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• Africa Dance

Join photographer Katherine Keates as she journeys to Africa to explore the Samburu tribal dances through a series of stunning, selective focus and long exposure photos. Katherine brings the story of the Samburu culture and traditions to life through her images and her words.

© Katherine Keates
"
Whirling Dervish"

The Dance of the Butterfly People

Story and images by Katherine Keates

© Katherine Keates
Africa Dance
"Dancing Samburu Girl"

Vivid colours swirled and danced through the heady East African air as rhythmic chant-like singing reverberated around the dusty circle. To the hypnotic beat of an ancient chant, women bounced and flaunted their vibrant neck collars made of rope upon rope of delicately strung beads while men jumped in a competition of height and stamina. I was simply spellbound. Uneducated as to the history of this spirited and richly coloured performance of a traditional Samburu dance, there was one thing I knew for sure, and that was that someone was really trying to impress someone. And it was working.

The Samburu people are not so distant relatives to the Maasai although they live just above the equator where the foothills of Mount Kenya merge into the northern desert and slightly south of Lake Turkana in the Rift Valley Province of Kenya in East Africa.

This is a warrior-race of cattle-owning pastoralists. The Samburu, proud of their culture and traditions, still cherish and retain the customs and ceremonies of their ancestors, unlike many other tribes in Kenya who have been more influenced by Western civilization. They are a group that broke away from the main tribe and remained as others pushed further south. The Samburu people are completely dedicated to the raising and nurturing of their livestock, almost to the virtual exclusion of everything else. Their cattle are their life, their wealth, their livelihood and they are profoundly symbolic of status and success within the tribe. To this day, a man still pays a dowry in cattle to the parents of a future bride.

© Katherine Keates
Africa Dance
"Colour in Motion"

In front of the backdrop of the often barren and dusty horizon, the Samburu people bring life and colour to the landscape either out on the plains swathed in their brilliant red cloth or, even more dazzlingly, in their village with their songs and dances. Typically and traditionally, they use no instruments, even drums. They have dances for various occasions of life. But no matter what the occasion, the men primarily dance by jumping, and high vertical jumping from a standing position is like a competitive sport. Most dances involve the men and women dancing in separate circles with specific moves for each sex, while still coordinating the movements of the two groups. The central musical theme of the Samburu dances is a deep reverberating male vocal sound, a rhythmic chanting hauntingly similar to the territorial call of a lion. Warriors move with a series of astonishing vertical leaps, fiercely encouraged by the cries and shouts of other observing warriors while the women bounce, flip and swirl their magnificent collars of beads.

Traditional Samburu settlements are always situated in locations of tremendous geographic beauty, often overlooking spectacular vistas. The aesthetic appreciation of beauty is a major part of Samburu life and their beliefs, and this shows itself most in an incredible attention to physical appearance and adornment. The name "Samburu" was given to them by other tribes, and directly translates as Butterflies or Butterfly People. This was most likely gained because of the impression of delicacy created by their personal ornamentation. However, this delicacy and beauty is not to be mistaken, as it is merely an illusory contrast to their fearsome reputation for hunting and fighting.

© Katherine Keates
Africa Dance
"The Warrior"

The warriors, known as moran, are the most visually striking members of this unique society and are unquestionably attractive to young girls. They live a rather pleasant and undemanding life with permissive sex for roughly 14 years. Most of them will at one time or another have many lovers who will lavish them with gifts of beads and other trinkets. These young men are flamboyant in their style of dress and are incredibly vain. They frequently apply abstract designs in orange to their faces and red ochre to their heads, necks and shoulders and spend hours adorning each other. Who could doubt that moranhood is considered the best period of a Samburu man’s life.

When adolescent girls attend the dances, which are organized by the moran of their clan, they are deeply aware of the importance of their appearance. They paste red ochre onto their heads, they darken their eyebrows with charcoal, and paint elaborate designs on their faces all the while chattering, teasing and giggling in anticipation of the dance. A small compact mirror or piece of reflective metal is an item of great value to a Samburu, male or female. If the young lady is attractive enough to earn attention from a moran, it is likely that she will become a mistress to him and enjoy his protection. Over the years he will heap beads upon his lover or "bead girl" as a symbol of his affection.

