Beach Trip: Brain Teasers

In the beach house where we stayed there was a mirror which stood parallel to the front door that led to the balcony overlooking the beach. On our first morning there we decided to eat breakfast on the balcony. The wind was very strong so we chose to leave the door open so we could come in and out more easily. Standing in the doorway I was telling my mother how I loved having such a large mirror when I suddenly had an idea. It is a well known fact among photographers that the photographer is the least photographed for obvious reasons. So, we photographers will result to all sorts of creative ways to say "we were there". I've tried taking a self-portrait in the mirror before but it never has seemed to work very well. I typically have to use the flash which messes up the whole picture when it bounces off the mirror obscuring my face. But this time it worked. With the open door facing the sunrise there was enough light to not use the flash and if I lowered the exposure it was even better because I got a silhouette.

 This was my set-up:

 Zoomed in and exposure reduced to bring in the waves.

This one is my favorite:

 and...here are some other interesting shots

 Who is where? Are they walking towards the mirror or the doorway?  

Location, Location, Location!

Sunsets, it's all about your location. The difference between a good sunset photo and a spectacular one is not the sunset or even the camera, it's what's in front of it. A busy, messy foreground can ruin a beautiful sunset but a simple, elegant one can make it into a masterpiece. I used trees, water, cows, and a fence in my photos, but there is a wide variety of foregrounds you can use, from skylines, to lakes, to mountains, to people, to small plants and animals! Be creative, use something unique or unusual. If possible, plot out your photo hours before you take it. Know exactly where the sun rises and sets, what time it is at it's brightest, and know the best location to view it. Now, look around, what objects (great or small) can you use for an interesting foreground? In the last photo I tried something unusual and broke the symmetry of the trees by adding a reflection of my sister and grandmother in the water but letting their actual persons fall dark.

Experiment. Try different things and see what you like best.

Callaway Gardens-Day Three-Swamplands of Mississippi