Taking Better Outdoor Pictures
Taking Better Outdoor Pictures
Good weather sparks an increase in outdoor activities and vacations, and people like to take along the point-and-shoot camera. There are a few things you can do to make those summer snapshots real keepers.
The best time to work outdoors is when the sun is at a low angle in the sky, usually a few hours after sunrise or a few hours before sunset. If it’s midday, turn on your flash. There is a high contrast between light and shadow at that time of day, but your flash will never overpower the sun. Instead, it will fill in the deeper shadows and put a sparkle in your subject’s eyes. Conversely, if you are at a stage show or pro ball game, don’t turn your flash on for distance shots of a stage or field. Your camera’s flash only reaches 10-15 feet and will only illuminate the spectators directly in front of you. Without a flash, they become a silhouette and actually add to the scene.
2009 will mark the 20th anniversary of Captured. During that time, Sheila Rutledge has been constantly honing her photography skills. Her award winning style has made her one of Dupage County’s busiest photographers. She began her interest in photography as a teen-ager. The youngest of 7 children she decided that without photography her family portrait history would skip the youngest child. Some of her first professional jobs included professional musicians and by then she was hooked. As she started a family of her own she saw the family cycle as one of the most interesting portrait subjects of all. With all of the babies in her family she is most at ease with children. 
