This is part two in a mini-series. This series looks at silhouettes, shadows and light through smoke. They are all essentially the same thing, but we’ll pull them apart to see the subtle differences.
Examples
Bottles on cycle – Elevated view – NepalClose-up of orange long leaves – USA – HawaiiThe shadows of prayer flags are shown against the side of Boudhanath Stupa in Kathmandu, NepalBlack and white image of a curving sand dune in both the light and shadow – Algodones Dunes, California
What you’re looking to do with shadows is to make sure they are well defined. If your camera is on Auto Mode and there is a lot of shadow, it will try to lighten those shadows so they aren’t so black. Remember Making Tone Black, Black? That’s why shadows don’t come out as true to life as they should.
What you want to do is meter for the light areas so they are exposed properly. Conversely, you can meter for the shadow and then adjust your exposure bias/compensation to darken the shadows. Either way will work, but metering for the light (especially if you have a gray card) works best.
Here’s the experiment you can run:
1) Set your camera on Manual mode. ISO 100. If you don’t want to use Manual mode, you will need use the Auto Exposure Lock feature of your camera.
1.5) Depending on your subject, pick an aperture that is appropriate for the amount of depth of field you are looking for.
2) Using spot metering, meter off the brighter areas of the scene. In the example above, I would meter off the pavement as it is tonally close to 18% gray, which is what my camera is looking for. If the subject you are metering off of is bright, you’ll want to change shutter speed until the meter reading from your camera reads about +2/3 to +1 1/3 too bight. If you are metering off the shadow area, make sure it is – 2/3 to -1 1/3 too dark.
3) Recompose and shoot!
DONE!
The trick with using Manual mode in this case is to understand what you are metering off of and what your camera is looking for. If you pointed your camera directly at the shadow area and set the shutter speed so it was lined up with zero, then the shadows will be too light.
There really isn’t a top secret trick to shadows other than knowing where you’re metering and why. Metering for the light area (areas that are being hit by light) will work better, but you need to compensate for their color. All of this is solved by using an 18% gray card and placing it in the light to be metered. Then you can just zero your reading with the shutter speed and you’re set!
Tomorrow we will cap off the mini-series by covering light through smoke. Can you figure out who to make that one work?
Questions? Pop ’em like Pez in the comments section below or email me at peter@peterwestcarey.com.
Today’s experiment might be a little more involved than its previous companion, Making Black Tones, Black. This is because white objects will show color cast from an incorrect white balance better than black. You will need to be on your toes to work your way through today. Good luck!
Making White Tones, White
As previously mentioned in Making Black Tones, Black, the metering in your camera will not always expose properly. Scenes with a dominant black or white element might come out gray. Read through the previous post if you haven’t already, because I’m not giving a lot of tips today to see how well you can reason through the steps needed.
Here’s the experiment you can run:
1) Set you camera on a table and switch it to any mode you like, except Manual.
2) Set your ISO according to the amount of light available and place a white object in front of your camera, about four feet away. Make sure the white object takes up the central area of the camera’s field of view. It can fill the whole screen if you like.
3) Take a photo. (Note: When there is lack of contrast in a scene, cameras have a hard time focusing. You may need to place something else in the focus area for the picture to take, or switch to manual focusing.)
Now then, two things might have happened here. Likely, the white object became more white in the second photo, closer to its true color and brightness. This is good.
You can fiddle around with the exact amount of over exposure you want depending on the lighting in a scene. +1.3 is just a starting point. But you might have also seen a difference in the color of the white object, even if slight.
This can happen as your camera is not always 100% consistent in figuring out the color temperature of a light source. It may adjust from one shot to the next, even when the camera and subject don’t move.
Read up on White Balance to figure out how to adjust for that.
Things To Consider
Keep an eye on your camera’s Histogram to make sure white does not become blown out (if possible).
Don’t forget to change your exposure compensation back once finished. Otherwise you may have blown out photos when next you use your camera.
