Shutterbug Source Photography Tips

Landscape Photography Tips

Barbara House — Fri, 14 Nov 2008 15:48:25 +0000

Landscape photography is one of the toughest forms of photography; it demands a great deal of care when selecting a location to shoot. One of the biggest mistakes amateur photographers make when arriving at a scene is to start shooting straight away. They end up shooting dull, lifeless images that lack colour and impact.

When arriving at a scene the first thing a photographer should do is to walk the scene with your camera and a compass. The compass is used to see where light will rise in the morning and set in the evening. I bring my camera just in case I arrive at a perfect moment.

I start by recording the scene. I record the best time to return so the morning light will bring out the best in the area. I also try to record how the evening light will embrace the scene. Low morning light usually brings out the best in any landscape setting and adds mood and impact to a scene.

When I return to the area that I have selected, I try to arrive as early as possible. I don’t leave home without a good tripod, a cable release, and a few photography filters. A polarizing filter is very handy for side lit scenes and a warm-up filter is very useful for a scene that seems cold and dull.

Composition for landscape photography depends on a range of things. There are many different types of composition that can be used; one that normally works with most landscape scenes is the Rule of Thirds.

The Rule of Thirds is pretty straightforward and is based on where you place the focal point of your landscape scene. The law behind it is that when you draw two vertical lines on your scene and two horizontal lines across your scene, you should have nine rectangles of equal size. The four points where the vertical and horizontal lines meet mark the area where you place the focal point of your image.

You may use any of these points - it’s up to you. If you are unsure take four shots of your scene. Compare the results when you return home. This will also help to develop your eye. Once you are happy with the composition you will need to calculate the correct exposure.

To get the correct exposure, you should invest in an exposure meter and a grey card. Take a light reading from the sky and if possible take some readings from the ground in front of you. The chances are that if you are shooting a low light scene you may need to add an ND filter to compensate for the light difference between the foreground and the sky.

When shooting landscapes you should remember that the weather will plays a very important part in your day to day activities, and you should be always be prepared for the worst.

TJ Tierney is an award winning photographer and a freelance writer. To find out more information visit his free photography and digital photography site. His site also contains a free photography competition.

Promote Your Photography Site - Part 2

Barbara House — Wed, 12 Nov 2008 15:29:04 +0000

As discussed earlier in part 1 of promoting your photography site - photography directories are certainly the best way to start promoting your images and business. The second and another great way to get visitors to your site is by using photography forums.

Photography forums are an online chat centre where you can discuss all types of photography, get tips from other photographers and create good quality links to your site.

Photography forums are pretty simple to use - first you must register, then you are free to ask and give advice, discuss all the latest camera equipment and much more - the choice of topic is yours - all while promoting your own website. Some forums will allow you to show your images to promote your site even further.

For anyone interested in using forums as a promotional means, and to make sure you get the very most out of them, sign every comment you make with a link to your site. It is truly that simple. You get inbound links to your site while discussing your hobby or giving advice about your work.

When creating a comment do not write rubbish or give bad advice, people will be reading your comment and may take it serious. The goal behind using photography forums is that you get visitors while creating links to your site.

Forums and directories are not the only means of promoting your images online. Photography competitions are also a great means to earn some extra cash and receive award-winning status. It is also a great source of free advertisement if you win or come in the top five.

It would be nice to be able to write in bold after your name on the top of your Website: AWARD WINNING PHOTOGRAPHER.

There are thousands of competitions held online every year. Some are just for amateur photographers while most are open to all. Most competitions will have certain guidelines, and you would be well advised to read them very carefully.

Some firms hold competitions to gain access to free images - so read the guidelines before enter. It may be great to win a competition, but you do not want a company using your images for free without receiving any payment.

Most photography related sites that hold competitions will not be looking for free images - they hold competitions as a promotional means for photographers.

If you are looking to find a list of local competitions in your area you should contact someone in your local photography club. Photography clubs are usually notified of all competitions that are held within their area. Some of the main photography directories should have a list of the online competitions.

