Nature and landscape photography represent an area of the photographic art which requires specialized skills. As we all know, practice makes perfect and over time, with the right shooting advice and some handy photographic techniques, tips, tools and tricks, taking beautiful landscape photographs can be mastered and your shot making can improve  to the point that your photos really begin to capture some of the essence of the great places that you get to visit.

One of the photographic techniques that I find really useful, as obvious as it may sound, is making sure that I always have my camera with me when I head out. It can be quite surprising when revisiting an area that we think we know.  Things change all the time. Maybe the lighting is different. Perhaps you are passing through at a different time of the day and a scene that hadn’t previously imposed any particular sense of drama suddenly impresses you.

I recall driving through an area many times before. There was a long white sand beach with a bridge over a stream at the northern end. I had even picnicked and swum at the northern end of the beach last summer. In the intervening months since I had last visited the beach, the local council had built a path under the bridge and alongside the stream bed as part of a beautification process opening up an area which wasn’t previously accessible from the beach.

As a result I was able to acquire some very pretty landscapes where I wasn’t really expecting anything in particular.  So even if you are familiar with an area, remember not to take things for granted. People and places do change and often over shorter time-frames than what you might appreciate.

Especially now with the advent of digital cameras, immediate recall and the ability to shoot many pics without the handicap of time and cost of development, why not take multiple photos of the same scene. Play with different exposure settings, angles, variations in zoom. Change the perspective, turn the camera sideways through 90 degrees, or even set the horizon on diagonally opposite corners to optimize composition if that is what it takes.

Work through different shots of the same scene at different focal lengths, telephoto through to wide-angle and be surprised at how much variation can be achieved in the shot.  Eventually you will find the optimum picture which may appear to be quite different from the first impression. Capture a range of photos and make your selection afterwards rather than discard options at the time.  

With the benefit of hindsight it is possible to re-crop a shot to change the emphasis or mood. Digital storage is so cheap now that retaining shots that may be less than optimum and having a library of images for later use offers alternate cropping options to accent different aspects of the photo.  

Telephoto lenses enable magnification of a distant subject and wide angle lenses reduce the depth of field enabling more content to be included in the. Compact cameras achieve this variation through a single lens that offers variable focal length usually between 30-70 mm or similar and often with inbuilt converters that double or treble the focal length,  increasing the telephoto capability whereas with a digital SLR (DSLR) these are separately acquired hardware options and each lens or converter has different characteristics.

A lens that offers variable focal length usually between 30-70 mm is recognised as a standard zoom lens and will be able to be used in most scenarios. It is only when exploring the extremes that specialist lenses such as fish-eye, wide-angle, telephoto and converters are required.    

Adding scale to a photograph is another way to improve composition and generate a sense of the dramatic in your pictures. A large rock or tree to one side in the foreground with say a waterfall or mountain occupying the centre thirds of your photograph with the sky above, not only aids the composition but also imparts a sense of grandeur to your shot.  Adding more sky to your photograph can create a sense of “wide open spaces.”   

Changing the mood and feel of a scene can make the difference between average and stunning photographs. Allowing the setting sun, for example, to light up your shot or shooting into the sun to create silhouettes can produce wonderful shots.

Capturing sunlight through leaves or tree branches can achieve a dappled effect of light and shade to augment photographs.  Two hours after dawn and two hours before dusk are great times for shooting, enabling best use of light and shade. When the sun is higher, shadows are more intense and strong shadows require extra lighting, increasing the technical complexity of a potential shot.

Shooting buildings in cityscapes represents some interesting challenges where sunlight at certain angles can enhance building detail or by reflecting off glass and stainless steel, produce interesting light effects.

The very same shot at a different time might appear uninteresting without the detail emphasized. The sun going down between two tall buildings with the inner faces of both buildings lit up and other parts in shadow or semi-silhouette might achieve a very dramatic photograph.

Looking for reflections in puddles or other still bodies of water is a great way to add to your photographic composition and fill in the foreground with extra color to enhance your picture.

A good way to improve your understanding of landscape photography (or any other photography genre for that matter) is to take an image that you really admire from a leading exponent and pick the picture to pieces, isolating the different aspects that come together to create the photo. By identifying and analyzing the components of the photograph you come to gain an appreciation for the mechanics of the composition thus increasing your knowledge. Use the identified facets in your own photography to enhance your skills.

Good hunting!

Additional Resources:

Some sources that you might like to check out for techniques, tips, tricks,  and more can be found in photography books and magazines at my website portal www.photographyglobal.com where you can follow links to the best deals and discounts that that the web has to offer.  

For a shopping portal that offers access to best value and hard to beat buys for camera and photography accessories and equipment, you won't go past my website portal www.photographyglobal.com where you can follow links to the best deals and discounts that that the web has to offer.

