Crescent Harbor Day1am

What a typical DLWS morning. Started off with the participants thinking we were nuts with our shoot locale. While exploring, a participant Mary Ellen found this cool boat being worked on. She found me later and told me and while the staff was walking back to the van after already shooting 10GB, I told McNally about the boat and off to the races we went!

The owner of the yard was great, invited us in, told us what they were doing and then opened the giant doors letting in amazing light as you can see above. Joe being Joe quickly found the perfect model and the pixels, they went a flyin! Don’t tell Joe this, but he is magic!

Photos captured by D3, 14-24AFS on Lexar UDMA digital film

A Special Morning

Yesterday morning we took the DLWS staff to a very special location of ours. It’s an amazing place that really can’t take much human pressure. The big attraction are the ferns in one section, and the light that streams down in another.

It’s a place that in my mind screams black and white so that’s what I did with the ferns. It was a great place to try my new technique and we found the perfect application for it as we left. McNally being the genius that he is, said we needed scale and demonstrating just how smart he is, he elected our son Jake as the model. While not perfecting composed, Jake did a great job of not moving for all the cameras and all of the exposures.

Photos captured by D3, 14-24AFS/24-70AFS on Lexar UDMA digital film

Stout Grove

We ventured to the Stout Grove at Jedidiah Smith Nat’l Park today for a great afternoon of shooting. Claimed to be one of the most photogenic groves of redwoods, I’d have to agree because I’m still processing images taken from this afternoon, there were that many!

Photos captured by D3, 24PC-E on Lexar UDMA digital film

I Had to See

The light couldn’t have been any nastier, 13stop range from the darkest shadow to the brightest highlight. Just really bad light shot nearly literally at highnoon. While what you see here is my artistic final for the scene, where I purposely discarded some shadow detail, it was there to be thrown away. This new technique captured detail in all 13stops and then gave me the ability to use what I wanted. Furthermore, you’ll notice the trees are pretty darn straight. Shot with the 24PC.

Photo captured by D3, 24PC-E on Lexar UDMA digital film

30yrs +1

The DLWS Staff went scouting today, spending time looking for new treasures to share with folks and we found a great site I’ll share with you later this week.

Also had a moment to process a couple of images shot yesterday with my new technique. This 9 stop image I finished with a new B&W tool. I wish you could see it full size, the incredible amount of detail from white to black is just incredible. I can’t wait to fire up the 3800 and print it out on Exhibition paper!

Photo captured by D3, 14-24AFS on Lexar UDMA digital film

Interesting Day to Celebrate

Endangered Species day, yeap, that’s what today is. We are celebrating endangered species, that’s just plain weird if you ask me! Working with them and their issues on a nearly daily basis, everyday is sadly endangered species day. Hopefully it might just stop some for just a moment and have them think about them. It is difficult when our own problems seems daunting, but we do share the planet. I thought I would “celebrate” the day by highlighting some of our smaller, unseen and unknown neighbors.

The top photo is the Delhi Sands Flower Loving Fly. With the word fly in its name, it doesn’t get much respect. A very interesting insect that comes out from under the sand only when it’s bloody hot and then, only for a short period to mate. I photographed this one behind a organ store in a lot smaller than my home’s on very hot August day. This was photographed back in the days of film with a Nikon 200MC AF.

The Carson Wandering Skipper was thought extinct. A very small population was rediscovered (6 males) when I was called to come in and document it before it disappeared again. We were very lucky to find 1 male that day we visited and it walked me all over the place in the efforts to record it. It was photographed with a 70-200VR with a Canon 500D.

The last one is more than likely now extinct. The Doyen’s Dune Weevil unlike most endangered species doesn’t even get any notice. That’s due in part because it’s so bloody small, .007-.008 inches! Also because it’s not well known or glamorous. It’s all a mute point now, couldn’t find it if you wanted to. This was photographed with a 60MC AF.

My only regret is, I’ve only eeked out 1 visit for each of these critters over the years. I know so much more about my craft now that I could do such a better job now if only……

It only took 30yrs!

Driving along Hwy 101 cruising through the Del Norte Grove of redwoods, you see this scene all along the road. A single god beam piercing through the canopy dramatically lighting one majestic giant. You stop to capture the moment only to comeback with either mud or bleached out greens. The reason, the range of light. In this particular scene, when I metered the light it was a 11 stop range!

Today as we were driving up the redwoods it occurred to me a way of making this photograph happen real easily. We no sooner had dropped out luggage in our room and we were out at the grove seeing if my idea would work. I’m tickled pink to report that with less work then loading a flash card into the D3 I made this image containing information in the shadows and highlights and every point in between.

Oh, how did I do it? If you are with us this week at DLWS, I’m going to show you the answer. If not, well, it only took me 30yrs to figure it out.

Photo captured by D3, 14-24AFS on Lexar UDMA digital film

Ah, the Sea Air!

