ADVENTURE PHOTOGRAPHY

with Cathy & Gordon ILLG

PHOTO TIPS

Heat is one of the most difficult weather elements to show.  Here we've included the sun in a cloudless sky, blazing down on spring flowers growing on the dunes.  An aperture of f16 or smaller will create a sunstar,        and the wider the angle of the lens, the less problem there will be with flares.  A reflector was used to help light up the flowers.

Without the receding lightning storm and the stars   in the clearing sky, this image would have very little going for it--no differences in topography, the plants are all almost uniform in height, no flowers.  A flashlight was used to light up the foreground.  Since the storm was leaving, the danger from lightning was minimized.

A bald eagle in flight always has the potential of making a strong image.  However, the falling snow definitely adds to it.  It tells a story of persevering against the elements.  If the background had been a snow covered hillside, the falling snow flakes would not have shown up.

Rainbows are a colorful element, and they make a strong contribution to almost any image, whether they add any weather info or not.  This would have been a pretty ordinary mountain scenic without the rainbow.    Rainbows form opposite the sun, usually when it is still raining lightly.

An elephant seal bellowing out a wisp of steam adds interest to a photo no one would have looked twice at.  The steam tells the viewer something about the temperature when the shot was taken.  Keep in mind that with large animals, and elephant seals are huge, steam can be exhaled even when the temperature is well above freezing.

Again, backlit steam makes the picture.  It adds an element of interest to an image of a wolf crossing a stream.  The backlight also makes the golden leaves glow, letting the viewer know the season.

Rain is a tough element to work with.  With only diffused sunlight, even against a dark background like a giant tortoise, the raindrops barely show up.

Imagine this as a blue sky scene--not too exciting.  It is the mist that makes this image.  The mist shrouding the trees adds an element of mystery, and seeing these giant reptiles in such an environment gives the scene a primordial feel.