Dec 4, 2019 | Landscape Photography
Idaho Wilderness
captured by Z6 / Z24-70f2.8
While we were turning to check out Magee below, we were about 200-300 above the forest. I love pine trees and seeing them looking straight down is such a fascinating and cool pattern. All I had with me was the Z6 / Z24-70f2.8 which I had set to Monochrome (B&W to you and me). With the viewfinder smashed against my face and my hand holding the front element as so to not scratch up the window, I shot when I saw a pattern I liked.
Idaho Wilderness
captured by Z6 / Z24-70f2.8
I don’t do a ton of aerial shooting so I kinda go the easy way out. I raised my ISO to 1600 so I had a 1/500 shutter speed. I use autofocus which isn’t the best policy as we were moving 138mph ground speed so there was about 50% out of focus images that got deleted. Then I would start shooting just as the pattern appeared in the viewfinder and kept shooting until I saw it disappear. These are some of my favorites from the short shoot.
Idaho Wilderness
captured by Z6 / Z24-70f2.8
Idaho Wilderness
captured by Z6 / Z24-70f2.8
Idaho Wilderness
captured by Z6 / Z24-70f2.8
Nov 27, 2019 | Landscape Photography
With the new snows of the season (coming down at the house right now), I thought I’d answer a common question that floods in this time of year. “How do you (as in Moose) expose for snow?” Of course, living in snow I’ll get to the heart of the question as I look at it. What color is snow? Unless a Moose or dog has passed by, it’s white, right? The common belief that if there is snow in the scene, automatically dial in +1. A recommendation that comes from the meters of the 1970s. We’re not in the ’70s. I honestly don’t think there are viewers of your snow photograph who wouldn’t recognize the white stuff on the ground as snow. With that being true, then seeing detail in every crystal of the snow (what +1 might do for you) is not mission-critical to tell the viewer the white stuff they are looking at is indeed, snow. With that storytelling in place then, how do I expose for snow? Exposure is YOUR greatest tool to express the feeling, mood, and EMOTION in your photograph. Just because you see something white, don’t automatically do anything.
We have two photos here, both of snow. The feel of both is totally different. The top photo has a bluish-gray cast, the bottom photo the snow is your basic snow white. The top image makes me feel cold, that’s why I underexposed it in camera and did not remove the color cast in post. The bottom image, I exposed normally (no comp) and did remove the color cast in post (using ACR). The key to exposure for both images is the RANGE of light in the entire scene and not the fact there is snow in the scene. I exposed for the EMOTION and not the white stuff. Like with most of my photography, I try to keep the light range within 3 stops. When that’s the case, then I just have to click, the D5 / Z7 or 6 system will do the rest. When it’s outside the 5 stop range, to deal with the greater range of light I shoot with the D5, and overexpose for the range of light, not the snow. This is totally ass-backwards from what I did for thirty years but it brings into play the 6 stop range of those cameras. Look at the light between the photos in that post and this. Can YOU see the difference in the light falling on the scene? It is exacerbated by the snow, but not determined in whole by the presence of snow.
SO how does Moose expose for snow? Just like any other scene, it depends on the emotion, the light on the subject, the light on the rest of the stage and then the story I want to tell within the confines of my viewfinder. Exposure is way too powerful a tool to just dial in some value of exposure compensation automatically. The world doesn’t need another technically perfect photograph. The world needs another photograph with passion to move the viewer!
Nov 22, 2019 | Wildlife Photography
Gray Wolf
captured by D5 / 180-400VR
There are just a handful of critters that simply hearing their name or and image brings up visions of vast, untamed wilderness. There is only one I know of that simply by hearing it, you are transported to that place and time. The Gray Wolf is the critter and is such an intriguing and mystical creature. I was very fortunate to just have spent time with them again, hours in fact, just listening to a pack at point-blank range express their love of family and country. The cold air nipped at our nose and the sun warmed our being as we watched them run the ridgeline in the trees and then when they stopped, sang, and then sprang off down the line. That glimpse of them running, their singing for hours, it can’t be contained in a close-up photo when they are so much a part of the land in which they live.
Nov 13, 2019 | B&W Photography, Random Thoughts
Downtown Austin
captured by Z7 / Z24-70f2.8
I was very fortunate to take a leap back in time to what once I thought would be my photographic career, architecture. I had just finished my first year of school and architecture photography really appealed to me and I was pretty good at it. Obviously that’s not how life unfolded but I still have a sweet spot for it. This past weekend in Austin I had the opportunity to revisit the old flame and a few things came back to mind.
Downtown Austin
captured by Z7 / Z24-70f2.8
The photo we were after is what you see below, what we used to call a Dusk & Dawn, a photo just when the sun sets and the lights come on. It really only takes a few moments to make that photo but you always arrive early just because. Because you wanna find the right spot, make sure everything is how you imagined it and to simply enjoy the passing of light. There is a time though when you’re waiting for that Dusk & Dawn when it’s great for B&W but not for a color image. Until I was standing on that knoll, I had forgotten that piece of trivia. But as you can see above, the B&W photo though shot at the same time as the color photo above, the B&W has a heck more snap to it. It’s a small thing that you can now tuck in the back of your shooting mind.
Downtown Austin
captured by Z7 / Z24-70f2.8
Nov 6, 2019 | Wildlife Photography
Rocky Mtn Bighorn Sheep
captured by D5 / 180-400VR
Spring lambs are simply the cutest thing and heading towards their first winter, they transform into Rocky Mtn Bighorn Sheep adults. These masters of the vertical world are simply a fascinating critter to watch and photograph. I’ve done so for nearly forty years and they never cease to amaze and entertain me as they go about their daily lives. The small ewe band had a number of spring lambs who were as interested in us as we them. This leads to fun moments as they kept an eye on us photographing the downslope migration. It was really easy to add human thoughts to their facile reactions. The entertainment Bighorn can bring to your photography.
Nov 5, 2019 | Wildlife Photography
Bison
captured by D5 / 180-400VR
Bison are truly amazing critters! The vast majority of the time though, I focus on the big, loan bulls cause they are such icons of the American West. The cows tend to have that “weathered” look which doesn’t translate as well as that icon. The other morning we came across this herd and the temps, light, and background made their breath pop so I had to stop. As I scanned the herd for bulls, this trifecta of cows watching me caught my attention. I think the photo says the rest, don’t mess with the moms!