Drinking 8 glasses of water each day helps your body stay healthy.
Example
I have one example for you today. While it is not truly white (there is a lot of blue cast in glaciers) it fits the bill. It’s actually the reflectiveness of the scene that you need to trick your camera into appreciating.
White just happens to be the most reflective color. In this case, I adjusted the exposure by +1.3 and the “After” image is closer to the dazzle I saw when there. It could probably be bumped up even more.
Questions? Pop ’em like Pez in the comments section below. or email me at peter@peterwestcarey.com.
For those who might not be familiar with the phrase, a cityscape is like a landscape except you replace the land with all kinds of man-made things, mainly, a city. I haven’t always been a fan of these images until I gave it a try myself. If you’re interested in capturing better images of your favorite cities, read on.
Time Of Day
Time of day is important in shooting cities and so is vantage point. These two work together to produce either dull, blanched city images or stellar imagery fit for MOMA. Or at least your wall at home.
If you have the option of picking the time of day (i.e. you are not on a scheduled tour with no flexibility), then I suggest you grab a photo planning tool like Photographer’s Ephemeris, LightTrac or Photo Pills. These are all tools I have purchased with my own pennies and that I have used for years. They each do photo planning a little differently but they all work very well.
With one of these tools in hand, figure out your vantage point for a city shot. This can be fairly easy with the help of Google Earth and the myriad of geolocated photos within. See where others have taken city photos and find a fitting location.
Next, using one of the above tools, plan your time of day. If you are shooting your local city, you will know when the best time to shoot is (hint: sunrise or sunset) but if traveling, the tools will help make sure the sun is where you want it.
Lighting
Where do you want the light? Ideally behind or to the side of you for starters. When you get a little more practiced, especially in post-processing, you can place the sun behind your city for some interesting effects.
Here’s an example with two shots of Seattle. They are about 20 minutes apart, but the angle with regard to the setting sun is the key to a different feel in each photo.
What you are looking for when picking time of day and vantage point is nice warm light on the city, if you are going for the pretty effect. Try to avoid the middle of the day as it can wash out the brilliance of all that glass and brick. And don’t forget dusk (the Blue Hour) as a great time to mix cool light with warm city flare.
New York during the Blue Hour is an excellent playground of photos
A polarizing filter works best when the main source of light is 90 degrees to the direction of your lens. Off to the right or left, that is.
A polarizing filter will also help in reducing reflections on glass (as well as making the sky in your cityscapes more ‘punchy’ and defined) and this may be a good or bad thing.
If the light is coming from directly behind you, the filter will have little to no effect. If the sun is directly in front of you, you may get a ghosted image of the sun in your frame if your filter does not have an anti-glare coating on the inside.
Here are two quick examples of Seattle with and without the filter:
Use Panorama Techniques
This technique is easy with modern smartphones as the mode is built in. But if you are shooting with a camera that does not automatically stitch your images, take a look at this post on Digital Photography School for more info.
Shooting panoramas is most handy when your city is big and you are close. Two examples I can give are Lima, Peru and Brisbane, Australia. The vantage point of Lima still didn’t allow for the city in one image. And Brisbane was just too close . So to increase the amount of detail, I shot them each as a panorama and stitched them in the computer.
Be Inspired
The best way to get inspired, for me, is to view inspiring images. Take a look at these shots on Fine Art America for a view of quality images from all over the world. Performing an image search on the likes of Flickr is also a good way to find what you are looking for (for instance, here is a search for “cityscape San Francisco” with dazzling examples).
Go Back
Lastly, don’t forget to return, return, return to the scene of the crime. Again and again. Cities have moods and those moods change with the seasons, events, weather, etc… No two sunsets are exactly the same and they bring different light.
Maybe there were no clouds in your shot today, but there will be next week. Is there a clearing storm in your area? Get out and shoot the gloom and the light!
