Turning bad light into good

So the sun is up, the weather is great, it's a perfect time to shoot people outdoors, right? Not so fast...!
It would have been perfect just after sunrise, or right around sunset, when the sun is low, and the light is softer and warmer, but right now, the sun is high with harsh shadows.

When you try to shoot people in bright glaring sunlight, they squint, the light looks harsh on their faces, and the resulting images usually disappoint. The solution? Break the rules! Rather than shooting them with the sun on their faces, turn the shot 180 degrees around, and shoot them backlit.

Now the harsh direct sun becomes nice edgelight on their hair and shoulders, the light is soft on their faces, and they're not having to squint with the sun in their eyes. It also helps to have a shade on your lens to minimize lens flare, and to use a background that isn't too bright, so the nice edgelight or rimlight is visible to separate the subjects.

Nikon F3 with 180mm f2.8 lens


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Weather or not...?

That is often the question when you live in the Northwest, and the extended forecast is rain, rain, or rain, and you're thinking about grabbing your camera.

Bad weather can make good pictures.  A moist world looks pretty great - notice the number of car commercials with wet pavement or the sparkling drops of water on "fresh" vegetables in a fast food ad.  Wet surfaces have more contrast and provide the beautiful snap of spectral highlights.  Backlit rain is especially lovely.

If you decide to brave the rain, just make sure to use common sense and protect your equipment from getting wet.  Find a covered area or protect the camera with a plastic cover or an umbrella.  I always carry a few hotel shower caps in my camera bag for this.  I also carry an REI-style gaiter that covers my zoom lenses that are too large for a shower cap.  

WARNING - Camera manufacturers may claim that their products are weather resistant, but they don't really mean it when it comes to honoring the warranty on a soggy DSLR.  Digital cameras hate water, so be very careful when you are in a wet environment. 

This cross country image was taken at Seattle's Woodland Park during a fall monsoon. 

Canon 1Ds Mk2 with Canon 300mm f/4 ISO 1600, f/5 @ 1/400

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Good things come to those who wait...

I'd heard about the skateboard park hidden under the Burnside Bridge here in Portland, but never actually checked it out......until now. I had waited until the late afternoon sun was doing it's magic with the light and shadows.

Rather than try and follow the skaters around, I found a nice composition that worked for me, and did what I always do in situations like this......just waited. I knew that if I was patient, one of the skaters would eventually occupy the portion of the frame I had hoped for, and add that moment of gesture that helps make the shot work.

The message here is sometimes it's better to find a nice "frame-able" composition first, and spend some time waiting for a moment of "gesture" to bring the scene together.

Nikon F5 with 180 f2.8 ED Lens

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Banking on the fog

I'd driven by this location on the Oregon Coast many times, but this early morning was different. The small fishing port of Garibaldi, Oregon was shrouded in fog, and the sun was just starting to peek through the haze. The fog was obscuring a busy background, and only revealing the docks closest to me.
Knowing that in the early am, small boats would be headed out for a morning of crabbing and fishing, I grabbed my camera and positioned myself on the docks looking towards the light. It was only a matter of time before the shot composed itself....with a little help from the fog.
The takeaway here? Shoot first......eat breakfast later!

Canon 1Ds Mark II with EF 70-200mm f2.8 IS zoom lens @ 1/250th f 5.6

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Nothing to shoot here...

I can't tell you how many times photographers have said to me " there's nothing to shoot here!"
There's ALWAYS something to shoot.....if you keep your eyes open and pay attention to the world around you. Even on the quietest streets and alleyways, there's small details, textures and contrasts that can be explored and celebrated.

I was up early on the island of Santorini in Greece with no-one around, and came across this blue door, broom and colorful curtain that balanced in a perfect composition. The "hand made" quality of the design elements helped tell the story about the beauty of the Greek Islands, and the embrace of individual craft in the construction and decoration of homes there.

The lesson here is to always keep your eyes open for beauty all around you....there's great subject matter everywhere!

Leica R8 with Leica 70-180mm f/2.8 Apo Elmarit-R Zoom Lens

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The pictures in between...

I was traveling between two cities in the state of Rajasthan, India...when I happened upon this itinerant group of locals, and whispered quietly to my driver...STOP THE CAR!!!

My point here, is that some of your best shots will be those moments when you are "in between" two places, and not really thinking about what's flying by the car ( or bus or train ) window. So never let your guard down...opportunities will pop up in the most unforeseen locations.

It's also why I like to have a car and a driver under my control in "image rich" locations like India.
For as much as you're spending on getting there, the small added cost is worth it!

Just don't drink the water.

Nikon F3 with 80-200mm f2.8 lens

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Getting above it all...

I was back in Hong Kong, having walked waaaay further than I really wanted to that day, but you don't get new shots if you don't keep the camera moving, so here I was...tired feet and all. I'd already captured plenty of eye level market shots, and was looking for something new, when I just happened to notice the pedestrian overpass above me.

Well...it's really more than that...they're called the Central-Mid-levels Escalators, and it's the longest outdoor covered escalator system in the world, transporting pedestrians over 2500 feet halfway up the steep terrain of Hong Kong Island...but enough about the crazy ways the locals get around!

The point here, is that you should always keep your eyes open to an opportunity to get "above it all"
and capture a nice overview, or "down" shot, as we pro's call it.

Canon 5D MkIII with EF 70-200mm f2.8L IS II USM • 1/125th @ f5.6 • ISO 1600

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