Hiking in Sequoia & King's Canyon National Parks - Part 1

Hello!

I'm trying to write a few posts to schedule before I begin my residency training.

I was able to take a trip to Sequoia & King's Canyon National Parks recently, so I thought I would share some of my photos, and some advice, with you.

Like I talked about in my Niagara post, there are some unique challenges presented by "over-photographed" locations. One of the difficulties you might encounter is crowds. Popular national parks can become just as crowded as Disney World during peak season, making it difficult to get the shots you want. You may fare better visiting off-season, even though certain elements of the park may be inaccessible or closed due to weather.

(Parts of Sequoia & King's Canyon are closed through the middle of May for winter).

By visiting off-season, I was able to get this classic photograph without any tourists in the frame. Of course, if you like studying humanity's interactions with nature, going during peak season may be just for you!

To an extent, by visiting Sequoia/King's Canyon instead of the more popular (and very close by) Yosemite, you'll be dodging some of the tourist traffic.

Another way to deal with overcrowding is to avoid the "big ticket" locations. Taking less-traveled trails may bring you unique vistas without having to fight through 20 tourists to get your images. The picture above is taken from the Hump Trail in Sequoia National Park. (The same view can be seen from the more popular Watchtower Trail, but this trail is closed until the end of May.)

Whatever you do, don't forget to experiment. A park may be "known" for particular features (Sequoia is, obviously, known for its sequoia trees), but don't feel obligated to dedicate your time to these landmarks if you don't want to. As evidenced by this post, I had more fun shooting mountain landscapes from Sequoia than I did shooting forests, even though this is not the "notable" feature of this park.

As a follow-up to this post on composition, notice how the trees in the foreground lend interest to the mountains behind them. It's always a good idea to include foreground elements in landscape photographs to "ground" the images and give them a sense of place.

Okay, that's it for me right now. Like I said, unfortunately, my posts will continue to be short and somewhat sporadic for a while. But, on to you -- what did you do this summer?

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Photography Basics Part IV: What Lens is Good for What?

Hello hello! Thanks for tuning in to this week's episode of...TwoFeetPhoto. Today, we will be talking about camera equipment - namely, lenses. Which camera lenses do you need? What are they for? Eager to find out? Read on!

You may want to click here for links to my other Photography Basics articles.

First: a disclaimer about focal length. Most digital cameras, including the one I shoot with, are half sensor cameras. Because the image is recorded on a sensor that is half the size, there is an extra magnification factor. Thus, on half sensor cameras, the actual focal length of a lens is 1.5X what it says on the box. As a result, it can be difficult to get wide angle views on half sensor cameras because the effective focal length of a lens (unless it is designed specifically for a half sensor camera) is increased by half.

15mm - 100mm

Lenses in this range are best for landscape, architecture, and (human or pet) portraiture. Lenses at the low end of this range can produce wide angle "fisheye" effects, which may or may not be desirable.

Lenses like these are best for subjects that are large or not very far away; they have shorter focal lengths. These types of lenses do not suffer as much from motion blur because they do not have the magnification power of longer lenses.

100 - 200mm

This in-between lens length is generally best for large mammal photography, but can also be used for sports, travel, and landscape photography.

These lenses will not have enough magnification power to capture smaller or more flighty animals, such as birds. This is also the focal length at which you need to start worrying about motion blur, as the higher magnification power of the lens will also magnify unwanted movements of the camera. Remember, you should aim for your shutter speed to be greater than the focal length of your lens, or (better) use a tripod.

300mm - 600mm

This is animal photography range, including birds. Larger and less shy birds should be easy to photograph from 300, but if you are photographing animals that are very small or very far away, you will want to invest in the 600mm glass. Oh yeah, and you will need a tripod.

Lenses in the 300-400mm range make capturing portraits of larger birds and animals that are not timid reasonably easy.

These lenses have the magnification power to allow you to stand back and not frighten or disturb your subjects while still achieving pleasing images.