Griffith Observatory in front of downtown Los Angeles, distant view – USA – California – Los Angeles
Show Me What You’ve Shot
On a personal note, I love the inspiration I receive from other photographers’ images. Please feel free to share a link to your own cityscape images below. While you are at it, help us all out and tell us a little about from where you took the shot and what city is pictured.
Other Examples
Los Angeles Sunset From Above
View of downtown Los Angeles with Hollywood sign in foreground – USA – California – Los Angeles
Elevated view of cityscape – Cusco – Peru
Before Sunrise In Seattle, Washington, USA
View of Fes – Morocco
Kathmandu with a brilliant sunset in the distance
View of cityscape – Spain – Malaga
Sun rays wash over Kathmandu, Nepal
Multi-coloured prayer flags hanging over Kathmandu cityscape – Nepal
Sunset From Nahargarh Fort, Jaipur, India
Los Angeles At Night Below The Griffith Observatory, California, USA
Santa Monica buildings in silhouette at sunset – USA – California – Los Angeles
If you enjoy the series, consider learning photography first-hand on a professionally led international photo tour in Nepal or Bhutan. More information can be found at Far Horizon Photo Tours.
As photography requires light to work, Night Photography can present special opportunities, otherwise known as challenges. Less light coming in means wider Aperture, slower Shutter Speeds and higher ISO. But it’s not always that simple. Ok, sometimes it is.
Night shots, like this one of El Capitan in Yosemite National Park, often require either a tripod or a sturdy surface. In this case I used the top of a car and wedged a Pop-Tarts(R) box (chocolate, of course) under the lens in order to prop it up at the right angle.
I was late for checking in with a friend and had to get the shot as the rock was bathed in the light from a half moon. The photo is 30 seconds long and at f/3.5, ISO 400 and 10mm on a Canon 7D (making it equivalent to a 16mm on a full frame camera).
Compare that to another shot that night where I attempted to hand hold.
This shot of the Ahwahnee hotel, also in Yosemite, was another chance encounter and one I thought I could pull off hand holding as I, again, had little time.
But in looking at the image, especially the rock detail, you can see quality suffered because I failed to find a stable (dry) surface. This shot is at ISO 4000, f/3.5 and 1.6 seconds. I had high hopes, but failed. The lesson: Use a steady surface whenever you can at night.
Lessons Learned
Some other lessons relating to night photography:
Graduated Neutral Density Filters can help, even at night. Take a look at the lodge shot. The moon is always way brighter than you think (moon photo tips here) and can easily be overpowering. Tone it down with a bit of shading.
Use a steady surface.
But experiment with hand holding. Of the camera. Or hold hands with someone while you shoot. Only if you’re going steady. Ok, I’ll stop.
Keep the ISO as low as you can. If you are using a steady surface and you don’t care if the shutter speed is 10 seconds or 20 seconds, drop your ISO by a stop whenever possible. More, if you can. While it is often tempting to use the high ISO to get your shutter speed within range, you will have more noise than you might notice at first. Want to see what that image looking like close up? Here’s a zoomed in bit that is at 100% view (click on it for a full view)
Consider using spot or center weighted metering if there are large areas of blackness in your field of view. All that dark will weigh down the light and might make things too bright (as your camera tries to bring out the light in the black).
I’ll get into the fun that is star trails in another post. But for now, realize that the earth moves faster than you think it does and after 30 seconds stars will look a bit blurry because of this movement, until they start to make pretty lines.
Look for movement with lights. You can get some pretty cool streaking effects with cars, reflections, boats or anything else that moves.
But you’ll want to make sure your camera is on a steady surface.
Consider playing around with light painting. It can be a lot of fun.
Going with a wide angle lens will help shorten shutter speed times.
It takes some getting used to how you see a scene as maybe well lit, and what your camera thinks is well lit. Remember, your eye and brain have a much better time with the low light than your camera. It takes practice to get used to what will render well and what won’t.
Find a steady surface.
