MMW Last Shoot, Day 5 – AM Shoot

We had covered a couple of the main staples of  landscape photographs for most of the week. Which leads me up to the next most important attribute, drama in the light. Mother nature was a little slow in providing it but when she came through for us, she really came through for us. I’m not sure all that I was presenting and building upon sunk in with everyone in the class, but it did with a couple which is why I teach. It was a good morning.

You might be looking at Marshall Point Lighthouse here and be thinking to yourself, “this lighthouse looks vaguely familiar.” Well, what if you looked at this view of it?

This might be nudging you along but probably still not making the connection. This one will do it for you.

Yep, Forest Gump went to the end of this walk and decided to turn around and run to the other side of the country. You know, I actually think there is something to be learned from that.

Looking at the weather today, I changed our flight out so I could go after one other image I wanted. With the extra time, Sharon & I cruised the ME coast south and found ourselves back at Marshall Point. I took the opportunity to walk out and shoot back on the lighthouse and house knowing I wouldn’t be in anyone’s photo this time. It’s a pretty cool place!

Photos captured by D3x, 24PC-E on Lexar UDMA digital film

The 3 Min Portrait or, The Saving Grace

We were at this very special place that my good bud Joe McNally told me about here in ME. He threw me a lifeline bless him, and at first, I didn’t grab it. But in that process of throwing me a line he also threw me a challenge, get a portrait of Andy. Why was that a challenge, well you need to know Andy to understand that. At first, Andy turned me down cold. Being a guest at his very cool place, I didn’t push which is staying in my comfort zone. I was going to do a brief flash lighting demo for the class using it to teach light more than flash. The demo was scheduled for 5PM, I had 90min to get ready.

After dorking around outside, I headed in to see what a couple of the students were doing. I found Sharon and my MMW assistant in the “shop” talking with Andy. I stopped, thought about what I’ve learned from Joe and the challenge and engaged Andy in conversation. He had in a back room a old radial plane engine and I asked what was the story. He told me it was from a B-29, that he used to have two and sold one and kept the other one because his dad flew in a B-29 in WWII. I asked where, and he said in the far east. I said my dad was in a B-29 at Clark, and asked where was his dad stationed. In Saipan. We instantly formed a bond talking about our dad’s WWII exploits. I made contact with my subject on a personal level, right out of McNally’s playbook. As you can see, I got Andy for 3 min (and made a new friend!) and it was the best 3 min of the day!

The photo itself is pretty straight forward. I have minimal lighting gear with me, SB-900, SD9 & 24″ EzyBox with SU800. That’s what Andy is lit with. Jim in the group had a Tri-Grip & SB-800 with 1/2cut CTO so that lit the back left truck. Another Jim had another SB-800 and that lit the other side of the truck. Not happy with the highlights on the tank. The last flash was an SB-900 was set to 200mm to light the truck globe behind Andy. All TTL driven, pretty darn simple, the 3 min portrait.

Thanks Andy and thanks Joe!

Photo captured by photographer with head reattached

What was I Thinking? Wasn't Thinking is The Problem

Had a killer opportunity and rather than seizing the moment, my mind went to mush! I hate it when I can’t get out of my own way. The problem, so much too shoot and rather than pushing for something new, I settled for what’s easy. Stupid, stupid stupid! See what I mean….

Sucks, sucks, sucks!

My only saving grace was meeting and befriending a very genuine person, a craftsman and character and then having just 3 minutes of his time. That of course came as a gift from another dear friend who pushes me thank goodness to go outside my comfort zone. MTC!

Crappie photos captured by space cadet!

What was I Thinking? Wasn’t Thinking is The Problem

Had a killer opportunity and rather than seizing the moment, my mind went to mush! I hate it when I can’t get out of my own way. The problem, so much too shoot and rather than pushing for something new, I settled for what’s easy. Stupid, stupid stupid! See what I mean….

Sucks, sucks, sucks!

My only saving grace was meeting and befriending a very genuine person, a craftsman and character and then having just 3 minutes of his time. That of course came as a gift from another dear friend who pushes me thank goodness to go outside my comfort zone. MTC!

Crappie photos captured by space cadet!

Kissing Lighthouses, MMW Day 3 – PM Shoot

We made the drive last night to Portland Lighthouse which I had photographed just a month ago. The one thing about this iconic locale is that at sunset, at that exact minute, you have to leave the park. We obtained permission last night to stay late and man, it was worth it. We had a great storm and the images were killer.

