Hot summer days are perfect to go outside and take beautiful pictures. It’s the season of vacations, journeys, and adventures. Long days and warm nights make summer ideal for photography. Golden hours aren’t so difficult to attend, sunny days are a regular, and the general enthusiasm is at high rates. Here are some tips to master summer photography.
Use filters
It’s true that sunrises and sunsets give you a warm light, perfect for photography. But during summer, the cloudless sky can have a pale shade of blue and midday’s light can be too strong. Use a circular polarizer filter or a neutral filter to be sure your picture gets a blue sky. Also, use a color enhancing filter to add a little more color to the sunburned grass and trees. A color enhancing filter can help in beach landscapes or in any travel photography.
Be adventurous
Summer is the best time to take some risks. Exaggerate, explore, try something different. It’s the best season to get out from your comfort zone. If your pictures look all the same, now is the time to try a different perspective. Plan a journey to a foreign country, take part in a street festival, photograph flowers you have never seen before (most of all if you don’t usually photograph flowers). Watch children playing, people getting married, go to a picnic or to a concert. Everything is allowed and encouraged.
Watch weather forecast
Well, sunny days might be fun, but during summer you have a good chance to experience extreme weather. A heavy rain with thunder and lightning can be a great opportunity for a photo session. Put a rain protection on your camera and yourself and go outside. Photographing lightning is an extreme art, but it worths the trouble.
Don’t overdo it
Summers are great for traveling and taking a lot of pictures. But don’t overdo it. Compose every picture as if you’ll have space for only one photo. Remember, it’s not the quantity that matters, but the quality. Don’t take pictures without thinking about what you are doing. Choose the subjects and the perspectives. Play with the angles and camera’s settings, but be in charge of your pictures. Even if technology allows you endless memory cards and as many batteries as you wish, think of the pioneers of photography and of what they were able to do with so little. The secret is in your abilities, not in technology.
Take cover
You probably know that a camera sunshade is your best friend when you shoot outside on a sunny day. But this principle is also valid for the photographer. Wear sunscreen, hats, and light clothes when you take pictures in the strong summer sun. Nobody likes a photographer who faints due to a heatstroke. Hydrate and be careful.