One of the things I really like about having a hobby such as photography is that I can make money from my hobby and as you might appreciate, there can be no better thing, no better lifestyle option than doing the things you love to do....

The bonus is that my love of photography can produce income, enhancing my lifestyle and sense of satisfaction with my hobby.

I'd like to give others the opportunity to convert their favourite hobby into a financially rewarding life-style choice by helping you create a business opportunity and income stream from your favourite hobby.

Follow this link to www.makemoney.photographyglobal.com to learn how!!! 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Landscape Pictures is a post from: Popular Garden and Landscape

For gardeners who want to optimize their results, the Zone System is indispensable.

The Zone System was created by the USDA (U.S. Dept of Agriculture) and divides the country into eleven zones. The divisions are based on the minimum average winter temperature with zone 1 the coldest, zone 11 the warmest. Maps of the zone system are readily available online and they’re very helpful for pinpointing which zone you’re in.

The USDA Zone System isn’t the only one around, however. Sunset, the famed gardening publication company, developed its own system, and it is even more extensive. The Sunset Western Climate zone system has 24 divisions for the western portion of North America, with additional zones (A1-A3) for Alaska and Hawaii (H1-H3).

    [The Zones are:

    Cold and Snowy: 1-3

    Rainy Northwest Zones:4-6

    Northern and Interior-alley California Zones: 7-9, 14-17

    Southern California: 18-24

    Southwest Desert Zones: 10-13]

Sunset uses more than just minimum winter temperatures. Its algorithm also includes summer temperatures, annual rainfall, elevation, humidity and other climate factors such as marine and mountain geography. But that’s not all. The Sunset system factors in the length of the growing season â€" by examining the average number of days between the beginning of Spring and the first frost of Fall.

Even with all this extensive information, zones can be divided into micro-climates, for those who want to narrow down their area as much as possible. Some areas like the panhandle of Northern Idaho are protected from the harshest Winter weather by its unique configuration of mountains. Just on the other side, Montana has much more severe weather.

Mountain slopes can channel warm or cold air into an area in the same way they keep other influences out. In the wine growing region of Southern California, for example, the narrow gap in which most of the vineyards sit, traps hot summer air. At the same time the valleys get a cool breeze in the evening from the nearby Pacific Ocean. The combination of these (and other) factors creates a zone that’s perfect for growing wine grapes.

Using micro-climate information, it’s possible to grow some plants that otherwise you might suspect wouldn’t thrive (if you considered only the zone number). There are limits, however. Lemon trees will still do better in Southern California than they do in Eastern Washington.

Some experimentation will always be needed to determine which plants will grow best in your particular environment. But using the zone system as a starting guide will help you avoid costly mistakes. You can grow a plant that’s rated, say, as hardy up to Zone 5. But if you live in a Zone 2 you are almost certainly wasting your time and money in that instance.

Since the hardiness of a plant is largely genetic, there is little you can do to adjust the plant, apart from hybridization. But selecting which plants thrive best in which zones is a straightforward exercise. There’s ample information online to guide you.

-The Fixie Chix

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Sunset Western Garden Book Online is a post from: Popular Garden and Landscape

Lawn Care and Landscape Maintenance Contract

Author: J. Michael

Most lawn care and maintenance companies use a contract of some sort for their services. The purpose of the contract is to summarize for both parties what is expected. It outlines what your services include, how often you will work for them and for how long. It reassures the customer that they will be taken care of and reminds them how much and when they are expected to pay. This way everyone is clear on the terms of your relationship and no confusion will arise in the future. Everyone creates this type of agreement differently, but I would like to share with you my favorite, the proposal for landscape maintenance, which has all the elements of a contract presented neatly and professionally.

The proposal for landscape maintenance contains the following information:

* Both parties involved (your company and the name/address of the customer)

* Terms for service- the aspects of maintenance you will provide

* The period of service- start date and finish date

* The price for your service

* Both parties sign to accept

* Date of the agreement

Although this form could be construed as a legal document and might very well be legally binding, I am not a lawyer and encourage you to seek out a lawyer in contract matters.

At the acceptance of this agreement I let my customers know that neither they nor I am bound to it and that they may cancel service at any time. Likewise I am free to cancel service as well for any reason. This puts them at ease and makes them feel less obligated, and if you do a good job odds are they will not fire you. And although the contract has a start date and an end date specified, I have never had to recreate a new one for the following year. I simply continue service on a month to month basis.

A sample contract, or proposal for landsacape maintenance, can be viewed at http://www.maintenance-business.com/htmlcontract.htm in your browser window. It is also available for download in .pdf format at our website http://www.maintenance-business.com.

