Sep 25, 2015 | Landscape Photography
It’s just … gorgeous! We’re here in Cripple Creek, CO just a tad before peak fall color and it’s truly spectacular! The right combination of water and temperature has been right cause the landscape is celebrating the end of summer and the start of fall in grand fashion. So far we’ve been working almost within walking distance of of where we’re staying (the magnificent Carr Manor) there is just so much to see and work with. We have just begun our explorations for the week and we’ve struck gold!
One of the truly fun things once you have found great fall color is then exploring it photographically. One of the key things I personally do is always include some element(s) in the frame. That’s because the mind’s eye sees that green and then by association makes the yellow much more vibrant. By doing a number of basic in camera basics like this, you have to depend on far fewer in post (like the saturation slider which I never use) to make the color pop. Another basic has to do with White Balance. Both of these photos were taken with the Df / 80-400VR3 with the WB set to Cloudy. What, Cloudy and no red sky? Yep, we’re at 9494′ elevation with the Kelvin Temp about 9200-9400. Auto White Balance pegs out at 8000 so what occurs is you get a blue color cast. But manually setting the camera to 6000k (cloudy), while the numbers seem ascewed, you remove the blue color cast and thus the yellows pop as they are opposite on the color wheel. This probably sounds really confusing but if you get to this altitude and are shooting fall color, run your own comparison and you’ll see for yourself. I had the group do this today and they quickly said, they struck Colorado gold!
Sep 18, 2015 | Landscape Photography
This past weekend in the Eastern Sierra, the calendar turned a page and fall descended upon the region. There is now that chill in the air in the morning that lingers once the sun rises making one seek its light and warmth. Critters seem to take an extra minute to sleep in, rising only once they can take advantage of the mellow light to remove the nights chill. The Aspens in the meadow have just one or two yellow leaves. And the light itself, it’s turned the corner so even at noon, it wraps around all it touches so even the shadows seem inviting. This past weekend it all came together in one visual poem saying fall is in the works.
If there is a time of the year I look forward to more than any other at home, it’s now, fall. It’s hard to stay focused, itching to get out and walk amongst the trees and watch the small critters as they go at panic speed to store their last seeds before the snow hits (which they are saying might be this weekend). We’ve been cruising the region trying to get a feel when the storm of color might hit and all we know is it will be early and it will go fast. You need two important things for great fall color, lots of water and a good cold snap. We’re not had the water over the entire region but this weekend we should be having the perfect cold snap. That means that the Aspens along lakes and creeks that do get the water, it should be good. I’m hoping for the “grander” fall color photos than what you see here this fall. When the fall color is spotty, I tend to work them as you see here, shooting amongst a grove, shooting up with the 18-35AFS or working a small patch with a longer lens like the 80-400VR3. Then I find a complimentary color like blue or black to make the yellow even more vibrant. There’s a lot one can do to bring the romance of fall into their images, some of my favorite techniques are all here for you. With our drought here on the Eastside, color in some pockets has come and gone, others are still green. While I don’t expect a giant show this year, it’s still my favorite time!
Sep 8, 2015 | Landscape Photography
The first morning of any adventure is special, in Africa on the Mara, it’s incredible! There is no doubt you’ve seen a photo of sunrise / sunset with an Umbrella Tree from Africa. Talk about a tried and true tired theme. But when you’ve not taken it, you just gotta do it. At least, that’s how I saw it. Gotta have that one image in the files. So the opportunity presented itself the first morning and click went the camera. But working the situation trying to make it different from what I’d seen was in the back of my mind. So at first, I went wide and centered everything. The clouds are what made the arrangement of elements rather simple. Centered it all. Center it, really, you ask? Hell ya. You’ve probably heard never do that. All I can suggest is look at a lot of photos. You will see some great stuff with the subject dead center.
How’d I get the sun centered with the Umbrella Tree on the horizon? I moved! Yep, I walked and got in a locale where it all lined up. That was pretty simple. And with that basic shot in the can, time to move forward. I was shooting with my favorite Df attached to the 24-120VR which provides lots of flexibility. Now I’m still in Africa so walking wherever I want for the photo has it limits. Nice time to have a zoom attached. As there is only ONE spot to get the centered sun / Umbrella Tree, we cycled shooters through that. So the sun off to the side worked for me but meant not having the Umbrella Tree dead center. No problem … click, click, click. Now you might be thinking that Photoshop is part of this photograph, saturating the color. Nope, that’s simply underexposure in the camera and Cloudy WB. All that was done in Photoshop was remove a bush on the left side of the frame. I wanted that clean horizon line.
Probably just because of who I am, I wanted the same image size as above but everything nice and centered. If you notice, you’ll see the sun is higher. On the equator, that sucker flies up in the sky in the morning! So I got back in the spot and shot with everything centered. It’s about this point in the story someone asks, “Mr. Peterson, which image in your favorite?” Now since I posted all three, you should know I’m only going to post those images I like. If I don’t like them, you ain’t going to ever see them. But if I had to select one of these three, it would be the bottom, that’s the one I like the best. But really more important, it’s that old theme of mine, making the uncommon from the common and in this case, preserving a memory and feeling of that first morning on the Mara. And for Sharon and I, these fit perfectly!
