The 365 Project: Week 34

Lake superior agates in the water

This week on Picaboo was all about photographing water.  Considering I live right along Lake Michigan's Little Bay de Noc, I'm pretty familiar with photographing the stuff.

Lake Stella in the early evening

The rising sun and thick morning mist made for a dramatic effect

There are of course  a few tips and tricks to keep in mind in order to get great shots of water however.  Many of my water photos are either along the beach or of waterfalls, which are my favorite.  In a general sense, consider your time of day.  The best times for taking gorgeous photos of water is morning and late afternoon though evening.  Cloudy or partly cloudy days are best for reflections and reduces glare off the water, giving you better color representation along with a better photo all around.  Of course if you're taking photos of a shaded water fall or creek for example then a sunny day may give you the best ambient lighting and give you a cool light filtering through the trees look.

Reflections of reeds in the early morning

Wagner Falls near Munising Mi

For capturing waterfalls there are a few ways to go about it.  You can set your camera to landscape and just point a shoot for a general photo or you can freeze the water or speed it up to give that silky water look.  To freeze water you can set your camera to the action setting or if you have a dSLR use a fast shutter speed such as 1/5000th of a second.  You may want to use a tripod to reduce camera shake.  This is also how you can capture those neat shots of dripping water or frozen in time fountains and sprinklers.

Water rushing over the rocks

To give the water a silky appearance as I have, you have to slow your shutter speed down.  Something close to a second should do the trick but play with the speeds till you get a shot you like.  If you don't have a dSLR you can try and use the night or firework setting but be sure to change your light meter (the +/- button) high on the + side to get more light in your picture. 

Water droplet on a coleus leaf

The 365 Project: Week 31 and 32

Rainbow Cove at the Pictured Rocks Natl Lakeshore in Munising, Mi

This week was all about taking photos of landscapes.  The photo above was featured in Picaboo's blog with the best of the week! I admit, some of these photos weren't actually taken this week, but they lend great examples of the theme along with the ones I did take this week!

Red rock outcrop in Marquette, MI

Slag beach at the mining ghost town in Fayette, MI

It should seem easy enough, but taking a quick shot of some pretty scenery doesn't always lead to a pretty photo.  You'll want to keep an eye on a few key items to get a great shot.  Watch your horizon; nothing ruins a great photo like a slanted horizon.  This can be fixed in post-processing depending on your software but it's so much easier to get it right the first time.  Turn on your camera display's grid lines (usually an option in the menu) to help you line up your shot.  Consult your manual if you don't know how.

Limestone cliff and old pilings at Fayette, MI

A hike in the woods, Hunter Point Park in Copper Harbor, MI

Pick a focal point.  Look for something interesting to focus your camera on.  Use leading lines, a tree, rock outcrop or other interesting feature to draw your viewer's attention and make them feel like they are there with you.  Try capturing a sense of movement if you can: waves on the beach, wind in the trees etc.  You can also create an interesting focal point by using creative angles.  Take a photo looking straight up a cliff face, from a high vantage point, or from the side.  Be creative!

Golden light at sunset on top of Brockway Mtn in Copper Harbor, MI

Trail to the beach in Escanaba, MI

This isn't listed in the Picaboo tutorial but keep in mind your time of day.  Early morning and evening give softer lighting and create a more "dreamy" look.  Bright, direct sunlight gives crisp angles and dramatic shadowing.  The best midday lighting is on a partly cloudy day, when the clouds act as a natural light diffuser.

Drop of dew on water lettuce

For week 32, Picaboo had a tutorial on resizing your photos to look better on Facebook and also had a challenge of showing size in your photos.  My photo above was featured in Picaboo's Blog featuring the best of the week!

We went to Mackinac Island and I loved taking photos of all the horses!

An exotic Red Postman butterfly at Mackinac Island's Butterfly House.

I don't really have a tutorial to go over with you since resizing your photos specifically for Facebook has nothing to do with photography in my opinion.  As for showing size, you really can interpret that however you wish and I know not all my photos this week show it. My favorite way is through macro photography.  I love making tiny details larger than life (such as the tiny drop of dew). If your camera has a macro setting, it will be a flower icon on a button.  If you have a dSLR, you need a macro lens depending on how close you want to get.

Busy bee on a purple cone flower

I needed a lot of patience and good timing for this flitting dragonfly!

You can also show size using dramatic perspective.  Make a tree or other tall object look gigantic by taking a photo close to the trunk and look up or there's your classic "look I'm holding up a mountain" pose that you see in family vacation photos.  Have fun with it!

Another busy bee this time on my sedum flowers

I have no idea what this flower is but it's gorgeous!