May 21, 2018 | Wildlife Photography
Yellowstone Griz
captured by D5 / 800mm
Probably one of the biggest reasons I love being a wildlife photographer is because no matter how well I plan, how well equipped I might be, critters always surprise me. In that moment of surprise there is delight, learning, bewilderment and sometimes, a photograph to record the memory. Of course the pitfalls are monsterous but equally the rewards are staggering. So it was this afternoon in Yellowstone when we came around the corner and there were two 2-3year Griz siblings enjoying the afternoon sun. There was a small bear jam and since I’ve enjoyed griz many times, I took a vantage point where I could only see them through a small hole in the pines. Not even a good shot, just a fun shot to preserve the joy and fun of watching life unfold. It is essential in our photographic pursuits as we strive to do our best, to have fun and be open to all of life’s surprises!
I want to tip my hat to the Rangers and Techs at the bear jam. There were not only very professional but friendly and courteous to a crowd who at times was downright stupid. They are too often thought of as an obstacle so I wanted to commend and thank them for helping all those today enjoy our wild heritage!
May 18, 2018 | Landscape Photography
White Balance, the relationship of the light falling on the subject and how it is captured, sets the stage for so much that we communicate photographically. In its simplest use, creating a “gray day” or “warm moment” is only the difference of 3000k. But that can make all the difference in the story you want to tell!
I went with a real simple portrait setting to make my point. The Boys as always were just hanging out and more than willing to be models. The photograph above was taken when we first arrived at Mt Rushmore. The bottom photo was taken 45min later just as the sun was disappearing. The mood set with the “cold” or “blue” light is dramatic compared to the “warm” or “orange” light. And this difference directly affects how the viewer of your photograph “feels” about the subject. And while this is easy and obvious, like anything in photography, White Balance tends to perplex photographers. I can pass along to you what I tell most photographers when diving into learning White Balance. Use Auto White Balance for everything (Auto Natural Auto on D850) except when you see red in the sky, then use Cloudy. And if you see a change that you like, then delve into it even further.
May 16, 2018 | Wildlife Photography
Many think of Bison when they think of the great American West, my mind often goes to the Pronghorn. The fastest mammals in North America, this speedster is elegance on four hooves. But often you only see photos of the distinctive male with its “heart-shaped” horns. The female or doe lacking these often get little or no love. So when the opportunity to put them in the limelight to give them a little love.
In these examples of love, I used light and background to bring drama and story to the females. The first light of the day is gorgeous in The Black Hills so being up early and finding a doe was the only challange. We could easily roll up on this browsing doe and with the rim light on her and the dew, easy click for the D5 and the 300PF. Then later, beddin down to chew her cud, the far-off burnt hillside made a dramatic out of focus background that the D5 / 800mm easily brought together in the viewfinder. The only other thing I look at is the ears, I always want the ears forward, not back. And now you have ideas how to so love to the “other” Pronghorn.
May 15, 2018 | Landscape Photography
The Black Hills experienced a pretty big wildfire this past November. And while it was devasting, Mother Nature has turned it around this spring with the most amazing green carpet of spring grass I’ve ever seen!
One of the magic ingredients to the green is the rain like what we had this afternoon. The past few days of heavy fog soaked the grasses and with the bit of warmth we had today, a spectacular thunderstorm belted us with pea size hail and gorgeous skies.
It was one of those afternoons you could point your camera anywhere and come away with a sweet click. Capturing all the detail was easy with the D850 with the 8-15Fish, 18-35AFS and 70-200f4 attached. I did create a hole in the ground with the circles I made constantly turning to capture the show. Simply gorgeous spring thunder!
May 11, 2018 | Wildlife Photography
It’s calving time on the plains. These orange bundles of cuteness look nothing like what they are going to grow up to be. But they don’t know that. And calves typically hang with their moms, never even knowing their dads. So when this curious calf wondered far from its mom to check out the bulls, well, my imagination took over my biological knowledge to simply ask, “Are you my daddy?!”
May 11, 2018 | Landscape Photography
I know one thing I won’t accomplish in my life, going into space. The earth though holds a humungous hold on my visual imagination after growing up with the images from Apollo. Getting a photograph of our planet from earth, I depend on my vivid imagination and the 8-15Fish. I point it up towards the heavens, trying to not tip over backward in the process, staring at the skies with their clouds looking for the “earth” in my viewfinder. I got one of my better ones yesterday. Just another split second of my imagination.
