I Keep Lookin, but No Batman!

Nov 8, 2012 | Landscape Photography

Every time I’m in NYC, I comeback with a really stiff neck. That’s because I’m always looking up! We were there just before the storm (still really concerned for so many there) and as always, we were out at night walking and looking up. I see those towers shooting up into the sky and I just love the lines, light and shapes. And when the clouds drop down, I get the feeling of being in Gotham and that at any moment, super heroes will appears.

And as usual, I had a camera on my shoulder, this night is was a D4 (ISO800) and 24f1.4 AFS. The top shot was the first shot and I try to make the best shot the first shot because often in NYC, that’s the only one you’re going to get. This time I had the luxury of making a second shot and you can see what I changed. I went vertical.I like the vertical much better because of the elimination of the building on the let and the extra drama accentuating its height and being lost in the clouds. But I had the luxury of an extra minute so went for one more shot.

I should have stopped while I was ahead! By trying to get tighter on the bldg I included a bldg on the right and that just doesn’t work. Sharon & I have fond memories of the Big Apple and look forward to being back there in the spring. Know that Sharon & I have you in our heart and prayers and the Am Red Cross had heard from us a few times in the last week. Best to all!

Light & Time, a Favorite Subject

Nov 7, 2012 | Landscape Photography

You just never know what a day will present you! I look at the weather, I look at the radar, I look what’s out on the horizon, look at dew point and with all of that, life is what life brings. We took off early from Freeport and headed down to the Portland Head Light which is a favorite of mine. Its lines, position on the point and water seem to be placed just for us photographers. The only trick is being in the right place at the right time for the light. We were let in early so we could be in place as the very first light hit the sky. Shooting with the D4 and 24-70AFS, I had the Schneider .09 split grad screw-in filter attached, I started clicking at -2 exp comp from the get go. And for the first 30min, there wasn’t a whole lot of change in the light, the subject, the photograph. Then at 07:01 it was as good as it was going to get from this perspective, for this gear, for these settings. At 07:03 the show was over. And that’s what gets me every time. I mean, months of planning, phone calls, email, setting alarms, following GPS, praying the gate is open like it’s supposed to be, no rain, get in place and the final reward is a 6sec exp burning up of a bunch of pixels. And with that click, we pat ourselves on the back for winning that prediction game. And that evening, we do it all over again at some other locale. Anyone truly watching us photographers, they would not be wrong thinking we’re nuts, truly nuts! Here’s to going nuts tomorrow!

Subtle Surprise

Nov 5, 2012 | Landscape Photography

Fall color is such an in captivating subject! The shades of yellow, the shapes, textures and pattern just suck me in whenever I’m amongst it. The big, grand, sweeping landscape shot with splashes of color here and there is hard to pass up. But when I have the option to shoot at eye level with great color or the sweeping landscape, I go for the up close and personal every time. The problem is, shooting eye level with trees just ain’t easy! That’s why I like to haunt narrow canyons in the fall as the roads are often at eye level with the trees.

When I have this opportunity, what I look for is what I think of in my own mind in landscape photography as subtle surprises. These are shot with a D4 & 70-200VR2 with no post. The top photo is the weakest example, the bottom the strongest of what I’m talking about. I like to include trunks but being such strong, vertical lines, too much and that’s all the eye latches onto. The color and pattern might still be there but the mind’s eye has to force itself over to it. That’s why I like to find small windows through the leaves to small segments of trunks. And not just any trunk but interesting patterns, texture and light on the trunk. And when I find those little windows, the color contrast and break in the pattern with the leaves make the trunks an even more powerful element in the fall color. It’s really very simple, for the viewer of the image it’s just a subtle surprise.

Nubble or Alcatraz?

Nov 1, 2012 | Landscape Photography

Knowing the mind’s eye goes to light and bright first, having the Nubble Lighthouse large in the frame wasn’t critical. Using the Big Stopper, I wanted the movement it created to point to the lighthouse. And by putting the lighthouse deadcenter, I was looking to tape into a west coast landmark, Alcatraz. And the most important element to me was the coastline, I wanted it to cradle it all. So after working out the kinks in the shooting system and letting others move across the rocks, I got to where I wanted to make the shot I like the most. It was a heck of a learning experience but really like how the final image turned out.

Close the Eyepiece Shutter!

Nov 1, 2012 | Landscape Photography