Having Symmetry in Photos

Symmetry is an important asset to making photographs look amazing. This blog will be centered around symmetry. Symmetry in photography creates balance in by splitting a photo into different parts. I will be using Read This If You Want To Take Great Photographs by Henry Carroll to help try to master using symmetry in my photos.

"Symmetry isn't simply a case of composing your image like an ink blot. It's about creating an overall sense of harmony and balance. Placing your subject in the middle of the frame is a good way to create symmetry. Just be warned: there's a fine line between balance and boring. If everything is to perfectly mirrored, an image can feel a little soulless" (Carroll 20).

Here are two photos I took that have symmetry:

    








The photo on the left has symmetry because the main subject is centered. Also a line can be drawn down the middle which splits the image. The photo on the right has symmetry because the main subject is centered. In both of my photos I tried not to over use centering so that the photos wouldn't look boring but they look balanced.

Thank you for reading this blog! Hopefully you learned why symmetry is important in photography. Don't forget to leave a comment and answer the question!!! :)

Question: How does symmetry make a photo look balanced?

Citation: Carroll, Henry. Read This If You Want To Take Great Photographs. Laurence King Pub. Ltd., 2014.

Leading Lines

Welcome back! This blog's topic will be centered around leading lines. Leading lines is a technique where the viewer's eyes is attracted to lines that lead directly to the main subject of a photo. This is a way to draw attention to photos. Having leading eyes causes the viewer's eyes to follow the direction to where the main subject is instead of just looking at a photo normally. I want to be able to use this technique in my photos and I will be using Read This If You Want To Take Great Photographs by Henry Carroll as a guide. 

"Great compositions take you on a journey. Your eyes are guided around the image on a specific path, leading to where the photographer wants to take you. Use leading lines to give your composition structure and draw the viewer to key elements" (Carroll 10).

Here are photos I took that have leading lines:



                                                                              

                                               
The image on the left has leading lines because the rope is directing your eyes up to where the parasail is. The image on the right has leading because all of the kites are all flying in the same direction.

Thank you for reading this post! Hopefully you learned about how important leading lines are in photography. :) Don't forget to leave a comment and answer the question!!!

Question: What do leading lines add to a photo?

Citation: Carroll, Henry. Read This If You Want To Take Great Photographs. Laurence King Pub. Ltd., 2014.

                                                 

Having the Right Depth of Field

I'm back! I've already discussed about composition and lighting in my previous blogs but this blog will focus on the depth of field. What is the depth of field? Well the depth of field is the distance between the nearest and farthest objects in a scene that appear acceptably sharp in an image. This very important in photography because it determines what areas of the photo will be in focus. Using the very helpful book Read This If You Want To Take Great Photographs by Henry Carroll I will be experimenting with a shallow depth of field and deep depth of field.

"Depth of field is at its most shallow when shooting close-ups. By throwing an area of your image out of focus you're effectively getting rid of detail. This causes your subject to really stand out" (Carroll 44).

"A narrow aperture causes everything from the foreground through to the background to be in focus. A deep depth of field helps communicate the scale and detail of the landscape" (Carroll 48).

Here are two photos that I took that represent a shallow and deep depth of field:

Shallow Depth of Field

Deep Depth of Field

The photo on the left is an example of a shallow depth of field because the ice cream is in focus while everything else in the background is out of focus. The photo on the right is an example of a deep depth of field because the detail of the entire landscape can be seen. 

Thank you for taking the time to read my post and hopefully you learned something about depth of field! Stay tuned for more and don't forget to comment and answer the question! :)

Question: Which is depth of field is better for taking landscape photos? Which depth of field is better for taking portraits?

Citation: Carroll, Henry. Read This If You Want To Take Great Photographs. Laurence King Pub. Ltd., 2014.

Having the Right Type of Lighting

Hey guys I'm back with another blog! Today's topic will be centered around lighting. Lighting is major when taking a photograph. It determines how bright or how dark a photo will turn out. Personally the best lighting to me is using natural light and it's what I use in almost all my photos. But I want to learn how I can use different types of lighting for my photos. According to Henry Carroll author of Read This If You Want To Take Great Photographs there is hard light and soft light. 

"Hard light comes from one direction and is typical of a spotlight or bright sunshine. Due to its intensity, one of the most common traits of hard light is high contrast. Hard light causes anything in its path to become a highlight, while everything remains dark" (Carroll 62).

