Do Your Research and Get There Early

When you’ve decided which mountains you want to photograph, it’s time to do a bit of research. Which trail or route are you going to take? How long will it take you? What should you wear? How much equipment do you want to carry? Then, once you think you’ve answered all these questions, remember to give yourself extra time, in case you see something else you want to photograph too!

If you’re already a seasoned hiker, you’ll find it much easier and faster to get out into the mountain wilderness compared to someone who is new to it, and you’ll be able to plan a more advanced trip that may involve wilderness camping.

Are you more accustomed to a stroll in the park or on a path, than a tough mountain hike? Then you’re hopefully going to start with mountains that are not hard to reach. There are many beautiful destinations you can reach by the side of the road, but, don’t let that stop you from dreaming of seeing jagged peaks up close.

With a telephoto lens, you can even shoot some mountains from the side of the road and make it look like you’re a lot closer than you are! You’ll want to get to your chosen location early so that you can find the best compositions before you start. This will save you time when you start taking your mountain photos.

Find Good Mountain Landscape Photography Ranges

“Do your research” is great advice, but where should you even start looking? Don’t worry, we’re here to get you started and inspired.

Right in the middle of the US, any good list of ranges to start your mountain landscape photography will include the Rocky Mountains, with over 300 miles of hiking trails. Spring and summer offer fantastic wildflower blooms which can be used as a foreground for your mountain photos.

Going back East, the Great Smoky Mountains offer a different look, with the fog that hovers around the tree-shrouded peaks giving these mountains their name.

Out West, the California Coast ranges include the iconic Big Sur region, and you can drive the Pacific Coast Highway if you don’t want to hike. Of course, there is the most famous mountain range in California, with the highest peak in the contiguous USA: The Sierra Nevada.

Those looking for a more remote and lesser-traveled mountain landscape should check out the Alaska Range, which includes Denali, the highest mountain peak in North America.

If you want to travel further afield, and are ready to travel internationally, the Italian Dolomites as well as the Patagonia area of Chile offer the most jagged mountains in the world and always make for some amazing images.

The Scottish Highlands provides the Cairngorms, and also Black Cuillin on the isle of Skye, while Norway has the beautiful Lofoten mountains. In Australia, there are the stunning Snowy Mountains, which include Mount Kosciuszko.

Use Different Focal Lengths

There are two main ways to photograph mountain landscapes: creating wide-angle images using the mountains as a backdrop to a foreground scene, and/or using a telephoto lens to zoom in on the mountain peaks themselves, or other alpine detail photos.  The most common is the wide-angle approach, but for a different flavor try using a tripod with a  telephoto zoom lens from around 100mm to 500mm to get much closer into the mountain itself.

Getting closer to the peaks means you can capture the winds blowing snow off the edges, or the light playing over the textures of the rocks. Sunrise and sunset are great times to capture mountain photos with a longer focal length. Zooming in can also help when the weather and light isn’t working well for your mountain images as a whole. (Just be sure you have a heavy-duty tripod for shooting at telephoto focal lengths in windy conditions! Otherwise, your sharp, exotic tele zoom lens will give you nothing but soft images.)

Find Light That Creates Shape and Texture to the Mountain

In portrait photography, flat and soft light is often the most desired light to use.  In mountain landscape photography, however, flat and soft light can actually lack interest and character.  Unlike a person’s face, we generally want to see all of the detail, the bumps, and the shadows of a mountain.  Sometimes, this means that the most interesting light can come from the left or right sides of the frame.  Also, the light doesn’t always have to be soft or diffused to look interesting.

Use the Foreground for Strong Composition

It doesn’t matter what time of year you choose to do your mountain landscape photography, there will always be opportunities to include plenty of foreground interest.   We mentioned using foregrounds in our general landscape photography tips article, and we’re mentioning it here again because foregrounds are especially important in mountain landscape photography.  Foreground elements help provide scale for the mountains in the middle ground and background of the image.

Use the foreground to lead the viewer’s eye into the mountains. You can use grass and wildflowers in the spring and summer, ice and snow in the autumn and winter.  Foregrounds should ideally be there to help your main subject – the mountain – stand out. With this in mind, try to avoid too much distraction in the foreground, and look for leading lines and color contrasts to give your image depth and interest.

Try Bracketing Your Exposures

The bane of the landscape photographer is surely the massive range of landscape shadows and much brighter skies that can throw off your exposure. Add in stormy weather, or even just a good sunrise or sunset, and the level of contrast present in a scene can easily be more than even the latest digital camera sensors can handle.

Graduated filters are often used in landscape photography to solve this problem by darkening down the sky, however, because mountains tend to be jagged the GND filter solution doesn’t work well with them. The transition zone of a graduated filter is in a straight horizontal line, and any bits of mountain sticking up into the darker area will become darker compared to the rest of the mountain.

Therefore, bracketed exposures are a way around this problem for your mountain photos. Bracket between three to five images at different exposures that capture good detail from shadows to highlights, and merge them into an HDR image in your image editing software. You can also use luminosity masking in Photoshop to create your image so that you get a balanced exposure for both sky and shadows.

Watch Your Crops

Just like you wouldn’t crop off a body in a random place in a portrait, ensure that you don’t crop the mountain range haphazardly as well.  Leave ample room above the mountain range to give the top of the mountain some breathing room.  And ideally, find and good place to crop on the sides as well.  For example, try having part of the mountain range lead in from the top corner of the frame, like in the image below.

Use Juxtaposition for Scale

Capturing the immense scale of mountains can be challenging. To effectively portray their grandeur, consider including a human figure, a structure, or a plant or tree in your shot.  This provides context and a relatable sense of scale via juxtaposition. However, it’s crucial to introduce these elements with purpose, not merely as afterthoughts. Here’s how to do it:

Position with Clarity and Purpose – Ensure the subject is positioned where they are easily discernible. A hidden figure amidst dense foliage won’t aid in conveying scale.  It could just look like a mistake

Ensure Contrast –  Make sure the subject stands out.  If it’s a person, dress him or her in colors that stand out against the mountainous backdrop. Vibrant colors enhance the visual appeal and emphasize the scale effectively.  You can also make the subject pop off the mountain background with light, using flash or natural light in the scene to bring them out.

