AUGUST-SEPTEMBER 2015 • NEBRASKAland 19
My Photo Tip:
Using Light
By Eric Fowler
People sometimes show me their
photos and beaming with pride say,
"Isn't that nice?"
Too often I say, "It is. But why didn't
you go back when the light was nice?"
You may have found the perfect
scene, the perfect location from
which to photograph it and nailed the
composition, but if it's noon and the
light is cold and flat, you don't have a
great photo.
Sometimes all it takes to get all of
those elements to come together on your
first visit is a little homework that can
start at home on your phone or computer.
Check the weather to see how much
cloud cover there will be, or if there
might even be fog, and to see when the
sun will rise and set. The Photographer's
Ephemeris will tell you the latter, but its
best feature shows you where the sun
will meet the horizon, which can help
you get in the right location for the best
composition. The satellite view in that
app, or Google Earth or Maps, will help
you scout a location.
But sometimes, you simply need to
lace up your boots, go for a hike and
scout a location with every intention
of returning to get the photo you
want. That's what I did to capture a
set of images of the Niobrara River at
Chat Canyon Wildlife Management
Area south of Nenzel in 2013. I knew
propensity for fog to rise from the river
on a cool morning meant there would
be a good chance of capturing a striking
image at sunrise. But light can change
quickly, and I didn't want to be searching
for the perfect spot while it was. So I
spent a day hiking to every high point
with an unobscured view of the river.
From those points, I surveyed the
scene and pulled out my phone and
checked the TPE app to see where the
sun would rise. I snapped some photos
on that cloudy day that weren't bad.
But I knew where I wanted to be when
I returned two days later. After an
hour's drive – some of it on Sandhills'
two tracks – and a half-mile hike
through a dew-soaked prairie, sweet
light hit the scene and my "homework"
and scouting paid off.
Sometimes you're lucky and are in
the perfect spot when the light is right.
Don't be afraid to go back if it's not. As
a wise photographer once told me, "The
harder I work, the luckier I get." ■
PHOTOS
BY
ERIC
FOWLER
