Photography Tips For the Photo Doldrums - Icy Streams & Rain, Icicles & Snowflakes

More Of Water's Cold Season Photo Ops

In this article we'll cover photography tips for overcoming the photo doldrums with water as icy streams, freezing rain, icicles and snowflakes:

# 1 - Icy Streams: A quietly running stream won't make "tenacious grace" but after it thinly freezes over, it may sculpt the underside of the ice with the gently running water and any air bubbles that get trapped there. The resulting patterns can be very photogenic.

# 2 - Freezing Rain: A special instance of ice is freezing rain. Look for interesting things - grasses, leaves, branches and twigs, etc encased in it. Exposure can be tricky with the reflected light, so bracket your exposures!

# 3 - Icicles: Spikes of ice formed when ice or snow is melted by sunlight or some other heat source, and the resulting melted water runs or drips into an area where the temperature is below the freezing point, causing the water to refreeze. Over time continued water runoff/dripping causes the icicle to grow. Icicles can be found under roof edges of buildings and on branches and twigs, etc. Whether solitary or in groups, they can be very photogenic when back or side lit or hanging against a dark background.

# 4 - Snowflakes: You take these pictures outside by catching the flakes on a towel, then transferring the flakes with a short plastic stick to a microscope slide, then placing the slide on a somewhat larger piece of glass which is suspended about 6" above a sheet of colored poster board, then shoot straight down with a macro-focusing lens. For more sophisticated tools and techniques, just do an online search using "snowflake photos."

Self-Assignments For Above Photography Tips

Choose the projects that interest you most. Follow the photography tips conscientiously. Re-shoot when you aren't satisfied. Do it til you are satisfied. It'll take all your patience and passion. Your skills and eye will improve with the practice. Shoot especially in early and late light. Use a tripod as much as possible. Edit your results relentlessly. Pin small samples on the wall for a few days to study before making final prints for wall art.

Photography Tip # 1 - Icy Streams: Locate a quietly running stream in freezing weather and it will probably form smooth ice on top. The underside of the ice will be etched by the running water and any air bubbles in it, creating lines and patterns. Shoot straight down on it for an overall sharp picture.

Photography Tip # 2 - Freezing Rain: When a heavy freezing rain falls, the problem becomes one of too many interesting things to shoot! Take your time and look around to find something really outstanding, more or less by itself, with a dark or strongly colored background and shoot it.

Photography Tip # 3 - Icicles: In freezing weather check out the eaves troughs around rooftops of houses and heated garages, looking for icicles. Try, if possible, to find them around eye level or slightly lower so you can keep the entire icicle(s) sharp top to bottom when you take your pictures.

Photography Tip # 4 - Snowflakes: Set up your snowflake "studio" and proceed to get a couple of flakes together on your microscope slide. Place the slide above a piece of medium-dark blue poster board, and then shoot straight down on the flakes.

In the final article of this set we'll consider photography tips for overcoming the photo doldrums with two more of water's cold season photo op's: snow scenes and snow storms.

John Maxymuik authored this article which is 1 of a set of 6 on "Photography Tips For the Photo Doldrums" providing tips to break the grip of the photo doldrums using the "ideal photo subject". To see examples of photography that made use of the "ideal photo subject" go to his fine art photography website at: http://ambienceimages.net

Photography Tips For the Photo Doldrums - Snow Scenes & Storms

Two More Of Water's Cold Season Photo Ops

In this sixth and final article on photography tips for solving the photo doldrums we'll cover two more of water's cold season photo op's: snow scenes and snow storms.

# 1 - Snow scenes: After the snow has just fallen they can be beautiful, before they get marred with footprints and tire tracks. Especially are they beautiful to see at sunrise and sunset when the snow takes on the colors from the sky. Just remember to compensate your meter reading + 1 to 1-1/2 stops.

# 2 - Snow storms: Check the forecast for details, then you'll know what your possibilities are. For example, if a large wet flake snow fall is predicted and wind will accompany it, forecasted to drop off to calm before the snow stops, you might have the makings of an unusual snow scene. The wind will paste the wet falling snow to the exposed vertical surfaces facing it and then, when it drops off to calm, allow the snow to come straight down onto every exposed horizontal surface. Walking through the scenery in the direction the wind was moving yields a snow-scape that looks much like a black and white negative.