Final Thoughts

Mountain landscape photography can be one of the most challenging, yet rewarding, types of photography. You need to be adaptable to the constantly changing weather and light conditions, so it pays to be patient. There are many great spots where you can take awesome mountain photos just a few feet from the comfort of your car, but for those who want to get more adventurous, hiking the mountains is the way to go. Or, to reach even more remote mountain destinations, try backpacking overnight!

If you’re planning on doing some trail hiking, you need to be safe and aware of your surroundings. Use a GPS device to help you keep to the right trail. Ensure you have a way to contact help in an emergency (a satellite phone, for instance), and always keep an eye on the weather.  As the great climber Ed Viesturs said: “Getting to the top is optional. Getting down is mandatory.”

Food Photography Backdrops

1. Colors for Food Photography Backdrops
2. Textures
3. Materials
4. Sizes
5. Where to Buy Food Photography Backdrops
6. DIY Solutions

Best Colors for Food Photography Backdrops

Food tends to look its freshest and most vibrant when the background colors are neutral and desaturated. Greys, whites, blacks, and browns usually work well, especially if you are using brightly colored food like fresh herbs, peppers, fruits, or veggies. Marble is a tried-and-tested favorite and comes in a variety of neutral shades.

Vibrant colors work well if you’re looking for a more punchy and contemporary vibe. It helps to have knowledge of color theory to match up the perfect color combination, but you can always use a free color wheel app to give you contrasting and complementary colors. In the example above, notice how the watermelon and beverages pop against the textured, Emerald City backdrop.

Best Textures

To add more depth and interest to your backdrop without distracting the eye from your dish, look for backdrops that have textures like wood grain, rustic tiles, speckles, etc. While rustic food photography backdrops are very popular, it’s important not to go too far and use a backdrop that you wouldn’t normally see food served on. Rusty sheets of metal or bricks spring to mind here!

[Related Reading: 4 Food Photography Tips to Spice Up Your Photos]

Wooden Food Photography Backdrops

A classic choice, wood textures stand as a perennial go-to for food photographers. Wooden food photography backdrops offer a nice rustic-yet-classy feel, and they fit with the idea of either a wooden table for prepared food or a butcher’s board to showcase ingredients.

You can get wood in different shades and grains, from plain pine through to walnut, and wood can be painted (and repainted) different colors or given a distressed finish. For a more portable solution, you can also pick up printed backdrops. One of my favorite wood texture food photography backdrops to use is the Aged Cutting/Butchers Duo Board from V-Flat World. Each board features a different hyper-realistic, UHD-printed texture on each side (giving you two textures in a single board), and they’re light enough to easily transport and switch out when needed.

Subway Tile Backdrop Textures

Many a trendy kitchen features a subway-style tiled backsplash. Their simple, sophisticated appearance, usually in black or white, provides an elegant backdrop for your food photography. If your kitchen or shoot location doesn’t have tiles but you like the look, you can pick up some portable backdrop boards that feature this design.

Marble or Stone Backdrop Textures

Nothing says clean and classy like a highly sought after calacatta (marble) or stone-textured food photography backdrop. The look is elegant and it doesn’t distract from the star of the show, the dish you’re  capturing.

Best Materials for Food Photography Backdrops

I have a range of food photography backdrops in different materials. I have flexible vinyl sheets with photographs of wood, tiles, and more printed on them, I have rigid boards, different sized slates, and plain linens too. The material you use needs to be durable and cleanable, as you will get splashes and spills.

Vinyl Backdrops

Vinyl backdrops are easy to wipe clean with cloth and water. Don’t use chemicals on them, as it can strip the surface image off (I found out the hard way).

Printed Boards

Rigid printed boards can also be given a wipe-down, but beware if you are using heavily-colored foods like turmeric or chili powder, as they can stain and prove difficult to remove. Some boards are more washable and stain-resistant than others, so invest in quality boards up front to save money over time.

Linens

Linens can be washed, but again heavy food stains may leave a mark that won’t come out.

What Size Does a Backdrop Need to Be?

While you don’t need huge backdrops for food photography, it does depend on the angle you want to shoot your food from. If all you do is flat lays and shoot directly from above, you can get away with 2ft x 2ft board. If you want to shoot from the side or at an angle for a wider scene, then you’ll need a larger backdrop, like 30×40″ to make sure everything fits in. Most commercially available food backdrops are made in a variety of sizes, so having a mixture is a good idea.

Where Can I Get Food Photography Backdrops?

A number of food photographers and photography equipment retailers produce food-specific backdrops. Whether that’s flexible printed vinyl or bespoke wooden backdrops, you can find a variety of options. Places like Etsy often sell vinyl backdrops in style packs, and I got a pack of three from a seller on there. As I mentioned earlier, V-Flat World makes some of my favorite food photography backdrops with their double-sided boards. Some options are more expensive than others, but as with most things, you get what you pay for in terms of durability and good-quality prints.

Are There Any Backdrops I Can Create?

Yes! There are quite a few ways to DIY your own food photography backdrops. If you’re handy with a power tool then you can find offcuts of wood and create your own backdrops, but if you don’t have the time or skills to do that here are a few options:

• Porcelain or ceramic floor tiles – find at any home improvement store for just a few dollars. Get the largest size you can, and look out for matte finishes to cut down on glare in the photos.
• Craft and construction paper – Comes in different colors and will do well for close-up and top-down shots where you don’t need to show a lot of background.
• Paper grocery bags – Cut them up into flat paper sheets, crumple them a bit and flatten them out. Use the side that doesn’t have text on and they make a great rustic, textured backdrop.
• Parchment paper – again, crumple parchment and smooth it out or leave it flat to make a great backdrop.
• Large, plain white paper sheets, white table linen, or roll of white paper – don’t dismiss the plain white backdrop for food photography, it’s an absolute classic and gives you a blank canvas to let the food take center stage.