This image of baby egrets was captured with a 2x teleconverter stacked on top of a 300mm lens. Teleconverters come in different strengths and will increase the magnification power of your main lens, although they decrease the light available to the camera and can also degrade image quality. For smaller subjects like these, you will want a lens of at least 500mm.

Macro Lenses

There are different types of "special effect" lens available, of which I find the macro lens to be the best investment, particularly for the nature photographer. I have an entire post dedicated to macro photography, so you can head over here to read it if you're interested.

In short, macro lenses produce true close-up images, making them indispensable for those of us interested in small.

I hope this has demystified the many lens choices available for the photography consumer, and that it has helped you identify which lenses you actually need.

So, what is your favorite lens? Let me know in the comments below!
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Let's Go to the Beach! Beach Photography

Hello all! Are you one for relaxing on the beach while snowstorms bury the northeast? Well, I have the February post for you! Beaches can be excellent venues for nature photography, particularly in the winter. So pack your sunglasses and grab your tripod - we're going to learn how to improve your beach and vacation nature photography.

Beach Photography

Lover's Key - Ft. Myers, FL

Beaches provide unique challenges for the nature photographer, but they can be birding and wildlife hotspots, as well as excellent landscape subjects. So what are some tips for shooting on the beach?

Lighting, Lighting, Lighting

Beaches can be harsh. The lack of other land formations and trees to break up the sunlight means that unflattering, blinding overhead light is often a reality. For shooting at the beach, the time of day becomes even more important for this reason. You will find it difficult to capture any pleasing images if you show up midday (although this is probably the best time to get a tan). Evening and early morning light are really essential for successful beach photography.You will notice the beginnings of the sunset in the picture above. The softening light allows detail to be captured in the shore, while the colors add visual interest to the sky. You can read more about lighting here.

Lover's Key

Of course, the uninterrupted view of the sky makes beaches excellent for photographing unusual clouds and sunsets.

Pay Attention to the Tide

Low tide is the best time to be at the beach. It's when the water is the lowest, shells are exposed, and the most wildlife comes around to see what they can snag. You can find tide charts online - just give it a quick google, and try to plan your trip accordingly.

Ruddy Turnstone, Anastasia State Park

You will find many more shorebirds and waders if you plan your trip around low tide, but you may have to sacrifice lighting quality. Here, you can see the long shadows cast by the harsh lighting. Careful exposure is required to ensure that birds with variegated feather patters, like this turnstone, are not over- or under-exposed. You may want to read about exposure compensation here.

Introduce Landscape Features to Ground Images

Like I discussed in last week's episode, including foreground, midground, and background elements can strengthen compositions. I mentioned that this was especially important for landscape photography, and beach images are no different.

Sand Dunes, Lover's Key

 Here, the sand dunes making up the foreground provide visual interest and guide the viewer's eye back towards the ocean and sky. Turning your lens away from the shoreline itself and back towards scrubland and sand dunes also provides for unusual, often overlooked, beach landscapes.

Pedestrian bridge to Lover's Key beach

 Here, I have chosen to photograph the surrounding habitat rather the beach itself. The bridge provides visual interest in the composition. Evening light is starting to turn the sky purple and pink, and is casting a warmer glow over the vegetation. Paying attention to lighting condition can take a mediocre image into an excellent one.

In short, beaches can be nature photography bonanzas - and you don't even have to stick to the same, tired sunset and shoreline images. So, what do you think? Are you planning a winter beach trip anytime soon? Let me know in the comments.

Check back next Friday for the next installment of...TwoFeetPhoto. Please remember to share, follow, and subscribe via the fancy sidebar options! Here is my tumblr and here I am on bloglovin.

Advanced Composition: Advanced Photography Part III

Hello all! I am done with traveling for school so hopefully I will be able to return to more regular posting shortly. Today's post is about advanced elements of composition and how you can use them to improve your photography. I will be building on this post, Composition Basics (so if you haven't read that one, you may want to head over and do so).