Prizes do vary from cash to camera gear and equipment; some online companies offer free advertisement on their site, which may result in your business making thousands through sales. Regardless of the prizes you should add your image and Website to as many competitions as possible especially when most of them are free to enter.

TJ Tierney is an award winning photographer and a freelance writer. To find out more information visit his free photography and digital photography site. His site also contains a free photography competition.

Promote Your Photography Site - Part 1

Barbara House — Mon, 10 Nov 2008 16:07:12 +0000

You may have spent a great deal of time and money creating the perfect Website - your photography images may be superb, but if people cannot find your site your images and talent along with your business may become a white elephant.

Promoting your Website is not that difficult but will take up some of your precious time. My advice for you is to set out a few hours per week for this.

If your Website is new the chances are that Google, Yahoo or any search engine won’t index your site for a few months. And it may even take several months before they place it to appear when someone types in a search phrase that suits your site. So you need to give your photographs and business a reasonable chance of getting paying customers.

When a search engine index’s your Website it looks to see how many links point to your site. The more links you can create the better your site will rank, but only if they are the right kind of links. Don’t spend hours and hours online getting thousands of standard ordinary links. Get links that relate to your site. Get links from other photography sites.

Photography Directories are a great way of creating free advertisement for your site and also a great way of getting valuable links to your site that search engines will recognise.

Before you submit your Website to directories, research the correct keywords that best describe your site. If your photography site is Landscaped based you need to optimise your site correctly for the keywords Landscape photography.

Once you are happy with which keywords best describe your site start submitting your site to Photography Directories. Most photography directories require a return link so you should create a links page for this alone.

When you are submitting your website you need to use the correct keywords that best describe your site in the link title to your site. The link title will be the title on the submission form. You will also need to create a good definitive description for your site. This should be no more than twenty-five words and should start with the keywords that best describe your site. This is what people will read - this is where you sell your site - a good description will enable potential customers to enter your site.

Once you have completed the form click submit and move on to the next directory. There are many good photography directories online - some specialised in certain areas of photography, more cover all areas of photography. Once you fill out the submission form correctly you will start to see the rewards.

Some directories will charge you when creating a listing; my advice is to research such websites before you part with your hard earned cash. Stay away from link farms and link companies that offer you thousands of links - these sites don’t rank well with search engines and may harm your site in the long run.

While photography directories are just one way of promoting your site; they are the easiest and quickest way to get started. Creating good quality inbound links to your site will help you achieve excellent search engine ranking for your site resulting in more and more traffic entering your photography site.

In part 2 of Promoting your photography site, read how to gain exposure from entering photography competitions.

TJ Tierney is an award winning photographer and a freelance writer. To find out more information visit his free photography directory or visit the Goldprints.com photography forum. His site also contains a free photography competition.

Wedding Photography Tips

Barbara House — Fri, 07 Nov 2008 16:02:51 +0000

Wedding photography can be very rewarding for a professional photographer, but for a beginner it may seem like a daunting task. But don’t worry - if you are capable of taking great images and willing to prepare in advance, the job is not that hard.

There are also great chances for any photographer to make a good living or few extra quid if done part time - assuming you do the job correctly.

Preparation is the key to becoming a great professional wedding photographer; this is assuming that your technical skills are up for the job. If you prepare properly the task at hand will be so much easier, and the family concerned will be most pleased.

You need to prepare well in advance of the big day - this means meeting the couple to discuss what they would like. It also means that you need to contact the priest or whoever is celebrating the service and find out about guidelines that he may impose. For example, in some churches they do not allow strobe units to be used.

Preparation also involves going to the church and hotel before hand to take a look around and pre-select locations for your photo shoot. Go at the same time of day a few weeks before hand. Find out where the light will fall and what objects may be in your way.

While these may seem trivial matters, they will turn out to be invaluable when the wedding day comes.

Beforehand, when discussing the details of your shoot with the bride and groom find out what they want and don’t be afraid to give your input. It also helps to have a few wedding deals so you can cater for people of all means.

Have a list of all the shots that are standard, and be on the lookout for anything that will earn extra cash. Always remember that the more images you take, the more money you will earn. Pictures of grannies usually sell well, as do images of young children.

