50 TIPS TO GREAT OUTDOOR IMAGES
Nature
and Landscape Photography for the Absolute Fun of It!
By
Dave Gafney
Whitetail deer in Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Tennessee (#WF0016)
Welcome! I hope you enjoy this sample of the first 6 of
"50 Tips to Great Outdoor Images"
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Contents
PART 1 - Look for the Magic, Go for the Depth!
PART 2 - Composing the Image: Some Tricks of the Trade
PART 3 - Equipment, Film and Accessories: Minimum Requirements
PART 4 - Photographing Wildlife
PART 7 - Lighting and Exposure
Salt Creek Falls in Willamette National Forest, Oregon (#PC0028)
Introduction
Before
there develops a real interest in outdoor photography, there should exist a love
for natural and wild places. I
have been in love with the idea of wilderness for as long as I can remember.
While growing up in small mill towns in heavily populated Massachusetts,
my daydreams frequently carried me away to Maine’s wild Allagash River or the
granite crags of Wyoming’s Bighorn Mountains – or at least to these places
as I envisioned them from the photographs I had seen in books and magazines.
It wasn’t until I reached my twenties, after graduating from college
and spending a year working in a paper factory, that I was able to begin my
exploration of the wild reaches of America.
I made my way across the United States, always veering toward the green
places on the map designating national parks and national forests.
The majestic diversity of this country’s landscapes was far more
awe-inspiring than anything I had conjured up in my fertile childhood
imagination. It was a life-changing
experience. To paraphrase George M.
Cohan, ‘How ya gonna keep em in the mill town after they’ve seen the High
Sierra?’ During the next two
decades I would spend many seasons working as an interpretive naturalist in
eight different national parks and as a wilderness ranger in national forest
wilderness areas in Colorado and Wyoming.
The little instamatic camera that I carried with me on that first
cross-country trip, and the slides that it produced, awoke within me an
understanding of the power and joy that can be derived through an earnest
attempt to capture the natural beauty and diversity of this land on film.
The images that I captured on that journey, twenty-six years ago,
included snapshots of elk in Yellowstone, mountain goats on Washington’s
Olympic Peninsula, and the flaming yellow aspens of the Colorado Rockies in
September. It was the beginning of a life-long love affair with
landscape and nature photography.
This CD is an attempt to share with you what I
have learned in twenty-five years of using a 35 mm camera.
It is not highly technical because I am not highly technical.
Nor is it the ultimate text covering all knowledge and science regarding
photographic technique. It is
simply a series of explanations and photographic tips that, when taken together,
constitute field photography as I love to practice it.
It covers the techniques, which I employ most often - techniques derived
from a combination of experience and study - which produced results that, for
me, have been personally and deeply satisfying.
You'll discover that lots of expensive equipment is not needed, so long as what you acquire is the right equipment. To prove this point, nearly all of the images on this CD were taken using only two moderately priced zoom lenses that cover a focal range of 24-300 mm, along with a few accessories such as a tripod and a handful of filters. You need not be fabulously wealthy to achieve great photography!
If you are not presently completely in love with nature and wild land,
then you may never develop the intuitive insights and visions necessary for the
kinds of inspiring images that will “knock-the-socks-off” of fellow human
beings. If the love is there, then
a grasp of the essentials of photographic technique may be what’s needed.
I truly believe that learning these essentials is not difficult.
Let’s start with what may be one of the most effective and
awe-inspiring compositions in landscape photography.
In the image above, mountain laurel provides a frame for the ancient and heavily forested Blue Ridge Mountains. It was photographed in Shenandoah National Park, Virginia. Nikon 8008s camera with 24-50 mm Nikkor zoom lens set at 24 mm, f/22 at 1/2 second, Fuji Velvia slide film (50 ISO), tripod & cable release used. (#AT0032)
Part 1: Landscapes - Look for the Magic, Go For The Depth!