You may also want to check out my other Advanced Photography pages:

Part I : Exposure Compensation
Part II: Special Effects

Not ready for advanced photography? View basic tips here.

Got it? Here we go.

So beyond the Rule of Thirds, what are the other elements of composition?

Well, there is another concept in composition that deals with the way space is treated in an image. There are three main spaces to consider: the foreground (in front), the midground (in the middle), and the background (obviously in the back). What are these spaces, and what do they mean for your photography?

Lover's Key

The foreground, midground, and background concepts allow you to better organize the space within the frame. Having discrete foreground, midground, and background elements can strengthen your photography by helping you build more interesting compositions. Here is a breakdown of the compositional spaces in the photograph above:

You can see that this image has all three spaces. The purpose of the foreground is to "ground" an image, as the sandbar in the above picture demonstrates. The foreground gives the eye something to "grab" on to, and then (hopefully) draws the eye toward the subject. It is especially important to have foreground elements in landscape photography, as the subject is often not a discrete item. Generally, the subject is placed in the midground, allowing it to be framed by the foreground and the background. 

The background should "support" the subject without adding more visual detail to the picture. A background with too much detail can be distracting from the subject, and will weaken your composition.Here, the clouds frame the sunset without overpowering it.

White Pelicans at Ding Darling NWR

Here is another example. In this image, the flock of wading birds helps frame the larger pelicans. Notice that the wading birds are not in focus, preventing them from being too distracting from the subject.

This picture has less of a defined background, but the blue water provides a nice contrast against the white of the pelicans. Notice that, in both cases, the background does not add extra detail to the picture, and thus complements, rather than detracts from, the subjects.

The previous two images demonstrated very linear, defined foreground, midground, and background spaces, but not every successful photograph must.

Locust Borer Beetle

This image does not display three clearly defined visual spaces, but I still feel that it is successful. The foreground, midground, and background elements are actually present, if you look for them.

The less in focus elements of the plants make up the foreground, while the subject is again placed in the midground. The shallow depth of field reduces the background to a soft blur, creating a pleasing composition. Notice the difference in focus among the three spaces: the subject should generally be the sharpest part of your image.

However, a photograph doesn't even have to have all three spaces to succeed.

Great Blue Heron

Here, the heron (the subject) makes up the entire foreground, and the out-of-focus foliage makes up the background. There is no midground. This is also an example of the subject being placed in the foreground instead of in the midground. The "two space" composition (a term I just made up) is often employed in portraiture. However, including foreground elements (imagine foliage in front of the heron) can add interest to these sometimes boring types of compositions.

Finally, the foreground, midground, and background spaces to not have to be stratified in the picture.

Rainbow Bridge, Niagara, ON

Here, the foliage in front makes up the foreground, and contributes color and visual interest to the photograph. It overlaps the subject in the midground - the bridge itself. This creates a layered composition that allows the viewer's eye plenty of space to wander through the frame. Finally, the gray sky provides a soft background and sets the mood for the image. Again, note that no new detail is introduced in the background.

So, what do you think? Do you use the concepts of foreground, midground, and background in your photography to build compositions? Discuss below!
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Niagara Falls: A Photo Essay

Hello All!

I am back. Due to school and traveling, I likely won't resume weekly posting for a few months still, so I apologize for that. However, I've managed to take the time to do some shooting, so, here you go.

Travel Photography Tips

I've decided to make this post about travel photography. I know that this is a nature photography blog, but these two genres often intersect. So, what do you need to know about travel photography?

Photographing Popular Landmarks

Nature photographers often travel to famous sites for pictures. However, this raises a problem: how can you take original photographs of something that's...well...over-photographed?

The first thing you should do is take stock of the images that are already available of that landmark. In my case, I visited Niagara Falls. A quick google search turns up this:

These are the most popular views of the park, in the most popular season for tourism (summer). Okay, so what do you do with this information? Should you avoid taking "popular" pictures?

