Then & Now: Grand Teton & Yellowstone National Parks

Following my last post of then and now photos of Hollywood comes a series of then and now photos taken in northwest Wyoming in Grand Teton and Yellowstone National Parks.

Grand Teton National Park:

Snake River Overlook then:

"The Tetons - Snake River" by Ansel Adams (image with no known copyright restrictions) from US National Archives via Flickr

Bad Weather Doesn't Mean Bad Photos!

When I first got into photography, I made the mistake of thinking sunny skies were the best conditions for photography.  While it is possible to take great photos in these conditions, as I mentioned in a previous post, most photographers consider broad daylight to be less than desirable lighting conditions, since the sun creates such harsh shadows.

Overcast or stormy skies, while not always pleasant to be in, can create a dramatic scene for photos.  Don't assume just because the weather is gloomy that your photos will be too!  Here are some photos I have taken when the sun was nowhere to be found:

5 Simple Tips to Make Your Photos More Interesting

Although I do run most of my photos through Photoshop and make various edits on them, I feel strongly that the best photos start out great in the camera (in other words, if it's not a great shot in the camera, Photoshop can't help much).  These five tips I'm sharing are just a few ways you can take what might have been just a good shot and make it great.  These are NOT rules; if they were I would be breaking them left and right!  After reading through them, leave a comment sharing a way you make your photos more interesting.

1.  Use motion blur

Photographing Moreau Lake State Park

Moreau Lake State Park in upstate New York was the site of some recent photo ops just last week.  I stayed with a friend overnight, which allowed me to practice some night photography using the forest as my backdrop.

Back to School!

Canon EOS Rebel T2i (replaced by Canon EOS Rebel T5i), Canon EF-S 10-22mm f/3.5-4.5 USM, Adobe Photoshop CS6

C'est la rentrée !  In French, this means it's back to school!  I love this picture that I took of my classroom last year because it represents the three great interests/passions in my life:  teaching, French, and photography.  Normally I'm not still at school when the lighting is like this, but when I took this picture I was at school late for the walk through where students come meet their new teachers.  My classroom looks pretty much the same this year so no need for a new photo.