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Just Because You Can….
December 14, 2011 by Moose
Filed under Random Thoughts
Just because you can do something doesn’t mean you should! This little rant originates from a photographer who insists on sending me really horrible images, I think because he wants to see how many times I can say SUCKS! This photographer insists on shooting everything as HDR, I mean everything (really, a toilet seat?)! What you see here are two of my suckie HDR images to illustrate the point of this rant. Just because you know HDR doesn’t mean it will make a suckie photograph better. Garbage in is still garbage OUT! These two images suck (which means when you see them on G+ you don’t write amazing because you’ll look really silly!) and HDR didn’t make them one bit better!
Whether it’s HDR or flash fill (I see plenty of suckie flash photos too) or Fisheye or any other technique, just because you can apply it successfully doesn’t turn a horrible image into magic, at least not in my book. If I know that, why did I take the two photos you see above? Because I just wanted to shoot and they were available. The light sucked but I didn’t have these two aircraft in my files, in fact a number of the aircraft on the deck of the Intrepid I didn’t have so I shot them all to have a record in my files of them. I shot them all as 5 image HDR because the light sucked and if this photographer had got the message in the 20+ emails that said sucks, you would never see these images. But I need something that sucked and these were fresh in my mind.
More important then they suck is WHY they suck. And that answer is the heart and soul of photography. They suck because the light sucks. Not the number of stops or the direction but the quality of the light. There simply is no LIFE to the light, no drama, no impact, no emotion, no mood, it’s just there and HDR isn’t going to make that better. I wish I had images of the same subjects in good light to show you the difference but in the real world of photography, you don’t have side by side comparisons when you shoot. You just have what’s presented you and from that you make the photographic decision to click or don’t click. I’m trying to encourage you to click only when you see and feel something in the viewfinder.
Now this is NOT an indictment of HDR. Since I just had a double truck published of a P-51C that is a HDR, to say I use it would be an understatement. What I am saying is that just because you own Photomatix Pro doesn’t mean EVERY photograph has to be run through it. This photography thing is not about who owns the most toys but who sees, feels and communicates light. And just because I use HDR as you see in the photo below which is on the “realistic” side and not the “Elvis on Velvet” side, I have no problem with that when it’s done because it was needed. But using a photographing technique just because you can, don’t! You’re a story teller with your photography. Use the techniques that tell your story and you will successful. end of rant
In Search of Knowledge
October 21, 2011 by Moose
Filed under Random Thoughts
I just got a new project offered to me this past week and I’m really, very excited about it. It’s another of those kinds of projects that I am particularly good at. It’s in a cold place, very little is known biologically about the critter and there are very few photographs of the critter, the Alaskan Hare. When I get projects like this, I go into a favorite mode, research. I just love looking for, uncovering and learning new knowledge especially when I know it will improve my photography. In this particular case, I have no special insider info, no one expert I can query, I have to hit the books and learn it for myself. That’s a pretty typical MO and not just for me but for most of my peers be it wildlife or landscape or portraits or aviation. There just isn’t a road map, we have to create our own.
This little box on my Firefox toolbar should look a whole lot more warn then it does because I pound this thing. I’ve learned some tricks over the years to be fast at finding the trivia I want, but it seems I’m there all the time. It’s in this search for knowledge I find out things like what lens I might need, not that someone says, “You’re going after the Green-spotted Shank use a 18-200 lens,” but rather gathering the pieces so I can do the math that then tells me this. For a long, long time, research has shown that most when they use Google Search never click on Page 2, they never get past Page 1. Understanding how quickly folks want information, I did the silly thing of creating a website so finding information on the particular subject of wildlife photography might be faster. That’s why there’s over 2500 pages of trivia here and over 100 videos, all here created in my quest for knowledge.
But doing our own research, we found that our Search feature gets used so little, I’m thinking about putting a spider web graphic on it. Here’s my beef. Folks not coming to my site to seek knowledge isn’t the problem. My problem is what seems to be a good portion of photographers don’t seek knowledge, period! I teach a lot of workshops and interface with a helluva of a lot of photographers and the percentage who don’t even understand the workings of their cameras, I’m talking just the setting, boggles my mind! And that’s just the start of the quest of knowledge. Why is that? Just paying for the expensive camera doesn’t mean it will take great photos for you. It’s like you buy a car and then expect it to drive you everywhere while you watch the sites. Taking this one step further, I am just blown away when photographers spend a ton of money on gear then on traveling to some great locale arriving not knowing a thing about how their camera works! Really?! This is the time to learn about how that tool works?
Had a long travel day yesterday, took 26hrs to get home so I had a bunch of time to think. I thought not of the wonderful bunch of students we had this past week at Lake Placid DLWS but rather my peers, those photographers I have great respect and admiration for. I went back in my memory to our many discussions about our trade and came to a realization that we all have one thing very much in common. We are all always in search of knowledge! We all do a ton of research when heading out for a project. We all do a ton of research on our gear and test before we go out on that project and then once on site, we search and search with our camera in telling the story. This does not guarantee success, there is no such guarantee in photography. But what it will do is guarantee you’ll have fun! That’s the main reward in photography that knowledge brings. The satisfaction of doing the research, connecting the dots and then putting that into play with the camera even with failure is fun and it’s that fun that keeps the passion of photography alive!