In short, no. "Popular" views of landmark are popular for a reason - they are often accessible and flattering angles for famous land formations. There's no reason to pass up these scenes because they aren't "original." However, you should keep these landscapes in mind - and use them as a guide to expand your visual repertoire of the scene.

How do I take "original" photographs of very popular sites?

One of the simplest things you can do is to just find a different angle. Depending on what you are photographing, this may not actually be that easy, but it's worth considering. Keep in mind that you can create different "angles" simply by turning the camera, or shooting on the diagonal.

Here, turning the camera vertically adds some visual interest to a scene that is otherwise largely identical to those top hits on google image search.

Go Off Season

Visiting a popular park or site is often easier off-season, for many reasons. Firstly, it's usually cheaper to find hotels and flights. But, more importantly, once you get there, the area is less crowded, giving you more space to explore and take those unusual images you crave.

But there is another benefit.

Most landscapes will undergo seasonal change. As I noted above, summer is the most popular time to visit Niagara because of the weather. This makes pictures of the park in the fall and winter more unique, and therefore, more interesting.

A similar trick is to choose an unusual time of day. Most tourism photographs are taken midday, so if you capture a scene at sunrise, or even at night, your images will stand out as more unique.

I was lucky to catch the beginnings of the sunset while walking back to my car. This picture also displays rule #1 of finding an unusual angle: the trees in the foreground add interest to what is otherwise the same old scene of the falls. In landscape photography, having objects in the foreground can anchor an image and create an overall stronger composition. (I discuss composition in this post).

Capture a Different Scene Entirely

Some parks are a wealth of beautiful landscape, although they may boast one or two "famous" features. Don't let yourself be blinded by these photographic celebrities - search out other vistas that disregard the main attraction.

Niagara Gorge itself is quite beautiful, and the bridge and city provide interesting background elements to frame it. Niagara Falls is an interesting park because city and nature are much more integrated here than in other wild spaces in the US. Don't ignore the potential of these "foreign" elements, even in your nature photography.

Here, this feature of Niagara Falls, ON (I don't actually know what it is! Sorry!) makes for an unusual foreground to the wild white spray of Horseshoe Falls.

Similarly, including the tour boat in the image below grounds the composition and gives the viewer's eye something to focus on.

So, what do you think? Do you include man-made structures in your nature photography? What are your favorite travel photography tips? Let me know in the comments below.
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Favorite Places: Volume II: Your Local Forest

For Volume I of My Favorite Places, click here.

So in this week's edition, I'm going to be talking about one of my favorite places for nature photography: forests.
Okay, okay, so that's not really a place. It's more correctly a habitat, I suppose. But I didn't want to make this post as narrow as the last edition of My Favorite Places, so, here we go.

The Wonder of the Forest

Forests are interesting places to explore for the nature photographer. Within, a wealth of different subjects abound. A sometimes overlooked element is landscape photography within forests. We often think of grand plains or impressive mountains when we hear "landscape." However, the forest holds a vast array of more subtle (or sometimes, more striking) landscapes to capture.

It can be a challenge to arrange the disorganized elements in a forestscape into a cohesive image. However, the landscape still features some strong stylistic elements. You will find yourself helped by the pattern of vertical lines created by tree trunks. Try picking a foreground element, in this case, a stream, to anchor your photo, and then allow the trees to do the rest of the work.

One thing you will need to watch out for is how the leaves will affect your white balance. Because landscapes like these can be overwhelmingly green, you may find your photos take on a funny, greeny-yellow color cast. Either adjust your white balance settings or tweak your images in photo editing software to take care of this.

Fowler's toad

Of course, forests are also full of wildlife. It is true that large mammals such as deer, bears, and foxes prowl the woodlands, but you are unlikely to see these animals usually. Don't despair, however. Forests are bursting with small creatures, eager to be subjects for your lens. Teach yourself to look downwards, and scour the paths for toads, insects, lizards, and other denizens of the woods. Like I've said before, don't be afraid to get your knees muddy to get the shot. Often, small creatures require you to shoot at their eye level to do them justice.

