Black & White Cont'd

005 Land & Sky
Photograph landscapes and sky-scapes, sunrises, sunsets, mountains, lakes, or anywhere you can see land meet sky.

TIPS:
  1. Frame your shot with the horizon line either on the upper or lower thirds.  Choose a priority of ground or sky and give emphasis to it.
  2. Shoot during the "Golden Hours" to get dramatic light and shadows as well as strong warm colours.
  3. Using a wide angle lens (under 35mm) will let you get more of the landscape in the shot.
  4. Use a high aperture to get maximum depth of field.
  5. Have a focal point of interest to capture the attention.
  6. A tripod will allow you to slow down your shutter speed and have a high aperture setting.  This is a must for evening or night shots.
  7. Rather than a clear sky, look for interesting clouds to add some interest.  Note that clouds are not a great subject on their own.
  8. Different weather with different light will produce different results.  Go back and shoot your favourite place on different days and see what your get.

Further Learning:
Picture
By Kayla Brehon
006 Water
Photograph bodies of water, dripping water, fountains, ice, snow, rivers, water falls, pools, bottles, glasses etc.

TIPS:
  1. Look for water in action. Pouring, running, spraying, falling etc...
  2. Try shooting water in multiple states (e.g. steam on the river  or ice melting.
  3. A strong light source like the sun will cause bright reflective spots so be careful to not over-expose.
  4. You don't need to find water just in nature.  Try doing creative things with water you can control.
  5. Get a subject to interact with the water to add a story element.

Further Learning:
Picture
By Kayla Brehon
Picture
By Kelly Laurie
Picture
By Chris Martin
007 Transportation

Cars, bicycles, planes, trains or anything we travel in.

TIPS:
  1. If the subject is moving use Tv mode, if it is still use Av mode.
  2. Try to shoot vehicles that are interesting.  Mundane everyday sedan's are often not very interesting.  Not every vehicle is a good subject.
  3. If the car is new and in great condition, just be sure it is clean.  Water spots, dust, and dirt really show up.
  4. Try panning a moving subject.  Remember to use a shutter speed slower than 1/60 to blur the background.
  5. Be sure your transportation is anything you can ride one.  Bikes, scooters, and skateboards would be okay.  Avoid toys.
  6. Try shooting details of the subject rather than the whole.
  7. An old broken down car that doesn't run would make for a great subject


Further Learning:
Picture
By Austin Bender
Picture
By Robert Dunn
Picture
By Egan Hamill
008 Silhouette

Photograph subjects with back light.  Expose for the background and the subject will be blackened out.

TIPS:
  1. Use manual mode (M on the mode dial).  Choose your f/stop and then try increasing your shutter speed with each photo until you get your subject dark enough.
  2. Position the light directly behind the subject.
  3. A tripod works best for lower light or evening silhouettes.
  4. Buildings, objects, and people can all make for great silhouettes.
  5. Look for interesting shapes in your subject and avoid boring poses of people.
  6. Your subject won't have a lot of detail so try to have some interest in your background.

Further Learning:
Picture
By Kelly Melrose
Picture
By Austin Bender