Great conversation and added tips here!

Very nice and yes “golden” hour really truly is that indeed

This is fantastic, glad you found the article helpful.

Thanks for the response, Nicholas. I particularly like the notebook idea; being a visual person, a notebook will definitely help me to see what’s going on, rather than just guessing. It can be so easy to get caught up in the technicalities of the craft, it’s so good to be reminded to look once again to the end; what is the pic saying, why am I taking it, etc.

(Oh, the one thing I always do now is shoot in RAW; I noticed the difference on one shot I opened up last night, thought it was a gonner, but the RAW saved it!).

Thanks again, I appreciate you taking the time to help 🙂

Yes, you can.

The D3100 can shoot raw so you can take advantage of that with respect to providing more exposure latitude – for highlight recovery and removing colour casting during post-processing.

The camera also does not change the importance of how I use all the variables to realise my vision. They all still apply. Whether I am using my D800 or my point and shoot, how I frame the image, the time of day and year, lens focal length, aperture, shutter speed, ISO setting, and the location of the sun are arrows in my photographic quiver.

Look at the scene. If I want to shoot it there must be something compelling about it. Emotionally it is creating an impression that makes me want to capture it. Now can I see what I need to do to capture my emotional impression most effectively. If the primary subject is a waterfall, is the impression that I am getting more effectively conveyed with a short shutter speed, which sharpens the water and freezes it like ice, OR is it more effectively conveyed with a 1 second exposure that captures the motion – the long swirling movements? If the image is of a bicyclist racing by, does panning the camera and using a longer exposure (e.g. 1/30 second) isolate the bicyclist and create a feeling of motion better than a 1/1000 second exposure that freezes the subject?

What am I trying to convey with this image? That is the question. Knowing that, determines everything.

When I used to shoot large format landscape – back in ye ole film days – I kept a sheet of paper with a set of questions on it for each image. Outside of the obvious technical choices I was making, I also wrote a sentence or two about my emotional impression, and what I wanted to realise. Doing that reminded me later what my vision was so that when I got back into the darkroom I would keep that very much in mind when developing and printing.

None of that changes with digital. I can even keep a notebook, with frame numbers on each page to note my impressions. This is actually a really good discipline because it slows me down when in the field. It makes me express my intent in words, and that sharpens my artistic focus.

Do not be afraid to take numerous shots of the same scene changing the framing or one of the variables. With time you will build up a repertoire of skills that you know you can draw upon. But do change things up so that you don’t always realise the same type of image time and time again, as that can get pretty stale.

Hi Nicholas, this is great advice and offers great support to Darlene’s article. My question is can I, with a 2yo D3100 and 2 kit lenses, still utilise the lesson here and get some decent images? Or is it just that I’ll be restricted in the times of day and type of light I can shoot in and expect good images? I hope that makes sense?! Thanks again for your comments, they are greatly appreciated. Regards, Helen.

What is your intent with the shot. (Ansel Adams always said that you should be visualizing the print before hitting the shutter. I agree.) That is worth thinking about when deciding time of day, time of year, position, focal length, shutter speed, aperture, et cetera. Each choice should be thought out. Do you want people out of the scene? If you don’t want people in the scene: Multiple shots and layering works, as does a very, very long exposure time, and that is why we all have a 10 stop neutral density and polarizing filter in our kit bag.

We have so many variables that we can change to realise our vision, but first we need to have our vision! I know, sometimes it just unfolds in front of us, and then the decisions have to be made fast and furious. It could be really dynamic lighting, a street photograph, hiking into an unknown place and it all just confronts us.

Are you ready?

Being ready with intimate familiarity with your kit, having the right kit with you, and knowing how to make due, (i.e. to improvise), is key.

The unexpected tests us in so many ways, and the planned image displays both our artistic sensibility and our technical skill.

Don’t forget to carry an off-camera flash and diffuser, and experiment, experiment, experiment. Creative play is wonderful.