Aug
1st
Author: admin |
Files under Natural World
Hostile and uninviting though they may seem, deserts can be wonderfully rewarding for photographers. We tend to visualize deserts as vast, arid wastelands, but in fact, most are rich with life.In the more barren desert regions, because the geologic and graphic components are so minimal--sand, rock, sky, and some plants--your compositions will by necessity often verge on the stark and abstract. In searching for and composing such scenes, then, exploit the visual simplicity to reveal the harsh nature of the place: ripples of wind-driven sand cresting into nomadic dunes, fractured patterns of cracking mud in long-dry watering holes, the delicate trail of lizard tracks leading from 
The best mountain photos are made by photographers who rise before the sun and rest only after it has. In his book Mountain Light, celebrated mountaineer and outdoor photographer Galen Rowell writes that "light during the magic hours [dusk and dawn] mixes in endless combinations, as if someone in the sky were shaking a kaleidoscope." The pinks, yellows, golds, and reds of dusk and dawn are hallmarks of his work and make Rowell's shots instantly recognizable. 
There is an important point about photographing mountains: You must include some visual clue to indicate the true magnitude of the scene around you. Scale is probably more important in shooting mountain peaks and ranges than with any other subject.One way to establish a sense of scale is to use a wide-angle lens (24 mm to 35 mm) or wide-zoom setting and include an immediate foreground subject–a clump of wildflowers or a travel companion, for example. 
The glistening white sands, turquoise waters, and vibrant blue skies of tropical beaches are the stuff of which wall calendars (and daydreams) are made. Capturing the simple beauty of such scenes is relatively easy if you keep a few basic concepts in mind.
In the hands of a creative photographer, an artful landscape can be made of any subject from a New England farm to an Inca ruin in Peru. Landscapes are simply photographs that describe an outdoor place–any place at all.The natural inclination–especially in scenic areas–is to put on a wide-angle lens and randomly take in as much of a vista as possible, assuming that the beauty or intrigue of a place will carry the photograph. Usually it won’t. While a wide-angle lens’s ability to include a broad view can be a real blessing, often it is better to use a telephoto lens to isolate a particularly interesting portion of a scene. In either case, you must find a way to organize and present your landscapes with as little excess baggage as possible. 