When the big day comes arrive early. Make sure you have plenty of spare batteries and memory if you are using digital or film if you are using a film camera. Also have a spare camera as back up. If your camera fails it will be embarrassing.

If possible hire an assistant for the day. Use the assistant to gather people for their image to be taken. Have a list of all the standard images that should be taken and make sure that the assistant ticks of the list when the shot is done. This will avoid confusion and is a good way to make sure you got all the shots.

Shoot detailed shots of flower, the wedding cake on its own and any other images that you think will sell. Even if it does not sell it will only take up a little memory on your camera.

Finally - make sure that you have plenty of business cards on hand - if you have time to chat after the shoot, it may create extra business.

TJ Tierney is an award winning photographer and a freelance writer. To find out more information visit his free photography and digital photography site. His site also contains a free photography competition.

Triangles and Diamonds - Building Blocks For a Great Portrait

Barbara House — Wed, 05 Nov 2008 15:48:36 +0000

As a child when you first started stacking things (blocks for example); you probably learned some things you have forgotten by now. In the beginning, we all tend to just put things directly on top of each other just to see how high we can go. It may be fun at the time, but this way of stacking tends to be unstable and our blocks fall over a lot.

Then at a certain point, we learn that if we put one block across two (forming a triangle or small pyramid) that is seems a lot more stable. Once we comprehend this point, we start making our triangles wider, or deeper, or both. Thus we learn; when we build things, the parts must interact for the good of the whole.

Similar to building with blocks, when we start “stacking people” in a portrait it really does matter where you place each person. With only two blocks you can go sideways or on top of each other and things are still pretty stable. However, when you talk about people and photography, there is another factor to consider.

Generally straight lines are boring and diagonal lines are visually more interesting. So, with two people you place the first person at a 45% angle as your starting block, and then you add someone over one shoulder. Usually the second person is placed over the shoulder in the direction the first person is looking.

So this can be more personalized, we’re going to say “Mom” is the first block and “Dad” is the second block. Now regardless of how tall dad is to mom, we want both heads within one head length of each other. If this means dad has to kneel down on one leg in the photo that’s fine, we just want to make sure that the parts still interact.

Now along comes “Baby”. If this were still blocks, I would say add baby on top, but since we are dealing with people, we have to remember that baby can’t sit yet. In most cases, Mom is the one holding “Baby”. The trick here is for her to hold the baby up high enough so that the baby itself is still only one head length away from mom and dad. Now you have formed your first triangle.

Two or three years later, baby has become Big Sister and now there is a New Baby to contend with. New Baby still has the same position the original baby did; however since Big Sister can stand, she will, (hopefully.) You will place Big Sister in front of Mom, but directly lined up with Dad. Since Big Sister is still small compared to Mom and Dad you may have to do one of two things. A) have Big Sister stand on something like a stool, or B) have Big Sister sit on something that will raise her head higher. Remember you want her head also within one head length of everyone else. In case you are wondering, use the person with the largest head for this measurement. Now you have formed your first diamond.

Two or three years later now there is a New Baby and the former New Baby is now Big Brother. New Baby goes where babies go. Big Brother will now be placed where Big Sister was. Big Sister has several choices. A) She can stand on the other side of Baby, making a visual triangle between Baby, Brother and Sister. B) She can stand on the opposite shoulder that Dad is on, making a visual triangle between Mom, Dad, and Sister. C) She could stand on the other side of Brother making a visual triangle between Mom, Brother and Sister. In most cases, (if the children are willing to do so) I would go with choice A). You have just formed your second triangle.

Now as time goes on and you either add more children, or grandparents; whatever the case may be, you keep forming triangles and diamonds. This builds a much more stable photograph than just putting people beside each other or behind each other. Every face is seen, and every face interacts with those around it. Just remember to keep the head placement fairly close.

If Dad really is three feet taller than Mom, you don’t have to show that in the photo. Keep them close and grouped together and this will work with groups from 2 - 60. Obviously you may have to get creative in adjusting heights of different size children, but it will be worth the effort. Usually the larger the group the harder it is to see everyone’s face; but if you take your time and keep building triangles and diamonds along the way you can handle large family reunions and have professional looking photography.

