Dec 17, 2012 | Landscape Photography
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.
Nov 28, 2012 | Landscape Photography
Have you ever had a day when, you’re on a photo expedition but you simply wake up not in the photographic mood? You’ve traveled somewhere special, you have new toys with you and the photography up to that point has been excellent and your hard drives are full. And yet, that morning things in your head just weren’t clicking. I have days like that and I hate them! They are a two edge sword, you don’t feel like shooting and you feel guilty for not feeling like shooting. Staying in bed in not an option, gotta push through it.
A minor case of this happens at certain locations when I simply don’t feel the love. That happened to you? Be it the weather, your mood, the light or the company (or lack there of), you get out of the car and you simply don’t see a photograph to save your soul. I hate times like that but they happen and they happen more times than not. But you’ve traveled some distance and taken some time to be at this place. You can’t just crawl back under the covers!
I ran into this problem A LOT when I first started out. We traveled somewhere and the mental road block would smack me right between the eyes. It was expensive but I found totally by accident a solution for the photography blues. I remember the morning on the California Coast with the F3 in my hand. By accident I hit the firing release button (never found a cure for that screw up) and I ripped off a bunch of frames. It finished the roll so then I had to rewind it which the motordrive did for me. And all of a sudden, with that sound of the motordrive the mind snapped and I saw a photo. It sounds so lame but for me, it works.
So we were in New Hampshire no to long ago and it was one of those mornings when, there wasn’t a pixel to burn on nothin! There wasn’t even a stupid image to put up on twitter…how bad is that?! We had tickets for the Conway Scenic Railroad so I knew that if nothing else, I would have a cool ride. But I knew I wouldn’t be doing this again anytime soon so the guilt started to weigh in. I went into my mode to bust out, a great thing abut HDR. Why HDR? How many frames do ya gotta take to do a HDR? Even though I was shooting with the D600 which only takes 3 frames (18AF attached), I started to screw around. While I ended up deleting those photos that night back in my room, the sound of the motordrive triggered the Pavlov’s Dog in my head and I got back to shooting.
Now the top photo is not one I would recommend you doing. The train on the right is off on a siding and not moving. The train on the left if what we’re on and I’m obviously handing out the window further then I should be. The shutter speed was 1/3 @ f/22 (ISO100), the camera strap wrapped around my wrist and elbows pulled in tight against the outside of the train. And now with my photo mojo workin again, we went chasing back up the tracks after the ride to find this boxcar we’d seen during out ride. This is a 7 frame HDR, handheld shot with the D4 and 18AF. Not too bad of images for a day starting off with the photo blues. Now I’m not saying this will work for everyone, but next time you’re feeling this way, just hold down the shutter release and let the sound of the slamming snap you out of it. You follow my train of thought?
Nov 15, 2012 | Landscape Photography
One of the challenges of landscape photography is creating visual depth in our photograph. When we have a wide sweeping vista, to communicate to the mind’s eye that it is sweeping, we have to trick it. This is because we are presenting the vista in a very one dimensional manner, computer monitor, iPad, printed page. This is a very flat medium for a very three dimensional scene. How do we trick the eye into seeing depth?
One of the easiest ways to do this is with an anchor point. The anchor point is an item in the foreground that is in focus that the eye can lock on to and then wonder out into the photograph. You have to be selective, just anything in the foreground doesn’t fill the bill.
A beer can in the foreground is not an anchor point. The foreground anchor point has to be of interest as well, part of the story yet not so interesting the eye doesn’t go into the frame.
In this series, you can see the scene as I saw it that evening. With the D4 / 18AF, I walked down to the shore at Mono Lake with the top scene being the first image. No anchor point, not real visual depth. The second photo has an anchor point but it’s too busy. The bottom photo is the best anchor point I could find at that moment. It’s a little too massive for me but it was the best option at the time. You can see though how with that element in the foreground we start to introduce visual depth in the photo. It helps create three planes, foreground, middle ground and background which brings depth to our otherwise one dimensional photo.
Nov 9, 2012 | Landscape Photography
to take note where you’ve come from and to count your blessings! Have a great weekend everyone!
Nov 9, 2012 | Landscape Photography
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!
Nov 9, 2012 | Landscape Photography
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
