One of my favorite seashore techniques is to stop the lens down and shoot extended exposures (15 seconds or longer) of the water hitting the shoreline. These extremely long exposures create a dreamy, silky look of the water, and are best done at sunrise or sunset. I like to shoot using traditional slide film with a colored enhancing filter. These long exposures usually cause a reciprocity color shift in the film, adding to the fun, unpredictable nature of the image. Bracket exposures generously on the plus side for these shots. A 2-minute pre-dawn exposure of waves hitting the rocky shoreline of Lake Superior in northern Minnesota. Tip 6: Rainy Day Landscapes Rainy and overcast skies create open shade lighting, similar to a giant studio softbox. This provides even, low-contrast light and certain advantages for some landscape shots. This lighting is great for shooting subjects like waterfalls and moving water that would otherwise have too much contrast to be properly rendered in direct sunlight. Mount your camera on a tripod and use a shutter speed of 1¼2 second or longer for terrific milky water shots with great tonal range. This low-contrast light is coupled with the second big benefit of shooting in wet weather—saturated color. The moisture will give plant foliage and landscapes more color saturation than can be achieved in dry conditions. For example, the normally crusty and parched soil of Badlands National Park are transformed into an intense color palette after a night of soaking rains. This terrain is normally a blanched, dusty landscape when it’s dry. The saturated color gained in wet conditions also makes shooting fall foliage spectacular. The rich colors contrast well against lush green canopies of leaves. Badlands National Park at sunrise after a night of soaking rain. Fall foliage and country road in the rain, northern Minnesota. Alaskan waterfall under raining skies. Tip 7: Dusty/Desert Conditions Similar to seashore photography, shooting in dusty or desert conditions expose your camera to damaging grit. In many instances you won't realize how much dust has really accumulated on your equipment until you take a close look at the end of the day. So a thorough wipe-down with a clean damp cloth and cleaning with a compressed air duster is essential after exposure to these conditions. The dust on this country road is highlighted by strong directional sunset light. Create a Shelter If you're shooting landscapes or macro photography and not moving around much, you can improvise a shelter by using two spring clamps to fasten an umbrella to the leg of your tripod. I use two stiff carpenter's spring clamps and I bolt the ends together with a wing nut and lock washer so I can adjust the clamps in the field. Then clamp the umbrella handle to your tripod leg and you've got an instant rain and snow shelter. Be sure to use a neutral colored umbrella to avoid a bad color cast on the scene. An umbrella clamped to the tripod leg for instant shelter. Use A Rain Cover When shooting in wet conditions I try to keep the camera under some type of plastic cover. You can buy commercially designed rain covers that work well, particularly when shooting in situations in which it’s unnecessary to reach into the hood to adjust focus. In a pinch you can also use a small plastic bag and a rubber band to protect your camera. Cut a hole in the corner of the bag just large enough for the lens to fit through and stretch the rubber band over the bag, securing it to the lens barrel. Then drape the rest of the bag over the camera for a temporary rain cover. An improvised camera cover made from a plastic bag and a rubber band.