Award winning writer / photographer Tedric Garrison has 30 years experience in photography. As a Graphic Art Major, he has a unique perspective. His photo eBook “Your Creative Edge” (http://www.betterphototips.com/creativeedge.htm) proves that creativity CAN be taught. Today, he shares his wealth of knowledge with the world, at: http://www.betterphototips.com

Shadows - The Forgotten Element That Can Make (Or Break) A Photograph!

Barbara House — Mon, 03 Nov 2008 16:06:04 +0000

As photographers, we obsess over light. How much of it, the direction it’s coming from, the color and so on…

Isn’t the very WORD - photograph - ancient Greek for writing with light? (Photo = light, graph = to write) Maybe it’s Latin, I’m doing this from memory.

In our obsession, we buy studio lights so we can get more of it, at the right color and direction. We use multiple lights to eliminate unwanted shadows! And to add highlights. We buy reflectors to fill in the shadows and we bounce our - on camera - flash off the ceiling to avoid shadows on the walls.

A quick search in any library or bookstore will show dozens (if not hundreds) of books and magazines devoted to controlling light.

So far…I’ve never run across a book devoted to capturing shadows!

But, isn’t it the shadows that define mood?

Picture in your mind, a photograph of a smokey New Orleans, jazz club. Was your mental photo in color or black and white? Probably black and white, but even if it was in color, was the room well lit - OR STEEPED IN SHADOW?

When your subject is a little - shall we say, hefty - how do you tell them to dress for their portraits? In white? Or in black?

In case you’re new to photography, and know absolutely nothing about fashion, I’ll tell you - it’s black. Why? Because shadows define shape! If they are wearing white, all the shadows cast by their excess weight are clearly visible. Wearing black, the shadows aren’t that visible and thereby a person look thinner.

When you study the various lighting patterns, you’ll see they are almost all defined by the shadows - not the light! Rembrandt, broad light, narrow light, split light, butterfly and so on…it’s the way the shadows appear that determine the pattern. Without shadows, all lighting patterns would be the same!

Wrinkles are defined by the shadows. That’s why lights are always positioned directly in front of models - to eliminate any wrinkles. The same for blemishes. We mostly notice pock marks because of the shadows.

So, when you are doing a portrait session, consider the shadows. What kind of mood are you after? Do they have wrinkles or blemishes that need to be filled in? Do they have a wide face that can be narrowed by shadowing one side?

Photographs are on paper and are two dimensional, so the best photographers look for ways to include shadow. Can YOU add shadow to give the portrait depth and dimension?

When you start to think about shadows as intensly as you do about the light, that’s when your photography will move to the next level.

It’s the shadows that create the illusion of depth and shape and it’s the consideration of shadows that can turn a snapshot into ART. People will know they are looking at something special but they won’t know why, because shadows truly are the forgotten element.

Dan Eitreim has been a professional photographer in southern California for over 16 years. His data base exceeds 6000 past clients, and he says that selling YOUR photography is easy - if you only know a couple tried and true marketing strategies. He’s created a multimedia presentation that can teach ANYONE how to sell their own photography and generate freelance income in as little as two weeks. To learn more and enroll in a FREE photo marketing course, go to: http://www.PartTimePhotography.com

Better Photo Tips - Studio Light Patterns

Barbara House — Fri, 31 Oct 2008 15:42:29 +0000

Hair Lights, Back Lights, and Barn Doors, oh my! Studio Lighting can be very overwhelming when you first start getting into it. Some photographers out there have thousands of dollars of accessories associated with their studio setup. The good news is, you don’t have to be rich to enter into the world of studio portraits.

Think about it. How many light sources did God create for earth? If you said “One” meaning the sun; you were almost right. He also created the sky and the ground to “bounce” that light into the shadows. Light that is bounced back is commonly referred to as a “fill light”. If there was no fill light on earth; anything not directly lit by the sun, would have NO DETAIL, it would all be totally black.

