Nov 28, 2017 | Wildlife Photography
Douglas Tree Sqrl
captured by D5 / 800mm
Think he’s been watching Peanut Cartoons through the window?
Winter has come to the house … and we love it! One of the best things is how it concentrates all the critters at our feeders, free water, and houses (be it shrubs or birdhouses). It makes observing them easy, fun and always entertaining. Nows the time to stock up on supplies and make sure you have those unfrozen sources of water available for them. It’s 13 degrees outside as I write this which means any water not warmed with a heater will be a rock. This little Douglas Tree Squirrel is waiting his turn to get to the bird bath. Free water is so important to critters, no more so than in the winter.
Nov 17, 2017 | Wildlife Photography
One of the great things about wildlife photography is the simple pleasures a simple click can bring! We’ve had 36hrs of rain here at 8200′, over 4 inches so the critters have been hunkered down. The sun came out this morning as did the birds in great numbers. Often with storms this time of year, migrants that normally fly on by stop to wait out the storm. It’s one reason the 800mm is left set up, ready to shoot at the first shout of “BIRD!” Then when conditions are right, they greet the day in the sun refueling on our property. This morning a secretive favorite of mine appeared. Sharon first called him out and for the next twenty minutes, we watch the Varied Thrush rummage through the underbrush looking for morsels (not been on the property that we know about since ’08). Then it hopped up and T’d up long enough for me to make a couple of quick portraits. And now my day is made. Simple photographic pleasures!
Nov 14, 2017 | Wildlife Photography
The coats of mammals are essential to regulating their core temperature. It’s really a marvel of adaptation when you look at the color, length, molts, patterns and distribution each mammal has which is what in large part makes each unique. There is one thing we can generalize, mammals coats become their most luxurious in winter. This is a biological fact we can use to grab our viewer’s heartstrings!
We start by being more intimate in our photos in telling that story. Top photo was shot with a 600mm and the bottom with a 200-400VR2 at 400mm. Using these longer lenses permitted manipulating the background so the subject, story, pops in the photo. Along with that is the light. The softer light like in the top photo makes the fur appear, thicker because there are no hard shadows to define it. And by emphasizing the thicker fur we play into folks stereotypes. Most associate thick fur with winter so by playing into that, it makes our storytelling easier. It’s fall so that means, the fur is coming.
Nov 8, 2017 | Landscape Photography
“What lens should I use?” “What exposure comp should I use?” “Where should I put the horizon line?” Where should I put the sun?” These and many more are all essential questions you MUST ask yourself before you take your photo because you can’t “fix” them in post no matter what file format you use. What’s the guide you should be using in answering these and more questions about your photograph? It’s the light, the light is what makes or breaks your photograph and moves the eye through the frame! While the answer might be just one word, light, it’s a helluva a word that has all the complications and power challenging our photography. Here’s an example that might aid you in the future.
There are a lot of elements going on in this photo. The first thing you might notice is the sun, the subject, is dead center. Oh no … I broke that rule so many say you can’t do! Guess what, centered is our strongest composition, when, when all the elements in the frame support it. In this case, the light all brings the eye down to the center of the frame, from the top and the bottom. But the bottom had to be brought to life in post (see before image below). Even though the D850 has great dynamic range, it still has a limit (this is a 8stop photo) but knowing that about your camera it’s a snap to overcome. I simply used Luminar 2018, my own ProcontactSplit preset which with one click, produced what you see. But knowing all the tools in play, from camera to post, are essential when you organize your elements in the frame and go click. I feel it’s essential to know all of this when you make that photo because when you do, you’re using light to move the eye through the frame and therefore, telling your story. Interested in learning more about this, perhaps intrigued and confused at the same time? Well, I just so happen to have a KelbyOne Class on this very topic which goes through it all much deeply. You need to have this in your head and heart before you go click.
Nov 8, 2017 | Landscape Photography
I have many sayings, this one is one of my originals. The Worst weather can make for the best photography! I’ll admit I’m really odd but shooting in bad weather is something I actually seek. There are lots of reasons for this, the main one is I love the mood, drama and romance mother nature creates without our having to do anything other than witness it. And in that process, connect with the light, the romance so we bring that into our photographs. This is where it gets difficult for some because there is first the fear for their camera gear and second, the discomfort for themselves. I have a really simple rule of thumb I use when making this all work. If I can tolerate the rain, so can my gear. So it all starts with ourselves. My go-to jacket in this scenario is the Carhartt Shoreline Jacket because it is bulletproof and has giant pockets. After that, it’s up to gear and shooting.
It’s really quite simple now with the D850 with its ability to easily focus through the Breakthrough 6D filter (in this case with the 24-70VR). It had no problem working with the 6stop ND filter nor the rain. I wanted to tell the story of the storm so went with the long exposure. This meant the rig was in the rain for over an hour getting soaked. Care was simple, I continually plotted the rig dry, DID NOT WIPE it dry, plotted with a clean, dry, white towel. I used the same towel to constantly dry off the water drops on the filter because removing those spots in post is a bear. The last bit of this equation is the knowledge that after you capture those amazing photos, you have a warm, dry place to savor the victory over the weather. But if you never venture out, you’ll never know if the worst weather can …
Nov 2, 2017 | Landscape Photography
The pulse of the sea, it’s so romantic it constantly draws me back! How to bring its sea spray, coolness, sounds, and smells to my photograph? That is always the challenge I feel. I think I got closer this morning.
I started with the D850 / 70-200f4 / WR-R10 on a tripod. I then turned to an old friend, Multiple Exposure. I shot about fifteen images to get one with the “life” I wanted in the waves. Then I ran the image through ACR, Luminar 2018 and Tonality (using my own Presets) and boom, I got an image I really love. I can smell it now!
