Scenic Landscapes - Zoom In Zoom Out
(reprinted from May/June 2006 issue)
Mountain vistas, serene seashores, lazy lakes, and raging rivers. How do you capture the grandeur of nature? We have found the first step in great nature photography is nature. Before you write me off as redundant, let me share a few things you may have overlooked or forgotten. You have to get out in nature to photography nature. I know, I know, the Outdoor Life network puts on a pretty good display, but photographing your T. V. can be hard at the best of times, not to mention the copyright issues. Ok, let get serious.
We have lived in the mountains most of our lives. I lived on the west coast growing up, but the mountains were all around me even there. Sometimes we miss that which is close at hand -- the photo opportunities right in our own backyard. (Like missing our families right at hand who need encouragement, while we go off to help those in Asia, Africa, or Arabia.) It seems I just can’t help finding spiritual and character lesson in photography. Maybe because it is so closely related to the book of nature, I’m not sure. Anyway, we need to be aware of what surrounds us. I have walk by a certain meadow several times, only to discover a beautiful view, when I just went off the path a few yards.
There are two ways to discover a grand view. One is to zoom out. Look at the big picture and grasp the magnitude of the vista. This also applies to our lives. Sometimes we forget how good we have it until we look at all the things God has done for us. I find a 28 to 70 mm setting the best for a wide angle shot of mountains, rivers, and valleys. Some people like to play with fish eye lenses, but not only are they expensive, they distort the beauty.
The second way to find that beauty in nature is to look at the little things. Yes, get done and get macro. Zoom in to the single flower backlit by the sun, or the buzzing bee, or the butterfly on the cone flower. Most modern lenses have a macro setting. This simply means you can get closer and still focus. Traditional lenses range from several feet to 6 inches (on average) away from the subject in order to focus. The longer the focal length (ie: 200 mm), the farther away you have to be in order to focus on the subject. Macro allows you get closer, like 6 to 12 inches with a 300 mm. (The numbers are just examples, it depends on brand, ages, etc.) You can also crop on the computer, and zoom in that way too. We need to take time to look for the smallest blessings in our lives.
So Zoom In and Zoom Out.
Sette Studio
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