Asthefrostsofwinterstartto
meltandwemoveintospring,
conditionsaligntocreateaperfect
opportunityforphotographerstocapture
superblandscapes.Thehoursofdaylightare
stillshorterthanattheheightofsummer,
meaningitiseasierforustoheadouton-
locationduringthegoldenhours,whilethere
isagreatervarietyofcolouranddetailthan
insnowyconditions.Thelowangleofthesun
canaccentuatetextureanddetail,whilecasting
longshadowsthataddshapetoforegrounds.
However,aswithanydirectionallight,we
havetobemindfulofhowourcamerawill
interpretthescenethat’sinfrontofit.This
willhelpustoavoidexposureerrorsand
unexpectedcolourshifts,causedbythe
automatedsystemsbeingmisdirected.
Becausethesuntakeslongertosetduring
spring,itisimportanttorememberthatlight
willremainharsherforlongerandtakethisinto
accountwhendecidingonthecompositionand
theexposure.Hereweexploretheprocedureforusing
thebestqualitiesoflow-angledsunlight,while
overcomingthemainchallengesinthefield.
Learningtoadaptyourapproachtoasceneas
theseasonschangegivesyouanadvantagein
securingahighrateofsuccessfulimages.Inset
Bleached detail
Due to the strong
light sources,
shadows are
dense in this
scene, confusing
the camera into
overexposing. The
chosen angle also
exaggerates hard
lens flareControlexposure,andmakelow-angled sunlight
workforyoutocreatestunninglandscape scenes
withsuperiorcontrastanddetail
low sun
1
WorkinAperturePrioritySwitchingtoAv
orAmodeallowsustocontroldepthoffield
usingtheaperture,whilethecameratakes
careofshutterspeed,forasimplifiedshooting
processincomplexlightingconditions.2
FindyourangleFor ‘contre-jour’ lighting,
anglethecamera so that the sun is almost
perpendicularto the lens. For a simple wash
oflight,placeitjust out of frame. Ensure flare
doesnotoverwhelm middleground detail.3
ChangemeteringmodeAs there is a
strong light source in the frame, Evaluative
Metering could be confused. Use Partial
Metering to take the strong contrast into
account without tailoring exposure to the sun.All images © Peter FenechBEFORE
Work with
SHOOTING SKILLS