"Soft light is less intense meaning there isn't such a stark divide between the highlights and shadows. Soft light still casts shadow as it very often comes from one direction, like hard light. But the shadows aren't nearly as dark and dramatic. Rather then being void of black, detail is still very visible" (Carroll 64).

Here are two photos that I took which represent hard light and soft light:

Hard Light 

Soft Light

The photo on the top is an example of top light since there is a high contrast and since this was taken at a concert everywhere is dark except for the stage where the light is being directed to. The photo on the bottom is an example of soft light since there's less contrast and it has that 'soft' look. Also everything is in detail there are no dark areas. 

Thank you for reading this post and hopefully you learned something about lighting like I did! Stay tuned for more and don't forget to comment and answer the question! :)

Question: Does the setting of where you want to take a picture affect how the lighting will turn out?

Citation: Carroll, Henry. Read This If You Want To Take Great Photographs. Laurence King Pub. Ltd., 2014.

Having the Right Composition

Photos are everywhere today. It is always on social media and we're always taking photos. So I've decided to pick the book Read This If You Want To Take Great Photographs by Henry Carroll. I want to learn how to improve my photography skills and take more aesthetic photos. Also learning how to take better photos is going to make my Instagram look great! Because who wouldn't want a cool looking Instagram feed?


"When lining up your shot, it's your subtle movements that will make everything slot in to place- a little lower, a touch to the left, a couple of steps back. When composing your image avoid passive areas that don't add much" (Carroll 25).

This section of the book is focused on composition which is a major skill in photography. So before I take a photo I want to make sure everything is in place and is in frame. I also want to make sure that unnecessary areas that won't add detail are not included in the photo.

Taken in Portland Oregon

Taken at Over the Rainbow Tea Bar

In these two photos that I took I followed Carroll's advice on having proper composition. I took a few steps back moved left to right to make sure everything I wanted to include in the photo was in frame and I made sure that those areas I included added detail. Composition is just one out of many skills in photography I hope to continue to improve in many other skills as I move along. Thanks for checking out my first post and stay tuned for more! :)

Question: What does having proper composition add to photos?

Citation: Carroll, Henry. Read This If You Want To Take Great Photographs. Laurence King Pub. Ltd., 2014.

Nature Photography

Hello again, this is my second post for today, this time on nature photography. I got some good shots I think you guys will enjoy while I was walking on the Soos Creek Trail I mentioned in my last post.

So the first photo I have here is a close up of some moss on a fence post.

Closeup of white-ish moss on a post.

I really liked this picture. Something about the moss up close and the huge difference in depth really makes it look good in my opinion.

This next picture is another closeup of moss but this time it's on the side of a tree.

Moss on the side of a tree I saw.

I think I like this picture for the same reason as the other picture, but also because of the amount of color in the moss, along with the contrast between the grayness of the tree and the yellow-green of the moss. Onto the next picture, this time it's not just a picture of moss I swear.

I thought this picture was pretty good but the I don't like the amount of blur in this. Too bad this was the only tree picture I got. Regardless, I think the contrast of the gray sky and green trees looks pretty alright.

I'll leave this last post with the question of what is your favorite angle to take pictures from: below, on the same level, or from above the subject?

Landscape Photography

Hello friends, I decided to walk on my local trail and take some pictures of the landscape and nature. I was inspired by a comment on one of my previous posts talking about landscape and nature. In this post, I'm going to be talking about landscape.

So before I even got into the park and onto the trail, I saw a good opportunity to get a good landscape shot, as you can see here:

The entrance to Soos Creek Trail.

I felt like this shot was good but I'm unsure if its a great example of landscape. I do like the look of perspective though as you look down the trail. I think this next picture is a better example.

A river down the trail that goes under a bridge.

As I was walking down I saw a river that lead under a bridge and I felt this would be a good subject for landscape. I think this picture was better because you get a wide shot of the whole scene without as many obstructions like in the first picture. This one also has a good perspective on the river. 

After this little adventure, I was feeling a lot better, as I was a bit frustrated at all the homework I had to do. Not only that I also was able to complete all my blogs in one trip which is a pretty good bonus :D. I also realized that landscape and perspective really go hand-in-hand.

On that note, what kind of subjects do you like to take pictures of. This question is a bit similar to my last one, but I'm curious.

