Everyone loves being outside in the summer. The sun is shining and the weather is warm, which enables you to do a lot of things outdoors. But the outdoors brings special challenges when it comes to photography. Don’t let the weather outside or the time of year intimidate you into staying indoors for fun or photography. Being prepared will allow you to enjoy yourself and take great photos you can display in your digital picture frame at home. Here are some challenges to plan for when taking outdoor shots throughout the year.
1. Composition – Don’t forget the basics
While composition is always a concern, remember that outdoors, you really have to focus on the basics. Wires or branches coming out of your subjects head and other odd items behind your subject(s) are common in outdoor photography.
Do preview your shots for these basic mistakes. Move your subject, use a different angle or adjust your shooting spot.
2. Do use the golden hours, if that fits your objective
The hour after sunrise and the hour before sunset are known as the golden hours. Wonderful possibilities exist if you use these timeframes for your shots…warm light, golden highlights on subjects, and a soft glow if you use a shallow depth of field in your photo. But these time frames don’t leave much room for error or setup so you’ll need to think through your objective, subject matter and location, and whether these time frames will work for you. If you are shooting nature, great, because you will be the only person involved and can prep your equipment and plan the time to get to your location, even scouting the area ahead of time to see how long you need to prepare.
If, however, you are shooting subjects for a family portrait or as a Christmas gift for mom, think long and hard about whether this will work. Everyone has to get to the correct area early enough to set up and you must get the area set up. You won’t have much time to shoot and take various shots when moving several people around. Don’t plan around one of these times unless you can determine that the extra planning and timing to get your subjects to the area early is very probable.
3. Don’t forget the effects of the sun
The sunny days of summer are great for outdoor activities but make quite a challenge for photos. So embrace those cloudy days of fall, winter and spring! But if you do happen upon a sunny day, you will need to make some adjustments.
Midday, when the sun is at its highest, is the time to avoid, if possible. To keep shadows away from a subject’s face, you will need to consider the area. Trees don’t always work, they can create a spotted effect on faces. You’ve heard to keep the sun at your back when you shoot, but then your subject is squinting or will have shadows on their face, most likely, their eyes. Consider using a flash for fill-in lighting to take out shadows(closer up if you have an unadjustable flash on your camera); underexpose and/or use a polarizing filter in full, bright light; use a lens hood if your camera uses one; or have your subjects turn away from the light by angling their head in a different direction. If there are a few clouds in the sky, you could also try to set up and shoot when a passing cloud goes by.
Cloudy days allow you to take sharp shots without shadows and set up in any direction, with good color saturation. Do understand that clouds are your friend!
4. Do consider your outdoor subject
Whether photographing people or landscapes, consider the rule of thirds, that can be used for either. So, having mentally divided your photo into thirds both horizontally and vertically, try putting the main subject in one of the thirds, to create a more interesting panorama when viewing in an electronic picture frame. Another way to bring focus to the main subject is to use a shallow depth of field, which softens the other areas of your photo outside your main subject.
In low light situations, try to use a cable release and tripod to avoid shake, as the lens is open for so long. Another way to keep a steady hand is to use the self-timer if your camera has one. Don’t use a flash near candlelight or a campfire or you will lose the feature you’re photographing.
5. Don’t stress too much about things out of your control
Taking photos outdoors can make for incredible pictures, especially if you include nature in your photos. But the tradeoff can be control. Nature, including wind, rain and sunlight will all be issues you may have to account for and plan around. While shooting in urban areas you will have to contend with traffic and other people as well as the inevitable poles, buildings and signage that you need to check on in your photo composition.
Do your best to plan for all the potential issues you can think of, have a backup plan, and then be flexible if something else comes up. Learn from the experience and create a new plan for the next shoot. Try to remember the basic rules, but feel free to experiment once you’re more comfortable. And as with most skills, practice, practice, practice.
Don’t forget to protect your camera and other equipment from the elements, as well. And always bring extra items that you can’t run home for. Things like extra batteries and memory cards, extra lenses, etc… should all be available to you on site.
While summer may seem like the best time to take outdoor shots, you can definitely get amazing and even more interesting photos in other seasons. Don’t let the weather or temperatures keep you indoors all winter. With some extra planning and some extra clothing layers, you may find you prefer the beautiful fall colors, snowy holiday scenes, or the intense colors after a rain for your best photo opportunities. Keeping some of these ideas in mind when shooting photos outdoors will help you be more successful. Then, display your best works in a handsome, digital frame as impressive as your photos, like those at Nixplay, the leading digital photo frame provider.
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Melanie has been writing about business topics for several years and currently writes on behalf of Nixplay. When not writing, she can be found working on her world perspective through travel; or challenging her heart rate through tennis, running or attending a Kansas City Royals baseball game. You can find her on LinkedIn.
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