Summertime Photography: 8 Tips and Ideas for Amazing Results

In this article, I explain how you can capture stunning summer pictures – no matter your level of experience and no matter your gear.

Specifically, I share:

• My favorite type of light just for beautiful summer photography
• An easy mindset change that’ll quickly improve your pictures
• My favorite method to find summer photoshoot areas
• Plenty of summer time photography ideas to get you influenced!

When you’re ready to create stunning shots, then let’s jump right in, starting with:

1 . Pay attention to the summer season sun

If you want to capture consistently gorgeous summertime photos, then you must learn how to master lighting – and that starts by paying consideration to the sun.

Before heading out for a photoshoot, ask yourself:

1. Are there clouds?
2. Where is the sun situated in the sky?

Clouds will dissipate the light, creating soft, also illumination that’s perfect for portraiture , flower photos , and forest landscapes . Clear heavens, on the other hand, will produce difficult, high-contrast lighting that’s great for street photos , but bad for just about everything else.

However , if the skies are obvious, you can still get great light by shooting earlier in the morning or late within the afternoon. These times – known as the golden hrs – function soft, golden light that’ll create long shadows and reveal plenty of subject details.

For that reason, wildlife photographers, parrot photographers, portrait photographers, plus landscape photographers all love to work during the golden hours, and I’m betting you can, too. Making this one alter – that is, committing to functioning at sunrise and sunset – can dramatically boost your images!

second . Shoot fireflies at night

Fireflies are a classic summer insect, but they can be hard to photograph – unless you know a convenient little technique.

You see, to photograph fireflies, you shouldn’t try to capture individual insects. Instead, you need to use a long exposure to photograph many fireflies over a few minutes (or hours).

So mount your camera on a tripod and point this toward a firefly hangout spot. Set the camera to Light bulb mode (if your camera offers it). Then choose a lengthy shutter speed , one that will give the fireflies plenty of time to flit close to your backyard. You might from five minutes, but you can always enhance or decrease the shutter speed depending on your outcomes.

3. Do an underwater photoshoot

Summer and water-based fun go hand in hand, so why not put together an underwater photoshoot ?

For this summer digital photography idea, you’ll need a good underwater housing (or a waterproof camera). You’ll likewise require swim gear; if you’re carrying out a lengthy underwater shoot, then the snorkel or even scuba equipment is a good idea, but you can always begin by holding your breath, scuba diving, and shooting.

Underwater photography offers up lots of subjects plus possible shots, including:

• Underwater scenery
• Fish
• Light-and-water abstracts
• Underwater portraits

You will need to pay careful attention to your camera settings – it’s much darker beneath the water! – and if you find that you enjoy underwater photography, you may want to invest in an underwater flash.

4. Photograph the same subject for a week

Here’s a fun summer photography idea, one that’ll help your photos enhance in leaps and bounds:

Pick a subject matter, such as a type of flower, the tree, a car, a landscape, or a person.

Then photograph that exact same subject over and over again, each day for the week.

Try to vary the time and weather so you get plenty of unique opportunities as you head out each day. And don’t use the exact same compositions , lighting, and settings each day. Mix it up!

If you shoot at midday on the first day time, come back around sunset within the second day. And if you use a shallow depth of field on the third time, then use the fourth day time to experiment with deep depth of field effects. Make sense?

Once the week increased, if you’ve enjoyed this challenge, you may wish to continue. Attempt photographing the same subject to get a full month. You’ll become amazed by how much your images improve!

5. Photograph deliberately

Given the incredibly cheap cost of storage and the quick Burst modes offered by modern cameras, it’s often attractive to hold down that shutter button and shoot constantly .

But this “spray and pray” approach will simply result in hundreds – or perhaps thousands – of pictures, most of them bad. To find the good ones, you’ll need to sort through all of your files, which can be a huge chore.

So instead of keeping down that shutter key, once you find a potential subject, calm down. Ask yourself: Is my subject matter really worth photographing? Am I genuinely interested in this photo? Have I used the gentle and the composition to get the most effective results?

I am not saying that you should never occurs camera’s Burst mode. Quick shooting is highly useful should you be photographing birds, wildlife, sports activities, or even street subjects.

But you ought to learn to work your Rush mode sparingly . Only use it when absolutely necessary.

6. Play around with different focal lengths

Summer time is a great time to enjoy the outside, and it’s also an excellent time to explore different lenses.

Start by thinking about the lens you used most frequently over the previous year. Then create a conscious effort to keep them at home.

And bring out your own neglected lenses, the ones that lay on the shelf and seldom get much camera time.

Challenge yourself to take great photos with these neglected lenses. Put them within your bag, mount them on the camera, and see what you can come up with.

Working with different focal measures is a great way to get out of your own comfort zone, and it can help you create highly creative images.

One tip, however: If you have a lot of unused lenses, just pick two or three plus stick to those. Working with too many lenses will prevent you from actually getting to know their specific focal lengths – and that will restrain your photos.

7. Explore your local area

Summer climate is perfect for walking, jogging, walking, biking, boating, and so much more.

In other words, summer is the greatest time to head outside, have fun under the sun, and prefer the power of nature.

That’s why I recommend you spend at least half an hour daily exploring the area around your home. You might start by going on a walk or a bike ride. After that see where you end up!

If you have good parks in your area, consider taking a weekend camping trip. Be sure to get plenty of photos, and dedicate some time to getting off the defeated path.

Pro tip: If you’re looking for areas to photograph near your home, check Flickr, 500PX, or Instagram. You can simply search for where you are, then scroll through the photos until you find something interesting. (If the location isn’t fully disclosed in the image caption, you can always try messaging the particular photographer. )

8. Photograph in poor weather

Bad weather can be a bummer – if you were planning a summer cookout, that is. But rather if your goal is to do summer season photography , then bad weather can actually be very helpful.

You see, bad weather leads to the crowds to spread out, which means you can visit places which are normally bustling with people. It’s a great way to get tourist-free photos of national-park classics, and it also can make for a more enjoyable experience.

Bad weather may also create interesting puddles, plenty of cloud drama, powerful lighting, and more – so the next time you sense bad weather, be sure to head outside!

Unfortunately, bad climate does tend to darken the particular sky, so you’ll usually need to shoot with a broad aperture , a high INTERNATIONALE ORGANISATION FÜR STANDARDISIERUNG , or a tripod. Or else, you’ll risk camera obnubilate.

Beaches are a great place to go right before or following a storm; the ominous atmosphere and rolling fog develop ultra-dramatic scenes. You’ll need to prepare for rain and/or solid winds, though. Consider holding a waterproof cover – or using a DIY protect – to keep your gear dry. (And whatever you perform, don’t change lenses within sandy, windy, or damp conditions! You don’t want to end up with debris inside your digital camera or lens. )

Summer photography tips and ideas: final terms

Now that you’ve finished this article, you’re prepared to have plenty of summer digital photography fun.

Therefore remember the tips and ideas I’ve shared. Appreciate the weather. And good luck!

Now over to you:

So what do you plan to photograph come july 1st? Do you have any summer digital photography ideas of your own? Share your thoughts in the comments below!