Feb 12, 2013 | Landscape Photography
Photography is a mixture of so many elements, most can easily site off the technical. While important, my mind when the eye is to the viewfinder goes to the subtle. Little details which get overshadowed by the technical I find more challenging and the little elements that separate a photo from a keeper to a favorite to one I want to share. When you consider that you often have less than a second to grap someone’s visual attention with your photograph, favoring towards the mind’s eye often gains you a longer glance and time with your photo. I’m greedy, I want all the time I can earn which is just one of many reasons I shoot with the D4.
This series of an American Osytercatcher photographed down at Fort DeSoto a few weeks ago is an example of what I’m talking about. Using a panning plate, attach a D4 with 600VR2 with TC-14e attached, I laid on the sand waiting. The Oystercatcher doesn’t really like to be approached by will approach you. With that, you don’t have complete control, the Oystercatcher picking the place for its portrait. When this Oystercatcher strolled up for its session, I waited for the pose and then laid on the hammer.
What am I mumbling about? If you look closely at the 3 images, you will see a very slight difference in the background any body gesture. It is very slight but I was able to capture it by letting the motordrive rip. The difference in the wave, leg and head though is what I seek but seeing it and hitting the button at times just isn’t possible so I let the motordrive make it happen. Then, back at the Mac Retina I look for that moment as I go through the images. In the end, it’s just the one, single image that goes out. In this case, it’s the bottom image that I like the best. It’s a really small detail, very subtle but that’s what I’m lookin for to grab just a few more moments of your visual attention.
Feb 11, 2013 | Landscape Photography
“Where’s the blog, you OK?” has been a common email the last month. This has been in response to many days where there simply was no blog. You might remember a while back (nearly 2 yrs ago) I said I was going to challenge myself by posting five days a week, multiple posts a day to see how that would effect my basic daily activities. I can tell you honestly, it greatly impacts it since blog posts take time, especially since the majority of the time, it’s new image content. Well when the year flipped over to 2013, I looked at my goals and the blog which was at the top, went to the bottom. The reason is many the biggest being I’ve decided to shoot more than ever (filed over 3TB in 2013 so far). I’ve also taken on other projects that simply are more important to me than blogging like a madman. Now I’m not going to stop blogging and those days when I can do what I’ve been doing, multiple posts will go up. But there will simply be days when there is no new post and you’ll have to satisfy yourself with the nearly 3500 pages already present. I want to thank you loyal few who keep dropping by and write and will continue to help you the best I can through the blog.
What you see here is the eastern view from Dante’s View this morning in Death Valley. Just concluded a great week with some great photographers! They were up for any challenge including this morning with below freezing temps a giant breeze to make some gorgeous images. This is a simple click taken with the D4 and 24-70AFS with +.3 exp comp to pull the detail. The light is doing all the heavy lifting for me, I just had to frame it and go click. I like that kind of photography.
Feb 6, 2013 | Landscape Photography
Which came first, the pixel or the chicken? Personally, I think it was the heart! I’m of the opinion that when you follow your heart and not your head in photography, things tend to turn out better more often. No, the photograph will not always be perfect but often, that’s not really the point. Perserving the memory is often all that’s required, and that’s all about heart. At the same time, we photographers want to put our best foot forward in the process. It’s just what makes us tick. And this is often where things collide!
The top photo is a single click made with the D4 and 18AF. To get there from the bottom picture which is the image straight from the camera, all I had to do was a couple of things. First, stand as tall as possible at a distance so the lighthouse isn’t tipping over. Next, wait for the clouds to partially obscure the sun. I know I’m not going to hold the detail and that’s just fine. Lastly, I had to know what I could do in post. The majority of the finishing was done in ACR which, after running my basic preset, I took the Shadow slider right, highlight slider left and clicked Open. I then selected just the sky and ran Nik’s Color Efex Pro 4 Detail Extractor on the sky. And with that, I was done so all I had to do was go click and then hit the digital darkroom and finish. Na, not the greatest but then not bad for shooting in the sun as we ran to the car. All of this and more is possible with heart!
Feb 5, 2013 | Landscape Photography
On 15-17 Feb, 2013 we’re pulling a couple of all nighters as we stare at the heavens and photograph the stars. We’ll be doing every sort of heavenly photography we can from trails to portraits, time lapse to stills. Set in the amazing and historic Alabama Hills, we have a great setting for the weekend. We’ll meet in Lone Pine, CA on Friday evening to go over strategies, gear check and howdies and then head to the Alabama Hills for our first all nighter. The next day we’ll meet up long after the sun is up and go through our images, look at the different methods of assembling our previous nights work and get ready for Saturday night shooting. After grabbing an early dinner, we’ll go out for sunset and getting into position for a fun night of shooting and ghost stories. We’ll finish up after breakfast on Sunday morning. The price is $495 which includes preclass materials, instruction and guiding only. Some have asked what if we have clouds? Then we suffer through with landscape photography in the hills. Either way, we’re going to have a great time! This is one workshop where bringing a sleeping bag might just be a must. Look forward to shooting the stars with you! 760.924.8632 / 661.204.1506 9-5 M-F.
Jan 24, 2013 | Landscape Photography
In the spring in FL, there is a species I seek out, the Double-crested Cormorant. A species that normally is about as ugly as the bird world has to offer up, comes to life in the breeding season. It’s plumage and especially the flesh around the male’s eye just ballistic with great colors even if just in the shades of black and blue. At the same time, it’s a Double-crested Cormorant! When you have though a basic color overall with a splash of color contrast and you use focus to select it, you can have your cake and eat it too. Shooting still with the D4 with 600VR2 with TC-20e3, this male on a lone perch could be optically selected and then it’s start of breeding plumage to the rest. Then with a dabble of light kissed it, well, it was a good afternoon to stand and watch the rookery.
Jan 24, 2013 | Landscape Photography
Birds on a wire, it’s just never been my thing. There is nothing wrong with it, it’s just as you know, I’m picky about perches and wire just doesn’t cut it. With that said, when you have an opportunity, do you pass it up just because you’re picky? In this case, this sweet Broad-winged Hawk was having a great time harassing the ibis at a rookery. No way it would take one, it just seemed like it was flying about making them flush just because it could. I watched it with a huge smile. Then it landed on this wire. I’d not photographed a Broad-winged for a long time, since film days! So when I have an opportunity to update my digital files with a new species, I’m off to the races!
Sadly, the hawk loved wires for perches so that was my only option. Using the D4 with 600VR2 with TC-20e3 I walked around so the light was on my back to get a shot. The little guy was funny as hell as it tried to keep it balance. I shot a video I need to post as I expected any moment for it to do a 360 spinning on the wire. But then it flew only to land on another perch. This one at least had a background better than gray skies. While not a killer shot and while on a wire, I have digital files now of the Broad-winged Hawk. Even better is a have a video that on a slow day in the office I can watch that will make me smile. What else can you ask for in life!
