By Adrian Klein

It’s not just photographers searching for glowing sunrise and sunsets. As I had Pandora going the other day an electronic music artist I like came across the screen “In Search of Sunrise…” with a rich and warm glowing sky.  Although the context is different it reminded me of this topic. Well when you are done clamoring over sizzling reds, spicy oranges and golden yellows then read on (and I am not talking about the peppers on your piping hot plate of Mexican food but rather the golden hour light). As I have mentioned before in all seriousness I do get excited when I am at a scene in the right golden hour light yet it’s not my sole goal anymore.

Before I dive in here is the link to the prior post for those that might have missed it. Now for a few more reasons (as if you needed more) why you can skip the golden hours and come home with amazing imagery.

5. Creativity Spark: I have found when I am free to wander an area during the day and think I won’t have anything to photograph I end up finding possibilities that I might not have thought about otherwise. Just a few of these included…

–       Long Exposures: During the day with solid neutral density filters I have captured some work that I was rather pleased with going this route.

–       Various Filters: Although I do more in the digital darkroom I still have a couple for the field from colored to graduated neutral density.

–       Lens/Filter Limits: Forcing yourself to carry one lens and working with it for the outing. I do this when I go on a hike and feel like carrying a lighter load.

 

Coastal Blues

A two minute exposure during midday along the Oregon coast using a 10 stop neutral density filter and polarizer. Simple yet effective. I decided to play around with this scene while sunning my face in the dappled sunlight.

 

6. Natural Look: If you are a photographer that prefers the more realistic and documentary look then the daylight hours are likely going to be more your style. This relates some to what Kevin talked about in a recent post about how much Photoshop is too much. This is completely a personal preference. No matter what time of day the image is captured I enjoy viewing work from extreme HDR to complete plain Jane natural.

There is a very high use of filters from Smartphone apps to third party plug-ins for Photoshop that the majority of images these days have filters applied whether in the field or done in post. In the future I feel a number of us will start to move back to less. I relate this to a Bizarro cartoon in the paper a couple years back poking fun at tattoo-less people becoming the oddballs. The point being less can be more or unique.

 

Sierra Waving

“Sierra Wave” clouds forming midday over Green Lakes in Three Sister Wilderness during a backpack trip in 2011.

 

7. Snap Shots: I like looking back at my very early days of digital photography when I knew next to nothing and I believed the camera was supposed to do it all. Most of these images will never been seen by others yet for me they snap shots of moments that I truly cherish.

I spent a number of years shortly after getting sucked into the DSLR portal taking almost zero snap shots. I have come to regret this. Now it’s usually my iPhone that acts as a tool for snap shots and composing a scenes potential to decide if the DSLR needs to come out.

Most of these snapshots (at least for me) are taken during the daytime.

 

Mt Hood - Mount Hood Wilderness

Mt Hood in the Mount Hood Wildness in midday light. I did end up pulling out the DSLR for this one and it’s snap shot I am glad I took.

 

8. Stormy Skies: This may be the last point to make in this series of posts yet it is certainly not the least significant. In fact it probably should have been first! Many trips at the start or end of storms have proven to be not only memorable experiences yet fine photographic opportunities.

Think about the unique storm photos you have seen whether in a physical gallery, the local news channel or online. They certainly grab your attention and likely were captured during daylight hours.

Wind Swept - The Painted Hills, Oregon

Bunch grass blowing hard in the clouds and wind coming through on this midday storm system rolling through. Additionally I used a longer shutter to allow the grass to move as much as possible.
Painted Hill National Monument – John Day Fossil Beds, Oregon

 

Golden Trees - Rural Highway in Montana

During a drive from The Tetons to Missoula, Montana I came across this amazing light from a storm system about to take me over. Slowing down from 75 mph to final shot was all less than two minutes. Who says this can’t be an action sport!

Now go ahead and throw caution to the wind skipping sunrise and sunset. I am sure you will surprise yourself with what you come home with.

Photo Cascadia Logo

Keep in touch with

Photo Cascadia

Join the mailing list to receive the latest news, articles, events and workshop updates from our team. We publish one newsletter every two months.

Thanks for subscribing!

Pin It on Pinterest