What is Scott Kivowitz's approach to summer photography and how can it enhance my photos?

Hi there! I’m Scott Wyden Kivowitz.

My approach to summer photography leans on a few core ideas that carry through a lot of my critiques and teaching: intention, simplicity, and control of light and tone. Here’s how that can enhance your photos:

• Intentional compositions
  I’m always looking for a clear subject and story. That might mean:
• Using leading lines (paths, shorelines, piers) to guide the eye
• Avoiding elements that “don’t belong” in the frame (like a lifeguard stand or random people that change the mood)
• Moving my feet, not just my zoom, until the frame feels purposeful

When you ask “does everything in this frame support the story?” and remove what doesn’t, your summer images feel more deliberate and professional.

• Controlling harsh summer light
  Summer light can be brutal mid‑day. I’ll:
• Prefer sunrise and sunset for softer, directional light and color
• Underexpose a little to protect skin and sky highlights, then lift shadows later
• Watch for blown highlights on skin, clouds, and reflections, even in HDR

If you protect highlights and embrace slightly darker exposures, you keep detail in skies, faces, and water that would otherwise be lost.

• Using long exposures for calm, dreamy scenes
  In seascapes, lakes, or waterfalls, I often suggest:
• Longer shutter speeds to smooth water and simplify distractions
• ND or graduated ND filters to balance bright skies with darker foregrounds
• Tripod use so everything that should be sharp, stays sharp

That smooth water look shifts attention from chaotic detail to your main subject (a lighthouse, flip flops, a pier), giving images a more cinematic, intentional feel.

• Natural color and subtle processing
  In critiques, I frequently call out:
• Overly punchy clarity that turns clouds into gray, crunchy blobs
• Color shifts that push water or skies too green, or grass into neon
• Heavy vignettes or halos around buildings or trees

Summer scenes are already rich. Dialing back clarity, sharpening, and saturation—especially in skies and greens—helps your photos feel believable, clean, and timeless.

• Building series, not just one-offs
  A single quirky or abstract frame is nice, but I look for how an image fits a body of work. For summer:
• Think in small projects: “beach evenings,” “boardwalk details,” “quiet mornings on the lake”
• Repeat a visual language (color palette, perspective, shutter speeds) so the images feel like they belong together

When you shoot with a mini-series in mind, your keepers are stronger and your portfolio feels more cohesive.

If you’d like, I can give you a simple summer shooting “checklist” tailored to the kind of places you visit most (beach, city, mountains, lakes, etc.).

What kinds of summer scenes do you find yourself photographing most often?