Eastern Sierra Adv day2am-2

Good thing the sun came up, it was my only possibility for redemption for the morning. Seriously, to blow such a killer opportunity, I loose sleep over those. Well, the sun came up and that great, killer skies for star trails became ouch for sun.

It is no wonder that one of the first shapes I saw in the rocks of Alabama Hills was that of an ass! Now to get the shot I needed the 16Fish to get the shape. To use that lens to get the shape, I had to be in the photo. That kinda took away from it all. Having CS5 and knowing what Content-Aware fill can do, I simple put the camera on Interval Timer, stepped out of the frame, had the camera take some clicks and then a quick finish in post. You can’t see the camera or tripod or where Content-Aware made them go away. Damn, freakin cool!

Not really moving too far, I came across this nose. Now I wanted to do a little HDR because it brings out some of the cool color in the rocks. CS5 does have a new HDR engine which does a good job but it’s too many steps for impatient me so I still prefer Photomatix Pro which I used here. Matt does a great job explaining CS5 HDR basics here so check it out.

And then back to plain and simple. I like plain and simple of after this morning, I could handle plain and simple. The finishing again was all done in CS5 using the technique Stephanie & I taught at Photoshop World, no pluggins, all CS5. Ah, this morning is over with, time to go lick my wounds and learn from my mistakes.

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

Eastern Sierra Adv day1pm-2

And then I got sleepie. I don’t know why, it wasn’t like I tripped or fell or something, I just decided to look at the rocks like I was an ant. It was kinda fun!

The only real challenge was getting up and down. Na, nothing physical but rather the rocks are damn sharp! I used the pad from the strap of the sling bag to get up and down and not cut up my hand.

And to be real honest with ya, darn pleased with myself for this image. Not that’s it’s a killer photo but I like the illusion. The big ass looking rock on the right is about the size of a mellon! The thought just crossed my mind, “what if?” So I got down low and real close and well, there you go. Having fun while lying down on the job. What a perfect afternoon in the hills!

Photos captured by D3x, 16Fish on Lexar UDMA digital film

Yellowstone Adv – Old Friend

In all my years visiting Yellowstone, one place that always draws me back and so I’ve shot the bejiggers out of it is Midway Geyser Basin (home of Grand Prismatic). I’ve shot this place every way you can imagine and yet, I’ve still not scratched all the locale has to offer.

One aspect of the basin that is always in flux is the steam. It comes and goes, it blows all directions of the compass and can be lit in just as many ways. Because of this huge variable you can never take anything for granted, assume that just because you’ve shot it before it’s not going to be worth shooting again. Excelsior Geyser is the case in point, I have thousands of images of it yet today, I found one more to add to the files. I really like the paradox of ice right next to 180 degree water and steam. Camera set to Cloudy, Exp Comp set to 0, click! I love the photo.

This is the first time I’ve had a 16Fish always in my pocket so I put it to use at the basin. I really loved what was streaming through the viewfinder, it was a totally new way for me to photograph it. The light was perfect. Life is good!

Photos captured by D3s, 24-70AFS / 16Fish on Lexar UDMA digital film

Simple Click – Grand Prismatic

Great day in Yellowstone despite it’s bloody hot. Here’s Jake coming out of the steam, a real simple click

Photo captured by D3s, 16Fish on Lexar UDMA digital film

Shooting the 16Fish

I’m a little behind in getting this video out, OK, I’m four months behind but at least I didn’t forget. The 16Fish is such a damn fun lens to shoot that  I’m surprised when at times it can be the only tool to make the shot. For example, making this shot from the backseat of the T6 was only possible with the 16Fish.

It’s 180 degrees uncorrected coverage is just amazing! You might think such a lens more gimmick then tool, but it’s gorgeously sharp. One of  more common uses of the 16Fish is for the landscape. This is a great lens for that purpose. With that in mind, here’s a little video on using the 16Fish.

Ft Point Light

For as long as I can remember, I’ve been going to Ft Point. My first trip as far as I know might have been in a stroller, but whatever the case, I just keep going back. This could be because it’s historic and I love history, it could be its location, the base of Golden Gate’s south tower, or it could because it’s a great place to shoot. Shooting there again this weekend proved to be another great visit.

I visited the Fort this time deciding to attack it with two basic thoughts, use 1 lens and chase the light. In the beginning, the light was winning, I couldn’t make it snap in the viewfinder no matter how I looked. Then I looked down a hallway of one wing, you could see through a half dozen doorways without obstruction. With that one shot under my belt, the rest started to fall into place.