All the way to the Other End!
June 16, 2011 by Moose
Filed under Random Thoughts
Jake and I were just coming off a break and were heading back out to the line. We’d been working the flight line since 07:30, talking with pilots and crews, shooting, drinking coffee and of course, shooting some more. It was an excellent morning and we wanted to get off our feet for a moment. I naturally grabbed the iPad, checked emails and took care of some work. Even though the light had gotten hard, Jake & I know that sitting inside guarantees we’ll make no images. Even in bad light, at least being outside, there is the possibility something good will come along (and it did). We were just heading back out and I saw this photo which so reflected an email I had just read. Basically, a shooter had emailed bemoaning shooting at airshows because they didn’t have unique access to aircraft, the light was hard and there are crowds. So airshows are stupid. There’s no doubt they aren’t for everyone which is why photography is SO amazing, we can all have cameras and point them to so many different things and still enjoy photography together. What I have an issue with is, photography only happens when the lights perfect, the birds sing and music plays in the air. Photos happen where YOU make them happen, period! You wanna go out in the worst light and make great images, YOU can do it! You wanna go out in crowds and make great images, you can do it! The only thing stopping you is you! If shooting in hard light is hard then push yourself and start shooting in it. If you wanna do aviation photography for example, most airshows are during hard light times so if you wanna do aviation, guess what? And until you have those images you can show others that you have talent, you can’t move up the ladder to shooting those better aircraft in better light. It can be a very, long, hard, hot walk walking the line from beginner to professional, from failure to successful but if you don’t start walking now, today, we all know you will never make it to the other end. And if you think you are alone, think again. The only difference in this photography game, some are simply further down the line then the others. But I’ve yet to meet anyone who has made it all the way to the other end!
To Continue On with that Thought
May 9, 2011 by Moose
Filed under Random Thoughts
When it comes to showing off your photography, personally I don’t think there is any better medium then the iPad at this time! There is a very good reason why I’ve bought (and still have) four of them, they make me money! I put an iPad into the hand of a client and allow them to flip through the images and I always get a sale, from a single print to photographing bigger projects to wall decor for an entire lodge (which is why I take so much time perfecting my image presentation with the iPad)! So when it comes to reading periodicals and the news, the iPad rocks! Those who have come to DLWS and been part of my presentation on printing know just how important paper is in making our images look great. Newspaper and magazine paper doesn’t even compare to the presentation power of the iPad. So besides wanting to see digital publishing not only flourish and grow for my own business to continue, I simply love seeing great photography at its best. So what you see here are just some of the digital publishing assets out there right now that have subscribed to. I’ve put down hard earned cash and paid to receive the full editions. I realize that times are tight right now but I also realize being an economics major that if I don’t invest now, when times are better, I won’t be in place to take advantage of those better times. I’m often asked about this business side of photography and while it all starts with the click, there is so much involved to close the circle to find its business rewards.
Try This Another Way
April 19, 2011 by Moose
Filed under Random Thoughts
While we can debate the cause and effect, the bottomline is things are warming up and being on the frontline seeing how this IS effecting our wild heritage, climate change concerns me on a daily basis. Well, trying to get this message out is taking some new forms (I know with this posting the usual emails will come from the usual folks telling me I don’t know what I’m talking about). You can never argue with someone’s logic, but you sure can attack the facts in which they base that logic. Or, better yet, educate. Check this out, might give you something new to think about. And if you wanna make a difference, now, today, simply unplug the power supply to your notebook, iPhone, iPod, iPad whenever you’re not using it. Yeap, making a difference can be that simple!
He Nails it…Again!
April 12, 2011 by Moose
Filed under Random Thoughts
Not sure how he has such clear insight, I’m just glad he shares it! This is so true for so many but I think it really applies to photographers. You just might wanna give it a read and answer the question for yourself. I might just improve your photography, at least time spent at it.
Elvis?
March 16, 2011 by Moose
Filed under Random Thoughts
No history of Dec 7th would be complete without a visit to the Arizona Memorial. This is a view you normally don’t see of the memorial though. We were with a great friends Bruce & Rob who, with their military ID were able to give us a tour like none other of the battle from that day. Those who know me know I love history and especially trivia about history. One of the highlights from yesterday was trivia that Elvis was involved in the fund raising for the memorial which in the day, was very controversial. Some complained it looked like a squashed milk carton.
The day before we took Jake over to the memorial that lies atop the Arizona. The oil still bubbles up in tiny drops making a constant sheen on the water. We were also able to get to the Utah Memorial for the first time. The only photographic lesson one can take away from this is, if we don’t learn from the past, we are certain to relive it again in the future.
