The Recipe for Getting This Type of Shot

SCOTT KELBY

Characteristics of this type of shot: your subject fills the frame from side-to-side; no visible sky; great contrast of color; interesting placement of subject.

1. The star of this shot is really the contrasting colorsotherwise it would just be another "rowboat in the water" shot. There were dozens of boats in the harbor that day, but this one was the only one with such great contrasting colors. The white and salmon color against that blue water creates lots of visual interest through color.

2. To get this wonderful light and the soft shadows, there are only two times of day you can shooteither at dawn or dusk. This was taken at dusk, and that's why the colors are so vivid (the colors are vivid because the sun isn't washing them out).

3. To get this close to the boat, you either have to be in another boat or on the dock with a long lens, which is the case here. Put on your longest zoom lens and zoom in so that the boat almost fills the width of the frame.

4. You must use a tripod to get a shot like this for two reasons: (a) it's dusk so the light is low and you really can't hand-hold and get a sharp photo, and (b) you're using a long lens. The further you're zoomed in, the more any tiny vibration will be exaggerated and your photos will be blurry. You've gotta use a tripod for shots in low light with a zoom.

5. The other key to getting a shot like this is composition. By putting the boat up top, rather than dead center, it creates loads of visual interest and draws your eye right to the subject.