If you’re looking for cheap ways to light your food photos, then don’t forget that natural light is completely free!

[Related Reading: Beginner Food Photography Tips | How to Take Great Food Shots with Minimal Gear]

Conclusion

If you want to try your hand at food photography, then having a selection of food photography backdrops at the ready is a great idea as you will want to switch them up to suit the food, and also to stop your shots from looking repetitive. Hopefully, I’ve given you some inspiration here for choosing your backdrops, and the realization that they don’t have to cost a fortune. Perhaps you’ll end up like me – a backdrop addict, always on the lookout for a great backdrop to use in my next food photography shoot!

Winter photographs have that magical feel, don’t they? When snow and frost cover everything, it all looks new and exciting. Even the most mundane, familiar scenes are transformed to give a new perspective, but winter photography brings challenges that other seasons don’t.

1: Winter-Proof Yourself and Your Gear

The first of our winter landscape photography tips is often overlooked by photographers impatient to get out and get shooting, but it’s worth doing some preparation work before you leave home to make sure you have a good, productive shoot without having to cut it short.

• Keep your batteries warm, and take spares – batteries lose power very quickly in low temperatures. Keep them in an inner pocket of your coat so your body heat helps keep them warm.
• Make sure you have a sturdy, yet easy-to-carry tripod with you. It should be simple to set up too, so you don’t have to fumble around and waste precious time.
• Stop your camera lens fogging up – when you go from the cold to a warm, indoor spot to warm up, your lens will fog up straight away from the moisture build-up.  It’s easy to avoid this by putting your camera inside your gear bag with a lens cover on before you go into a warm place, and leave it to warm up before you get it out again.
• Use photography gloves – gloves are essential for winter landscape photography, but most regular gloves are too bulky for working camera buttons and dials. You can buy special photography gloves with thin thermal fabric on the fingertips and the added bonus of extra grip fabric on the palms so your camera won’t slip out of your hands.
• Wear layers of warm clothing, so they can be removed or added as you feel you need to during the day. Outer garments need to be windproof, breathable, and water-repellent, and your boots need to be insulated and breathable too. Don’t forget sunglasses, lip balm, water, and energy-giving snacks.

2: Contrast is Key

Autofocus is our friend in most scenarios, but snow and ice in the winter landscape can throw it off. If you find your camera is hunting for focus in all the white, try to focus on something darker than the snow so your camera has the contrast it needs to focus. For example, if you’re photographing snow on a tree branch or on rocks, focus on any exposed bark or stone.  For easy post production, we’ve created a set of Landscape Photography Presets in collaboration with The Photo Argus.

3: Avoid Gray-Looking Snow Images: Use Exposure Compensation

This winter landscape photography tip is a way to ensure you don’t end up with gray-looking snow! The whiteness of the snow can confuse your camera’s exposure meter, so you have to adjust exposure compensation by around +0.1 to +0.2 to get that gorgeous, pure white snow.

[Related Reading: Photography Tips | How And Why To Use Exposure Compensation]

4: Catch the Best Light

Winter sunrises and sunsets can add a whole layer of drama to your landscape photography – especially when they happen just before or after a snowstorm. There’s an added bonus for those of us who struggle to get out of bed in the summer to catch early sunrises – in winter, the sun comes up much, much later! Now you can get a good night’s sleep and shoot magical winter sunrises.

5: Choose the Right Shutter Speed

When the snow is falling, you need to choose what shutter speed you are going to use to achieve the effect you want. Fast shutter speeds will freeze movement, showing snowflakes falling as white dots, and if you use a slow shutter speed the flakes will look like streaks of white on your image.

On a calm day, 1/125th second may be enough to freeze the movement of falling snow, but if it’s very windy and the snow is heavy, then even much higher shutter speeds may not give you the crisp result you want. If you’re not sure, then try bracketing your shots using different exposure settings to discover the one that works for the situation you’re in at that moment.

[Related Reading: 5 Tips For Better Landscape Photos]

6: Look for Color

If you live in an area where there is heavy winter snowfall, pretty soon everything is white – and nothing stands out as a focal element. On those monochrome days, look for splashes of color that stand out in the white and grey landscape, like a brightly-painted house.

7: Shoot During Blue Hour

Here’s another one of our winter landscape photography tips, and it’s a great way to add a new dimension to your landscape photography. The window of time before the sun rises or after it sets can bring a soft and magical blue light that is offset perfectly by the warm yellows and oranges of lights in houses or on streets.

8. Don’t Forget the Details

Things can look so much more interesting close up in winter than at other times of the year. Take a closer look at plants, trees, and fallen leaves for some great wintry close-up images.  If you fancy trying your hand at winter macro photography, then check out this article on how to create amazing winter macro images with very little gear.

Look at the textures of leaves and plants covered with frost, or capture a dramatic image of a leaf trapped in ice. Forests aren’t the only places you’ll find good subjects for close-ups – beach photography is often overlooked when it comes to winter.

9: Try Experimenting with Filters

There are a few filters you can use in wintertime, but a great one to try is a circular polarizing filter. You may think of a circular polarizing filter as one to use on summer days to remove sun glare from water, but it can also reduce the glare of the snow too. You can also make your skies really pop with these filters, but be careful not to overdo it, as too much polarizer makes the sky look an unreal shade of blue.

10: Embrace the Moodiness

Not all snow scenes and winter landscapes need to be upbeat or tranquil. Maybe you’re shooting in a landscape that is totally bleak and unwelcoming. Don’t avoid it – really embrace the ‘dead of winter’ vibe instead. Using minimalist compositions to highlight one thing that sums up the desolation of the scene will give you dramatic images. Ruins, abandoned buildings, fallen trees, rusting cars, or other suitable subjects work really well for this.

