VIDEO: Making A Splash—How To Shoot At High Speed With Long Focal Lengths

Making a Splash

By Varina and Jay Patel

In January, Jay and I traveled to Australia to spend 12 incredible days working in one of the most beautiful places on earth. We photographed scalloped beaches, turquoise waters, and rippling dunes … and we recorded more than 36 workshop-style video lessons for our recently released Ultimate Landscape Photography Course.

One of the topics we focus on in the course is what to do when the light isn’t “perfect.” We’ve all been taught that we should shoot when the light is “right”—during the golden hours when the sun is low in the sky. Sunrise and sunset, and the golden hours do provide wonderful conditions … but photographers who shoot only during those hours are missing out on some pretty cool opportunities. Jay and I share some of our favorite techniques for shooting in tough lighting conditions in our landscape photography course—from harsh sunlight to overcast skies.

This video is one that we shot on a heavily overcast day, when the sky wasn’t very pretty for wide-angle photography. Our film guys— Johny Spencer and Brent Mail—followed us out onto the cliffs, where we photographed the waves crashing against the rocks. Nature photography isn’t just wide-angle lenses, rainbows and sunbeams. Sometimes, you have to pull out a lens you don’t use very often and get creative with the light and the location you have to work with.

Take a moment to watch and listen as I explain my thought process and the settings I chose while working high on the rocks above Fisherman’s Bay.

The Ultimate Landscape Photography Course: http://photographybyvarina.com/ebooks/ulpc

25% Discount for OP readers: OPsplash

Valid Until 30 April, 2014

Varina’s Website: http://photographybyvarina.com

Jay’s Website: http://jaypatelphotography.com

About Varina and Jay Patel:

Varina and Jay Patel are award-winning wilderness and nature photographers, prolific writers, and highly-regarded photography instructors. They have collaborated to produce a collection of eBooks and video courses on a wide range of topics, and their Visual Wilderness subscription site offers a dynamic online learning environment for photographers. Varina and Jay travel frequently – shooting, teaching, and speaking around the world. Their photos and articles have been published in National Geographic Calendars, National Parks Magazine, Popular Photography, Photoshop User, Lightroom Magazine, and more.