waiting time for landscape

[httpwww.photo.netphoto1664878216]

well,for two years now i've been reading and getting inspired by

british magazines(Practical photography and Photography monthly) and

the incredible pictures that fill the pages(David Noton,Lee Frost and

Tom Mackie to name a few)

and i'm wondering..

when you guys do landscape photography,are there tricks to make you

save time?

i mean,i know about getting up really early to get sunrises

but do you have sunrise and sunset tables, so you can know to be on

the right side of a mountain,

 

i have a c5050 and im jumping into RAW soon(which i think will be lot

better for landscape than superduperfine Jpeg) thats why i ask.

 

thanks.

[macgregor_anderson]

I've got a clock/weather unit that displays all that, along with moon stage rise and set, barometric pressure, temperature. Guarantees that I will feel badly for not getting up at o-dark-thirty when there is a full moon setting just as the sun is coming up.

 

Those tables are on a lot of weather websites. You won't have any problem finding them.

 

I suggest arriving with plenty of time to a spot you think might work, getting set up, and then reading a book. Patience is key. Having something else to do for a while can take the pressure off a little.

 

I find that I will find a spot, go back in "good" light, and then often return many times to improve upon the light, composition, etc.

 

Carrying a compass might be a good idea to help anticipate light direction.

 

Best approach probably depends a lot on how much time you have to shoot, how close you are to locations that you like, etc. I'm lucky, I live 20 minutes from a lot of good landscape ops. I'd have a different approach if I had to drive three hours every time I wanted a nice view.

 

Also, I'm just a novice. You should get some more informed answers shortly. And yes, RAW will give you lots of flexibility and better quality during the editing stage.

[jerry thirsty]

If your trying to shoot sunrise/sunset/moonrise/moonset, you can use the US Naval Observatory site. In addition to the time, it helps to know the azimuth at rise/set, so you can use a compass to pre-position your tripod relative to the foreground objects and horizon. Unfortunately you can't create a table on the USNO site that shows both times and azimuths; you have to look each one up separately.

[guytal]

There's a number of ways to find the sunrise/set times. Most consumer GPS units have that feature, and you can also download something like Ephemeris that allows you to print sun/moon/rise/set times based on GPS coordinates for any date range.<br>

That said, getting a good image is not as easy as running out to a mountain at sunset and snapping a masterpiece. I spend a lot of time outdoors, always on the lookout for compositions. Most times conditions are not ideal when I get there and I need to plan a return trip at the right time of day, right time of year (the angle of the sun changes constantly and is not always right for a given scene), right weather conditions, etc. I have images that took as long as 3 years to capture the way I wanted them.<br>

Of course there's an element of luck to any great image and, yes, sometimes serendipity happens and things just fall together right in front of you without much planning, but I wouldn't count on it if you want to produce good images with any consistency.<br>

In my experience there's no substitute to spending a LOT of time outdoors, looking for worthy subjects, then planning your strategy to capture them at their best.<br>

I have a couple of articles on my site that describe some of my personal process. Hopefully you'll find them useful in your pursuit.<br>

<br>

Guy<br>

<a href="http://www.scenicwild.com">Scenic Wild Photography</a>

[brad_hiltbrand]

All you can do is to put yourself in the right place at the right time of day and

hope for great light. The picture should be planned before you set out to take

it. This requires scouting the location, checking the weather, knowing the time

of sunrise/sunset/moonrise/moonset at your location, etc. Some professional

landscape photographers strive to make only 2-6 outstanding images a year,

but spend lots of time scouting locations, checking the astronomical tables,

waiting for the right time of year, and then waiting on location for the right light.

 

Sometimes you get lucky and conditions are good for photography, but most

of the time conditions just won't cooperate with your schedule. Research and

planning in advance will maximize the potential of your photography time.

There is no such thing as saving time in landscape photography. It is all about

using the time you have wisely. The image should be imagined before

captured by your camera. From time to time a great image will simply present

itself, but more often than not, great images will require significant amounts of

preparation.

 

Happy shooting!

[marshall]

Valuable equipment for preparing to take sunrise pictures: a tent.

[httpwww.photo.netphoto1664878216]

WOW thanks guys.elaborate answers,im taking notes of all this.

 

im smack in the middle of downtown Montreal,so i have to get off the island to find good solid hills and mountains.Here in Quebec,we have many small villages and prairies but the mountains just dont seem high enough.I keep thinking about heading to New england but im not sure which state would be better.

but this means only one thing:MORE RESEARCH! YIPPEE!(and no,its NOT procrastinating)

so which one? New Hampshire? Vermont?

[rosswordhouse.com]

I'd suggest focusing on your local area, meaning within an hours

drive of your home. Your praries sound interesting, and rolling

hills sound very nice. By focusing on your local area you will be

able to revisit the spots many times for the best light. Heck, for

amazing landscapes all you need is just about two feet of cool

ground cover. Close-up landscapes can stand on their own

against any large nature scene.

 

You don't have to travel far for amazing images, just open your

mind to what's around you. One of my best selling prints was

taken just 30 seconds from my house. I saw it every day, and

when it was right, I snapped the picture. Who know's, there could

be an amazing image right in your own backyard.

 

Ross

 

www.rosswordhouse.com

[joseph_smith3]

Check out the watch in this link. It gives you the time of moon rises. http://www.bythom.com/casio.htm

 

Joe smith

[jess_lee]

Ben,

The line is, the time doesn't really matter, the place doesn't really matter, The camera sure doesn't matter.

Sure there are programs, tables, gps, laptops and maps. None of those things will make you a better landscape photographer.

Your vision matters. Scout, shoot, review.

The best images are made by scouting. Learn what to look for by shooting and reviewing, the rest will fall into place for you.

 

good luck

[macgregor_anderson]

Following this post I decided to get off my butt and shoot a sunrise/moonset type shot. Timing was perfect for what I was trying to do. Lots of effort to get out of bed, but only a short 5 min drive to make the shot. It turned out...well, ok. Nothing to get excited about.

 

One of my favorite shots, and certainly the most popular on photo.net was taken along a trail I walk every week. At high noon.

 

I think Ross has great advice there.

 

Mac

[macgregor_anderson]

and at high noon (but with light filtered through the trees)...

[todd_west]

I wouldn't say there are tricks to save time, though you can always bang away and get something. But really nailing the moment which makes a place takes going back again and again until you know it well enough to know you got the shot. Sometimes your first shot might be the best, but it can take a while to realize it.

 

I time things to the sun, both as to time of day and time of year, and watch the weather but it typically takes me four or five weekend trips to an area over a period of about two years to really feel like I've got it right.

[phyrpowr]

As to where to go in N.E., I'm a North Carolina native and I like New Hampshire best of the Yankee states

 

Outdoor Photographer magazine each month has a little chart of the sunrise/moonrise compass points for various latitudes