I made this the first topic of discussion, for it may be the key to
transforming a photographic career of mediocrity into one where there is potential
exists for achieving truly awe-inspiring landscape images.
Almost always (some exceptions are discussed below), you should go for
maximum depth of field when photographing landscapes.
There is nothing more striking than an image with wildflowers splashed
across a foreground providing the frame for a majestic mountain backdrop - and
all of it in sharp focus! These are
the kinds of images mastered by photographers like Linde Waidhofer and Galen
Rowell that have stopped me dead in my tracks, as I made my way through
bookstores. The techniques employed are not difficult to master, but learn them you must and heed them well!
Goat
Rocks Wilderness, Washington
[Tip # 1]
Hey,
Don’t Kid Around, Go for Maximum Depth of Field!
The section of the Pacific Crest Trail that traverses Washington’s Goat Rocks Wilderness is indescribably beautiful. In the image above, Indian paintbrush and lupines create the splash of red and blue in the foreground while snow-clad Mt. Rainier can be seen in the distance with the volcanic crater of Goat Lake to its left. Shot with a Nikon 8008s camera with 24-50 mm Nikkor zoom lens set at 24 mm, f/22 at 1/4th second shutter speed, polarizer, tripod & cable release used.
Left: Daisies grow on the floor of Cades Cove in the Great Smoky Mountains
National Park, Tennessee
(#AT0033); Right:
Alpine buckwheat
grows
beside
the Pacific Crest Trail in Washington’s Gifford Pinchot National Forest
(#PC0029).
Stop
it Down, Dude!
Unless you have the steady hands of a surgeon, most of your hand held
shots will be taken at a shutter speed of 1/60th of a second or faster (with 50
ISO film - see Tip # 20 on using slow-speed slide film).
Otherwise, expect some blur. Even
with surgeon’s hands you will not be able to shoot below 1/30th of a second
while handholding your camera. This
means that on a sunny day, you will be shooting at f-11, give or take one
f-stop. The problem is that you are
no longer interested in taking the same shots that everyone else does.
You want a masterpiece, and greater depth is needed!
With a tripod you can stop it down to f/22 or the smallest aperture
opening that your lens allows. At
f/22, your through-the-lens (“TTL”) light meter will tell you to shoot at a
shutter speed of 1/4th second, give or take one or two f-stops.
Using the self-timer on your camera (or a cable release) allows you to
release the shutter while not touching any part of your camera or tripod.
The result, hopefully, will be an image with subjects near and far being
crisp and sharp. So use a tripod and stop it down! Remember that you want inspiring images that will move you to
such a degree as to turn you into a photographing fanatic!
In the images above of Cades Cove in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park and of a mat of alpine buckwheat growing beside the Pacific Crest Trail in Washington, a 24-50 mm Nikkor zoom lens was used, set at 24 mm. In both of these images, the f-stop was set at f/22 so as to allow for the smallest aperture opening and thus, the greatest depth of field. This tiny aperture opening required a longer exposure time (1/8th to ½ second, with 50 ISO film) that, in turn, required the use of a tripod.
Left: Whitetail deer in Cades
Cove, Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Tennessee (#WF0017);
[Tip # 2] OK,
Don’t Stop it Down!
In the image above left, a whitetail deer was photographed on the floor of Cades Cove in Tennessee. Located within the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Cades Cove is a photographer's dream. Its mix of woodlands and meadows provides ideal wildlife habitat and deer, bear, wild turkey and coyote abound. Three churches, barns, mountaineer's cabins and a gristmill are framed by 4000'-5000' mountains that completely surround the cove. Top it off with some of the most diverse plant life found anywhere outside of the tropics and you may begin to understand something of the magic of this place. I once had the privilege of spending six months living and working as an interpretive naturalist in Cades Cove. At the time, the National Park Service was reintroducing red wolves into the area and almost every night I was serenaded by the howls of these beautiful and endangered animals. Above right, three Indian paintbrush grow beside the Pacific Crest Trail beneath the snow-clad summit of Mt. Jefferson. I photographed these while trekking a segment of the trail that passes through the 1.6 million acres of Oregon's Willamette National Forest - a majestic piece of property that stretches for 110 miles along the western flanks of the Cascade Range. Both images were shot at f /5.6 in an attempt to capture the sharpest delineation of the primary subject. Both images were shot with Fuji Velvia (ISO 50) slide film.
