Trying To Shoot From Different Angle

Sometimes changing the angle you frame makes your photograph look more interesting. As we all know, composition is the most important factor in photography, and we have to work on it hard to get a better and better result every time we take a shot. Sometimes we try to apply the Rule of Thirds (which is an important photography concept), and sometimes we try to arrange the objects in the photo in a triangle as we frame the shot or adjust the horizon while shooting beautiful landscapes. There are also times when none of these composition rules work well, and you just shoot with your imagination, and it turns out to be one of your best shots. People who know these rules also know how to avoid them, when that approach works best in the present situation. They first learn the rules and then try to break them. Recently, When I was touring from east coast to mid west region, I was driving somewhere between Indianapolis and Chicago. I was tired of continuous driving and thinking of taking an exit somewhere in the nearest rest area. In the mean-time, I saw a beautiful landscape with a gorgeous sunset through my rear view mirror. Without thinking much, I pulled my car off the road, took my camera out and snapped multiple sunset shots. When I did an instant review of those photographs in the LCD screen, I feel I had only produced a pretty common sunset shot. I then tried to think about shooting with different angles and framing other objects in the frame as well. The sun was going down really fast and I couldn't think any more about my next frame. After few minutes, I saw a 18 wheeler coming from far away, and I imagined framing it inside and took a shot. When I played back that shot, I found it very interesting.

Sunset somewhere in the mid-west

I don't know if you agree with me or not but I find this picture very interesting with the angles created by pull-off area and road lines with giant 18 wheeler truck framed inside. Whenever I see this photo, I feel like I am still there trying to think of another way to capture this beautiful sunset.

Travel Photography Tips

This post is written by Guest Contributor, Champ Ocampo. If you are also interested in writing a guest blog, please reach out using the form in the Contact page.

Traveling is almost everybody’s dream, whether out of country or simply just out of town.  Aside from passport and plane ticket, camera is one of the most important things to carry while traveling. It is SOP to have a camera to capture all the memorable moments at a certain place. Can you imagine traveling without a camera? How will you be able to brag to your buddies that you have already been here and there and everywhere without photos as a proof? So, camera is really as important as your passport and plane ticket. Some travelers only bring point and shoot cameras for light packing purposes. But some do bring DSLRs for quality photos. Obviously, you cannot pack light with DSLRs. Variety of lenses will add you 2 to 3 kilograms on your baggage. Imagine you have your normal lens, your ultra wide angle, your macro lens, your telephoto plus accessories in a bulky camera bag. I bet you prefer to hand carry your camera bag than check it in.

Here are some tips to travel light with your DSLR:

1. Bring only one DSLR body: If possible, try not to bring a padded strap (Black Rapid or Quick Strap Sling types).

2. Bring only one lens: A 17-50mm f/2.8 will do the job (18-55mm f/4.5-5.6 kit lens will also work). You can do both portrait and landscape with this amazing lenses.

3. Battery Charger: Do not forget to bring a universal adapter.

4. Shoulder type DSLR bag: Obviously, this type is smaller and much lighter than backpack types.

And here is the list of extra stuff you want to carry when traveling,

1. SD/CF Cards

2. Battery

3. ND Filters – Good for tropical countries to capture greener tree leaves and perfect blue skies. ND8 is highly recommended.

4. RF Remote Shutter Button – This will allow you to have a complete family picture. You do not have to shoot your wife and kids or your wife shooting you and your kids. Just mount it on a stable flat surface (we can always look for an alternative to a tripod) and keep shooting using the remote.

So we can now leave other camera stuffs home. We have to be very practical when it comes to select stuff when traveling in order to avoid excess baggage. After all, capturing priceless moments is the most important thing to remember.

Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool

I took this picture of Reflecting Pool, which is located in between the Washington Monument and the Lincoln Memorial, last year. If I remember correctly, it was a cherry blossoms festivals 2010 and hundreds of thousands of tourists from around the world traveled to DC to see the beautiful cherry trees blooming to its peak around the Tidal Basin. At first, I was thinking to drive down there but a friend of mine suggested me to take a metro instead. So, I drove down to the nearest metro station, parked there and took a metro going towards the Smithsonian metro station. I am so glad that I took his advice and took a metro. It took me almost 30 minutes driving around a metro station parking lot to find a parking spot. Inside the metro station, I was overwhelmed by the crowd and then immediately got worried about the camera gears I was carrying with me. I had a heavy camera bag along with a tripod bag and it was getting very difficult for me to manage the space inside the metro. Somehow, I managed to get off at Smithsonian metro station after one and half hour, and then to my surprise, I saw the biggest crowd in DC ever. I was not able to walk on my own, the crowd was moving me and I was going wherever it would take me. When I reached the National mall, I got a little bit of a relief and got chance to breathe some fresh air but the crowd was still growing bigger and bigger.

You can also see crowds in the photograph below, which I took from the stairs of the Lincoln Memorial facing towards the Washington Monument. It was a beautiful scenery around the mall with all the green trees and the colorful dresses. The entire surrounding was joyful with happy faces and the whole environment was very encouraging to capture those beautiful moments. I took quite a few shots which I will continue to share with you in my future posts.

Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool

Focal Length : 60mm     Exposure : f/9     Shutter : 1/320sec     ISO : 200

This is one of the best photographs of reflecting pool I have taken so far. After I came back home and reviewed some of the pictures I had taken, I thought it was worth all the troubles I went through that day. If you are planning to take photos around the National mall area, I suggest you to plan your travel accordingly because DC gets very busy on special events days and I learned it the hard way.

Here is the cherry blossoms shot I manage to take that day.

Cherry Blossom

Focal Length : 90mm     Exposure : f/13    Shutter : 1/200sec     ISO : 200