Pierre Steenberg

Adding the sun

February 21, 2016 • Leave a Comment

Caution: do not look into the sun it will damage your eyes. I use live view or my Sony's digital viewfinder, but never use an optical viewfinder to look at the sun. I went out early to a location I have been watching. The weather did not play along. The clouds never got much color and looked gray and drab; nice for running but not for photography w...

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Using rocks, logs, and water to form lines

February 14, 2016 • Leave a Comment

When you are in nature you look into the scene because you have depth perception. You can even estimate the distance to something by using your depth perception. Naturally, you know the depth of the scene you are photographing because you are physically there. Yet, others looking at your image are looking at it from their homes, or wherever they ar...

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Using flowing water

February 07, 2016 • Leave a Comment

Flowing water scenes can be so calming. When a slow shutter speed is used the water blurs and typically forms lines because the water is flowing somewhere. Photographers love lines because they can be used compositionally. These lines also tend to be nice and bright as the water changes into milky soft and flowing streams. The human eye always goes...

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Second locations

January 31, 2016 • Leave a Comment

Last week I wrote about and showed this image: Never be satisfied while the light is still good. Check your histogram and your composition to insure that you have nailed the shot. Quickly shoot a number of images. Finish up! It does not make sense to shoot another 50 images of the same composition. Time is of the essence when the light is great.

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Anticipating great light

January 24, 2016 • Leave a Comment

You have read regularly that I love shooting on the edges of storms. The light is often crips and fresh. The clouds are nice. The sun and moving clouds often play games. There might be rain in the distance and rainbows can appear. Then again the weather can change and you can get wet. The clouds can hide the light and sun. We don't know and cannot...

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Remember the small

January 17, 2016 • Leave a Comment

I am not a person of great stature and have been the object of many jokes growing up or shall I say growing older. As people, we almost always tend to associate grandeur and beauty with the tall and exciting. We go on safari and look for the big five. We go to tall mountains and great bodies of water to shoot landscapes. The bigger, the taller, the...

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Executing a planned shot

January 10, 2016 • Leave a Comment

So last week we explored the planning process. I visited the area in question. I found a few compositions that I think will work. I used The Photographer's Ephemeris to plan the sunrise. I leave early to give my self enough time to move around to get the shot I want. The camera is setup and ready. It is early and still relatively dark. Then the sun...

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In search of images

January 03, 2016 • Leave a Comment

Many photographers find many of their images within an hour or so from where they live. When I lived in Hollister I certainly found many of my images close to where I lived. Now that I live in Fresno I have found it more difficult to get landscape images. So I decided to drive around a bit to see what I can find. When I drive around I do so not to...

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Playing with light and shadow

December 27, 2015 • Leave a Comment

Light and shadow can be used compositionally to direct the viewer's eyes and to create interest. At times it can even create mystery. Look for the interaction between light and shadow. Here are a few examples: The viewer's eyes first go to the light. They bounce between the spots with light. Later on they start seeing things in the shadows. This h...

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So what is all that dynamic range good for?

December 20, 2015 • Leave a Comment

Many Canon photographers have claimed that they do not need all that dynamic range. Let me just say that not needing something great is a poor excuse that has been used tirelessly. Nikon users once did not "need" any more mega pixels. Sony users don't "need" more lenses. Now Canon users don't "need" extra dynamic range. Just for the record, as long...

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