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  America West, Bryce Canyon, Capital Reef, North  
 Cascade, Black Hills, South Dakota, Zhang Jia Jie

    
 
 
   

  Grand Canyon Store  

Timing is probably the most important factor for landscape photography. A good photo often comes from the right place at the right time. A thunderstorm scene over the Grand Canyon is not uncommon, but you have to be lucky to catch one. 

   
 
 
   

Photography is very much a play with light. The best light for landscape photography usually comes right after the sunrise and before the sunset. Being in the right place at the right time is often the key. Both photos were taken in Capital Reef NP, Utah before sunset.

   
 
 
   

Early evening hours usually give best light for landscape photos. Gray's Lake in Des Moines, Iowa on the left, and Needles Highway, Black Hills, SD on the right.

   
 
 
   

We arrived at the Inspiration Point of the Yellowstone Canyon later in the afternoon to catch the slanting sunlight over the Canyon, with the Upper Falls at the end of the vista on the left. The photo on the right was taken in Jackson City, Wyoming, before sunset.

   
 
 
   

To catch the best light, one usually has to get up early. The six shots on the sides were all taken along the scenic Highway 20 in northwestern Washington. It was a November morning and we left Bellingham around 6:00 a.m. It was foggy and there was not much traffic on Interstate 5. When we arrived at North Cascades National Park, it was before 8:00 a.m. The sun just started shedding its light on the mountain and meadows. Beautiful fogs were rising over the meadows and on slopes of hills. By the time we drove back around 10:30, the sun was high up and all the misty charm disappeared.

   
   
   
   

Sometimes, being there at the right time may mean you have to wait for your anticipated scene to occur, which may or may not happen. I waited for quite a while in the Saturn rocket hall in Kennedy Space Center, Florida, until all other tourists were out of the scene except for a curious boy.  The photo on the right was taken on the Needles Highway in Black Hills, South Dakota.

   
   
   
   
I usually keep my camera ready to shoot any time. Some opportunities come only once. The first photo on the left was taken when I was walking on campus one evening and happened to notice the dusk scene in the sky. The second was taken on an early morning when I was just about to leave for work and saw the spectacular cloud formation in the east. I was just in time to grab my camera and put on the tele lens, and leaned against the door frame for support to catch the scene before the clouds completely blocked the sun. The third was taken while I was walking in Lake Herman State Park and twp birds (a jet and a gull) happened to be flying overhead at the same time. 
   

       

   
   
   

Having your camera ready while on the road may also let you get some shots that are not usually obtainable otherwise. The left picture was taken by my daughter from the passenger seat on the way to Banff National Park, Canada. The photo on the right was taken by my wife on the way to Des Moines, Iowa.

   
   
   
   

Cloudy or rainy days are not always bad for landscape photos. For forests and canyons, a cloudy day may give better atmosphere and nicer color balances. The left was from Snoqualmie Falls, Washington State. The right was from Sequoia National Park, California.

   
   
   
   

Another two photos taken on overcast days. The left was from the Grand Canyon. The right was taken on a rainy day in Zhang Jia Jie National Park, Hunan Province, China. 

   
   
   
   

Two more from Zhang Jia Jie National Park, China. The left was along a 6-mile path in a picturesque valley.  

   
   
   
   

There are quite a number of maintains in China that offer spectacular scenic views. The photo on the left was taken on a cloudy day in San Qing Mountain, Jiangxi Province. The one on the right was from Zhang Jia Jie National Park, Hunan Province.

   
   
   
   


Digital photography has made it a lot easier to create panorama landscape. The following is a composite photo of the Dead Horse Point in Utah. Click to open a large size of 2500 x 450.

Yosemite Valley. Click to open a large size of of 2000 x 600

Chicago Skyline. Click to open a large size of 1830 x 600


 

    
   
   
   

Winter can be a good time to travel and see some wonderful scenes that you don't see in any other season. Both photos were taken after a snow storm in Bryce Canyon, Utah. Another snow storm followed when we left the park the next morning.

   
   
   
   



To be at the right place at the right time may not be enough to create a good photo. Choosing the right angle and perspective to compose a good frame is also essential. The upper left was captured in Disney Land, LA. The lower left was taken on the way to Bryce Canyon. The upper right was taken from a tour bus in an early evening hour in D.C. The lower right was taken at Lake Louis, Banff, Canada.

   
   
   
   

A zoom lens is usually needed for shooting in a zoo because you often find yourself in a place where moving backward or forward is difficult or impossible.

   
   
   
   

A tele zoom is preferred for taking photos of animals that tend to be easily frightened. But for a photo like the one on the right, a normal 50 mm lens will work.

   
   
   
   





A zoom works better than a fixed focus length for shooting from an airplane window seat. Having your camera ready and keeping an anticipatory eye are also important. Try to visualize before an anticipated scene comes into your viewfinder so that you take the shot in time. You may also want to use manual focus and set it to infinitive. The four on the left and the two below were taken over Washington State in November. The top right was taken over Florida near Orlando in July. The two on the bottom right were from San Francis Bay.  

   







   
   
   
   

You don't have to travel far to get good nature photos. If you keep an observant eye, you'll see many appealing scenes. The left red leaves photo was taken on a street near my residence. The two photos on the right were taken when on country roads in Minnesota and South Dakota.

   
   
   
   

Occasionally, I do macro photos too. The dandelion on the left was taken on a trip to the Black Hills area, South Dakota in 2003.
Most of the macro photos below were taken in Madison in 2005.

 

    
   
   
   

 

   
   
   
   

During the Memorial Day weekend of 2005, my family visited the Henry Doorly Zoo, and the Fontenelle Forest in Omaha and brought back some fascinating photos (the 8 animal photos above). A tele zoom lens is usually needed when taking animal photos in a zoo, although a wide angle might work better to have some depth of field, like the giant mushroom photo on the right.

   
   
   
   

Every spring, large flocks of migrating birds stop on Lake Herman, Madison, South Dakota on their way north. During their break on the lake, groups of the birds often fly and play around. However, you may have to wait for a long while for a large flock to take off, like the scene on the left.

   
   
   
   

 


Email me: wangh@pluto.dsu.edu
 

 

    

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