In less than a month I will be in Nampa ID visiting friends and will bring my Powershot with me. Anyone know of any good locations for some good photography? Since it will be Easter weekend dollars to donuts family portraits will be taken on phones iPhone or Android instead of real cameras DSLR or point and shoot cameras. Not every photo will I publish to Facebook but some good ones I will. I don’t want to run into rattlesnakes which I am sure are very common in Idaho so perhaps photo sites with them around may be a bad suggestion. Thanks.
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Good photos in Idaho
- Thread starter jwolf6589
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Get good at taking pictures, when you feel you hit a wall on what you are capable of with that camera make an upgrade. You don't have to spend a lot. Slowly build up to something more advanced. It's all a learning curve, nobody jumps in at the top. Everyone needs a starting point.
You will know when you are ready to upgrade. There will be a point when you want more control over your photos.
I don't have any advice on good places to take pics in Idaho.
I will offer one piece of (admittedly unasked for) advice for your trip.
Start making yourself see everything that is in the frame before you click the button to take a pic. Often there will be distracting elements (like a car, or a building, or a railing, or power lines, etc.) that don't have anything to do with your subject but will be distracting for those viewing the pic.
Often you can move a little bit closer or move your feet a little to the right or the left, or tilt the camera slightly up or down to exclude these distractions.
In photography speak this is composition. It is the relationship between all the objects (termed elements) in a photo. It is *extremely* important for a successful photo. Good compositions minimize distracting elements and emphasize relationships between the important elements in a pic. It can take years to learn good composition. But it's easy to learn the basics of composition and the payoffs will be instant and massive.
It doesn't require any specific gear. It's just training yourself to *see* the whole pic in your viewfinder, not *just* the subject. Pause before you press the shutter and do a quick scan of the entire image. Are there any distracting elements in the pic? Can you move yourself or the camera a little bit to exclude them?
I hate offering unasked for advice, but this is something that will dramatically improve your pics (all of your pics, not just on this upcoming trip). It applies to any camera you will ever use.
I will offer one piece of (admittedly unasked for) advice for your trip.
Start making yourself see everything that is in the frame before you click the button to take a pic. Often there will be distracting elements (like a car, or a building, or a railing, or power lines, etc.) that don't have anything to do with your subject but will be distracting for those viewing the pic.
Often you can move a little bit closer or move your feet a little to the right or the left, or tilt the camera slightly up or down to exclude these distractions.
In photography speak this is composition. It is the relationship between all the objects (termed elements) in a photo. It is *extremely* important for a successful photo. Good compositions minimize distracting elements and emphasize relationships between the important elements in a pic. It can take years to learn good composition. But it's easy to learn the basics of composition and the payoffs will be instant and massive.
It doesn't require any specific gear. It's just training yourself to *see* the whole pic in your viewfinder, not *just* the subject. Pause before you press the shutter and do a quick scan of the entire image. Are there any distracting elements in the pic? Can you move yourself or the camera a little bit to exclude them?
I hate offering unasked for advice, but this is something that will dramatically improve your pics (all of your pics, not just on this upcoming trip). It applies to any camera you will ever use.
Be sure to check out Big Spring if don't mind the drive - it's about 5 hours away but I can promise you it is well worth the drive. Just gorgeous. I always fill up my water bottles there when I am riding the ATV. Delicious water. It is near Island Park. Just to the west is the St Anthony sand dune area. Just unbelievable at sunrise/sunset. The views change constantly so you are always in for a treat. A wide angle or medium telephoto will get you awesome photos. Also nearby is Two Top Mountain. It's a MUST see. It's about 8500 feet to the top. Have to go by ATV in the summer or snowmobile (during winter). There are places to rent those (about $250 a day). If you go stop at Ernie's and get a brown bag lunch to take with you (they give you everything you need for a full day outside). At the top of the mountain the views are beyond heavenly. Sitting up there alone will be a surreal experience. Of course, if you go at sunrise or sunset, the views will be only be enhanced that much more. If you stay after dark, the city of West Yellowstone is beautiful - the lights and everything down below. It should be a bucket list for outdoor photographers. I go several times a year and the views are different every time. I generally fly my TBM into Yellowstone airport and rent an ATV - forget a car. You don't need one. ATV's are legal on all roads and they are more fun. Depending on the time of year, you can pick and photograph Huckleberries growing in the wild - bring a close up lens set, macro lens or an Elpro 52. You mentioned snakes in your posting but I've never encountered one - not even a Western Diamondback. Also the area nearby is one of most concentrated for Grizzlies. But please, don't despair. I've never seen or heard one moving in the trees in the years that I've been going out there. I've camped out over night, etc., just never encountered any. Be advised that even during summer months early morning and evening will be cold. So dress warm in layers. It goes without saying that there are plenty of Moose to be seen, sometimes Buffalo, so bring a telephoto if you want to capture pictures of wildlife. If you like chasing bird life, there are terns, cormorants, bitterns, plovers, rails, coots, grouse, etc. Bring your imagination and desire to explore and you will be rewarded handsomely.
I would add that the time before the trip is your friend. Take time to know your camera. If you are shooting jpg learn to expose in such a way that highlights maintain detail. With most newer cameras if the image appears dark you can usually bring it back to life when you edit, if the highlights are blocked there is no recovering them.
In the learning phase I would also be converting a copy every image to B&W. This will let you concentrate on the elements of an image without being distracted by the pretty colours.
In the learning phase I would also be converting a copy every image to B&W. This will let you concentrate on the elements of an image without being distracted by the pretty colours.
Not sure I follow. Are you saying to also learn how ton take pics in B&W as well?
Nope saying that when you look at them on your computer, convert a copy of the image to B&W and use that to judge how good or bad the image is. When your images look good in B&W, they will also look good in colour.
Most of us old timers learned how to put the various elements of composition to work by shooting in B&W. But with modern cameras you can shoot in colour and then convert a copy to grey scale for evaluation-learning purposes. Stripping away the colours lets you concentrate on the important aspects of the image.