City Life: Art in the Streets

        The city offers many opportunities for great photos. There are countless possibilities of what you can shoot in a city. Particularly, I have chosen to focus on the artsy side of a city that can be observed by just walking on the streets. Instead of having specifics of what you want to shoot, I recommend going into the city with an open mind. The author stresses this when he writes, "Carrying your camera with you at all times. . .helps to keep your mind attentive and open to photographic possibilities as they arise" (Ang 355). This tip is fairly easy to follow since the city has so much to offer, you'll never run out of inspiration.
        Keeping an open mind, I wandered around the city, taking photos of things that caught my eye. While doing so, I followed the most important rule of keeping my camera with me at all times while looking around (Ang 354). After taking a wide range of photos, the photos below are the ones I ended up selecting because I was visually pleased by them the most. The author imposes importance on lighting when saying, "The visual appearance of many urban locations depends on the quality of the light" (Ang 355). I especially admire my last photo due to the luminous lighting. I do like my other two photos; however, I wish the lighting could've been better. In the future to improve the quality of my photos, I will possibly invest in a tripod because the author suggests, "In dim conditions, place the camera on a tripod or other support instead of using flash" (Ang 357).
         This being my last post, I'd like to sum up some things I've learned about photography and myself as a photographer. I have learned to consider multiple aspects when taking photos such as color, light and shade, patterns, and textures; just to name a few. I have only recently been interested in taking professional, skillful looking photos so I have a lot more to learn and improve on. Moving forward, I plan on getting more comfortable with my camera and bringing it everywhere I go. I'm excited to be enrolled in Photo 1 at Kentridge where I hopefully will learn more about photography, specifically film and digital photography, and gain experience.

What do you like to photograph when you go into the city?
Do you like keeping an open mind? Or do you like to know what to expect? 

Ang, Tom. How to Photograph Absolutely Everything: Successful Pictures from Your Digital Camera. New York: Dorling Kindersley, 2007. Print.

People Pictures

So my family has TONS of family pictures..... We enjoy capturing the moment (whether we remember what was going on in the picture apparently doesn't matter). We normally get them professionally done, but one year we had my uncle do it. Here are a few of my favorites from over the years:

He's happy... For once...

Oh my goodness, if this doesn't perfectly sum up how my siblings are, I don't know what will...

Yeah, I know. We're a pretty cute family...

People can be really hard to take pictures of because we are so active, however I've gotten some just because I've been patient. I have 2 little brothers and I was supposed to take pictures of the older one for a school project in 8th grade (we were learning about the Holocaust and the project was I had to take pictures of a child "from one of the concentration camps" and I didn't have anyone that I could do that with, so I used him to my advantage). He didn't want to cooperate that day, but I brought out my step-dad and he shaped up pretty quick. I got a collage of just him and they turned out pretty good

Isn't he the cutest?!?!?!

You want to know who is the hardest to take pictures of? My baby brother, Thaddeus. He is the biggest poop nugget I know when it comes to picture taking (otherwise, he's perfect). I had to take like, 15 million pictures just to get this one:

My book totally agrees with me too. It says, "Baby photographs are moments in time which will pass very quickly" (Woods 69). Like I said, It took SO many tries just to get this one picture, but I think it was worth it. It's pretty great, if I do say so myself... The thing I think is really cool about this is, I took this one with my phone camera, not my Nikon, and look at how well it turned out. If there's anything I've learned from doing these blog posts, it's that it doesn't take the most amazing camera in the world to get good shots.

I think the worst part about taking pictures is when you can see the picture in your mind, but when you go to take the picture, it doesn't turn out. There have been so many times  where I have seen a scenario, but when I go to take a picture of it, either someone is moving, so the shot turns out blurry, or it just doesn't work from the angle I'm at, etc. UGH it's really annoying...

Now I've talked a lot about the kids I've taken pictures of, but that's only because I haven't taken very many of adults.... (I try to avoid them actually) but I have a lot of pictures of my friends and other people who aren't kids.
These are my friends from my old school. One of them was having a birthday, so we took her to ed Robin and Menchies. Can you guess which one is the birthday girl? I didn't actually take this picture (I'm in it... duh) but I took other ones of them and other friends. I know this isn't the best quality, but it's not bad, and it was taken on an iPhone camera, so pretty good right?


