Make A Splash This Labor Day

The last weekend of the summer is here.  

But don’t let that put a damper on your photo spirits.  Labor Day can pose a fun way to work on your photography skills and add a little twist to your weekend plans.  Afterall, what’s better than having fun with the hobby that you so cherish and enjoy!?

One More Wet And Wild Time?

Among the many images and thoughts  that Labor Day conjures up in our minds - one that consistently tops the chart is that this weekend  often marks the end the pool season.

Take advantage of this and head out to the pool or beach for one last chance to capture the magic and smiles of fun in the sun.  

Note: If you’re by the beach this may be a good time to install a UV filter on the front of your lens so that the sand doesn't scratch the front element – just make sure you buy a good one. It’s much better to get scratches on a UV filter than the front lens element but a cheap one can add color casts or degrade the image quality of your photos.  (see our article about lens filters)

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Professional Tips

Here are a few other tips from the pros on how to shoot pools and take your photos to the next level:

Make it sparkle

Reflections are an appealing design element in a pool photo but when the sun is shining, try stirring up the pool using the pole of a leaf catcher. Come on, jump in!”

Shoot RAW for flexibility

Record your images in the RAW file format (if your camera supports it), which gives you quite a lot of creative flexibility after the photo has been taken. Then you can use software to make tonal and colour adjustments on a calibrated monitor. But be aware that RAW files are much larger than JPGs.

Use a tripod                                            

(Shop Tripods) (see our tripod blog)

Often times using a low ISO setting leads to the cleanest, smoothest and highest-quality results. Low ISO settings produce better quality images but it also means we will often use shutter speeds that are too slow to safely shoot  without causing camera-shake blur. A tripod sorts out these issues and this will payhuge dividends later, particularly if there are any post-production (software) adjustments to be made, as you will be working from the highest quality starting point.

Use a polarising filter

Shooting pool details such as tiles can be tricky because the reflections on the water tend to wash out the detail. A polarising filter can be used to strip back the reflection and reveal the tile detail beneath the surface. This filter will also reveal rich colors in any plants or landscaping around, pool itself and of course the sky. This filter adds a whole new dimension and creates so many more avenues to take.  Try shooting with and without the filter and see what you prefer.

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