Night photography can be a lot of fun and also a lot of a challenge. With less light available the balance changes and it can be a lot of fun learning how to react best. But it also opens up even more time to shoot!
If you enjoy the series, consider learning photography first-hand on a professionally led international photo tour in Nepal or Bhutan. More information can be found at Far Horizon Photo Tours.
Raise your hand if you’ve taken this type of sunset picture:
Great sunset, huh? I know, because I took this. It was an awesome sight. My first night in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico and out of the sub-freezing temps in Seattle.
On top of that, SUN! And relaxation (of a sort). A memory I want to keep so…click!! Time to post it on social media.
No!!! Please don’t.
Sunsets don’t have to be boring
Please don’t post pictures like this on social media or force your friends look at them. Shots like this are memories for you and that’s awesome (believe me, sunshine in February is fantastic).
But you can do better! Yes you can, and it’s simple. It’s about composition.
For a refresher, take a look at the Rule Of Thirds, that’s what we’ll be going over here and applying it to sunsets.
First, taking a shot of the sun setting over the ocean can be one of the most boring subjects. Water, sky, sun. Not many elements. And putting the horizon in the middle of the image is often what most people do, like the image above.
But remembering what you read in the Rule Of Thirds, let’s change things a little.
Ok, now we’ve moved that horizon down to the bottom third and opened up the sky. Fantastic clouds, include them! One step further:
Moving the sun over to the intersection of two of those meridian lines helps balance things better. It gives us a direction to go in the image, out to sea to join the sun.
Let’s try exaggerating things a bit now and throwing caution to the wind (which was warm and welcoming this night, might I add):
Meh. I’m not sold.
Let’s move the other way
There are enough clouds, but let’s see what we can get going back to the Rule Of Thirds with the foreground:
Well now, that’s more exciting! Waves and sun and sand.
With the on rush of the waves, I don’t want the sun too far off to the side, so I’ll bring it ever so slightly back toward center, but not all the way. This gives the sunlight a chance to light up the sand that the waves are not yet attacking. I also GET LOWER! Just crouching down helps change perspective.
That’s more like it. Can you see the difference in the composition in the last two? The foreground is more prominent and that works for me.
Throw in a little more editing and here you have it:
Now go outside and play, shoot then share
Mind you, this is just one option, but it is so easy and people will want to look at your vacation photos more often.
All I did was to crouch down closer to the water, put the horizon near the top third (not even to that point in the last image) and clicked away, waiting for the waves to make something pretty to shoot.
Try it! The next time you’re on vacation, take a stab at this simple technique. And post your results here, I’d like to see them.
Inspiration
If you’re looking for some sunset inspiration, I have various images below in various rules of composition.
Mexico
UnCruise Adventures in Hawaii
Washington State Ferry
Questions? Pop ’em like Pez in the comments section below. or email me at peter@peterwestcarey.com.
If you enjoy the series, consider learning photography first-hand on a professionally led international photo tour in Nepal or Bhutan. More information can be found at Far Horizon Photo Tours.
We played around with how to change our depth of field by changing our aperture, focus points and distance/zoom. Now let’s bring them all the ideas together for maximum focus; from the closest object to infinity.
Hyperfocal Concepts
Warning: This technique is hard to master with a point and shoot where you don’t know your focal length. If you have a point and shoot, you might want to skip this and instead enjoy some photos of Petra By Night. Phones, drones and action cameras also don’t need to worry about this concept much, either.
You’re going to need a tool for this one. I suggest a site called DOF Master. It has the ability to print out charts for you and it has apps for your mobile device to run these calculations. I always tell students to use the charts and print them out because the charts will never run out of batteries. It also has a page that let’s us calculate hyperfocal points without downloads or apps.
The basic premise we are trying to learn here is how to get everything in your field of view into focus. Hyper focal. Rabid (I like that definition best) focused. It’s close to rabbit focused so we’ll go with it.
