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!
Oct 31, 2019 | Landscape Photography
There are times when the wide-angle just doesn’t do it for that landscape photograph. There can be many reasons for that, the most common is simply you can’t zoom with your feet to do the dance: remove elements that take your eye away from the subject while including those elements that support the subject. That was the case this week when in Mammoth Hot Springs and wanting to work the gorgeous light and cold temp making the steam come to life.
The water flows of Mammoth Hot Springs is not what it once was so much of its glory has dried up. There is one edge though where you can still see that spectacular formation and color. It’s a ways off the road with no path to it so can’t zoom with your feet. In order to get the shot, you gotta pull out the big guns. Shooting with the Z7 / 180-400VR with the internal 1.4x engaged, it was possible to literally zoom right in on that detail and make the click. All that was really required was waiting for the breeze to move the steam about so the detail I wanted sharp was clear in the frame. Gorgeous part of our wild heritage!
Oct 30, 2019 | Wildlife Photography
There is a locale in Yellowstone that this time of year, the big boys like to hang. And if you’re lucky, they will come out of hiding and play with you, and the light. Such was the opportunity yesterday when we found him and a bud just doing what they do best, looking majestic. When we first found them, they were in a spot where we couldn’t park, there was no safe place to even stand to shoot. After watching for fifteen minutes, I decided to go on and then ninety minutes later, we returned and that when things began to happen.
We watched as this magnificent Rocky Mountain Elk bull strolled out of the shadows, heading our direction. The path he was going to take was office so I moved so when he went through that shaft of light, I’d be in the right place. Shooting hand-held with the D5 / 180-400VR, I dialed in +.7 exp comp, made sure the internal 1.4 was not engaged, I framed up the shot I was hoping to get. Then he strolled right through the spot. Click! Then he kept going out in the bright sun. While he was front-lit, this symbol of wilderness lost some of his magnificence. That’s because the mystery of his world was missing, a part that makes this forest dweller secretive. So there are times when less is more and light or no light, that is the question!
Oct 22, 2019 | Wildlife Photography
Except for when they nest, they spend their entire life at sea. When the kids fledge, it is literally their first flight and it’s straight out to sea. A pelagic species, the Northern Gannet has a six-foot wingspan and three-foot body length built to do one thing extremely well, fly!
On the Newfoundland Coast, you will find the St Mary’s Ecological Reserve, the home of 40,000 Northern Gannets during the nesting season (30k adults and 10k new kids). It’s a gathering of nature I heard about decades ago and just now was fortunate to see and photograph. It’s an experience I will never, ever forget and will always treasure!
The Gannets nest on the ledges of the sea stack. They mate for life and when they leave the sea stack after nesting, they don’t see their mate until the following spring. There is just enough room at each nest for an adult. So the other adult after it’s delivered the kid’s food just flies around the sea stack. They might do that for hours. And they do it effortlessly!!!
Their life is at sea and they fly with the grace of nature, what a challenge to bring to a single click! There was a spot when they flew their circuit around the sea stack they would briefly light up from bounced light. By standing at the right place, I could take advantage of that bounced light, the sparkling Atlantic in the background when they had their wings set in a glide. Shooting with the D5 / 180-400VR I just watched them make their circuit and when I saw one in the right spot, I shot. For me, the photos sum up my experience I had waited decades to live.
