TakeBetterPhotosNow.com » Travel Photography

Landscape Silhouettes

Michael Kitada — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 08:00:36 +0000

I have photographed this building before, but tonight I it drew my attention due to the lovely silhouettes the setting sun was creating.
There’s a lot going on in this image:
1. Silhouettes
Classic case of the light falling on the palm trees being darker than the light falling on the background. Creating silhouettes!
2. The reflection of the sunset in the mirrored panels of the windows of the building. Another perspective.
3. Strong diagonals
The roofline of the building creates a very strong and dramatic diagonal which gives movement and power to this image. Diagonals are a photographers friend. Look for them and use them whenever possible.
4. The light is so smooth.
It seems to envelope each subject as it slowly slips beneath the horizon and gives way to the night. The last minutes of light are referred to as the golden light. This is why.

A very nice image from a church parking lot that I’ve been to hundreds of times and yet it never looks quite the same.
Be inspired!

Michael is the author of, “Take Better Photos Now,” and, “Mommie Pics,” ebooks that help everyone become better photographers through tips and secrets that he has learned during his more than 25 years of experience as a professional photographer and photography teacher. Her currently is an adjunct professor at Cal Baptist University in Riverside, California. To purchase either ebook, click the links. CLICK HERE FOR “TakeBetterPhotosNow!
CLICK HERE FOR MOMMIE PICS

Sunset Photo

Michael Kitada — Mon, 02 Jan 2012 08:00:17 +0000

One of my colleagues at the Orange County Register, captured an amazing image on the last day of 1999.
Remember the fears of Y2K?
How the embedded computer chips were going to shut the world down and leave us all in chaos?
The entire news staff was scheduled.
No one had the night off.
We were ready for anything, except nothing happened.
My fellow photographer was cruising Huntington Beach and saw a woman saying goodbye to the millennium.
I always thought about that image.
I was never able to get down to the beach on the last day of the year.
This year was no different.
In fact, my wife sent me to the store at the last minute, just as the sun was setting.
Fortunately, my son went with me and we put together a quick shoot as the last rays of the final sunset of 2011 shone down.
A couple of technical details:
1. The horizon is extremely low to emphasize the sky.
2. The sun is near the lower right area of convergence
3. My subject is in the left vertical and his head is near the upper left area of convergence.

Not quite the beach, but a significant image for myself and my son as we said goodbye to 2011.
Capture the moments of your families life.
Be inspired!

Michael worked as a photojournalist in southern California for 20 plus years and has taught photojournalism at UCLA. He currently is an adjunct professor at Cal Baptist University in Riverside, CA where he teaches photography. He is the author of, “Take Better Photos Now!”
click here for “TakeBetterPhotosNow!

Vacation Photography

Michael Kitada — Sat, 30 Jul 2011 08:00:22 +0000

Not really sure why a beam from 9/11 is on display at the Reagan Library, but it was inspiring and a solemn monument to one of the worst days in our country’s history.
I wanted to capture it well.
Here’s what I was thinking as I approached it. It is long, about 20 feet and sitting in a dim room.
I punched up my ISO (the light sensitivity for my digital sensor) and dialed my shutter speed way down to around 1/15 of a second.
I waited until a few people were stopped looking at the beam to freeze them due to the slow shutter speed, there was some movement at each end, but I figured most viewers would be looking at the center of the beam.

Then I nabbed a nice detail shot to give the viewer more information.
FDNY 343 had been stenciled onto the beam, signifying the number of firefighters who died that fateful day.
Putting the beam parallel to my camera helped to keep as much of it in focus as possible, along with the bystanders. The slow shutter speed allowed more light to illuminated my sensor for the best possible exposure and lastly the detail of the stencil helps to give the viewer’s more information about the image.
Try these techniques next time you head out on vacation.
Be inspired!