Self-Assignments For Above Photography Tips

Choose the projects that interest you most. Follow the photography tips conscientiously. Re-shoot when you aren't satisfied. Do it til you are satisfied. It'll take all your patience and passion. Your skills and eye will improve with the practice. Shoot especially in early and late light. Use a tripod as much as possible. Edit your results relentlessly. Pin small samples on the wall for a few days to study before making final prints for wall art.

Photography Tip # 1 - Snow scenes: Get outside immediately after a fresh snowfall and locate a scene without tire tracks or footprints just at sunrise and shoot it. Do it with both a moderate wide angle and a moderate tele focal length.

Photography Tip # 2 - Snow storms: If you can get outside during a storm to a location in a park with evergreen trees or a large number of deciduous trees along the shore of a pond or lake, shoot with a slow shutter speed, or else make a double exposure of the scene: one exposure in focus, the other out of focus, for an unusual picture.

Conclusions

The photography tips listed in this 6-article set serve to underline a vital point: water is, indeed, an ideal photo subject! It's almost everywhere and, in line with the seasons, it readily provides a nearly endless number of ways at almost any time to take fresh and interesting images for overcoming the photo doldrums,.

Let's quickly recap the ways covered in this 6 - article set in which we covered photography tips for shooting water as the ideal photo subject for overcoming the photo doldrums:

* waves, waterscapes & waterfalls

* reflections, abstracts, splash, spray, foam, bubbles & puddles

* condensation, hail, mist & Fog

* frost, ice, re-freeze & 'tenacious grace'

* icy streams, freezing rain, icicles & snowflakes

* snow scenes & snow storms

Remember, to tap it's visual possibilities you just need to get past the barrier of familiarity. To do that, you just need to take another look, and a bit more closely the second time.

John Maxymuik authored this article as 1 of a 6-article set on "Photography Tips For The Photo Doldrums" to provide ways to break the grip of the photo doldrums with the use of the "ideal photo subject".
To see examples of photography that made use of the "ideal photo subject" go to his fine art photography website at: http://ambienceimages.net

Family Photography Tips - The Good Group Photo

Probably the hardest picture to set up and pull off is the group family photograph. These pictures only really work when everyone is on the same page, looking at the camera and smiling at the same time. Synchronizing by getting everyone to say "cheese" is the typical way to get everyone smiling. But it doesn't always work.

Here are some things to think about when trying to snap that lovely family portrait to make everyone happy:

Put the Group at Ease - It is essential that all participants in the photo are at ease and comfortable with each other as well as the photographer. If the photographer also happens to be a family member then being at ease should not be a problem. With no strangers in the midst, relaxing before the camera is not a problem.

Move into Scene - Don't be afraid to move into the scene, cutting out the background and focusing just on the people. Crop off the top of the head of the taller people, in order to emphasize a connection among family members. Allow the drama of kinship and love to play out before the camera. Let the family members interact before snapping the picture. Saying "cheese" while always listed as one of the most important family photography tips, is not always a good one, and will make people go rigid and become less candid, so sit them down and let them get comfortable. The good shot will follow as you watch.

Blur the Background - Blurring out the background makes the people aspect more dramatic. It makes the family the focus of attention, because, after all, the family unit is what you're shooting.

Candid within the Group - There is always someone in the family at a gathering who doesn't want to sit for a picture. Today's small compact cameras make it simple to get candid shots without have to pose everyone. Keep the camera in your pocket as you work the room. Find your shot and compose it and shoot quickly. It takes practice, but grab-shots do come out well with a little thought and focus.

Taking Multiple Shots - When trying to capture everyone in one group, the only real successful way to do it is to take many shots, and quickly. Shooting in rapid bursts of three or four shots at a time will get the good shot for which you're looking. The first shot is usually a throwaway shot. However, the second or third will probably be the keeper. Shoot some shots before everyone is ready. Some of the best pictures are of the actual organizing to sit part of the activity.

Timing is Everything - Choosing your timing carefully will make or break the shot. However, true timing can only be learned with practice. Another of the suggestions that tops the list of family photography tips is that the quicker you learn to compose or to know what you want in composition the better will be your timing. Try to work taking of the picture within the natural flow of events, when the family is naturally together rather than artificially posed making them more rigid.