Winter Landscape Photography Tips: Final Thoughts

[Related Reading: Stunning Winter Macro Photo Idea & How To Do It!]

If you can get out and about during the winter to shoot, then you can find some awesome scenes to photograph. You don’t even have to go further than your own backyard – snow and ice transform the everyday scene into something magical. To sum up, here’s a quick list of our top tips:

• Wear warm clothing, footwear, and take extra care of your camera in the cold weather
• Reduce focus hunting from your camera’s AF by focusing on areas of contrast to the snow
• Use exposure compensation to get that pure white snow scene
• Make the best use of sunrise and sunset for dramatic images
• Adjust your shutter speed to capture the kind of falling snow images you want
• Look for splashes of color to give an area of focal interest to snow scenes
• Try shooting winter landscapes during blue hour for an added dimension
• Don’t overlook the small details in the landscape for some stunning winter abstracts and macros
• Experiment with a circular polarizing filter
• Embrace the moodiness and bleakness of winter landscapes by choosing fitting subjects

We hope our winter landscape photography tips have given you some food for thought, and if you’re looking for some ways to keep those photography jobs coming during the cold weather, then take a look at our guide to booking winter photography jobs all season long.

Milk bath photography has been a big favorite in creative boudoir images ever since Annie Leibovitz teamed with Whoopi Goldberg for the iconic milk bath image. One of the reasons it’s so popular in boudoir is because it gives a dreamy, ethereal quality to the images, especially with the addition of flower petals to the bath. While boudoir photography is well known for more intimate portraits in bedroom settings, milk bath photography provides a creative alternative. 

If you’re not sure where to start with milk bath photography, then we’ve got some top tips for you in this article to help create intimate and sensual portraits. 

1. How to Set up for Milk Bath Photography

You’ll need the basics, of course. Milk, warm water, and a bathtub are all you need to set up for a milk bath photo shoot, so it’s not going to cost you a fortune.

How much milk do you need? Usually around 3-6 liters of milk for each shoot. Whole milk works the best, but if you don’t have it, milk powder will do. Fill the bathtub with warm water and start adding milk. Bear in mind that less milk will give you translucent water, and more milk gives an opaque mixture that hides everything below the surface of the water.

If you’re not sure how much to add, don’t put all the milk in at once. Add it gradually until you get to a level of transparency that you like. Leave the milk to mix and settle for around 10 minutes before starting the shoot, and if you use milk powder make sure it’s well-mixed with no unsightly clumps and lumps in the water!

Make sure your model has a set of dry clothes for after the shoot – and she should bring at least one towel. You should use a clean floor mat and have a couple of towels handy for wiping any water on the floor so it’s not slippery.

2. Clothes and Accessories for Milk Bath Photography

If your model wants to wear something, then a sheer, see-through dress, lingerie, or fabric made of lace or chiffon will work well. If they want a bit more modesty, then a white dress will also work. It’s worth experimenting with different clothes and fabrics, especially if you or the model wants a more fashion photography vibe to the shoot.

3. Choosing Camera Settings

If you want a minimalistic, dreamy look, choose a shallow depth of field between f/1.4 and f/5.6. If you are using props, then you want a wider depth of field to keep them sharp too. Anything from f/6.3 to f/9 is where you want to be aiming, depending on the props you’re using.

If you shoot in any of the Auto modes on your camera, then it will likely give you underexposed photos. This is because the bright white surface of the milk confuses your camera’s light meter. To avoid this, use exposure compensation to overexpose your shots by one or two stops.

If you don’t already shoot in RAW format, you should for milk bath photography. This is because it’s easier to correct exposure issues like burned-out highlights and color temperature in post-processing software after the shoot. 

4. The Perfect Lighting for Milk Bath Photography

Natural light is the perfect partner for milk bath photography (but not direct sunlight). Natural light gives soft shadows and even light, which is ideal. However, it’s not always possible to use natural light, so you may need to go with an off-camera flashgun or two with softbox modifiers to give a soft light. Large white reflectors can also lift any shadows.

Studio strobe lights are often too big and unwieldy to use in a small bathroom, and there’s also the danger of water and electricity mixing, so it’s best to avoid studio monolights unless you have the space to use them safely.

Some photographers decide to use inflatable pools outdoors for milk bath shoots so they can make use of natural light. However, in cold climates, this is not going to be an option – hotel rooms with decent natural light can be a good alternative if your budget will stand it.

Because milk baths are reflective, watch where you stand during the shoot, or you may end up with reflections of yourself in the photos!

5.  Props and Posing

Rose petals and different flowers are popular for milk bath photography, but you don’t need to stick to this. Use colored glitters on the model’s face or body to give a different look, or use sliced fruits instead of flowers in the water.

If you’re using flowers, they need to be clean and not full of pollen. You don’t want dirt or pollen polluting the whiteness of the milk bath, so artificial flowers are often the way to go instead.

Keep the colors as neutral and soft as possible. Pastel colors don’t clash with the bright white of the milk, so they are ideal for this kind of shoot.

Posing your model effectively can be hard, but with milk baths, the milk and water help a lot as only the parts above the water show. This is good if your model has certain body areas she doesn’t want in the photos, as you can experiment with poses to hide the bits she doesn’t want everyone to see.

Make use of the white negative space around the model that the milk bath provides, but don’t forget to home in on the smaller details in some photos.

Final Thoughts

Milk bath photography doesn’t have to be cliched. You can create original, subtle, or sultry boudoir images with the right lighting and props, and the only limit is the imagination. We hope you gained some knowledge and inspiration from our milk bath photography tips to use in your next photography project.

Senior pictures mark a big milestone in life, but getting the right poses for a boy’s senior pictures can be difficult, especially if they are awkward around the camera. We’ve put together a great selection of the best senior picture ideas for guys as your inspiration, so you can shoot your next boys’ senior pictures session with confidence and capture great shots that will be treasured forever.