From the plains of South Dakota to the Sierra (even if for just a heartbeat) through the Central Valley (at 106 degrees today) to reach the gorgeous north coast of California in 36hrs. Ah……………

We hear our DLWS staff is in Mobby Dick speeding their way up as I type, McNally being entertained with the playing of Little Mermaid in the van’s Dvd system, so I know we’ll be causin trouble come sunrise. Be sure to stay tuned, it’s DLWS week here on the blog!

Photos captured by D3, 200VR on Lexar UDMA digital film

Nikon WT-4a

This is one cool tool! The WT-4a brings to digital photography the ability to finally see on our computer monitor exactly what the camera is seeing, wirelessly! That’s right, using Camera Control Pro 2, D3 or D300 and the WT-4a, you can use Live View wirelessly!

As good as this sounds, like everything involving computers, there’s a hitch or two. I’ve been working these out for my own upcoming projects this spring (nesting birds). In the process, I wrote down what I found worked for me which will be available shortly in the upcoming BT Journal.

But this brings up an important part of wildlife photography. There are new tools coming out for the digital photographer on a nearly daily basis. Some are great, some are pure junk. Checking them all out and running their problem solving abilities through your own photographic tasks and you might find one that makes the difference between getting the photo or not.

Two more from SD

We headed over to Sylvan Lake (closing scene locale from Nat’l Treasure 2) to photograph some waterfowl. In working a Red-winged Blackbird busily building a nest (where the sun didn’t shine), I looked up and noticed this kinda cool reflection scene. It was finished using Nik’s Tonal Contrast. Always a good reason to carry a second body when working with the long lens.

While working the Upland Sandpiper, we were faked out when we glassed down the fence row in the distance and saw a brown bird that once we snug up upon it, discovered it was a Western Meadowlark. Well, couldn’t let a great background and fullframe subject go to waist!

Photos captured by D3, 70-300VR/600VR w/TC-17e on Lexar UDMA digital film

Out of the fog

We started our morning in a real thick fog, and the weather wasn’t too nice either! In any case, wildlife didn’t let us down giving us a heck of a show. For example, the pronghorn buck. Or this Bison

but without doubt the highlight for the week for me was today with the arrival of the Upland Sandpipers.

This is a bird I’ve long wanted to add to my files and got to in grand fashion today. Shooting with the 600VR w/TC-17e handheld out the truck window, we used the truck as a blind. Sitting atop a rise we glassed the fence line waiting for the male to fly in to display. When he did, we then started the truck, got a little momentum and then cut the engine to coast up to the sandpiper. The technique worked like a charm permitting me to bring back over 500 images of this long time advisary.

Photos captured by D3, 200-400VR / 600VR w/TC-17e on Lexar UDMA digital film

Getta long litl doggie!

Coming down to the end of SD Base Camp and the photo opps just keep getting better and better. This evening we were amongst a herd of bison that decided to just have fun running. So we closed our lenses down to f22 so we had a shutter speed of 1/20 and then panning, made this bison look like track stars.

Photos captured by D3, 200-400VR on Lexar UDMA digital film

Paying dues pays off

When it comes to sunrises, the view from the Badlands is really hard to beat. The drama of the sun coming up over the distant landscape of the prairie is really awe inspiring!

And when you leave the warmth of the lodge at 4am for capture such splendor, the dues you’ve paid tend to pay off.

The view is so spectacular that the large band of Rocky Mtn Bighorn took time from modeling for us to take it in.

And when life is being good to you and you take the time to take it in….

you tend to get rewarded. Perhaps not always as spectacularly as a pair of young rams air dancing, but just in the fact your just taking it all in.

Photos captured by D3, 600VR / 200-400VR on Lexar UDMA digital film

Yeah, we get 'em close

The photo gods smiled on us, again, today with great opportunities and light.

After a Deeeelious dinner we headed up the road to find this ewe group of Rocky Mtn Bighorn Sheep. Practicing newly learned skills, the Campers get in a position to let the sheep to get to know them and then come close on their own terms, the best way to get close because next came….

and then….

and then even closer….

Until they are literally so close we can’t shoot because the darn sheep are within six feet of us. Ah, to have such problems.

Photos captured by D3, 200-400VR / 600VR w/TC-17e on Lexar UDMA digital film

Yeah, we get ‘em close

The photo gods smiled on us, again, today with great opportunities and light.

After a Deeeelious dinner we headed up the road to find this ewe group of Rocky Mtn Bighorn Sheep. Practicing newly learned skills, the Campers get in a position to let the sheep to get to know them and then come close on their own terms, the best way to get close because next came….

and then….

and then even closer….

Until they are literally so close we can’t shoot because the darn sheep are within six feet of us. Ah, to have such problems.

Photos captured by D3, 200-400VR / 600VR w/TC-17e on Lexar UDMA digital film

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