Digital Photographer - USA (2019-07)

TPeisanestablishedmethodofcalculatinglightingforfutureshoots.

Availableasawebinterfaceorasanapplicationformobiledevices,the

softwareenablesthephotographertoenterinformationaboutthetime

anddateofaproposedphotoshootandwilldisplayadiagramofwhere

intheskythesunormoonwillbe.Thisenablesashootingpositionto

bechoseninadvanceandwithaccuracy,todeliverimageswiththeideal

compositionandanappropriateexposure.

UsethePhotographer’s

ephemeris

Employthispopularwebtoolforpredicting

lightingangleanddirection

4

Eveningevening or late afternoon in
winter is a great time to explore new
locations. As well as providing attractive
final images, the lower sun provides a good
‘modelling light’ for both sunrise and sunset
shoots, while providing more time to try
different compositions.

5

Sunsetcoloursaregenerallywarmer

than at sunrise,whichmakes

sunset ideal for almostanyimage,from

landscapes to portraiture.Forthelatter,the

low sun, paired withadiffuser,introduces

an attractive glow withouttheneedfor

flash accessories.

Aboveleft

Predictthefuture

Partoftheskillsetofa

locationphotographeris

beingabletoaccountfor

howlightmaychangeover

timeandhowthiswillmake

asceneappearinfuture

Left

Seasonalvariance

Aswellasthetimeofday,

onalongertimescaleitis

worthvisitingalocationin

eachseasonasyoumay

findimagesmaterialise

thatdidnotpresent

themselvespreviously

addessential

accessories

Decidewhichadditionaltoolsto

takebasedonwhatyouscouted

1

NDGradfiltersThefiltertypeyou

shouldtakeonlocationdepends

ontheterrainyoufind.For

complexhorizons,asoft

gradsetisbesttoavoid

over-darkeningthe

foreground,butconsider

a0.3hardgradwherethe

horizonlinewillbepartially

visibleatsunriseorsunset.

2

TripodtypeAtunfamiliarlocations

experimentwithsettingupyour

tripodondifferentsurfacesto

confirmitwillbesuitable.

confidencethatyour

tripodwillsupportthe

cameraonrock,sandand

grasswillsaverushed

positionadjustmentsin

changeablelight.

3

TripodheadMulti-functionalheads

areusefulforeveryday

photographybutmay

notbeidealforspecific

requirements.ifyoufinda

locationthat’ssuitablefor

panoramicphotography,

considertakingonlya

panoramichead.

4

DiffusersForportraitsormacro

photography,decideifyouwillneed

diffuserstosoftennaturalorflashlight.in

confinedareasasmallhandheld

diffuserwillbesuitable,but

whereyouintendtoframe

widerimages,ascrimmay

bebetter.Trydifferent

optionsbeforeyourshoot.

©

John

erwin

©

John

erwin

© Peter Fenech

MAsTer lOcATiOn scOuTinG