Sedona, Arizona, Winter Landscape

Sedona, Arizona, Winter Landscape ⇑

One of my favorite places in all the world, Sedona, Arizona is the subject of this photo. It was captured on a beautiful winter day, late January of 2009. The temperature was an unusually temperate 78 degrees, a gentle breeze was blowing . . . I was in heaven! This is what attracts me to the southwestern United States. Marvelous red rock vistas and the high desert.

This was captured with a Nikon D40 and kit lens. I typically set aperture at F:8 or F:10 and let the camera choose shutter speed. Typically, I dial in exposure compensation of -0.7 to insure that the bright highlights in the sky are not blown out. I always use a tripod for landscape photography. Often, when people complain about shooting images that do not come out sharp, they will blame the lens. Just about all modern lenses are ’sharp enough.’ Using a tripod allows you to get the full sharpness your lens is capable of. Plus, rarely will you need to stop down the lens beyond F:8-F:11 which is the sharpness sweet spot for most modern lenses. Used properly, modern kit lenses are capable of excellent results!