Jul 1, 2015 | Landscape Photography
I’ve gone past this house on the ridge for decades and not once, have I stopped to photograph it. Oh, I’ve looked at it but it’s never caught my attention, until this time. The storm was passing pretty quickly and as it did so, the light would paint the landscape and that’s what caught my attention. Shooting with the D4s / 80-400VR3, I walked up to the fence line and waited. The first thing I know many of you will say is, “That bright pole on the right bugs me.” OK, I like it and in fact, that was central to the way I set up the frame, obviously since that’s what you see. The subject though, the house, you can’t help but see EVEN with that pole. So, that pole isn’t that big a deal, just a matter of taste. But if you cover up that pole with your hand, the photo looses it’s sense of depth and place. Now if the rest of the telephone poles had light on them, if the foreground weren’t black, then we’d have a big issue. But such is not the case. So when you’re chasing that light, keep the light in mind and use the elements given to give that light a stage making your subject the star. You might love the results.
Jul 1, 2015 | Wildlife Photography
This Cliff Swallow colony has nested in the same place forever! Every year I swear I’m going to spend more time at it than the year before and get the image. Sadly, some years I don’t make it down at all, other years which this is looking to be like, only once. It kills me to have such a marvelous opportunity and not take advantage of it. You see, what makes this colony of Cliff Swallows special is, they are nesting below eye level and just feet away! Yep, don’t have to shoot up at them but down. How cool is that!
So there I am shooting away with the D4s / 800mm /TC-1.25e on the Gitzo 5561SGT w/ Zenelli Carbon Fiber Gimbal Head trying to get the shot I’ve always wanted. It comes from a photo I saw long ago, taken in film days with a pretty elaborate flash set up. Back then not having the money for the flash, I set out to get the shot with what I had, the sun. It makes it challenging and this year, I got the closest I’ve ever gotten only to find, sun isn’t key. Biology is!
What’s the shot I’m after? Well, it’s not the bottom image of them flying in. That’s pretty simple, watch the mud hut with the most activity and just wait. In this case, the swallow is coming in with more building material, a mouth full of mud. If you have a handful of duck down, you can throw a couple feathers in the wind and the swallows will be your best friend as they catch it on the wing and take it into the cup. Nope, those aren’t the images I’m looking for.
I want the shot of them coming out of the hole and taking flight. I got much closer this time, physically with the gear, to the side rather in front and saw that when they explode out, they have their wings totally tucked in. In fact, they explode out, fall and then start to fly. Getting that shot of them taking to the wing right out of the hole requires a windy day when the wind gives them the ability to take flight without the downhill momentum. Now if I had been more observant, and more important my finger working faster, I think I would have captured the frame showing this to me sooner. But now I know. So the next trick is to remember that next year and, spend more than one morning with them. If nothing else, sure is fun trying!
Jun 26, 2015 | Landscape Photography
Left the house at 01:30 for the airport. Finally arrived to catch a different flight at 12:40. Then flight out of DEN was delayed cause of storms. So at 20:40 we lifted off and in avoiding the storm to the north and our destination, we went east then northwest and it took us into an amazing show. These are four clicks taken with the D750 / 14-24AFS out the window as we zoomed about. It was spectacular, simply glory on high!
Jun 23, 2015 | Wildlife Photography
They live at the top of the world. The animals the color of winter, Mountain Goats have long been a favorite species of mine. Their home is nothing short of spectacular! How do you say that in a photograph? This recent photo is a quick example (not the best though) to illustrate my point. How do you say in the same frame, “They live at the top of the world?” Well, you gotta include that in the frame and the easiest way is with a long lens. Not for image size cause as you can see, that’s not what I’ve done. But because of the narrow angle of view and ability to pull in the background. Shooting with the D4s/ 80-400VR3 at 250mm and getting below the Billy, the background pops and in doing so, makes it pop while telling its story. It’s a simple recipe that works so powerfully, long lens depth.
Jun 22, 2015 | Wildlife Photography
Many all black bird species have a gorgeous iridescence to them, when, and this is the important part, when they have a direct light source on blaring on them. The iridescence works on the very basic light principle, angle of incidence equals angle of reflection. This means in simple terms, the sun must be higher in the sky than we would normally like to see those colors in the black. It also means that if we use flash, in a hot shoe or in a flash bracket, this does not get the flash far enough away from the camera to get a big blaze of that color. You can simply think of it as requiring bad light to get those colors.
How do you make than a decent looking photograph if you have hot, constrastly light in order to get that iridescence in the black? There are a couple of things you can do and I share these photos of a Brewer’s Blackbird to illustrate them. I’m shooting across a creek with the D4s / 800mm w/TC-1.25x (1000mm) and that’s part of it, the narrow angle of view. That narrow angle of view permits you to move only an inch one way or another to get that angle of reflection. At the same time, select the best possible background for the nasty light. The creek is reflecting light which helps with the shadows. And I’m underexposing -1/3 more than normal to take the edge off the light. Combined, this makes the most of a bad scenario. Is this the only way to capture that iridescences? By no means, no! But it is the most common. When you’re looking for a subject when the light isn’t playing nice, just think bad light for color.
Jun 18, 2015 | Wildlife Photography
There is nothin more common in the Northern Latitudes then the Columbian Ground Squirrel! And when it comes to the basic challenge of making the uncommon of the common, you can easily find hours of fun in chasing the Columbian with your lens. In early spring as the snow is still melting away, they are coming our of hibernation and they have two things on their mind, food and sex. That means photographers who are patient meld into the background. This gives you the opportunity to shoot them at their level making the uncommon out of the common.
With food and sex on their minds, getting close physically is rather simple. All it really takes is a little time and observation. They will telegraph where they like to sit and spy on each other and that’s where you need to get. Shooting with the D4s & 80-400VR3, the top image was taken while I was down on one knee. Shooting at 400mm, the CGS went about lookin about, groomin and defending its little piece of turf. Shooting at its level puts the viewer of the photograph staring in its eye making a physical contact. That’s important. The bottom photo taken with the same rig, the CGS went up on a rock so I could shoot standing up and still be eyelevel. Both are basic biology that get the viewer involved and that’s where you want to take your wildlife photography.
