The First Photo Shoot

One of the best things about living in Cleveland is the large varieties of beautiful parks. The Bedford Reservation is one of those parks that covers some 2,200 acres. With that much territory, of course there are many beautiful, scenic locations to enjoy. That made it the perfect location for my first photo shoot.

One of our favorite areas happens to be a section of Tinkers Creek that is easily accessible and near the road that snakes through that part of the park.

The location I was at is near the Dunham Road and Gorge Parkway intersection. 

The water is shallow, but there is a steady current. The trees that crowd the banks make for a wonderful scene. There are also plenty of rocks that are either submerged by the creek or make for nice stepping stones depending on how much water is running through the creek at that time. 

I had taken some photos in this location previously with my cell phone and a lot them came out really nice. With the water running down the creek, the trees on the side as well as the fact that the creek runs sort of east/west in that section the sun comes down unobstructed on the creek creating some fascinating light and shadows.

We’ve always liked this section of the park and came here often. It would make sense that this would be the location of my first photo shoot with my new Nikon d5100. Having no formal training as a photographer, I’m beginning this journey self taught. After each time out I’m sure to learn lessons and apply the things that I have learned.

This outing gave me plenty of time to learn to use my camera in manual mode. My first lessons would be using aperture and shutter speed to control the way my photos come out. I kept the ISO at 100 and adjust it. Instead I focused on the aperture and shutter speed. I could readily see the effect that altering the settings and the combinations of the two were having on my photos.

The day was partly cloudy so the light conditions were constantly changing. The sun was shining unobstructed and bright one moment, then partly cloudy and shaded the next. It was great conditions for a first time out. This also made for a learning experience as I got to test out several types of conditions at once.

I also was able to practice shifting the focus of a picture by working with the aperture. Having a wider aperture allows more light in. It also allows you to focus tightly on objects that are up close in your field of vision. Sitting in the same spot without moving my camera, I could then adjust the aperture setting higher which then transferred the focus to an object out further and created a blurred effect for the object that was close to me.  

One aspect of the location was a surprise. When we arrived there was a large section of a tree that was sitting on the banks of the creek. It was fun to work around the tree and incorporate it in various ways in the photos. For several of the photos, it served as a place to sit. I found that some of my best pictures were the ones with my family sitting on one end of the log while I sat on the other end and snapped away.

Lessons Learned:

Since this was my first time out, the lessons that I learned were pretty basic. During bright conditions, having the aperture open too much allows way too much light into the camera. This caused my photos to appear washed out. The shutter speed can affect this as well. Leaving the shutter open for too long lets in a lot of light. This can also flood the photo, erasing the character, details and shadows that make a photo unique.

It was a constant balance finding that right combination. When I got close, I liked the photos that I took. 

Finding the tree near the creek, though unexpected, taught me to make use of what the location provides. It may be unexpected and you may have a plan going into a location but don’t stick to that plan so tightly that you can’t pivot and make use of what’s there. 

I had been to that location many times and I don’t ever remember that tree being there. But it was there this time, and I was able to put it to good use.