Tomorrow kicks off our second annual pilgrimage to the desert region of Southern California. I learned a lot last year, mostly what not to do. I have never really fancied myself a landscape photographer. Macros of blooming flowers and fields of California poppies leave me feeling a bit flat. Maybe it's because it would be unconscionable to make them into Black and White prints. Knowing this heading out the door makes me feel limited in my options. That being said, it is one of my wife Lisa's passions and I wouldn't miss it for the world.
So, what to do differently... After returning last year and processing my photos, I noticed a definite lack of attention to the fundamentals. Everything from poor aperture control to any lack of foreground interest.
This year I have done my homework. I will be shooting using aperture priority (incidentally one of my favorite settings, if you haven't been paying attention). I will bring a tripod so I can mount my camera low and shoot across the tops of the floral clusters, and I will dedicate at least a third of the frame to capturing sky. We are just coming off of a rainy spell so I have my fingers crossed for some great billowy clouds. The magic settings will be f-9 with a manual focus set at 2m (this should give me focus from 0.5m to infinity). I also plan on bringing my laptop so I can process mid-shoot and make any technical adjustments. Check back tomorrow to see where we went and how we did.
Location:Carrizo Plain, CA
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