Nov 7, 2014 | Landscape Photography
There are times when in California, those are my sentiments. Fall in Yosemite is usually dry but even after the snow storm last week, the place is still pretty dry. None the less we found some water today, some really cool water so had to play. Shooting still with the D750 & 80-400VR3, I went about my usual routine for shooting “blurred water” (which is actually bubbles). I arrange the elements, in this case the portions of white with the rest of the scene. The green leaves trapped under the surface are what really pulled me to this portion of the Merced. I then shot a number of frames, each one with a different shutter speed to find the one that had the “blur” effect I liked. With that determined (5sec), I shot off about 20 frames to find the one I liked the best. Been a while since I’ve chased water, fun to find, rewarding to spend time with.
Nov 6, 2014 | Landscape Photography
Seeing fall color in my home state, well I’ve not experienced that for a number of years. I’ve enjoyed it in other regions, other countries but not in my own backyard for a long time. So this morning’s walk in Yosemite Valley was a real treat to see all, and I mean alot … of fall color on the Black Oaks. So, with it being such a treat, I fell into the old grove of shooting the trees. But then, the old saying snapped back into my mind, “Seeing the trees from the forest.” That’s when I looked up.
I had a lot of fun this morning cruising with just the D750 & 80-400VR3 doing basic optical extraction. Then once the light came up and I was walking into it, I saw the leaves and off to the races my mind went. Oh, my achin neck! Handholding the rig, I looked up for those leaves that were backlit, had great veins and a little color and wear to them. I found more then I thought I would, these are three of my favorite clicks. Just real simple stuff from one of the simple pleasures of fall.
Oct 30, 2014 | Landscape Photography
I was mentally prepared for nearly everything we saw accept for one thing, the African landscape. It’s just amazing! The book on the trees of the area is three inches tall, oh my! While it reminded me a lot of California’s Oak woodlands, accept it has Lions, Leopards and Elephants and we have squirrels and a couple of deer, the beauty of the open African woodland habitat we ventured through is, stunning! If there is one regret I have from the trip is there wasn’t enough time to sit and smell the roses. Sitting on the deck and just looking out over the landscape and watching life grazing on by, that was adventure in itself. And it didn’t hurt either that Mr. G (seriously, his name) was there to fill up your cup with killer coffee and offer awfully good tasting pastries (oh, did he make a great Vodka Tonic!).
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I’ve talked about my principle wildlife gear but I’ve not mentioned my primary landscape gear. And I have to admit I didn’t see this coming. 99.9% of my landscape work was shot with the Nikon 1 V3! And many of those taken while the Landie was moving, there wasn’t much stopping for landscapes with all the wildlife. And there certainly was no getting out of the Landie for landscapes because, well, you might get eaten. That fact kept me in my seat! The V3 is so small, light, takes big, gorgeous files and with its tilt monitor, a simple joy to use as my primary landscape tool. And its video ability … oh my! I’ve NOT even gotten through a tenth of that I shot! One reason why I am so excited to go back in 2015 is in large part to enjoy more of this magical landscape.
Oct 9, 2014 | Landscape Photography
One lens I pull out a lot at the Grand Canyon, is the 16Fish. I have written many times here on the website above the 16Fish so it’s not really a surprise. One of my favorite times to use it though at the Grand Canyon is at sunrise. That’s because the Canyon runs basically east to west. In the morning, you can see the rays of the sun, its color on the right and it says, “sunrise’ better than the sun itself. The curve of the earth to me just brings that feeling out even more. It just simply makes the Canyon come to life in the morning.
I was out on a ledge shooting with the Df and 16Fish (image above) and 20f1.8AFS in my pocket (bottom photo). Now the key to working with both of these lenses at sunrise with the exposure range is ACR. Adobe Camera Raw permits us to bring down the highlights (far right edge) and pull out the shadows in the bottom of the Canyon. These are two literal simple clicks but for me, they bring home the serenity that is the Canyon at sunrise.
