Inspiration from Popular Photography

I love this magazine. Every month, I am inspired to try at least one or two different ideas or approaches. This month's issue was no exception.

Earlier in the week, I'd mentioned how much I missed landscape photography. One of the articles in Popular Photography this month gives some ideas around hiking and what to pack during a hike, as well as some photography ideas. Some key tips that I will use:

1) Pack light, but well - for me this means leaving my telephoto lens at home, and just packing my kit and wide angle lenses - with a filter or two. A regular hiking backpack is recommended, which I have, but I think I'd need to throw in a t-shirt for padding and protection.

2) Research the area in advance. Learn what foliage and wildlife exist there, as well as peak times. In other words, get organized.

3) Avoid harsh sunlight. Use that time to scout and explore good photo opportunities.

4) Avoid the classic overlooks and look for inspiration along the way.

5) If possible, stay for sunset/twilight.

I was reminded of a few shots I'd taken in the past, and how I need to go back out:

The first two pictures were taken in northern Syria, the third was taken in the Shenandoahs, and the last was taken at Sugarloaf. These pictures remind me of how much my work has evolved over the last few years. I know I can do better than these!

I miss hiking. I went several months ago in WVA with a friend, but I'm not sure what I'd like to do in the near future. This weekend's weather (as well as my availability) aren't exactly optimal. However, I do need to make sure I get out this weekend and do something - and I have some ideas. Have a great one!

Photo Challenges

As you know, I try to enter contests every month (that didn't work out so well last month). I don't participate in photo challenges, though. But what are they?

Well, from what I can tell, they're like contests, but with a very specific focus. So as an example, contests can be about a subject like macro photography, but a challenge might restrict it by subject (one particular object, like a bottle) or colors. Something along those lines.

I came across the following challenge topics earlier today:

Day taken at night

Urban nature

Water bottle

Two colors

Backlighting subjects

i would have entered the two colors one, but it was too late. The backlighting subjects one was really interesting. I found myself digging through my portfolio to see if I had anything that would work. I can't say that it was an easy task, but it was interesting. These pictures seem to fit the bill:













Will I enter any of these? I really don't know. I might. I have until the end of the month to decide. However, learning about the technique, as well as really focusing on my work were activities that were well worth my time.

Tomorrow: A promo offer I received in the mail.

Tag - You're It!

In Flickr and in my blog, I do my best to tag and label everything, but I admit I'm sometimes sloppy. This is a big mistake. Case in point:



I don't like this picture. I don't like snow, period. But oddly enough, this was indexed somewhere in Google. According to Flickr, the keywords "Bethesda blizzard" take you to a page at Google, and this picture is relatively high up on the list.

Here's another example:



I like this picture, but it isn't my favorite in the album. However, it shows up in a Google search if you type "Kessab Syria".

Conclusions:

1) If I want to get the word out, I have to do a better job of tagging.

2) My popular photos aren't the ones I like the best. Especially not the blizzard shots, (shudder).

3) The more descriptive, the better - instead of just cities, specific buildings/areas of interest. Also, if I'm taking pictures of flowers, I should jot down the botanical names. Street names are useful, too.

I'm therefore going to spend the next few days back in Flickr. I'll add whatever tags I can. I don't remember every name of every butterfly or plant, but I'll do my best.

Speaking of blizzards, a post about winter and photography is inevitable. Not today, though. Till Monday! Have a great weekend!

Sunrises and Sunsets - Avoiding the Cliches

My condo has a western exposure. I was looking out the window a few days ago, and forgot how pretty fall sunsets are - nice and pink. Aside from the falling leaves, it's one of the only things I like about fall. The cold and dry air are not my friends!

But never mind my weather issues. Sunrises and sunsets are among the most photographed scenes. I also think they're among the most overused. Here's what I mean: they don't always look special. At worst, they can look so generic. Admittedly, I'm really guilty of this myself:



This was taken in 2007, in an area by the Turkish border. While I don't deny that this is pretty, I could have made it so much more interesting. Here are some examples of my work that I think are better:



To me, this is more interesting because of a few areas of interest: water, clouds, and people. On their own, not so interesting, but together - really cool looking.

Here's a sunrise example:



It's hard to see this, but there's a little bird in the middle. It's an added touch (in my view) that makes this a bit more interesting. The footprints on the left also add a nice touch.

Here's one last one:



I like this one because it was taken in Key West - famous for its sunsets. I put the sunset in the background (with the ship in the distance), and focused on the geometry of where I was - straight lines. To me, it's a good mix of the natural and man-made.

Some other tips to consider:

1) Shoot in RAW, if you can - you can easily correct exposure mistakes in Aperture or Lightroom

2) Try different angles. My Destin and Kessab sets were all about moving around and seeing which shapes I could create. You never know what could crop up.

3) The horizon tool in most post-processing tools is your friend. Don't worry so much about making the picture straight - if you're only a few degrees off, it's not hard to fix - and you won't lose much.

Till tomorrow!