I teach night photography workshops in Alaska. After covering the fundamentals of focusing techniques and how to get proper exposure, I then turn to a discussion on depth of field and composition. I tell participants not to abandon the principles…
Diffused Light
At 325,000 acres, Denali State Park does not have the name recognition of its larger neighbor, Denali National Park, which at 6 million acres is famous for the tallest mountain in North America. Nevertheless, the state park does have panoramic…
The Road More Travelled
In the poem, The Road Not Taken, poet Robert Frost was confronted in a woods with the choice of two diverging roads. Students of literature know that he took “the one less traveled,” perhaps because he thought he would find…
Winter Visions
Landscape photographers seek out compositions during sunrise and sunset for good reason. The low angle of the sun passing through the earth’s atmosphere can paint the skies and landscape with warm colors and create what is called sweet light. My…
Chiaroscuro
You need light to photograph, but without shadows your photos will not have any depth. Subjects will lack texture and form and appear flat. While this may seem to be counter-intuitive for a two-dimensional art form such as photography, there…
The Trees of Winter
As I write this, Southcentral Alaska is in the midst of a January deep freeze reminiscent of winters past. Subzero temperatures combined with ground fog are adorning trees with thick layers of hoarfrost — the foliage of winter. While the…
Tatshenshini-Alsek Dawn Prelude
Winter light in the sub-Arctic and Arctic regions of the world has a character different from summer light; it is often softer and more subtle. This photo ranks as one of the prettiest sunrises I have ever seen. It was…
Working the Composition
In 1984, the biographical film, Amadeus, depicted a fictionalized rivalry between Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and Italian composer Antonio Salieri in the mid-1700s of Vienna, Austria. Narrated by Salieri, the plot line follows him as he reluctantly comes to grips with…
Composition Flaws, Part 1
No one likes airing their dirty laundry, or in the case of photographers, showing their photographs which have failed. But recognizing mistakes and correcting them is a good way to learn and progress in any endeavor. Starting with this and…
Walk With Me
What makes some photos more visually appealing than others? As landscape photographers we are blessed – and sometimes overwhelmed – with a variety of compositional tools, many borrowed from painters. The rule of thirds, power shapes, the psychology of colors,…