Lighting - No matter what type of photography, lighting is probably the most important element. In most instances a small flash will be sufficient. However, bigger family groups may require more lighting. Taking the photograph outside in natural light makes for an easier, less stressful shot.

Taking Control - It is paramount for the photographer to maintain control of the situation and communication is the key. Keep talking to your subjects making them understand what you want to do and need for them to do to make for a happy situation. If you have a really large group to photograph, then use a tripod and have someone act as your assistant.

Smile - Finally, there is nothing worse than a grumpy old photographer, so smile. That will put everyone else who has to take part, at ease. Have fun, act like you're enjoying the process. It's okay to crack a joke or two in order to get everyone to loosen up. And don't be afraid to be creative. Think outside the box. The group can be a group without sitting down next to one another with another row standing at attention behind. Emphasize other items of "family-ness." Play with it. Enjoy!

I hope you have found these family photography tips useful.

Jonnie Blaylock is a hobbyist photographer that helps new photographers learn the fundamentals with his Family Photography Tips and more.

Photography Tips For the Photo Doldrums - Reflections, Abstracts, Splash, Spray, Etc

If you believe that waves, waterscapes and waterfalls pretty well use up all the opportunities that water provides for picture-taking, think again. Here are 7 more photography tips with water as remedies for the photo doldrums!

#1 - Reflections: For a mirror reflection on water the surface must be still and can't have sunlight shining directly on it. When the light hits just above the shoreline (early morning or evening) leaving the water in shadow, or where something casts it's shadow across the water, you'll find such reflections.

#2 - Abstracts: Intriguing opportunities for abstract reflections occur when the water is gently swelling or rippling. Watch the water's surface carefully for a while and you'll begin to see the possibilities. Remember to vary your pictures by making several exposures at different shutter speeds. The unpredictability of this type of picture-making will provide unexpected surprises, and new directions for future shootings.

#3 - Spray: activities carried out with water present opportunities for picture-making (Just make sure your camera is well protected and doesn't get wet!) like watering a garden, sprinking a lawn, or washing a vehicle.

#4 - Splash: Like when things are dropped or poured into water, or waves as they crash onto the beach present water in these aspects.

#5 - Bubbles: What about dishwashing bubbles and bubbles from children's bubble-blowing toys, which yield interfering light effects with their crazy colors and patterns?

#6 - Foam: The froth that swirls and creeps up the beach after a wave has broken.

#7 - Puddles: Are just about everywhere after a period of rain, in a wide variety of sizes and shapes. During rainfall they present ring-patterns. Afterward they display upside down reflections during both daylight and after dark wherever there are lights nearby.

Self-Assignments For Above Photography Tips: Choose the projects that interest you most. Follow the photography tips conscientiously. Re-shoot when you aren't satisfied. Do it til you are satisfied. It'll take all your patience and passion. Your skills and eye will improve with the practice. Shoot especially in early and late light. Use a tripod as much as possible. Edit your results relentlessly. Pin small samples on the wall for a few days to study before making final prints for wall art.

Photography Tip #1 - Reflections: Go to a pond or lake in either early morning or early evening when the water is in shadow, locate an interesting reflection and line up a shot with just a minimum of shoreline and a maximum of reflection. Then a shot of equal parts shore and reflection using a graduated neutral density filter to balance the lighting.

Photography Tip #2 - Abstracts: find a stream or creek with running, swirling water, etc, and study the colors and tones being reflected in the running water from onshore and overhead things. Try to include something just in or on the water that you can clearly focus on as a center of interest. When you spot such an interesting abstract, shoot it, first with a faster shutter speed, and then with a much slower speed.

Photography Tip #3 - Spray: The next time you get out the lawn sprinkler to do

the lawn, look for an angle that puts sparkle in the water and provides a dark background to shoot toward. Use both high and low shutter speeds, and compare the results.

Photography Tip #4 - Splash: Make a close-up of water as it's poured into a glass filled with ice-cubes.

Photography Tip #5 - Bubbles: Take a shot of some dishsoap bubbles against a sheet of black paper while shining a beam of light at the bubbles.

