Photo Tips from a Pro

AMC Outdoors, April 2008

How to bring home that great view from your next adventure.

You hike. You paddle. You ski. You snap incredible pictures in an endorphin-soaked state of awe as you reach a summit, waterfall, or beautiful overlook. You go home, download your masterpiece to your computer, and think, “Hmm. This picture is kind of boring. There must be something wrong with my camera. What’s wrong with my camera? I need a new camera!”

Anyone who takes pictures has experienced such a mo­ment. For those of us who are intimately involved with the outdoors and spend hours on a trail or river getting to that spectacular vista, it can be especially painful to return with mediocre photos. A photo can go bad (or just boring) for many reasons, but they all boil down to the fact that it is very challenging to create a compelling two-dimensional repre­sentation of a complex three-dimensional space. In addition, if you’re on an adrenaline-charged adventure, it is easy to slip up and make technical mistakes in the heat of the moment. But rest assured, if you memorize and practice a few of the following tips, you will come home with a higher percentage of winning shots and be able to save your money for the next adventure trip instead of an expensive new camera. With one exception (“Polarize”), these tips are applicable whether you use a top-of-the-line digital SLR or a simple digital point-and-shoot.

Get Out and Tune In

To make great outdoor photographs on a consistent basis, you need to get out and explore the natural world as much as possible and “tune in” to the place you are exploring. Stop and think about the story you are trying to tell with your camera when you take it out and start shooting. Don’t just snap documents of the scene in front of you, but consciously determine the purpose of your photograph and concentrate on making that the dominant feature of your picture. For example, if your hiking partner is acting goofy on the trail, make sure he or she is big in the frame, not just a speck on the horizon. On the other hand, if you are trying to show the immense size of Tuckerman Ravine, fill the frame with the headwall and include a person in a small part of the frame to better depict the large scale of the landscape.

Maximize the Light

Photography is about light, and the best way to improve your photos is to learn how to use the right light for your sub­ject. I love to photograph with two types of natural light: the even light under overcast skies and the warm, low-con­trast light just after sunrise and just before sun­set, the so-called “golden hours.” My least favorite light is the bright sunlight of mid-day, which is harsh and creates unpleas­ant, contrasty shad­ows with a cold-blue cast. For photogra­phers, the middle of sunny days are meant for putting mileage under your boots and scouting out photo lo­cations for the end of the day, when you can take advantage of better light.

Use the warm colors of late-day and early-morn­ing sunshine to light big landscape scenes, nature details, and adventure shots. Your photos will have colors that are more vibrant and “pop” instead of appear­ing washed out, and the low angle of the light will allow you to capture details in your shadows as well as the rich tex­tures of your sub­ject matter. On the flip side, the lack of direct sunlight on overcast days is great for shooting scenes in the forest, which can become a confusing mess of harsh sun­light broken up by dark shadows on a sunny day. The only rule on overcast days is to avoid including the sky in your photo, as it will appear as a big, boring, white distraction. If you have always wanted to capture that classic scene of a trail tunneling through the forest, try shooting it on an over­cast day in the early summer or fall and you won’t be disap­pointed. Waterfalls and forest wildflowers also look great in overcast light.

Simplify

Keep your compositions simple. The outdoors is full of distracting elements that you need to crop out, preferably be­fore you download any images to your computer. Pick the most important two or three elements in the scene and make sure everything else is minimized or eliminated completely from view. If there is something in the scene that doesn’t help tell your story, keep it out of your picture. Viewers shouldn’t have to hunt around a photo to figure out what it is about. Also, pay attention to the background and edges of your photo and be sure they are clean and don’t take away interest from your main subject.

The Rule of Thirds

A simple guideline to keep in mind when com­posing your photos is the “rule of thirds.” This rule is very basic, but I guar­antee it will help many of your compositions. I use the rule of thirds in two ways. First I use it to help me place my horizon line in the photo. Imagine dividing your viewfinder into thirds horizon­tally. This gives you one line that is one-third of the way from the top and one line that is one-third of the way from the bottom. Now place your horizon on either of those lines, not in the middle. Simple as that. My second use of this rule is to help me place my main subject in the frame. Now imag­ine two more lines, this time dividing the frame into thirds vertically. So now you have two lines going across the frame horizontally, and two vertically, with four intersection points. Place your main subject on or close to one of these intersec­tions. By getting your main subject out of the middle of your frame, you will usually end up with a more dynamic photo.

Be Intimate

Getting close with your camera lets you emphasize your subject, helps viewers of your photograph feel like they are in the scene, and gives the image more impact. Make sure your main subject is big enough in the frame to grab attention. I especially like using wide-angle lenses for my close-ups. They let you focus on subjects less than a foot away from the cam­era, making them appear large in your viewfinder, while also capturing some of the background scenery in order to create a sense of place. Just remember to be safe with this idea. Get­ting close to a lady’s slipper or your 2-year-old is one thing. Trying to take up-close shots of rattlesnakes or mountain li­ons may not be healthy!

Photo Tips from a Pro, cont'd >>