Samburu women do not wear the distinctive large flat necklaces of the Maasai. Instead, they are, from a young age, given single loop bead necklaces by young morans. These precious beaded gifts are given regularly and liberally by young Samburu admirers, and it is not long until the necklaces soon merge to form a thick collar of multihued beads. In the Samburu society, body adornments clearly indicate a person’s social or ritual status, and the exchange of such adornments simply defines the social relationship between the giver and the recipient.   And all of this is joyously flaunted in the dances of the ‘Butterfly People’.

© Katherine Keates: Africa Dance: "Girl and Collar of Beads"

I moved around the circle with my camera and taking long exposure photos, or using selective focus, swung and moved to the music and tripped the shutter as the moment struck. I needed to capture the mood of this hypnotic dance as the primal beat and visceral sound of the feigned lion call spoke to my own deeply rooted primordial essence while colours of the Butterfly People swirled around my mind’s eye like a whirling dervish. When it was all over, I sat in the dusty circle, oblivious to the heat of the African sun, mesmerized and slightly intoxicated. It was then that I made a silent plea to the generations yet unborn that at least some remnants of tradition hold fast through the relentless winds of time and may it not all be lost.

About Katherine Keates

 

A photographer for many years, Katherine’s love of photography has led her to explore many avenues in the art and craft of photography. She has explored and photographed in places such as South Africa, Namibia, Botswana, Kenya, Tanzania, France, Israel, Hawaii, Alaska, China, the Galapagos Islands, Ecuador and many North American national parks. She particularly loves to shoot on her home turf in Ontario, Canada.

She strives to present a unique vision and apply an artistic approach to all of her subjects. This national and international award-winning photographer has taught workshops and presented instructional programs. Her prints have been displayed in traditional and unique gallery situations, and in numerous exhibitions, and her work can be found on the walls of private homes and corporate offices.

She has participated on the speakers’ circuit for the Greater Toronto Council of Camera Clubs specializing in Audio Visual presentations and is a qualified international photographic judge. She is currently an active member and Vice President of the Toronto Focal Forum print makers group.

Katherine is also a freelance writer and has had numerous articles and images published in both local and international photographic publications such as BBC Wildlife Photographer of the Year, Photo Life, Pets Magazine, Best of Photography, Local Colour and the CAPA Journal.

Katherine welcomes you to visit her website at:

www.katherinekeatesphotography.com

 

© Katherine Keates
Africa Dance
"Colour of the Dance"

Next, you may want to read more articles from guest writers on learning digital photography.

Or you may want to learn more about shutter speed in our exposure basics.

• Home
• Learning Digital Photography
• Safari Photography

Get a front row seat, as photographers Katherine Keates and Avi Cohen recount their experience photographing the dramatic phenomenon of the wildebeest crossing Kenya’s Mara River. Flying hooves, clouds of dust, and cameras clicking; this is safari photography at its best! Katherine and Avi also recommend what you should stock in your safari camera bag.

© Katherine Keates
The Crossing

The Crossing

by Katherine Keates and Avi Cohen

Anxious repetitive chant like moans and explosive snorts reverberated through the African mid-day heat as restless hooves churned up clouds of reddish dust. An electric current of mounting tension and pending drama rippled through the air. We held our breath, cameras poised, in anticipation of the drama that was to unfold.

© Katherine Keates

Change of Mind

We had traveled for many miles over dusty trails of Kenya’s Masai Mara to reach this safari photography destination and to hopefully witness the most dramatic wildlife spectacle on earth. We had waited for hours in the blazing sun and furnace-like heat. The moment we had been anticipating was tangible yet illusive. When would they cross?

What we had journeyed so far to observe and photograph was the semi-annual crossing of the Mara River by the wildebeest, known as "Nyumbu Ya Montu" in Swahili and also referred to as the "Gnu". This event offers an unrivaled opportunity for safari photography. From the endless Serengeti Plains, over 1.4 million wildebeest, along with more than 200,000 zebras and gazelles, migrate clockwise over 1800 miles each year. They follow the rains in a constant search for fresh grass while being closely pursued by lions, cheetahs, wild-dogs and hyenas. These opportunistic predators patiently wait for the chance to strike on the weak, the young and the old.

After much careful and meticulous preparation, we had finally arrived. All we could hope for now was that luck and Mother Nature were on our side. From the crack of dawn, we had driven to and followed along the riverbanks. We observed thousands of wildebeest of all ages trudging along on their instinctual and endless pilgrimage in search of food and water. They arrived in long single columns from every direction forming slow moving tributaries of living creatures to gather at the river’s edge.

