Manipulating reflections off of water for creative effects

Water can provide a beautiful backdrop for all types of images. Still water seems to convey a sense of serenity and calmness that most everyone responds to.  The look of water in a photograph can vary greatly depending on the way light hits it.  It may appear like a mirror, as in those landscape photos of snow capped mountains reflected in high alpine lakes.  Or it can look transparent, as when we photograph a swimming pool from a high angle. In today's post, I discuss how to harness a little knowledge about the way light interacts with water to control how water appears in your photographs.  

Managing dynamic range when photographing the sunrise or sunset

We're now deep in the dog-days of summer, when many folks in the northern hemisphere head for the beach.  If you're one of those people and you're reading this blog, then chances are you'll be visiting the shore with a DSLR over your shoulder or a point-and-shoot tucked into your beach bag. Having just returned from a family vacation on Delaware's eastern shore myself, I thought I'd share some thoughts about making what is perhaps the quintessential beach vacation photograph -- an image of the sun rising or setting over the ocean.