Landscape
SPRING
This season marks the down of new life as
the landscapes awakens from the dormant
months of winterv.Barren trees burst
with buds and blossom,woodland floors
hedgerows and riverbanks are carpeted
with colorful wild flowers,while desolate
fields turns into beautiful patchwork quilts
of green.
Scenes that are looking gray and drab
during winter are transformed within a few
short weeks especially if the wheather
turns and mild towards the end of the
winter.Spring is also time for tulips,and
daffodils,buttercups and bluebells,turning
gardens and meadows into dazzling
displays of color.
The wheather during spring is changeable and unpredictable but this has its
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advantages for the photographer.
Brief showers cleanse the atmosphere
and create rainbows arching acroos
the countryside,shafts of sunlight burst
through stormy skies to illuminate the
landscape below,and light mists hang
over rivers and lakes or in valley bottoms
at dawn.
As the weeks pass,the days also grow
longer.The sun rises at around 6am during the early days of spring and sets at
8pm,but by mid june,sunrise can be as
early as 4.15am and sunset after 10.30pm
in the north of scotland.To make the most
spring conditions,rise early and stay out
late.Dawn on a perfect spring morning
is hard to beat,with a chorus of birdsong
permeating the cool air and the first rays
of sunlight slowly burning away the mist.
The oppurtunity for amazing images is
one that shouldnt be missed,and nothing
quite beats that feeling of getting in touch
with nature.
The intensity of color in the spring landscape can be improved by using a polarizing filter to cut through atmospheric
haze and glare on the foliage.If you
want to capture and carpets of spring
flowers,ideally wait for a bright but overcast day when contrast is low and shadows weak.This makes it easier to record
the delicate colors and fine details of the
blooms,especially when taking pictures in
woodland where the light is patchy during
sunny spells.
SpringQ&A
How do i shoot spring mist?
Mist often occurs when a mild day
with rain is folllowed by a clear
night and cold temperatures.If thats
predicted in the wheather forecast,set
your alarmearly and head out before
sunrise.Mist is common near water
and wetlands,and in woodland.Get to
a decent location ready for sunrise,if
youre lucky the light from the rising
sun will burst through the mist,creating
warm rays of light that radiate from
behind trees and bulding.
Whats the best shutter speed to
use when shooting waterfalls?
A shutter speed around one second
is usuaaly slow enough to blur the
water,butalso record some texture
though you can experiment with
slower speeds.What you dont want
to do is overexpose the water so it
comes out white.