August 2010
Reflected Light in the Southwest
House on Fire

While photographing in Arizona and Utah during the last few years I have learned to see light differently. My most successful images from the Southwest have been made by using reflected light. The direct light striking desert sandstone is, except for sunrise and sunset conditions, generally far too harsh to make good images. However, when the photographer is able to concentrate on making images of shaded sandstone which has been gently lit by light reflected directly off of another sandstone surface the results can be very dramatic and colorful.

Direct sunlight striking one surface and then being reflected into a shaded area creates the perfect conditions for producing stunning and colorful images. Under these circumstances the light that is recorded on the film or sensor has been reflected twice and therefore colors have been intensified twice. The results can be so colorfully surreal that they may seem unbelievable.

My example image entitled House on Fire was photographed using the light reflected off of the brightly lit canyon wall behind me into the totally shaded alcove containing the ruin. My camera recorded the reflected light off of the ruin and the shaded wall area above. When I first approached the ruin, the flame like patterns were not obvious. It initially looked like just another mundane shaded area of rock around a ruin. It was only after studying the subtle lighting that I began to see the patterns and visualize the possibilities. When making images with reflected light be sure to bracket your exposures. My best image for capturing the intensity and color of the flame patterns was under exposed by a half stop. Also, be sure to not include any direct lighting as it will radically blow out areas of the image and be very distracting.

July 2010
Don't Be Afraid to Get Your Feet Wet
Bubbles of Jordan Pond

Over the years I have been trying to make images at Jordan Pond, in Acadia NP, Maine by using rounded foreground rocks to echo the rounded mounds of the two dominant mountains called "the Bubbles". On most of those attempts I struggled to maintain my balance while straddling other rocks in order to secure a position for achieving good composition. In most instances I ended up in unbalanced, precarious and contorted positions. This uncomfortable state detracted from my ability to concentrate on positioning my tripod and camera in order to properly compose an image. My hiking boots were usually too low to walk in the water, and when I went barefoot, being a tenderfoot, I invariable cut up my feet.

In July of 2008 I solved the problem by purchasing a pair of wading sandals. The sandals enabled me to easily walk around in the water with good stability. I was then able to comfortably maneuver my photographic equipment and experiment with different image compositions. The sandals are now part of my regular equipment whenever I do lake or stream photography. They work great in Spring, Summer and up to mid-Autumn. The ability to comfortably move around in the water opens up more perspectives for finding different positions to make creative images. It gives the sandaled photographer an advantage over other photographers who are restricted to terra firma. My example image is entitled The Bubbles of Jordan Pond.

June 2010
Using the Total Fog Perspective
Boats in Fog 

Last month I wrote about using Lupines in a foreground with a fog enshrouded harbor as a background. I called this the 2-F perspective - Fog and Foreground.

This month I would like to introduce the "Total Fog Perspective." Total Fog images are those where the subject is completely immersed in fog.

To capture Total Fog images I often use my 100-400 lens, locked on a heavy tripod, use mirror lock-up with a cable release, and then scan a heavy fog scene for interesting subject matter. I try to isolate interesting subjects that are totally immersed in the fog. The fog will have varying effects on subjects that are at different distances away. Close objects will be sharper than farther away objects. As the distance becomes greater objects increasingly become softer and more muted. The different densities of fog create a feeling of depth. 

Commercial fog filters and the old fashioned method of blowing hot moist breathe over the front of a cold lens generally don't work because they render all parts of an image equally soft throughout, thereby losing depth perception. Mother Nature's fog is the only really natural looking "fog filter". 

In this month's example image entitled Boats in the Fog I photographed the scene about fifteen minutes after last month's Tip of the Month picture. My subject matter is a group of boats positioned in the fog at different distances away. How many boats are present?  If you said four, you are good.  If you counted five you are really, really good.  If you counted six you have an excellent imagination or you have found a new boat. I overexpose fog images by about 1.5 stops using matrix metering and bracket a half stop each way. Total Fog images tend to be very artistic, moody and mysterious, whereas  2F images  tend to be more dramatic, moody in a different way, and with a better feel for depth.  When you have the great light of a foggy day shoot many images using both perspectives. 