As I've said before, my family has gotten a lot of family pictures done over the years, but I think one of my all time favorites is when 2 years ago we got our pictures taken but we separated into girls and boys. From this photo shoot, we got a picture of me and my mom together and one with my step-dad and my brothers together. Because they looked so good, we got them printed and now we have frames of them on our walls. My book brings up a good point when the author says, "Traditional portraits of family members are usually pretty starchy in nature, but they don't have to be" (Woods 51). My family moves so much, mostly due to the fact we have smaller children, our photographers have to be creative, as you can see from this picture:

This picture was taken at the park near my house, which just goes to show, it doesn't take some grand and fabulous studio with the perfect lighting on the perfect day to get a good picture...

Question: Do you have more pictures of your friends or your family? Why?

Nature Photography Part 2

Preparing Your Camera in Advance - So I guess I haven't given a ton of personal stories but I have one that can totally work here. I have been taking pictures for a very long time. I have seen my dad take pictures at everything for my whole life and I always admired his devotion to snap a moment anytime he felt he should. Because I followed in his footsteps, other people noticed little me taking pictures wherever I went. My mom's best friend had a baby shower about 3 years ago and she asked me to take pictures of it for her, though I don't have any professional experience. I told her I would and I did and they turned out pretty great, but I made one fatal mistake - I forgot to charge the battery the night before. The shower was in the late morning, so luckily I got to charge the battery before the shower started and I kept it charging while I could, but I promised myself I would always be prepared the next time I took pictures for anyone. My book has this exact same thing to say about battery charge: "If your camera depends upon charge, make sure it's fully charged before you go out to take nature photographs. Imagine seeing this deer and then finding that the battery is flat in your camera!" (Woods 54). The book inserted a picture of a deer here and so will I.

This might not be the best picture, however it's something, right?

Contrast and Detail - My absolute favorite thing to take pictures of are nature, specifically, flowers. I LOVE IT!! Lucky for me, Chapter 6 or my book is all about "Flowers and Wild Plants". I have taken countless pictures of flowers and here are a few of my favorites:

I took these pictures at the 2015 Tulip Festival, it was fun times... 

In my book, the author said "Greenery one its own may seem terribly dull, but a splash of color in the foreground can make all the difference in the world" (Woods 63). I totally agree with that. Green can go be very boring, but a single splash of color can make the picture come to life.

Big Game Pictures - The key to take pictures of animals, and most other things as well, is patience. The author of my book explains, "You can get some great shots of animals if you take your time. In a wooded environment, the use of a hide will help you and many nature parts have these so that the public can watch the animals close up. Use these opportunities to get the best shots that you can and you will be proud to share those images with friends" (Woods 61).
My dad took this shot while he was in the Enchantments in the Cascade Mountains.

Question: Whats the best picture you've ever taken?

Architectural Beauty

        In the handbook, "How to Photograph Absolutely Everything", the author focuses a whole section on architecture. Personally, I find architecture to be very fascinating and beautiful, so this was the perfect photo subject for me to attempt to shoot. In the beginning of the chapter, Ang states, "Architecture offers an enormous advantage over almost any other field of photography: your subject will stay in one place. . . To create something fresh, you need to consider light and viewpoint just as much as. . . the building" (Ang 213). Regarding this, I recognized I needed to pay close attention to the light and angle in my photos.
        I decided to head to Seattle, somewhere I knew I could find inspiration in many of the modern and abstract buildings. Architecture provides endless inspiration, so walking around and taking in a structure may be a good idea to further understand what you want to photograph (Ang 216). This recommendation helped me spontaneously capture shots, that I would later sift through to isolate my favorites. Usually I'm drawn to sleek, modern buildings like the ones in the first picture. As Ang states, "Beauty is often in the detail" (216), which I conveyed in my next photo of a building with abstract patterns surrounding the exterior.

        A location I specifically wanted to go to was Gas Works Park, located on the north shore of Lake Union in Seattle. A couple pages were dedicated to the topic of "Industrial Appeal". The photo provided on these pages reminded me of the gas plant at this particular park, which inspired me to go out and take my own photos there. Ang advises, "You may travel past an industrial landscape. . . without seeing any photogenic potential. However, sun, cloud, and smoke can sometimes conspire to create a stunning composition. . . It's unlikely that you will be able to get very close, so you may need a long zoom setting" (275).  I focused on capturing the sun and clouds as the background since the gas plant was no longer active for there to be any smoke. Additionally, I wanted to portray a sunset silhouette, where the strong colors present in the sunset would further bring out the silhouette of the industrial structure. Also, I used a long zoom setting as the author advised. 

