Outdoor photography can be tricky at times. So check out our suggestions to help you improve your pictures in the great outdoors.
The great outdoors is the ultimate in photographic subject matter. So go outside and train your viewfinder upon nature's bounty, or at least try to put some distance between yourself and your computer.
But before you step out with an itchy trigger finger, read these quick tips for tackling Mother Nature with your digital camera.
1. Digital cameras don't like nature | 2. Get in close | 3. Avoid the extremes | 4. View to a killer shot | 5. Use the flash in backlit conditions
1. Digital cameras don't like nature
Pixels don't treat all objects equally. One of the worst things to photograph with a digital camera is a tree. If your camera can capture a million pixels and your subject tree contains a few hundred thousand leaves, you'll end up with only three or four pixels per leaf, and the whole image will smear together in a big, gummy mess.
The same goes for lush lawns, bountiful gardens, distant mountains, hairy surfaces, and just about any other subject with scads of intricate details. For the best results, shoot only clearly defined subjects that have smooth, distinct outlines. People photograph well, as do cars, buildings, furniture, and most man-made objects. In short, stick to obvious foreground subjects that stand out sharply from their backgrounds.
2. Get in close
Do your photos look like they were taken from a satellite in space? This can happen if you don't properly frame the picture. With a digital camera, the distance between the subject of the shot and the camera means you end up taking about 15 pixels in the centre of the image. Because pixels are precious, it's important to devote as many as possible to the picture's subject. When photographing a person, for example, turn on the LCD and close in until his or her image fills the screen. Don't take the shot until you see the whites of their eyes.
3. Avoid the extremes
Extreme temperatures can do a real number on your digital camera and its batteries. Don't leave your equipment in direct sunlight for hours at a time. You can protect it by covering it with light-coloured or reflective material. If you leave the camera in your car, make sure the sun won't be moving into a position where it will cook your vehicle's contents. In really cold weather, place your camera in a large, sealed plastic bag when you head outside. The temperature inside the bag will drop gradually, thus preventing a rapid climate change and the ill effects of condensation and frost on the inside of your equipment. Once your camera has cooled, pop it out of the bag and start shooting.
4. View to a killer shot
It's usually best to shoot with the sun behind you to make sure your subject is well lit. The problem is that an LCD screen can be very hard to see in bright sunlight. So be sure to purchase a camera that also includes viewfinder; otherwise, you may end up shooting blindly. Another benefit of not relying heavily on the LCD screen: Longer battery life.
5. Use the flash in backlit conditions
In full daylight, use the built-in flash on your camera to fill in the shadows. When you photograph a person with backlighting present (a bright source of light behind the subject, such as the setting sun), the result is often just a dark silhouette against a blindingly bright background. The solution is to turn on the flash -- a technique called fill-flashing. The flash illuminates the subject's face and also helps reduce the brightness of the sky.
Also, look for light-coloured ceilings and white walls to bounce the flash. Avoid coloured surfaces that will give a particular cast to your picture and surfaces that are so far away they cause the reflected light to disappear. Keep the off-camera flash as high as possible. This will mimic the position of the sun and shadows will fall more naturally on your subject.
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