The Texture of Sand, the Design of Shadows

Mar 21, 2012 | Landscape Photography






The sand dunes of Monument Valley like I’ve mentioned are a place I can get lost for weeks with a camera and never grow tired of the photographic possibilities. The first challenge is to not step and ruin your own photo. After that, the challenge is finding the pattern and that’s where the shadows come into play. Lastly there is the color. I really like these and just wanted to share them. I hope you enjoy as well.

Stallion 51 & Panning Practice, Bandit Style

Mar 19, 2012 | Wildlife Photography




A very important tool and technique you need in aviation photography is panning. When shooting ground to air, being able to not just track and compose but get the subject sharp is essential. This is true when shooting fast subjects at slow shutter speeds (like 1/50). We like to do panning drills at our Air2Air Workshops and at Stallion 51, we had a very special panning practice subject. This is Bandit, Lee’s 8yr Harris Hawk. Lee, a falconer has a very special relationship with Bandit who he hunts throughout the year. Areal training is also part of their relationship. What you see here is Bandit in action. Flying from his perch across the field at ground level, just before he reached Lee, Lee throws up a tid bit high into the air, slightly behind Bandit. He flies up and then inverts in air to catch the morsel. As you can see, he has no problems doing this and when it comes to panning practice, it’s great!

I’ve seen raptors perch on many things in my day, but never before on a $3mil P-51D. It was way cool to see this team work together and a marvelous photo opp!

Sands of Time I Like

Mar 15, 2012 | Landscape Photography

The background is what makes it for me! That black sets off the color, the shape and texture. Now the curve isn’t the landscape, it isn’t the lens but rather the shadow. Coming through a whole in the mesa behind us, it was curved and what made the whole thing work. Now some little grasses were removed in the photo but otherwise it’s a straight shot. That’s the best kind of landscape photography, clean and simple. If you’re ever heading to Monument Valley, watch She Wore a Yellow Ribbon first and take note of the sand dunes. They aren’t the same now and it demonstrates how with time, they move. I wish I had the time to sit and watch that change with time, talk about a glorious symphony of nature!

Sands of Monument Valley

Mar 15, 2012 | Landscape Photography





If there is one thing I love to photograph and simply don’t get enough opportunities and that’s sand dunes. The patterns of light and shadow rolling up and down and just sooooo sensual! Here’s the trick to getting the shots I think. First, not to step in your own photo! Once your footprint is in the photo, it ain’t comin out so you have to be careful where you step. This is hard to do as you’re chasing the light which is constantly changing. Now it’s those patterns that make or break the photo IMHO. The top photo is one that I thought had promise and then after racing up the sand to it, it’s just too busy for the peace of the sand. I liked shadow but the rest….Then the bottom photos, you can see the before and the after. Here, there is just the tinniest of elements interrupting the pattern. Look at the difference when you remove those small elements. It’s the smallest details that can do you in no matter the photo.

My Idea of an Environmental Portrait?

Mar 13, 2012 | Landscape Photography

Albert loves to have his photograph taken. He’s been in countless Hollywood movies and lord knows how many times he’s posed for tourists and yet, he never tires from it. So when K&M Adventures group first meet up with him at his home at Ford’s Point, he instantly asked if the group wanted to take his portrait on his bud, Pistol. While the view is gorgeous, Albert & Pistol get lost in the scene. Now when you look at it mathematically, the duo take up less then 1% of the entire frame. With that small percentage, can we still make them standout?

By moving physically to my left and then down a little, I put the duo in a place were they don’t meld into the background as much. Albert & Pistol are still small in the frame, but at least now they don’t look like an accident. It’s a very simple thing to do but I see many photographs where this simple technique isn’t being used. I just got Tiffen’s Dfx pluggins for Photoshop so decided to give them a whirl in finishing. I used one of their polarizers on these images. I like the effect, I might have gone a little heavy handed but I do like the effect. More to learn…I’m happy!

And here’s Albert & Pistol up close. Neither one are spring chickens but they still are both full of life. I enjoy all the time we get to spend together talking, much to learn from this soul of the earth!

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