This box turtle looks as if I have personally offended him.

 You can see in this image the instant drama achieved by adjusting the camera angle to that of the turtle.

There are, of course, different types of forests, from boreal to tropical, each with its own wonders of natural history. But you don't have to travel great distances for great photography - fantastic animals are creeping their way through the leaves in your neighborhood (I promise).

All right, so have you been inspired? Or are you waiting for the winter freeze to kill all of the ticks before you venture outside? (I don't blame you.) Let me know in the comments.

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How To: Landscape Photos with your Smartphone

So I've had several requests to write an article about smart phone photography. In fact, I have an article here about taking photos of your pet with a phone, but I realize that there's more to be said on the subject.

So, what are some of the keys to great smartphone photography?

Well, the most important thing is to choose your subject wisely. With a phone, you are limited by a fixed (short) focal length, lower resolution, and mediocre exposure metering software. Thus, you want to select a subject that is large, easy to get close to, and evenly lit. In other words, landscapes are excellent subjects for the smartphone photographer.

Anastasia State Park - read more here.

What are the basics of landscape photography?

Well, lucky you! If you are using a smartphone, a lot of the basics of photography are out of your hands - so I won't talk about them here. Normally landscape photography requires a discussion on aperture and depth of field, but you can't control those things with a smartphone. This means that your photographs won't always turn out exactly how you like, but you can still create beautiful images with these simple cameras.

Okay, so what are some of the things that apply to me?

Pick an evenly lit scene. As discussed above, most smartphones do not have advanced exposure metering modes like DSLRs will, and thus they cannot compensate well for scenes with large dynamic ranges. The dynamic range is a description of how much variation there is between the lightest and the darkest part of the image.

This is an example of a scene with a large dynamic range. Notice that in the middle-right section of the image, the subject is almost entirely black. Conversely, in the top left, the sky has been bleached white. This results in loss of detail in both areas of the image, and is considered poor photographic technique.

The dark areas of the frame are termed "underexposed" - that is, they did not get enough light during the exposure. 

The bleached areas of the frame are referred to as "overexposed" - they received way too much light.

Overall, I do still find this photograph pleasing, but it's not a technically great image.

Well, fine, but my phone has HDR, which I know expands the dynamic range.

That's true. Many phones (and DSLRs) now come equipped with HDR (high dynamic range) technology. There are several ways to create an HDR image, but the most commonly employed method is to take several photos in quick succession using different exposure ratings. For example, the camera may take a globally underexposed photo, a globally "normal" photo, and a globally overexposed photo. Computer software then combines these images into one. (Yes, the iPhone HDR feature works like this - I believe it takes 3 images). This does result in an increased dynamic range.

However, this does not solve the dynamic range problem for smartphones, which allow for little user control of exposure. The above image is an example of a nightmare scene for a smarphone camera - dappled light, creating areas of dark and bright scattered randomly across the image. This photo was in fact taken with the HDR setting, and while it is improved against photos of that scene without HDR, it is not great. In short, it's best practice to avoid shooting these types of scenes with smartphones.

(They are no cakewalk with a DSLR either).

What are some other things I can do to improve my smartphone photography?

Well, like I've said before, the basics of all types of photography are the same. Photographs are composed of three main elements: subject, composition, and lighting. Lighting can be broken down into four components: Ambient light, shutter speed, aperture, and ISO rating. With DSLR/SLR photography, we have greater control over the latter 3 items. However, with smartphones, we are largely at the mercy of whatever creative decisions the software makes for us (the amount of control you have of course varies from phone to phone). As a result, it's important to capitalize on the things we CAN control.

Ambient Lighting

Seek out dramatic lighting to illuminate your images - it can transform even the most drab frog into a princess. (Note here that this is one of the few situations a high dynamic range photograph is successful).