May 2010May 2010
Utilizing the 2-F's
Lupines and Boats in the Fog

One of my favorite times to photograph outdoors is on foggy days. I like to use a perspective that involves the phenomena of what I call the 2-F's. One F represents foreground and the other F is fog. Combining the two creates the 2-F perspective.

My most successful images using the 2-F concept occur when I am able to find particularly interesting subject matter that I can use as foreground against a foggy landscape. I move in tight on the foreground making it a large and dynamic portion of the image. Often my lens is only 8-10 inches from the foreground. In order to render the entire foreground sharp I usually stop down to an aperture of f-16 or f-22. I can occasionally use f-11, or even f-8, if I'm working with a very wide-angle lens. There is some flexibility with the selection of aperture because the fog naturally increases the softness of the scene and reduces depth of field naturally.

The combination of sharp foreground and muted background creates an interesting contrast within the image, and a feeling of depth and mystery are communicated. My example image ends up with two subjects and no middle ground which would not normally be a recipe for success. However, it seems to work. Many say that the foreground lupines in this image are the more dominant subject. I do not disagree.

Lupines and Boats in the Fog was captured at Stonington Harbor, Maine just a little after sunrise when there was little wind. Using matrix metering I over exposed the scene by about 1.5 stops. This kept the fog bright and cheerful and provided good exposure for the lupines and greenery.

April 2010
Photograph Water Falls on Rainy Days
Falls on Thompson Brook

Many photographers put away their cameras on rainy days, therefore, missing the best conditions and the most beautiful lighting for photographing water falls. The soft lighting of overcast days along with the darkening effect of water on rocks and vegetation are ideal for obtaining high quality images of streams and water falls. The range of light intensity is reduced and a good exposure can produce details in both the highlight and shadow areas.  

Another advantage of shooting water falls on rainy days is that the accompanying soft subdued light enables the photographer to use slow shutter speeds to slur the motion of the moving water. This "cotton candy effect" can communicate a romantic feeling. I generally use a polarizing filter to reduce the glare on the wet, shiny surfaces and to help saturate colors. In addition, the polarizer  slows down the shutter speed thus slurring the water further.

When you photograph in the rain, relax, slow down, work patiently, and talk to yourself.  Proceed deliberately, step by step, and protect your equipment from the rain.  This will be hard work, and you will shoot fewer photographs, however your productivity will be high.

My example image was photographed at the second falls on Thompson Brook in Pinkham Notch located in the White Mountains of New Hampshire.  It was taken just after a steady rain had stopped.  This is the best condition of all since it has all of the benefits of shooting in the rain but, little of the hassle of working carefully under umbrellas.

March 2010
Befriend the Local Folks
Rain Pools at Cathedral Rocks

A few years ago while photographing the Cathedral Rocks near Oak Creek Crossing in Sedona, Arizona I was unceremoniously evicted from an area that I had mistaken for public land. On the hike back to my van I met a woman who was about to enter the trail from which I had been removed. I alerted her that she was about to enter an area that was private land. She laughed and said that everyone walked down that trail to the creek. 

Upon realizing that I was a photographer she offered to lead me to a little known picturesque plateau that was on public BLM land.  So, I trudged along a pleasant wooded trail with the woman and her dog named Blue. After about a half mile the path dropped steeply to a redstone plateau with a gorgeous view of the Cathedral Rocks. After expressing my thanks to the woman and petting my new friend Blue, I began surveying the landscape for a good orientation to capture this wonderful scene. The rain pools were fascinating so I ultimately settled down low on the ground at a pool with a prickly pear cactus.

The late horizontal light just prior to sunset provided a warm ambience and long shadows for the scene. A great foreground, clear reflections, a beautiful subject and magic light  -  what else could I hope for?  The moral of the story or in this case the "Tip of the Month" is to interact with people in a friendly manner. You will find it pleasurable and sometimes beneficial. Local folks really enjoy sharing their special places with people whom they believe will understand and appreciate their favorite locations.