P.C.T.
hikers, Sequoia-Kings Canyon
National Park, California
[Tip # 3] The
World’s Greatest Landscape Lens!
The image above was shot on a month-long hike that began among the giant sequoia trees of Sequoia-Kings Canyon National Park and included a 260-mile segment of the Pacific Crest Trail that passes through the spectacular John Muir and Ansel Adams Wilderness Areas, before entering the backcountry of Yosemite National Park. My hike came to an end on the floor of Yosemite Valley.
Appalachian
Trail sign, Shenandoah National Park, Virginia
[Tip #
4] Get
Hyperfocal Dude!
The hyperfocal distance is
that point between the foreground wildflowers and the distant ridges that when
focused upon allows for the greatest area to be sharp and clear.
Another way of saying this is that it is the point that allows for the
greatest area of sharp focus that includes the distant horizon.
To achieve this, I typically focus on an object that is 1/3rd the way
between the nearest subject that I want in focus - such as a foreground wildflower
- and the distant ridgeline. But
then I bracket – shoot a number of shots experimenting by focusing on objects
that are ½ of the distance between the near and distant subjects.
This experimentation includes some shots where I focus directly on the
nearby wildflowers. Until you get
your film back from the developer you will not know which image truly suits your
fancy. If you have a depth of field
review button on your camera then you are lucky and can quickly determine if all
the features that you want in focus, are in focus.
Some
lenses have markings that allow you to make specific
determinations of the hyperfocal distance.
By turning the infinity mark (¥) on your focus ring to that
point where it lies directly over the number that represents your smallest
aperture, a second line of numbers are aligned to show the hyperfocal distance.
For example, on my 24 mm fixed Nikon wide-angle lens, the number “15”
roughly lines up with the infinity
mark when the infinity mark is set over f/22.
The hyperfocal distance is approximately 15 feet away. Once you determine the hyperfocal distance, divide this
number in half to determine the “near limit,” or the point closest to you
that will be in focus, when you are focused on the hyperfocal distance.
In this example the near limit is approximately 7.5 feet.
Confusing, isn’t it? While
my prime lenses have this feature, my zoom lenses do not, and except for
occasional experimentation I don’t
often use this method preferring the easier to follow “one-third” method
mentioned above.
Gradually, over the years, I have been hiking the Appalachian Trail. Thus far, I have over half of it or 1100 miles completed. It is a piecemeal project involving hikes that range in duration from a half-day to four weeks. It is, in my opinion, as good a hobby as a guy can have - especially when a 35 mm camera is factored in. The trail is endlessly magical, mystifying and surprising - an endless procession of large and small photographic subjects are revealed as it makes its way from Springer Mountain in northern Georgia to Mt. Katahdin in northwestern Maine. The shot was taken with a Nikon 8008s camera with 24-50 mm zoom Nikkor lens set at 24 mm; Fujichrome 50 film; f/22 at ½ second.
Shooting the salt flats on the floor of Death Valley,
California
(#NP0027)
[Tip #
5] The
Dogma of the Holy Tripod:
In Tip #1, we discuss the importance of stopping down to a very small
aperture opening in order to achieve the greatest depth of field possible, and
how a very small aperture requires shooting at a slow shutter speed and
therefore, the need for a tripod. Remember,
it is not enough to understand the concept of maximizing depth of field, it is
more important that you come to truly appreciate the power of it.
The images that are most likely to have an impact on others are those
that possess a sense of being present within a place of beauty. You will not likely achieve such images without achieving
maximum depth of field, and you will not achieve maximum depth of field without
a tripod.
