Author: Joshua Cripps
is a photographer, teacher, and writer living in the spectacular Eastern Sierra.
Ubehebe Crater
Lee Flat (Joshua Tree Forest)
Photographing the Alabama Hills
Ask WHAT? and WHY? to Create Powerful Stories for Your Photos
Let’s dive into Visual Storytelling. Before we begin, you need to understand that the subject and story is THE MOST IMPORTANT part of any photograph. If you don’t have this you don’t have a photo. And yet, most landscape photographers never consciously think about the story that they want to tell when they are photographing. […]
How to Use Composition, Technique, & Light to Tell Your Story
In the previous lesson we learned to create our story of a place by asking What we like, and Why we like it. Now it’s time to turn that story into a photograph. We can do that by asking a third question: How? “How can I exaggerate the elements of my story using my camera?” […]
Wide Angle Foregrounds
This area is rich with fascinating patterns and objects that can serve as impactful foregrounds in wide angle compositions. To make the most of these, here are some suggestions: Using this simple framework will allow you to create stunning in-your-face wide angle compositions like these.
Learn to See in Telephoto
Telephoto landscape photography composition is an endlessly complex topic we can spend our whole lives exploring. So in this article I want to simply give a few ideas of good scenes for using your telephoto lens. Things to look for include: Here’s an example of how a telephoto lens can be used to pick out […]
Photographing Dunes
The dunes are arguably the most challenging, fun, and satisfying location we will photograph during the tour. Because of that, we will visit the dunes at least 2-3 times (if not more). Special Precautions We highly recommend you bring a buff from your mouth and nose, and wrap-around sunglasses or safety goggles for your eyes. […]
Zabriskie Point and Other Badlands
We could have an entire workshop centered entirely on photographing badlands, and it would never get old. These locations are among the best there are for learning to see patterns, lines, shapes, light, and color. But because these areas are so complex, they can be easily overwhelming from a photographic standpoint. My advice, as always, […]
Badwater, Cottonball Basin, and Other Patterned Flats
Camera Settings You Need to Know
Don’t fight your gear. Here are settings we see people struggle with over and over on our workshops and tours. Practice changing or accessing these settings before the trip and you will have more success in the field. Know how to quickly adjust your aperture, shutter speed, and ISO. Even if you aren’t fully comfortable with […]