It is astounding how much you can do with one main light and one or two fill lights. For those of you thinking three lights doesn’t sound simple to me, let me clarify. In this article what I am describing is one light and one or two reflective surfaces to help bounce that light or to fill in the shadows. With one light and one or more reflectors, you can make amazing photographs.

Having the tools and knowing what to do with those tools are two different things. Today I want to show you what to do with these basic tools.

1) Short Light is the type of studio lighting setup, where the face side of the subject which is the farthest from the camera gets the main light. In this type of lighting setup, the side of the face which is toward the camera gets less light then the side facing away form the camera. The effect you get when using this lighting setup is a thin face, this is why it is good to photograph large (or chubby) people with a short light setup. A photo tip worth remembering is: short light helps to visually thin your subject.

2) Broad light is just the opposite of Short light. In the Broad Light setup, the side that is getting the most light is the side facing the camera. This setup is less commonly used for portraits as it tends to make people look chubby. In both these cases, you can place a reflector on the opposite side of the light (at about a 45 degree angle) to help fill in the shadow side.

3) Split Light sounds more complex than it is. Position your main light on one side of your subject so that it’s exactly 90 degrees to the subject. In other words, you will see a dramatic shadow going right down to the middle of his or her face. If your main light is a flash, you might want to consider a secondary light; not for exposure . . . but just for light placement. We call this small secondary light a modeling light. In some units, they actually have a modeling light built in around the main light, so you can visually see what’s happening.

Using the modeling light, make sure the line between light and dark runs directly down the center of your model’s face, right down the tip of the nose. The model should be looking directly at the camera. This is what we call a split light portrait. Another photo tip is this: split light portraits, create dramatic visual results.

4) Rembrandt Light is considered an artistic classic. The main light is positioned high and on the side of the face that is away from the camera. Generally the subject is placed at a 45 degree angle to the camera (as opposed to just looking straight on.) This technique produces an illuminated triangle on the cheek closest to the camera. The triangle will illuminate just under the eye and not below the nose. The face should appear illuminated on one side and heavily shadowed on the other.

Place your reflector (or white poster board) on the opposite side of the studio light. The reflector should be angled so that it reflects any remaining light in the room to the subject’s darken side. The key here is NOT to eliminate the dark shadows, but to add detail within the shadows. The third photo tip to remember: adding subtle detail makes images appear more artistic.

5.) Butterfly Light is achieved by positioning the main light directly in front of the subjects face and adjusting the height to create a shadow directly under, and in line with the nose. This style is best suited for subjects with a normal oval face and is considered to be a glamour style of lighting best suited for women. This lighting technique creates hard shadows in the eye sockets and under the chin depending on the size of your main light and distance to your subject. Use a reflector under the main light source to fill in the underside of the face (eye sockets, under nose and under chin areas). Sometimes this is referred to as “over and under lighting”.

Now the setups given above; can use extra lights, but they don’t have to. Just as you can take an award winning photographs with a $50.00 camera or a $5,000.00 camera, you can also take great shots with a single light source. As we mentioned before, having the tools and knowing what to do with them are two totally different things.

It is my firm belief that photographers who learned to master Black and White photography first and then learned Color photography; will ALWAYS have the advantage over those who started with color photography. This is not meant to insult younger photographers. If a cake taste bad, it doesn’t matter what kind of icing you put on it. Learn the basics of good photography first, and then you can add more lights, more lenses, or whatever the case may be. Thus the fourth photo tip to remember is this: start with the basics, master them first. Then go forward.

Award winning writer / photographer Tedric Garrison has 30 years experience in photography. As a Graphic Art Major, he has a unique perspective on the Elements of Design and how those elements relate to all aspects of photography. His photo eBook “Your Creative Edge” (http://www.betterphototips.com/creativeedge.htm) proves that creativity CAN be taught.
Today, he shares his wealth of knowledge with the world, at: http://www.betterphototips.com

Travel Photography Tips

Barbara House — Wed, 29 Oct 2008 15:31:47 +0000

Summer time is the perfect time for snap happy people, and for anyone heading to an exotic destination for a well deserved break. Tourists all over the world capture priceless memories forever and their top-quality images are then stored away never to be seen by anyone.