Not only are your trying to get everything in focus, you’re likely trying to get very near things and very far things in focus. You’re trying to achieve this:
Everything in the foreground is in focus, everything at ‘infinity’ (the the farthest points we can see, in this case) is in focus.
Here’s the experiment you can run
Get Ready
1) Before you head out, do the research and then find a location. Or print this page and then download a DOF app.
2) On the DOF Master page, put in your camera model, pick a focal length of 18mm if your lens has it, if not, go for 30mm. Also put in an aperture of f/11 and let’s say we want to have an object at 5.5′ in focus. Put all that in and it will spit out some info on the right side of the screen.
3) On the right, you are trying to get the far limit to be “Infinity”. Keep playing with the numbers until you get there. I suggest leaving your f-stop and focal length the same and adjusting your subject distance. It’s a little trial and error at times.
4) Once you have “Infinity” listed, look at the “Hyperfocal distance” on the right. This is the distance at which you need to focus. If your lens has a distance scale, great! If not, you will need to estimate distance as closely as you can.
5) Take note of “Near limit” on the right as well. That is the closest an object can be to your camera and still be in focus. This is very important.
6) Now head outside. Watch for traffic.
Getting Set
7) First let’s lock your focus and set up your camera. Switch your camera to Aperture Priority. Choose ISO 400 and set your aperture to the number you inputted on the DOF calculator. In the example above, it’s f/11.
8) Now find an object that is the same distance away as your “Hyperfocal distance”. You may need to estimate or maybe you can measure it out. Once you have focused, switch to Manual Focus so it doesn’t change. You can also just manually focus from the start, whichever way works. If your lens has a distance scale on it, switch to Manual Focus and use that instead of guessing.
Focus is set. Aperture is set. ISO is set. Your camera will pick a shutter speed and frankly we’re not too concerned about that right now, but still thank your camera for the help. In the future, you can switch to Manual Mode and choose it if you like, but for this lesson, don’t sweat it.
Shoot
9) Now find a scene where your near object is at the “Near limit” distance you memorized (or have handy on your phone) and you can see to the horizon, or pretty close to it. You may need to crouch down a little to get it all in the frame.
10) DON’T TOUCH YOUR FOCUS! The concept is backward here. You will need to get closer or further from the objects in your foreground until the the closest thing is no closer than that “Near limit”. Maybe it’s just the street. Maybe it is a park bench. Anything will do. Just make sure the object that is at the bottom of your frame (closest point to you) is no closer than your “Near limit”.
11) Keep composing until you have something you like.
12) Take a photo
Done! With shooting.
Take a look at your photo on the back of your camera and zoom in. Pan all around and check focus. Did it work? If not, why not?
This test is all just physics, so if it didn’t work, you broke a rule and Physics (capital P) doesn’t like that.
If you need to, run the calculations again.
That’s really all there is to it. Plot in the numbers or use one of the charts and then don’t exceed those limits. You’ve already learned how you can get more things into focus by using a different aperture. Now we are setting our depth of field by also being specific about our distance and where we focus. It all comes together!
And what’s even cooler: it’s reproducible and there really is no guess work. I’d advise you to learn to use the charts because they will be compatible with your next, new mobile device, I promise. Especially if you leave your phone at home.
One More Tip
Oh! One handy tool to help with this method. Your camera may have a Depth Of Field Preview button. It’s close to the lens, on the front of your camera and probably near the bottom. When you press it, the aperture in your camera closes down and you get a decent preview of what will be in focus. This is handy in other situations, but really helps making sure you’re not too far past your “Near limit”.
The wider your focal length, the closer you can place “Near limit” objects. You can also use this tool to limit your depth of field if you want.
Tomorrow we’ll have an experiment on the Rule of Thirds.
Questions? Pop ’em like Pez in the comments section below. or email me at peter@peterwestcarey.com.
If you enjoy the series, consider learning photography first-hand on a professionally led international photo tour in Nepal or Bhutan. More information can be found at Far Horizon Photo Tours.