The majority of the images were taken with the razor sharp 50f1.4AFS at f/1.4. I had a lot of fun with that for quite awhile until I went up on the second level. I got to one of the canon ports and it just screamed 16Fish. The problem, NO light! We’re talking dark as sin, just small droplets of light here and there and that’s what made it all work. Handholding at 1/10 of a second, I cranked off some fun shots. These two are the current favorites; that could always change. These are both single capture HDRs. A three image HDR is in the show, see if you can figure out which one it is in the gallery below.

Click Here to launch the Ft. Point Gallery.

The one thing that is very deceiving is these two images were taken in locations that were really pitch black. The exposure comp dialed in was -2.5 stops to deal with the darkness. That exposure comp along with the little light really popped the color in the brick and made the blacks really black. All good stuff! When it comes to finishing, other than the B&Ws (still not sure what I like better, I started with B&W but now like the color) was real simple, it’s right out of the camera.

I’ll be going back again in a couple of days. I wonder what will strike me this time, can’t wait!

Photos captured by D3s, 50f1.4AFS / 16Fish on Lexar UDMA film

The Drive

Heading over to San Fran for DLWS, we left early and headed up Hwy 395. Written about it many times, the magic of Mono Lake. What seems like a typical thing in the winter, a low, hanging, freezing fog sticks to the basin for most of the morning. This fog has provided many a cool B&W shot like the one above. It just fits the mood of the locale and the season so well. Now the weird thing is the morning before, it looked like this. Just goes to show that getting out everyday with a camera can pay dividends.

Photo & video by D3s, 7-0200VR2 / 16Fish on Lexar UDMA digital film

Can One Tripod Do All?

I had an interesting call the other day asking a question that comes up more often now that money is tighter. Can one tripod do all? You are probably saying that’s not a new question, you might have already found the answer, but I think you’ll find this has a twist you might not have considered. Can you buy the BIG tripod and use it for your big lens with the Whimberley Head and then use the same BIG tripod (5540 pictured here) with the smaller Really Right Stuff BH-55 for all your small lenses?

My BIG tripod is the 5560SGT and is one BIG tripod. Many times I’ve spun the Whimberley off and attached the BH-55 and it works great. When space is tight and I only have space in the luggage for one tripod, this is the only option. Now when working in the field, the 5560SGT with a idy bidy body and 16Fish on top can be hard to maneuver in a small spot. It can be done, but it’s just not fun.

I much prefer to have two tripods along, the 5560SGT for the 600mm and the 3540XLS for everything else. My bud Joe McNally uses the 5560SGT and nothing else, doing exactly what the caller wondered if was a smart thing to do. He uses it with the BH-55 whenever he does use a tripod. And that’s part of it as well, with proper handholding, you don’t always need a tripod, a small one at least so the one BIG tripod will do a fine job.

One last food for thought. Which ever tripod you do or don’t go with, using the proper technique makes all the difference in the world in getting a sharp image. And that’s the whole goal. The Moose Video Library has all the sharpness videos, here’s the da Tripod video for ya.

Nikon 16Fish

02.15.10

This is simply one hell of a fun lens! Does it serve a purpose? The original fisheye lenses were made for scientific research and pipeline construction inspection, hardly what I use it for. When I grab for the 16Fish, it’s because typicaly I have a scene that is so wide that I need the 180 degree coverage of the 16Fish to get the shot. At the same time, the scene in front of me must be one where there is no straight lines because the 16Fish will not render them straight. When you’re in the cockpit of a plane for example, you want the whole thing and some of the outside world, this is your only lens of choice. If you search the site, you’ll find a number of examples where I had fun shooting with the 16Fish.

New York Architecture

One of my challenges when shooting in NYC is to stop looking up and looking down at the life on the street. I think if I wasn’t a wildlife photographer, I would be an architecture shooter. I just love the lines of a fine building. In NYC, there are some fine buildings, some cool old ones and when you’re really lucky, great clouds to put with them. Here’s just a couple of my favorites from our DLWS walks through Manhattan.

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None of these were taken with a PC-E lens for many reasons. First, I didn’t have them with me but that was by design. Shooting street style, stopping to do PC-E work isn’t practical. Next, a lot of thought has to go into using them because of the available space. Looking up from the street, you simply can’t get the whole building in by chance. Lastly, I wanted the distorted view to emphasis that this are tall suckers.