What you see here is our class lesson that I just finished from our shoot last night. This is by no means the finished image. I learned something last night standing there in the rain watching the light beam which really is messing with my mind. I’m throwing this up to just plant the seed and I will next week add water to it to see what grows for all of us. I want to thank the gang for going along with the crazy instructor who drug them all down to this lighthouse in the rain. They had to go on faith there was a reason to the madness and I appreciate that!

Photo captured by D3x, 45PC-E on Lexar UDMA digital film

MMW Day 3 – AM Shoot, WOW!

It might seem I’m on a lighthouse binge, but when in Maine, what else do you do? MMW provides an assistant, Brendan, who happens to be a really good one and has been coming up with some great shoots. This morning it was the Rockland Breakwater Lighthouse.

It’s about a mile walk out on the breakwater to reach the lighthouse. It was a blustery, gray day making perfect conditions for B&W photography. Using the same technique I used on the Solon School House, all I had to do was line all the lines up and finish in the DD. I’m liking this shot.

Once at the lighthouse, I walked all around it looking at the photographic possibilities. Up on the 2nd deck I spied this bench and instantly I saw the photo of the day for me. Putting the 16Fish on, I got down low, lined up the horizon and space and made the click. Keeping this unique bench going through the dead center of the frame keeps it from bowing, but the boardwalk and sky has one heck of a curve. I’m lovin’ this shot!

Photos captured by D3x, 24PC-E / 16Fish on Lexar UDMA digital film

Owls Head, MMW Day 2 – PM, I Love ME!

This afternoon we headed out to Owls Head. This sleepy little cove has a Head Lamp. A miniature “lighthouse,” Owls Head is a kinda cool place to shoot. Some of the gang headed down to the beach to shoot up on the head lamp. Bob produced a really nice image, but I took a different approach, I went up and kissed the darn thing.

When we first arrived at the head lamp, the light was a bit flat, had no drama for the head lamp but did make for nice light for macros. I knew there was a cool macro in the neat shrubs nearby but I don’t think I had found the shot. I kinda like this, but I think it could be better. How much better? That I’m not sure and I’m not really sure what bugs me about the photo. Something to think about.

What I was really after was a “new” look to the head lamp or lighthouse for my files. I seem to be collecting lighthouse photos from both coasts so pushing myself to go “new.” I tried a couple of things when I noticed the clouds start to open up and create a circular halo around the head lamp. I knew the 16Fish was the way to go and for the next 20min. Myself and four participants just looked up and circled the lighthouse as the clouds worked their magic. Here are my three favorites from the evening.

I would have loved to have the window perfectly centered but that wasn’t possible. And I would have captured the shot of the night but the ‘kid” Jeremy kicked my butt with a really sweet shot taken vertically with a 14mm. I love to be challenged so I really liked having Jeremy there pushing the old fart. Good stuff!

Photos captured by D3x, 45PC-E / 16Fish on Lexar UDMA digital fiml

Mt Battie, MMW Day 2 – AM Shoot

The gang rolled out at about, oh…Dark thirty this morning, guess they hadn’t heard about my reputation. We headed up to a locale that was new to me, but my very capable MMW assistant Brendan knew it very well. We headed up to Mt Battie which overlooks the small hamlet of Camden, ME. I wanted up us there well before sunrise because that’s when the best shooting occurs.

The capture was pretty straight forward, -2 exp comp, cloudy WB and simple arrangements of elements and click. I like that kind of photography so early in the morning.

On top of this mountain is this “tower” which is a memorial to WWI vets from Camden. It’s a kinda cool structure especially at sunrise. The one problem is that the sunrise didn’t come up and kiss the tower like I wanted. The light on the tower was all done in NX2, lightness, contrast and warmth all done with one quick and easy Color Control Point. I love NX2!

Photos captured by D3x, 24PC-E on Lexar UDMA digital film

Bozeman DLWS 2010 Event Announced!

Oh yeah, we’re going back to what has to be the staff’s favorite location, Bozeman, MT. It just has it all and in MT Big Sky fashion. Want to learn more?  Head here or simply beat the crowd and register now. And if you want to read a review of DLWS, check out Terry White’s DLWS Wrap UP, which might give you even more reason to join us for the fun and learning.

MMW Day 1

Man, what a really good day! It was the start of our Landscape Photography – Camera and Computer Craft at Maine Media Workshops and we had a really great group. It was a long day covering the basics, getting everyone on the same page so we could move forward with grander techniques and tools. We finished the day with a simple shoot, Rockport Harbor. What a gorgeous little harbor. As with most such situations, the light became best just seconds prior to sunset and then as the light wained.

As the direct light faded and the bounced light took over, the scene took on a whole new life and the photographic possibilities were just any place you cared to point your lens. It was a really great finish to one really good day.

