Summers in Arizona are best spent on the refreshing lake. Despite the hot temps, unforgettable memories can be made at Scorpion Bay and captured on camera.  When taking photos, you’ll experience light variations, beautiful skies, water-based backgrounds, and much more at Lake Pleasant.

Photography during the summer comes with its fair share of challenges. For example, the sun can be too intense, washing out your shots and adding unwanted contrast. Also, summer storms often create interesting cloud drama in the sky but be sure to keep your camera safe from the rain.  

Lighting

Learn to master lighting by paying careful attention to the sun.

1. Are there clouds? If so, how are they moving, and are they covering the sun?
2. Where is the sun positioned in the sky?

Clouds often diffuse the light, creating soft, balanced illumination perfect for flower photos, portraits, and landscapes. Clear skies, on the other hand, will produce hard, high-contrast light that’s great for architectural shots but bad for pretty much everything else.

It’s best to shoot early in the morning or late in the afternoon. These times – known as the golden hours – feature soft, golden light that’ll create long shadows and reveal plenty of subject detail.

Shooting Flowers

It’s fun to stumble upon a beautiful patch of wildflowers at Lake Pleasant in the summer. Pick a lens with a focal length in the 80-120mm range; it’ll let you photograph up close without needing to get inches from the edge of your subject, and you won’t have to deal with the bulkiness of a longer macro lens.

A tripod can be useful and helpful if you want to shoot at high magnifications but keep the entire flower in focus.

• Start by setting your ISO to its base value to keep your images as high quality as possible.
• Choose the aperture that gives you the depth of field effect you want. Wider apertures (smaller f-numbers) create a smaller window of focus, while narrower apertures (larger f-numbers) provide a larger area of focus. You can choose a softer-focus effect with artistic blur, in the f/2.8 to f/5.6 range, or a sharp effect in the f/8 to f/16 range. If you’re unsure, don’t hesitate to experiment and see what appeals to you.

Set the shutter speed value that gives you the proper exposure. Make sure it’s fast enough to ensure a sharp final image, especially at high magnifications. Typically, you’ll want at least 1/160s, but sometimes you can get away with 1/100 and faster.

Water-Based Fun at the Lake

Water-based fun is typically the number one activity at the lake, so be sure to photograph people enjoying the water from above or even frolicking UNDER the water. For underwater photography, you’ll need underwater housing (or a waterproof camera). You’ll also need swim gear; if you’re doing a lengthy underwater shoot, then a snorkel or even scuba equipment is a good idea, but you can always start by holding your breath, diving, and shooting. Detailed information here: https://www.uwphotographyguide.com/underwater-photography-guide-beginners.

Silhouette Shots

Deliberate silhouette shots are pretty easy. The secret is to time it just right, often early mornings or late evenings when the sun is low on the horizon. Position yourself strategically, with your subject between you and the bright sky.

Set your expose for the background. That way, your foreground subject will turn out ultra-dark, while the sky will look wonderfully vibrant. Experiment with different angles and adjusting the brightness levels until you achieve that magical balance. Shoot in RAW to have even more flexibility in post-processing, allowing you to recover or remove details as needed.

Bad Weather

Bad weather creates puddles, plenty of cloud drama, powerful light, and more – so the next time you sense bad weather, see if you can brave the unpleasantness and head outside with your camera.

Rain causes people to bring out their umbrellas, which allows you to capture all sorts of interesting images!

Portrait Photography and Props

If you’re into portrait photography, summer is the time to dive into the world of summer-themed photoshoots.

Bring along a handful of props that produce summer vibes. We like colorful sunglasses, flowers, and ice cream. These props will help you capture the summer feeling.

In conclusion, summer in Arizona is the best time to head out to the lake to have fun under the sun, and capture unforgettable memories on film.

Located just 45 minutes from downtown Phoenix in Peoria, Arizona on Lake Pleasant, Scorpion Bay offers convenience and world-class marina services for the entire family. With hundreds of covered and uncovered wet slips, world-class food at Scorpion Bay Grill – as well as boat rentals including pontoons, fishing boats, ski-boats, kayak, charter boats and other water toys – you’re sure to find a full day of entertainment on the water. As part of Lake Pleasant Regional Park, visitors can venture out for hiking, picnicking and wildlife viewing in the area as well as the new on-the-lake obstacle course, Paqua Park. Parking is easily accessible, and our no cost electric tram will take guests and their gear from the parking lot to the dock in minutes. Learn more at https://www.scorpionbayaz.com/

Scorpion Bay is managed by Desert Troon Companies https://desert-troon.com/

Scorpion Bay is Arizona’s premier floating playground, offering everything from daily pontoon and ski boat rentals to slips for harboring your yacht (or dinghy). Come for the fishing or come for the frolicking—either way, incredible mountain views, fantastic dining and world-class marina services await less than an hour out of Phoenix. https://www.scorpionbayaz.com/