February 2010
When editing your images, disregard how easy or difficult they were to capture
The Margaret Todd at Sunrise

A trapping to which photographers often succumb is overvaluing images that were difficult to obtain, and undervaluing images that were easy to acquire. If one hikes four miles back into a canyon, takes two hours shooting many different images from precarious vantage points of a water fall, and then hikes the four miles back out of the canyon in a rain storm, there is a likelihood that the images obtained are going to be over rated by the photographer.

Conversely, if a photographer is able to jump out of his or her vehicle and take a couple quick images of something, there is a definite tendency to undervalue these images because they were so easy to obtain. The reality is that other people will evaluate an image by its quality, totally independent of its  history of capture.

Therefore, it is important when editing your work to disregard how easy or difficult it was to capture images. Photographs need to be evaluated based on their quality as a product without regard to their history of acquisition. My example image of the Margaret Todd Schooner in Bar Harbor, ME was easy to capture and I initially undervalued it. Friends and customers encouraged me to print it. I did so and it has sold well.

January 2010
Visit the Bookstores of Unfamiliar Areas
Churches of Marlowe

When on location in an unfamiliar area travel photographers can save a lot of time by browsing bookstores, libraries and news stands and by studying the work of local photographers. This diminishes the amount of time needed to drive around randomly searching for good photographic locations. I usually start by studying the post cards and then migrate to travel and photography books of the area. The visiting photographer then has some definite locations to consider visiting. Modern GPS instruments and detailed maps such as state DeLorme Gazetteers work well in helping to find these prime photographic locations.  

I enjoy learning and studying successful classical landscapes and then trying to improve images from these areas. This generally means that the lighting must be better in some way and/or I need to find a creative new perspective for capturing the ambience of the location. After working the more obvious viewpoints of a locale I often spend an hour or two trying to discover new ways of viewing the area as well as looking for smaller isolated images within the larger images. This is when one can find interesting ground cover, reflections, flowers, abstracts, etc..

Several years ago when we were traveling home from Maine I found a picturesque post card of the town of Marlowe, NH. We located the town with our Delorme Gazetteer and changed our driving route enabling us to photograph the town in late afternoon light. Realizing that our favorite view of the town would benefit from morning light we camped overnight and then drove back to Marlowe before sunrise the next morning. To our surprise Marlowe and its ponds were in deep fog. We initially enjoyed shooting mood images with the sun trying to break through the fog. When the fog lifted we were able to shoot the reflections of the Churches of Marlowe with soft front lighting.  Without noticing the post card of Marlowe and adjusting our route home we would not have obtained this image nor several other images we captured in the Marlowe area.

December 2009
Simulating Depth in Semi-Abstracts
The Red Door of Taos

While photographing a red door in Taos Pueblo, NM, I noticed a brown post off to my left. The post was  supporting a roof like structure over the doorway. Realizing that I was using a traditional two dimensional perspective which would come across quite planar, I moved back away from the door and reframed my image to include the post.  A longer lens was needed to maintain the door's perceived size and to keep it's strategic position one-third over and one-third down in the frame. 

By including the post I was able to create a better feeling of depth as compared to shooting the door in isolation. It was important to leave a little space on the left of the post to provide balance and to enhance the feeling of the third dimension. I focused on the side of the post and stopped the aperture down to f-22 to insure sharpness throughout the image. Though it is good to strive for minimalization, sometimes it is desirable to include a foreground or framing element to simulate depth even in a semi-abstract or isolation image.

November 2009
Secondary Sunrises
Autumn Sunburst at Great Bend

 I categorize my sunrise images basically into three categories Pre-Sunrise, Sunrise, and Secondary Sunrises.  A Secondary Sunrise means the image is captured about fifteen minutes to  an hour after the sun actually breaks the horizon.  During that time there is often very dramatic light with long shadows. Side and back lighting  through or on clouds, trees, vegetation, buildings, and other structures can add to the drama. Most of my successful sunrise images, particularly my exhibiting ones, are actually Secondary Sunrises.

My example image was taken about forty minutes after sunrise. Using a small aperture, f-22, I was able to burst the sun's rays as they pierced the leaf canopy. I particularly liked the way the very early light bathed the tree trunks, rocks, and leaves on the right side and in the foreground of the image. The lighting is tricky under these conditions so I bracketed my exposure from minus a third of a stop through one stop over exposure. Another benefit of the small aperture is that it produced a large depth of field enabling good sharpness throughout the image.

