| Making the Most of the Outdoors: Tips and Tools for Outdoor Photography |
From "Photography"
episode DPT-103 |
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You've come to photograph a beautiful outdoor scene -- perhaps a lovely waterfall. As you study the sights, remember to look not only at the obvious photo opportunity but also for other interesting details and scenery. You may find there's more to meet your camera's eye, such as attractive lichen on rocks or interesting clouds that would enhance your photograph. Also look for details or elements that could ruin the scene. Is there a cigarette butt amid the beach rocks? A rusty hose reel in a garden shot? A distant hiker in an orange jacket who could distract from the subject? "The difference between a painter and a photographer," says photography expert and author Rick Sammon, host of DIY Photography, "is that a painter adds elements to a blank canvas, and a photographer has to take them away." The right equipment is essential too. Here are some of the tools Sammon takes on outdoor shoots: - Tripods slow you down, help you study a scene well and really see the elements. They also permit you to place the camera in any position. Get a tripod with a quick-release bracket (figure A) so you can easily remove the camera.
- For outdoor work most photographers like to use a wide-angle zoom -- a 17-to-35mm lens. At a 17mm setting much of the scene can be in the frame; as you zoom to 35mm, less of the scene gets in the frame.
- A telephoto lens, such as a 70-to-200mm zoom, lets you compress the elements in the scene. You can zoom in on a tree in the distance and let it fill more of the frame.
- A lens hood (figure B) keeps sunlight and thus lens flare off the lens. Lens flare softens pictures and makes them look a little out of focus.
- A polarizing filter (figure C) darkens blue sky, whitens white clouds and reduces reflections on water. Caution: it works only if the sun is to the left or the right of the scene.
A graduated filter (figure D) -- dark on the top, clear on the bottom -- helps compress the brightness range of the scene. Use it when the sky is much brighter than the ground-level elements of the scene. Graduated filters come in different densities: edges can be soft or hard. Other good filters to have on hand: a color-intensifier filter (intensifies the color of the scene) and a soft-focus filter (softens detail).
RESOURCES :
National Geographic Photography Field Guide: Secrets to Making Great Pictures
Model: 0792274989
Author: Peter K. Burian and Robert Caputo
September 1999
The Photographer's Handbook
Model: 0679742042
Author: John Hedgecoe
Knopf, 1998
Photography
Model: 0321011082
Author: Edited by Barbara London
August 1997
Camera Angles: Tips and Techniques for Professional-Quality Photographs
Model: 0896582353
Author: Rick Sammon & Steve Werner
June 1994
Nikon
Includes tutorials and mini-lessons on creating better pictures, digital cameras and more. Measurements are given in the metric system.
Nikon
Website: www.nikon.com
Kodak Information
Tips, techniques, tutorials and information on cameras and film.
To e-mail Kodak, click here.
To access Kodak's contact information, click here.
www.kodak.com
Kodak
Website: www.kodak.com
Rick Sammon
1 Fox Rd.
Croton-on-Hudson, NY 10520
E-mail: RickSammon@aol.com
Web site: www.ricksammon.com
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