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Backpacker Magazine – March 2010
Shoot Like a Pro: Landscapes - Wide Angle, Zoom, & Macro
Whether you're shooting wide angle or on zoom, learn how to best capture the beautiful scenery around you.
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Tags:
- Skills |
- Digital cameras |
Macro
Detail shots of blossoms, lizards, and bugs add variety to your slideshow. Emphasize the subject with a shallow depth of field that keeps the object in focus while artfully blurring the background. » Choose subjects carefully. Close-ups emphasize flaws as well as beauty, so hunt for the brightest flower in the bunch.
» Set your point-and-shoot to macro mode, which will make the depth of field smaller, and focus to within an inch of the lens. Or use an aperture between f/4 and f/8.
» Shoot macros on cloudy or foggy days, when diffused light erases harsh shadows and brings out tiny details. Even better: Use a polarizing filter to reduce glare. But skip close-ups when wind moves your subject around—unless you’re after a blurry foreground and background.
» Dark shadows on your subject? Pro fix: Use a portable diffuser to soften the light. Easier: Fill in shadows with a reflector made from a white piece of paper, shirt, or piece of foil. Easiest: Use your fill flash (dial it down one or two stops).
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READERS COMMENTS
For sunny days (harsh shadows) use a white umbrella.
It doesn't have to be a photo umbrella. White ones are hard to find. If you find one cheap, buy two.
Oh yeah- nice to have when it rains.
Wow this article couldn't be more wrong, its a horrible idea to shoot above F/8 or F/11, after that you will suffer softeness of your photos due to diffraction.
http://www.learnslr.com/slr-beginner-guide/digital-slr-learning-guide/hyperfocal-distance
Wow this article couldn't be more wrong, its a horrible idea to shoot above F/8 or F/11, after that you will suffer softeness of your photos due to diffraction.
http://www.learnslr.com/slr-beginner-guide/digital-slr-learning-guide/hyperfocal-distance
when I'm trying to photograph a wildflower up close and I want to blur the background, I will use my 16-35mm lens(canon L lens), I will place my camera/lens about 4 inches from the flower, letting the lens autofocus set the aperture( lens in aperture priorty), then once the lens has focused on the flower , take the shot.The backgound will blur, but the flower will be sharp.I have also antiqued the color of the photo in IPhoto in my Mac computer, giving the image an early 1930's Calif. water color look.Captures people's eye really quick with the unusal color.I also print the image on matte paper to help create the antique feel( Calumet Brillant satin white matte paper).
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