These ideas are simple, but they do work. Why overcomplicate things, right?

Senior Picture Ideas for Guys

1. Get to Know Them
2. Give Them Style Options
3. Place Their Hands in Their Pockets for the Timeless Classic Pose
4. Direct Him to Look Away from the Camera
5. Don’t Forget to Include Standard Headshots
6. Get Him to Wash His Hands
7. Final Thoughts

#1. Get to Know Them

Before you start a boy’s senior pictures shoot, you need to create a relaxed and fun environment to get the best out of your subject. Young guys can be shy, especially around a photographer, but the key is not to force them out of their comfort zone. Props are one way of making your subject feel less awkward, and it gives them something to do with their hands to make posing easier.

The best way to get great senior picture ideas for guys is to have a chat with them before the shoot. You can learn about their personalities and what they are interested in, and tailor your photos and techniques to suit them.

[Related Reading: Keeping it Simple: Interview with High School Senior Photographer Michelle Moore]

Senior Picture Ideas for Guys #2. Give Them Style Options

Most boy’s senior pictures get taken because Mom wants them, and Mom tends to choose the outfit she wants her son to be photographed in. Most guys wouldn’t choose to wear the typical clean-cut outfit that moms like, so tell them to bring a personal favorite outfit or one that fits the location you’re shooting in as well as Mom’s choice.

Keep the Mom outfit part of the shoot fairly short, and let your guy know that he can express his personality through his personal clothing choice later in the shoot. In other words, eat your veggies before you get dessert!

#3. Place Their Hands in Their Pockets for the Timeless Classic Pose

What’s one of the biggest challenges in creating senior picture ideas for guys? Coming up with good male poses for them. Not every male pose will work with every senior, but the classic casual hands in pockets pose usually works well for most.

Try to avoid having your guy stand rigidly and staring straight ahead into the camera. Make it more natural-looking by having them shift their body in different angles, or get them to lean against a wall. Get your senior to put his fingers in his pockets with thumbs left outside, and the palms of his hands facing his legs.

[Related Reading: An Underwater Look at Senior Portraits]

Senior Picture Ideas for Guys #4. Direct Him to Look Away From the Camera

You don’t always need to get front-on shots with eye contact when it comes to a boy’s senior pictures. Many people don’t feel comfortable staring into a camera lens, and the ‘direct gaze with the huge grin’ look is somewhat dated now.

Profile shots can look great, and give a serious and dignified look to your subject. Headshot backgrounds that work well with this pose are outdoor landscapes, sunsets, or plain colored backdrops.

#5. Don’t Forget to Include Standard Headshots

While it’s great that there are modern alternatives when it comes to senior picture ideas for guys, don’t forget the standard headshot photo if you feel like your subject will suit it. Moms like seeing their sons with a winning smile and looking directly into the camera, and Mom and Dad will probably want at least some photos done in this traditional style.  Bear in mind that this pose will work better with some seniors than with others, so don’t force the issue if your guy just isn’t happy with doing it.

[Related Reading: Shallow Depth Of Field Portraits | How To Enhance Shallow DOF Effect In-Camera]

#6. Get Your Senior to Wash His Hands!

I don’t mean literally, though! This male posing tip is little-known but very effective, especially for shy guys. All he has to do is stand tall with his feet in a semi-wide stance, and hold his hands together over the middle of his stomach, maintaining a few inches between hands and body. Get him to rub his hands together as if he was washing them with soap, and ask him to look in a variety of directions while doing this.

This is a great idea for a boy’s senior pictures, and it can give them a big confidence boost for the rest of the photo session because they are sure to like the images taken using the handwashing technique.

[Related Reading: Tracks are for Trains, Not Senior Photos]

Senior Picture Ideas for Guys: Final Thoughts

Don’t forget to give encouragement and affirmations throughout the shoot, and they should leave feeling that everything went brilliantly. Try to avoid showing your senior the back of your camera because there’s bound to be a few duff shots in there, and seeing them can dent their confidence in how they look.

If all else fails and you’re not getting the shots you need, get your senior to move around, or take a walk outside with him. Get him to walk towards you while you shoot, or if he’s sporty get him to run or jump while you shoot in continuous burst mode with a high shutter speed to capture the movement and energy. Don’t worry too much about bright sunlight while shooting – if it’s unavoidable you can correct portraits taken in harsh sunlight later on in post-processing.

That completes our quickfire tips on taking boys’ senior pictures, and we really hope you came away with at least a few senior picture ideas for guys to use in your next session.

‘Buyer beware’ is a good watchword for buying anything, but is especially true with cameras. As we all know, cameras are not cheap, and it’s not worth risking your hard-earned cash on what seems like a good deal at the time.

Small, reliable, local camera stores are a rarity these days, so we’re going to take a look at the best places we’ve found to buy cameras in the US, UK, and Australia.

Why Amazon isn’t on our list of Best Places to Buy Cameras

We love Amazon for lots of things, but it’s not one of the best places for buying cameras. The reason being that there are too many third-party sellers of camera equipment. While many of them are legit, there are scammers out there who will buy a cheaper camera and change the badges to look like a more expensive model if they are similar enough in shape. Stolen cameras sometimes end up being sold by third-party sellers, too.

There are also the murky waters of gray imports to navigate. This is where the seller buys new cameras cheaply from overseas and imports them. They then sell it at a lower price than the RRP and still make a profit. You get a brand-new camera at a good price – but you don’t get a warranty, so if anything goes wrong and it needs fixing by the manufacturer, they will likely refuse.

Best Places to Buy Cameras in the US

Adorama

These guys are very popular, both with online sales and at their store in New York. They have a massive range of camera gear, but also sell TVs, computers, and other electronics. Adorama has been around for nearly 40 years, and they gain great reviews from their customers – not just for their range of cameras, but also for excellent customer service.

Adorama also sells used cameras and equipment, which can bring you a significant saving on the price. You can sell or trade-in your unwanted camera gear too, and if you want to try before you buy, Adorama runs a rental program so you can see if a camera or lens is right for you.

