SUMMER
Summer is the least favorite season for
landscape photographers,as the light
tends to be harsh and bland.Yes,the
countryside does look resplendent in its
lush coat of foliage,gardens and meadows are alive with color and the days
last much longer.But when the sun
does shine,it can be very intense and
unflattering,with a high color temperature
that makes images look cool,while heat
haze tends to turn blue sky into an ugly
washed out tone.Consequently,the number of effective hours availlable for landscape photography are no more than on
a clear winters day.
Between 10am and 4pm in summer,the
sun is overhead and the light harsh and
characterless,while shadows are short
and dense.For conventional landscape
photography,this isnt great,but if you
find scenes containing lots of color
oilseed rape,poopy fields,sunflowers on
a sunny,blue sky day,its still possible to
produce striking images.Use a polarizer
to boost contrast and clarity,and keep
your composition simple.
Summer storms are also quite
common,with high temperatures leading
to thunder and heavy rain.This can produce amazing landscape light,but you
risk a soaking to catch it!once the rain
subsides,crisp,clean light will often bathe
the landscape and rainbows can appear.
The light is at its best at the extreme of
the day,so,get to your location very early
or be prepared to stay out late.The days
do get shorter as summer progresses
,but 3am starts and 11pm finishes are not
uncommon .You can always grab a sleep
in the afternoon when the lights no good!
Wild landscapes can stiil look
dramatic during the summer,and by early
september start to turn quite autumnal,so
scout out the locations nearest you that
will be fullof color.Rocky,barren coastline
also changes little during the summer
and can be the source of great shots
especially at dawn and dusk when the
light is warm.
SummerQ&A
Can i do anything about hazy
skies?
Not really.Hazy skies and overcast
gray skies lack texture or drama theyre
just a blanket,boring tone,but rarely
makes it more interesting.Exclude
the sky from your composition,maybe
use a telezoom to shoot selesctive
landscapes or concreate on smaller
details.
Is the summer a good time to use
my infrared modified camera?
Definitely.Theres plenty of foliage to
show the ghostly infrared effect,and
it doesnt matter how harsh the light
is because infrared photography suits
it.Useyour IR camera in parks,gardens
and woodland,as well as the
countryside.
My summer landscapes often
have an unsightly blue cast.
What causes it?
High color temperature on a sunny
blue sky day,the color temperature can
hit 10000k.If ypu use Daylight White
Balance,set for 5500k,your camera
will record the coolness in the light.
17