Jan 9, 2012 | Landscape Photography
I have this well earned reputation of kinda wishing up the photo I want. Like in this situation at Ding Darling when I spot the Belted Kingfisher. I see and I say out loud, “I wish that kingfisher would land on that perch and check things out.” And there is lands…
Then I focus my lens on this closer perch and say out loud, “Now I wish it would land on this perch” and there it lands. At this point those around me start looking for a remote control as if I have a robotic kingfisher (which would be cool). Of course, folks ask me how I know that, how’d I do that? I give them the Moose smile and sunder off. Then I turn to my friend and tell him the secret. I’ve been to this spot a whole lot and I’ve watched the kingfisher for a long time in this spot and I knew it as a 50/50 probability it would land on those perches if it landed on another perch first. And it was this knowledge that permitted me to have the teleconverter on and the lens in the right place to make the clicks. Because background is everything in this photo! Any sky and it will pull your eye right from the little white breast. And if that happens, I loose your attention. In wanting to tell the story, all these little subtleties must be dealt with and the best formula I can give you for doing that is to combine biology with technology.
In the Bag
D3x
600f4VR AFS
TC-17e II
Gitzo 5561SGT w/ Wimberley Head
Jan 6, 2012 | Landscape Photography
You know, these are a lot easier then aircraft to photograph. They go so much slower! I simply love osprey, comes from my days of shooting with Roger Tory Peterson who fought so hard to bring them back from extinction. They really took it in the short from DDT. These are like great photos and they are more then just panning practice. They are simply good fun that brings back great times shooting with Roger. That’s what this wildlife photography thing is really all about, simple pleasures!
In the Bag
D3x
600f4VR AFS
TC-17e II
Gitzo 5561SGT w/ Wimberley Head
and still a jacket. Really,who turned off the heat in FL?
Jan 6, 2012 | Landscape Photography
When your eye looks into the shadows of a mangrove swamp, this is what you see. Since our eyes and brain are so sophisticated and sensitive, we see into the shadows in the background and the business of the roots which scream out at you so you don’t take the photo. But if you train your mind’s eye to see light and understand light like the camera, then looking at this same scene you would see this….
Since the camera can only record five stops, the white of the Snowy Egret makes the background shadow information disappear. I saw lots of photographers pass up these shots today and it saddened me. Nice click that only required seeing like the camera. Simple lesson, hard to learn.
In the Bag
D3x
600f4VR AFS
TC-17e II
Gitzo 5561SGT w/ Wimberley Head
and a jacket. Who turned off the warmth in FL?
Jan 6, 2012 | Landscape Photography
Spent a great day at Ding Darling just goofin…comeback to see how this was done.
Jan 5, 2012 | Landscape Photography
I was climbing the walls and Sharon knew it so being the good partner she is, she kicked my ass out to go shooting some I’m down in FL! It is great to see all the birds just doing their thing here and there and where no snow right now is correct (still have just dirt at my home). So with a week of shooting to clear my head, what am I going after? Where am I going? I’m after anything that hold stills and is in good light. That’s my plan. It’s just me and the critters with no clock or objective. I wife knows how to spoil me!
Now there are two species I am looking for in my lens. The Wood Stork right now just prior to breeding season looks great and are very active, I would love to get into a feeding group that get fat and happy then go to preening. I would love to find a FL race Red-Shoulder Hawk that is as mellow as this one was that’s perched in nice light. Now some folks come to think that just because I go out with a lens, the birds line up to have me take their portrait. Such is not the case. I have my ideas, I have my hopes but until the sun rises and I’m in the field, I just don’t know what life will present me. I’ve got all the toys so if I make a good click or two, I’ll post the stills and the vid. Wish me luck.
Dec 20, 2011 | Landscape Photography
I’m so wishing for the white stuff because right now, our front yard meadow is just brown. Argh! So I went skiing through the files to find some of the white stuff from days past. I didn’t have to go far, Feb in Yosemite. I found these two images which I hadn’t processed yet. I know why they weren’t processed, they are a reminder that I still haven’t got this one shot I’ve always wanted from Yosemite.
When you walk into the Mountain Room on the far wall is this sweet photo of cedars in the fog. I’ve always admired and wanted that photo but have never been presented with the opportunity to create my own version. But I’m always looking and when I see the fog mixing with the trees, my lens points in that direction. Now there are three elements in that photo in the Mountain Room I like. First is obviously the fog. Next are the trees and lastly is the color contrast of the trunks of the trees in the fog. Now the top photo is a total looser in my book. While it has the three elements, they just aren’t working. I like the bottom image better but it’s missing that color contrast which I’m looking for. So, if it ever starts to snow again, I’ll be out looking.
Now when it comes to the camera capture end of this process, exposure is the first thing. This is one instance where I overexpose in the camera and then yank back the blacks in post. This is the first time I finished images using the improved Graduated Fog in CEP4. It did a really nice job enhancing the fog that was present without increasing the noise or blur. So while I don’t have the image, I a camera and finishing battle plan. But dang, where’s the snow?!
