Coming for a visit? Great, bring a camera!

By William Woody, Visit Montrose

Whether you shoot with a phone or professional DSLR camera, there is so much natural beauty to capture in this area the opportunities are literally endless.

Tips for shooting with camera phone:

• Always keeps your lens clean

Use a microfiber cloth to keep fingerprints or grit from daily use from affecting your pictures.

• Shoot in HDR or RAW mode

When HDR mode is enabled, the camera app captures multiple images in rapid succession and merges the good parts into a single picture.

• Always keep your horizon straight

When shooting landscapes, take a few seconds to angle your camera until the horizon appears to be straight in your camera viewfinder.

• Don’t use flash outside

The extra burst of light from the flash can affect a camera’s capture in terms of contract and color.

• Try not to use the zoom for landscapes

When digitally enlarging your shots with the pinch-zoom, you can simultaneously degrade the image quality.

• Avoid sun flares

As for flaring, you can simply cup your camera with your hand to prevent light from hitting the lens, or use your finger to manually adjust the exposure to prevent overexposure from the sun.

DSLR

Did you remember to bring your camera bag? Great, you won’t regret it.

• Always, shoot in RAW

RAW allows your camera to record every megapixel of detail

• Work with the weather

Hey, the weather can change quickly in Colorado, learn to work with it rather than against it

• Try different shutter speeds

You probably know to bracket, but try radically different shutter speeds to catch different looks and feels

• Include plenty to foreground

Foreground can help to set the stage for your composition, and add context to your image

• Take your time

If you can, if you’re not in a hurry, you can see images you would not normally see because you’re in a rush. Photography teaches you to be patient.

• All about the details

Look for leading lines, wildlife, reflections in water, these details can add volumes of detail and add composition to your images

• Have fun and put your camera down

Seems weird right? But you’r in Colorado, nuff said. Oftentimes, photographers get so carried away taking pictures they forget to enjoy the moment. And, giving your eyes and mind a break could allow you to see other pictures.

• Be prepared

Make sure to take extra water and a snack with you. Keeping your mind stress free helps create great pictures

• Look at what other photographers have done, and do the opposite

We’ve all seen the postcards and picturesque Colorado landscapes. Always try to capture something different. My best rules of thumb, set your camera to underexpose by at least 2/3 of a stop

In my bag:

DSLR Camera body

Extra battery/memory card

Cable release

Extension Tube(s)

Screenshot

24-70mm wide angle lens

70-200mm telephoto lens

Weather proof cover

Extra bottle of water

Extras:

Tripod

Various lens filters:

ND neutral density filter

polarizing filter