Oct 8, 2014 | Landscape Photography
The photograph, what we all go through to make, that photograph. There are all those basic sacrifices of time and money, from buying the gear to getting ourselves to the right place at the right time. Then there is all the learning, all the time put in up until that moment when you go click. And yet after all of this, too often when it comes to putting the subject in the viewfinder, most stay within their comfort zone. To me, all of the above puts most way beyond that comfort zone but it changes when … well when what? When there is that possibility that what you see in the viewfinder might be something you have to share with others. When that sharing might put your heart out there, for all to see. That’s when the comfort zone is held onto with dear might!
Walking on the edge, I’ve done it all my life and for better or worse, I’m well known for it. You can take that anyway you’d like and this past week at the Grand Canyon, our group saw it in a very literally way. Pushing past my comfort zone when it comes to the photograph is a everyday MO for me, but it’s not for most. So when, after looking on the LCD of my D750 taken with the 20f1.8AFS some liked the photo and wanted to have it themselves. But to get that photo, they had to go to the edge, literally and figuratively. Now going to the Grand Canyon when you have a sever discomfort with heights might already be considered going past your comfort zone. Well for Richard, Emerson and Tony, just going to the Grand Canyon wasn’t enough. Though very uncomfortable with heights, they wanted to push through their comfort zone to get that photo. Did they get the photo? Perhaps a better question is … does it matter?
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These guys are my heroes! You see, when you go beyond your comfort zone, you often don’t get the photo, the first time. But something inside you goes click. And the more you push past that comfort zone, your percentage of success grows, the better your photography becomes. And that’s the whole goal … isn’t it? I don’t know first hand, but I have the feeling we never achieve a perfection in this pursuit. We do get close, mighty close but that only counts in horseshoes and hand grenades. Right? But we keep on doing! My hats off to these guys, because with a smile on their face, they went to the edge and pushed themselves and their photography and even if they didn’t get the photo, they took that next big step. It’s one that moves you forward, forward of that comfort zone.
Oct 7, 2014 | Landscape Photography
Mary Colter in 1932 designed the Indian Watchtower that’s at the east end of the Grand Canyon. It was constructed by the Santa Fe Railroad like many of our great historic buildings in our Nat’l Parks, to bring folks the the parks on their trains. Colter though was a very gifted architect who brought to her structures the lore of the landscape and incorporated it into their design. The Watchtower is a great example of this, perched on the edge of The Canyon with spectacular views. So, who do you tell it’s story?
It starts with the obvious, just the tower. The one important element we didn’t have to work with was an interesting background. Bald Skies don’t leave a lot to work with normally. But when you think B&W, you can use the gradient of the sky. So we started with basic symmetry of just the tower. Then in moving around to the next opportunity a new one appeared. The sun was now at the right spot to shine through the window. So shooting with the D750 and 20f1.8 AFS , physically moved laterally so just a smidge of sun creeped around the window to intensify the starburst. The 20f1.8 has a great starburst so it was fun to exploit it.
Then there is the overall shot of the Tower that I had in mind from the get go. It’s really a simple click that, with the time of day and the bald skies is a natural. Shooting with with the 20f1.8, placing the Tower on the right brings in the story of The Canyon. Now the question comes up about making the Tower straight. Well, there isn’t really anything in the Tower that is straight so I don’t worry about it. It’s just part of its character. And when it comes to finishing the B&W, well that’s a simple single click with the new OnOne Suite 9 B&W.
But then there is the last light of day and the desert glow. Moving to the west, you can show on other view of the Tower, that of being part of the landscape. Switching up to the 85f1.8AFS, the bald skies lend themselves beautifully to this simple click. Naaa, these aren’t the most amazing shots of the Watchtower. We didn’t have that “wow” moment to work with. So then you’ve gotta reach down into your experiences as a photographer. Working to make the uncommon out of the common brings up these possibilities to reach the goal to tell the visual story. If nothing else, it was a great way to spend a gorgeous afternoon.
