Outline:

• Composition
• Landscaping with a digital camera
• Exposure
• Camera Modes/Settings
• Focus & DOF
• Equipment

Composition:

• Rule of Thirds
• Foreground interest
• Leading Lines
• Converging/Diverging Lines
• Colors
• Textures
• Perspective (change tripod height, move around)
• Layers (Compressing with Tele)
• Level Horizon
• Break the rules!!

Landscaping vs. The Digital Camera:

• What are the issues inherent with DSLRs?
• 18% Gray vs. Reality
• Dynamic Range
• HDR/Use of Filters
• Examples of Histograms/Different Scenarios

Exposure:

• Explain Histogram – With examples
• Don’t clip if possible
• Expose to the right
• Impossible Exposures??
  • HDR/Filters/Gloves?
  • Dynamic Range (how far can you push a blocked up or recover a clipped exposure later)?

here are a few examples of exposures with histograms:

Aperture:

• Ideal Aperture: f/8-16
• Crop vs. Full Frame
• Diffraction
• Don’t go past f/11 (crop) or f/16 on FF – This rule can be broken

Shutter Speed:

• Static vs. Dynamic/Motion
• Ideally most scenes aren’t static
• Waterfall times/Seas/Waves
• Examples:

• Ideal settings:
• Base ISO’s Pros and Cons? 50 vs. 100 vs. 200
• Achieving a type of shot based on given light
• Ideal settings (Base 50/100 or 200, F/11 or F/16)
• Early morning experimentation before/during civil twilight
  • Use of Bulb and or higher ISO?
• Sunny 16 rule f/16, Shutter speed 1/ISO (1/100 or 1/125)

Different Modes of Camera:

• Aperture Priority – Av/A
• Shutter Priority – Tv/S
• Manual – M
• Bulb-B

DOF:

• Focus from foreground to background
• Use ideal apertures
• Focus ~1/3 of way into scene.

Focus

• Focus on foreground elements vs. background elements
  • Foreground must be sharp
  • Ideally background should as well, but not as essential
• Hyperfocal vs. Manual (infinity) vs. AF
• Removing focus from the shutter button
  • AF/MF Switch
  • Focus Lock
  • Rear Button Focus
• Setting Focus Points
• Distance from camera (ft/meters) Obviously dependent on lens MFD

Focal Lengths:

• How focal lengths effect Depth of Field
• Crop vs. Full Frame (quick calculation) Add half to focal length.
• Wide vs. Tele vs. Standard (24-70 or 16-50) vs. Macro
• Examples:

• Tripods – USE ONE!!!
• Releases vs. Timer – DON’T TOUCH CAMERA!!
• Mirror Lock-Up

File Types:

• RAW Advantages:
  • Most data
  • Most processing latitude
  • WB, Exposure, Clipping Points
• Raw Disadvantages:
  • File size
  • Must be processed in a RAW editor (Lightroom/ACR/Supplied)
  • Free RAW Editors (UFRAW and RAWTherapee)
• Camera review shows JPEG regardless. (And Histogram)

Accessories

• Tripod/Head
• Filters
  • GND/ND/CP
  • What and Why?
• Comfortable Bag
• Lens Cloths
• Spare Battery/Cards
• Spirit Level
• Clothing
• Protection (Insurance, waterproofing,)

Locations:

• Where to on Saturday?
• Check Tides
  • low @ 4:23am & 5:13pm
• Check Sunrise/sunset times (Apps, Internet/Naval Observatory)
  • First Light: 6:01am – Sunrise: 6:29am
  • Sunset: 4:30pm – Last Light 4:58pm
• Parking and Access
• How much hiking
• Mapping programs on-line (Bing Maps vs. Google Maps)
• Using lessons learned, or internet write ups of locations (Luminous Landscape, or other internet forums)
• Flickr or other online photo galleries

Here are some examples of how different photographers will shoot the same scenes on the same days with different styles, aka Ben -vs- Andy!