5 Key Outdoor
Photography
Secrets
Trent Sizemore
5 key outdoor photography secrets
Trent Sizemore
At some point during my time at Young Harris College, the thought
of living out west popped in to my head. It was around that same
time that I started to pursue photography more seriously and made
it my major.
I slowly acquired better camera gear, and ventured farther away
from school and home to photograph new places. Much of my time
starting out with photography was spent in the Great Smoky
Mountains National Park and the national forests around North
Carolina and Georgia.
I had always heard people talk about how great the fly fishing in
Yellowstone National Park is, and how it’s a dream trip for many
anglers.
It wasn’t until my last semester of college that I seriously pursued the
option of moving there, and landed a job inside Grand Teton
National Park, just south of Yellowstone.
In May of 2014, the day after graduating, I packed my car and
headed towards Wyoming. You can read about my first two days in
Yellowstone on my blog here. #1 - light is everything
Light has varying qualities to it.
During a bright noon sun (we’ll call this daylight), the light is harsh,
doesn’t really add a tint, and creates a lot of highlights. Bright sun
isn’t all bad though, because it helps boost saturation in certain
colors that are brightly lit.
The next most common lighting would be cloudy. Thick cloud cover
makes everything soft, low contrast, and it’s easy to capture an entire
range of light. Cloudy, wet days are excellent for capturing fall
foliage colors. The moisture brings out the color, and the flat lighting
keeps harsh highlights off everything.
Somewhere in between sunny and cloudy is my least favorite light to
work with, but it happens a lot. When there are a few clouds, you get
areas of dark in between areas of bright sun. This creates a scattered
lighting on the ground, which isn’t appealing. Of course, there are
exceptions, because sun breaking through the clouds at the right
time of the day can make for a very dramatic scene.
Direct sunlight makes for high contrast scenes like this. The sun was still low here,
casting a warmer color on the steam.
Somewhere in between sunny and cloudy is my least favorite light to
work with, but it happens a lot. When there are a few clouds, you get
areas of dark in between areas of bright sun. This creates a scattered
lighting on the ground, which isn’t appealing. Of course, there are
exceptions, because sun breaking through the clouds at the right
time of the day can make for a very dramatic scene.
The most favorable of light to work with, whether it’s cloudy or not, is
low angle light. The best time is before sunrise, and for a few
minutes after. This applies to sunset as well. Sometimes, this great
light can last for an hour or two longer, giving you plenty of time to
capture something great!
Dramatic light like this may only last a few minutes, if not just seconds.
With the right combination of clouds, colors can explode right
before sunset. You’ll see the colors quickly getting more and more
vibrant, just before they disappear with the sun. #2 - story captures a viewer
A photo alone is just a photo. There are billions of them taken every
day. The ones that really stand out and get talked about are the ones
that tell a story. National Geographic is world famous for their
stories. Not every photo they publish is full of dramatic lighting or
technical tricks, but they are ALL full of story.
When you can tell a story with a still photo, people are going to look
at it, think about it, question it.
This isn’t the best photo, but you can tell right away this marmot is thinking, “What are you doing in my house?”
All the visual aspects of the photo come together to tell a story this
way. Typical elements like mystery, action, mood, and emotion can
all be used.
Mood comes from lighting. Light from sunrise and sunset creates
warmth and is much more flattering to a subject.
Emotion is easier to capture with wildlife or people. When you
capture these naturally, you can show viewers something they’ve
never seen. Facial expressions can tell a story like nothing else. I see
photos all the time of people facing in to a landscape scene, which
can work, but you can’t see how they’re taking it in.
Telling stories through outdoor photography can be done as well.
People in landscapes, wildlife, or just wildlife tracks, all tell stories. A
dramatic scene with no specific subject can tell its own abstract story
as well. The scene below may be a good example of that. There are no people in this photo, but right away you know what the story is. The
foggy, diffused light adds mood and emotion to that.
#3 - keep it simple
The less elements you have in a photograph that can distract a
viewer, the better it will be. When you have blurred backgrounds or
big areas of solid color, you subject stands out.
A mountain looks much more ominous with a dark background,
without bright clouds just blending in. A bear in a forest gets lost,
but when you’re in the bear’s face (not literally, bad idea), you isolate
it from the background.
With wildlife, you accomplish that (safely) with a long lens. The best
photos require a 500mm or 600mm lens, plus a teleconverter. When
you’re good, and making money, that’s what you want.
Top: A bright subject on a dark background makes it stand out right away. Bottom: Distractions around the edges take your attention away from the main subject.
#4 - be passionate
One of the most important tips, by far, is to be passionate about
what you’re doing. If you do photography because you enjoy it, it
will show. You’ll have the desire to learn and improve non-stop.
If you’re doing photography for attention, or because it’s trendy, it’s
pretty obvious.
People will tell you to do something you love, and the money will
follow (if that’s what you want). It still takes hard work and hustle, but
when you enjoy doing it, that will be much easier. Passion is what gets you out early in the morning to photograph.
#5 - practice now to nail it later
The biggest advantage a professional photographer has over an
amateur is a mastery of his skill. Settings, technique, and anything
technical is just second nature. When you have technique down, you
can focus all your efforts on the art of photography. If you don’t
know what settings to use to get the effect you want to see, you’ll
just be fumbling around when the great light or wildlife is right in
front of you.
The shooters that are out every opportunity they have are going to
master their skill much more quickly, and be ready when it matters.
Someone could tell you they’ve been doing photography for ten
years, but if they only shoot once a week and you’re out every day,
who’s going to be better?
One key thing you need to practice is getting the correct exposure
quickly, whether you’re using exposure compensation or full manual
mode.
Next, you want to learn how your camera’s focus works, and be able
to get the shot in focus as quickly as possible. Mountains don’t move
very quickly, but good light and animals do!
Some things, like white balance, aren’t as important to get right in
the field. If you’re shooting RAW files, that can be adjusted
afterwords. Even exposure can be adjusted slightly without any loss
in quality. Focus is the one thing you have to get right. Although these otters stuck around for a bit, wildlife often gives you just seconds to
get the shot. When something rare is in front you, you don’t have time to learn.
Squirrels, birds, cats, and dogs are everywhere. Practice on them
until you can nail focus and exposure on command, so you’ll be
ready when that red fox comes out of the woods!
About me
My name is Trent Sizemore, and I moved west from Georgia in May
of 2014. I currently live in the small town of West Yellowstone,
Montana year round, and focus my photography work on the
Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem.
My photography travels began in the Appalachian mountains with
the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, along with the rivers and
forests of North Carolina and Georgia.
While photography isn’t currently my full time profession, it’s
something I’m working towards. If you’re reading this, you’re already
following my work, so I thank you for helping me reach that goal!
Social media
Facebook - www.facebook.com/sizemorefineart
Instagram - @trentsizemore
Twitter - @trentsizemore
© 2016 Trent Sizemore Photography
www.trentsizemore.com