© Katherine Keates

Migration to the River

Not always can one predict where and when the crossing will take place simply by observing the flow of the gathering herd. All it would take is one or two gnus to spearhead a shift downriver to a more suitable crossing point. However, once there, the decision to cross could easily be reversed by a change of heart or the sight of a hungry crocodile along the shore. Then the entire entourage would once again change direction and the thousands would follow.

As we watched the herds gather along the riverbank, numbers built from both the flanks and the rear, pushing forward and creating a pressure cooker effect. Ground rumbling from stomping hooves, dust rising to obliterate all but the heads and horns, baying and calling of adults and calves all signaled the stampede about to occur.

All we needed to do was to be patient (an essential quality for safari photography!), because once the crowd becomes too congested and the oppressive heat unbearable, it only takes one brave wildebeest to take the first step into the water. We also knew that if the crossing place they chose was shallow, most of the herd would likely pass safely to the other side. However, if the water turned out to be deep, we might witness the water boiling with drowning wildebeest and slashing crocodiles. We could only wait.

© Avi Cohen
Leader of the Pack

Finally it happened! One tentative step from a bold individual and then, suddenly, without warning, the spontaneous and natural event took place. In the blink of an eye, the animals began to flow down the cliffs like water from an opened dam. Leaping and jumping, they entered the river, with only one mission in mind, to get to the other side … alive.

© Avi Cohen
The Jumping Duo

With hippos forming a blockade in the water to protect their young, the wildebeest were channeled into a restricted path of crossing. This slowed the head of the pack, causing a traffic-jam of panicked hefty animals clamoring and splashing over one another in a race for survival.

© Katherine Keates
Hippos on Guard

As the tension continued to mount and the pressure from behind increased, the more daring or desperate ones chose to either initiate new paths to the river or simply leap from mid-cliff to land on the backs of others. Once launched to mid-air we could easily see their oddly disproportionate physical design. Their box-like head sits on a muscular and heavily built front end followed by spindly legs and a slender hind.

With mud flying and water splashing, we watched and photographed successful crossers scramble up the bank on the other side. Thousands of exhausted wet-backed gnu were seen filling the horizon as they headed to greener pastures. Of the five thousand plus lucky wildebeest that crossed the Mara River before our eyes, not a single one was lost. That was a miracle, for often during these crossings, the opportunistic crocodiles get fed and many carcasses of not so lucky gnu can be seen floating down the river with the current.

© Avi Cohen
At the Edge of the River

Once the last straggler had safely crossed, we dropped to our seats in shear exhaustion. What had happened in the previous few minutes was photographic ecstasy — safari photography at its best. We had wanted to be prepared for any action at any minute. We had all our cameras prepared with lenses, extenders, and had charged batteries and flash cards close at hand. We each chose to have our back up bodies fitted with a different focal length lens in order to facilitate capturing both the wide scene and close ups without having to change lenses in mid action and also to avoid getting dust in the camera.

With shutters blazing and expressions and expletives of "Oh my God", "I don’t believe my eyes", and other unmentionables, we shot like mad. We had zoomed, panned, and searched for the perfect composition while trying to take it all in with our eyes and our cameras.

As the dust gathered and rose in the turmoil, our auto focusing no longer functioned properly and manual focus became necessary. This meant steady hands in the heat of the moment. The use of bean-bag support became ever so critical. In a flurry of activity the interior of the Landrover had become a scene of flying objects, cameras, lenses, batteries, and flash cards. There was no time to waste. There was chaos inside and out.

© Katherine Keates
In the Dust

When it was all over, some of us wiping the tears from our eyes, we had a chance to reflect on what had just occurred. In twelve minutes of safari photography bliss, we watched over 5000 wildebeest cross the Mara River and each managed to shoot gigabytes of raw digital images in that short time. We knew our real work lay ahead of us back at the lodge with hours of editing, downloading and backups of these special images.
We headed back home while the wildebeest ambled off to graze the greener pastures of the Masai Mara as they have instinctually done for countless generations.

© Avi Cohen
After the Mara Crossing

We realized we had been fortunate enough to witness one of the world’s most dramatic nature stories, but one thing became incredibly clear. There is no beginning or end to the odyssey of Africa’s wildebeest, but rather the cyclical and never-ending search for sustenance. The only true beginning for the wildebeest is at the moment of birth.