Some will ask why are some in color and some in B&W. That is a really good question. I like both mediums for architecture and base my selection typically on the light, design of the building and the sky. It was a very productive trip for me in these regards adding some really nice pieces to my architecture portfolio.

Photos captured by D3x, 70-200VR2, 28f1.4 AF, 24-70AFS, 16Fish on Lexar UDMA digital film

Does DOF Ever Change? The 50f1.4 AFS

“What is the best f/stop?” This is the #2 most frequently asked email question that I receive. Seriously! I’ve written about this a few times here on the blog. It came in again today and this time it really struck me as really funny since, I’m rethinking that whole DOF question for myself. Readers of the BT Journal have read a little about how I started to “re-investigate” minimal DOF earlier this summer. While I’ve owned the 28f1.4 AF for some time and I didn’t have really kind words about the new 50f1.4 AFS, I now own one. It’s all Joe’s fault!

The upcoming issue of the BTJ will chronicle how with the file quality of the D3x, I’ve gone 180 degrees back to shooting mostly wide open. This photo of a Brooks Griz is a good example of what I’m liking, 600mm at f/4. Technically the only thing that is sharp are the eyes, a little behind them and a little in front. Why does more look in focus than that? The readers of the next issue of the BTJ will have the answer (I gave an answer to the class last week in ME). What does that have to do with buying the 50f1.4 AFS?

This portrait of Jim taken in Central Park is why I think McNally is on to something in his own retro look back/forward at minimum DOF. Making the subject “pop” visually in the photograph has been the cornerstone of my photography from the get go. You can see it plainly in the photo of Jim where the background is physically so far away when shooting at f/1.4, the background is out of focus. It’s not so obvious in the thumbnail image of the griz. I’ve been very privileged to see some of Joe’s images where he’s exploring this same retro look back at minimum DOF that he has taken with the new 50f1.4AFS. What makes it work is the fact that while the 50f1.4AFS is not a fast focuser (is that a word?) it is gloriously wicked sharp! That measure of sharpness for me is when you can count the whiskers on the chin; this image of Jim taken with the 28f1.4 has that quality. The 50f1.4AFS delivers the same which is why I bellied up to the bar and bought a class B one from Jeff at Adorama when it became available (saved me some bucks).

Creating a video on the 50f1.4 AFS (and I still owe one on the 16Fish) will serve as a better review of the lens. For now, just wanted to keep you all in the loop where photography is taking me and where I’m taking my photography.

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

MI DLWS Had A Great Start!

Starting at a place called Fishtown, sounds kinda fishy to the newbies but the photography at this small locale smells pretty sweet! Arriving prior to sunrise, the surprise that the old dock town has in store is hidden. Once the light starts to come up, the possibilities abound.

The clouds had so much promise, the light was encouraging but it ended up being a promise unanswered. So I turned to the digital darkroom. This photo was taken at -1.5 so capturing all the highlight detail in the sky was tricky because the 16Fish takes in so much. That meant the fishing village went into shadows and black. That was a plus and minus. The plus was some of the yuck disappeared, the minus was some of the cool stuff disappeared as well. So I simply went into NX2, dropped some Color Control points on the buildings, brought up the brightness, contrast and warmth and called it finished. It was a lesson that the class thought was pretty darn cool. Especially since it only took a minute to finish.

And then there is my hero, Joe McNally. From this sleepy little village Joe enters and finds subjects, situations and of course, killer images. I was on the other end of town and got in only during the last few minutes but I like the one quick portrait I was able to capture. That guy, he just works magic!

It’s going to be a great week!

Photos captured by D3x 16Fish / 200f2 on Lexar UDMA digital film

The Fish & The Rock

Our time shooting together just flew by! We were already at our last shoot and as you can see, and clouds finally floated in. We went back to the Alabama Hills for a number of reasons. The biggest being that it’s a totally different place in the evening. I took the guys to a place I really like for sunset, obviously I’d been there before so the challenge for me was to do something new.

Pretty quickly I latched on to this rock. I had the 16Fish attached and the combination of the lens and the rock’s shape intrigued me. I shot it and one of the first problems was the exposure on the left over the Sierra. It was blown out and no matter what I tried, I couldn’t pull it. So I ended up doing a 7exp HDR. I’m very happy with the results.

I then turned the corner and looked at the same rock with the 16Fish and saw another shape and photo, even though it was the same rock. With the turn I was no longer getting the blown out clouds over the Sierra so this was a simple, single click.

Then, being really quick on the draw, I wondered what would happen if I continued on the same path. You see what I got. It’s kinda cool it appears to be three different boulders when it’s all the same. Then to finish off the series, I went to the complete other side and did a landscape covering the boulder and the world around it.