Now then, yesterday you learned to change the depth of field in a shot using the Aperture. Today let’s see what happens when you change the focus point in a scene.
Here’s the experiment you can run:
1) Scene setup: You will need a long, flat surface, like a wall or a floor. A table or counter will work as well.
2) Place a yard stick along the table or wall. Yeah, I know, the chances of actually owning a yardstick are slim. So set up an object every foot along the table for a total of six feet. Taper them side to side slightly so you can see them all at once, much like you did yesterday.
3) Switch your camera to Aperture Priority. Choose ISO 800 and pick the smallest numbered aperture you can (e.g. f/4, f/1.8).
4) Switch your camera to select only the middle focus point. There are dozens of ways to accomplish this depending on your camera so I suggest you consult your manual to learn how to pick just one focus point and keep control of it. If you really can’t find it after reading for 15 minutes, leave a comment and I’ll help you.
5) Zoom in to 50mm or as close as you can get to that focal length. If you are using a point and shoot, zoom in half way from the nearest to the farthest zooms.
6) Focus on the first object and get as close as you can before your camera won’t focus any more. This will be somewhere around 1-2’/.3-.6m.
7) Make sure you can see all the objects on the table/floor/counter. You can use a wall that has some type of pattern on it. If you have no patterns, give your kids some crayons and tell them to go to town on the wall. Instant, random patterns.
Get ready, get set…
Let’s just review where you’re at as we’re doing this without photo aids.
Stuff spaced out at one foot/.3m increments on a table/counter/floor or some type of pattern on a wall. You have control of your Aperture and ISO and you will let your camera take control of Shutter Speed.
You selected the smallest numbered aperture you can, likely f/3.5 or f/4, but maybe less. It’s not too important right now. Oh yeah, make sure there is decent lighting. And chocolate. It’ll help, trust me.
8) Take a photo while focused on that first object.
9) Focus on the second object. Do not move your camera front to back or too far left and right. Panning to the side (as if your camera is on a swivel) is best. Baby steps.
10) Take a photo.
11) Focus on object #3 as above and take a photo.
12) Continue this until you have shot all objects in turn.
Done! With the shooting.
Now review the images on your computer. Run through them one by one and look to see how many objects are in focus in each picture.
Remember, you changed nothing in between the photos as far as your camera goes except the point of focus (shutter speed changes in this experiment are irrelevant). So how many objects were in focus when you focused on the first object and how many were in focus on #4?
What happens if you run the experiment again and choose f/8 or f/22?
I’m not going to give the answer to this one today, maybe on Monday. I’m waiting for you to have your “LUKE: You know, I did feel something. I could almost see the remote,” moment.
What? Too many Star Wars references?
Monday we will build on the Depth Of Field concept by changing distance and zoom.
Questions? Pop ’em like Pez in the comments section below. or email me at peter@peterwestcarey.com.
If you enjoy the series, consider learning photography first-hand on a professionally led international photo tour in Nepal or Bhutan. More information can be found at Far Horizon Photo Tours.
40 Photography Experiments is here to help you learn photography through active learning. Hands-on, at your own pace, these experiments are a fun way to learn at home, at your own pace. Take your time and think about what each experiment is asking and then try it yourself. And have fun!
Below are the topics we cover in this series. If you haven’t already, you should subscribe to the blog to receive all the daily lessons and experiments. I will be linking posts from the list below as they are written, so check back often to see what is new if you decide not to subscribe. I will be linking to my Photography Basics – A 43 Day Adventure series and if you haven’t read those topics, now might be a good time.
The series is free. There’s no catch. I am writing this series at the request from past workshop and tour students who want real-world tasks they can perform to gain practical experience with their camera. Learning photography, like any art, takes persistence and repetition and I hope this series can help you become a better photographer.
The Experiments
(Experiments can be completed in any order, but it may help to start from the top and work down. If a subject is not clickable, it has not yet been written.)