Composition

Presumably we do photography because we want to show the world what we see. Bring your photography to life with images that are descriptive, poetic, and unusual. Think carefully about your composition before you click that button - you've got plenty of time; that gazebo's not moving. I find it helpful to do composition "exercises". Challenge yourself to take at least 5 different images of each of your subjects. Then, if you can do 5 easily, stretch to 10. Force yourself to think outside the canonical box to produce artistic images.

You can click here to read my article on pet photography with a smartphone.

Okay, I've talked enough - now it's your turn. What do you think about smartphone photography?

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My Favorite Places: Vol 1: Anastasia State Park

My Favorite Places for Nature Photography: Anastasia State Park, St Augustine, FL

One of the most common questions I get asked is, "where do you take those photos?" so I decided it was high time for a post addressing that topic.

A very brief introduction about me:
I currently live in Texas for school, but I grew up in Florida, and my parents still live there. Thus I am traveling back and forth from Florida to Texas a lot to visit them.

OK, on to the actual subject: Anastasia State Park

Anastasia State Park is probably my most favorite locale for bird photography. It's less crowded than "famous" sites like Ding Darling or the Alligator Farm, but it is no less spectacular for birding. Anastasia State Park is located in St. Augustine, on the East (Atlantic) coast of Florida. The state park website is here.

What sort of habitats does the park encompass?

One of the best things about Anastasia State Park, in my opinion, is that you can visit a variety of habitats within the park borders. This varied landscape is also part of what makes the park so attractive to wildlife (and people!). 

Areas I would definitely recommend scouting out for birds are: the salt marsh and the beach. There are also a few small trails into woodland scrub habitats, if you want to look for songbirds. But I like water birds, so you can usually find me by the salt marsh.

What sort of animals should I expect to find?

Anastasia State Park is part of the Great Florida Birding Trail, so it's an excellent location for birding and bird photography. Of course, insects, small mammals and small reptiles also make the park their home. A list of the bird species that have been recorded in the park can be found here. 

Wood Stork

Favorite species include: roseate spoonbills, the american oystercatcher, osprey, and the wood stork. I have found that this park is one of the best places for seeing wood storks in north Florida. They particularly like it when people have been fishing!

Tips for Visiting the Park

If possible, I would recommend visiting the park at low tide. A quick google search will easily bring up the times for the tides. During low tide, all the little inhabitants of the salt marsh are exposed, attracting flocks of avian visitors looking for an easy meal. I generally see the largest numbers of species when I visit at low tide. However, I find that the wood storks, herons, osprey, and egrets are present even in high tide - so do not despair if you are unable to visit during the low tide.

Roseate Spoonbills

Oceanside

Of course, there is more to the park than the salt marsh. Anastasia State Park boasts a lovely, clean, beach that is full of wildlife. I have found this an excellent place to photograph gulls, terns, and other shorebirds. In fact, I have an entire post on shorebirds here, most of which I photographed at Anastasia.

Royal Terns

Particularly in the winter, you may be able to catch groups of migrating ocean birds stopping to rest in the park. You can generally find me sprawled out on the sand, in jeans and a t shirt, camera resting close to the ground, lens trained on an unassuming cluster of birds. Yes, that is how I visit the beach when I go to Florida.

Immature Tricolored Heron

In short, Anastasia State Park is worth the drive over if you are in the area. It boasts a wide array of wildlife inhabitants, along with recreational opportunities for fishing, hiking, and lounging on the beach. Yes, I do believe you should support your local state parks!

Equipment information:

Nikon D70 + 70-300mm Nikkor zoom lens +/- manfrotto tripod

What's your favorite spot for nature photography? Let me know!

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The F Stops Here: Photography Basics Part 1

Photography Basics Part 1: A Practical Guide to Aperture

View Part 2
View Part 3

This is going to be the first post in a small series explaining some technical photography basics which can help you improve your photography skills. With the improving sophistication of automatic metering systems in digital cameras, technical knowledge of photography is becoming less necessary. However, if you want to have artistic control over your images, you should learn a few basics.

