30 30 DIGITAL CAMERA^ JUNE 2019 http://www.digitalcameraworld.com
Be weather-wary
Although this scene looks fairly
picturesque, there were strong
gales whipping their way across
the beach. I kept well wrapped up
with a hat and hood, but also made
sure I was using the lens hood,
protecting the front optic from
sand particles that were being
blown around off the beach.Adapt your approach
I explored many different angles with the
telephoto lens, but kept being drawn to
the reflective sand at low tide, as well as
the sparkling bokeh from the sun. I set
the lens’ maximum aperture of f/4, then
focused on the person in the distance.
The wide aperture and 300mm focal
length threw the sand into soft focus,
while keeping the point of interest clear.Edit for impact
Everyone processes their photos to
different extents, but I often find it
useful to imagine how I’m going to
edit a shot when I take it. For example,
I underexposed this image, ensuring
that I wasn’t clipping any of the
sparkly sand. I knew that I wanted to
up the contrast and warmth, creating
a surfer silhouette in Camera Raw.Lauren^ Scotthen my journey to
Skomer Island (see
page 8) got delayed
because of stormy
weather, I found
myself with a windy day to spare on
the Welsh coast. When travel plans
go awry, remember that there are
still photo opportunities to be had,
wherever you are. For me, an extra
day meant a chance to practise with
a new telephoto lens that I was going
to be using for the rest of the trip:
the Nikkor 300mm f/4.
Most people reach for a wide-angle
lens when confronted by long,
sweeping beaches like the one
here at Little Haven, but a long focal
length gave me a way to experiment,
and I ended up compressing the
perspective of the scene instead.
I couldn’t initially find a focal point
in my scene, but when this surfer
emerged into the viewfinder, I knew
I could create a pleasing composition
by placing him a third of the way into
the frame. (Sometimes the rule of
thirds really does just do the job.)W
Sea, sand,
silhouette
Lauren Scott hits the
beach with a long lens6 | TRAVELf/4 1/2,000secISO
100