Sharon & I want to thank John, Adam, Ray, Patrick, Rick and Russ for permitting us to share a little bit of our backyard and bring to life for them an unique part of our wild heritage!

Photos captured by D3x, 16Fish on Lexar UDMA digital film

The Fish & The Rock

Our time shooting together just flew by! We were already at our last shoot and as you can see, and clouds finally floated in. We went back to the Alabama Hills for a number of reasons. The biggest being that it’s a totally different place in the evening. I took the guys to a place I really like for sunset, obviously I’d been there before so the challenge for me was to do something new.

Pretty quickly I latched on to this rock. I had the 16Fish attached and the combination of the lens and the rock’s shape intrigued me. I shot it and one of the first problems was the exposure on the left over the Sierra. It was blown out and no matter what I tried, I couldn’t pull it. So I ended up doing a 7exp HDR. I’m very happy with the results.

I then turned the corner and looked at the same rock with the 16Fish and saw another shape and photo, even though it was the same rock. With the turn I was no longer getting the blown out clouds over the Sierra so this was a simple, single click.

Then, being really quick on the draw, I wondered what would happen if I continued on the same path. You see what I got. It’s kinda cool it appears to be three different boulders when it’s all the same. Then to finish off the series, I went to the complete other side and did a landscape covering the boulder and the world around it.

Sharon & I want to thank John, Adam, Ray, Patrick, Rick and Russ for permitting us to share a little bit of our backyard and bring to life for them an unique part of our wild heritage!

Photos captured by D3x, 16Fish on Lexar UDMA digital film

Where Did I Leave Off… Ah Yes, Bristlecone Pines

The Bristlecone Pines are such magnificent lives living truly on the edge of the planet. We went to the Patriarch Grove at 11,361 feet in altitude and literally to the top of the White Mountains. It is a simply gorgeous place that takes your breath away, literally!

There are many, many, many ways to work the pines, I went with the most difficult and that was to walk up the hill and find where the sun, as it would set, paint the foreground with shadow while the pines themselves would be in the last rays. Why is this the most difficult? First, you had to walk up hill when you’re already at altitude. The other, you’re chasing a really quickly fading light. Just to add to the fun, I shot with the 16Fish to take it all in. Laying down worked to slow down the heart and dramatize the angle of the pine with the Fisheye.

This was a bitch of a photo to capture. Why? There was no place to lay down let alone be a sturdy camera platform, let alone get out of my own way. Shooting with the Fish, I had knees, elbows and other body parts I had to keep extracting out of the frame. I’m just glad no one photographed the yoga position I was in to make the final capture.

After the sun went off the slope I chased the detail shots. What you can’t tell here is that I pulled sharpness throughout the images using the Tilt feature of the 85PC-E. It was a new challenge for me to pull total focus on these curving, sensuous, golden, natural sculptures.  It required from 4 to 9 degrees of tilt to make the image, but all were shot at f/8 so I was pleased with myself to make it work. It did require a bit of chimping to check critical focus from corner to corner but the lenses delivered. The drive down and the Alpine Glow was fantastic as well. Simply put, it was an amazing day with a killer finish!

Photos captured by D3x, 16Fish / 85PC-E on Lexar UDMA digital film

Shooting on the Rocks

Jordan Pond, I just love that place! I’ve approached it many ways over all the years I’ve been coming to its shores. The infamous Butt Crack Rock which I so apply named is sought by many a photographer. Why, I haven’t a clue other than, it’s just silly. This morning I approached the rock photography here a littler differently.

I started by just photographing the rocks and a little water. The rest of Jordan Pond was not included. The rocks are pretty cool, with this neat tan-pink aspect to them that really pops with a White Point / Black Point.

I then headed to the other side of the pond where one, there wasn’t anyone else and two, I had success in the past. I wanted to explore the shoreline with my 16 Fish and I’m glad I did. The tan strips in the rock really was key in how I composed the image, the stereo lines as you look back in the frame is why I liked the fish.

By venturing out into the pond I was able to make the one photo I really sought. It comes in that category of photos that have an emotional meaning to you but the rest of the world just smiles and says “nice” just to humor you. So for the rest, here’s the token fall color photo to start off the season.

I am Soooo tired that I can’t find the CF door on my camera. So I’m heading off for four hours of sleep.

Photos captured by D3x, 14-24AFS/16Fish/200VR on Lexar UDMA digital film

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