It’s a Time Thing

No, neither of these are a great photo. The bottom one is better than the top but that’s because I just gave the earth a little time to spin. Wildlife photography is this funny thing, many look for that great shot. This is understandable. Perhaps because I’m getting old, I’m looking for that great moment that if I’m lucky I can turn into a good photograph. Those great moments more important then the photograph. The only way I know of doing this is with time. This Great Horned Owl nest at Fort DeSoto is an example of this. The top photo, light is hard taking the eye totally away from the incubating owl. Two hours later, the light is just kissing the owl, the light on the trees framing it. Neither image by itself means much. But when you take this information and add to it what will happen with time, the hatching of the eggs, then the branchling stage, and this knowledge of the light on the trees, it is essential if seeking that great moment. So that great moment might not happen the moment you’re there. The great photo neither. But you put in your time and the odds start to add up in your favor and with that, you can create that great moment and if really lucky, that photo to express that pursuit!

Monument Valley Day

I love being able to set up the camera, turn it on and let ‘er rip! This is one of my favorite locations to do it. Monument Valley is where time seems timeless to me so to tell that story, I love to do time lapse. Now the D4, D800 and others have a time lapse features which, once you push the button, when it finishes you have a done .mov. The problem is the resolution is not as high as doing it the old fashion way. What is old fashion? The camera clicks of one Jpeg every 30sec (I use the MC-36) for however you want to let it rip. It is then assembled in Photoshop by simple putting all the images in one folder, open that folder in Photoshop, click on the first file and then click on Sequence and click open. Then all you have to do is File > Export > Video and you’re good to go. Just need to make sure the file numbers go from 0001 – 9999. If your camera creates a new folder during the Time Lapse, you’ll have to renumber. Enjoy!

Monument Valley Moonlit Night

I love being able to set up the camera, turn it on and let ‘er rip! This is one of my favorite locations to do it. Monument Valley is where time seems timeless to me so to tell that story, I love to do time lapse. Now the D4, D800 and others have a time lapse features which, once you push the button, when it finishes you have a done .mov. The problem is the resolution is not as high as doing it the old fashion way. What is old fashion? The camera clicks of one Jpeg every 30sec (I use the MC-36) for however you want to let it rip. It is then assembled in Photoshop by simple putting all the images in one folder, open that folder in Photoshop, click on the first file and then click on Sequence and click open. Then all you have to do is File > Export > Video and you’re good to go. Just need to make sure the file numbers go from 0001 – 9999. If your camera creates a new folder during the Time Lapse, you’ll have to renumber. Enjoy!

Just a Little Indisposed

I’m out on a project and my hosts tell me the internet is sporadic at best, cell coverage nonexistent. So apologize if is takes a day or two to answer emails the next couple of weeks.

It’s a Great Saturday!

It’s the perfect day for writing, it’s snowin outside, the fire is goin, the coffee hot and plentiful. And I was able to get some shooting in. I have the D4 / 300f4 AFS set up and sitting next to me waiting for my friend. This Sharpie loves to perch right outside my window so I can see what it’s up to. This afternoon he launched and came right back with a Pine Siskin in its talons. I grabbed the camera, slipped around the corner and make some clicks before the storm drove me back in. If you want to learn more about the Sharpie in our yard or bird photography, be sure to check out the FREE (for subscribers) ipad version of the BT Journal released a few weeks ago.

A Matter of Time

So much of my photography are “what if” moments. That’s when I ask myself, “What if” I did this or that? During our brief snow shower yesterday, I headed out with the D4 (my preferred body) and 70-200f4 VR3 to make a couple of clicks. The snow was backlit by the sun so shooting against something dark made individual flakes stand out from each other. I shot at 1/40 because I wanted to blur the movement of the snow because in the wind, it seems to dance to me.

Then I wondered just how the snow was actually moving so I opened up the lens to shot at 1/200. To me, there is a bunch of difference! To make both of these images, I did rip a whole bunch, about 20+ of each. That’s because the pattern the snowflakes would make is something I couldn’t see in the viewfinder. I made the selection of my “favorite” in post looking through the multiple captures.

Never Forget to Turn Around…

to take note where you’ve come from and to count your blessings! Have a great weekend everyone!

