Practical Photography

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PROJECT 2 Mirror dramatic scenes to capture attention STILL BODIES OF WATER ARE nature’s mirror, able to reflect incredible sights and create mesmerising kaleidoscopic scenes that will enthral your viewer. Lakes, ponds and rivers often play the starring role in landscape photography, but there’s a difference between capturing the dynamic beauty of water and shooting a perfect reflection. To get the latter technique just right, you’ll need a fortuitous combination of certain conditions all at the same time. Shoot at dawn or dusk The rising and setting of the sun tends to produce the stillest waters of the day. This is because waves are caused by wind blowing over the water. During the daytime the sunlight warms up the land at an inconsistent rate to the lake. This difference in temperature causes wind. When the land and water are away from the sun they become the same temperature and the wind dies down. Shooting during the stillest parts of the day will not only give you a beautiful reflection, it also means that you’ll get to shoot an amazing sunrise or sunset. Use an app like PhotoPills to predict the movements of the sun and aim to get to your location half an hour before the sun moves above or below the horizon, as this will give you plenty of time to get set up. Ensure that you’re also checking the weather forecast. The maximum wind speed you can get away with will really only be a couple of miles an hour. If you can feel anything more than a light breeze in the air, then it’s not going to be your day! Break the rule-of-thirds Reflections work best when you lean into their symmetrical nature. The standard rule-of-thirds is typically a great device for landscape photography, but why not try a horizon that sits across the middle of the photo for even better reflections. Above While this shot uses a symmetrical middle horizon, it also employs the rule-of-thirds by placing the mountain on the left of the image. STILL BODIES OF WATER ARE ABLE TO CREATE MESMERISING KALEIDOSCOPIC SCENES... 62 PRACTICAL PHOTOGRAPHY
Creative Reflections NO FILTER WITH ND FILTER LOUISE CAREY Pro advice Improve your reflections with an ND filter TIP STAND IN THE WATER To get rid of any foreground, simply step into the water and wait a few minutes for the ripples to disappear before taking your shot. ACHIM THOMAE No matter how ardently the weather report promises something, we all know how contrary natural forces can be. It can be incredibly frustrating to arrive at an amazing location that’s soaking up the last embers of sunset, but rather than the still glass you were expecting you’re greeted with choppy waters. While an ND filter isn’t strong enough to protect against gale-force winds, it can smooth out those finer details and provide a milky surface for some brilliantly colourful reflections. Use a 10-stop ND filter, also called a Big Stopper, and mount it in onto your lens. The dark glass will cut out the amount of light hitting your sensor, which will mean that you can increase your shutter speed and smooth the water. If you want to intensify your reflection even more, ensure that you keep your tripod low to the ground. The lower the angle that your camera ‘sees’ the surface of the water, the higher the percentage of reflected light. In other words, at a low angle, your chances of seeing the bottom of the lake are much slimmer than if you view it directly from above. Don’t forget that it’s absolutely essential that the scene above the water is visually dynamic for an interesting reflection to be possible. If the best your landscape has is some sparse shrubbery and an unattractive tree that’s seen better days, a reflection isn’t going to improve your shot. Bigger is truly better with this technique, so search for quirky structures or imposing mountains. Choose the correct settings for perfect reflections 1 Perfect your horizon Place your camera on a tripod. Some cameras have an electronic horizon option, which will tell you when you’ve got the landscape straight. If you don’t have this, use a hotshoe spirit level. 2 Set your focal length The majority of landscape photography requires a wide focal length like 20mm. Shoot in aperturepriority, then set your ISO to 100 and your aperture to f/16 for the best results. 3 Trigger your camera Even when your camera is on a tripod, you can still cause unwanted blur by manually pressing the shutter. Instead, use a remote trigger or shutter release cable to take your shot. PRACTICALPHOTOGRAPHY.COM 63
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