Oct 14, 2011 | Landscape Photography
After using up a day to travel across the country, we finally got to VT to start our drive over to Lake Placid. We took the scenic route to see the destruction Irene had caused, heart goes out to those who we say their lives being up turned by the power of water. I had heard many reports about the fall color and while intentions are all good, I honestly wish I knew what they were looking at. It’s absolutely gorgeous! The region of NY is new to us and we thoroughly enjoyed our drive and the view. We stopped for just a moment to make a snap to share with others how beautiful the fall color is right now. I’ll probably be blogging through the weekend as we scout and shoot this gorgeous part of our country. Oh, and finishing. All CEP4 baby!
Oct 12, 2011 | Landscape Photography
Every time I put a date on the calendar for a shoot, I get all excited! My imagination runs away with me with all the possibilities of that shoot. This is especially true for dates way off in the future a year or two. And as the clock keeps tickin away and the months go by the excitement gets mixed with the reality of making those what seem like long ago plans come together. And as the time gets closer and closer, the logistics start to replace the imagination as airline tickets are purchased, rental vehicle reserved. Then a week out you start checking the weather, something that can’t be predicted a day out let alone a year. I learned long ago that until my feet are on the ground, it is what it is!
Fall color is just one such example (more to the point then bears or marmots or aircraft) of planning of something you really don’t have any control over. Above are photographs of the same hillside in Killington, VT, a favorite haunt of ours. One year they said you should have been here last week. Next we arrived on that date and they said you should be next week. One year they said you should have seen it yesterday before the wind storm. One year they said the &#)(@$ worm has wiped out the fall color and then one year, it was spectacular!
In my years behind the camera, I’ve never found anything a guarantee. You either learn to go with the flow or you stay home and enjoy the view. The weather seems to have a mind of its own and it above all else pushes us and our photography around. If you think about it, its influence over our every click is really amazing as we chase light. And with that being the case, it is amazing at times we can shoot at all and the next minute, can’t fire the camera fast enough. How’s that saying go, best laid plans of mice and men. It is also said the best laid schemes of mice and men. Whatever the case, embrace what if offered up to your camera, then you will know why you planned it a year ago!
Oct 7, 2011 | B&W Photography
So the outside temp is up to 25, the sun is shinning and my Nik B&W Webinar starts in an hour. Thought I would warm up with a quick shoot. Step outside, looked for the light, detail and texture and went click. What you see above is the results. But it started with this….
How did I know this would work, run it through Photomatic Pro and create a 1 image HDR and then through Silver Efex Pro & CEP4? Drop on by and I hope to share all that and more with YOU so you too can have fun and success in the B&W realm!
Oct 6, 2011 | Landscape Photography
You use to be when we had an early snow like we’ve just had, a number of bird species would still be in the feeders providing some great photo opps. A good example is this American Robin. When he first showed up in our yard in 1996, we were quite excited because they normally aren’t this high up. When a female showed up the next year and later immature robins, I was very excited because I knew the kids would learn from their parents that our property was a safe place with lots of food and comeback the following year. So for years I could count on them to be a subject when the first snow fell. Then last year and again this year, they left a few weeks ago, flew south much earlier then in years past. I know that because we keep a simple Excell record of such trivia. So when the snow fell yesterday, I missed my friends.
These photos were taken many years ago, the first fall we had a snow with the Robins in the yard. I learned long ago that when a photographic idea comes to mind, act on it because there is a really good possibility the opportunity won’t be there tomorrow. A WWII Ace, Ken Dahlberg (famous for other things as well) passed away yesterday and a good reminder to us about not acting was written in Unfinished work. We’ve all done it, driven past a scene and said, “That’s really cool, I should photographic it. I’ll comeback tomorrow” only to comeback and find the scene quite different. So when I see a critter in the yard I want to photograph it, the vast majority of time I stop what I’m doing and photograph it. Einstein said, “Everyone has five life changing ideas everyday, the problem is they never act on them.”
