DLWS MT day3am2

With the f1.4 success, I wondered down the track looking for more subjects that might lend themselves to the lens and f/stop. This old caboose I have photographed many times and even with that knowledge, I had to make the basic click. It’s just a cool, old car. Then I decided what else I could do with it.

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While in real life they are not related in anyway, I saw this very cool ore car on a rail next to the caboose. I backed up until you see what’s here. The ore car is only 10 feet away from the caboose but shooting at f1.4 has a nice feel to it. It’s just a simple, fun click and I like that kinda stuff.

Photo captured by D3x, 24f1.4AFS on Lexar UDMA digital film

DLWS MT day3am

Simply can’t get enough of Nevada City so we headed back this morning. We were greeted with 5degree weather and great light. I headed right to the rail cars on the south side of the depot to play with lines. As you can see the sun was coming up nearly right over the tracks with the cloud cover slightly blocking it. It was a major blinkie so I decide to go HDR. I didn’t want the brightness take the eye there and leave it there. So I did five image, handheld HDR. I really like the lines of the cars but not the distance of the track from the cars, so I moved over.

Then from this angle, I like the track but not the cars. I though about merging the two elements from the two photo in Photoshop but then decided the photo just wasn’t worth it. The one aspect of the shoot I felt good about was deciding to shoot it with the 24f1.4AFS at f1.4. I really like the way the car fades off in the distance. That’s about the only think that does work for me. That and the cold, I loved that!

Photo captured by D3x, 24f1.4AFS on Lexar UDMA digital film

DLWS MT day2pm2

Once I tore myself away from the pond, I wondered up past main street. Here I found a group gathered shooting. I let folks cycle through and make there click and when it was my turn, I made this very simple click. I just love the light!

Photo captured by D3x, 24f1.4AFS on Lexar UDMA digital film

DLWS MT day2pm

We made the drive to an old time favorite and friend of mine this afternoon, Nevada City. Filled with Montana’s historic old wooden buildings and artifacts, this is a photographer’s paradise! Add to this the magic of a storm passing and you’re in for the photographic ride of a lifetime. I was kept busy helping this really great neat group of folks who were DLWS this week. learning from what we had been presenting, they headed for the light and man, did they find it!

This pond on the south side of the train station as you can see was just one big ass mirror reflecting the beauty that is big sky country. A split grad filter and a little minus compensation is all that was required to make the photo. Oh yeah, staying warm was also kinda important, the temps were hitting the 20 mark as the sun set. Who cared, the photography was hot!

Photo captured by D3x, 24-120AFS on Lexar UDMA digital film

DLWS MT day2am

It was a glorious morning! We left the HGI in a snow storm that for a while got worse and then just like magic, stopped. We arrived at the road leading into Kevin’s Ranch in time to see the glory the Bridgers seem to always present us!

I was happy with this photo until…..I used this image in class as one of my lessons, showed a couple wiz bang things and then….tonight at crits a participant made a much better image of this same size with just a simple click. Bastard! But he did have a much better photo then I and for that, I am very happy!

Then the kiss of the sun came out to warm up our hands and the landscape. It doesn’t take many words to tell the story, it was just one of those great mornings!

Photos captured by D3x, 24-120AFS on Lexar UDMA digital film

DLWS MT day1pm2

Joe’s very talented assistant Drew was teaching a kick-ass flash session in the barn. He did a really good job not only making the photo, but teaching the process. Joe & I stood in the back, couldn’t have been prouder of the lad. After Drew was done, Joe told be to grab Sharon and put her in the same basic place and shoot in Monchrome. Since Sharon was willing to sit for another shoot with me (wrote that down on the calendar!) I made the click. That’s just the magic of DLWS, photography, friendship is the sharing that constantly happens!

Photo captured by D3x, 24-120AFS w/SB-900 on Lexar UDMA digital film

Simple Click – Joe Memorial Couch

DLWS MT day1pm

Yeah baby, the snow came and dumped! I just love the snow and this afternoon had a great time watching a group of folks not accustom to the white stuff be kids, with camera! This is a great group we have, full of questions which they are not shy to ask out in the field. We headed to a favorite locale, the Bozeman Stockyard and had a helluva time!

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Snow gave the whole location a new look and that really needed white that you can make all the color pop even though you’re shooting in snowing conditions. I shot in AWB A3 the whole afternoon just to punch up the few colors I included. Exposure compensation range from zero to -1. After that, all I did was watch for yellow snow and have fun.