Travel photography is a great hobby for any holiday goer, and with a few helpful tips you can bring home some great images that you can enjoy forever. If your images are better then normal you may be able to make some cash from them.

The key to travel photography is to make your images appealing to a wider audience than normal. You want to capture the mood and culture of a new place. You need to be able to sell a holiday through a photo.

Tips on what to photograph:

Taking landscape images in a far-off land can be tricky. The light conditions may be very different from what you are used to. Exposure may also be very tricky to calculate. If you are in doubt, bracket your shots to ensure that you will get the perfect image.

Travel photographers should start their day as the sun is rising. This is the best time to capture mood in a landscape image.

Night time urban landscape pictures will always make an interesting shot when exposed correctly. Use a tripod to ensure that your image is sharp.

Food shots can be very memorable, try to include the waiter or anything that you normally don’t see at home. The interior and the exterior of restaurants can also be photographed.

Take pictures of local signs, buildings and famous landmarks. Be very careful with the position of the sun. Try taking images when the sun is to your side. This will cast long shadows along the front of the building.

Use a polarising filter to cut out any glare from the glass in buildings.

Photograph the people. Travel companies are always seeking interesting people images. Photograph people eating food - people working - children playing - local police, fire fighters and any other service people in the area. Make sure that they are doing something interesting.

Visit local markets. This can make very interesting photography. Take plenty of images of the local stalls and the sellers. Take pictures of the different foods and anything else that you think may be unusual.

Travel photography may also be an immense financial trip for the professional photographer. Photo publishers are always seeking new material and are always on the look out for new talent.

When you return home with your images make a copy of each. Label each image with a brief caption. Its best to do this straight away when the holiday is fresh in your head.

Any holiday goer with the ability to use their lens correctly has the potential to sell their images. All you need to know is what makes a good travel image. You don’t need to be a top class photographer to profit from taking pictures of far-off places.

TJ Tierney is an award winning Irish Landscape photographer and a freelance writer. He frequently writes for the Art site Goldprints.com and the Gift ideas site shop-4us.com To view or buy some of his images visit his on-line gallery of - Pictures of Ireland and flower pictures.

Understanding Image Resolution

Barbara House — Mon, 27 Oct 2008 16:17:54 +0000

Resolution is a term used a lot in photography these days - regardless which type of photography you do, or which type of camera you use, understanding image resolution, pixels and the different properties attributed to them is so important.

Whether you are printing, scanning or sending an image by e-mail, you need to understand and know how to keep your images sharp and preserve as much detail as possible in your final print.

This topic does cause some confusion, so I hope the following will help.

Image resolution explained: Photography resolution is a measurement of image quality, so you may define resolution by how much detail is in your print. If your print has sharp detail you may consider your image to be of good resolution. If detail is blur in your image you may consider your image to have poor resolution. Good resolution is a direct result of having a large number of pixels in an image.

Pixels explained: Digital images are made up of millions of small dots - each dot is called a pixel. Each dot contains a small piece of image information, and when added together with the other pixels you’ll get your final image.

Print resolution is measured in pixel per inch (ppi) or in dots per inch (dpi) - both hold the same value. 300ppi means that there are 300 pixels per inch or 90,000 pixels per a square inch.

What size can I print my images?

A digital image that’s 1500ppi wide will print a 15-inch wide print if the print resolution is 100ppi.
If you change the same image to a print resolution to 300ppi your final print size will become a
5-inch wide print.

If your image file is 3000ppi wide x 2400ppi high with a print resolution 300ppi, your final print size will be 10 x 8 inch. The same file with a print resolution of 150ppi will give you a final print of 20 x 16 inch.

Divide the print resolution into the pixel width or height of your image.

Higher resolution should not be taken to mean that your images would be of higher quality - your images would only be of high quality if you print to the correct format.
Example - if you print a 3000ppi x 2400ppi size file to a print size of 20 x 16 inch at 300ppi, the pixels may be visible resulting in a blur image. You need to print it at 600ppi to attain good quality.

