The Watchman, Zion National Park
This is one of the most photographed views in the United States (doesn't crack the top 5 though). It's only three hours from Las Vegas. Typically photographed as a sunset shot, it is so popular that there are places marked for "photographers" on the bridge that I took this from. So taking this photograph on a typical day will not get you a very unique image (unless there is some unusual weather conditions). However, if you are there why not take it? It's still a eautiful scene!
I took this at about mid morning in April. Twenty minutes earlier it was completely overcast, windy and cold. Hence, my collegues and myself were the only ones shooting. I guess we got a little lucky - no fighting for spots. Not the ideal light but the scene was utterly dull before the sun appeared.
One of the best things to photograph in Zion called the "Subway" was too deep in cold water for us to venture into during our brief stay, but if you are in the Vegas area, this park as well as the Valley of Fire, Bryce Canyon, Paria, and of course the Grand Canyon are all worth the drive.
-Vin Singh
Timing Is Everything
As we say in photography over and over: It's all about the light. A few posts back I was talking about when to photograph landscapes. In a nutshell, I mentioned that it is generally best just after sunrise and just before sunset (with of course many exceptions). I was rummaging through some photographs from a family trip last year and had a sequence of photographs that emphasized just how short that "magic light" period really is.
The two photographs attached are taken only 30 minutes apart. They are of the same mountains in the Sedona area, just a different crop and angle as I was making my way up "Bell Rock". The one taken first, the sky barely retains any detail, shadows are strong (too dark) compared to the red rock. Speaking of the "Red Rocks", they do not really look to red, rather a pale orange thing. Not a very effective image.
The second one taken a mere 30 minutes later, has deep colours, the sky (although lacking in some drama due to only a few low lying clouds) has detail. The foreground, although in complete shadow, doesn't appear as deep and contrasts favourable against the red rocks.
So the next time you see before you a great scenery and it still an hour or two before sunset, do yourself a favour and make sure you see it (and photograph it) as the sun sets. It will most likely go from great to amazing.
Some notes, both images taken with Panasonic GF1, hand held using a 17mm f1.7 kit lens. This combination cost me around $700. The images are good enough for 13"x19" print. The newer model is even better. I use this combo when on family trips - it's much more practical that using my DSLRs and the big lenses that go with them. So what I'm essentially saying is that you don't need to spend $$$ - even point and shoots should be able to get images like this without much fuss as long as you wait for the right light.
-Vin Singh
Near, Middle and Far
The challenge in wide angle shooting as opposed to telephoto shooting is that there is usually a large depth of field involved. With telephoto shooting, there is usually a strong subject matter and limited depth of field (out of focus background behind and/or in front). This is especially true of bird photography where the intent is to have the bird in focus and the background smooth and out of focus, eliminating any distracting elements such as branches.
However, with landscape (normal to wide), the object is usually to have relatively sharp focus from front to back (it's ok to have distant subjects a little out of focus indicating large distances). The wider the angle, the more foreground there usually is to deal with. If anyone has ever tried very wide lenses, it's not so easy taking interesting images. That is usually because there is nothing of interest in the foreground and middle ground. This makes only the background is of interest and the image fails as a whole (unless there is some extraordinary lighting etc).
The image attached, I believe has something of interest in the foreground all the way to the far distance. This was a relatively easy example but sometimes it's not so easy. How do you work on this? There are many ways, but one is to get lower to the ground and put subjects like flowers, rocks into the bottom of the frame. In order to have foreground and background in focus you will need our lens set to f8 or higher (see previous blog on how to use hyper-focal settings to maximize depth of field). If shooting at a distant mountain, hopefully a lake will allow you to use reflections as the middle ground. Otherwise, trees, shrubs etc can be easily used for middle ground subjects.
How did I get the foggy look on the shore? See my previous blog: http://vinsingh.posterous.com/77541150 on long exposures.
-Vin Singh
Panoramics, Megapixels and Large Prints
Until recently, affordable digital SLR ($500-$2000) cameras where "limited" to less than 10Megapixels. I use the word limited with quotes for a few reasons. First of all, if you love to watch your photographs with friends or family on your 50" high definition television (HDTV) - and most people think they look fabulous - you are actually only watching a 2 Megapixel image. Nobody looks at a 50" TV from 6 inches away, we usually will watch it from 5-15 feet away. In this case no camera on the market today from $50 upwards is pixel limited.
If your are printing the standard 4"x6" or 8"x10" photographs the same case applies, no camera on the market is holding you back. Even cell phone cameras can print those sizes with great results.
Large prints on another hand are a different matter. My best selling photographs are usually printed large (3 - 10 feet on the long side). This image, I believe looks good printed about 3-6 feet wide. The problem then is that people, for all sorts of reasons, will want to go up close (6 -12 inches away) and look at the detail. With 6MP or 12MP it's just not going to get there.
What to do? Well you can just rent or buy a $40,000 Medium format 40 or 80 MegaPixel camera, but I think that for most of us the money would be better spent somewhere else. An easier option is to "stitch" multiple photographs together. Lets get the needle out! The idea is to take multiple photographs of the scene and then use software like photoshop (many others) to combine them into a single photograph (These days it is real simple, just click the images you want to stitch and let the software do it's thing). The attached photograph was a 4 shot stitch. I can print this image about 6 feet wide and it will still look great at 1 foot away (not that it's the best way to view a pano! ).
Some simple tricks for creating panoramic photographs (some of these can be overcome by good software):
1) Use a tripod - even though in good light you may not need one, you'll less likely to make a mistake
2) If you have the flexibility with your camera, use aperture priority, select the aperture you want to shoot at. Then scan across the entire scene, note the highest shutter speed. Put the camera into Manual mode and set for the aperture and shutter speed noted.
3) Set the White Balance (best guess). This can be changed later if shooting RAW.
4) Overlap your images by about 30% - it gives the software an easier time and prevents you from accidentally missing an area.
5) Maximize your flexibility by shooting in portrait orientation.
6) Happy shooting :)
You've now got 12, 24, 36, 48, 124....Megapixel camera "limited" not!
For you that are novices, I may have mentioned a few things in here that you may not have understood. I will do my best to respond to any questions, so don't hesitate to ask!
-Vin Singh
Mesquite Dunes, Death Valley
Landscape photographers have to wake up a few hours before dawn and make their way to the desired location before the light - usually in total darkness (unless you are somewhere near the poles in summer :~) ). Last time a group of us photographers were out in death valley, we hit these dunes in pure darkness. We had no sense of direction as there was no moon out and could not see any features, mostly because in the rush of things, the GPS was forgotten. So to get to the point (pun intended), scope out the location the day before and when you get to the area or exact location that you would like to photograph, mark it on your GPS. On the way back, ensure your tracks are recorded. The following morning should then be a simple task for your GPS unit to track back. Just remember the flashlight.
-Vin Singh