Tips for Shooting in Mother Nature

by Michele Cheplic | More from this Blogger

12 Sep 2009 08:52 PM

Tis the season to head outdoors with your favorite camera and document the vibrant color show being hosted by Mother Nature.

Fall foliage offers some of the most awe-inspiring backdrops for family photos. In addition, the fiery reds, golden yellows and burnt oranges, which light up fall's cobalt blue sky, yield fantastic landscape shots on their own.

So what photo techniques should you employ to capture the best Mother Nature has to offer this time of year?

Macro Mode: Most digital cameras (even the most basic models) typically come equipped with a macro mode. This setting configures the camera to take better close-up pictures, should you want to take a tight shot of a single leaf or a cluster of leaves. In macro mode, the subject of the photo remains in focus, but the background will appear out of focus.

Before employing the macro mode check to see what your camera's minimum focal length is. Some digital cameras, like the Canon S3 IS, feature "super" macro modes for taking pictures of items that are practically touching the lens. Though, most point-and-shoot cameras will have a macro focal length of 30 cm (12 inches) or less.

Aperture: One way to take better pictures of autumn's scenery is to increase the size of the aperture on your digital camera. The aperture is the size of the opening that allows light to stream into the camera. When the aperture is larger, the representative F-stop number is smaller. For example, F2.8 represents a larger aperture setting than F3.5. When the aperture is larger, typically, just the subject is in focus while the background appears blurred. If you would prefer to have everything in focus, you would need to decrease the size of the aperture (by increasing the F-stop number) and increase the exposure time.

Related Articles:

What To Do With Your Leaf Peeping Pictures

Capturing A Picture Perfect Autumn Landscape

Improving Your Autumn Photographs

Top Cameras To Take Leaf Peeping

Learn more about Michele Cheplic

Michele Cheplic was born and raised in Hilo, Hawaii, but now lives in Wisconsin. Michele graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison with a degree in Journalism.

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