Jan 21, 2016 | Landscape Photography
Simply put, I love the white stuff! I realize at the same time that not everyone shares the same passion for snow, that being cold thing. With that in mind, I’m always looking for photographic opportunities where I can give the viewer the feeling of snow without them having to get cold. Whenever it’s actually snowing, the flakes are falling, my mind turns to this challenge. On our adventure in Yellowstone last week, had a number of opportunities to explore this challenge and one time in Hayden Valley was the best!
What were the conditions that made it great? The first was the light which is always essential. The light was sidelight and spotty which means it was playing dodgeball with the clouds. Next, the clouds themselves were dark and ominous in the west. This combo, the light on the white snow and the dark cloud in the background provided the contrast to see the snow in the photo. Lastly, the snowflakes themselves were large and blowin pretty hard. This combo gives them some density which is important to the final photograph. With all that in place, just had to go click.
Capturing these images took a little thought behind the camera. First was using a longer lens, in this case the 300PF. Why a longer lens? Snowflakes are small to start with and if you use a wide lens, they often look like dust spots in the frame. With the longer lens, you can take a slice out of the sky and in sense, compact the density of the flakes so they show up in the frame and snowflakes. Then to make the photo no look “so cold” I over exposed by +.07. I shot at a fast shutter speed, 1/800 and lens closed down a tad, f/8. Yes, some of the detail in the photo is gone, paper white but I don’t feel you need to see that detail there to know it’s snow. I mean, if you do, then the whole photograph is a failure. Finishing was real simple, ACR and then Nik’s Pro Contrast and done. Now I realize you’ve gotta really bee into snow to go after these kinds of photos. I hope that these simple tips might give you the strength to go out in the cold and brave the elements for those not so willing so they can experience the winter through your photos. Here in the Sierra, we love snow and this time of year, all we say is let it snow!
Jan 20, 2016 | Landscape Photography
The vast underground plumbing at Yellowstone provides a lifetime of fascination watching it in action. The geysers, something like 1400 strong, have a life of their own, each being very unique based on hydrology, geology and ologies over my pay grade. But that doesn’t stop my watching them in amazement as they put on their shows. One of the reasons why I love being in Yellowstone in the winter and want it cold is because the geyser steam takes on a life of its own once caught in the wind. You take that and add great light and skies, and the photographic possibilities are really limitless!
How to tell this story of site and sound in a still image? The first thing I think is key is the light. I prefer sidelight and a little diffused. Too diffused and the ripples in the steam cloud are lost. Too strong and the same thing, the shades of gray are lost. It’s the shades of gray the help give texture and shape to the steam clouds. Then you need the right background, darker than the steam is my preference. So this day Fountain Geyser was erupting at the perfect time, we were there, the light was great and the skies near perfect. Last thing was to capture the detail in the eruption to give it life. I shot with the D750 / 18-35AFS and once I say/heard the next burst of water, hit the shutter release and shot off a series of 5-9 frames. I then selected back at the computer those eruptions that communicated the power and emotion I felt standing there. The one thing the still image can’t bring to life is how cold it was standing there in the wind nor the tremendous sound. It’s so very cool to listen to the earth and hear the explosion!
Jan 19, 2016 | Wildlife Photography
Click to see larger image
The Bison of Yellowstone have always held a special fascination with me. Any critter that can stand in water that can boil an egg with an air temp of minus -32 (the coldest I’ve seen them), and go on chewin their cud as if it were just another day (which it is for them) I find fascinating. In the past, shooting one click and having it filled with Bison wasn’t a challenge. This latest trip with the warm temps and not historically high snow levels, tons of Bison just weren’t to be seen. At the same time, they are a range animal with the main herd kinda always on the move as they graze … and they call one of the most gorgeous and special places on the planet, Yellowstone, home. How do you say that in a photograph?