These Moments are Why I Love the Road!

Before the gear sets in Park, I’m jumping out of the truck and running across the desert with D800 / 24-70f2.8AFS in hand. WB is set to Cloudy, -2/3 dialed in before I come to a stop on a small rise and I start shooting. Arizona Highways at their best!

I think I like the top image the best, but I might change my mind. I love chasing weather and light and this was coming to be a great finish to a great day. But wait…there’s more!

And When in the Desert and There is Rain…

You start looking for rainbows. And when you find the rainbows, you start sucking in the rain as you stick the lens out the window to get the shot. Then the panic sets in…”I’ve Gotta Stop! mtc

I Keep Lookin, but No Batman!

Every time I’m in NYC, I comeback with a really stiff neck. That’s because I’m always looking up! We were there just before the storm (still really concerned for so many there) and as always, we were out at night walking and looking up. I see those towers shooting up into the sky and I just love the lines, light and shapes. And when the clouds drop down, I get the feeling of being in Gotham and that at any moment, super heroes will appears.

And as usual, I had a camera on my shoulder, this night is was a D4 (ISO800) and 24f1.4 AFS. The top shot was the first shot and I try to make the best shot the first shot because often in NYC, that’s the only one you’re going to get. This time I had the luxury of making a second shot and you can see what I changed. I went vertical.I like the vertical much better because of the elimination of the building on the let and the extra drama accentuating its height and being lost in the clouds. But I had the luxury of an extra minute so went for one more shot.

I should have stopped while I was ahead! By trying to get tighter on the bldg I included a bldg on the right and that just doesn’t work. Sharon & I have fond memories of the Big Apple and look forward to being back there in the spring. Know that Sharon & I have you in our heart and prayers and the Am Red Cross had heard from us a few times in the last week. Best to all!

Light & Time, a Favorite Subject

06:31

07:01

07:03

You just never know what a day will present you! I look at the weather, I look at the radar, I look what’s out on the horizon, look at dew point and with all of that, life is what life brings. We took off early from Freeport and headed down to the Portland Head Light which is a favorite of mine. Its lines, position on the point and water seem to be placed just for us photographers. The only trick is being in the right place at the right time for the light. We were let in early so we could be in place as the very first light hit the sky. Shooting with the D4 and 24-70AFS, I had the Schneider .09 split grad screw-in filter attached, I started clicking at -2 exp comp from the get go. And for the first 30min, there wasn’t a whole lot of change in the light, the subject, the photograph. Then at 07:01 it was as good as it was going to get from this perspective, for this gear, for these settings. At 07:03 the show was over. And that’s what gets me every time. I mean, months of planning, phone calls, email, setting alarms, following GPS, praying the gate is open like it’s supposed to be, no rain, get in place and the final reward is a 6sec exp burning up of a bunch of pixels. And with that click, we pat ourselves on the back for winning that prediction game. And that evening, we do it all over again at some other locale. Anyone truly watching us photographers, they would not be wrong thinking we’re nuts, truly nuts! Here’s to going nuts tomorrow!

Subtle Surprise

Fall color is such an in captivating subject! The shades of yellow, the shapes, textures and pattern just suck me in whenever I’m amongst it. The big, grand, sweeping landscape shot with splashes of color here and there is hard to pass up. But when I have the option to shoot at eye level with great color or the sweeping landscape, I go for the up close and personal every time. The problem is, shooting eye level with trees just ain’t easy! That’s why I like to haunt narrow canyons in the fall as the roads are often at eye level with the trees.

When I have this opportunity, what I look for is what I think of in my own mind in landscape photography as subtle surprises. These are shot with a D4 & 70-200VR2 with no post. The top photo is the weakest example, the bottom the strongest of what I’m talking about. I like to include trunks but being such strong, vertical lines, too much and that’s all the eye latches onto. The color and pattern might still be there but the mind’s eye has to force itself over to it. That’s why I like to find small windows through the leaves to small segments of trunks. And not just any trunk but interesting patterns, texture and light on the trunk. And when I find those little windows, the color contrast and break in the pattern with the leaves make the trunks an even more powerful element in the fall color. It’s really very simple, for the viewer of the image it’s just a subtle surprise.

