Digital Travel Photography - Photographing Piers and Using Piers to Photograph Skylines

SUMMARY: Info on using piers as digital photo subjects and locations for shooting photos.

Piers are popular in the world of photography as they serve many purposes:

* If you want to photograph sunrises and sunsets near the water, a wide-angle shot with a pier near the foreground can add a nice subject to a potentially ordinary photograph.

* If you can safely walk underneath the pier, it might prove to be an effective natural lens shade during a bright, sunny day.

* Look for unique angles and nearby photo subjects. Take close-up shots of the pier to focus on the grain and texture of the wood. Point your camera lens down towards the water and you might see ducks swimming by the posts or birds swimming down for food.

* There are also many photo opportunities from piers themselves. Especially in large cities a pier is an excellent vantage point for a skyline photograph with water in the foreground. As I have mentioned in previous tips, Navy Pier in Chicago is one of my favorite vantage points for taking photos of the Chicago skyline.