If you’re a creative student, Adorama also offers exclusive student discounts on lots of its products.

For peace of mind, they offer a 30-day money-back guarantee on most of their stock. Adorama also offers membership of their ‘VIP360’ program. For $49.99 per year you get access to free 2-day shipping, a 60-day return policy, 1-year Printique Pro service membership, 1-year ‘Drops & Spills’ protection for your gear, and other member-only discounts and perks.

B&H Photo Video

Yet another well-known camera store is B&H Photo Video, based in Midtown Manhattan. They sell cameras and equipment online, as well as video cameras, computers, software, and other electronics. Their range of camera gear is extensive. B&H offers free 7-10 day shipping in the US, and that becomes 3-7 days and free if your order comes to over $49.

You can join B&H as a rewards member and earn points on what you buy, which can be used later for discounts. There’s also a 30-day money-back guarantee on their products. However, the item must be returned in the original box and still be in brand-new condition. B&H made it on to Newsweek’s America’s Best Customer Service List 2021, and Newsweek’s America’s Best Online Shops list.

As an added bonus, B&H has an online education section called Explora. You can read free articles on everything photography-related, as well as watch videos and listen to podcasts.

[Related Reading: Best Mirrorless Systems For Professionals]

Best Places to Buy Cameras in the UK

Park Cameras

Park Cameras have been going for over 50 years, and today they have two stores staffed with knowledgeable assistants – one in London, and another in West Sussex. They stock a huge range of cameras, lenses, tripods, etc, and the stores offer a hands-on experience so you can compare equipment.

They also run an online store, with a recently revamped website for easier navigation. You can join their loyalty scheme online, called Park Points. These points can be traded in for gift vouchers once they’ve built up. If you have old equipment you can go to the Sell or Part Exchange page and get a quote for your gear from them by filling in the form.

You can return new goods under Park’s 14-day no-questions-asked guarantee, and you can return used goods during the same time frame, although used goods are subject to a 10% restocking fee unless they are faulty. If your goods are faulty, you have a 30-day window in which to return them for replacement or refund.

Clifton Cameras

Gloucestershire-based Clifton Cameras are one of the UK’s leading independent camera stores. Their range of cameras and photography equipment is vast, and they have received the Amateur Photographer Magazine’s Good Service award for ten years straight. You can buy in-store or online, and their website offers other services too, like insurance and print services. Clifton Cameras features a blog that contains gear reviews and other photography-related topics.

You can part-exchange your old equipment, and Clifton Cameras will come and collect the gear from your home and work for free if you choose to go this route.

[Related Reading: Best Cameras for Vlogging 2020 Update ]

Best Places to Buy Cameras in Australia

Digital Camera Warehouse

The Digital Camera Warehouse (DCW) has been around since 2001. They have a brick-and-mortar store in Canterbury, NSW, staffed with people who are passionate about photography. Their online store offers all kinds of cameras, lenses, and accessories. DCW also features a print store, photography workshops, DVDs, and the opportunity to buy extended warranties on your goods.

DCW delivers Australia-wide, and their shipping and handling rates are a flat $9.95 AUD for every order. Shipping usually takes around 3-5 business days for your items to arrive.

Georges Cameras

Based in George Street, Sydney, Georges Cameras was established in 1981. It’s one of the leading independently-owned camera and electronic retailers in Australia.

You can shop at the Sydney store or on their website. They have a large range of internationally recognized brands for everyone from the beginner to the professional photographer. Georges also buy and sell pre-used camera gear, and you can get a quote online to sell your unused equipment.  The website offers a blog with lots of reviews and tips for all kinds of photographers, as well as gift guides.

Georges also offer film processing for 35mm film – something for the SLR enthusiasts among you.

[Related Reading: Best DSLR for Beginners 2020 Update]

Final Thoughts

This list of the best places to buy cameras is by no means exhaustive, and other photographers may recommend different stores. Our choices will hopefully give you a starting point for your own research. All the stores featured here are reputable, trustworthy sellers and their staff know exactly what they are talking about.

Related: Original Videos: Canon 1DX Mark III Review | Living with a $6,500 Camera

The article will cover the following aspects of lighting photography:

• Gear
• Safety
• Settings
• Location Scouting
• Lighting Photography at Night
• Daytime Lighting Photography
• Composition Tips

1: Things You Need to Photograph Lightning Successfully

There are a few items that will help you capture the best lightning shots. The good news is that as a photographer, you probably already have them.

• DSLR or mirrorless camera – you’ll need to use manual controls for shutter speed, aperture, etc, and it’s best to shoot in RAW format.
• Tripod – while some folk get lucky with hand-holding their cameras for lightning, using a good tripod will make it so much easier because you’ll likely be using long shutter speeds.
• Lenses – any lens will work for capturing lightning, but if you want to capture lightning as part of a big scene then a wide-angle lens is best. Zoom lenses will also give you more flexibility for shooting lighting at different distances.
• Weather-proofing – As lightning often appears as part of a storm, you should expect to get wet! If your camera and lenses aren’t weather-sealed, then you’ll have to protect them from the rain. You should also think about waterproof clothing for yourself – being wet and cold is no fun. Take several lens cloths with you too, so you can safely clean any raindrops off the front of your lens.
• Remote control or cable release – this isn’t essential but does make it much easier to take sharp photos because you’re not physically pressing the shutter and introducing camera shake.
• MIOPS Trigger (Optional Accessory) – FLEX detects lightning strikes and automatically captures the image. This will allow you to focus more on the creative aspects including exposure, composition, etc.

A stitched together photo, combining three frames into a single image, as seen in the MIOPS FLEX Kickstarter Video

That’s really all the equipment you need to shoot lightning. However, if you are seriously into lightning photography then you may want to buy some specialized gear, like a lightning camera trigger. This takes a lot of guesswork out of shooting, because this trigger sends a signal to your camera the instant a lightning bolt begins, and it automatically takes photos of it.

