Summer arrives as a boon for all the photography evangelists worldwide. Spring has passed and the brightness has set forth to illuminate every nooks and cranny of the world. It is a season to wait for. While many people wait eagerly for spring, summer is the season when all the light is converged on to that beauty.
Summer also compels the people to opt for recreational outings. That means colorful outfits and joyous mood that are a natural photogenic element without any added flavor. No amount of orchestrated effort and scenes can usurp the raw charm of unadulterated content. Light hailstorms also bring variation to the bright environment with beautiful contrast.
Here are some of the easiest summer photography tips that’ll heighten the quality of your shots in the bright light.
Step Out
The first step to navigate through summer photography is by embracing the light. Move your setup outside. By setup, I mean your idea of an ideal location. Expand your horizons by shooting in outdoor locations that are well lit. Imagine specs of sunlight filtering through the lush green in a park, falling, and illuminating a subsection of your subject. Let go of the artificial equipment used to recreate the natural vibes.
Step outside your studio, and into nature to create a beautiful memento of the present season. The summer season discards the use of reflective light or humongous flashes while shooting a professional piece. If, by any compulsion, you have to use a studio, choose one with a good amount of windows and tall grills that allow maximum sunlight to reach into the room.
Time your snaps
Ever wondered how vivid and contrasting some pictures look despite being shot with a cascading sunset. Competent photography is not photoshop altered, they just maneuver their snapshots inline with the sun’s rotation to their advantage. Take time to experiment by choosing the same subject and capture it at different time intervals of a complete day. You’ll notice a drastic difference between the shots captured immediately before dusk and after dawn.
The sun’s position with respect to your object will determine the efficacy of your shots. More light doesn’t necessarily mean better shots. It just decreases human efforts involved in casting light onto the subject.
Juggle with lenses
This summer, reduce your affinity toward your favorite lens module and experiment a bit. A similar photo taken with different focal lengths can amass a lot more area without deterring the quality of the image. Furthermore, the subject also appears wider and clearer with increasing focal length.
Photographers suffer from the problem of visualizing every frame with a single focal length over passing time. By shuffling the lenses and playing with focal lengths you can gather more light into each frame and create alluring shots.
Hit the road
A photographer’s vision transcends unraveled distances. Pack your essentials and head out, preferably to locations you haven’t visited before. Nature bestows photographers with vivid snapshots to those who are involved in a never-ending quest of finesse. Topical forest, nature parks, hillsides are enticing spots for summer photography.
You can grab effortless stills without staging a shot and controlling the environment variables. if you can’t fathom an idea of what to visit, open Instagram and google maps for scouting less-visited locations that could be worth your time and effort.
Look out for abrupt Rain-showers
The summer is the perfect time for abrupt rain showers and the onset of monsoon. The rain creates a bustle in the otherwise bland day to day operation. It is the perfect time to grab your camera with a rain canopy and observe the public running askew to save themselves from the water. This type of unrehearsed material cannot be replicated with all the budget and time in the world.
Rain showers are also the time for snapping beautiful splashes when people, especially kids step into the puddles. Kids show a great liking to puddles and mud and exhibit natural yet photogenic behavior.
Spend time on the beach
Beaches are a natural attraction in the summer months. Hundreds of people visit the beaches in their vibrant beachwear and suntan lotions that are a sight for sore eyes. Photographers need to spend time in the vicinity of people to understand the nature of their relationships. Beaches are where people are open to being photographed without much hassle. The rule is to always seek permission before clicking anyone’s private moments.
Not comfortable with conversing with the public? Never mind. Arrive early at the beach and observe those waves and their unsettling nature that never ceases to amaze us. Morning is the perfect time to capture captivating stills of birds, waves, and of course the much-applauded sunrise. There can never be a perfect sunrise snap, Ever!
Wander out of your comfort zone
if you think your work is getting monotonous and lack uniqueness, wander out of your comfort zone. Summer is a great time to try underwater photography. Underwater photography has gained attention for the past few years and produces wavy stills that complement the subject.
The golden hour is what every photographer tries to master but leave that thought for some time. The shade is your best companion in the summer heat when everything is so bright it may look too glossy for an artwork. Take time to understand its nature and try to incorporate some hint of shade in your shots.
Conclusion
Summer, arguably, is the best time to build up a mesmerizing portfolio for the budding photographers. It takes a keen eye to observe the uniqueness and emotion in otherwise simplistic environments. That will come with experience but that does not mean you stop your daily grind. Finesse in shots comes with practice and there is no better season than summer for that. Invest your time in randomizing the shots rather than mimicking what other photographers are doing. Photography is a never-ceasing profession and will continue to be until the end of the light.
