Summer is the best time of the year to tour our nation’s most awe-inspiring natural wonders. After all, nothing beats watching a stunning sunset illuminate sweeping vistas. What’s more, the National Park Service says 2011 may be its best year yet given the state of the economy and the record number of families looking to vacation closer to home.
If you are planning on vacationing at a National Park this summer, pack your camera and remember these simple tips:
Include your family members: Some photographers get so caught up with the extraordinary vistas that stretch for miles that they forget to place their family members in their shots. Not only do human subjects help tell a story, but they also add scale to the shot. That massive waterfall might not look so daunting when photographed alone, but add your daughter to the shot and people will be able to see just how towering it really is. In some cases, including a person can make a scene seem even larger than it is in real life.
Capture landmarks that help tell a story: For example, if you are going to Yellowstone National Park you don’t want to leave without getting a shot of Old Faithful. Whether it’s a mountain, a geyser, a waterfall or a rock formation you want to make sure you get at least one picture of the landmark that is distinctive to the park you are visiting.
Point of interest: A picture’s point of interest is where a person’s eye rests. By including a strong point of interest in your shot—-be it a mountain, a boat, a field of flowers, etc.—-you can make your photo more appealing. However, you can add even more spice to your shots if you place your point of interest off-center. Meaning don’t make the horizon your point of interest in every shot. Rather, place the horizon a third of the way down from the top (or up from the bottom) of the frame, or place your subject a third of the way in from the left or right.
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