        An extra photo I chose to include exhibits bridge architecture. Ang tells the readers, "Bridges are full of photographic potential. Start taking pictures of the structure as soon as it comes into view. . . explore its many characteristics, suggesting ideas and angles for many fine images" (246). Intrigued by the bright orange and blue color of this bridge, I decided to shoot it from an angle showing the bridge as it lifted to let ships pass. 

What types of architecture do you think look beautiful?

Do you agree that beauty is in the detail?  

Ang, Tom. How to Photograph Absolutely Everything: Successful Pictures from Your Digital Camera. New York: Dorling Kindersley, 2007. Print.

Perspective

Today while I was reading Digital Photography Essentials, I came across a page on perspective and view points. I thought this would be a fun thing to experiment with because I've done depth of field before and as I was experimenting, I noticed how perspective and depth of field really go hand in hand. You can see the results of this experimentation in the following pictures.

You can see with this first picture that perspective can create depth of field, and show distance, i.e. the stones in front being really up close, and the tree in the back far away. If used correctly, perspective can be quite useful in taking a good picture, which you can see an example of no perspective in this next picture. 

This is an example of a bad use of perspective, and you can see the difference it had on the quality of the photo. It’s difficult to judge distance and makes everything seem bland and have no detail. 

This third picture, while not up close and personal, is still an example of perspective. This is because it has the railing in front up close, and the patio and tree in the middle/back, giving a sense of depth.

I’ll end this post today with this: what is your preferred perspective: up close, far away, or maybe something else?

Lighting/Light Box

 So I saw the lighting section in my book, and it talked about studio lighting set-ups, and it reminded me of a light-box, which I show off the effects of in these three pictures shown here.

I found that in the first picture, the flash made the image look fake and not natural. I also thought it made everything look like candy, especially the actual candy. I thought the second picture where I used only the two lights on the side of the box to light it made it have that real vibe to it and a less glossy look, making the photo much better looking overall. Finally I think the last picture was the best of the three, because I thought the combination of my use of focus, and the balance of lighting, it makes the candy look less glossy and more appetizing in general.

Today I leave you with this question: Which technique of taking photos is your favorite?

Depth of Field

I personally find that pictures where the background is blurry compared to the object that is the focus of the photo itself. This is known as depth of field. In my book Digital Photography Essentials by Tom Ang, he says “Depth of field is the volume of space in which objects appear acceptably sharp: it extends in front of, and behind, the zone of best focus – the sharpest area in the image” (79). I used this to snap these three photos:

Here I'm focusing on the foreground with the stack of two candles.

Then the foreground with the wooden reindeer.

And then finally the background with the happy little snowman.

I liked doing this exercise because I learned how to make a camera focus manually, along with how to actually hold the camera. This will definitely be very useful in the future when I am taking pictures of different things that aren’t placed in perfect planes of focus. Ang also believes that an images is made greater with the use of depth of field and focus (82). I completely agree with this philosophy and I think I will make more photos using this method, hopefully getting better at it as I practice.

I leave you with this question: What is your favorite style of photography?

Exploring Patterns and Textures

        Photography helps us notice the smaller, more intricate details scattered around us in the places we'd least expect. If we take the time to acknowledge these unique attributes of places, we can view things in a more creative and artistic way.
        Pattern is a particular detail that often stands out when taking a photo. Many environments display regularly repeating patterns of simple shapes; furthermore, isolating them in your shot can create strong graphic images (Ang 278). I put this into effect when shooting the 1st photo. The repeating pattern of the fence helped isolate the scene behind, consisting of boats and boardwalks. Recognizing this pattern made it possible to view a scene through a different angle and perspective, making the photo more interesting to look at.

        As well as patterns, textures can add extra visual complexity to a photo. Ang writes, "The greatest visual rewards may. . . lie in the time-ravaged textures. . .compose the shot carefully to balance the different elements and to give a sense of scale. Choice of lighting is. . . important, since the more detail you manage to capture, the better the textures are revealed" (352). Using this insight, I made sure to take photos while it was still light outside to best capture the texture in my photos. I chose to snap a picture of a tiled shape I stumbled upon walking down a street. The texture is easily seen, but the photo may have been turned out better if I would have zoomed closer to enhance the texture even more. Also, the lighting could have been improved if the tiled piece wasn't in a shady area, which softened the texture's appearance.















