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Welcome to our group P. Aalto Photography Group! A space for us to connect and share with each other. Start by posting your thoughts, sharing media, or creating a poll.

When you stumble upon an amazing place on this Earth, one often wants to revisit. It's like a sea turtle returning to same beach year after year - you know it is amazing, so why look elsewhere.

I do love to explore new places and often find myself exploring roads or points on a map just to see what is there. By all means, explore.

I will say, though, that returning to places over and over again can allow you to really observe and see what makes that place special. And if you live in a region that enjoys four distinct seasons, you can see that same place change throughout the year.

Below is an image of Spirit Falls created in June when the leaves were bright green and the water was flowing high. It feels bright and alive due to the churned up water reflecting so much light.

Here…

These few composition tips are easy to conceptualize and implemement, and can transform an "okay" image into a great one. You might notice that I do not call them "rules". I adjust and tweak these approaches often, sometimes with great results. There is so much more to all of these topics. This is menat as a quick reference guide for you to try and mix up your photography approach.

Tip #1

I always try to keep in mind what I call the three pillars of a quality subject - The subject, the background and the light.

Obvious subject in good diffused light with a clean foreground/background

Here in the Pacific Northwest, winter held on deep into spring. When the weather changed, it did so quickly - from 40 degree daytime highs to 88. This has finally triggered the wildflowers and flowers found at various farms.

I purchased a season pass to the Wooden Shoe Tulip Festival in Oregon. Sunrise is always my favorite time to be outside, so I went for a few sunrises. If you are interested in going next year, I recommend this time of day. The sun rises over or near Mount Hood, depending on the month the flower bloom is peaking. Find an area near the parking lot, further east you walk, you will lose sight of Mount Hood.

I approach the creation of my images from two general starting points - do I want tonal contrast, or balance? Below is an image where I tried to balance the purple/blue tulips wit…

Moving to the Pacific Northwest from Florida, I knew I might feel some seasonal emotional heaviness as the grey days, winter rains and cold temps drag on into spring. I expected some feelings cabin fever and some loss of motivation to make art. But wow! This year our winter will just NOT let go and I am feeling it. In early March I had my first “I am F&%K-ing over this” feeling of the season. We are now going into April and there are still snowflakes in the weather forecast.

Along with this shake-my-fist-at-the-sky attitude comes a lack of motivation…a loss of direction when it comes to building a business. We all experience this from time-to-time. I want to share some strategies that help me reach the other side of a funk.

Turkey Vulture (Cathartes aura) sunning in Costa Rica - an old image revisited

Heavy rains, heavy snow, very…

Access to nature can change a life. Access to art can change a life. Not everyone has access to those things. I feel it is a responsibility of nature photographers and artists to share their vision’s of the natural world with everyone, regardless of that person’s access to experiencing nature on their own.

Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) is the descriptor first coined in the 1960’s as a philosophy for the Civil Rights movement. “DEI” was used to help add substance and language to acceptance of Integration. It has since grown to include discussions on gender, sexual orientation, religion, country of origin, and other identities. Additionally, DEI topics are used to explain the benefits of multiculturalism, and being aware of the achievements of various racial and ethnic minorities. DEI is used culturally, but more obviously as language used in workplaces to describe a company’s stance on “non-discrimination” policies.

Diversity…

Winter brings more than just snow to northern (U.S.) regions. Fog is also an incredible result of moisture in the air and cooler temperatures. I love summer! Warm, no… HOT weather, sunshine, swimming and leaves on the trees is the best. And when the temps start cooling enough to condense moisture into fog, I almost forget about summer. Almost.

Fog over Ferns and Forest

Cool coastal environments, or areas near large bodies of water might see fog year-round. All it takes is a warm day and sunshine warming the water’s surface, followed by a cool night, cold enough to condense the moist air. Bays, river-valleys and lake basins can be cloaked in fog anytime of the year.

When we think of snow, we think of white, fluffy, snowflakes blanketing the landscape or of it burying our passenger car. The thing I want to focus on is the “white” characteristic of snow. Even if you live in Fiji and have never seen snow in person, you might still know that it is white. When we close our eyes, we don’t envision grey snow. Here you will learn how to better approach snow photography in order to create images that dazzle with detail-rich white snow. This can work for ice, as well.

Modern digital cameras are amazing. Through computer algorithms and high-tech hardware, the range of light most cameras can work with is remarkable. Lets start there: What is meant by “range of light”? The range of light, or exposure latitude, simply put is the tonal difference between the brightest area in your scene, and the darkest…

Columbia River Gorge during an early-winter freeze

Tips for Staying Warm and Safe This Winter

While we might find ourselves hiking or snowshoeing to find winter subjects and scenes, when we find them we often stand still for quite some time while we create images. This can lead to being cold and not fully enjoying our time outside, or worse, expose us to the dangers of cold exposure.

Clothing Layers: It is important to wear a mix-and-match layering system when outside in cold and/or wet conditions. Layers allow you to adjust what you wear which helps you adjust to the activity of the moment. Check out REI for further advice and options.

• Be Bold, Start Cold - You might need to hike to your destination. If so, it is a good idea to not wear all of your layers of clothing when starting out from the trailhead. You might consid…