Sharon,

Two words that you say above leads me to post here: "BRIGHT and SUNNY". Everytime I see an outdoor image the has lots of contrast (hot spots and shadows), I immediately want to know what time of day the image was taken? You mentioned later in this tread, that the area of these shots is very near to you, that you go to often. In fact, I recall you saying that you often will spend HOURS there just looking at the rocks, etc.

Sometimes, new photographers need a bit of direction in this area. First of all, it goes without saying that the human eye, film and a digital sensor all see and process differently. With this in mind, you may not be able to control every aspect of a shot, at a particular time; however, you can determine the time. Let me share with you the "Dr. Pepper Rule".

Never heard of the "Dr. Pepper Rule"? Bet you have. But, it has not really locked into your head as being such a key factor to outdoor photography. One of Dr. Pepper's ad slogans (and older logos) involved the "10, 2 and 4" time sequence (and clock face). Their pitch was to have a Dr. Pepper at these three times during the day. Well, this is just an easy basic guide for outdoor photography lighting and contrast.

Do your shooting before 10 am; never shoot at 2 pm; and, don't start shooting again until after 4 pm. Not necessarily the clock times, it's the sun times. As a general rule, your best natural light is going to be before 10 am, and after 4 pm. Shooting between these two times can often give to you a very difficult light/contrast problem that your eye may process; however, film and a digital sensor will not. Yes, there are exceptions to this. Weather can play a part; e.g., overcast, rain, fog, etc. Or an outdoor subject that is in covered shade due to some natural or man-made structure that puts the subject in an even light without high contrast light and shadow.

I think if you begin to follow my Dr. Pepper Rule when you venture out to practice your outdoor shooting. . .you will see a real difference in your exposures. This guideline is geared to getting the shot right in the camera right from the moment you press the shutter release.

For me, the most important question that needs to be answered about an outdoor photography shot is "at what sun time did you take the image?"

So listening to all of you has been invaluable. My first goal was to master the camera. I've never used manual mode before i always used auto. So the past year has been about learning what Fstops and shutter speeds and focal lengths etc to use while also getting good exposed images. While there is always more to learn on this, I no longer feel overwhelmed by those basics. Now I am going to sit back and think about composition. What story do I want to tell? What did I see that drew my eye in and therefore what do I want others to see and feel. Sometimes its texture, sometimes lines, sometimes emotion, sometimes color sometimes a mix of these things. I think the mix is what causes the clutter - what should I leave out to make an interesting photo. HA - I want to include it all. I like that, I like this, oooooh that's cool. ETC. ha I am laughing at myself as I write this. I use the boring rocks picture as an example - the shape and color drew me in. Now how do I show that in an interesting way? HMMM something to ponder.

So listening to all of you has been invaluable. My first goal was to master the camera. I've never used manual mode before i always used auto. So the past year has been about learning what Fstops and shutter speeds and focal lengths etc to use while also getting good exposed images. While there is always more to learn on this, I no longer feel overwhelmed by those basics. Now I am going to sit back and think about composition. What story do I want to tell? What did I see that drew my eye in and therefore what do I want others to see and feel. Sometimes its texture, sometimes lines, sometimes emotion, sometimes color sometimes a mix of these things. I think the mix is what causes the clutter - what should I leave out to make an interesting photo. HA - I want to include it all. I like that, I like this, oooooh that's cool. ETC. ha I am laughing at myself as I write this. I use the boring rocks picture as an example - the shape and color drew me in. Now how do I show that in an interesting way? HMMM something to ponder.