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Archives For nature photography
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, some post-processing is necessary to bring out the colors you see in the photograph, in most cases, it’s as simple as selecting the proper white balance. The art of capturing vibrant colors beings in the field.
Take a look at the two photographs above. Both photographs were taken in the same location in Olympic National Park… so why are the colors in the photograph on the left more vibrant and natural than the one on the right? The photograph on the left was taken in spring on a day when the skies were overcast. The soft, scattered light helps bring out the brilliant colors of the newly formed leaves. The photograph on the right was taken during a summer afternoon in the harsh lighting conditions produced by clear blue skies at midday. The resulting photograph is dull, and shows lots of underexposed and overexposed areas. Bright light in the background and dark shadows threw off the exposure for the entire image, and the scene just looks wrong. Proper exposure is essential for capturing brilliant colors – and the quality of the light and the time of year matter too!
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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 that would set her shot apart from other animal shots.
Often times with reflecting images you get imperfections in the rippling water… like the bending beak in this shot. But these imperfections give the image a bit of character.
Compare this with Jay’s image of another stork (below). In Varina’s shot, the subject is isolated against the reflected blue sky in the water… and the upside-down bird with all its imperfections adds interest and grabs your attention. My shot below is just another bird portrait – full of distractions. And the head of the bird gets lost in all those grasses behind him.
So next time you go out in the field… look for reflections. Maybe you’ll capture something unique!
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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.
Choose a single interesting element… a leaf, a water droplet, a rock, a tree… and see if you can find a way to make that element stand out in your photograph. There are so many ways to build an image around a single point of interest.
- Remove distracting elements from the frame by moving around to change your composition… or by moving them physically.
- Use a wide aperture to blur out distracting details in front of or behind your point of interest.
- Use color to make one object stand out.
- Use leading lines to direct the viewers attention toward your point of interest.
- Watch for patterns… an element that breaks the pattern will attract attention.
There may be many elements in the scene that interest you. Why not make several images – each showcasing one interesting object – rather than trying to include them all in a single frame?
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Autumn is coming soon to a region near you! We wanted to pull together a few examples for inspiration – and some tips to help you make the most of your time in the field.
This image taken from top of Brandywine Falls in Cuyahoga National Park. We arrived just before sunrise, and Varina used a wide angle lens to capture the color in the sky before it faded. She bracketed the shot in order to capture the entire dynamic range, and then used our manual iHDR Technique to combine three images.
Overcast skies are common this time of year, and they provide soft, even lighting – which is ideal for back-lighting fall leaves. Soft directional lighting lets the leaves glow without leaving them overexposed. Jay took this photograph off-trail at Liberty Park.
While enjoying the fall colors, don’t forget to notice the small details. Varina found these pretty leaves beside the trail. She stacked them to show the brilliant hues side by side. If you are shooting small details in bright sun, use a diffuser to soften the light.
We try to make the most of reflections at any time of year, but in the fall, they can be particularly beautiful. In this photograph from last year, Jay used the calm waters of Maroon Lake in Colorado to capture the reflection of the fall colors on the mountains. Jay choose NOT to use his circular polarizer filter because it would have minimized the reflections of the mountains and clouds.
And finally, make the most of Autumn’s beautiful skies! Changing weather conditions can mean quickly-changing skies. When the clouds put on a show, make sure you are ready to capture breathtaking fall color juxtaposed with dramatic skies!
Tips for Photographing Falls Colors
- Fall colors are easiest to photograph under a thin, even cloud cover. This provides soft overcast light that helps balance out the highlight and shadows. Soft, morning or evening light is beautiful as well – but controlling the dynamic range can be difficult.
- Don’t forget to notice the details – pay attention to water droplets on leaves, and the texture of bark on the trees.
- Use a circular polarizer to reduce scattered light and enhance Fall colors. This is especially effective when you are photographing wet leaves.
- When necessary, use a GND filter to balance the light. This will bring out the details in every part of the image.
- Look for reflections to enhance the colors of the fall images. Don’t use a circular polarizer when you are trying to capture reflections.
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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 is, this incredible golden color was only present right around the rising sun. The rest of the sky was a bright, clear blue – and these were the only visible clouds. So, I put the wide-angle lens away, and pulled out my 135mm prime. The longer lens let me fill the frame with gold – leaving me with an extremely simple, monochromatic color scheme. The sun calls out for attention here – and I included a small stand of dwarf cypress trees as a secondary point of interest. I chose a diagonal composition for a more dynamic image… and to compliment the angle of the sunbeams.
I needed to think fast for this shot – a few more seconds and the sun and clouds had shifted their positions. I wanted the sun just peeping out from behind the cloud as you see it here. Luckily – aside from a quick lens change – very little setup was required. I didn’t need a GND filter, since the range of light is actually relatively even. And a circular polarizer won’t do much for you if you are shooting directly in to the sun… so I didn’t need that either. I did use a tripod – more out of habit than anything else. My shutter speed was 1/640 sec, so I could have hand-held the shot without a problem.
Post-processing took just a few minutes. I chose the color balance carefully – making sure that the golden light seemed to glow. An incorrect color balance would have left this image feeling dull and heavy – and with light like this, that would have been a crime!
I was also careful to control the blown highlights in this shot. It’s perfectly acceptable to have blown highlights in an image when you are shooting directly into the sun. If you look directly at the real sun, can you see detail there? Of course not. So, reducing the brightness of the sun would result in an extremely unnatural-looking image. On the other hand, the last thing I want to do is end up blowing out half my sky. So, I kept a close eye on my histogram and kept my adjustments very controlled.
A little bit of contrast – not too much. No saturation adjustment necessary. That’s about it.
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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 fit neatly into the camera’s standard 2:3 format.
How often do you crop an image? Oftentimes nature offers up a display that just does not fit within the standard format of the camera. Rather than feeling confined by the frame the camera offers, consider cropping to make the composition more effective.
This panoramic image was created by cropping out the distracting, uneven foreground from the original image shown below. The waterfalls is the central point of interest – it stands out because it is brighter than the surrounding area. The foreground in the original shot adds little or nothing to the photo… in fact, it is somewhat distracting. A quick and simple crop removes the distraction, leaving us with an effective photo in an unusual, and attention-grabbing format.
Next time an image doesn’t’ feel quite right in its 2:3 frame, see if a crop helps to make the image more effective. When it comes to photography, one size most definitely does NOT fit all.
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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 lit indirectly with that bouncing sunlight. Notice that Jay chose to frame the photograph so that no part of the photo was lit directly by the harsh sunlight. The reflected light is much more even, so there are no blinding blown highlights. You can even see some subtle detail in the dark shadows deep in the canyon – and in the cracks in the foreground.
We use reflected light all the time – not just to capture reflections on water, but also to bring out colors and details in scenes like this one. Shooting at mid-day doesn’t have to be taboo – just watch for lighting situations like these. Pay close attention to the light no matter where you are, and try to frame your image so that harsh light is eliminated.
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