5 photography tips for hot days
Monday 23 July 2018, 15:30 by Elja Trum | 16,303 views | 5 commentsThis article was translated from Dutch with the help of AI. Read the original.
The mercury is set to rise above thirty degrees over the next few days. Time to relax by the pool with a drink, or is there still something to photograph on hot days like these? We give you five photography tips to help you take some great photos this hot week.
1. Head out early
The temperature rises above thirty degrees in the afternoon, but it is still lovely and cool early in the morning. So avoid the hottest part of the day and head out nice and early.
Over the next week, you will need to be ready at 5:45 to photograph the sunrise. That means getting out of bed very early, but the light really is beautiful on clear days like these.
Of course, you can also head out in the evening for the light around sunset, but you will often miss the wonderful peace and quiet of the morning, as well as the mist you can expect around ponds in these weather conditions.
» Read also: 10 tips for better landscape photos
2. Organise a water shoot
Usually, it is not very kind to get a model wet during a shoot. It often does produce great photos, though. Over the next week, however, you are unlikely to hear many complaints when you ask a model to step under a cold shower.
So make the most of the lovely warm weather and organise a water shoot. A water pistol will get you part of the way, but using garden sprinklers is even better, of course.
Choose a patch of grass and hang up a dark cloth in the shade, and you will instantly get the effect of a studio.
As a photographer, you have the advantage that all the splashing water also helps to cool the temperature in the immediate surroundings. Even if you do not get wet, it is still refreshing. Obviously, do make sure that your equipment stays dry.
» Read also: 6 tips for a water shoot
3. Get started with underwater photography
If anything is genuinely cooling, it is a refreshing dip in the water. Underwater photography is therefore an ideal way to cool down on hot days like these.
You do not necessarily have to travel to faraway places for great underwater photos. You can take some lovely photos in a local recreational lake too. If the surroundings themselves are not very interesting, you could also work with a model, for example.
Unfortunately, equipment that allows you to use your camera underwater is quite specialised and often expensive. For many people, that is a reason not to take up this type of photography.
But there are affordable solutions too. I took the photo above, for example, by putting my camera in an aquarium. I bought it at a local garden centre for around twenty euros.
Obviously, do be careful. You do not want your expensive equipment to end up in the water.
» Read also: 10 tips for underwater photography
4. Work in the shade
I am always surprised by how lovely it is to stand in the shade of a tree on a hot day. A tree cools you down much better than a parasol, for example. And it is a bonus that the shade from trees can also provide beautiful light.
Especially when you find a few large trees close together, with light still coming from one side, though not direct light. You then get truly beautiful light for taking great photos. Just like in the photo below.
5. Stay in an air-conditioned studio
>Do you really find it too hot outside? Many photo studios have air conditioning. With good air conditioning, you will not even notice how warm it is outside, and you can photograph happily all day without being bothered by the heat.
Do you not have much experience in a studio yet?
Take a look at our basic studio photography course first.
Have lots of fun, and do not forget to drink plenty!
About the author
Elja Trum is the founder of Photofacts and online photography course website Photofacts Academy. He has been writing about photography since 2006. Elja is also the author of (Dutch) books on composition, black-and-white photography, flash photography and portrait photography.
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5 comments
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Leonard wrote on Tuesday 24 July 2018 at 12:00 | replyWhat a cool idea with that aquarium; I got one of those things through an acquaintance, but no bride yet...
Translated from Dutch. -
Elja Trum
wrote on Tuesday 24 July 2018 at 16:44
| reply
@Leonard; I bought that wedding dress for 35 euros at a bridal dress shop, old collection. And you can easily find a model who wants to wear it on Facebook or among your acquaintances.
Translated from Dutch.
@Jan; If you have your computer set up in that same basement, you can now also do some nice cool post-processing there.
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guest wrote on Wednesday 25 July 2018 at 10:46 | replyHello
Translated from Dutch.
A good piece of advice for underwater photography
Cheers.
Osten -
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Would you like to take better photos and keep up with what is happening in photography? Photofacts publishes articles that teach you something about photography — from a product announcement to a practical shooting tip or a look at a website. Photofacts covers photography every day and is a hobby project of Elja Trum's that got out of hand. The articles are written by a team of volunteer authors. If you would enjoy writing one or more articles for Photofacts, do get in touch.More about PhotofactsPhotofacts is made possible in part by