Photos captured by D3x, 18AF on Lexar UDMA digital film

DLWS MT day1am2

This is what I’m talking about…dedication! Great Job Roger!

DLWS MT day1am

Yeah baby….winter! We woke up to the first real winter storm here in Bozeman and it was simply gorgeous. We have a magnificent group of folks with us, not one word about the weather just simply dying to get out shooting. We had some marvelous conversations about photography and about photographing snow. It was really great.

Then my beautiful bride agreed to sit in the snow for 15min and let the snow pill up for a McNally portrait. Joe did a great job with a single flash lighting Sharon. I stood in the background and was able to get off a click or two with just the ambient light. What a great start to what I know will be a killer week!

Photos captured by D3x, 70-200VR2 on Lexar UDMA digital film

Moab DLWS Nov 2011 – A Tradition Ends

We are quite excited to announce our DLWS event Moab Oct 30 – Nov 02, 2011. This will not only be the last DLWS for 2011, but the last one, ever. DLWS has been the best workshop on the planet and run its course over the last nine years so we are ending where we started, in Moab UT. So this is not only a workshop, but going to be one helluva a celebration!

Unlike the other 2011 events, we’re not sending out a special invite for this one. We are only going to have 20 participants, we are going to teach photography and photoshop, and we are going to party while doing so. All of this will be headquartered at the gorgeous Red Cliffs Lodge, Moab.

The full DLWS staff will be at the event. We will have very special guests. We will have a Halloween party where you come dressed as your favorite pixel (Red, Green, Blue, Dead) and we will have a ton of fun. The price is $1695 which like for the last nine years covers instruction only. We look forward to celebrating, telling stories and taking photographs with you! You wanta join in, give Sharon a call at 661.204.1506. And to each and everyone of you who have been a part of the DLWS family over the years, thanks to each and everyone of you for making DLWS what it has become. We couldn’t have done it without you!

DLWS ME Day3-PM

Our last evening was a very special on at a very special place. We were able to secure a permit for the DLWS gang to stay after sunset (when the park closes) to photograph the gorgeous Portland Head Light (subject of Silver Efex Pro print ad). While I had my D3x with 24f1.4AFS attached in my hand, I chose to shoot with the P-7000. It didn’t disappoint. Here’s a shot taken 24min after sunset. Straight from the camera, simple and gorgeous!

DLWS ME Day3-AMIV

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Taking the cue of my landscape inspiration, the great landscape photographer Joe McNally, I attacked the lighthouse in concert with is totally senseless act. Joe’s working on a new project, photographing the windows of the lighthouses of the East Coast. I’m still a fledgling in this process, this is one of my early efforts I made this morning.

While a number including McNally were looking up at the window, I looked down and saw what I think is a pretty cool pattern.

I like it much better as a B&W. Damn, it’s fun attacking lighthouses with friends!

Photos captured by D3x, 70-300VR on Lexar UDMA digital film

DLWS ME Day3-AMIII

Once the sun was up, I was back in a shooting mood. The sky was so clean, the light was so clean, I wanted to just take clean clicks. To make the image, I used a polarizer incorrectly on purpose to create that shading in the sky. Kinda like it.

Then I wanted to make a simple clean B&W. I shot a lot with the P7000 while making these clicks. It was a beautiful morning and I didn’t want to complicate it with “photography,” just make some images. It was great!

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

DLWS Day2-AMII

To be honest with you, after that greeting and killer image with no more then a simple click, the rest of the sunrise was pretty much a snooze. See what I mean?

So to make something of it, I simple processed the top image as a 1 image HDR to come up with this click. It added some extra drama which I liked.

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Not feeling the love in the light, before leaving the slippier then snot rocks, I did a 5 image HDR. I don’t like this at all. Gave it a try, the worst that could happen is delete.

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

DLWS ME Day3-AMI

The best shot of the week for me was made by literally falling out of the van and pointing the lens. -2.5 exp comp was all there was to it, the rest was all right there before me. And was there luck? Na, just getting up early. Simply gorgeous!

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

DLWS ME Day2-PMb

The magic of light AFTER the sun is gone! The sun is history but its effect is still present. It’s bouncing off the atmosphere being completely diffused and softened. For this scene, it is killer light!

For me, to finish it off, the camera was not only set to Vivid and Cloudy WB, but the exp comp was -2.5 stops. Simple, clean, gorgeous!

Photos captured by D3x, 70-200VR2 w/TC-17e on Lexar UDMA digital film

DLWS ME Day2-PM

We were Haunted by our shoot tonight, folks were Dying to get in!

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