Photos captured by D3x, 200f2 on Lexar UDMA digital film

NY Adorama Workshop Has An Opening!

Hey, I had a person have to pull out of our cool Adorama Workshop coming up in a few weeks. This might be just the opportunity you were waiting for. As a refresher, here’s all the poop and nothing but the poop.

I am incredibly excited to announce our Nov 12 & 13 workshop at Adorama. After the sell out, incredibly successful event this spring, we decided to not only do it again, but up the ante. The Thursday night presentation is open to as many folks as can squeeze into the room. It’s a presentation all about YOU so you don’t want to miss it.

Now on Friday, this is the big news. We’re heading out to Jamaica Bay NWR. What’s so good about that, especially if you want to go but don’t have a big lens for bird photography? Let me tell ya. Nikon will have a dozen, that’s 12 long lenses, 500mm/600mm (w/1.7x converters) loaners for folks and Gitzo is providing the sticks. That’s all covered in the price of admission. All you have to do is show up with a camera body & cards. Now, that’s cool! This event is brought to you by Adorama and sponsored by Nikon and Gitzo and is going to be big time fun and some sweet photography thrown in for good measure.

What are our subjects? Birds! The Short-billed Dowitchers you see here were photographed at Jamaica Bay a number of years back at a Walk Softly field trip. We had more folks along  that time than we will have on this workshop and we had the nastiest overcast you can imagine. Even still, I produced this one image that to this day I still really like. It’s these skills and many more we’ll cover over the workshop and if my plan all falls into place, I will have grabbed the imagination of at least one new wildlife photographer and started them down the road of my favorite type of photography.

Registration is handled all through Adorama and if its like last time, it will be filled within a couple days of this posting. I hope you’re one of the ones who we get to share this special day with us.

And When The Light Sucks, or I'm Playing Tourist…

What are you going to do? I’m not sure why, but folks seem surprised when they cross my path somewhere in the wilds of North America, and that I can be out looking with no more intention then to just be out looking. Here’s a perfect example. It was a bald sky day – I’ve lamented about how I think they suck more than once on the blog. The majority of the time, they just don’t lend any drama to our landscapes.

How do I know this image sucks (besides the final visual)? It required more than two minutes in the digital darkroom to get this far, that’s a really bad sign. There was no drama to the light or the scene and none could be created in post, it’s just a “here’s a lighthouse” photograph which in my book is a loser.

But my intent for the day was not to make some great image. Sharon & I went to Pemaquid Point Lighthouse yesterday in the rain, a completely opposite lighting situation from today. I have seen a couple of cool images of this lighthouse shot right after a snow storm. I really like them so I did a 360 around the lighthouse and its cliffs looking at the light, thinking through where it would be at sunrise and sunset and the pattern that would be created. I took a number of set shots so if I came back again in the right light then I’m all ready to go. I was simply playing tourist and came away with that kind of photo and that’s just fine.

Photo captured by D3x, 24PC-E on Lexar UDMA digital film

And When The Light Sucks, or I’m Playing Tourist…

What are you going to do? I’m not sure why, but folks seem surprised when they cross my path somewhere in the wilds of North America, and that I can be out looking with no more intention then to just be out looking. Here’s a perfect example. It was a bald sky day – I’ve lamented about how I think they suck more than once on the blog. The majority of the time, they just don’t lend any drama to our landscapes.

How do I know this image sucks (besides the final visual)? It required more than two minutes in the digital darkroom to get this far, that’s a really bad sign. There was no drama to the light or the scene and none could be created in post, it’s just a “here’s a lighthouse” photograph which in my book is a loser.

But my intent for the day was not to make some great image. Sharon & I went to Pemaquid Point Lighthouse yesterday in the rain, a completely opposite lighting situation from today. I have seen a couple of cool images of this lighthouse shot right after a snow storm. I really like them so I did a 360 around the lighthouse and its cliffs looking at the light, thinking through where it would be at sunrise and sunset and the pattern that would be created. I took a number of set shots so if I came back again in the right light then I’m all ready to go. I was simply playing tourist and came away with that kind of photo and that’s just fine.

Photo captured by D3x, 24PC-E on Lexar UDMA digital film

Ok Jump Fans, You Asked For It!

I’m just amazed how many emails I receive asking where were the jump photos of Stephanie from our MI DLWS event. We actually did just one set up which you see here. It was our normal FP flash with a shutter speed of 1/6000 and single SB-900 flash zoomed to 200mm.

