Learning to See: Finding Foreground

When we're on location, we spend a lot of time looking for foreground. We're looking for something more interesting than scrub or gravel. We want to convey a sense of location - not just distant, untouchable beauty... but the feeling that you are a part of this place. You can feel the air on your skin, reach out and touch it, walk into it. We want you to feel that this place is right in front of you. You are standing there experiencing it in person. Maybe that's asking a bit much from a photograph, but we do try. :)

The above photo is from Snowmass Wilderness in Colorado. We spent hour wandering these beautiful hillsides - looking for foreground in a place that offered stunning beauty, but not much foreground. I used the interesting bark of the tree to give the viewer a sense of the texture of the bark. When you know how that papery, white bark looks and feels, you gain a deeper understanding of the place. That's my theory, anyway.

I think that if you can get up close and personal, your brain interprets the image more fully. You start to feel the textures in the bark, the warmth of the sun on your face - you know these sensations, and when you see a photograph, memory mingles with vision to evoke a response. This shot from the everglades in Florida is entirely different from the last one. When you look at a photo, do you take the time to let the sensations of the place sink in? The dry grass crackling underfoot, the wind rattling in the trees, the light filtering through heavy thunderheads. And does the foreground in this shot help draw you in?
And what about shooting in locations that seem similar to one another? Is one desert just like the next? Sand, tumbleweed, dune... how do I convince you that you haven't this this desert before? The sky - lovely as it is - doesn't tell you a thing about where you are. The distant mountains are indistinct... it's the foreground that gives you a sense of place.This is Utah's beautiful desert (above). And this one is in California's Death Valley National Park.
And this is Arizona. Foreground isn't always necessary - but it can be an important defining element. Get creative! Invite the viewer to step into your mind and see through your eyes.

Does finding a foreground element and composing an image come naturally to you? Or do you struggle to include foreground details in your photos? Do you have suggestions or tips for other photographers? Comments are always welcome. Maybe others can learn from your experience!

Learning to See: Looking at the Details

Sometimes we are so captivated by the sweeping grandeur of grand vistas, that we fail to notice the beauty in the details. The breathtaking colors in the sky grab our attention - but what about that tiny seed pod that seems to glow from within as it it touched by those last fingers of light? Does it end up crushed under our feet as we rush to get the sunset shot? Are you guilty of the same crime?

When the light isn't perfect, Varina always pulls out her macro lens. At Banff National Park, we spent most of a bright, sunny morning exploring Sunshine Meadows. The mountainsides were covered with wildflowers – and thousands of wild Anemone's that had lost their petals were going to seed. Their wispy heads were beautiful against the green meadow grass, and it would have been easy to cast a shadow for a nicely lit, if somewhat standard shot. Instead, Varina went in search of something different. She found this anemone in a shady and cool alcove near the lake. It's downy head was a brighter white than many of the others, and the sun had not yet burned the dew away. She set up her 180mm macro lens and waited for the wind to die down before shooting. The lovely head of the anemone flower is beautiful on its own, but the minuscule water droplets take the shot beyond the ordinary.Although Varina has loved macro photography for years, Jay only ventured into the land of macro recently. He photographed this ghost crab with a 180mm Macro lens on island of Kauai in Hawaii. He sat in the sand for half an hour, and waited for the tiny, nearly-invisible creatures to venture out of their holes. The tiny grains of sand you see so clearly, here, are wonderfully smooth under your bare feet, and the crab measures only about an inch and a half in size... including it's legs. It takes real patience to photograph these skittish little crustaceans.

The macro lens is great - but what if you don't have one? Just look for larger details, and include background in your shots. Jay took this photograph of water droplets on a leaf last Fall with Canon's 17-40 F/4 lens.

And here's a shot from the Everglades in Florida, taken with a Canon 135mm f/2.0 prime. This is the lens we usually use for photos of our kids up on stage during a school performance. The lens you own may not be intended just for shooting details - but that doesn't mean you can't use it for that purpose!
During our workshops, we try to encourage student to venture into the world of detail photography when the weather is not particularly attractive for grand vistas. Here's a shot from our most recent on-location workshop in Death Valley. These crystals were only a few millimeters in diameter.So next time you are looking for inspiration under an uninspiring sky... stop and take some time to examine the details. Maybe there is a photograph right in front of you!

What lens do you use for detail shots? Do you have a true macro/micro lens - or are you making do with another lens? Do you have any tips for others who are trying to find beauty in the little things? Comments are welcome and appreciated... we know you have something to offer other photographers! We are all learning from each other!

Learning to See: Unique Perspective

In our first two posts on learning to see creatively, we talked about shooting in less-than-perfect lighting conditions, and using creative compositions. This third post will focus on shooting from a unique perceptive. Explore the location from every angle, and look through your camera's viewfinder to try a variety of different compositions. Get the attention of the viewer by doing something something different or unexpected - why not shoot from inside a cave or behind a waterfall rather than choosing the same spot every other photographer has shot from?

During our visit to Kootenay National Park in Canada, we visited a burnt forest. The day was hot and humid - and we were there in the middle of the afternoon. Although Jay's primary goal was to shoot wildflowers growing in the region, he wanted to capture the remains of the forest fire as well. At first, he tried typical shots of trails and burnt trees, but nothing really impressed him. As he prepared to leave, he looked up at the clouds and realized he wasn’t thinking creatively. He took this shot of dead trees towering overhead with his camera pointed straight up towards a languid sky.