October 2009
Rainbow Images
Grand Rainbow

There is a tendency when shooting rainbows to use wide - ultra wide angle lenses in order to capture the entire arc of a rainbow.  This, however, reduces the size of the components of a landscape and generally diminishes the impact of the scene.  The rainbow colors themselves are rendered thin and distant in the image.  In order to better capture and thicken the spectrum colors of the rainbow and to increase impact  I like to use a long lens and emphasize the rainbow against a prominent subject in a landscape. 

A couple of years back I was photographing the Grand Canyon during  a rainstorm  when suddenly a beautiful rainbow developed.   My  first reaction was to use a wide angle lens and to include the entire arch and as much of the Grand Canyon under the colorful arc as possible.  When I looked through my viewfinder it became apparent that I was not capturing the magnitude nor the magnificence of the rainbow or the canyon.  It suddenly occurred to me that I should include only a section of both that seemed to have particularly good lighting.  I quickly changed my wide angle lens for my 100-400 mm zoom lens and ultimately zoomed it out to a 400 mm focal length.  I knew instantly that this created a much more powerful way to capture the beauty and magnificence of both the rainbow and canyon. I carefully recorded the image with my camera locked securely on a solid tripod using full polarization, mirror lock-up, and a cable release.  Using a long lens and isolating a portion of the rainbow and landscape minimized the component elements but maximized their impact.
 

July 2009
Be Flexible
Photo Sunrise at Abrams's Creek

Last month I wrote about the importance of pre-planning particularly for sunrise shoots. This month I would like to caution against being too focused on your plan.  If on the way to a planned shoot location you catch yourself  yelling, WOW!!,  you should pay attention to your senses.  "WOWs", usually mean you are on to something special.   These occurrences should be treated as unplanned opportunities that need to be investigated. 

A few years ago Phyllis and I were camped near the entrance to Cade's Cove in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.  Preplanning had placed us almost directly at the entrance, poised to enter the cove (high mountain valley) at first light the next morning.  On that next morning, while making the short drive to the cove's entrance, we observed a picturesque stream with wonderful backlit silky fog.   We were "WOWED", and fortunately adjusted our plans, and began photographing this beautiful stream intending to take a few minutes to record it's moody atmosphere.  An hour and a half later, after shooting about a hundred images, we were still captivated by the scene.  First light in Cade's Cove was postponed to the next day.   My example image is entitled "Abram's Creek".   Recent news from Kodak makes it ironic that this month's photo tip was recorded on Kodachrome  slide film.

April 2009
Study the Scene before Entering
Photo Cabin in the Woods by Phyllis Thompson

I have often advised students to study the scene before racing off to shoot it. Here is an example with the photograph Cabin in the Woods taken by my wife and fellow photographer, Phyllis. When Phyllis and I were leading a photo tour to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, we drove by a picturesque cabin in Cades Cove. After parking, we jumped out of our vans and all of us, except Phyllis, moved quickly into the wooded areas to each side of the cabin. Our intent was to use leaf canopies and other wooded elements as foreground in shooting side and angle views of the cabin.

The use of reflections when composing images is always fun to do.  You can utilize this technique with any kind of lighting.   By moving lower or higher, or by moving left or right you can change the perspective and introduce unusual and creative versions of an image.

 In my example image of Moraine Lake in the Canadian Rockies I didn't have any spectacular lighting. However, the soft diffused lighting  of a cloudy day worked well to even out the intensity of highlight and shadowed areas. This, in combination with a perfectly calm day, produced optimum conditions for capturing the mountain reflections in the still of Moraine Lake. I took quite a bit of time moving around in order to find a pleasant and balanced foreground that would contribute the perspective of depth for the overall image.  Fortunately the wind remained minimal and the lighting consistent. Moraine Lake is nestled beautifully in what is called the "Valley of the Ten Peaks". In this image you can see four of the valley's ten peaks.