What size resolution should I use?

At 600ppi (which is an extremely large resolution) your image will be supreme sharp. You will be restricted with print size.

Printing your images at 300ppi is the standard quality. Image sharpness doesn’t get much better. The only setback is that the maximum print size will be restricted - you might need to drop the resolution to get a larger image.

If you need a large print from a small file print your file at 150ppi - your print will lack detail and the pixels may be visible. You should not print an image any smaller than 150ppi.

72ppi is standard with your computer screen. Don’t print your images at this size - the pixels will be visible.

Resolution tips: Scan your images as large as possible; it’s easy to resize them later. If you scan an image to small you may have to re-scan at a later date to get a larger print.

If you need a print that’s twice the size of the original - scan it at 600ppi and print it at 300ppi.

Try to print your image at 300ppi.

If you use a tripod when taking an image you may be able to push the print resolution lower than the recommended 300ppi - this will enable you to get a larger print.

Other Tips: Be very careful when cropping an image, if you crop it too much you will reduce the print size.

Be careful not to confuse print resolution with printer resolution; printer resolution is measured in dots per inch (dpi), but these values are a great deal higher- common printer resolutions are 2400dpi and 5760dpi - this is a measure of the amount of ink dropped onto your paper per inch.

TJ Tierney. Award winning Irish Landscape Photographer. If you are looking for more tips visit: http://www.goldenirishlight.com/photographytips.html Photo tips. To view some of his images visit his on-line gallery: http://www.goldenirishlight.com Pictures of Ireland

Light is Life!

Barbara House — Fri, 24 Oct 2008 16:44:43 +0000

The job of a landscape photographer is to record a scene. Yet, photographers often fail to capture what it felt like to be actually at a scene. A good landscape photographer arrives at a scene early, and waits for the scene to unfold. Waiting patiently for changing colours and changing mood, which all go along with the change of the weather. Vital to all of this is light - natural light and all the elements it brings to a scene.

To be able to use light correctly and creatively we first must understand it. Once we understand it we can use it to our advantage in creating beautifully, dramatic landscape images.

There are three basic qualities of light: intensity, direction and colour.

Intensity: refers to the strength of light. If the sun is high in the sky, light can be harsh and too strong. Cloudy days bring soft and defused light.

Direction: this refers to light placement. There are three categories of light placement: front, back and side-lighting. Side lighting produces more texture between light and shade.

Colour: the colour of sunlight varies depending upon conditions and time of day. If the sun shines at the beginning or the end of the day, the colour of the light will be much warmer, and will lead to a much more dramatic scene.

While all three are different qualities of light, they all have another important factor in common - time of day. Choosing the correct time of day is a foremost in capturing a scene at its best. The intensity of light brings out different colours in a landscape image. Colours in landscape photography depend on light available and also what time you shoot a scene, and where you place your camera.

Early morning shots will cast a red hue in your images. This only lasts a few minutes after sunrise. As the morning progresses the red hue turns to yellow. This normally lasts while the sun is low in the sky. Long shadows are cast along a scene during these early hours.

These can add mood to an image. Come mid-day the sun is high in the sky. The shadows are gone. This is the best time of the day for landscape photographers.

As the day turns to evening and the sun gradually falls in the sky, the sun casts stronger colours similar to morning. Sunset can be just as exciting as sunrise.

Time and light come hand in hand. Using both together will most certainly bring out the best in your landscape photographs. We ourselves decide what direction we use, do we use the sun at our backs, or is it better to use it at our side? I prefer side-lighting or facing the sun.

If you’re unsure go to a scene and take a few images. Mark the ground so you can place the camera in the exact same spot and return a few hours later. Return to the scene several times and take notes of light direction. Record the different exposures you take your images. Compare the shots from the different times of day, and the answer will unfold in front of you.

Understanding natural light develops your ability to create better images. You’ll then start to see the beauty of light and colours in a new and exciting way.

TJ Tierney. Award winning Irish Landscape Photographer. If you are looking for more tips visit: Photo tips. To view some of his images visit his on-line gallery: Pictures of Ireland.