2: Think Safety

Lightning is beautiful, but don’t forget how deadly it can be. If you can, it’s best to be inside a building or car so that you are protected from being struck. It’s really not wise to photograph lightning in an open space, especially if there are trees, water, or tall structures nearby. Don’t be fooled by how far away the lightning looks – if you can see it, it’s close enough to strike you.

3: Camera Settings

When you get to your chosen location, set your camera up on the tripod and set your lens to manual focus. Focus to the distant horizon (infinity), and check it’s sharp by taking a test shot and checking it. Manual focus is best for shooting lightning because if it’s too dark the AF system can have trouble focusing.

The settings below are just a rough guide, but you can use them as a starting point and adjust as necessary..

Use Manual Exposure Mode

Set your camera to manual mode (usually ‘M’) on your mode dial. Auto modes tend to give the wrong exposure when it comes to lighting photography.

ISO

Set the ISO to the lowest value your camera has. You should only raise your ISO to capture very faint, distant lightning strikes as part of a much darker, starry nightscape image.

Shutter Speed

Setting the shutter speed for a longer time gives a better chance of getting the lightning. Try and set it for between 5 and 30 seconds to start with. This will brighten up the ambient exposure, of course, but as long as you capture lightning during the exposure, your shutter speed will not actually affect the brightness of a single strike, just like how a strobe flash works!

If you’re looking for a dramatic, dark foreground shot, or if lightning is striking so frequently that your exposures are getting blown out, then you might want to try a shorter shutter speed of around 1-3 seconds, and just capture back-to-back exposures!

Aperture

A medium aperture of f/4 or /5.6 is a good starting point, if there’s nothing in the foreground of your composition. You may find your images look overexposed at this setting, so try at f/8 instead, or adjust your shutter speed to be faster, if you’re trying to catch faint lightning strikes that might “disappear” as you stop down your aperture.

If there’s a foreground subject in your composition, then you may want to use a small aperture (bigger f/stop) to get more depth-of-field. If you find yourself needing to use f/11 or f/16 to achieve good depth of field in your scene, you might have to raise your ISO a little bit in order to catch those faint lightning strikes.

4: Finding Great Locations

This may be easier for those who live where there are lots of storms! However, it’s not just about capturing lightning bolts in any old scene – the trick is to find an interesting foreground.

This means you may well have to plan ahead. It’s dangerous and pointless to wait until you’re in a storm to find good backdrops for your lightning photographs. Think of some places local to you that you could get to quickly when a storm is brewing, and preferably, shoot safely during the storm. Lightning shots look best when there’s a lot of sky, but also some details in the foreground, such as buildings or hills.

TIP: Here’s how you can tell how far away lightning is from your current location: count the seconds between the flash of light and the boom of the thunder Every five seconds equals one mile. So, if you count ten seconds, you are a lot safer, but if you count just one or two seconds, you could be in extreme danger!

We recommend finding somewhere indoors, for maximum safety if you know a storm is going to pass right over you. If you’re outdoors and a storm is heading towards you, you need to leave the area, of course!

5: How to Photograph Lightning at Night

Shooting lighting at night gives you some really dramatic images,  but there’s no one-size-fits-all solution to the settings you should use. There’s a lot of variables to consider that may make a difference to the settings you use. Once you have set up your camera and manually focused to infinity, ask yourself these questions:

• Is the lighting fairly close? If it’s not a long way away and is striking several times, then it’s best to close down your aperture (higher f/stop) and keep your ISO low. This will help to prevent overexposure.
• Is there a lot of ambient light in the scene? If you are shooting lightning over a cityscape, for instance, you will need a faster shutter speed and a low ISO.
• How fast are the storm clouds moving? If the storm is moving fast and there is a lot of flashing lightning, try using a faster shutter speed to avoid ghosting in the clouds. This is where the same shape is caught in your image as it moves while your camera is taking the photo. This means slower shutter speeds will show more ghosting because the shutter is open for longer while the clouds are moving across the sky.
• Too many strikes in quick succession will also just blow out your long exposures, of course!

Take some test shots with lightning in the exposure, and check to see that you’re happy with the focus and settings you’ve chosen. If not, adjust the focus, shutter speed, or ISO accordingly.

6: How to Photograph Lightning During the Day

• While shooting lightning during the day can be a challenge, there are a few tricks you can try to get great shots. Set your camera up and manually focus to infinity. Take a test shot to make sure the foreground has enough detail. You may need to go down to f/16 or even more. Set the ISO to the lowest setting, and choose a slow shutter speed.
• You may find it easier to shoot lightning during the day if you use a lightning trigger. This little device will attach to your camera and set the shutter off when a flash of light is caught by the sensor. There’s a big choice of lightning triggers on the market, from budget to professional ones.
• If you don’t have a lightning trigger then another option for photographing lightning during the day is to set your aperture to f/22 or more. Use the lowest ISO, and set your shutter speed as slow as you can. All you have to do then is shoot continuously. Hopefully, you will capture some good lightning strikes, although, with such a dark aperture and ISO, you may not see faint strikes that just aren’t very bright. (Remember, lightning behaves just like the pop of a strobe flash, in terms of setting your exposure; aperture and ISO will make lightning brighter or darker, but shutter speed will not!)
• Take plenty of spare memory cards if you go the route of “spray and pray”, as your card will fill up quickly with all the images. If your camera has it, use a compressed RAW mode so that your camera’s buffer stays ample, too.

7: Composition Tips for Photographing Lightning

Shooting successful lightning photos requires a slightly different composition than you may be used to. For instance, you need to cover more sky than your foreground or background. This might not look right at first, but once the lightning strikes it will become the main focal point of the image.

Because lightning appears in different places, you never know where it’s going to show up in your photo. This is why it pays to use a wider-angle lens than usual so that you can crop to a good composition later if you need to.

