Share your Photography Tips
Posted: Fri Mar 15, 2013 10:34 pm
For a lot of people, photography is an integral part of climbing. It's how we look back on our trips years later and how we share our passion with friends and family. Yet so often when I'm looking at photos with friends I hear them say things like "The picture really doesn't do it justice." or "It looked way bigger in real life." I've learned a lot of things over the years that have helped me improve the quality of my pictures. I thought I would share a couple of my own tricks but I would really like to hear other peoples' tips for great pictures in the mountains. Here's a couple tricks I use:
1. Don't cut peoples' legs off. Sometimes photos of people from the waist up in front of beautiful scenery can look like corny vacation photos, or worse, photoshopped. If you photograph people head to toe in their environment you can see their point of contact with the earth. It makes photos look less vacation and more documentary.
2. Rule of Thirds. It's an oldie but a goodie. Usually we're a little too into the mountains and forget about the sky. Most often a composition with 95% mountains and a little sky won't be balanced. If you put the horizon roughly a third of the way down the frame you'll get a much more pleasing composition.
That's what works for me. Please share your tips for great mountain photos.
Also, if you dig my photos you can see some more at http://www.flickr.com/photos/ianamclennan/sets/72157631545949975/
1. Don't cut peoples' legs off. Sometimes photos of people from the waist up in front of beautiful scenery can look like corny vacation photos, or worse, photoshopped. If you photograph people head to toe in their environment you can see their point of contact with the earth. It makes photos look less vacation and more documentary.
2. Rule of Thirds. It's an oldie but a goodie. Usually we're a little too into the mountains and forget about the sky. Most often a composition with 95% mountains and a little sky won't be balanced. If you put the horizon roughly a third of the way down the frame you'll get a much more pleasing composition.
That's what works for me. Please share your tips for great mountain photos.
Also, if you dig my photos you can see some more at http://www.flickr.com/photos/ianamclennan/sets/72157631545949975/