We visited Antelope Canyon in May - hoping to capture the sunbeams for which the slot canyon is famous. The sun was high in the sky, and we threw handfuls of sand into the air to catch the light as it streamed through gaps in the overhanging canyon walls. The bizzare twists and turns of the canyon walls made the location seem almost surreal - and Varina tilted the camera to make the most of an unusual composition.

Like most visitors, when Jay visited Dry Tortugas, he was instantly drawn to the colors and textures of this beautiful location. When he saw the old but majestic Red Fort surrounded by shallow turquoise waters, he made up his mind to shoot the location from the sky. The next day, he chartered an over-wing airplane and flew to Dry Tortugas just as dawn was breaking on the horizon. He took this photograph from high above the beautiful park.

Tips for Unique Perspective

• Get down close to the ground and look straight up at the sky to capture the scene from an unusual angle.
  
• Shoot from the air to capture a bird's-eye view.
  
• Tilt your camera and use unusual angles to create an abstract photograph.
• Shoot from inside, under, or behind objects to add an element of surprise to your images
  

Learning to See: Midday Light

Once the sun is high in the sky, photographers begin to worry about harsh shadows and blown highlights. But, with a bit of creative thinking, even direct sunlight can produce breathtaking and unique images. After shooting spring flowers in Great Smoky Mountain National park, Jay noticed that bright sunlight was filtering through the trees overhead, and creating fascinating patterns on the ground. He shot this photograph of a Trillium flower lit by direct sunlight. He reduced the exposure to prevent the overexposure of the petals, which made the Trillium seem to glow among the darker leaves nearby.

Another trick for shooting at mid-day is to look for areas that are completely in shade or completely in sun. For this shot, Varina waited until the sun was covered by clouds - once the scene was completely in the shade, she took the shot. The photo was taken around 3:30 pm, but with an interesting foreground and sky - and even lighting - the shot works despite the time of day.

Here are some other examples of shots that were taken at mid-day. This one, from Dry Tortugas National Park in Florida was taken in direct sunlight. It works because the scene is evenly lit.

And this one is from Navajo Falls near Supai, Arizona. The entire scene is in shade - except for the flaring sun coming through the trees behind the falls.

Tips for shooting in Miday

• Look for unique lighting when you shoot icons. You may have to return to the location several times to get great lighting.
  
• Look for areas that are either completely in sun or completely in shade to avoid harsh light.
  
• Use openings in between trees and canyon walls to capture a sun star effect.
• Use opening in the trees to capture a spotlight effect. Make smaller details the focal point in your image.
  

Learning to See: Creative Compositions: Part II

The first post in our Learning to See series explored the topic of Creative Compositions. Remember those tips we mentioned...?

• Find a new location to shoot that icon
• Experiment with different zoom lenses
• Change elevation of your camera
• Get up close to focus on textures and patterns rather then location
• Use reflections if available
• Place a human or wildlife element in the photograph

Here are a few examples to illustrate the point.
For the first photo, Varina shot directly into the sun with a Canon's 135mm f/2.0 L-series lens. You're looking at Everglades National Park. By using a 135mm lens on 1.6x camera, Varina was able to fill the frame with the few low hanging clouds on the horizon. It's not a typical shot from that location - though you'll see those famous back-lit spider webs in the foreground if you look carefully.

In the next two examples, Jay used human or wildlife elements as foreground points of interest.

And for this last shot, Varina used macro lens to capture this tiny leaf against patterned sandstone. The shot was taken near the Hanging Gardens in Page, Arizona - since the light wasn't right for broad landscapes, she focused on details and patterns instead.

Learning to See: Creative Compositions

As landscape photographers, we are trained to look for perfect light and stunning skies. We’re taught to shoot only during the golden hour, and only when the clouds are positively radiant with sunbeams. Most of us won’t even consider pulling out the camera when the sky is sunny and bright, or on hazy days when the image contrast is fairly low. Is this because there is nothing to shoot? Or are we just not looking at things creatively? Learning to see creatively is about thinking outside the box. Look for unusual lighting and unique composition. A different perspective can make all the difference in unfavorable conditions. And why not take it a step further? Creative processing techniques can bring out detail and interest that might get lost with more traditional methods.


One of the most common challenges for landscape photographers is capturing a unique image of an iconic location. “The Wave” in Arizona has been photographed by thousands, and it seems to have been shot from every angle many times over. Rather than taking standard shots, I forced myself to avoid the compositions that I had seen before. On this day, a pool of water filled the base of the wave. Bending down low, I noticed that I could fill a frame entirely with the wave and its reflection – creating an abstract composition that I had not seen before. I waited for the winds to calm down and took this shot under bright sunlight.
Tips for Creative Compositions

• Find a new location to shoot that icon
• Experiment with different zoom lenses
• Change elevation of your camera
• Get up close to focus on textures and patterns rather then location
• Use reflections if available
• Place a human or wildlife element in the photograph

Continued on Learning to See: Creative Compositions: Part II