        Lastly, I have an extra photo I shot of a fascinating wall arrangement of mirrors that displayed both pattern and texture. Pattern was shown in the repeating hexagonal shapes; while texture was represented in the varying cuts of the glass.
     

What catches your eye when you first look at a photo?
Do you agree that patterns and textures enhance the visuals of a photo? Why?

Ang, Tom. How to Photograph Absolutely Everything: Successful Pictures from Your Digital Camera. New York: Dorling Kindersley, 2007. Print.

Christmastime Cheer

The holiday season is here! Soon it will be gone but for this blog post I wanted to capture the essence of the season in these photographs. Christmas is many people’s favorite time of the year for many reasons including putting up lights, exchanging gifts, drinking hot cocoa, and seeing friends and family. One of my favorite activities to do during this time of year is looking at lights. No matter if I stroll through a neighborhood by car or go to a local park, I love how much Christmas cheer a string of lights can bring. 

I ventured to a local park that was having a lights display to take some photos of Christmas lights. This time I decided to use a higher quality camera, the Canon EOS 60D. I admit I still need to get comfortable with using some of the buttons and adjustments on this camera, but in the long run I’ll be able to take better photos once I figure it out. 

In my independent reading book, Ang says, “. . .your versatility as a photographer improves the more you see color as a subject in itself, not something that is only a feature of your subject. . .Try isolating a strong color against a muted background to emphasize the shape of an object or the perspective in a scene” (Ang 36). I kept this in mind when I shot these photos. Since it’s currently winter time and the sun sets early, by the time I got to the park the sun had already set and it was fairly dark. I used this to my advantage since lights are more vibrant at night. I would be able to use the author’s tip and isolate the strong colors emitted from the lights, while also including the shape and backdrop. In my 3rd photo I attempted to isolate a single light, but since it was so dark the color was washed out and the photo didn’t come out the way I wanted. Although, I thought the other two photos turned out pretty well since the bright colors give off a feeling of high-energy and excitement (Ang 37).

What do you love about Christmastime? What aspects of Christmastime would you choose to photograph? 

Ang, Tom. How to Photograph Absolutely Everything: Successful Pictures from Your Digital Camera. New York: Dorling Kindersley, 2007. Print.

Nature Photography Part 1

For me, nature photos are my favorite, but I always have room for improvement. In chapters 3 of Nicole Woods's book Photography she talks about how to improve nature shots. Here are the tips I read about:

Making Use of a Tripod: I don't have my own tripod but my mom has used her tripod on many occasions to make the picture more stable. Woods says, "A tripod... helps you to capture something predictable" (Woods 35). One of the most predictable and beautiful pictures to capture is a sunset since the point of view doesn't change. 

My dad took both of these photos in Zion's National Park back in 2012 when we were there on vacation. It was very windy while the sun was setting and so it was very hard to get a clean shot. This is the reason the second picture is shaky. My dad found a stable place to put his hand for the first picture, which acted as a steady place, just like a tripod would.

Creating a Perfect Focal Point: When you walk into a room, what is the first thing you see? That is the focal point.

• Contrasting Shapes and Color: The best way to make the focal point stand out is if the shape or color is bold and/or flashy, while the background is mostly bland. It is easier to recognize the focal point when it stands alone, kind of like the picture of my dad and I from my last post.
• Let Foregrounds Strike: "The foreground is the part of the scenery that is closest to the viewer" (Woods 38), she explains. Basically, the rock and the water are the first thing that are the closest thing to us, but it isn't the main focal point.

Don't Rush It: The biggest tip with this one is that the more quality photos taken, the more options there are to choose from. Woods uses the National Geographic as an example of professional photography. She says to take many different pictures at different angles, because the best one is probably not the first one. For the cover shots of the National Geographic, the ones they use are most likely not the first and only shot the photographer takes.

Time of Day: The time of day is extremely important because of the lighting. During the daylight hours is when the clearest shots can be taken but right before the sun sets is when the colors of nature are normally at their best.

Don't Be Afraid of the Weather: The last tip in chapter 3 that Woods gives, is to not be afraid of the weather, but to use it to my advantage. Whether I like it or not, it rains a lot in Washington and I have taken her advice and used that to produce some really fun pictures of flowers after the rain (I don't have any at this moment but I will later). The key is to take what you have and be innovative, the more creative, the more interesting the shot can be.

Question: Have you ever been to Zion? Did you like it?