I first went long, shooting with the 800mm trying to compact those that were available. That didn’t work so I then added the TC-14eIII giving me 1200mm and that didn’t cut it. So I went to Plan B, not trying to tell the story with one click but with three creating a pano. I put the 300PF on the D4s and went clickin. That took care of showing the story of the Bison, but what about Yellowstone? Shooting in the world’s largest caldera, had to say that so shooting with the camera plum to the earth was important. That shows the slope of the side of the growing caldera. Then including the stormy skies as a backdrop for the steam was required. After that, it was a three click assembly in ACR and done. Would I have loved the perfect herd in perfect light? Heck ya but that’s not what I had so I told the story with the elements at hand, they dot the landscape.
Jan 18, 2016 | Landscape Photography
I’m back at home watching the snowfall after an amazing week in what is truly a winter wonderland, Yellowstone NP. Most go there for the critters which is understandable. Personally, I love being in Hayden Valley which, while it can have critters, it’s its vast expanse of white that grabs my imagination. The snow blows in from the west and blankets the landscape in white, molding and sculpting the hills and valleys, the creeks and draws into seductive forms and shapes the wind howls through in an unique call of the wild. That chill of the wind bites at your cheeks and numbs the finger making the whole experience personal and very real. It tells you that you’re alive and witnessing Mother Nature at her finiest.
We had the opportunity to shoot in Hayden twice when the sky added the needed backdrop of speak of the drama. For me, just any old sky doesn’t work for this white sculptures. Nor does any old finishing, here one is in color and one is B&W … tell which is which? The shooting is pretty straight forward, D4s with +.07 dialed in to minimize shadows. The 24-70VR at 28mm nailed all the detail which is so important as there is little and without it being sharp, the softness of the shapes wouldn’t come through. The real key ingredient though is being lost in the silence of the experience, embracing the cold and taking those feelings and incorporating it all when you go click. It was a rich, full week of experiences, views, emotions and insights that are good for the soul of a photographer. None as special though as being in such an environment and enjoying the silence of snow.
Jan 13, 2016 | Wildlife Photography
This might seem like an odd title when you realize this photo of a Bobcat was taken with a 800mm / TC-1.25E. Filling the frame seems like a common quest of wildlife photographers often leading them to crop in post just so you see just the critter. While there is nothing wrong with this if you still tell the critter’s story. Often though, the story goes with the crop. And that robs that critter of telling its story, that’s sad.
It was the end of the day, temps hovering around 10 degrees. There perched in a down tree reaching out into the Madison River, a Bobcat does what a cat does so well, waiting for its prey to come within reach. This Bobcat has become very efficient at catching waterfowl. If you look in the foreground in the right corner you’ll see the ripples of the Goldeneye that just saved its own life by diving for food. If I had moved in closer, used a different teleconverter, I could have more than tripled the size of the Bobcat in the frame. But I would have cropped out the water, its cover and the most important thing, the story. Next time you frame up that critter, even if you’re shooting with long glass, go wide and tell the story.
Jan 11, 2016 | Wildlife Photography
Shooting in winter has some abnormal challenges, one is really boring but turns out to be important. Condensation can really cause us issues if not nipped in the bud from the start. Condensation normally occurs when warm, moist air hits a cold surface. It can start as simply as our breathing on our gear and ice forming while shooting. The gear with that ice goes in your camera bag and once in your warm room, the condensation issue is born. To avoid this, I do these simple but I think important steps. When I put my gear away for the last time after shooting, the memory cards are removed and put into my pockets. Once I get into my room, I grab a clean bath towel and on the bed, I will lay out all my gear and quickly cover all of it with the towel. I then open all the section of my photopack, unzip them but have the flaps closed. I then put the cards in the computer to upload and then go eat. When I come back to the room and hour or more later, the gear normally has warmed up to room temp (never having the room above 70 degrees). Any condensation will have formed on the towel. I then clean the gear and put it back in the bag and put it all in the coldest corner of the room. Boring stuff, but simple and it’s never lets me down keeping my gear dry and operating even down to -32.
