Antelope Canyon, Navajo Indian Reservation, Arizona
For all the equipment I’ve purchased over the years, from camera bodies to lenses and filters, the most important tool of my craft is one I’ve never had to buy. The world of natural light provides landscape photographers with a constantly varied selection from soft light to lightning and everything in between. Here canyon light illuminates the subtle hues of Antelope Canyon, and best of all there’s never a cost.
Unlike a studio strobe, it’s sometimes a challenge to harness the light Mother Nature provides. But therein lies the art of outdoor photography – knowing how to work with what you’re given or having the patience to wait for something better.
In previous posts I’ve mentioned various ways to work with challenging conditions, but there is one place where the light is constant and never leaves you wishing for more – the indirect, reflected light found deep in the canyons of the Southwest.
Its consistent, ethereal glow could easily be mistaken for artificial light, and its true colors can hardly be discerned by the naked eye in the dark recesses of a slot canyon. In sharp contrast to magic hour, the best time to experience this light is when the sun is high overhead and able to penetrate these deep fissures in the earth’s crust. And only when the scene is revealed on the sensor or emulsion do you see the true beauty of the canyon light.
North Window framing Turret Arch in winter, Arches National Park, Utah
Cold Snap – Tips for Successful Winter Photography. The last of autumn’s leaves have fallen and it’s time to focus on the next photographic season (and one of the most challenging!). Winter is a wonderful time to explore and create striking images, but preparation is the key to success. Here are a few tips to make your next photo outing both comfortable and rewarding.
1) Warm Clothing. This might seem obvious, but being comfortable for long hours in the elements will allow you to focus on photography and not your numb toes. Waterproof snow boots are essential along with a hat, gloves, and layers so that you can adjust your body temperature during the day as temperatures rise. Two of my sponsors REI and Patagonia have a large selection of gear to keep you warm and dry.
2) Hand Warmers. Chemical hand warmers can be purchased at most sporting good stores, heat up instantly, and last up to 8 hours. They are excellent inside gloves, for keeping spare batteries warm, and in pockets when you need to warm your hands after taking your gloves off to change batteries or memory cards.
3) Spare Batteries. Today’s lithium-ion camera batteries are a modern marvel of compact energy and perform quite well in the cold, but keeping them warm inside your jacket will extend their life even more. I always have one or two spares and avoid excessive image reviewing in the field. Turning off features such as camera sounds and lights can also greatly help to extend battery life.
4) Tripod Care. I always recommend using a tripod to maximize sharpness and winter is no exception. But when shooting in snow you need to be careful not to over extend the legs and damage the tripod. To avoid this, simply keep the legs together as you sink the tripod in the snow and they will naturally expand to form a solid base. Covering the legs with custom covers or pipe insulation also makes them easier to handle in the cold and more comfortable when carrying over the shoulder.
5) Expose for the Snow. Back in the days of film this was easy to forget and would often result in an entire roll of underexposed images. The problem is your camera’s light meter sees everything as neutral gray (including snow) and adjusts your camera settings accordingly. In scenes with large amounts of snow, this results in images being up to 2 stops underexposed. Fortunately this is easily detected and corrected with today’s digital cameras by setting the exposure compensation dial (typically 2 stops overexposed, but check that histogram). As long as the light is consistent, this works well in both auto and manual metering modes.
6) Breathe Easy. It’s not that standing in the snow is physically exhausting, but your breath can be detrimental to your photography! If it’s cold enough that water vapor will create a sheet of ice on the back of your camera, which is difficult to remove and could cost you the shot. It takes a little practice, but breathing out of the side of your mouth or holding your breath while composing works well to prevent this.
So don’t let the cold keep you from enjoying this wonderful season. It’s a special time with unlimited photographic possibilities, and with a little preparation and care you’ll be experiencing one of nature’s best displays and capturing all that beauty in comfort.
“Sands of Time” ~ The Wave, Paria-Vermilion Cliffs Wilderness, Arizona
Landscape Tip: What’s Your Angle? Captivating landscape photography typically includes one or more elements that make it stand out from the crowd. Magical light, richly saturated colors, and dramatic vistas can all make for great images, but sometimes we’re not rewarded with these sure-fire conditions even after the long hike or braving the inclement weather.
Fortunately there are other ways to create visually dynamic imagery when mother nature is not cooperating – namely your lens and your eyes. Perspective is a powerful tool that is limited only by your choice of focal length and framing.
A wide-angle lens with both excellent depth of field and a wide field of view can be used to emphasize a foreground element such as a plant or rock within the context of its larger mountain or desert environment. In most cases this also creates visual tension within the frame by directing the viewer’s eye from near to far elements, which in turn adds drama to the composition.
So the next time the elements aren’t working in your favor try adding a little visual spice to the scene with this simple technique. A subtle change in perspective through lens selection or camera position can entice your viewers to linger within the frame and might just turn a good image into a great one.
