down the contrast.
Figure 14-6 shows an example of a forest scene photographed on a partially cloudy day with the sun being diffused by a thin layer. Notice how you can see detail throughout the entire scene. The scene shows no blown-out highlights or shadow areas that are too dark to see. The forest's natural level of contrast is enough to work well in this lighting condition.
Figure 14-6: A forest photographed in cloudy conditions to reveal an ideal amount of detail.
Find ways to make your subject stand out when shooting in this condition. Here's how:
Shoot from a perspective that gives a clear view of your subject with no merging background elements. Head to Chapter 8 for more information on perspective.
Use a shallow depth of field to eliminate the impact of competing elements. Chapter 7 provides detail on using depth of field.
Taking advantage of night in the forest
In the forest, the most interesting light occurs just before, during, and right after sunrise and sunset. The easiest way to be ready for that light is to set up camp overnight. Doing so allows you to shoot until after sunset and not have to hike out in the dark (which can be dangerous). By camping out, you also can wake up in the morning before sunrise and be ready to shoot.
The best part of camping in the forest is that you get to shoot at night. You'll likely find that some of your most interesting images are ones that were taken in the dark. Sometimes I set up my composition while some light is still available, and then I leave the camera in place on the tripod for later.
Here are some tips to consider when shooting at night:
Test your shutter speed. With a full moon, you can get decent exposures of most scenes with a 15to 30-second shutter speed. On darker nights you may want to shoot on
Purchase a cable release for your shutter. This cable enables you to leave the shutter open without having to touch the camera during the exposure. Not touching the camera during exposure is important so you don't introduce blurriness. When the shutter is open for a long time, every movement, including the natural shaking of your hands, will be shown as blurriness or motion.
Take advantage of the campfire. The light provided by your campfire sometimes adds an interesting quality to your nighttime images. The night's light is cool in temperature, and the fire's light is warm. (Flip to Chapter 10 for more on color temperatures in light.) In other words, the moonlight provides a bluish color to the scene, and the fire produces an orange glow on the elements that are affected by it. Color temperature is good for adding some color contrast to your composition. The trees closest to the fire will have a warm glow, and the elements farther away will remain cool and blue.
Use your flashlight to paint light into the scene. With the shutter open, shine the light on your subject or supporting elements and move it around as if you were painting with it.
In Figure 14-7,1 used a 15-second exposure to capture the sky and the stars. While the shutter was open, I used my flashlight to paint light onto the limestone in the foreground to brighten it and reveal it as the subject.
Shoot at night near a river, stream, ocean, or lake. These bodies of water can provide amazing results. The motion of the water causes a smoothing effect on your final image and causes interesting things to happen to reflections.
Figure 14-7: Painting with light when capturing a nighttime image in the forest.
Chapter 15. Shooting Still-Life Photography
Bringing life and meaning to photographs of still objects
Styling an arrangement of flowers, fruit, or food in an image
Creating superior images of buildings and interiors
Photographing objects (rather than people) comes with particular joys V and challenges. One of the joys of photographing still-life objects and architecture is that you're working with subjects that don't move. You can concentrate solely on your composition and lighting without having to worry about directing your subject or having it become bored.
But objects also require you to get all the details just right. Good composition and good lighting always are important in photography, but they're especially important when you photograph subjects that aren't alive. Living subjects can bring more to your message through expression and body language. Objects don't have that quality, so your message relies completely on what you're photographing and how you photograph it.
In this chapter, you find information on how to create beautiful photographs of fine art and commercial still- life subjects as well as flowers both in the studio and in their natural locations. I also cover the art of architectural and interior photography, including tips for getting the perfect composition and lighting your scenes.
Making Everyday Objects Interesting
For example, a pair of soccer cleats hanging from a rusty nail in your grandfather's shed could make a great fine-art subject. Dramatic lighting on the weathered cleats set in the rustic environment would create a sense of nostalgia. Product photography, on the other hand, wouldn't show old cleats. A new pair of cleats hanging in the locker room would be more likely to show that the cleats are used by someone on a team.
In the following sections, I provide pointers on shooting both fine art and commercial product photos.
Seeing objects as fine art
Fine art is fun because you can show objects for what they really are, or you can fabricate their relevance in any way you choose. Either way, a fine-art photograph is your personal work, and you can say whatever you want in it. Nostalgia works particularly well in fine art because it speaks to the human condition. Things fall apart or change through time. There's something romantic about photographs that reveal this aspect of life.