What should be in your safari photography kit?

© Avi Cohen
Leaping Forward

In each camera bag:

1. Camera Body (capable of high speed shooting: 5-8 frames per second)
2. Back up Camera Body
3. 100-400 mm zoom Lens with image stabilization
4. 28-135 mm lens (or similar) with image stabilization
5. 17-40 mm wide angle lens (or similar)
6. 1.4X Extender

© Katherine Keates
Churning

Additional lenses and equipment (if you can manage it):

1. 300, 400, or 500 mm f/2.8 lens (with image stabilization)
2. Sturdy tripods
3. Solid, quality tripod ball heads
4. Cable release

© Avi Cohen
At the Crossing Point (Close Up)

Electronic Accessories:

1. Quality batteries (lots!)
2. Battery chargers
3. Flash Cards (many!)
4. Flash Card readers
5. Portable hard drives for storage and backup
6. Laptop

© Katherine Keates
Piling Up

Additional safari photography necessities:

1. Safari style bean bag (essential for wildlife photography)
2. Large chamois (to cover camera for dust/rain protection)
3. Clear plastic bags (for additional protection)
4. High energy power bars (for long waits, you will need it !!)
5. Sun protection and hat
6. Water, water, water

 

About Katherine Keates and Avi Cohen

 

Photographers for many years, Avi’s and Katherine’s love of photography has led them to explore many avenues in the art and craft of photography both at home and abroad.

As involved members of numerous photographic organizations, they enthusiastically support and encourage amateur photographers of all levels. These award-winning photographers have taught workshops, presented instructional programs and have led photographic excursions to Africa, Israel, Jordan, and South America in order to promote the art and sheer enjoyment of photography.

They encourage you to explore their unique perspectives of the world found in the images on their individual websites:

www.avicohenphotography.com

www.katherinekeatesphotography.com

 

© Avi Cohen
Diving Into the Water

 

If you enjoyed this safari photography adventure, you may want to read Africa Dance, another article by Katherine in which she explores Samburu tribal dances through a series of stunning, selective focus and long exposure photos.

• Home
• Digital Photography Technique
• Digital Night Photography

Have you ever wondered what shutter speed to use to capture star points, and not star trails? In this short video on digital night photography, Julie reveals the formula to use to calculate the maximum shutter speed you can use to keep those stars looking like points.

 

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Video Transcript

Have you been curious about photographing the night sky, but you’re not really sure what settings to use so that your stars actually look like stars, and not lines in your photograph? Hi, I’m Julie from Ultimate Photo Tips, and today’s Two Minute Photo Tip is all about answering that question: what settings should you use on your camera so that you stars look like star points and not star trails?

Fist of all, you get star trails, meaning lines across your photograph, because the Earth is moving. If you leave your shutter open for a long period of time, the stars will move through your frame, and leave behind a trail of light. To avoid that, you need a short enough shutter speed that you stars come out just as points. So, what is that shutter speed, and how do we figure it out?

Digital Night Photography: Star Points
© Julie Waterhouse Photography

A good rule of thumb, if you don’t want to do any math, is that for a wide angle lens, 30 seconds is about as long as you can go. If you want to know the exact number, there’s a formula. It’s 600 divided by the focal length of your lens. This is for a 35mm format camera.

So let’s say you’re using an 18mm lens. 600 / 18 = 33.3. So with an 18mm lens, 30 seconds is the longest exposure you can use and still have your stars rendered as star points.

If you are going to be using a very short exposure like that, to get star points, that’s not going to give you a lot of light. You have to boost your light in other ways. That means setting an aperture that’s quite wide, and boosting you ISO as high as your camera can comfortably go without getting too much noise, so at least 1600, and possibly as high as 6400.

Time to try it out! Wait for the next clear sky, and get your camera out there — on a tripod, of course! – and try doing some digital night photography.

That’s your two minute tip for today! If you like this video, please like it, tweet it and share it with your friends. For more great tips, be sure to visit ultimate-photo-tips.com and sign up for my newsletter, where I share tips, ideas and inspiration that I don’t share anywhere else!

Happy shooting, and I’ll see you next time.

 

• Home
• Photo Challenges
• September 2012

Photo Challenges:
September 2012

Abstracts

For the last couple of months, the winning challenge image has inspired the topic for the next month. That’s what happened this time, too! And it’s also a topic that was suggested on our Facebook Page. The topic is "abstract photos."

