Photography Tips & Seasonal Information for Photographers

 

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Spring Photography Tips

(March, April, May)

Spring and fall are the glory days for all of the desert southwest.  Mild temperatures make your outdoor work pleasant.  Late March brings the beginning of wildflower season.  By April you may be lucky enough to get a collared lizard lounging on a warm rock.

 

Summer Photography Tips

(June, July, August)

Summers in Moab are hot.  Period.  We do not do all-day tours during the summer.

 

We do offer modified tours where we will go out early for a sunrise shot and then work other sites until the temperatures start to get into the 90s.  After a long break through the day we will go back out for a sunset shot and then work on some night photography, including light painting.

 

 

Fall Photography Tips

(September, October, November)

Spring and fall are the glory days for all of the desert southwest.  Mild temperatures make your outdoor work pleasant.  Fall is no different than fall in the Rockies… even the desert has fall colors and photos in or against the backdrop of the 12000’ La Sal mountains can be stunning.

 

 

Winter Photography Tips

(December, January, February)

 

Winters are cold, with highs averaging 30° to 50° F, and lows averaging 0° to 20° F.   Though large snowfalls are uncommon in the park, even small amounts of snow or ice can make trails and roads impassible. That said, clear blue-sky days are common.

 

Winter is a quiet time in Moab.  The short days and low southerly sun create lighting conditions that create interesting photographs throughout the day.  The same small amounts of snow and ice that can close roads and trails can create great contrast on the red rocks and beautiful fog in the valleys.  Solitude is easy to find.

 

 

CREATING DEPTH

 

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Take a moment to compare the image above with the image below.  Why does the one below have more depth?

 

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One of the first rules of adding depth to an image is to put something in the foreground.  The first image above lacks depth because, well... there is no depth in real life.  The second image adds formations that are some distance in front of the back set.  Look at the image below of Cave Tower on Cedar Mesa (south of Moab, Canyonlands and Arches).  Try to visualize the image without the tree stump in the foreground.

 

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