FOREGROUNDS AND FILTERS – Photography Tip #14

It’s back-to-back photography tips!!  I hope you don’t mind!!

Last March, I began a journey.  It was a spontaneous journey ignited by the purchase of a Nikon L110 camera, which immediately exposed me to photography in a way I had never experienced.  Oh sure, I had always taken pictures. But, I actually knew nothing about the composition of a really good photograph.  So, I began to learn.  I soon found myself craving information – and new equipment!  In June, I purchased a Canon 50D! I began to read everything I could find about composition, exposure, F stops, shutter speed, aperture settings, and on and on.  I read magazines.  I read books.  I read blogs.  I attended classes.  I talked to experts.  I joined a photography club.  I did everything I could do to educate myself and create better photographs.

Believe me, I still have so much to discover. I mean, you could fill a library with information that I have yet to learn!  But what I have learned, I love sharing.

So, I invite you to examine the photograph immediately below.

For this photography tip (which is actually three tips in one), I ask you to follow me through the process that led me to the shot you see here.

My first shot of that scene is posted below.  Look at the difference!  This is what happens to me when I don’t think about a shot!  Sometimes, the landscape looks so beautiful to me – I just grab the camera, make a few exposure adjustments, and shoot!  When I do that, I usually find my camera filled  with shots like the one I captured below.  Wow!  I have so many shots like the one below.

So, how did I get from my first shot to the finished product?  Well, the very first thing I did was to carefully examine my shot after I had taken it.  That’s right!  The first mistake I initially made with my photography was to simply assume I was capturing exactly what I was seeing through the viewfinder.  I know that sounds obvious.  But, it wasn’t always the case for me.  Step #1, carefully examine your shot using the LCD screen on your camera and make your evaluation before moving on.

Next after carefully examining the shot, I realized I needed some help with the bright sun.  It was creating some dreadful washout.  The scene was so vivid, surely I could do a better job capturing it.  So, I removed my UV filter and replaced it with my polarizing filter.  After careful adjustment, the colors literally came to life!  Now, here’s a little tidbit of information I didn’t realize at first.  (Please remember, I had no knowledge of filters and such when I began this journey)  When I first used my polarizing filter I thought, this thing isn’t working!  In fact, I was about to return it when I finally realized – you must adjust the filter to the perfect density!  I know you’re all laughing right now.  But, I didn’t realize there was an adjustment I could make by rotating the filter to the exact setting that produced the greatest polarization, which in turn created the most color saturation.  Ha Ha Ha!  Let’s all laugh out loud together!  🙂

The polarizing filter created nice blue skies, lush green foliage, and vibrant red flowers.  It also brought out the cloud highlights in the sky!  That’s a huge difference for such a small, inexpensive accessory.  Step #2, experiment with a polarizing filter in all conditions – but especially in bright sunlight.

Having successfully enhanced the color with the polarizing filter, I began to look at the shot more closely – carefully examining the composition.  I thought it looked somewhat plain, even boring.  So, I began to look around and saw this very interesting tree immediately to my right.  How could I have missed this!  With its twists and turns, this tree has so much character it could make a wonderful stand alone subject!

Changing my perspective by only a few feet, strategically placed this tree perfectly into the frame.  Notice how I placed the structure exactly in the crook of the tree trunk.

Foreground interest is paramount to your frame composition!  Don’t overlook something that may be available that will give your shot some real character!  Step #3, look for interesting foreground objects to enhance your composition.

And this is the final result.  It’s important to realize that identical post processing has been applied to both photographs, which consisted of adjusting the shadows and highlights, saturating the color slightly, and cropping the unsightly parking lot that was to the immediate left.  By adding some foreground interest and attaching a polarizing filter, the shot is completely changed for the better.

I wanted to post one more example of a photo taken utilizing a polarization filter.  This one was terribly washed out without the filter.  But with it – vivid!

I hope this helps you as much as it has me!  When you’re shooting in bright daylight, attach your polarizing filter, position the sun at 90 degrees to your shot, and compose, compose, compose!!!!!

So glad you stopped by!

~ by photographyfree4all on November 22, 2010.