It sounds cliché to say, "it's all a matter of perspective", but in photography a slight change in your camera's position can make a big difference to the overall look of your final image. Let me take you on a recent expedition to a local field to show you what I mean. 

Each spring, the hay fields in my area are inundated with thousands of daisies. It's a wonderful sight to see and undoubtedly draws me in to try and capture a few images. This past spring was no different. One particularly pleasant evening I hopped in my car and drove down a local side road until I reached one field that was still nicely lit by the rapidly setting sun. 

I grabbed my Olympus OMD E-M1 and, since I wanted to capture the expanse of this floral landscape, I  attached my M.Zuiko 7-14mm PRO lens. I jumped the fence (yes, I am guilty of trespassing on occasion) and walked about 30 feet into the field. The daisies were everywhere, so finding the perfect spot was easy. 

I had already pictured the image - one large, photogenic daisy, set against thousands, and nicely lit by the orange glow of the sun. I checked my camera settings, composed a shot and...

​Click!

As a photographer I've always been fascinated with how the camera can help to expand our vision and freeze a moment in time. But today's cameras can do far more than that. They can capture a long sequence of 'moments' that would be difficult for the human eye to really notice. 

Time lapse photography has a long cinematic history. As a child I was always enthralled by the time lapse sequences that I would see produced by Walt Disney (Sunday evenings at 6 - anyone else remember those?!). Now, with your camera, some patience and a computer, anyone can capture a sequence taken over minutes, hours, days or weeks and speed up time. 

Here's a cool (or rather cold) photo experiment that might help you embrace some of the coldest days that winter brings your way. Create some frozen bubbles!

​Winter can be a great time to get out and do some shooting, but it comes with challenges (and opportunities) that you won’t find in any other season.  Here are some thoughts that might help improve your winter-shooting experience.

​For aspiring wildlife photographers who don’t want to go traipsing into the winter wilderness, setting up a bird feeder in your yard can provide great photo opportunities to capture the smaller members of the avian community. With a bit of planning and the right camera settings you can capture some great bird images, all while remaining within quick reach of a warm cup of cocoa.

The Feeding Station
When autumn hits I turn my attention to prepping my yard for winter and one of those chores includes setting up a few bird feeders. Like most people I set them up in front of my larger windows so that I can enjoy the various birds that frequent the Northern Ontario winter. Although I love watching them, my real aim is to photograph them.

It's Not About the Sunset

"Hold it a second. I thought this post was about sunsets!"

Well, it is and it isn't.

Gorgeous sunset colours are certainly appealing, but they are definitely not enough to maintain your viewer's interest. Think of the sunset as the backdrop to your photograph. What you place in front of those colours is the important thing. Let's look at an example.

I don't think that anyone would argue with the fact that those are some pretty cool colours and cloud formations in the above image. As well, the almost perfect reflection helps add some interest to this photo, but for me, something's missing. I like the symmetry of this shot, but it didn't keep my interest when I took the photo and it still doesn't. When I arrived at this shoreline earlier that evening I did a bit of scouting around. I came across an old license plate close to shore. I fished it out and recomposed the shot. 

The rocky shoreline helps to anchor the shot and makes the image less abstract, while the license plate adds a unique point of interest.