This means when I’m in the office the camera and lens (D3x / 600VR / 300AFS) are always sitting out so I can quickly grab and shoot. Feeders and bird baths are always stocked (main job responsibility of Nancy when we’re gone, keep them full) and we constantly look up to see who’s here. This is how we have so much trivia to have a Excell file of activity. I went and looked at that data when I noticed the robins gone again “early” this year because I wondered what’s changed. Well looking at the robins, grosbeaks, chipmunks and bears and the weather, a pattern appeared. When we had a “warm” winter which we have had 12 of the last 16 years, all these critters not only were present much later in the year, but weren’t as filled out with fat or fur. Last winter we had a “normal” winter with 25+’ of snow in the front yard and the robins left the same time as they have this year. The bears now have amazing coats and lots of fat. Now I’m dying to see what kind of winter we are going to have. Will this pattern demonstrate the critters know what’s to come? I wanna know, so what has changed>
Oct 4, 2011 | Landscape Photography
Woke up to a new dusting of snow on the ridge tops with the promise of more to come today. While we spend part of summer getting the home ready for winter, what about our feathered friends? Some of my favorite photography is wildlife in winter from the comfort of my home.
But to get birds here like this Hairy Woodpecker (from what seems just like a few months ago) means thinking about them now. This male was very busy at the suet feeder as it drilled a new cavity for nesting. See all the red stain on his breast, that’s from working in a Red Fir. Getting that biology meant having a feeder placed were it would not only attract the birds but also where I could shoot it by simply opening a window/door. Setting up the perch takes more then a stick and screw. There’s a ton of info on this in Captured but in a nutshell think background, background, background! When you’ve set it up correctly, you can get a shot like this, a Hairy Woodpecker with cavity drilling staining defending what he thinks is his feeder.
In these times when budgets are tight, buying suet might not be something you can do. What actually attracts more to our yard then anything else is free water, better known as a bird bath. Critters still have to drink but in the winter many of their water sources are frozen. A bird bath brings in the birds by the hundreds. While the water is free (basically), you will need to make the one time investment in a bird bath heater and the very, very minimal electrical bill. It’s a whole lot less then suet.
After that, keep in mind that the worst weather can often produce the best images. And one the snow is on the ground, remember it’s a great white card to bounce in light. At times, a flash angled just perfectly can really make a difference. Flash fill is being used in this shot, not much, just a little to open up the shadows a tad. Oh, and all of you who don’t have snow in your yard in the winter. Head north for the weekend and give it a try, the photography is marvelous!
Sep 29, 2011 | Wildlife Photography
Ah, the blaaaaas of August are past and wildfowl and shorebirds are starting to hit the area. Another reason fall is a favorite time of year for me. While the ducks, geese and shorebirds are in their fall plumage, it’s fresh, new plumage which makes them great targets of opportunity! But how can we do more then just take a photo that says, “They have arrive” and rather say “Hot dogs, they have arrived!”?
On of the best ways is to change your angle! I’ve become pretty famous for that video clip that shows all to well my poor imitation of a beached whale but getting down low is a must! This shot of a Red-necked Grebe is a classic example. I’m not totally flat on the ground but perhaps 12″ off it, the legs of the Gitzo not totally flattened. I did that because I loved the pattern in the water which is what attracted me to the photo in the first place. Shooting with the 600mm w/TC-17, it was easily to isolate the reflection of the trees on the other shore which you see as simple green breaking up the pattern of blue. So you start to move your images forward by not just plunking down your tripod and being satisfied with getting a sharp image.
You knew this was coming but gotta say it anyways. You gotta greet the sun! The sun hasn’t even come up on these Short-billed Dowitchers still napping into the day. This is important for two key reasons. The first is the mellow light and lack of shadows. That’s important for the second reason, the calm water. The mirror properties is what makes these fall drab plummaged shorebirds spectacular. So, greeting the sun is a must in my book!
One thing I can’t encourage wildlife photographers to do enough is go out shooting when the weather sucks! I’ve been saying it for 30+yrs and still say it, some of the best photography is in the worst weather! Fall is when winter storms start to make their appearance. Before, during and after a storm you can have some incredibly dramatic light like on these Blue or Dark Phased Snow Geese. They didn’t have that single shaft of light on them when I started to pan with them but knew they would fly into it and they did. Click! You and your gear won’t melt if it gets wet. Simple, basic care like a clean, white towel and blotting your gear dry (do not wipe!) and you’re rockin in that dampness. And the photographic rewards of that one magical image will warm you up better then any fire!
The whole trick to all of this is getting out! DO some homework, visit bird hotlines and websites and see where the birds are coming in and then get there! Do you need a 600mm? I’m often asked that question and if you wanna play with the big boys, you sure do! If you’re just starting and learning, you sure don’t! A 400mm lens does a great job and is all the focal length I had for years and started my business with. Never loose sight, it’s the person behind the camera that counts!
