How We Improved Our TRAVEL AND SIGHTSEEING PHOTOGRAPHY 101
When you're driving through the mountains somewhere, and you see a car parked halfway down the road and someone swerving left with your Rebel 2000 camera to avoid a branch in the act of focusing If yes, then you have met me. I do this because, for me, a trip is not complete unless I preserve that beauty for posterity. I want to share some of the techniques that make nature photography such a wonderful artform - simple, yet elegant.
First of all, equipment. As cheap as disposable cameras suggest, get real. These cameras have rear lenses that I call "spam" lenses. They perceive everything with the same vagueness and monotony. As long as you don't use blur for artistic effect, good photos are clear. Intensity comes from an adjustable lens. This can be a fixed lens or a zoom, but it needs to focus specifically for each photo. Fixed lenses are limited for scenic shots, where you may have to travel a long distance to frame the shot Zooms get my vote, although they often don't have wide apertures, which limits their capabilities in low-light situations.
Practically speaking, an SLR is the absolute best. They are lighter, and can be used with higher quality lenses. Film SLRs are less expensive, but have the limitations of film, which means you have to develop more of it. Digital SLRs are very expensive, so go with a film SLR or a high quality basic digital camera for the budget conscious. With digital, resolution is also an important factor, so check the specifications before buying.
OK, we have the camera, passions are running high, and it's great, but not great! Sometimes I find a spot that's so nice, I start shooting like crazy, only to be disappointed with the photos. What happened to passion? When you experience a place, there are sounds, smells and winds as well as the sights of that place. Needless to say, you can't photograph all of these elements, only the visuals. When we are overwhelmed by a sight to see, we are often overwhelmed by all of these elements.
So what to do now? View with your camera. The viewfinder doesn't lie (usually). Try to see what you see as the finished image. Most people take pictures freely, hoping somehow the shot will turn out great. If you're wondering how the pictures turned out when you were on your way to the drugstore, you're doing something wrong. The moment you click on the image, you should know exactly what you're getting. (With digital of course, that's not a trick!)
Now, I was a bit pretentious in saying that you can't capture all the elements of a scene. You can point them out. For starters, speed. Yes, even a still image has motion. There's a before, during, and after of your photo. In a mountain vista, you might find something that suggests motion, whether it's a tree branch swaying in the wind, or a river flowing through a valley below. They add a sense of speed.
Then there's the "rule of thirds". When you have the main object of the photo smack-dab in the middle, it's static and boring. Give it a third of a way in any direction, and you mean speed. In landscape photos, keep the horizon in the upper or lower third, not the middle.
Remember, when a person looks at a picture, his eyes move. You want to frame your picture to aid in that movement. If you find some lines in the scene, such as a horizon, cloud formation, forest path, etc., use them in interesting ways and with the rule of thirds to draw your viewer's eye into the image.
Avoid "summit syndrome". You go to the top of Mount Washington and shoot majestic vistas. Great picture comes out... boring! How? There is no point of view. Large scenes will be flat unless you have an object in the foreground to give them perspective, like a rock or tree. Then the eye really realizes how big the scene is. The people enjoying the scene are the real winners, as viewers can identify with their own emotions, giving the image a real impact.
cheese! Yes, you need to take family photos. It is necessary. But when you do this, make sure they show the location of the photo. Alternatively, you can also do this in your driveway. Find a way to tell a story in pictures, like little Sarah climbing the rocks near a waterfall.
Finally, any element of the image that appeals to more than just the visual senses will set it apart You can almost hear them saying the next line. If you photograph a garden, the viewer can smell the fragrance of the flowers. an accordion in the corner