We had a number of technical issues this time which prevented us from doing what we first set out to do. The biggest one being Stephanie strained her back a couple of days earlier (all that work her mean bossman piles on her). Next we couldn’t get the height from the get go for Stephanie to leap from, we did have her on the hood of a car at one point. Lastly, we simply didn’t have the time. So it all added up to just a couple of leaps and we called it a wrap. While Stephanie wasn’t further injured by her couple of leaps, I have to report that sadly, a pair of pants died in the production of this shot.

Photo captured by D3x, 24-70AFS on Lexar UDMA digital film

The Snow Plow

There we were just cruising down Hwy1 when Sharon says, “You might want to turn around.” After doing a Bat Turn we were turned around an pulling into this small dirt lot next to the road. This really cool old building was standing there, what turned out to be a 150 year old Ice House. I shot it for a moment when I spied tucked away in the trees this very cool, old snow plow. Now we’re talkin cool!

What made the photograph happen is the rain, it was pouring! Why is that so important? The truck which is being held together with moss and lichens wouldn’t be that shinny or the color so rich if it weren’t soaked with rain. The deep overcast permitted shooting under the tree canopy without any deep shadows. And the opening in the trees to the right of the truck let light bounce in on the truck making it visually pop. I was lucky that Sharon said to turn around and the rain was pouring. The worst weather can make for some of the best photography. I’ve heard that somewhere.

Photo captured by D3x, 14-24AFS on Lexar UDMA digital film

ME's Gorgeous Coast

Sharon & I are in ME getting very psyched about our ME Media Workshop that starts on Monday. We’re out cruising the amazing and gorgeous ME coast in the rain and just loving it. After stopping at our new friend Warren’s Oyster Winery (picking a couple of bottles of Red) we headed down to Old Bristol. OMG, it’s right out of a Norman Rockwell painting!

This little shack on the side of the sheltered cove was just too cool not to stop to photograph. It has been pouring rain so everything is soaked and really full of rich colors. With -1 exp comp the colors really jump. You might be wondering how that can be when it’s raining. Color contrast is a very powerful visual and in the gray light, color jumps off the page.

Turning around from the shack shot was a harbor of lobster boats. This one with its great red bow against the rich green forest with the sprinkling of fall color really caught my attention. Now it was pouring rain when I took the shot so I got out of the truck, ran to frame up the shot, took the shot and ran back into the vehicle. It wasn’t until just now when I was finishing the photo (had some water debris to remove) when I say the name of the boat. I ain’t making this up, it says “Master..Baiter.” Someone in ME has a sense of humor.

Photos captured by D3x, 200VR on Lexar UDMA digital film

ME’s Gorgeous Coast

Sharon & I are in ME getting very psyched about our ME Media Workshop that starts on Monday. We’re out cruising the amazing and gorgeous ME coast in the rain and just loving it. After stopping at our new friend Warren’s Oyster Winery (picking a couple of bottles of Red) we headed down to Old Bristol. OMG, it’s right out of a Norman Rockwell painting!

This little shack on the side of the sheltered cove was just too cool not to stop to photograph. It has been pouring rain so everything is soaked and really full of rich colors. With -1 exp comp the colors really jump. You might be wondering how that can be when it’s raining. Color contrast is a very powerful visual and in the gray light, color jumps off the page.

Turning around from the shack shot was a harbor of lobster boats. This one with its great red bow against the rich green forest with the sprinkling of fall color really caught my attention. Now it was pouring rain when I took the shot so I got out of the truck, ran to frame up the shot, took the shot and ran back into the vehicle. It wasn’t until just now when I was finishing the photo (had some water debris to remove) when I say the name of the boat. I ain’t making this up, it says “Master..Baiter.” Someone in ME has a sense of humor.

Photos captured by D3x, 200VR on Lexar UDMA digital film

Lake of The Woods, DLWS MI Find of The Week!

Lakes of The Woods is this simply spectacular little preserved stretch of MI forest that is THE place to shoot. It is out in the middle of nowhere but the locals know about it, they are the ones preserving it and sharing it with the rest of us. What makes the place so special? The trees, leaves, Barred Owls calling off in the distance, it’s seclusion, all of this and a whole lot more, more than likely. I’m just glad we were able to share it with the gang.

I kept working on my fall color B&W at first. What attracted me to this was the three different trees have totally different barks, each with its own unique texture. Continuing on my retro minimum DOF look at my work, I shot wide open at f/2.8 and tilted the 24mm just a tad to make the one trunk as out of focus as the other.

Still working with the same minimum DOF, I switched to the 200f2 and shot this at f/2. I knew I was on to something when my bud Joe wanted to plug onto the tripod and make the same shot. There’s hope for me yet.

Photos captured by D3x, 24PC-E / 200f2 on Lexar UDMA digital film

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