Jun 4, 2009 | Field Reports
Like most young boys I had a fascination with dinosaurs. I remember my disappointment when I realized I would never see these giant reptiles covered in armored plates, spikes, shields, and other body ornaments. However, I grew up a few blocks from the old California Academy of Sciences and spent many summer days with my nose pressed against glass cages filled with cobras, exotic lizards, and brightly colored amphibians. Looking closely I saw the same fantastic colors and shapes I saw in my dinosaur books – only smaller. This began my study in reptiles and amphibians that continues to this day. Over the years I watched as conservation issues centered around cuddly mammals or brilliant birds while most reptiles and amphibians were feared, shunned, and misunderstood. Now I spend a good deal of time observing these amazing creatures through my camera so I can share their natural grace and beauty that captured the imagination of my youth.
Up to one half of the near 6000 known amphibians species are in decline or in danger of declining. Numerous frog species have gone extinct in recent decades. A hot topic of study is a fungus that attacks the permeable skin of amphibians and ultimately kills them. This spreading and highly contagious agent has been implicated in the disappearance in a number of frog species in Central and South America as well as in Australia and it is turning up with more frequency in North America and Europe. I’ve been lucky enough to travel to many remote regions in the tropics and to work on a couple of projects hoping to save some of these frogs. The harlequin toad, Atelopus varius, disappeared from Costa Rica and was presumed extinct.
A few years ago a very small population was re-discovered in a remote canyon. Researchers and I are studying this population to learn its size and see what effect, if any, the fungus may be having on these pretty toads. At another study site in the mountains of Costa Rica we’ve witnessed the forest streams near silenced by this epidemic. It is humbling to be in regions where very few people on this planet will ever visit and to photograph these amazing creatures. Sometimes it gets depressing thinking these may be the last documentations of these animals’ existence. However, if my photographs can lessen people’s fears, deepen public appreciation, and ultimately help preserve these animals and their habitats then I feel I’ve done a good job.
Tim Paine’s photography http://amphibios.org/
May 13, 2009 | Field Reports
As my bud Joe would say, “It’s my lot in life” to explain this stuff. The #8 email I receive is, “How do you pack your camera bag?” Well, here you go, this is how I do it. While I’m going to demonstrate how to pack the photopack I use, the MP-1 (because it fits in every overhead in the world), that really doesn’t matter to you. The logic on how you pack is what you need to pick up on to figure out how to pack your own bag.
Pages are in the process of being updated. In the meantime you can watch our videos on our YouTube Channel as well as all Videos are available on iTunes as Podcasts!
May 12, 2009 | Field Reports
The Split Grad Neutral Density filter is incredibly important to our photography, both at the point of click and in post. Here’s what I mean
Pages are in the process of being updated. In the meantime you can watch our videos on our YouTube Channel as well as all Videos are available on iTunes as Podcasts!
May 2, 2009 | Field Reports
[swf]http://www.moosepeterson.com/swf_imgs/_BMP9004.swf, 500, 402 [/swf]
After photographing the exterior of Cape Hatteras Lighthouse, we climbed the 265 steps to go to the top. Getting to the top was tough. Not because of the climb, but because of the amazing, amazing light ascending the interior. The lighthouse wasn’t made for tourists, so the stairs are narrow and even our carrying one camera was a concern to the rangers. Carrying a flash for any light modifying gear was out of the question. So when Drew (good kid!) stopped for a moment to shoot, after he was done I asked him to pose and I took the shot.
The trick was to have a spot of light on his right cheek. Then using NX2, I simply dropped a Color Point on that spot on his cheek, used the slider to brighten the entire face and used the warmth slider to bring up it. I’m no expert in NX2, but the 20sec finishing works for me. (Of course, had to be a photographer to make all the other elements work and relied on the DD for just the face.)
[swf]http://www.moosepeterson.com/swf_imgs/DLCNCBL0003.swf, 500, 402 [/swf]
We then kept on exploring. Late in the afternoon we came to Bodie Island Lighthouse (note this has bands, Hatteras has stripes). This is another very cool lighthouse that we couldn’t go in, darn. As soon as we pulled up, I knew it would be a B&W image with the clouds, so that’s how I shot it. I can’t wait to go back, it has so much character!
Photos captured by D3, 24PC-E on Lexar UDMA digital film
Apr 9, 2009 | Field Reports
[swf]http://www.moosepeterson.com/swf_imgs/BenHot0242.swf, 500, 402 [/swf]
I’m asked a lot if there is a “secret trick” or favorite Pluggin or filter I use on my landscape image finishing. There is one, it’s lives in Nik’s Color Efex Pro 3.0. Looking at this image, you can’t see how it’s been applied and that’s the way I like it.
[swf]http://www.moosepeterson.com/swf_imgs/DLCNVNC0107.swf, 500, 402 [/swf]
And in a photo like this, which as it stands is a looser, you can’t even begin to see how one filter can make a difference. But it can. Take a look.
Pages are in the process of being updated. In the meantime you can watch our videos on our YouTube Channel as well as all Videos are available on iTunes as Podcasts!
It’s now up to you to decide if this is a tool that works for your photo finishing and if it does, embrace it and make it yours. And if not, then you just saved yourself one more thing to learn in Photoshop.
Photos captured by D3 / D700 12-24AFS on Lexar UDMA digital film
Mar 4, 2009 | Field Reports
[swf]http://www.moosepeterson.com/swf_imgs/trllight.swf, 500, 335 [/swf]
It’s packin time, on our way to our HI DLWS event. As I got the bags out from under the bed (no need to put them away away, just back from FL a week ago), it occurred to me I should be updating my webpage on traveling. Then it occurred to me I should just blog it because, well, it’s a whole lot faster to do. You can see the way I went.
What you see above is anything but traveling light. That photo is 600lbs of gear Sharon, Jake & I took in with us to McNeil River last summer. When I travel on a “normal” trip, I have four bags with me, carry-on is a photopack (MP-1, MP-3 or MP-7) and Swiss Army Wheeled Briefcase. Checked are the Eagle Creek Load Warrior and Tamrac 694. No, four bags isn’t traveling light but it is considering I’m shipping quite often another 100+ pounds of gear in a Pelican 1660. Man, that’s a lot of stuff!
You can follow the links to see the camera gear I’m carrying on. The briefcase carries the Dell m4400 and m6400 notebooks. My main external 500GB Buffalo drives are also in the briefcase with the backups in the photopack. The Tamrac has “camera gear” such as MooseCam, tripod heads, readers, cables, chargers and the like. The Load Warrior has the tripod (s), clothes, shoes and the like. Both check-in just skin under the 50lbs limit and yes, I pay for the extra bag (there is no option and it is work, gotta have it with me).
Going through security I rarely find any big deal. I’m prepared before I reach it to go through it. My “stuff” goes through the same order everytime. Shoes, notebooks, briefcase and photopack. My watch, iPhone go in the briefcase so I have one less thing to deal with on the otherside. Other than the occassional theft of really little items from my check-in (like multi-tools, screw driver kit), I don’t have problems. Oh yeah, the last thing I pack and take with me through security is a smile. In fact, I make it a challange to make those friendly TSA folks smile just a little more as I pass by. There’s a couple of links here, hope the trivia helps you on your next trip!
