How to Capture Beautiful Images In-Between Seasons

Spring hasn't officially arrived quite yet, and it'll still be some time before spring starts blooming up North here in Canada. This in-between season's stage we're in right now is not really all that pretty. There's half-melted snow piles and mud puddles galore. There's squelch and dead all over the forests. All that yuck and muck isn't attractive, but I still have this desire to capture beautiful images, so how do I go about my photography even when it's unsightly? Today I'm sharing with you some ideas about how you can still capture the beauty in your life, within your images, during the in-between seasons. 

1. Crop out the unsightly 

Compose your pictures in a way that crops out what is unattractive. This might mean cropping in on your subject to avoid dirty and melting snow piles. Try and shoot through something pretty, like the branches of an evergreen tree. Or use a telephoto lens so that you have less environment in your image. 

^{ISO 400, 130mm, f3.5, 1/3200SS}

2. Find a green or more attractive backdrop 

Sometimes it can be hard to find attractive surroundings during this time of year. Look for areas of dense trees or evergreens as backgrounds. Sometimes buildings can be used as beautiful backdrops, like an old brick building. There's always beauty to be found. Sometimes you might have to work a little harder to find it. 

^{ISO 500, 190mm, f2.8, 1/640SS}

3. Focus on details 

Maybe your background isn't all that attractive. That's okay. There's still a lot to photograph. Take this time to focus on the details in spring. Many beautiful small details can be the focus in a frame, like dandelions or little bugs emerging from winter's slumber. 

^{ISO 200, 105mm, f3, 1/640SS}

4. Look upwards 

Photograph your subject above the ground. When your subject is up high in a tree or on a playground structure, you'll be able to avoid all that muck melting on the ground. Try and create a silhouette against a stunning sunset or bright blue sky. Photographing from below your subject is not only a great way in which you can minimize ground elements, but it is also a fun perspective in which to capture an image. 

^{ISO 640, 70mm, f4, 1/1250SS}

5. Convert to black and white 

Conversions are the perfect way in which to eliminate colour. Perhaps your background hasn't greened up yet, and the brown straw backdrop is not what you envisioned for your image. Now is the time to think about how you can create a strong black and white photograph. 

^{ISO 100, 50mm, Freelensed, 1/1000SS}

6. Bring spring indoors 

When all else fails, bring spring indoors. There are many different ways in which you can accomplish this. I like to infuse my frames with things that remind me of spring, like a bunch of tulips or newly potted seeds.  

^{ISO 1000, 35mm, f3.5, 1/200SS}

Spring may not be blooming yet where you live, but there are ways to get around photographing the end of winter melt. It won't be long now, and signs of spring will begin to bloom, but until then, use these tips to help you beautifully capture your everyday moments.