Tell us a bit about the magic of summer + the connection to your lens?

Summer is my favourite time of year to photograph. The season brings warm, bright light and vivid colours. Summer also means I get to spend lots of time with my boys, with plenty of opportunity to photograph authentic moments.

What about this session makes it an Epic summer session?

This past summer we were fortunate enough to holiday in Palm Springs, CA. We stayed in a house that had an amazing pool. I have a passion for water photography. Getting my gear in or around water is always my favourite. Water always gives me something to explore. The way light plays on water and the movement of the water is ever changing. I am memorized and constantly challenged by it. Being in the pool everyday during our week vacation was definitely an epic summer session!

What else is on your summer bucket list to photograph this summer?

I plan to get my gear in and around the water as much as possible.

What gear was used to achieve these?

Canon Mark III, Sigma 24 1.4 Art, Ikelite Underwater Housing

Any summer tips or photographer advice?

Some of my favourite images are ones that transport me back to the moment…floating in the blue lake water watching as boys jump from the dock, splashing into the water.How can you capture the memorable moments this summer? Here are a few helpful tips.

tell the story of your summer – Photography is about expression. As photographers we have the ability to convey emotion, mood, and messages through our images. I love the stories I can express in a photograph. I especially love the feeling and emotions an image can evoke when I look back at them.Tell your story of summer through your images. Use these questions and thoughts to help you tell your story of summer.What does summer mean to you? swimming pools, picnics, building sand castles at the beach, campfires, driving with the windows down, eating ice cream, a cold drink in hand? What does it make you think about? Blue skies, heat of the sun, green grass, bare feet, music, golden fields, waves?How does it make you feel? Happiness, warmth, relaxed, carefree, silly, excitement, adventurous, love? get wet – Summer usually includes water, whether it be the swimming pool, sprinkler, slip-n-slide, water guns, water balloons, the ocean or lake. There is no better way to capture summer then by using water!

Get underwater – There are plenty of ways to get underwater photos. For a fairly low cost option there are cases available for your iPhone, or amazing waterproof point-and-shoots. Or options that are more of an investment, an underwater housing unit for your DSLR. Use a zoom lens – Keep your camera safely away from the water by stepping back and zooming into the water action. Get close to the water – You don’t need to be in the water, just get as close as you can. Before I had my underwater housing I used to lay on the side of the pool, holding my camera just above the water. Or I used to walk right into the lake with my camera. Just a word of warning, you have to be brave (or maybe a little crazy) having your gear this close to water. maximize colours – Summer is especially full of rich, bright, saturated colours, use them to help tell your story. Colour is highly expressive and can communicate a message in our images. Deep, saturated colours can add impact to your images. Colour choice can also help set the mood of your images. Warm tones of orange, red or yellow can bring to mind the warm temperatures of summer. In contrast, the cool tones of blue can bring to mind feelings of refreshment. Remember colour in even the littlest details, swimsuits, beach towels, watermelons.

Use the light – Light can be glorious in the summer. We photographers are told that there is “bad” light, like shooting in full midday sun. Of course not all light is equal, but that doesn’t mean we can’t learn to use any kind of light to create a great image. This summer take advantage of the soft golden light of sunrise and sunset, but don’t forget about the rest of the day. Real summer life happens all day so don’t put away your camera in midday sun, just learn to use that light creatively too. My advise is to observe the light, look at what it is doing throughout your day, watch the shadows it creates, watch the colours and tones it creates. Practice using all different types of light. Oh and don’t forget to add some fun sunbursts in your images!

use movement- How can you add energy, emotion and visual interest to an image? By adding movement! Summer is full of fun active activities such as biking, skateboarding, swimming, blowing bubbles and running through the sprinkler. This is the perfect opportunity to capture movement! Freeze motion at the peak of the action; anticipate what will happen and be ready to capture the right moment. Or imply motion with blur; by either panning or using a slow shutter speed.

ABOUT THE ARTIST :

Ardelle Neubert is a lifestyle and fine art photographer. She lives in Calgary, AB, Canada with her husband and their two boys. She carries her camera everyone, capturing the real life moments of love, laughter, daily activities and adventures in her life. Ardelle is an international award winning photographer who’s work has been featured in a variety of publications including Click Magazine, Real Simple Magazine, Photolife Magazine, and several photography blogs. She is also a contributor to Offset and Freelance photographer. When she isn’t keeping up with a calendar full of her boys’ sports and activities, she loves being anywhere near the water. Ardelle’s work can be seen here:

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