In addition to achieving maximum depth of field, there are other
important reasons to own and carry a tripod.
Later, we will discuss how a slow shutter speed can create a milky
appearance that can dramatize waterfalls and fast flowing streams.
We will also discuss the benefits of using slow-speed slide film and
therefore, the heightened need for a tripod in low light situations, such as
early evening. Hopefully, the
message is coming through. There
are too many situations where, if you are truly serious about photography,
handholding your camera will just not hack it!
Professionals argue the merits of large versus small, lightweight
tripods. Most would recommend a
large, sturdy tripod for greater stability. I once attended a lecture where the
speaker suggested leaning into the tripod and using the pressure of your body to
further stabilize it before shooting. If
you are low on liquidity (poor) and can’t afford one of each, I would opt for
a small tripod that when collapsed can easily be strapped to a backpack for
travel away from roads, where carrying extra weight conflicts with the
"enjoyment factor" of the extended hike.
But I admit that for front country shooting, nothing beats a large, sturdy
tripod. If you have the dollars, Gitzo and Bogan are tripod manufacturers with
good reputations. It’s
time to get serious - purchase a quality tripod and don’t leave home without
it!
A few years ago I spent a few days with friends on a photo shoot in Death Valley National Park. El Niño had caused the wettest winter in memory and the spring wildflowers were truly incredible, covering nearly every slope, as well as much of the valley floor. We felt truly lucky, for the weather continuously changed and, in a place that typically receives only two inches of rainfall per year, we saw storms break on distant ridges, a rainbow, wildflowers in abundance and, at one point even experienced a brief snow squall - in Death Valley an almost unheard of event! The kaleidoscope of changing conditions and the steady flow of photographic opportunities made for a truly magical few days! In the image above of a photographer on the salt flats of the valley floor, a 24-50 mm Nikkor zoom lens set at 24 mm was used, as was a polarizing filter and Fuji Velvia (50 ISO) slide film.
Left: Senecio
growing along
the Appalachian Trail in
Tennessee’s Cherokee National Forest (#AT0035); Right:
Desert dandelions in California’s Anza-Borrego Desert State Park
(#PC0032)
[Tip #
6] The
Split-Focus Filter:
With a split-focus filter attached and with your lens focused on
infinity, you can bring your camera close to a wildflower in the foreground while
simultaneously focusing on the background mountains.
The problem with the split-focus filter is the dreaded band of blur that
will form a swath across the lower middle area of the image (i.e. the upper part
of the close-up half of the split-focus filter).
Remember, close-up filters have almost no depth of field.
I have found that carefully composing the image can minimize this out of
focus area to the point that it does not detract from the photograph.
But it takes time to carefully compose the image, combined with a bit of
luck.
While I carry split-focus filters, I find that I don’t often use them,
relying more on the standard method of achieving maximum depth of field -
stopping down to a small aperture opening and shooting at a slow shutter speed
(see Tip # 1). But split-focus
filters can be fun to play with and if you are dealing with a "belly
shot," when you need to get closer to the ground than your tripod allows,
they can be useful. Does all this
mean that I should lighten up on the “always take your tripod” dogma?
Absolutely not!
The two images above were shot on opposite sides of the continent. In both, a split-focus filter was used. At right, desert dandelions bloom beneath the dry mountains of California’s 600,000-acre Anza Borrego Desert State Park. At left, the yellow blossoms of Senecio add color to the meadows of Beauty Spot. The shot was taken from the Appalachian Trail in Tennessee’s Cherokee National Forest. Both images involved the use of a 24 mm lens with a split-focus filter attached.
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Woods
Pond in the Berkshire Hills of western Massachusetts
Thanks for taking this partial journey with me through the world of wilderness and landscape photography. To order 50 Tips to Great Outdoor Images, please send a check or money order in the amount of $23.90* to Wild Earth Publications, P.O. Box 805, Gt. Barrington, MA 01230.
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©50 Tips to Great Outdoor Images by David Gafney, 2003
