My favorite light occurs in the evening and morning. At these particular times of day most things look more interesting. Why? Maybe it is because you only see this quality of light once a day. This is an evening image of Knoxville Tennessee at sunset. LynnFreeny.com
The beauty of a busy parking lot sometimes goes unnoticed . The sky is just starting to clear after a late day thunderstorm. The wet pavement is reflecting the warm light of the sunset. In our hurried life I dare say that most people miss this type of scene because they are looking for a good parking space. Slow down from the rat race and enjoy those little moments. LynnFreeny.com
When shooting sunsets always remember to wait until the the show is over. How long should you stay? Until the light is gone from the sky. This group of small clouds floated high enough to reflect the very warm red produced by the sun after it had long since disappeared from the scene. The contrast between the blue sky and red clouds makes the colors really pop. LynnFreeny.com
When you look at late day light remember to be patient . Don't give up the ship when the sun goes out of sight. Wait! I have seen people that were there to photograph the sunset leave when the sun disappears below the horizon line. Guess what happens after the sun gos below the horizon.? Deep saturated reds fill the sky with spectacular results. This is just what happened with this particular image. I used a 200mm lens to bring the clouds in closer to the rest of the scene. The ocean waters reflecting the red color help to balance the composition. LynnFreeny.com
The close-up world of the insect along with a setting sun is a winning combination in light and beauty. Usually I get this question when someone looks at this image, "How did you get the sun so big? Did you use Photoshop?" Not Photoshop , no special filter, it was possible because of the laws of optics. When you focus on a very small object (the butterfly) with the sun directly in the background, the actual point of focus will distort the size of the sun. In other words the sun is way out of focus so it balloons out to a much bigger size. Keep in mind any light source that is out of focus range will be larger than life. Those that have to wear corrective lenses for their eyes to see at long distances understand this phenomenon. My daughter likes to take off her glasses at Christmas time in order to see the lights at this exaggerated size. LynnFreeny.com
Sunsets are one of those wonderful things that happen only once a day. Why they are so colorful is very interesting. Sunlight is made up of red, green, and blue light waves. Blue light waves are shorter than red ones. During the day the sunlight passes through less moisture and dust in the atmosphere than it does in the evening or morning making the shorter blue light waves more visible. When the sun is closer to the horizon line (morning or evening) the longer red light waves are seen because of the increased moisture and dust the light must travel through. Remember that the best sunsets usually happen when there are clouds in the sky that reflect these warm light waves. LynnFreeny.com
On our way back today from playing in the river in The Great Smoky Mountains National Park the sky suddenly caught my eye. It was so interesting everybody in the car was saying "Hurry hurry you are going to miss it" as I pulled over to a safe place. Using a 300 mm lens I took a few shots then the sun disappeared behind the huge thunderheads never to be seen again this evening. What really helps in high pressure times like this is a total familiarity with your equipment so you can react more intuitively and not get slowed down by the technical end.
I always have a camera. This image is an example of why. Going grocery shopping in the evening can bring some rewarding images. I have started a series of images with interesting skies from parking lots. Exotic places do not always equal great photography. My preference are ordinary places. My suggestion is to look, you are surrounded by interesting subjects everyday.
