I’m sure you are familiar with the expression, “When life hands you lemons, make lemonade.” The saying could easily be applied to photography especially when you’re scheduled photo shoot is interrupted by Mother Nature’s whims.
I was reminded of this last week when I was trying to snap a shot of my daughter standing next to the first buds of spring. On this particular day it wasn’t my daughter who wasn’t cooperating, rather it was Mother Nature’s high winds that were causing problems for me (and my camera).
It took me nearly 10 minutes to finally figure out that if I used the wind to my advantage (instead of waiting for it to die down) I could get a half way decent looking photo. By slowing down the shutter I was able to capture the impact of the wind in the movement of my daughter’s hair and a slight bending of the flower buds.
Some settings lend themselves a bit easier to capturing the effect of natural elements such as the wind on subjects. For example, you will have a much tougher time photographing the wind’s impact on rock formations than you will on a lake or creek. To record as much of the wind’s impact as possible set the ISO to the lowest possible setting. The lower the ISO, the slower the corresponding shutter speed. You can experiment with different shutter speeds until you snap a shot that best resembles what you see in person.
Another tip: On a windy day you should always shoot with a tripod. Not only will it help stabilize your shot it also helps when you are trying to experiment with shutter speeds. Of course, you could always intentionally shoot without the aid of a tripod if you want to create your own blurs. Playing around with the zoom can also add a creative element to your shots. Consider experimenting with the rate at which you zoom the lens in addition to starting at either the long range and zooming in or the short range and zooming out.
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Common Sense Tips To Capturing Frame-Worthy Pictures