Alternately, if you’re feeling really ambitious, and if you have an old beginner SLR lying around, consider setting up two cameras and finding two different compositions of two different parts of the sky!

Final Thoughts

Patience is a virtue when it comes to photographing lightning!  It’s unpredictable, and you’ll find that you take many, many shots without getting anything good. You may also find that your just have to LEAVE an area, for your own safety, especially if a storm is approaching, and not moving away from your position.

[REMEMBER: For every five seconds between the lightning flash and the thunder’s boom, that is only ONE mile between you and the strike. That’s only ~5,000 feet away! Now might be a good time to also remind you that a lightning strike is around 300 million volts and 30,000 Amps. For reference, just a fraction of one Amp, or just 50-100 Volts, can be lethal, depending on the combination of the two. Feeling a little more cautious now? Good.]

Eventually, everything will come together just right and you’ll feel a huge sense of satisfaction at having safely captured the perfect lightning shot!

Hopefully, our tips have given you a bit more understanding of how to photograph lightning. We also hope they inspire you to get out there and have a go. Have fun, and don’t forget to stay safe while shooting!

You can find urban landscape subjects everywhere you look. These include industrial areas, city environments, shop fronts, structures, and even the New Topographic style of photography.  This was made famous in the 1970s by great photographers like Stephen Shore, Lewis Baltz, Robert Adams, and Bernd and Hilla Becher. Even the view from your window can be turned into an interesting urban landscape if you live in a town or city.

Have a look at our 7 urban landscape photography tips to see how to make the most of this fascinating subject!  Here’s a quick summary of what we’ll cover:

• • Change Your Perspective
  • Shoot From a Moving Vehicle
  • Make Use of Leading Lines, Diagonals, and Other Compositional Techniques
  • Go Abstract
  • Find Patterns
  • Try Shooting Black and White Urban Landscapes
  • Use Lighting Apps to Find the Best Light And Serendipitous Moments

1:  Change Your Perspective

Most people tend to take urban landscape shots from eye-level whilst standing up, but that often leads to images that look similar. This is especially true if the photo is of a famous building or landmark. Shake things up a bit by changing the viewpoint. You can do this by getting higher and shooting downwards, or by getting closer to the ground and shooting upwards. Even moving to the side of a subject so you’re shooting it at a different angle can give you diverse and unique images.

2: Shoot From a Moving Vehicle

You can get some great urban landscape images while photographing from a moving vehicle – although not while you’re driving, of course. Maybe you can persuade a friend or family member to drive you around the city.  Or, why not take a bus or train and take photos through the windows? I’ve tried this myself a few times, and you can get some really cool effects with (or without) motion blur on the urban landscape, depending on what shutter speed and aperture you use. Experiment to see what you get.  If you’re visiting a city for the first time, this might be the best way to get the maximum number of shots in a short amount of time.

3: Make Use of Leading Lines, Diagonals, and Other Compositional Techniques

In urban landscape photography, there are usually lots of bold, diagonal shapes and leading lines for you to make use of in your compositions. The eye is drawn to these shapes, and man-made structures tend to have a lot of them. Think of a narrow alleyway between two buildings – the lines of the alleyway lead your eye into the image and towards the other end. Architecture, bridges, paths, and railings are also places where you are likely to find leading lines and diagonal shapes.

Leading Lines

Symmetry

Beautiful Architecture is often symmetrical. While this isn’t the most interesting or creative composition, it’s certainly a necessary one to have in your urban landscape photography tool belt.

Reflections

Negative Space

Framing a statue, building, or other object with significant negative space can add interest to your photo.

4: Go Abstract

You don’t have to capture an urban landscape in its entirety to get great shots. Sometimes, getting up close and recording the small details will give you intriguing images. Textures, colors, graffiti, architectural elements, and street signs are all subjects in their own right. You may even want to try your hand at macro photography in an urban setting.

5: Try Shooting Black and White Urban Landscapes

While urban landscapes are often full of color, sometimes it pays to get rid of that distraction and focus on the shape, texture, light, and form of your scene instead. Black and white photography is an ideal way to show how the light falls between buildings or through windows.

You could shoot in black and white in-camera, but it often pays to shoot in color first and convert your image to black and white in an image editing program later. This means you will have more control over the type of black and white treatment you give to the image.

6: Look for Repeating Patterns

There’s no shortage of repetition and patterns in urban landscapes. While these can look mundane to the human eye, careful framing and use of these repeating patterns make striking images. Look for a building with windows that are all the same size and shape, and zoom in on that repeating pattern – fill the frame with it. Create amazing photos by using color schemes, tiles, overhead wires, and paving stones.

As a counterpoint to this, anything that is disruptive and breaks the repetition or pattern automatically draws the viewer’s eyes. So keep a lookout for any disruptive focal points you can use, like a missing tile in a wall of tiles, or a building window that’s wide open when all the rest are shut.

7: Use Lighting Apps to Find the Best Light And Serendipitous Moments!

This is the last one of our urban landscape photography tips, but it’s often overlooked by many photographers. Lighting apps tell you where the sun (or moon) will be at any given time in a particular location so you can plan ahead for your shoot. Many of these apps are free and available for iOS or Android devices.

Final Thoughts

I hope you enjoyed our urban landscape photography tips and feel inspired to try some of the ideas out. One of the great things about urban photography is that you can do it in your home town, or strike out for a big city. You’re also never far away from a coffee shop, which is an added bonus!

You do need to be vigilant, though. Towns and cities are generally full of fast-moving traffic, and you need to keep your wits about you while you shoot. Keep a very close eye on your camera gear too, especially if you are shooting the city at night. There’s no shortage of people who will snatch your camera or sneak a lens out of your backpack while you’re busy. It often pays to team up with another photographer to explore the city together and watch each other’s backs. If you’re looking for some visual urban and street inspiration, then why not check out these cool city images by Edas Wong?

If you’re an experienced urban photographer, then what are your top tips and locations for urban photography?