Visual Complexity

Michael Kitada — Fri, 29 Jul 2011 08:00:51 +0000

I found one more image that illustrates visual complexity.
This is a great technique for vacation photography or travel photography.
It adds the human element, without being too blatant about having a person in the photo. It also adds motion with the slow shutter speed which blurs the subject as they walk through the image.
I noticed these giant photos of “bad guys” who Reagan had to deal with in the 80’s, I knew I needed a human element and waited just a moment for this young woman to walk through the image. I set my camera for a relatively slow shutter speed and just waited for the subject to walk.
The result?
The subject walking is slightly blurred and thus, doesn’t draw too much attention away from the portraits on the wall.
Try this next time you want to show off a static element and you have people walking through the image.
Setting the shutter speed to below 1/15 of a second or slower will probably give the best results, just be careful that your final shutter speed isn’t so slow that you can’t hold the entire image still.
Be inspired!

Photo Taking Tips

Michael Kitada — Thu, 28 Jul 2011 08:00:10 +0000

I have a quick photo taking tip today.
It involves two things, silhouettes and space.
This image utilizes both things. The mystery of a silhouette creates drama and intrigue, but notice how each of the people has their own space in the image?
A lot of photogs forget or don’t notice this and things become jumbled.
Waiting and being intentional will cause your image to be some much more different and unique.
The moment before this image was taken the people were all mushed together, waiting just a beat, helped to separate them as two of them walked towards the steps and the lone figure walked parallel to the camera. That created just enough space between each figure for separation and cleanliness for the image.
This step, especially in a silhouette really takes your photos to the next level.
Be intentional and be inspired!

Vacation Photography

Michael Kitada — Wed, 27 Jul 2011 08:00:13 +0000

Vacation photography is an incredibly important type of photography.
We all want to document where we go and what we see.
Here’s a few tips to help you the next time you pack up the family for a day trip or for the vacation of a lifetime!
1) Include people doing something next to or around the iconic place you visit. So many people photograph their family mugging the camera in front of the Grand Canyon, The Statue of Liberty etc. That’s okay, but for an image that will knock people’s socks off, try an image that shows off the neat icon with folks looking at it or enjoying it. For example, in this image of Air Force One at the Reagan Library, I waited till a few folks were admiring and taking a photo of this famous airplane.

2) Silhouettes make iconic and interesting images. This next photo is a line of people waiting to go inside the airplane. Yes, a line of people. Not too interesting, but turn those folks into silhouettes and instantly I have an iconic image that is interesting and eye-cathching. This situation was made for silhouettes with the large glass wall that the line was near, I just put the window behind the crowd and started shooting.

3) Use people for context. Place people in the frame to show how large or small something is. Scale.
In the last image, there is a painting of the various planes that presidents have utilized. It was very large and long. I included a lone figure at the very end that showed scale and size.
Going on vacation is a needed break from work and the drudgery of everyday life, but don’t leave your photo sense at home.
Think and you’ll be rewarded with great vacation photos.
Be inspired!

Visual Complexity

Michael Kitada — Mon, 25 Jul 2011 08:00:17 +0000

Visual complexity, especially in travel photography is a must.
Without it, images are static and contain little visual interest.
Here’s the same image without the human figure.

See how the figure adds visual complexity?
Adding a slow shutter speed lets the figure become an iconic, “every man,” in the frame.
Without the figure there’s no humanity or context to the image.
It creates complexity, mystery and intrigue. All this because of a slow shutter speed and a random passerby.
Utilize this technique to make your images more visually complex and interesting.
Be inspired!

London Calling

Michael Kitada — Fri, 29 Apr 2011 08:00:09 +0000

Congratulations to William and Kate!
I had to go back through my files and look for all things British.
So, here’s my shout out to the royals, may they live happily ever after!

St. Brides, which is also known as the journalist’s church, is located right off Fleet Street.
The famous street where all the newspapers were located.
Have you ever wondered how the tiered wedding cake came about? Look no further than the distinctive spire of St Brides just off Fleet Street. An 18th century baker William rich used the three tired spire as inspiration in a range of wedding cakes and it has became the standard ever since.

