Landscape, Nature and Travel Photography

Below is the next image in my “Oaks In The Fog” photo series. See my previous perspectives of California Oaks in the fog in the following posts Oaks In The Fog, Oaks In The Fog II, Oaks In The Fog III and Oaks In The Fog IV.

Black and white photography isn’t my normal forte, but it seemed to work exceptionally well here adding to the atmosphere of the scene.  The degree of contrast between the highlights of the fog and the shadows of the silhouette allow the unique shape of the California Oak to stand out. I have to admit this photo didn’t jump out at me immediately, but its since grown on me.

Technorati Tags: California,   landscape,   photo,   photography,   oak,   tree,   fog,   foggy,   field,   contrast,   stock, nature

There is a lot to be said for keeping an image clean and simple. You would think this would be an easy thing to do, but whether in the city or the backcountry isolating your subject can be quite difficult. Distracting elements such as cars, buildings, people, trees, rocks, even bright spots can easily pull a viewers eye away. Techniques that work in isolating a subject include changing perspective, changing location, using a shallower depth of field, narrowing your field of view, etc. The means of isolating a subject vary based on the circumstances, and sometimes it can be a bit of a puzzle to sort out.

New York City Manhole Cover - Manhattan, New York

In this instance I opted for the following mechanisms to simplify the scene:
1. I walked around my subject to find the best angle of view.
2. I carefully timed my presence in the street to kneel down low to change my perspective
3. I chose a focal length that kept cars and passing traffic out of the scene
4. Selected a composition that would lead the eye to my subject.
5. In post-production I converted the image to black and white to keep the focus on the shape and texture of my subject.

As they say your mileage will vary so experiment with your subjects and keep your patience when looking to isolate your subject for a clean and simple photo.

Technorati Tags: New York city, Manhattan, New York, manhole, street, SoHo, texture, b&w, black and white, stock photo, photography, photo

ASMP (American Society of Media Professionals) held the first of its four weekend conferences Strictly Business 2 this past weekend in Los Angeles. In fact I just got in from the airport and decided that it was such a valuable experience that I’d immediately write a review about it. The last time the “Strictly Business” event was held was roughly 10 years ago and many of the then attendees have become “Strictly Business 2″ presenters including John Harrington and Judy Herrmann. Other presenters included Leslie Burns-Dell’Acqua and Blake Discher.
See the Strictly Business 2 site for more presenter information.

As for the review I’ll cut to the chase… Read more… »

One of Los Angeles’ most recognizeable landmarks is the Griffith Observatory in Griffith Park. A recent remodel has restored the observatory to show off its art deco features and enhance its public exhibits. The observatory, on a clear day, is the place to be to take in a view of the downtown Los Angeles skyline. Unfortunately this weekend while in Los Angeles the views will most certainly be obstructed due to the powerful storms rolling through.

Technorati Tags: Los Angeles, California, Griffith Observatory, Griffith Park, downtown, skyline, observatory, landmark, art deco, sunset

Red lichen covered trees with moss -
Point Lobos State Reserve, California

Technorati Tags: Point Lobos, State Reserve, tree, moss, lichen, nature, photography, photo, California, stock

Thanks to Pods In Print a transcript of my EXIF and Beyond podcast interview with Lawrence Lessig is now available and can be read below. I’ve received some great feedback regarding the interview, but I am also aware that listening to the discussion can be challenging due to volume variations, length of the discussion and complexity of the discussion topics.  My hope is that the transcript will bring this important discussion on copyrights and Creative Commons to a new audience and make it easier to reference key points for future discussions on this topic.

Thank again to Pods In Print and their selecting this podcast as their Pods In Print Editor’s Pick.

— begin of transcript —

Jim Goldstein
Hello.  I’m Jim Goldstein and welcome to EXIF and Beyond, a podcast dedicated to the forethought, afterthought and everything in between regarding photography.

As photography sharing services such as Flickr expand, popularity of blogging grows, social-networking sites and user-generated content such as YouTube videos become more deeply intertwined in our Internet culture, many photographers are finding themselves at the crossroads of shifting expectations by viewers and publishers alike in regard to online imagery.  As these expectations shift, copyright disputes are surfacing at a greater frequency and new licensing tools such as Creative Commons are becoming more widely adopted. Read more… »

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One of the more interesting articles that I’ve read recently was “Tip of the Iceberg” by Thom Hogan. Oriented towards the more serious photographer this article challenges common thought regarding the cost impact of a high end camera body and how you might consider weighting it in your budget given the overall expense you’ll likely incur as a photographer. I read this after my new DSLR order was placed, but it certainly crystalized what I already knew subconsciously.

One side note to this article, given the overall expense of photography if you take the time to add up the value of your gear, software, computers, related furniture, etc. you’ll quickly see how fast things add up. Doing this is a great exercise and its an excellent reminder to make sure you carry the proper insurance in the event of a catastrophic event.

Technorati Tags: Thom Hogan, DSLR, photography, photographer, cost, expense, tip of the iceberg

Camera family that is…
After much saving and obsessing I’ve added a Canon 1Ds Mark III to my camera bag as of last week. If you picked up that I was posting less frequently last week now you know why. I’ve been spending my limited free time reading up on the manual and taking test shots here and there. The latest being the image below of the Golden Gate Bridge as seen from Baker Beach.

Many of you know that I wrote an article titled 5 Most Common Digital Photography Mistakes. As of Friday we can add another item to the list. Friday was my first opportunity to test my camera during the day. After configuring my camera tethered to my computer I threw things together quickly to bring my camera along while I walked my dogs. Finding a decent subject to photograph I snapped the shutter and quickly went to review my image via the LCD screen. The result… an embarrassing revelation that I did not have a CF card in the camera and even worse my spare CF cards were in my other camera bag. Given this experience you can guess how paranoid I’ve been since in making sure I have CF cards with me.

After I put my camera through its paces (CF cards included) over the next few weeks I’ll post a mini-review.

Golden Gate Bridge as seen from Baker Beach, San Francisco

Technorati Tags: Canon 1Ds Mark III, camera, body, San Francisco, Baker Beach, California, photography, photo