Abstract photos rely less on the actual content, and more on colors, lines, shapes, and textures, to produce a visually stimulating image. I think that creating abstract photos is excellent training for any photographer, as it causes us to concentrate on the fundamental building blocks of all images. If you can train yourself to see abstractly, I think that all of your photography will benefit.

Your imagination is your only limit when it comes to choosing subject matter that can be used to create abstract photos. I think the key is to find something that stirs your emotions, piques your curiosity, or excites you. Let’s see what you can find!

If you need a little extra inspiration, I found this wonderful collection of abstract photos online.

Read the rules. One entry only each month per person, please!

Enter your super-amazing photos in our photo contests. The winning image will be featured on the Ultimate Photo Tips homepage for all of the following month.

Submit your image.

See what other people are submitting, and vote for your favorite:
View other entries.

 

My Abstract View

I’ve decided not to tell you what each photograph is actually of. I think it would spoil it! 🙂 If it works as an abstract, it shouldn’t really matter what the subject is. If you’re just dying to know, then try out the commenting facility at the very bottom of this page (you must be signed in through Facebook, Yahoo, AOL or Hotmail), and ask me there.

© Julie Waterhouse

 

© Julie Waterhouse

 

© Julie Waterhouse

 

© Julie Waterhouse

 

© Julie Waterhouse

 

© Julie Waterhouse

 

© Julie Waterhouse

 

 

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• Home
• Digital Photography Technique
• People in Nature Photography

Do you tend to avoid including people in your nature and landscape photography? In this short video, Julie gives two good reasons to change your practice, and include people in your nature and landscape shots. Watch below to find out what they are.

 

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Video Transcript

Hello! I’m Julie from Ultimate Photo Tips, back with another Two Minute Tip. I want to talk to you about including people in your photographs. I’m not talking about photos where your subject is a person, or a group of people. Instead, I want to encourage you to include people in photos of landscapes or nature.

For a long time, I was one of those photographers who waited until all the tourists cleared out of a spot before taking my picture. I wanted the scene to appear pristine and untouched. Now, there’s nothing wrong with that approach, but I want you to consider telling a different story.

Let me give you a couple of reasons why I’ve started including people in nature photography. First, having a person in the scene can add a sense of scale. Everyone knows immediately how big a person is, so if there’s a person in the image, we quickly assess the relative size of the other elements. If you’re in the forest photographing the giant sequoia tree, it doesn’t mean much until you put a person beside it.

Second, and probably even more significant, is that people in nature photography add that human interest factor. If there’s a person in the scene, then the viewer can easily substitute themselves, and imagine being there. It gives the photo a sense of immediacy. If you’re submitting photos to magazines, they love the inclusion of people because their readers can relate better to the image.

If you are going to include people in images that you intend to sell, of course you need to make sure you get the appropriate model releases. You also want to include the right people in the photo. Any old tourist may not be the best choice. You want someone well-groomed, and dressed appropriately for the scene. Your best — and most cooperative! — subject might just be yourself, so consider using a timer delay when you shoot, and including yourself in your photo.

Let me close with a couple of examples so you can decide whether you prefer the one with or without me in the frame.

Here’s the Hopewell Rocks in New Brunswick, Canada at sunrise:

Hopewell Rocks, NB, Canada, with no one in the scene
© Julie Waterhouse Photography

And here they are again with me in the scene. Do you react any differently to this photo?

Hopewell Rocks, NB, Canada, including myself in the scene
© Julie Waterhouse Photography

So get out there, and try a few photos with people in nature photography, and see if you like the difference it makes. For more photo tips, come on over to ultimate-photo-tips.com, and be sure to sign up for my newsletter.

Happy shooting, and I’ll see you next time!

 

• Home
• Digital Photography Technique
• RAW versus JPEG

Are you confused about whether to shoot in RAW or JPEG? Not sure exactly what the difference is? Julie compares these two file formats in a short video, and recommends which you should be using.

 

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Video Transcript

Hi! It’s time for another two minute photo tip. I’m Julie from Ultimate Photo Tips, and I’m here today with a quick comparison of RAW versus JPEG. Which one should you be using? And what’s the difference, anyway?