Photography Tip #6 - Foam: Look for a depression on the beach where the foam from spent waves swirls and do a shot with the swirl pattern in the foreground, using a slow shutter speed.

Photography Tip #7 - Puddles: Take a picture during the rain trying for an interesting pattern of raindrop circles. Make a nighttime shot of a puddle having either lit-up signs or office buildings nearby which are reflected in the puddle.

In the next article of this set we'll cover still more photography tips about water's other warm season photo ops for overcoming the photo doldrums: condensation, hail, mist and fog.

John Maxymuik is the author of "Photography Tips for the Photo Doldrums", a set of 6-articles providing tips to break the grip of the photo doldrums by use of the "ideal photo subject"- water. To see examples of fine art photography that made use of this "ideal photo subject" go to my website at: http://ambienceimages.net

Photography Tips For the Photo Doldrums - Frost, Ice, Re-freeze & 'Tenacious Grace'

Some Of Water's Cold Season Photo Ops

In (3) previous articles we have considered photography tips using water as an ideal photo subject during warm seasons when it involves waves, waterscapes, waterfalls, reflections, abstracts, spray 'n splash, bubbles 'n foam, puddles, condensation, hail, mist and fog to help us out of the photo doldrums. Now, let's consider some of it's cold season photo op's for doing that.

Water is unique because it can be found in all three basic states: vapor, liquid and solid. In the cold seasons, when it can turn crystalline or solid, is when it can produce truly fascinating and amazing pictures. Here are some photography tips for that season:

# 1 - Frost: Transforms things into artwork. On leaves and vegetation, subtle edge and vein patterns stand out boldly as intriguing designs. On window panes frost patterns can be fascinating. Again, it's mainly a matter of checking out your local weather forecast, knowing your surroundings, what to expect, and getting there with your camera before it melts!

# 2 - Ice: If there are puddles, or a pond or lake nearby check out the edges when the water freezes. There will be ice captives; leaves and twigs just below the surface encased in the ice, sometimes with air bubbles and patterns in the ice itself. Just be careful about thin ice and how far out on the ice you venture when taking such pictures!

# 3 - Re-Freeze: Here is a special ice-situation to look out for; It snows, then turns mild and rainy, then suddenly cold snaps. Check out the depressions and roadside ditches. The snow has been 'sculptured' by the melt and run-off, then encased (along with leaves, etc) in the clear ice from the rain and cold snap, producing some very unusual subjects.

# 4 - Tenacious Grace: Is there a lively stream or brook nearby, one which tumbles and bubbles over stones, rocks or fallen trees and branches, generating splash and spray? When the temperatures drops well below freezing you'll find a delicate embroidery-like ice (hence the name) forms on the edges of things from the spray.

Self-Assignments For Above Photography Tips

Choose the projects that interest you most. Follow the photography tips conscientiously. Re-shoot when you aren't satisfied. Do it til you are satisfied. It'll take all your patience and passion. Your skills and eye will improve with the practice. Shoot especially in early and late light. Use a tripod as much as possible. Edit your results relentlessly. Pin small samples on the wall for a few days to study before making final prints for wall art.

Photography Tip # 1 - Frost: (1)During winter cold-spells choose a window that faces the rising sun and place a humidifier in front of it. Open the inner window about ?" to let warm moist room air enter and contact the outer window to form jack frost on it. Take pictures as the sun rises and shines through the frost. (2) In late fall and early spring when the forecast predicts frost, get outside early and look for fallen leaves and grasses with frost on them. Take pictures.

Photography Tip # 2 - Ice: When it's cold enough for ice to form, locate some large puddles or a pond and look for "ice captives" (leaves) just under the ice surface, and take pictures of them through the ice.

Photography Tip # 3 - Re-freeze: When the weather does a snowfall, then a thaw with rain, then a re-freeze, get outside and check the depressions and roadside ditches for snow swirls under clear ice with leaves, etc caught in it and take pictures.

Photography Tip # 4 - Tenacious Grace: When the weather turns really cold locate a nearby stream that briskly tumbles over rock piles and branch jams and you'll find 'Grace'. Find a pleasing section of it with water running by it and shoot with a slow shutter speed to blurr the water in contrast to the sharply detailed ice.

