 |
November 20, 2009 |
  |
Created and Maintained by: The Photoimaging Information Council |
|
|
Columns |
|
George Schaub, the editorial director of Shutterbug and eDigitalPhoto magazines, has reported on the digital imaging scene for 12 years and has tested and written about digital cameras for numerous publications. He has lectured and led workshops on digital imaging and taught at the New School University in New York for 12 years. This is George’s third year teaching at The Workshops.
 TIP: Even if you photograph in the same areas there will always be something unique about the time and place. Keep your eyes open even in familiar territory and you'll find something new and exciting to photograph. This photograph was made in August during the "monsoon" season in New Mexico. Although it's pretty rare for rain to fall in this part of the state August gets a good share. We arrived after a big thunderstorm and puddles had formed, making this reflection scene one that would be impossible to shoot throughout most of the year.
 PHOTO:George Schaub TIP: Photograph at the Talk to experienced landscape photographers and one consistent piece of advice is to get up early and stay out late. No, that's not burning the candle at both ends. It means that the best light is right before and after dawn and right before and after dusk. In fact, moviemakers call this the "golden hour" since the light is so soft and beautiful at those times. Any landscape, particularly one with warm colors will benefit from having the patience, and some times the gumption, to photograph in the right light.
 PHOTO:George Schaub TIP: Look for and use directional light. Part of the excitement of working with the golden hour light is the strong directional character of the light. "Directional light" means the light is coming from a low angle from the side of your subject and not landing on it from over your shoulder. This type of light emphasizes texture and casts deep shadows, a great way to compose to get dramatic photos. When you see this light on your subject walk around to take advantage of it and get the best point of view. The combination of strong light and the light's warm color enhances all the texture of this sea-worn wood.
 PHOTO:George Schaub TIP: Use the rule of thirds to help with compositional balance. This golden hour photograph brings up another rule of thumb in landscape photography: to compose using the rule of thirds. I'm one who feels that most rules are made to be bent if not broken. But the rule of thirds is more about balance than it is a straightjacket of composition. Here the picture is divided into rough thirds--the first third being the sun streaming across the sunflower field at the bottom of the frame; the second being the dark space and mountain range in the distance; and the top third being the beautiful sky. If you look at just the horizon line and the sky you'll notice that the picture is actually divided in two. The light defining the sunflowers creates the feeling of balance of thirds.
 PHOTO:George Schaub TIP: Use foreground elements to add visual interest to photos of open spaces. Photographs of vast open spaces can be interesting but we often need a "hook" to catch our visual interest. One of the ways I do this is to include something typical in the foreground of the photo and have the rest of the scene sweep away to the right or the left. I rarely put the foreground subject in the center of the frame. By including this element, I can show both something interesting about the area and how the whole area looks, both in the same frame.
 PHOTO:George Schaub TIP: Don't put your camera away in stormy weather. Lots of people put their cameras away when it's not a sunny day. I often think just the opposite. Blue-sky pictures are fun and easy, but the real drama comes out when the sky is blustery and changing. Shafts of light strike the earth from many directions and new patterns continue to form in the sky. This is a great time to make pictures that express all the power and glory of nature. The clouds in this photo were building toward a huge summer storm.
 PHOTO:George Schaub TIP: Color can be as exciting on overcast days as it is on bright sunny days. The front was lingering all day off shore with a break above the horizon line. The colors of the sea and sky kept shifting and the waves took on a pearly, opal-like quality. We often think that we can only get good color on bright, sunny days. In fact, we can get even more exciting color when the sky is overcast or when weather throws different color light at the earth. The sky is like a big filter. It diffuses the light and changes the prevailing color moods all the time. Color often shows its true richness and potential on days like this.
 PHOTO:George Schaub TIP:Use panoramic format for exciting and different landscape images. Landscape photography is an ideal subject for panoramic photography. We are so used to seeing in a standard rectangular frame that the long, thin panoramic format can add a visual kick because of the way it helps us see differently. It also eliminates repetitive sky or too much unnecessary information in the foreground. I love panoramic format for landscapes like this. All Advanced Photo System and many 35mm point and shoot 35mm cameras have the panoramic format. Next time you're doing nature or landscape pictures give it a try.
 PHOTO:George Schaub TIP: Keep your eyes open for the beauty and designs of nature. Use photography as a way to record and appreciate the many varieties of light. I look for patterns and designs in my work and love the intricate workings of nature. No matter how much we may be enamored of our own architecture, machinery or even the amazing technology of photography and computing, we see the pettiness of our conceits when comparing those things with the incredible beauty and symmetry of any tree in our yard. The seasons offer a great opportunity to see design and pattern changes at work. During spring the new buds and leaves literally leap onto the branches and the tree throws light in many ways. Light is transmitted, diffused, diffracted and goes through many color and brightness changes as it passes through the tree to our eyes. Photography allows us to hold onto the beauty we see in something as simple and magnificent as a tree.
 PHOTO:George Schaub TIP: Try out close-up photography for an exciting look at a newfound world. We rarely take the time to look at things closely. We rush around and forget that we are surrounded by an intricate design and pattern where form and function are perfectly blended together. A leaf on a tree is one example. Each part of the pattern and design has a function, yet that functionality is almost masked by the beauty of the design. Photography helps us see closer with macro settings on point and shoot cameras and special macro lenses for 35mm SLRs. There's a whole world of exciting close-up photography to be explored through the lens.
 PHOTO:George Schaub TIP: Landscapes are more than scenes of nature. They can be photos of manmade landscapes as well. Use your camera to describe your own personal and social landscapes too. What's this? A picture of a construction site in a city? How does that fit in with all these nature and landscape pictures? The point is that there's more to landscape photography than nature scenes. A landscape is a picture of your surroundings, one that communicates a sense of place. Although this is a manmade landscape, even to the point of the trees being sunk into concrete, it is certainly an image of a certain place at a certain time. It shows our sense of design and order as much as the image of a leaf shows nature's designs.
 PHOTO:George Schaub Conclusion George Schaub has been traveling and making landscape images for the past thirty years. As part of our Masters Photographer Series, Schaub presents series of tips gleaned from his experiences and shown through images made in every part of the United States. George Schaub is the author of two recent books on landscape photography; both published by Stackpole Press. How to Photograph the Outdoors in Black and White (1998) and How to Photograph in Natural Light (2000) cover both technical and compositional matters. Schaub has always emphasized that seeing and creating an image that communicates a sense of place are the most important aspects of successful landscape photos.  PHOTO:George Schaub
|
|
|||||||||||||||||||
© 2002 - 2009 Take Great Pictures |
|||||||||||||||||||||
