Here the magnificent mountain scenery. Over there the lush green and in the foreground the clear water of the lake. Perfect photo motifs for a vacation album like these can be found everywhere on the golf courses in Golf-Alpin-Land. Thanks to cell phone cameras and compact digital devices, such moments can easily be captured for eternity. But not everyone is a master of photography right away. What looks like a wonderland on the golf course sometimes has little effect at home on the PC screen. Leonhard Steinberg is a golfer, one of the most successful golf bloggers in the German-speaking world - and he is a photographer! He has been working in responsible positions in the photo industry for almost eleven years. After many years as marketing manager at a lens manufacturer, he is now Head of Project Management at a media company in the imaging industry, where he is responsible for setting up a conference for professional photographers, among other things. So who else could give more valuable tips exclusively for Golf Alpin than Steinberg.
Leonhard, when is the light best for golf course photos? Is it worth getting up early?
Steinberg: Absolutely. It's beautiful on the square in the morning, and not just for photographers. The combination of morning dew and rising sun makes it very easy to find beautiful motifs. It's ideal if you're on vacation right near the golf course and can take a little morning walk before breakfast. But also towards the end of the day, when the sun is low, it can be photographed very well. The point is: the lower the sun, the more the terrain shapes are emphasized by light and shadow. The same place, on the other hand, can look very flat and boring in the high midday sun.
But how do I best capture the scenery so that it doesn't just look like a green field?
Steinberg: It's always good to use certain basic rules. The golden section is one of them. In simplified terms, you can divide the image into thirds and then place the important motifs in the intersections. My tip for golf course pictures: Put the bunker still in the front of the picture, crop a tree in the out-of-focus area or look for interesting shapes and structures. And, of course, always capture the small details at the edge of the course.
Which camera is recommended for a "normal" golf vacation? Will a cell phone camera do?
Steinberg: Absolutely. Especially in this day and age, the quality of modern smartphones is amazingly good. The cell phone is almost always with you anyway and takes up little space. Ideal for vacation pictures for Facebook or Instagram. But of course, depending on what you have in mind, you'll reach the limits of your equipment more or less quickly. For fast image sequences and panoramic images in the best print quality, a mirrorless system camera or SLR is still the best choice - of course with the disadvantage of having to carry significantly more luggage. A good compromise could be high-quality compact cameras, some of which already have a large sensor, but are still comparatively compact.
Then let's stay with the cell phone camera: What are the tips and tricks there? Steinberg: With the newer smartphones, you can set the RAW mode in the camera app. This gives you even more leeway for later editing.
Otherwise, I would always keep my hands off the digital zoom. The quality drops rapidly.
And what about the preset color filters on the smartphone?
Steinberg: What is allowed is what pleases. As a basic rule, it is always good to stay away from the extreme positions of the filter settings. This often results in artificial colors or white borders around parts of the image.
How do I actually find the perfect perspective?
Steinberg: There's no patent remedy here. But it often helps to leave the normal line of sight. That means getting down on your knees and taking a low perspective or climbing the next hill to get a higher vantage point. And very important: Walk across the square with your eyes open.
How do I get the perfect action shot on the golf course?
Steinberg: The most important criterion is the right exposure time: especially with longer exposure times, the movement becomes blurred. In any case, it's important to set as high a frame rate as possible and to press the shutter release as early as the downswing. From this sequence of images, it is then very easy to pick out the ideal image, for example the moment of impact. Some cell phones and cameras also have action functions that create image sequences directly. This is a very effective aid and should definitely be used legitimately. My favorite of these, by the way, are bunker shots. It simply looks strong when a lot of sand flies through the air.
Thanks for the tips. That almost rules out a rude awakening at home. Or are there still absolute no-go's?
Steinberg: Yes, there are. Disturbing other players and running into forbidden zones, for example. If you're playing and taking pictures at the same time, you should be careful not to interfere with other players and subsequent flights. A quick reach for the camera, especially in short moments of waiting, is usually the best way.
