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Photography in the Parks

Photography In The National Parks: Being Prepared And Knowing Your Limits

Are you ready for that national park trip? Traveling solo, or with one or more people? Is this a spur-of-the-moment choice or have you done a little research into things like the weather, the terrain, and/or the difficulty level of the trails in this park unit? Are you taking what you need for yourself and your camera?

Photography In The National Parks: The Faces Of Winter

There are many faces to winter in a national park. Some park units have no snow, while others host feet of the fluffy white stuff. On sunny days, the atmosphere is clear and sharp, producing saturated colors for your camera. On not-so-sunny days, your camera’s LCD lens might be filled with varying shades of gray and white. Contributing photographer Rebecca Latson provides examples of what you might see through your camera’s lens and how to prepare for winter photography in a national park.

Photography In The National Parks: A Great Time In Great Basin National Park

Great Basin National Park in Nevada covers 77,100 acres of desert and mountain terrain, providing plenty of opportunities for great photo compositions. Contributing photographer Rebecca Latson recently returned from a three-day visit to this national park and provides examples of the kind of shots you can get with your own camera.

Photography In The National Parks: Capturing The Colors And Character Of Fall

Fall is that magical time of year when the air is crisp and clear and the leaves in many park units change from summer green to saturated shades of yellow, gold, orange and red. In this month’s column, contributing photographer Rebecca Latson discusses capturing those colors in your national park photography.

Photography In The National Parks: Yosemite Tried, True, And New

Yosemite National Park is a well-known, much-visited park unit with many iconic spots from which to photograph. There’s nothing wrong with getting your own shot of a very popular spot, but while you have your camera out, why not try shooting new perspectives of those landscape icons as well as new subjects to further define North America’s third national park.

Photography In The National Parks: Water, Water, Everywhere …

National parks and protected areas are brimming over with water scenes, from glaciers to snowy landscapes to ponds to rivers to misty mornings. Contributing photographer Rebecca Latson provides tips and techniques for how to capture those myriad forms of water (glaciers, snow, ponds, streams, rivers, mist, clouds) in a composition.

Photography In The National Parks: Seeing The Forest For The Trees

Not all park forests are alike. Some forests thrive in moist, even waterlogged environments, while others flourish in much drier climates. Some forests remain green year-round while others burst with color in the fall. Some forests stand as stark testaments to the ravages of wildfires while other forests provide environments for trees to grow to mind-boggling heights and widths. All these forests and their trees flesh out the story of a national park visit and the Traveler’s contributing photographer Rebecca Latson provides example images, tips, and techniques to help you capture the forest story of your own park trip.

Photography In The National Parks: The Yin And Yang Of A Composition

When you look at photos you’ve captured during a visit to a national park unit, do you notice one or more of your shots clearly showing a division of light and dark, or energy and calm, or two different colors, or two different textures? Contributing photographer Rebecca Latson sees this phenomenon in many of her own images, calling it the “yin and yang of a composition.” In this month's column, Rebecca provides examples of this yin-yang concept and how you can look for it in nature with your camera.

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