Park Visitor

LESSON ONE: Get Up Early

Early morning and late afternoon offer “magic hour” light—rich in tone and low-angled, casting soft shadows that give definition and depth to your subjects. Midday light, on the other hand, casts harsh shadows, flattening your subjects. So get up early to catch the best light.

LESSON TWO: Give it Scale

When shooting a mountain, meadow, body of water, snowscape, or other outdoor composition, add a sense of scale by including something of known size—whether a person, cabin, tree, or animal. This gives perspective, helping viewers understand what they’re looking at.

LESSON THREE: Tell a Story

Shoot more than just scenery. Also get action shots of your loved ones enjoying the park: hiking, biking, setting up tents, preparing a meal, spreading out a trail map on a rock. Take a variety of wide shots, closeups, and portraits. Such pictures tell the story of your outing.

LESSON FOUR: Frame it

Paintings look better when framed, and photo compositions often do, too. Use an element in the foreground—a rock outcrop, doorway, window, person, trees, or branches—to lend depth to your picture. The frame can go along one, two, three, or all four sides of a picture.