Nubble or Alcatraz?

Knowing the mind’s eye goes to light and bright first, having the Nubble Lighthouse large in the frame wasn’t critical. Using the Big Stopper, I wanted the movement it created to point to the lighthouse. And by putting the lighthouse deadcenter, I was looking to tape into a west coast landmark, Alcatraz. And the most important element to me was the coastline, I wanted it to cradle it all. So after working out the kinks in the shooting system and letting others move across the rocks, I got to where I wanted to make the shot I like the most. It was a heck of a learning experience but really like how the final image turned out.

HiTech Filter Holder
77mm Filter adptr
Big Stopper!

Close the Eyepiece Shutter!

Doing a long exposure, close the eyepiece shutter! This is what happens when you don’t!

Nubble Lighthouse & The Big Stopper

HiTech Filter Holder
77mm Filter adptr
Big Stopper!

Back in August, I told your about the new Hitech filter system. The lack of water in the Sierra kept me from really doing much with their Big Stopper. Well on our K&M Adventure, ME, I had plenty of water so pulled out the Big Stopper. Attached to the D4 and 18AF, I went out as far as I could on the rocks safely and started to shoot. First, you manually focus and lock that in place with gaffers tape. Then it’s finding the exposure. I ended up shooting at 120sec, f/8 using the MC-36 as a timer. I have to tell you, I wasn’t thrilled with what I was seeing on the LCD.

My bud Kevin was shooting next to me and on his LCD, we saw a normal color with his Big Stopper. On my, looked like I was shooting in moonlight. Everything was blue. No matter, I kept on shooting figuring I could deal with the color cast in post. That is what I did, in ACR, simply took the Color Balance tool and clicked on the lighthouse to get the color you see here. What I do like is the blur to the clouds the long exposure. While the Hitech Big Stopper does have the color cast, I don’t hesitate using it just know on the camera’s LCD, the moon will be out.

Pointing Towards the UnKnown

“What if…” I love following what ifs when I’m behind the camera. This last Sunday morning while waiting in the dark for the gang to arrive for our Mono Lake weekend, like normal I was outside with my stare to the heavens. I love stars, grew up in the Sierra on a blanket on warm summer nights watching the heavens. I still do that even though we had a nearly full moon out. Shortly after arriving, the bright moon went behind the Sierra crest and a couple more stars began to appear. At the same time, there were thin clouds floating by. That’s when I had the “what if…” thought go through my mind. So I pulled the camera out.

With 45min max before the sun would start to shine, I didn’t go for “star trails” but rather simple point of light source star shots. With the D4 and 24f1.4AFS, I set up and pointed the camera do north. The lens was set to infinity with gaffers tape holding the focus (in manual, not auto). I set aperture to f/2, shutter speed to 8sec and set the ISO to 3200. Made a click. Too bright, changed ISO to 1600, too bright, changed f/stop to f/2.8 and shot like crazy. Even though the moon was gone from sight, there was enough to give a little life to the clouds and that’s what I wanted. More stars were captured then we could see which I knew would happen. Soon, I had a dozen cameras around me doing the same thing. Simply good times making simple clicks!

River Cafe View – WOW!

Click Here To see bigger pano

After an amazing day on the water, our very gracious host Howard provide us an amazing dinner beside the water. In true NY style, picked up in a Black Car and whisked across town, we put on our dinner jackets and ate dinner under the Brooklyn Bridge looking over at Manhattan. Me being me, I wasn’t without my camera. So while ordering dinner, before telling them what I wanted, I asked how I could get outside to photograph what you see. I’ve got my priorities! With the D4 w/50f1.4AFS attached, I headed out to take a 3 image, handheld pano. Then I simply dropped it into CS6 to assemble. What a gorgeous night, what a fantastic meal. Thanks Howard!

NY Skyline – Just a Week Ago

With Sandy pounding on this amazing architecture, I just wanted to show it in the gorgeous light that also shines on the Big Apple. All the photos were taken on the B&H / Lexar Photofloat just a week ago on a gorgeous day sandwiched in between two very stormy days. Our thoughts and prayers go out to all on the Eastcoast being pounded by Mother Nature!

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