Week 6- Best Places to Photograph Fall Colors

https://www.outdoorphotographer.com/on-location/featured-stories/autumn-in-the-northeast/

This is an article that I found on the Outdoor Photographer website.  The author, Jerry Monkman, outlines some of the best places in the Northeast that allow for the most effective photographs of fall colors. The main states that he outlines are Vermont, Maine, and New Hampshire.  These states have the best change of colors for the fall season.  Other states throughout the U.S. also have potential for beautiful fall colors, but these states constantly have unique fall colors.  The colors are present for long enough to get great fall photographs.  Many photographers try to make their way out to these states to take pictures in parks and other specific places in the Northeastern states.  There are multiple state parks and waterfalls that produce amazing fall images.  

I chose this article because it is that time of year! I am trying to get some beautiful fall pictures, but until this week, Billings has not had much fall weather.  We are finally beginning to have a little bit of fall, and these pictures in this article inspire me to take some of my own this fall. Maybe one day I will even make my way out to Vermont or New Hampshire in the fall.

Share 2 & Critique

(Unedited photos)

 Taken at my house out by Molt, MT

 Taken in Red Lodge, MT

Camping- Red Lodge, MT

Week 5- Photographing Auto Racing

I chose this article for this week's blog because street car racing is something that I would eventually like to become decent at.  My boyfriend races street cars, and I would like to be able to take some high quality pictures of his racing with the photography tips that I have learned.  This article talks about some useful tips for photographing fast- moving cars.  

First of all, the article talks about panning with the cars.  This is useful to know because these cars are moving at such high speeds, it is often difficult to get a quality image in such a short amount of time as they are passing.  It also says to pre-focus on the track before the cars drive by, that way it is already focused when the cars drive by, rather than having the camera try to focus as they are passing.  (This is done with a manual focus mode). Third, this author mentions that having blur is okay too.  Instead of trying to get a clean shot of a moving car, sometimes it looks more interesting to have a blurred car to show the speed in your picture. Sometimes it is also good to have a tripod and a wide angle lens.  This makes it easier to stay still, as well as get more in the frame since there is so much going on.  These tips will be helpful when I attempt to photograph my boyfriend while he is racing!

https://digital-photography-school.com/tips-photographing-auto-racing/

Unedited Beginning Photos

This is a picture that I took last weekend on the Beartooth Pass in Redlodge.  This photo is unedited, and not professional in the slightest, as I am still learning techniques of photography and aspects of my camera.  It was shot as a RAW image with a 55mm lens and aperture of F16.  I wanted to post this image so that once I do get better with editing photos and learning how to take better photos, I can look back on this post and compare my photos.  This will allow me to visualize my progress throughout the semester.  

I took this image on an overcast day.  It was very calming being upon the pass with very little wind.  The smoke in the air from all the wildfires finally began to clear up, and the site from on the mountain was unbelievable.  This image represents Montana to an extent, and makes the viewer see the surrounding environment.  I am excited to see if I can edit this image to a more appealing picture.

Critique away!

Photographing Lightning

https://digital-photography-school.com/how-to-photograph-lightning/

This is an article by a photographer named Peter Carey about all of the things to consider when photographing lightning.  I found this article interesting because these techniques can be used for other fast-moving subjects in nature photography.  It is intriguing that we can even capture images like this.  If you think about a lightning strike, it is there and gone within seconds.  Cameras can capture amazing images such as this one when using the right camera settings. 

First of all, this article talks about having a sturdy surface to set you camera on while taking this type of image (such as a tripod on solid ground). Another thing the author mentions is having a slow shutter speed.  This is something we have been talking about in class, so it was a lot easier to understand.  His suggested shutter speed for photographing lightning is 30 seconds. He also acknowledges the fact that even though you are taking pictures of the sky, you should keep the foreground interesting too.  Having something such as a mountain range or the rock formations, as shown above, can make the picture much more appealing to the eye. The author also suggests using manual focus, rather than automatic. He comments that it'll be dark, so rather than having the camera find something to focus on, just leave it manually focused on one spot. A long shutter speed and wide aperture as well.  Lastly, the article reminds the photographer to stay patient.  Lightning isn't constant, but when you're patient, you can get an amazing shot!