If you enjoy the series, consider learning photography first-hand on a professionally led international photo tour in Nepal or Bhutan. More information can be found at Far Horizon Photo Tours.
Most blur happens because the shutter speed is too slow and you are moving, even just a little, when you shoot.
Short and to the point, to help stop blur because you are moving the camera too much, use this formula:
Don’t Shoot Slower Than 1/Focal Length
This simple formula comes into use when you are hand-holding a camera. Those using a tripod can throw this rule out the window.
In practice it looks like this:
18mm lens = No slower than 1/18th of a second
50mm lens = No slower than 1/50th of a second
300mm lens = No slower than 1/300th of a second
And so on.
This applies to full frame or ‘cropped’ sensor cameras. Smartphones, mirrorless cameras, action cameras, drones…all of them.
As you might guess, most cameras don’t come with a 1/18th second of a shutter speed. For the most part, round down to the next fastest shutter speed (=higher denominator(the 18 in 1/18)). So that 1/18th can be rounded to 1/20th, just to be safe.
The faster you go, the less blur you will cause just by the fact that you are a human and have blood coursing through your veins and a silly, constant need to breathe. Breathing and holding a camera properly are important and will tip the odds in your favor.
Questions? Pop ’em like Pez in the comments section below. or email me at peter@peterwestcarey.com.
If you enjoy the series, consider learning photography first-hand on a professionally led international photo tour in Nepal or Bhutan. More information can be found at Far Horizon Photo Tours.
This weekend’s experiment is to find and shoot some moody images. It’s the best time of year as the seasons change and the mood is tending toward gloomy (Northern Hemisphere) or sunny (Southern Hemisphere).
Weekly Recap
We started this week learning about White Balance and how important it can be if you’re only shooting in JPEG mode. From there I listed out some thoughts that might run through your head while you’re taking a shot.
Next was one of the most important features of any camera, large or small: Exposure Compensation. It helps you make all things right in the world when your camera wants to be average. Hand in hand with Exposure Compensation is reading your camera’s Histogram. It’s a bit funky, but useful.
The week ended with a note about the Rule of Thirds which has been one of the most popular posts yet in this series. Be expecting more of those types of posts in the future in the Creative Ideas section starting soon.
The Experiment
This weekend I want to see some moody photos. Good mood, bad mood, it doesn’t matter.
The important thing is to get out and get shooting! Look for how the light of a scene affects how you feel about it. It doesn’t need to be a fully sunny day, it can be a ray of light coming in through a window. Or a foggy morning with just a hint of activity.
This subject is meant to be open to interpretation so you have a wide swath from which to choose.
Inspiration
I’ve selected some of my own moody photos to help kickstart your creative process.
Galiano Island, BC, Canada
Algodones Dunes, California, USA
Santa Barbara, California, USA
Endicott Arm, Alaska, USA
Rome, Italy
Strait of Georgia, BC, Canada
Washington Trail, USA
Puget Sound, Washington, USA
San Blas Islands, Panama
Skógafoss, Iceland
Kilauea Point Lighthouse, Hawaii
Just a pretty flower
St. Peter’s Basilica, Vatican City
California, USa
Puget Sound, Washington, USA
Portabelo, Panama
Manzanar, California, USA
If you missed any of the Weekend Experiments, you can find them all here.
Questions? Pop ’em like Pez in the comments section below. or email me at peter@peterwestcarey.com.
If you enjoy the series, consider learning photography first-hand on a professionally led international photo tour in Nepal or Bhutan. More information can be found at Far Horizon Photo Tours.
Yesterday’s topic was Photographing Silhouettes.
Today’s experiment might be a little more involved than its previous companion, 
40 Photography Experiments is here to help you learn photography through active learning. Hands-on, at your own pace, these experiments are a fun way to learn at home, at your own pace. Take your time and think about what each experiment is asking and then try it yourself. And have fun!
