Dec 4, 2018 | Landscape Photography
Our wild heritage is a vast treasure we are so fortunate to have been left to explore and photograph! Yosemite Nat’l Park, Yosemite Valley is like no other place on this planet. And it’s never the same twice. That’s why we are there a lot, I mean a lot! We’re real fortunate that when the pass is open, we’re on the valley floor in a couple of hours from our home. We take advantage of that because its granite walls contain a celebration every season of the year. The beauty of the place is extensive, even if you could visit ALL of the park in a day, the next day it would all be different again. A classic example of this was last week when on numerous occasions, we visited one spot over and over again, Tunnel View. Tunnel View is a classic view of the entire valley you see coming in on Hwy 41. It is a breathtaking locale taking in Bridalveil Falls, El Capitan, Half Dome all the way back to Cloud’s Rest. It is simply, spectacular!
John Muir called the Sierra the, “Range of light” and that’s why no two days are the same. Both of these photos were taken from Tunnel View around the same time in the morning on two separate days, three days apart. The top photo is the morning before the storm hit and the bottom one is the morning after the storm left. And while the light might be coming in from the same direction at the same time, the way the light is bouncing in, around and through is different. The rain & snow brought in ground fog, the same water filled the falls. Shooting with the Z7 and the Z6 with the Z24-70, underexposure of -1.3 stops, WB of K9000 and simple hand-holding is all it took to make the shot. Oh, and being there to witness the natural magic that comes every day in The Valley. You might notice that the arrangement of elements is not quite the same. The top image, the Z6 is pointed up more to bring in the character of the sky. And the other, the Z7 is pointed down to bring in the fog. But the rock, well, it’s the same rock day after day, decade after decade. All our lands, Yosemite, should be explored, enjoyed and shared over and over again. It’s Never The Same Twice!
Nov 14, 2018 | Landscape Photography
I’m sure I’m not the only photographer to mumble under their breath as someone enters their landscape photos. I learned long ago though that most folks don’t stay in the same spot for five minutes so simply waiting often takes care of the issue. And then again, there is that thing called Photoshop which is a very effective tool for removing unwanted folks from our photo. But can we turn this negative into a positive in our photography?
Especially if you’re in the commercial end of landscape photography, having folks in your photo is a huge plus. We have made a lot of editorial sales of well-known locales because we did have people in the photo. In part because of so many photographers want those photos without folks. Showing our wild heritage being loved is a money maker (and shows those folks for getting in our photos)! But what about including them to give our photo scale, a sense of size? Shooting in Arches last week with the Z7 / Z24-70 (with the Silent Shutter in action so folks don’t know I’m shooting), I used people to let you know the physical size of the arches. And with the Z7 / Z24-70, it was really simple to bring extra drama to the photo by underexposure and shooting B&W which the Z7 excels at. And thinking this all through, you might enjoy your shoot more not worrying if folks are in your photo. Darn people in my photo! Not!
Nov 9, 2018 | Landscape Photography
The heavenly bodies shimmered in the cold crisp skies over Arches Nat’l Park. So every night we’ve been out enjoying them and preserving the memories with our cameras. We kept it real simple so we could stay warm, have fun and be successful. The above photo was taken literally from the side of the road. We positioned ourselves so the oncoming car headlights did all the light painting, we just had to open the shutter and enjoy.
The photo of Delicate Arch required a little more, had to make the forty-five minute walk up to it. Otherwise, I set up the D850 / 8-15Fish with ISO 3200, A WB, f5.6, 30secs and shot. The glow on the horizon is … the setting sun, light polution … I’ll let your imagination fill in the blank. We’ve had four great nights under the stars coming back with great memories, in our hearts and camera!
Nov 7, 2018 | Landscape Photography
Mesa Arch is a gorgeous locale and when empty of folks, really good for the soul! Been coming to the “Arch” for one heck of a long time. Those who have never been to the “Arch”, the bottom photo gives a general idea of what the “Arch” looks like. It’s not really arch like in shape so long ago, I started shooting it with a fisheye lens. So this trip, I shot nearly entirely with the 8-15Fish(such a gorgeous Fish!). The big variance with the “Arch” over the year is the placement of the sun on the horizon, this time of year it’s nearly dead center. I personally like shooting the “Arch” long after the sun is up (and most of the folks have left) and then “pinch” the sun to get the flare. The top photo is my favorite shot from this year shooting at 14mm literally right at the edge of the rim. But it’s not my favorite “Arch” photo. That I took this morning but from a different point of view.
Shooting with the Z7 / 8-15Fish and still at 14mm, I waited until the sun was even higher in the sky. At this time, there was nobody at the “Arch” so you can stand where ever you want with no one else in the frame. With the “Arch” blocking the sun and with the very cooperative clouds, I made a simple click as what you see is exactly what came out of the Z7. For me, this simple, tranquil shot of Mesa Arch tells its story and my experience the best and my all time favorite. Still with a Fish creating my “Fishy” arch, but with the peace that such a location that is part of our wild heritage coming through.
Nov 6, 2018 | Landscape Photography
There we were on a leisurely drive to Turret Arch for sunrise when we came around the corner to … surprise! I had in my mind rocks and red, not the slightest hint of a moon in the slightest amount of light in the sky. We’re still scrubbing off the rubber I left on the road for hours! It was simply gorgeous! The photography was easier than the stopping actually.
I hopped out and grabbed the Z7 / 180-400VR, threw it on a tripod, dialed in -2 and shot. Then I ran up the road (fast walk) and “set” the moon again and then ran up the road further to “set” the moon one last time (bottom photo) before it disappeared for the day in the rising sunlight. What a spectacular day to start at day, by the light of the silvery moon!
Oct 19, 2018 | Landscape Photography
Fall in the Eastern Sierra is fading quickly. The Aspens in our meadow are meer silver trunks testament to a great year. While the hillside might not be carpeted in yellows and oranges, there are still patches of color calling us and our cameras to immortalize them. It’s a challenge I take up every fall, shooting fall color when there really isn’t any fall color. I love the walks I have to take to find that last vestige of fall.
This year I’m going real light in search of fall color. I’m just carrying with me this weekend the Z7 / Z24-70 along with the 60f2.8micro attached to the FTZ. I tend to walk toward the sun in search of the photograph because I prefer backlit fall color. The light is a large part of the photograph. Once I find a grove with a hint of color, I’ll take my original photos and then make a circle looking for those hidden treasures. That’s how I came across the frost-crusted leaf on the edge of falling. It’s those little treasures that make the whole adventure worthwhile. And if I come back with no photographs, that’s OK too. Walking in a forest in fall is simply good for the soul!