Cheers again to the newlyweds!

This statue of Queen Anne, standing outside the west front of St. Paul’s Cathedral, depicts the ruling monarch at the time of the Cathedral’s compleition in 1710. It is an 1886 replica by Richard Belt which replaced the original dilapidated version sculpted by Francis Bird in 1712. The ladies around the base of the statue represent England, France, Ireland and North America, all of whom Anne considered herself to be queen of. I thought since Kate will probably end up becoming the Queen at some point during her life, this would be very appropriate.

Finally, there’s nothing like a British Guards to help us have a feeling for everything English.
My well wishes to the happy couple, may their lives really be a fairy tale.
Be inspired!

i365 project – Composition

Michael Kitada — Thu, 30 Dec 2010 08:00:04 +0000

Here’s another photo from my recent trip to Yosemite. My son wanted to climb up this crack in the rocks. I wanted to capture him as he was working hard to climb up this mini chimney type crack. He was starting to get older and was coming into his own on this trip. He is the youngest of our three kids and this trip was an opportunity for him to be alone with mom and dad. To be spoiled. It was fun just taking a lot of images of him doing nothing and everything.

Let’s look at this image with strong composition in mind. As you can see, I placed him in the upper right area of convergence. This causes our viewer’s eyes to be lead up the crack between the two rocks, right to the boy. The crack is the right vertical third of our tic tac toe grid.

Here’s another version.

In this image, I placed the subject in the center of the image. Now some of you are thinking, “Hey, that’s not a bad image. I’m confused.” That isn’t a bad or wrong thought. But, just like sports, you need to learn the fundamentals/rules before you head out on your own.

Too many photographers start without having a strong foundation and in the end, that weakens their overall ability.

Learn the foundations of photography and then start breaking rules to make interesting and different images.

Okay, let’s look back at our first image and how much more interesting this image becomes with strong composition.

The second image is interesting, but I think it would be stronger with better composition.

In this version, I placed the subject in the lower right area of convergence. It strengthens the composition and causes the crack to be placed in the right vertical of the grid. The light at the top of the crack also leads the viewer’s eyes from the subject to the top of the frame and then back to the boy.

In the previous frame, the crack remains in the center without much movement for the viewer’s eyes.

Composition can take your photography and photos to new levels.

Images that people will want to look at.

Be inspired!

Travel Photography Tips

Michael Kitada — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 21:30:12 +0000

Hi again. Today we have Travel photography tips. Round two.

Here is our first example of using scale to give context to your photos. Specifically, your travel photos and using the relative size of something to visually compare or enhance a primary or secondary subject. What?

Let’s look at our first image. This is one of the giant Sequoias in California and my daughter.

I wanted to show how huge this tree was so I asked her to just stand next to the trunk, she’s even holding my second camera. I used a wide angle lens to show as much of the tree as possible and contrast the size of my daughter and the tree.

Get it?

In the next example, Half Dome is spectacular and huge thunder clouds that rolled in in the afternoon. I decided to zoom out and show the hugeness of the clouds compared the size of Half Dome. Now Half Dome is a very large piece of granite, you can image how big the cloud in this image is.

I zoomed out as far as I could and placed Half Dome in the lower right area of convergence.

The result is an image that shows the immenseness of the cloud and the beauty that is Yosemite in a slightly different perspective.

My final photo for today is also at Yosemite. Bridal Falls is the waterfall in the famous Ansel Adams photograph of the Yosemite Valley. It is an incredibly tall waterfall.

My son climbed to the bottom of the falls and is so far away that you can barely see him. If you can’t find him he’s in the lower right area of convergence.

It’s a great example of contrasting subject size to show how large the falls are.

Let’s recap: In taking images for Travel photography tips you can use a technique for contrasting subject size. So, consider putting this tip in your bag of tricks. Enjoy.