KATV Summer Photography Segment

Summer means fun in the water, sun and everywhere outdoors.  It also means a lot of pictures.  Austin Pittman of Bedford Camera & Video has some pointers for taking the best pictures to capture those moments in the summer fun.

• Summer is by far the most popular time for photography
  • Lots of sunshine
  • Vacations
  • Holidays
  • Good weather
• Can also be one of the most tricky times to take pictures
  • Light can be very bright and overbearing
  • Lots of contrast
  • Heat, humidity, salt, and sand (if you go to the beach) can be very hard on your equipment
• Lets talk about how to get the best pictures during the summer months
  • If at all possible, try to avoid taking pictures in the middle of the day
    • The light is very bright, and creates so much contrast that is becomes hard to get good pictures, and you lose detail
    • If you are taking pictures of people the midday sun creates shadows around faces, and especially eyes.
    • Also the air is very hazy during the middle of the day, especially in the south.
    • The other advantage to avoiding the middle of the day is that in case you haven’t noticed, it tends to get a little hot in Arkansas in the summer!!
    • You can also use a circular polarizing filter to cut down on contrast, make your colors “pop”
  • Try to take you picture either early in the morning before the sun gets high, or late in the evening
    • The light is much warmer, softer, and more appealing, and you will get much better pictures just by waiting until your light is better
    • If you are forced to take pictures in the middle of the day, use your pop up or on camera flash to fill in shadows
      • You will have to override the automatic setting on your camera in order for your flash to fire
  • Composition
    • Make sure when you compose your picture to crop in as tight as possible
      • This helps to eliminate distracting elements in your background
      •  Unless you are taking sweeping landscapes or panoramic pictures
      • Turn your camera vertical if you are taking pictures of people, which helps to eliminate wasted space in your frame
      • Take pictures at unique and interesting angles, so your shots are different than everyone else’s
• Now lets talk about how to protect your equipment
  • The first thing to do is make sure you have a good quality camera case
    • Show pelican case for beach, canoing, boating, etc
    • Show regular case
  • Cameras very susceptible to salt, sand, and humidity, so be careful about taking your camera to the beach, and keep it protected
    • Or buy a waterproof/sand proof camera specifically for beach, boat, water pictures (show Olympus Tough camera)