How to Take Winter Landscape PicturesCecil Holmes uses the Tamron SP 24-70mm VC lens to capture sun starbursts, wintry waterfalls, and hints of color in otherwise drab surroundings. |
Article by Jenn Gidman Images by Cecil Holmes |
Cecil Holmes has a love for nature that's immediately evident in his landscape and travel photography. Even in the colder months, Cecil slings his gear bag over his shoulder and heads out to capture a sunrise over the mountains or the beauty of a winter waterfall. He leads imaging workshops near his home in Huntsville, Alabama, and in other photogenic locales such as Grand Teton and Yellowstone National Parks and the Smoky Mountains. |
The Tamron SP 24-70mm F/2.8 VC lens is Cecil's lens of choice for his landscape photography. "I really like the versatility of that lens," he says. "I'm able to take wide-angle pictures and then go to the 70mm end to isolate other subjects, like a waterfall or unusual tree or rock. I often use a tripod, especially for any pictures I take near the water, but the 24-70's Vibration Compensation (VC) feature definitely helps keep my images sharp when I have the occasion to shoot handheld." |
Making a compelling image out of a dreary, gray landscape pop in the middle of winter can be challenging, but Cecil offers a few tips for making a landscape photo pop. "I'll look for spots of color in the landscape, like colorful hot springs in Yellowstone or a red barn," he says. "If I can find something with a bit of color to place in the foreground, I'll underexpose for the sky, overexpose for the foreground, then blend the two images together in post-processing. If the lighting isn't working for me at all, I'll convert the image to black and white for a different look that better shows off the scene's contrasts." |
Roving photographers should always be ready to capture that fickle light when opportunity beckons. "We were heading back from Yellowstone and were a few miles past the entrance to Grand Teton National Park," Cecil says. "The few days before this had been really cloudy, but we saw the clouds break for about three minutes as nature put on this stunning light show. I had to capture it right then and there on the spot. I shot this image at F/16, ISO 100, with a shutter speed of 1/80th of a second." |
To draw the viewer's eye into his images, Cecil follows basic compositional tenets (including the Rule of Thirds and using leading lines) and tries to add depth to each photo. "Take advantage of whatever elements you can in the foreground and alter your perspective when you can," he says. "I love photographing waterfalls, so I'll often be in the water, with the lens just a couple of inches away from the surface so that there's something like a string of rocks or another smaller waterfall right in the foreground that leads directly into the waterfall in the background." |
Because he photographs so many waterfalls, Cecil knows the effect he's going for and has it down to a science. "The trick to that dreamy, creamy look in the water is a smaller aperture and low ISO for a longer shutter speed," he says. "I always set my camera up on a tripod for these shots and use a polarizing filter and a cable release. Occasionally I'll use a variable neutral-density filter, which reduces the light entering the camera and allows for longer exposures. For my image of Lewis Falls in Yellowstone, for instance, it was a bright, overcast day and I wanted to slow the shutter down as much as I could. I took the picture in Aperture Priority mode at ISO 50, F/22, which gave me a shutter speed of 1/4 of a second." |
Capturing sunrises and sunsets is another one of Cecil's favorite types of landscape photography, and he's been experimenting lately with the sun "starburst" effect. "The number of streaks you get in your starburst directly correlates to the number of aperture blades," he explains. "If you've got an even number of blades, you'll get that number of streaks; if you've got an odd number, you'll get double the number of streaks." |
Using the 24-70 (which has a nine-blade diaphragm) lets Cecil capture the sun with plenty of streaks. "I use a small aperture, like F/16 or F/22, right as the sun is cresting the horizon to get this effect," he says. "One of my favorite images is at Clingmans Dome in the Smoky Mountains at F/16, ISO 100. Because I was shooting in Aperture Priority mode, the camera selected a shutter speed of 1/10th of a second. It was an amazing sight to see." |
To see more of Cecil Holmes' photos, go to http://www.cecilsphotos.com. |