OTTAWA LIFESTYLE, NATURE, PORTRAIT, MATERNITY,FAIRY PORTRAIT PHOTO SHOOTS, BALLET, NATIONAL ARTS CENTRE MUSICIANS PROFESSIONAL PHOTOGRAPHER
OCTOBER 2025
BLOG ARTICLE
Hello Ladies & Gentlemen:
What an exciting time of the year for nature photography enthusiasts! The explosion of striking colours, cobalt blue skies and clear crisp air make for meaningful outings with your camera and friends.
*I would like to provide you with a tip to enhance your Autumn imagery while not overdoing it.
It is often very tempting for camera enthusiasts to place several filters over their camera lenses trying to enhance or exaggerate the colours of Autumn. I have known photographers who have a kit of coloured filters they use for not only colour photography, but black and white as well. Black and white photography benefits greatly from filtration but colour image making does not. Unless you are intentionally trying to create unrealistic colours in landscape/nature photography, this is a practice to use very sparingly.
Unfortunately, many people tend to over do it when it comes time for picture enhancement. Perhaps at one time or another, you have been in a tourist shop with a post card rack depicting various scenes of the area you are visiting, and while viewing the postcards themselves, they have an artificial colour appearance to them. Typically speaking, imagery that has such enhanced colour means that the photographer has placed a polarizing filter over their camera lens and dialed in the “maximum” effect the filter can produce. This has never been a good idea because the filter produces an artificial tonality at this point and this style of imagery is not desirable. A better way to proceed would be to use a polarizer sparingly. The old motto of “Less Is More” absolutely applies when accessing a filter of this design. When viewing a scene through your camera; by turning the outside ring of this filter it will allow you to see exactly the “quantity” of polarizing the filter will have on your subject matter. This filter when used properly can be used not only for image enhancement, but also for reducing or eliminating unwanted reflections from objects that might be distracting to your overall composition. The trick to using a filter like this effectively is to stand at approximately 90 degrees to the sun to observe its effect. Example: Let’s say you are outdoors on a beautiful sunny blue sky day and you wish to enhance the scene before you. Lets say it is close to noon, and at this point the sun is roughly straight up. That is important to remember because as already stated, a polarizer works best when your camera is at a 90 degree angle to the sun. Now, when looking through your viewfinder and rotating the exterior ring of your filter, you will most definitely notice that pale toned blue skies are now becoming darker in appearance and the colour of the sky is also enhanced in comparison to when you did not have a filter placed over your lens.
Try not to overdue the effect or as some photographers say, the intensity of the filters effects. You will most likely be more than happy with a little image enhancement as opposed to creating a very artificial reality. I also mentioned that a polarizer has the ability to minimize reflections and if you follow the same procedure as indicated above, you will have the opportunity to control specular highlight reflections as well. This can become a very handy and frequently used filter giving your imagery more visual strength. I have known photographers in the past who chose to leave this filter on their lens at all times. Their thinking is that should they need to polarize the scene in front of them, it is already affixed to their lens and in addition, they think of this filter as a protection filter, placed over their actual lens 24/7.
Do not purchase low end inexpensive filters! This is not recommended. When you purchased your camera gear, people often overlook the fact that their lenses have been designed with excellent qualifications optically, and to place a low end filter over these high quality computer designed optics simply doesn’t make sense. The lenses ability to capture excellent highlight, shadow, contrast and colour detail will be sacrificed degrading the quality of your imagery with inexpensive products.
*Always carry with you lens cleaning tissue and a recommended fluid and blower brush-(Not Kleenex and simple water). I have found over several years when creating imagery under various weather patterns that dust or rain has formed on my lens filter requiring a cleaning. Be prepared for events of this type so you can address the situation immediately and continue your photo journey without concern. It always makes for a greater level of enjoyment when you are prepared.
“Thank You” again for electing to be here and as always, I hope any information I share with you will be of great help to you!
*Check out my website for “SPECIALS” the studio is running from now to Christmas.
**CHILDREN’S BEAUTIFUL “FAIRY PORTRAITS” ARE ON SALE RIGHT NOW!!! THESE ARE STUNNING PHOTO SHOOTS AND ALL PARENTS ARE AMAZED AT THE BEAUTY OF THEIR CHILD’S IMAGERY!
With Good Wishes Extended,
Jeff Ryan Photography/Ryan Studio Ottawa
613-599-5363
5 Star Photographer
40 Years In Business