What is an F stop?
"F stop" is another term for "aperture." Aperture is the name for the hole through which light reaches the film - or digital chip - when the shutter is lifted. This allows for exposure of the film/chip and also focuses the light onto the surface.
The F stop is expressed as a fraction. Thus, "larger" numbers actually mean a smaller aperture. For example, when people talk about "F 16," they really mean f/16, or f over 16. F/8 is therefore a larger aperture than f/16.
These numbers, by the way, are based on a mathematical sequence and they are scaled such that each number down (bigger number but smaller aperture) represents a halving of the light intensity from the previous stop.
Make sense?

What does that mean for me?
The size of the aperture determines two things: 1. The amount of light that reaches your film (in conjunction with your shutter speed, which is next week's topic), and 2. Depth of Field (which is mostly what we will focus on today).

What is depth of field?
Depth of field is a measure of how far back in the frame objects remain in focus.

This is an example of a picture with a shallow depth of field. It was taken with f/5.

You can see here in the example above that detail has only been captured in the lacewing's head. Objects father away from the camera, the rest of the picture, blur softly out of focus. This technique is often used for pleasing artistic effect.

Here is another example:

This picture also displays a shallow depth of field. It was taken with f/6.3

A shallow depth of field allows all attention to be focused on the subject, because background objects are not rendered in detail. This can be advantageous for macro images.

This photo has a greater depth of field. It was shot at f/9.

This photo has a greater depth of field than the previous examples. Note it was taken with a smaller f/stop. A smaller f/stop (eg, f/22) creates a larger, or deeper, depth of field. You can think of this as a small opening focusing the light more sharply, allowing more items in the frame to be rendered in detail. Notice that even items far away from the camera are recognizable. I could have stopped down even farther in this shot to obtain greater detail.

Another example, taken at f/7

What's the deal with the light?

Remember that we said the f/stop affects two things: the amount of light that reaches the film and the depth of field? Well, the farther down you stop (a smaller f/stop, a bigger number), the less and less light reaches the film. This means that your exposure will have to become longer to compensate - and that will be next week's topic (click here to read Part 2 of Photography Basics and here to read Part 3).

Feel free to leave any questions you have below.

Did you see this post about lighting? Check it out!

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Winter Blues

Winter is not always kind to the nature photographer. Either the frigid north winds hound us, bringing ice, snow, and difficulties to our craft, or we find ourselves alone, cameras without subjects. Living in the south, it is the latter problem I suffer from. Once spring fades, insects die or hibernate, flowers wither, birds fly south, and mammals seek shelter in their burrows. In short, all of my favorite subjects suddenly turn up missing. So what's a photographer to do?

There are overall three keys to a good photograph: good subject, good composition, and good lighting. In the winter, if you do not have access to dramatic snowscapes, it can be difficult to find a "good" subject. After all, who really wants to take photos of dead leaves? To give some visual CPR to your lifeless subjects, dramatic lighting and sharp compositions are essential.

In both of these examples, dramatic backlighting perks up static images of dead leaves.

Mood is another consideration. Winter swathes everything in a subdued, nearly monochromatic palette. A good photograph might exploit this tone to create evocative works, expressing peace, loneliness, or beauty.

Placed against grayscale backgrounds, even "dull" colors, such as the brown in the above photograph, suddenly become vivid in comparison. The empty seed pod above almost glows with life in relation to the bland background. Again, composition is pivotal here in ensuring the photograph creates impact. The branch leads the viewer's eye upward toward the lone splotch of color in the frame. As a result, movement is created, and even a photograph of a dead plant becomes eye-catching.

Want more tips on composition? Check out my post here for some brief pointers!

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So what do you think? Is it worth it to brave the cold for photographs or is winter better spent hibernating? Let me know in the comments!