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/small-business-articles/lawn-care-and-landscape-maintenance-contract-173012.html

About the Author

http://www.maintenance-business.com

Lawn Care Contracts is a post from: Popular Garden and Landscape

2 Things Every Lawn Mowing Business Owner Needs

Author: Daniel Pepper

Lawn mowing business entrepreneurs need a lot of two very important things. They aren't talked about much because most experts don't know about them or if they do, how to explain it.

When I first heard about these 2 things I was a bit apprehensive and saw the two as one. I was wrong.

Successful entrepreneurs in this industry have: resources and resourcefulness.

Let me explain.

Resources are tools you can use to build and run a lawn mowing business. Much like the products I offer. They can be books, audio, video, expert advice, etc.

Resourcefulness is the ability to take the resources you have in hand and to use them to your advantage. Ultimately accomplishing a goal you have set out to achieve.

Picture a car.

The car is the resource. The tool to get you to a destination. The knowing how to drive the car and where to go is the resourcefulness.

Really, we need resources to be resourceful.

Now, I am an information sponge. Any chance I get I collect pictures, articles, books, audio, etc. Everything and anything that could be used to get me to the next level or to overcome a challenge.

For example, if I come against a marketing challenge, I look at everything I have in hand about marketing. I study. I read or re-read a book. I dig until I find the answer.

I don't stumble around in the dark. I find out what someone else did and bypass the pitfalls others are falling into. Just like many, many of you who have bought my course and are using my lawn business experience to get you to your goals a whole lot faster.

Let me share 2 quotes with you from 2 men I greatly admire that will bring this home. These quotes nail down the point of gathering resources and putting them to use.

"Everything you need for your better future has already been written. It's all available. All you have to do is go to the library. But only 3% of the people in America even have a library card. They're free."

- Jim Rohn

"Feed your mind constantly with the words and images and input consistent with the direction in which you are growing. Read books and magazines for personal and professional development. Listen to educational audio programs at every opportunity. The more you read, listen, and learn about any subject, the more confident and capable you feel in that area. As you improve your inner understanding, you automatically improve your outer results."

- Brian Tracy

In closing, remember that some of the top entrepreneurs in the world were bankrupt or went through some very rough times (ie Mark Victor Hansen, Sam Beckford ). But somewhere along the line they stopped in their tracks and made a decision to get some resources like a book. Read it. Then tap into their resourcefulness and put what they learned to use.

Make a list of resources you feel you need to get a hold of. Make a plan to get those resources. Use your resourcefulness to take action on what you learn.

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/entrepreneurship-articles/2-things-every-lawn-mowing-business-owner-needs-330627.html

About the Author

Lawn care business expert, Daniel Pepper brings his own unique way of teaching others about the lucrative realm of starting and running a lawn business. He believes anyone can do it with the right advice. Find out how to succeed and not fail with your own lawn mowing business right now!. Copyright SLC. All rights reserved.

Lawn Care Mowing is a post from: Popular Garden and Landscape

Who Needs The EasyBloom Plant Sensor is a post from: Popular Garden and Landscape

You may not have the hanging gardens of Babylon in your house, but there’s no harm in making the best of the green patch that exists for you to do with as you want. Recall, a well turned out garden has the same effect on your abode as beautiful clothes has on you.

It is important to take care of the lawns and to accomplish it up in a way which is pleasing to the eye when at the same time maintaining the natural habitat in order. A body of water, however tiny it is, is great to have near your home, not only because of of beauty, but because it helps make your immediate setting completely natural. A wood garden bridge is the perfect partner for your small pond. And supposing there isn't a pond in your premises, one could even construct a garden bridge over a garden path. A garden bridge, if only ornamental, adds any home a distinctive appearance. Also, children love it. Read through this to know more about garden furniture, and you will soon be able to choose the right one for your house.

Use and beauty

As I said only a little while back, if there’s a pond or stream or pathway that can be spanned, a garden bridge is the classic operational solution. But there is another kind of garden bridge, usually made of spaced-out slats of wood, that’s meant to be just a piece of ornamentation for your garden; it’s not for you to walk across, though your dog could have a good run on it.

Garden bridges are usually curved, though sometimes, there are design variations as in the plateau. It is conventional to measure the length of a bridge from end to end, or by its “span”. For a small garden, bridges spanning 3 to 5 feet would be OK, for medium sized gardens, one can get bridges with 5 to 7 feet span, and for really large gardens, the span could be over 8 feet as your garden size will allow. Cedar and redwood are by far the most popular woods for constructing garden bridges, although in this time, you could easily come across sturdy plastic ones in stores too.

Wood Garden Bridges is a post from: Popular Garden and Landscape

Looking for just the best landscape plant? is a post from: Popular Garden and Landscape