I have recently upgraded from the point and shoot model to a camera that will allow full auto to full manual and everything in between.

Tuesday evening I attended a class given by a couple of friends regarding the basics of photography (aperture, shutter speed, filters, spot metering, etc.) and I found it exciting. They showed slides of the differences of just opening the aperture a little and such. Bracketing and taking notes on what you did were mentioned A LOT!.

What 3 tips would you give to improve the landscape photography (which is mostly what I take in the BW and Q) for someone with more than a point and shoot?

Love the shot in the canoe. Kind of reminds me of the exit from Robinson to Moose Bay.

Also, what do you carry your stuff in to protect it from shock and water? I have seen hard cases and soft waterproof vinyl bags. Recomendations?

Glenn-O

It sounds like you are off to a good start by taking the class with friends. I also would suggest:

1) keep the camera handy - photo opportunities are so unpredictable in the BWCAW area that many shots are missed because the camera is packed away under multiple layers of waterproofing. The camera bag I most often take is a Tamrac fanny pack style - model 706 I think. It's not waterproof but will repel water for a while. I keep a plastic bag handy for big rains.

2) on overcast days, keep the boring gray sky out of the frame as much as possible. If the overcast is bright, it may also fool your meter and underexpose your subject.

3) if you really start getting serious about your photography, a tripod will be a necessity. It will allow you to really use a higher # aperture to increase your depth of field.

That's enuf rambling. There is a great article at http://www.boundarywatersmagazine.com/feature.htm if you go to the June 2001 issue there is a great article that interviews some top-notch BWCA photographers.

Good luck - Gary

1 Frame your pics using the rule of thirds. Divide the view finder up into thirds both horizontally and vertically. Then place your subject on the intersetion (in your head) of two of these lines. It leads to the most pleasing composition.

2 Auto everything doesn't mean auto good. Shoot a bunch of pics to see how your camera responds to different situations. One friend had a camera that wouldn't auto focus or auto expose when shooting into light dancing off the water.

3 Easy cheat for dramatic pics. Shoot into the sun when it is low in the sky (or especially when it is below the horizon). Direct sun makes for great silouettes when a small aperature is used and the most magic light actually appears in the sky about 20 minutes after sunset.

Regarding the case. I keep my camera with lens on, and extra 70-300 zoom, and an 8 mm camcorder in a Peclian Case. Only way to go as far as I'm concerned.
Randy

Looks more like 3 or 4 to me

Three tips:

1) No matter what kind of a camera you have, composition is extremely important. Rule of thirds, leading lines, balance, framing, etc. all will make a difference between a so-so picture and a gee-whiz! Look at the scene you want to take, figure out what it is you like about that scene, and use the above items to accentuate the things that attracted you to the scene. I like Rob's reference in an above post to "seeing pictures". Whether you have the camera with you or not, just get used to picking out camera angles, etc. when you see something you think would make a good picture.

2) Use a tripod or practice, practice, practice techniques for holding your camera as steady as possible. For most landscape photos you want maximum depth of field which means small aperature (f/8 or smaller), which means (relatively) slow shutter speeds. You also want slower speed film (generally less grain) which also pushes the shutter speed down.

3) I find a UV or polarizer filter really helps to bring out that blue sky and saturate other colors.

As far as what I carry my camera equipment in... my philosophy is, if the camera isn't handy, no matter how expensive it is, it's useless. I'd sure hate to lose one but I really hate losing pictures too, so I like keeping my camera(s) as accessible as possible. I have an OLY Stylus 140 (advanced P&S) that I keep in my pocket or hanging around my neck most of the time. Last summer, when I took my SLR's along with me, they were kept in a cloth sided fanny camera bag that I modified so I could hang it from a thwart. The bag wasn't completely waterproof and definitely wouldn't have provided adequate protection if I'd capsized but it did keep the cameras protected from rain and spray. Some of the time, I traveled with one of my SLR's around my neck "just in case". I'm currently having Cooke Custom Sewing make a bag for me of my design. It's a combined fanny pack and thwart bag. I'm really looking forward to getting this bag and putting it through its paces.

In short, whatever you use to carry & protect your cameras, make sure it doesn't impede your ability to get to them when you need them.

Larry

I think one of the most important "tricks" in landscape composition is to include something in the foreground. Take a look at the picture on the forum, and imagine it without the bow of the canoe in the foreground. It's a much more dramatic pic with that foreground element. When taking a "lake" shot from shore, I like to frame one corner with a tree limb or such to give that foreground element.

And especially important when shooting across water is to make sure the far shoreline/horizon is level. Don't want the lake to drain out the side of the pic.

...to my questions (with an s!! ) Keep 'em coming.

Great forum nibi!