings, and helps to define the area. In the finished image,… Read more ›

In many cases, a photograph will require small adjustments to specific areas to bring out the details and colors throughout the image. We refer to these area-specific changes as “targeted adjustments.” Here’s a shot from San Gregorio Beach in California.… Read more ›

How do you deal with distracting compositional elements? One way is to exclude them from your final image either by cropping or by using a different perspective…but what if you aren’t able to do that? Why not make it a… Read more ›

Do you find yourself packing it in when conditions aren’t optimal? Or do you see difficult conditions as a personal challenge? After shooting the sunset at Logan Pass in Glacier National Park, I took one last shot. The light was… Read more ›

Changing light can make a dramatic difference in landscape photography. The angle and temperature of the light will alter colors, texture, and the mood of an image. Consider the image below… I took this shot in Yellowstone National Park (Wyoming)… Read more ›

When we do portrait work, we rarely set up our studio and shoot indoors. Instead, we head to a local park. We look for ways to show a personal connection to nature. Not just your standard head shot – but… Read more ›

When you are composing a photograph, have you ever wondered what elements to include and what to leave out? Varina and I think as much about the areas we don’t want to include as we do about the most important… Read more ›

If you’be been following my blog for a while, you may know that I love minimalist photographs. I try hard to eliminate distracting elements in my images with composition, camera techniques, and color choices. One of my favorite ways to… Read more ›

One of the most frequent question we hear about our photograph is, “How do you manage to capture such vibrant colors?” The commonly held belief is that the photograph must be manipulated in post-processing to get such brilliant colors. While,… Read more ›

I love using leading lines in my photos. They serve to lead the viewer through the image and can help add impact as well. I try hard to simplify my images – and leading lines can help with that. When… Read more ›

Have you ever tried to make the reflections an entire image? This is exactly what Varina did in the image above. This image of stork was taken in Everglades National Park during our 2011 workshop….Varina was looking for something creative… Read more ›

What is the most important element in your photograph? Can you identify it, or is your eye pulled from one element to another? The next time you go out to shoot, take a moment to consider the scene carefully.  … Read more ›

This is a photo from the Florida Everglades. I was struck by the beauty of the rising sun over the distant horizon – but my wide-angle lens would not have been able to do justice to the scene. The fact… Read more ›

Does “One-Size-Fits-All” really make sense? I know I’ve made the mistake of buying a garment that claims to be OSFA – only to find that it sure as heck doesn’t fit ME! Of course, we can’t expect every image to… Read more ›

Whats makes these canyon walls glow? This is a perfect example of reflected light. The shot was taken on a bright, sunny day. Direct sunlight bounced from the wall of the canyon just around the bend. The glowing walls were… Read more ›

I took this shot in New Mexico, at the Bosque del Apache wildlife preserve. The cranes were flying overhead as I set up my tripod – but by that time, I’d had my fill of photographing birds. I wanted to… Read more ›

Most of us think of Black and White images when we hear the word “Monochrome” – but we can also use it to describe an image with varying tones, shades, and tints of a single base hue. Images with a… Read more ›

This photo of Trillium (Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Tennessee) showcases an analogous color scheme. Analogous colors are located next to one another on the color wheel – and when they are used together, they produce very little contrast. This… Read more ›

Take a look at this shot from Death Valley National Park in California. What makes it so striking? Well – first off all, orange and blue are complimentary colors – that is, they are located directly across from one another… Read more ›

  I took this shot in White Sands National Park in New Mexico just before sunset. The sky is heavy with deep, blue clouds – but an opening in the clouds at my left shoulder allowed soft, evening light to… Read more ›

Fog and mist can create great, dramatic lighting for moody images. Take a look at the mist in this shot (above) from Lake Crescent in Washington’s Olympic National Park. It filters the soft, morning light – and along with the… Read more ›

For most people, stormy weather can be the ruination of an otherwise perfect vacation… but landscape photographers welcome storm clouds. Why? Because storm lighting is often dramatic and beautiful. So when the skies start to cloud over, pay attention… this… Read more ›

Do you have some low-contrast images in  your collection? Low contrast photographs are often characterized by soft textures (or none at all), even lighting that eliminates harsh shadows… attributes that result in a narrow histogram distribution. Jay’s shot (below) from… Read more ›

We often advise our student to look for tonal contrast while capturing photograph. Tonal contrast is one of many tools can be effectively to separate background from figure (Gestalt Principles: Figure vs. Ground Articulation). I took this photograph during our… Read more ›

It is well known that colors can effect the mood of an image. Blue, for example, is associated with feelings of calm – azure summer skies and deep lakes… and cold – winter scenes of snow and freezing glaciers. Most… Read more ›

These two shots offer an example of what can be accomplished with a simple change in perspective. The shot above – titled “Light Falls” – was taken in Zion National Park in 2005. The image highlights the beauty of the… Read more ›