I have mentioned in previous tips that I do much of my shooting in the early morning. This is for a variety of reasons, better light than midday, less or no people traffic to interfere with my photos and of course life is busy and shooting in the morning doesn’t interfere with other things leaving me to be able to set a pretty regular schedule for going out to take photos.

Usually I start shooting just before the sun comes up, or just after the sun comes up. The natural warm colour of the light created when the light has to travel longer though the atmosphere is unmatched. Sometimes however, I like to get out even earlier. Photographing a half hour or more before the sun even begins to poke over the horizon can yield wonderful images. Even at this time there is a surprising amount of light in the sky and providing that you have a good subject, can provide for incredible photos.

Of course, the light is not bright enough to hand hold your camera, so a steady tripod and cable release are very helpful. Also, a flashlight may be useful if you need to venture far from your car in the dark.  Having a very good working knowledge of your camera when shooting in low light situations is helpful for making changes to the camera settings.

As the light comes many options arise with the sun.  Of course you may have a beautiful sunrise, but if you turn around and shoot away from the sun, the landscape will light up in wonderful colours and tones, texture will be highlighted and you will find  yourself with some images you may not have otherwise photographed.

Until next time, happy shooting.