RAW and JPEG are different file formats that the camera can use to store your images. I like to compare the RAW format to unbaked cookie dough. Shooting RAW is like taking a digital negative. Your camera stores all the data that it captures. That means that you can take your RAW data, and bake your cookie to any recipe you want. In other words, you have complete control over the final look of your image, in terms of white balance, contrast, brightness and much more. And in fact, you can take your same RAW data, and process it in multiple ways – like baking several kinds of cookies – to create different final looks to your image. Now, a RAW image straight out of the camera never looks very good. You must expect to do some post-processing on your images using software like Lightroom, Photoshop, Aperture, or the RAW editor that comes free with your camera.

If RAW format is like unbaked cookie dough, then JPEG is a baked cookie. When you shoot in JPEG, the camera takes into account the picture modes that you have pre-selected, and then produces an image to those specifications, or a specific cookie recipe. Here’s the thing – JPEG is what’s known as a compressed file format. That means the final file is smaller than RAW (it’s been compressed down), but that’s because all the extra data not used in your recipe gets thrown away. Once you’ve made your choice, there’s no changing your mind, and re-processing the image. If you try to, every time you save the JPEG file, you will degrade the image and throw away more data.

If you are just starting out, I suggest that you concentrate on learning composition and exposure, and just shoot in JPEG. That way, your images are ready to send to print or the web without any more work. Figuring out post-processing software is a whole other learning curve!

If you are a more advanced photographer, and are ready to expand your creative control to include post-processing, then I encourage you to shoot in RAW for the best quality images, and the most flexibility and control.

Drop by ultimate-photo-tips.com for more information about raw versus jpeg file formats, as well as heaps more info and tips on other photography-related topics.

Happy shooting, and I’ll see you next time!

Find out more about RAW Versus JPEG

Find out more detail about raw vs jpeg.

 

• Home
• Digital Photography Technique
• Background in Photography

Never underestimate the importance of background in photography! This short video explains how your background can be the key to taking an image from snapshot to photograph.

 

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Video Transcript

Have you ever wondered what the difference is between a snapshot and a photograph? You know it when you see it, but have you ever stopped to analyze what the real differences are? Hi, I’m Julie from Ultimate Photo Tips, and for today’s Two Minute Phot Tip, I want to talk about one of the factors that I think makes a difference: backgrounds.

Novice photographers tend to be so focused on their subject, that they forget all about the background in photography, whereas an advanced photographer is much more aware that the background is an integral part of the image – that it’s just as important as the foreground subject.

So how do you start taking your images from "snapshot" to "photograph?" The first thing you need to do is clean up your backgrounds. That’s like level 1. Make sure that the background has no distractions – no elbows or trees coming in from the side, no bright spots or dark spots to pull your attention away from the subject.

Then, at level 2, you actually want to start paying attention to what is in the background, and making sure that it complements your subject, that it works in harmony with it. So don’t just look at the objects in the background, but look at their shapes, and colors, and the lines in them and their textures, and make sure all those things are playing together with your subject, to actually enhance your subject.

A great way to get started with background in photography is to go out and to look at the work of photographers you admire. Make sure you take a look at the background in those pictures, and understand how they work with the subject. And then get out there and start practicing yourself!

If you want more great tips, please come on over to ultimate-photo-tips.com, and sign up for my newsletter while you’re there. Happy shooting, and I’ll see you next time!

 

• Home
• Digital Photography Technique
• Wide Angle Lens

Are you using your wide angle lens just so you can fit more stuff in the frame? Watch this video for seven great tips to help you get the most out of your lens. Using a wide angle properly can produce dramatic results that pull the viewer right into your image.

 

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Video Transcript

Are you using your wide angle just so that you can fit more stuff into the frame? If you are, I can help you do better. I’m Julie from Ultimate Photo Tips, and today’s tip is all about using your wide angle lens. Wide angle lenses can be a bit tricky to use, but used effectively, they can produce some really dramatic results, and they can help your viewer feel they’re really pulled into the scene. Today, I’m going to give you seven tips for using wide angle lenses. Ready? Here we go!

1. Get close to your subject. Get closer than you’re used to – maybe even closer than you’re comfortable with. But do get up close and personal. Your wide angle lens can focus close, so that won’t be a problem.

2. Orient your camera vertically. Especially if you’re shooting landscapes, consider orienting your camera vertically. If this is the ground, you’re going to have your camera quite close to the ground, and you should probably angle it down just a little bit. That means you’re going to get a lot of foreground in the image, but the field of view is wide enough, that you’re going to see all the way up to the horizon.

