Jan 16, 2011 | Landscape Photography
OK, I’ll admit it was a great macro opportunity. The best part, I didn’t have to get down on the ground and stick my ass up in the air to take it. So I decide to get in the swing of things and work the subject a little better. So here’s my first click.
[swf]http://www.moosepeterson.com/swf_imgs/_bmp53571.swf, 585, 444 [/swf]
The 1st thing I did was improve the background. In the last blog the dark background didn’t work for the conditions, snow. So I moved so I had a white background. Next, from the 1st to 2nd photo here, I titled the camera from plum to the earth to plumming the subject to the frame.
[swf]http://www.moosepeterson.com/swf_imgs/_bmp53681.swf, 585, 444 [/swf]
Yeap, still shoot in HSC mode with AWB A6 to warm up the leaves. I’m only shooting at f/8 to maximize sharpness on the hoar frost while not pulling in the background.
[swf]http://www.moosepeterson.com/swf_imgs/_bmp53791.swf, 402, 600 [/swf]
And lastly, I went vertical with the camera still plummed to the subject and not the earth. And for Moose, it’s not a half bad macro shot.
Jan 16, 2011 | Landscape Photography
[swf]http://www.moosepeterson.com/swf_imgs/_bmp53321.swf, 585, 444 [/swf]
So we’re working the meadow, it’s simply gorgeous! I start walking and walking and walking. I have just the 70-200VR2 which is working great. I end up about 3/4 of a mile from the van when I turn around and realize how far I’ve gone. I look back and see the gang standing around a small valley oak in what appears prayer so I head back the short distance to them. I reach them to find them photographing the frost on the oak leaves. Darn cool!
[swf]http://www.moosepeterson.com/swf_imgs/_bmp53351.swf, 585, 444 [/swf]
My problem is, I only have the 70-200 and I want a bigger image size and I’m at its MFD. To be really honest, and this will sound bad, but I was too lazy to walk back for my 105MC so I simply turned on the High Speed Crop and shot away. With the D3x, the images quality is still killer and besides, it’s just a macro shot :-)
Jan 15, 2011 | Landscape Photography
They have all these “retro” early 1900s postcards for sale featuring that kind of garish color look of the era. I think they are kind of cool so I decided to see if I could create the same feel photographically you see in those old cards. Here’s my first attempt.
[swf]http://www.moosepeterson.com/swf_imgs/_bmp55611.swf, 585, 444 [/swf]
I think I have a ways to go but I like the thought process behind it. It might lead to new discoveries.
Photos captured by D3x, 24f1.4AFS on Lexar UDMA digital film
Jan 15, 2011 | Landscape Photography
[swf]http://www.moosepeterson.com/swf_imgs/_bmp5306.swf, 585, 444 [/swf]
We’re here in the Valley getting ready for our first DLWS of 2011. We’re not scouting, have the locations down pat. Rather, we’re taking our newest staff member Jeff and guest instructor, our dear friend RC around showing them the sites. That means of coarse taking them to a few favorites which includes what we call El Cap Meadow.
[swf]http://www.moosepeterson.com/swf_imgs/_bmp5317.swf, 585, 444 [/swf]
Here, as the air temps above warms, the air cycles in the valley and with the snow, fog forms making for some fun clicks. Simple, gorgeous, fun. Good start!
Photos captured by D3x, 70-200VR2 on Lexar UDMA digital film
Jan 15, 2011 | Landscape Photography
[swf]http://www.moosepeterson.com/swf_imgs/_BMP52621.swf, 585, 444 [/swf]
We’re back in the valley again, last time we were here was about 45 days ago. Yeah, we get here a lot. This is my 1453 visit to the valley and it is just as spectacular today as it was the very first time I hiked down to it from Little Yosemite Valley back in 1971. Photographically…..
[swf]http://www.moosepeterson.com/swf_imgs/_BMP52651.swf, 585, 444 [/swf]
It’s probably one of the more fascinating and challenging locations for me since I am here so much. So when I get here, the first thing I do is just click to get the mind flowing. It’s hard at times because even doing this, what I see in the viewfinder I have seen before. The falls for example, this is the standard, from the lodge road shot. The snow, I have that in the front yard. And you know what, they never grow old. I just wanna improve on the last. It will be my personal challenge of the week. Stay tuned.
Photos by D3x, 70-200VR2 on Lexar UDMA digital film
Jan 10, 2011 | Landscape Photography
[swf]http://www.moosepeterson.com/swf_imgs/Delhi Sands fly 0008.swf, 585, 444 [/swf]
There is one aspect of my work that I really, truly hate. Jake & I headed down to the desert to do a little scouting & then R&R shooting. In route we went through Banning Pass, just north of Palm Springs. What seems like a lifetime ago, I did quite a bit of work in that area. One of those projects was to photograph this endangered critter, the Delhi Sands Flower Loving Fly. At the time, only 1 photo of this critter existed so F&W needed one for the public record. This is the only critter in my entire career that nearly killed me, but that’s another story. Another project was for this other critter the endangered Coachella Valley Fringe-toed Lizard. This is a fascinating critter that made a fool of me but it was so much fun to photograph it. Why am I blogging these photos that are 20 & 24yrs old and what is I hate about my work?
[swf]http://www.moosepeterson.com/swf_imgs/Coachella Vly Fringe-toed 0034.swf, 585, 444 [/swf]
We were driving down I10 and I was looking at the amazing amount of development that has occurred in the area. It has been perhaps seven or eight years since I traveled down this section of I10 and it was incredibly depressing (pointed out a canyon we fought three years to preserve but lost, Jake just said, “That’s a lot of houses!” Then we drove past the sites where I photographed these endangered critters. What I saw was pavement and cement, there was no more sand, no more critters. The one site the building that had been built was closed up and abandoned. The location developed for a business that already went out of business? It’s really hard to go past a location and think of all that was there, what I photographed now all under blacktop. It’s probably just me but what society does just for money really fries me at times! I just don’t get it. I also know on the flip side some say, “It’s just a fly and a lizard, get over it.” I just hope some day some alien race doesn’t come to earth with the same attitude. “It’s just some humans, get over it.” I hate this aspect of my work.