Sep 2, 2015 | Wildlife Photography
We had landed just a couple of hours before after an interesting 28hrs of travel. Settled in our tents, had a meal and assigned a vehicle, out on our first drive we went. Eyes wide open, minds still spinning, I know I wasn’t exactly in a photographic state of mind. All I can assume habits took over because some of it is still a blur. We emerge from the brush to Topi, Zerba, Elephants and the roar of a lion welcoming us to the Mara. We’re literally hitting the ground running! With no clue what we’re heading for, I didn’t even have a camera out yet. I was just along for the ride.
Then I hear we’re heading to a Spotted Hyena den. I’d only seen them briefly on my last visit to Africa but being selected as the first critter we were to focus in on now we’re at the famous Mara had me scratching my head. But like I said, at the moment I was just along for the ride. The sun was getting low and the afternoon thunderstorm made the light dark and moody. Now I’ve never been to a hyena den so had no clue what was coming up. All I had in my mind of a Hyena is the photo you see at the top. That goofy looking, vicious mannered hyena. Then there is my warped sense of humor with my mind wondering off to Hardy Har Har!
Then we pull up to the den complex and my mind’s a scramble! I see adults, subadults, old pups and a new pups, all above ground and like most critters of the Mara, could care less we’re in their lap staring at them through long lenses. Within a moment I have the D4s/800mm on the Zenelli shooting away! It’s like someone had slapped me on the side of the head and said wake up (no, it wasn’t Sharon as she was placed in another Landi but it would have helped). I had a Pavlov’s Dog reaction when I saw the Hyena pups popping around, it kicked me into San Joaquin Kit Fox mode as I’ve spent so many weeks at their dens over the decades.
It was a MARVELOUS way to start the safari! Nothing is a celebration of life like a den site and the Hyena were no different. They were great! The pups were a hoot to watch. There was no doubt which was the Alpha, the runt, who caused trouble and who went with the pack. As it turned out in my mind, we didn’t spend EVEN enough time at this den site and in fact, we didn’t visit it again during our ten days which now really bums me out. As I went through all my images, some of my favorites were from this very first stop on safari. There could be many reason for this but I think the main one is the most obvious. Making the uncommon from the common, simply breaking the mold!
Sep 1, 2015 | Wildlife Photography
One of the first birds you see in Africa are the Egyptian Goose. We’d call them a dirt bird in the US. That’s because they are so common, so very bloody common, as common as dirt. In the case of Africa, you can call them a dirt bird because they are not only so common as well as you most often see them, in the dirt. They are a big bird, about the same size as a Canada Goose. So after the first record shot to show you saw them, the Egyptian Goose receives no photographic love. It’s just that common. With that knowledge, it leaves the door wide open to make a special photo, making the uncommon from the common. The first example of this is the top photo where the geese are in running water. This is the only time I’ve seen them in such. This is a quick grab shot taken with the Df / 300PF. We can do better thinking those magical words, Light, Gesture and Color.
Then there was this opportunity. It came near the end of our 10 days and the goose was firmly placed in the “dirt” bird category so most of the time, they weren’t even recognized as even being present. But as you can see, I made us stop for this one. There were two but by the time we stopped, there was just the one. And it stayed long enough for me to only get two shots off (D4s / 800mm) but I love this shot. Ya, butt shots are rude but that’s part of the gesture I love. But the life to the colors of the goose’s feathers on its flank and in the background brought out by the light is what really made me put the brakes on the Landi. It’s a classic example of making the uncommon out of the common. Now the one thing I didn’t see when I took the photo is the log, on the log (left by a baboon). My sweet wife asked me if I was going to make that go away in post. She asked that with a big smile because she knew I would never, but now it’s a family joke. I guess, it all depends on your point of view of the too common, Egyptian Goose.
Aug 28, 2015 | Wildlife Photography
Yep, Alvin is back, we call him Alvin II since they don’t live that long. With the extreme drought here in the Eastern Sierra (all of California), our meadow has gone to seed a solid month early. That means no flowers for the hummers so our feeders are getting sucked dry in just days! Sitting here typing, I can see 11 hummers buzzing around the feeders. And as usual, a Allen’s Hummingbird has decided that the best feeder is all his. This is who we call Alvin II. It also means time to photograph the captive audience.
With the meadow gone to seed early, the hummers dependence on the feeders is more intense then norma making photography really darn easy! As usual, I have selected a nice manzanita twig for a perch, stuck in a Justin Clamp on a Nano stand about 2 1/2 feet from the main feeder. That’s where Alvin II hangs his hat as he defends “his” feeder. The perch is set up with the background in mind! If I’m totally going to manipulate the situation, I’m going to do the best I can. The perch is parallel to the sensor so where Alvin II lands, he’ll be in focus. And when I see the background with no direct light, it’s when I shoot.
I have set up about five feet away the 300PF connected to the D4s with the WR-R10/WR-T10/WR-A10 Wireless Remote to trigger it all. The lens is set to Manual Focus and prefocus just a breath in front of the perch. I us manual focus because there are times when Alvin II will smoke my arse, tricking me into firing the camera when he’s not in the frame. When that happens in in autofocus, the camera will look for him, not find him and start searching. I loose precious shooting time when that happens, missing shots. I’ve raised the ISO to 800 shooting Aperture Priority at f/8. Now with the weird “light” we have with the smoke from the fires, when I shoot is when the color of the light has the least amount of “fire” tent. So my weekend enjoyment, well nearly everyday, will be sitting in my chair, margarita in hand pushing the button when Alvin II pushes my buttons. Ahhhhh life is good!
