Shooting into the light in Monument Valley and another quick tip [video]

Image of the Day

So this was my second time visiting this part of the country but really my first as a passionate photographer. Just a few yards from the hotel (yes, there is a new hotel that overlooks this amazing place…..more about that soon!), there is a dirt road that takes you deeper into the valley. Its a little bumpy but well worth the dirt and dust you will most likely be cleaning out of the car for at LEAST a month. Of course, if you are in a rental car, (like I was), its a whole new ball game!

A couple of tips to get this kind of shot…

First off, a tight or small aperture like F22 or F16 is a good choice to get those “rays” from the sun. And secondly, a scene like this has an amazing range of light. I suggest shooting in raw and exposing for the sky. Make sure that you have not over exposed the highlights as once that happens, you will never get them back. The shadows however are a little more forgiving. A lot of that detail can be pulled back in your camera raw editor. Of course, you can always bracket these scenes and process these HDR creations a variety of ways. I talk a bit more about that here if you want to take a deeper dive into the art!

So remember those 2 tips …….. and I DEFINITELY recommend a rental car 🙂

Quick Tip Tuesday (possibly delivered on a Wednesday)

So for a followup to last weeks post, I work a little with the same image. This one was a quick capture during a workshop I was on with the amazing Joe McNally in Boston a couple of years ago. The tip is a combination of a couple of tricks I have picked up from Scott Kelby as well as Fay Sirkus.

This process, like any, can be pushed over the top, but sometimes just a subtle tweak is all you need to take the image to the next level. For todays Quick Tip Video, I’ll show you what I mean.