It can be a challenge to take what you see, in all its magnitude and splendor and click that shutter to hold it firmly in your grasp for eternity. The colors, the textures, the way the light casts its warm glow in some places and leaves the untouched pieces bathed in mystery, sometimes don’t seem to translate to the printed or posted image.

While a picture is worth a thousand words, sometimes it feels like the image is simply stammering to describe itself…uh..um…so…erm…yeah.

Whether you choose to haul the DSLR or decide to carry a cell phone, capturing the best images to tell the story of your adventure takes some finesse, skill and sometimes requires you to “think outside the box” to achieve truly exceptional images.

Up first in our series on photography, we have light!

I see the light! 

• The most important thing to consider when capturing an image is light. How it works or doesn’t work in the space, the shadows, the warmth or coolness of it, the lack of it or having far too much of it, these must be considered for each image.
• • Problem: Too much light
• • • When you have too much light, areas will be “blown out” or “hot”. What happens is you lose any texture, detail or color. Not great, unless that is the mood you are trying to convey.
• • • How to fix it: Go into your camera settings and reduce your ISO/light sensitivity, increase your exposure/shutter speed, and reduce the aperture/f stop. Playing with these settings will adjust how bright the image looks and help to balance the overall light composure of the image.
      

      
• • Problem: Too little light
• • • When you have too little light, areas will be “blacked out”,  “cold” or “under exposed”. What is happening here is that the detail, texture and color in the scene are getting lost without enough light on them. Again, this can be a stylistic choice or a mood purposefully conveyed, however if it isn’t intentional, you will want to correct it.
• • • How to fix it: Go into your camera settings and increase your ISO/light sensitivity (careful how high you set this as your image can become grainy), decrease shutter speed/exposure (being mindful to not dip below 1/60 if handheld or image will likely blur), change your f stop/aperture to adjust the light in the image.
      

      

Snap what you see, as you see it. THEN, take a step back and look at the scene again and evaluate that light. Asking yourself how you can capture every unique nuance of the moment and what the light is doing in the space will allow you to capture truly dynamic images.

“Keep your heart open, a suitcase packed and wander often for the world is wide and adventure awaits.” ~ Emylee