Orienting the camera vertically emphasizes the foreground
© Julie Waterhouse

3. Create a visually interesting foreground that’s free of distractions. Because you have so much foreground in the image, and because it gets exaggerated so much by this lens, make sure it’s interesting.

4. Make deliberate and careful compositions. Pay special attention to what’s being pulled in at the edges of the frame.

5. Be careful when photographing people. When photographing people with a wide angle, body parts that are close ti the lens are going to be distorted and exaggerated, and it might look a little bit funny.

Yikes, distortion! Big head, big arms, scary photo! Shot at 24mm
© Julie Waterhouse

6. Be aware of distortion. If you’re pointing your camera above or below the horizon, be aware that a wide angle lens can distort vertical lines. That can affect things like buildings.

7. Be careful when using a polarizing filter. The effect of the polarization, because it’s such a wide angle, won’t be even across the image. You may end up with a very dark blue sky on one side of the image, fading to a light blue on the other side.

Those are your tips or using a wide angle lens. Now it’s time to try them out. Get out there with your camera, take some pictures, and experiment!

If you like this video, please like it, tweet it and share it with your friends. For more great tips, be sure to visit ultimate-photo-tips.com and sign up for my newsletter, where I share tips, ideas and inspiration that I don’t share anywhere else!

Happy shooting, and I’ll see you next time.

 

• Home
• Photo Challenges
• October 2012

Photo Challenges:
October 2012

Serenity

Last week, as I was writing the creativity exercise for the weekly Ultimate Photo Tips newsletter, I talked about an exercise where you come up with the title of the photo first. This can be a tough challenge! Having the title first is a big restriction on what you can shoot, but that’s what gets you thinking creatively If you’re stuck for titles, I suggested you try using a song title. I also gave you a few examples:

I gave a few examples to get you started with ideas.

• Joy to the World
• Dreamscape
• Ode to Monet
• Serenity
• Transformation

And that gave me the idea to pick one for this month’s photo challenge! So, "Serenity" it is. We all need a little serenity in our hectic lives. So please, share an image that says "serenity" to you.

Read the rules. One entry only each month per person, please!

Enter your super-amazing photos in our photo contests. The winning image will be featured on the Ultimate Photo Tips homepage for all of the following month.

Submit your image.

See what other people are submitting, and vote for your favorite:
View other entries.

 

Serenity Now!

…with apologies to fans of the TV show Seinfeld 🙂

Here are a few of my more serene images to inspire you…

© Julie Waterhouse

 

© Julie Waterhouse

 

© Julie Waterhouse

 

© Julie Waterhouse

 

© Julie Waterhouse

 

© Julie Waterhouse

 

 

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• Bright Spots in Photos

Do you understand the impact of bright spots in photos? They can work for you, to enhance your image, or they can work against you as distractions. Watch this video to make sure you have your bright spots working for you!

 

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Video Transcript

Are you looking for a quick way to polish up your photographs? Hi, I’m Julie from Ultimate Photo Tips, and for today’s Two Minute Photo Tip, I want to talk about bright spots in photos. The way that the human brain is wired means that you’re viewer’s attention is going to go immediately to the brightest thing in your photograph. Now, this can work for you, or it can work against you.

It’s working against you if the brightest thing in the frame is not something that you want your viewer to be looking at. For example, you may inadvertently have a lamp, or even a window, or a blank, white sky, or even a white object that’s not part of your story. If any of those are in your frame, that’s where your viewer is going to look first, so you need to think about recomposing.

© Julie Waterhouse Photography
Your eye is drawn immediately to the bright sky in the top right.

© Julie Waterhouse Photography
Eliminating the bright sky keeps your eye on the trees and path.

Now, it can also work for you, if you arrange things so that your subject is the brightest thing in the frame. That way, your viewer’s attention is immediately going to go just where you want it to.

© Julie Waterhouse Photography
Here, the bright path leads the eye through the image to the lit trees at the end.

Make sure that you’re paying attention, and that you’re in control of where the bright spots in your images are!

That’s your tip about bright spots in photos for today! If you like this video, please like it, tweet it and share it with your friends. For more great tips, be sure to visit ultimate-photo-tips.com and sign up for my newsletter, where I share tips, ideas and inspiration that I don’t share anywhere else!

Happy shooting, and I’ll see you next time.