Jul 22, 2015 | Landscape Photography
Ever since I posted Creativity in the Lost & Found, I’ve had more emails stating, help! One person said, “I feel like I’m running out of gas!” That made me think of this photo, a two image pano I took a little while back and something else to give a try when the clicks just aren’t coming. Give something in the computer a try you’ve not tried before. This pano is an idea. With it so easy to assemble in ACR, take a pano of your room and assemble it. You have no idea where that might lead. You might need to try some extra lighting. You might need to use a different lens. You might need to learn something you simply don’t know and that might shake the cob webs loose. You might shoot a pano and need to reshoot it. For example I shot this scene the first time with a Df / 24-70, three image pano but after assembling, went back with the 80-400 to get tighter and do just a two image pano. All of these things make you think and feel and that just might put gas back in your tank!
Jul 14, 2015 | Landscape Photography
The paint is still sitting in the garage, sandpaper in its wrapper as I wait for the rains to go by. Lord knows we need the rain, it’s knocked down our fire danger and that’s a blessing. But nine days later, no painting. But that doesn’t mean I’m not watching the skies for other opportunities.
I have the Df / 24-120VR on the counter because each night as the sun sets, it’s a little bit different. Most nights it’s been just gray until it’s dark. But a couple of nights, there has been some color but just not in the right place at the right time. But the camera sits there just in case.
Then last night, while the color was brief before the clouds closed back in again, there was the addition of a rainbow. Na, none of these are great photos when it comes to the sharing category, but they are when put under the memories category. I think at times, photographers confuse these two categories and delete photos that should be kept in the memories category and share images that should stay in memories. All the photos you take are special, don’t forget that. It’s the category you place them that you need to think twice about.
Jul 13, 2015 | Wildlife Photography
I have a thing for weasels. I large part because the family of weasels takes in critters like Sea and River Otters. Those are the easiest of the family to see and photograph. When you get to the Least or Long-tailed Weasel, you’re talking almost pure luck to see them let alone get glass on them. Quite often when you see them, it’s out of the corner of your eye and you shake your head because you thought you saw somethin but when you look closely, nothing is there. That’s what makes them so damn cool!
Last November on a private K&M Adventure to the Bald Eagles of Haines, one day we were standing there on the edge of the river watching eagles when … out of the corner of my eye I saw a flash of white. It could only be one thing, a Ermine or better know as, Long-tailed Weasel. Their coats turn white in the winter and they are more gorgeous and cute than a photo does justice. I was shooting with D4s / 800f5.6 on the Zenelli a top the Gitzo 5561SGT so I whipped around but the sucker was too smart … gone! That’s when you’ve gotta stop, watch their behavior and look for the pattern. They will typically follow the same route/routine as they explore about. And this one did just that. I prefocused on the culvert pipe it was using for a runway and got lucky, got a shot of it emerging and then being cute. We saw it a couple of times during our time on the bank but never long enough to make “the” photo but oh man, what a great looking critter!
Jul 9, 2015 | Landscape Photography
How big is that cloud? Often when we photograph clouds, it’s with a wide angle with just a sliver of landscape. At least, that’s one of my favorite ways on incorporating them. While this works really well and brings a whole other level of drama to a photo, the actual size of those clouds gets lost. Not that’s important, but there are times when how high the clouds soar is the story, not just that they are pretty. When the opportunity affords itself, I love to show the size of the heavens. Shooting with the 80-400VR3 on the D4s, I waited for the sliver of light I saw racing for the ridge line to go click. The down pour was centered by design, the light, it was a prayer. And by standing, waiting imagining, the click came to be. And you can now tell visually how big that could is.
Jul 9, 2015 | Landscape Photography
There we were, partially up Hidden Lake Trail, Glacier Nat’l Park. If you’re not familiar with it, it’s behind the visitor center at Logan Pass. It’s a gorgeous walk up to some spectacular scenery that always has a critter or two. On this trip, the snow hadn’t melted yet so the trail was for the adventurous and I wasn’t felling, adventurous. When going after landscape images, I tend to either go wide or long so when I walked partially up the trail, I had the 18-35AFS in my pocket and 80-400VR3 on the D4s. The clouds were racing across the heavens and as such, constantly changing the landscape with light and shadow. It’s one of the most beautiful ways to see our wild heritage in person, letting our imaginations run with the light over the land.
So I’m watching this living painting in front of me and saw the light bring out the unique topography up slope. As I scanned it with my imagination, I saw two climbers up on the slope. The first thing I thought was if they were to walk to the right spot they would be perfect to show scale. I zoomed out to 400mm and gave them a gander, they were walking in the right direction! I put the lens down and watched them and the light, the idea in my head was slowly coming to life on the slope. Then, they got to the right spot as the light hit it. Then, oh, be still my heart, they stopped exactly in the spot. I put my camera to my eye and shot. Then I just started laughing. These two adventurous souls walked all the way up there to take in the gorgeous view, only to record it on a iPad! So, I got scale with an iPad!
Jul 3, 2015 | Wildlife Photography
Na, not a great shot but it breaks the jinx. This Williamson’s Sapsucker kid first made its appearance at one of our bird baths back on Father’s Day. A riparian, high altitude species, I’ve seen them plenty of times over the decades but never got any glass on them. When this juvi first appeared, I had to get the Sibley’s out and figure out which juvi sapsucker it was. When I figured out it was a Williamson’s, I got very excited. Then the travel kicked in and I wasn’t home to get a click of it. Sharon kept an eye on it and figured out the time of day it appeared the most frequently. Tonight, I had the D4s with 800f5.6 AFS on the Gitzo 5561SGT w/ Zenelli Carbon Fiber Gimbal Head set up and pointed where it comes. You’re seeing the wood perch wired on to the bird bath just for our woodpecker friends. If it all works out like normal, the juvi will become an adult and then as an adult, it will bring its kids back and over time, they will hopefully become friendly and I can make that unique shot. For now, I’m just happy it’s here. A new species to add to the property list. See Moose do a happy dance.