Which is Easier – Slides or Digital?
March 11, 2011 by Moose
Filed under Random Thoughts
Really kind of an interesting question which really doesn’t mean much to no one. But since I’ve been asked this a couple of times of late, thought I would answer it out loud. In the days of making presentations with slides, the actual prep was pretty simple. Make a duplicate slide, drop it into a carousel and go. Now if you wanted to change up that program, you’d have to find that slide you want to move or swap out, but with one carousel, it was easy. Now back in the day, I did a 6 projector show so changing just one slide was a major pain in the ass! And to alter the programming tape running all 6 projectors was worst then programming Apollo to land on the moon. So in general, I really don’t miss it ONE bit (and transportation and set up was a killer!).
Digital presentation when it comes to dropping in a new image, switching up the order, all the mechanics of getting an image on the screen is a snap! I use ProShow Producer (with some tricks I learned in the days of PowerPoint) to assemble all my shows. The “pain” if there is any with digital is all in the image prep. The one thing many don’t realize with digital presentations is that all digital projectors do only sRGB, only 256 colors. That really can kill the “luster” of some images and while I’m the only one who knows the loss, it bugs the crap out of me. So with all my images I present, I take extra time to deal with the loss of the ProPhoto color space with each image (adj layers, saturation & contrast usually). That just eats up the time but I feel your time to hear me speak deserves the best looking image I can throw up on the screen. The actual sizing the file down for projection (average file is 400k) is an action I made in Photoshop which simply flattens, converts to sRGB and sizes the file.
What this very long winded answer to the question gets to is, digital is much easier (and transportation & set up is a snap). I have 5 news one for this Photoshop World which has taken all this week to create. I actually put a helluva of a lot of time assembling my programs. I enjoy the creative process and challenge very much. And just like making the single click with a camera, if the presentation goes as planned, all I’ve accomplished in the end is to tug at your heart strings.
Nothing Ventured, Nothing Gained
February 3, 2011 by Moose
Filed under Random Thoughts
Being skunked, just what does that mean in the realm of photography? Most interpret it as coming back empty handed almost to the point of being a looser. What self respecting photographer goes out with a camera and comes back with no photograph? So with that mind set, some go out and try to force a photograph when in fact, there are none to be had. We all fall into that trap at one time or another and not until you’ve moved down the road a while do you realize that, it just happens. Now a days, when that happens for example when shooting landscapes, I simply say, “I’m not feeling the love.” Today was a totally different scenario but with the same outcome. You might have heard the weather is a bit wild across the country. Wind is just not a good thing for wildlife or aviation photography and most photography in general (except when storm chasing when you want the wind). Jake & I arrived yesterday to the desert east of Las Vegas to 50mph winds and bloody cold temps. When we went out this morning, we knew we weren’t going to make any clicks and sure enough, no clicks were made. At the end of the day, I was asked why we drove six hours knowing that all odds were against us ever making a click? It’s real simple, there have been way too many times when I went out against the odds and was greatly rewarded for going out. Not every time, but enough times to know it’s worth it to give it a try. To me the odds of being skunked are so slim that nothing ventured is nothing gained.
And When You Screw Up…
January 27, 2011 by Moose
Filed under Random Thoughts
photo by Jake Peterson
and don’t have the tripod plate attached to your new D7000 and you wanna shoot video, you improvise. I don’t recommend this, but I had to come up with something in a pinch. I used the hot shoe ballhead I use for the Moose Cam (using the P7000) for the D7000. It was not a great solution but it got the job done. This is how I shot the Finale. But it looked really strange!
Then there’s this side of Civilization
January 25, 2011 by Moose
Filed under Random Thoughts
The Black-shouldered Kite is a great bird, one thing I miss not being on the Central Coast much. I’ve seen this a number of times with a number of species. It always makes me scratch my head. Can’t help but think they were better off before we littered.
There’s This Side of Civilization
January 25, 2011 by Moose
Filed under Random Thoughts
I mean really, even the most lonely outpost of civilization is feeling the pinch. What’s happening in your backyard, or, what’s disappearing in your backyard? I always wonder when I post these snippits of news how many actually read the whole article or simply blow by it. It makes me wonder what can we do about it with our cameras?
What’s Your Favorite Image?
July 1, 2010 by Moose
Filed under Random Thoughts
I’ve done a whole lot of interviews of late and one common question is, “What’s your favorite image?” The honest answer doesn’t ever seem to satisfy the interviewer but it’s the truth. My favorites tend to be ones that I’ve recently captured and for one reason or another, fascinate me. The Corsair I posted earlier today is a good example. While I didn’t recently capture it, the elements of design the ass shot presented just stuck with me until I figured out how I wanted to finish it to bring that out.
Here are two more examples. The Crested Caracara above was taken just a couple of weeks ago in TX. Why is that a favorite right now? It’s the same reason the photo of the A-10 Warthog taken in Feb at the 
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