In the next of this set of articles we'll consider still 4 more photography tips on cold season photo op's that water can provide for overcoming the photo doldrums: icy streams, freezing rain, icicles and snowflakes.

John Maxymuik authored a 6-article set on "Photography Tips For the Photo Doldrums" to help you break the grip of the photo doldrums by using the "ideal photo subject". To see examples of photography that made use of the "ideal photo subject" go to his fine art photography website at: http://ambienceimages.net

Photography Tips to Solve the Photo Doldrums - Part 1

Is your camera gathering dust right now? Is it because you can't think of anything to take pictures of? Then you've caught the photo doldrums! What's the remedy? It's quite possibly something very simple - you need to start shooting the ideal photo subject.

" No other subject offers a... photographer such a range of possibilities for documentary and interpretive images, and few subjects are as easy to find." - Freeman Patterson, Photography of Natural Things

What is this ideal photo subject for overcoming the photo doldrums? Would you believe, water? But most photographers pass right by water when they seek something 'special' or 'different' to photograph. Why is that? In a word - familiarity. It acts as a mental blinder that prevents them from seeing excellent photo-ops that are right in front of them!

So, my very first photography tip for solving the photo doldrums is this: ask yourself just one simple question, "Which way to the water?" Now, here are some more photography tips to help you determine directions.

Photography Tips: Water's Warm Season Photo Op's

Is there a river, lake or ocean nearby? If so, you have what you need for the following photography tips to help you start getting over your photo doldrums:

#1 - Waves: Come in a wide variety of sizes, from ripples to tsunamis. Depending on the situation they can be shot either head-on or along their length as they curl and break. Fast shutter speeds will freeze the action. Slower speeds will create soft nebulous effects.

#2 - Waterscapes: when composing water-only or mostly-water pictures, you need to see the water within the viewfinder graphically - as just colors, tones, lines, shapes, etc. And you need to articulate the idea or mood that it evokes for you. Then you'll know which camera position, lens, etc is best for the final picture.

Whereas landscape photography usually calls for facing the camera either north or south (for sidelight modelling and polarizing effects), with waterscapes you can also shoot directly toward the sun and still get very attractive images, thanks to water's unique properties. Just remember to compensate your light meter's recommendations by +1 to +2 stops when doing so.

#3 - Waterfalls: allow for a wide variety of pictures. Slow shutter speeds makes the water silky smooth and soft looking. Fast shutter speeds not only freeze it but also reveal patterns in the ebb/surge and unusual shapes in it. Colors and patterns may be reflected from nearby surroundings and strong contrasts can be found between the water, boulders and stones, leaves and twigs, etc.

Self-Assignments For Above Photography Tips

Choose the projects that interest you most. Follow the photography tips conscientiously. Re-shoot when you aren't satisfied. Do it til you are satisfied. It'll take all your patience and passion. Your skills and eye will improve with the practice. Shoot especially in early and late light. Use a tripod as much as possible. Edit your results relentlessly. Pin small samples on the wall for a few days to study before making final prints for wall art.

Photography Tip #1 - Waves: First, study some online examples for pointers. Then shoot a single wave as it breaks, either head-on or else looking along it's length. Use shutter speed of 1/250 or higher to freeze action.

Photography Tip #2 - Waterscapes: Locate a nearby body of water. Go there. Study just the water for a while. Then compose a picture that includes only the water, perhaps a ripple pattern, or a section of varying colors, etc and include something in or on the water as a center of interest to place your principle focus.

Photography Tip #3 - Waterfalls: locate a nearby stream or river with a falls or a stretch of rapids. Find a section of water that includes a rock, etc and reflections of things on the shore or overhead, shoot with a slow shutter speed of 1/15 or lower.

In the next of this article set of 6 we'll cover still more photography tips about water's warm season photo ops for overcoming the photo doldrums: reflections, abstracts, splash 'n spray, foam 'n bubbles.

John Maxymuik is the author of "Photography Tips For The Photo Doldrums" - a set of 6 articles to break the grip of the photo doldrums.
To see examples of fine art photography that made use of the "ideal photo subject" go to my website at:
http://ambienceimages.net