#1 Learn How to See the Lights

See the color of light, see the direction of light, see the quality of light. Look for the shadows and contrast in the scene, that way you can set your exposure accordingly. I have my digital Rebel XTI set in the AV mode and I’m going to use my exposure compensation feature to open up a third of the stop so I can see into the shadows. So remember, learn how to see the light.

#2 Try to Create a Sense of Depth and Dimension

We see the world in three dimensions; height, width and depth. Our cameras only see two dimensions; height and width. It’s our job to try and create a sense of depth. One way to do that is to use a foreground element when we compose in a scene like this a landscape.

So we have that rock in the foreground, we have these mid ground rocks and we have these beautiful rocks in the background. That’s my composition. To get everything in the scene in focus, what I’m actually going to do is use the focus lock on my camera one third into the scene and then recompose and I shot. So remember, try to create a sense of depth and dimension in your pictures.

#3 Take a Hike

Actually, take a walk. When you get on location take your time and walk around the subject. Look for all the different photo angles. There are a lot of different photo angles here. I found the best. So remember, when you get on location take a walk and take your time.

#4 Always Look Down, Back and Up

So many people miss great picture opportunities because they are in such a hurry to get to the final location that they miss what’s going on around them. Always look down, always look back and always look up.

#5 Tell the Whole Story

Take the wide angle shots, take the medium shots, take vertical shots, take horizontal shots and look for details. Shoot close ups like these beautiful carvings on the rocks. If you have a lot of pictures you can tell the whole story. As photographers we are story tellers. We need a wide variety of pictures to tell the whole story.

#6 Frame It!

Our camera man will be shooting through the opening in the rocks. This will make it a much more interesting picture than if I was just positioned flat against the rocks. When you are photographing someone look for a doorway or look for a window to frame the person. Look for some branches and you’ll get a much more interesting picture, good enough for framing.

#7 Be Aware of the Background

The background can make or break a picture. I tell my camera men this all the time. I don’t want some object sticking out of my head. Remember, always be aware of the background.

#8 Fill the Frame

I’m here at Elephant Rock, one of the most spectacular rock formations in the Valley of Fire. I want to share my picture with my family and friends. What I’ve done is zoomed in and moved in tight so I’ve cropped out the dead space in the sky and the rocks down below that don’t add anything to my picture. So remember, the name of the game is to fill the frame.

Bonus Tip: All rules are meant to be broken. You’re in charge, be creative with your photography. In this situation for example, say you’re doing the school newsletter and you want to send an electronic postcard to someone. You want to tell people in one image where you are. What you could do is leave that dead space on the top and bottom for type, which you could put in the digital document. In general, the name of the game is to fill the frame.

#9 RAW Rules!

When you shoot a jpg file and open that file on your computer, a lot of the information is thrown away, especially in the highlight areas like the sky. When you shoot a raw file, the file retains all the information. If you want to get the most out of your pictures, remember, RAW rules.

#10 Always Envision the End Result

For me, photography is a fifty/fifty deal. Fifty percent image capture and fifty percent digital darkroom work. Take this scene for example, I can turn this into a beautiful black and white. I can warm up the picture to make it look like I was out here early in the morning or later in the day.

I can pull it off to make it look like it was taken at midnight and perhaps best of all, if there’s a subject in the scene that I don’t want, I can take it out! So always envision the end result.