January 2009 
Side Lighting at Sunrise or Sunset

In the two previous tips of the month I wrote about avoiding lens flare when shooting sunrises and sunsets by "sunbursting" the sun with foreground and by being aware of the 180 degree view. Another very useful technique when photographing sunrises and sunsets is to use side lighting. In other words, don't shoot directly into the sun but utilize sunlight coming from the side. This kind of light can be quite dramatic with long shadows. I have found that by placing the sun anywhere from 45 to 135 degrees from the axis of my lens works well. Be sure to use your lens hood and be aware of lens flare, particularly if the angle is between 45 and 90 degrees.  I usually use a polarizing filter because it will have maximum affect with side lighting. In "Sunrise over Bar Harbor", I took the photo about two minutes after the sun broke the horizon at about a 60 degree angle from the axis of my lens.  The wonderful warm, glowing light bouncing from the foreground rocks lasted for about two minutes. Although most of the magic light dissipated quickly, I was able to shoot many other high-quality images for about 90 minutes utilizing side lighting and polarization. After that, Phyllis and I treated ourselves to an exquisite breakfast at the Café This-A-Way in Bar Harbor. This is our ritual reward for rising so early for sunrises.

December 2008
180 Degree Sunrises and Sunsets

 Most of us have a tendency to shoot sunrises and sunsets directly into the sun. Although this can be very productive, especially if there are interesting back lit clouds, an alert photographer will remember to observe lighting conditions in all directions. Turn your back to the sun every once in a while and look 180 degrees from the rising or setting sun.  Sometimes you will see beautifully front lit clouds and dramatic front lit subject matter. My example image was taken at Birch Point State Park in Maine. There was a wonderful sunset in the west but I couldn't find interesting subject matter in that direction. It started to rain and I turned to the east and was astonished to find colorful clouds and a rainbow. I  immediately turned my cameras to the east and began photographing. My rainbow images were good, but my example image with radiating clouds and rock patterns is my favorite. The blue color results from the reflection of the blue sky on the wet sand and rocks.

November 2008
Sunbursting Sunrises and Sunsets

August 2008
How to deal with Photo Block

Occasionally photographers experience "photo block" like writer's develop "writer's block". On those hopefully rare occasions I like to dramatically change my photographic strategy. If working a landscape with fairly normal lenses and little success I might try an extreme wide angle lens (~ 15 mm) and make the foreground about 75 percent of the image.  Another approach might be to take a 400 mm lens and isolate on only one small but interesting portion of the landscape.  Sometimes I will try in camera multiple exposures. 

When shooting my example image I was leading a group of photographers on Rialto Beach in Olympic National Park on a rainy and dreary day.  Nothing seemed to have interest to me.  As the leader of the group I needed to put up a good front and to be enthusiastic. I  happened to notice some interesting sea foam bubbles along the water's edge. Quickly I replaced my normal zoom lens with a macro lens and went in very close to the sea bubbles.  In the macro mode I was able to see colors and reflections that I had not initially seen. I first noticed the strong triangular lines reflected from my tripod. A huge rather ugly blob in the center of the triangle turned out to be my body's reflection. In order to break up the blob I threw my arms over my head into a "touchdown" signal and took several bracketed images using my two second shutter delay. I shot almost a roll of film with about 50 percent of the images being quite good. Amazingly, this has been a good selling image.  Two of the images were independently purchased by women whose boy friends were sky divers.

June 2008
Bad Weather Means Good Photography

 David Muench has a saying that, "Bad Weather means Good Photography". I have found this to be very true. Some of the best sunrises and sunsets occur when strong storms begin to clear.  This image of Texas Falls in Vermont was taken during a heavy rainstorm which was part of the fall-out of a July hurricane. I used 400 ISO print film in my Pentax 6x7 camera with a polarizing filter to capture this scene.  At F/16 my shutter speed was four seconds.  I call this a "Two Umbrella Shot"  - one over my camera & tripod and the other over my camera bag.   I wore a waterproof parka, rain pants, and hiking boots. In these kinds of severe conditions you can get great images if you are prepared, stay calm, take your time and work carefully.  I always bring rain gear and two umbrellas on my photo journeys.  "Rain can be beautiful"!

Wave of Zion

Winter at the Hogback

Fall Cascade at Stony Brook