Summer changes a street’s personality. Sidewalks become busier, café tables move outdoors, storefronts catch brilliant sunlight, children race through sprinklers, bicycles appear everywhere, and long evenings keep neighborhoods active well past dinner. Even an ordinary block can feel completely different…
How to Photograph Summer Rain
Summer rain can completely transform a scene within minutes. Bright pavement becomes reflective, leaves deepen in color, distant buildings disappear behind sheets of water, droplets catch the light, and ordinary streets suddenly have atmosphere. Even better, a summer shower rarely…
Summer Night Photography Ideas
Summer changes after sunset. The harsh brightness of the afternoon disappears, temperatures become more comfortable, lights switch on along boardwalks and patios, fireflies begin appearing over lawns, and ordinary outdoor spaces suddenly take on a completely different atmosphere. That transformation…
How to Photograph Sun Sparkles on Water
Sunlight dancing across water can turn an ordinary lake, ocean, river, fountain, or swimming pool into thousands of brilliant points of light. To your eyes, the effect may look almost magical. Raise the camera, however, and those sparkles can disappear,…
Pool Photography Ideas
A swimming pool can become one of the most visually interesting places to photograph during summer. The water changes constantly, sunlight creates moving patterns, colorful tiles add graphic detail, and even an ordinary ladder or floating object can become part…
How to Photograph Water Splashes
Water can transform from something completely ordinary into an extraordinary photographic subject in a fraction of a second. Drop a strawberry into a glass and water erupts around it. Toss an ice cube into a bowl and tiny droplets hang…
Beach Photography Camera Settings
Beach photography looks simple until you point your camera toward white sand, reflective water, a bright sky, and people moving through waves. Suddenly, exposure becomes more complicated. The sand can fool your camera’s meter. Sunlight sparkling across the ocean can…
Best Photography Accessories for Shooting in Harsh Sunlight
Photographing under a blazing midday sun can feel as though the light is working against you. Highlights become extremely bright, shadows deepen, reflections appear everywhere, colors may lose richness, and unwanted flare can creep across the frame. Changing camera settings…
How to Use a Scrim for Better Photos in Harsh Sunlight
Harsh sunlight can make an otherwise beautiful subject surprisingly difficult to photograph. Delicate flower petals suddenly develop glaring highlights. Food photographed outdoors can look overly contrasty. Small products may show distracting reflections, while people can end up with deep shadows…
How to Use a Diffuser in Harsh Sunlight
Bright midday sun can produce beautifully crisp photographs, but it can also create one of photography’s most difficult lighting problems: a small, intense light source positioned high in the sky. Strong sunlight can produce brilliant highlights, abrupt shadow edges, glare,…
Circular Polarizer vs ND Filter: What Is the Difference
A circular polarizer and an ND filter can look remarkably similar when they are sitting in your camera bag. Both attach to the front of a lens. Both reduce some amount of light. Both are frequently used outdoors. That is…
How to Use a Circular Polarizing Filter in Bright Sunlight
Bright sunlight can make a beautiful outdoor scene surprisingly difficult to photograph. Water turns into a sheet of white glare, leaves lose their rich color, glass reflects everything around it, and a blue summer sky may appear much paler in…
