Landscape, Nature And Travel Photography

This is the second in a series of light painting photos from Death Valley’s Racetrack playa I took last year. The first Racetrack Light Lasso seemed to catch a few eyes. In the near future I’ll be releasing the remainder of this series in my fine art gallery.

Racetrack Light Lasso II, Death Valley National Park

Technorati Tags: Photography, Death Valley, Night Photography, Light Painting, Stock Photo, National Park,   Racetrack, Fine Art

Recently I had an opportunity to spend some time using the Canon 800mm f/5.6 lens via BorrowLenses.com and had a blast capturing some nature and travel photos in the San Francisco bay area. Below is a video review of the lens with some example photos from my limited time with the lens. The review is not tech heavy and deals with the practical use of the lens. Overall the lens was a dream to use. I only wish the weather had cooperated a little more so that I could have photographed a wider variety of subjects with less atmospheric distortion.  Bottom line  I can’t wait to get my hands on this lens again.

Basic Tech Specs

Max Aperture: f/5.6
Min Aperture: f/32
Field of View: 3.1 degrees
Closest Focal Distance: 19.7 ft./6.0m
Weight: 9.9 lbs./4,500g
Diameter: 6.4in.
Length: 1.5 ft.

Technorati Tags: photography, review,

One interesting aspect of the natural world that can wreak havoc with our ability to capture a sharp image is the phenomenon of atmospheric distortion. Atmospheric distortion is particularly troublesome for photographers using longer lenses or telescopes. Temperature variations in the air, whether at ground level or in the upper reaches of our atmosphere, will refract light creating a blurred appearance to our eye. While this fluctuation of light may look cool on video it is a still photo killer.

The physics of this phenomenon is quite straight forward.

1. Warm air rises and cool air sinks.
2. Light travels faster in warmer less dense air versus cooler denser air resulting in the refraction of light.
   Note: This is the exact same phenomenon behind seeing mirages.

Transamerica Pyramid & Berkeley Hills

Canon 1Ds Mark III at 1600mm (800mm + 2x extender)

To exemplify this effect there are 3 photos in this post. The original (above) was taken with an 800mm lens I rented from BorrowLenses.com. The following two photos are 1:1 crops of the original to highlight the impact atmospheric distortion can have at different distances.

Atmospheric Distortion Example - Foreground of "Transamerica Pyramid & Berkeley Hills" photo

Canon 1Ds Mark III at 1600mm (800mm + 2x extender) subject is 4.6 miles away.

As you can see the density fluctuations in the air resulting from the rising warm air and sinking cool air refracts light in such a fashion it is impossible to attain a sharp image. The Transamerica Pyramid building (above) was approximately 4.6 miles away in this photo, while the home in the Berkeley Hills in the background of this image was approximately 14.25 miles away. The extra 10 miles of air amplified the refraction of light a bit more and appears even softer when combined with the an image that isn’t employing maximum depth of field. In each of these instances the geometry and straight lines of the architecture highlight the impact this type of distortion can have on a photo subject.

Atmospheric Distortion Example - Background of "Transamerica Pyramid & Berkeley Hills" photo

Canon 1Ds Mark III at 1600mm (800mm + 2x extender) subject is 14.25 miles away.

The takeaway from this particular example is that if you’re photographing a landscape, nature, wildlife or astrophotography subject be sure you’re aware of factors that can result in atmospheric distortion (weather conditions, time of day you’re shooting, etc.) Alternately if you’re shooting with a camera that also can capture video, experiment filming this phenomenon. Seeing the light fluctuate in video is always better than seeing a blurry still photo.

Technorati Tags: photo, photography, terminology, atmospheric distortion, San Francisco, California, travel, Transamerica Pyramid

After witnessing this beautiful sunset at Lake Geneva near Montreux, Switzerland I felt as though I had been struck with inspiration in the same manner influential European painters like Gustave Courbet and Claude Monet had years earlier. This timeless moment exemplified a misty/smokey golden light that I had seen so many times before in classic paintings I’ve studied. Amazing how viewing the art work of another artists decades, if not centuries, later can seem both retrospective and prescient.

Lake Geneva Sunset, Switzerland

Technorati Tags: photography, landscape, travel, Switzerland, Montreux, Lake Geneva

I used to have the opportunity to look out at this view of the Channel Islands, off the coast of Santa Barbara, for 8 years, but seldom took the time to look and take it all in. Whether I was too busy to pause and fully enjoy the view or just took it for granted, it is one of my greatest regrets that I didn’t fully appreciate the beauty just beyond my front door.  This thought really crystalized during my last visit to Santa Barbara when I had the chance to photograph this amazing sunset. Funny how when you’re a visitor your senses are heightened in order to absorb as much of that location as possible, yet when you live in a particular location your senses are seemingly dulled over time contributing to a lack of awareness to the beauty of that place. These days I try to always stay in that “visitor” state of mind to investigate as much as iI can where ever I am.

Technorati Tags: photography, landscape, California, Channel Islands, nature, stock photo

My photography has transformed over the past couple of  years thanks in part to the advent of photography apps on the iPhone.  Reference information, in particular, now available on iPhone apps has made a special impact. My iPhone now is a critical photography tool when I’m in the field. Always on the look out for great apps I thought I’d share a review of an  app series iFotoGuide (iTunes link) put together by fellow nature and landscape photographers Dan Baumbach and Bret Edge.

The iFotoGuide to date is comprised of location guides for Yosemite National Park and Arches National Park. Each offer information resources covering:

• Area Information
• Park Information
• Interactive Map
• Photo Locations
• Photo Gallery
• Sunrise/Sunset Times
• Additional Resources

$4.99 Yosemite National Park iFotoGuide	$2.99 Arches National Park iFotoGuide

Things I Liked and Didn’t Like

These apps have you covered when it comes to making plans to photograph these national parks. With in the “Area Information” section for example you have airport, transportation, lodging, campground, shopping, restaurants weather and important phone numbers at your finger tips. One noted absence that surprised me under “important phone numbers” was the lack of inclusion of regional resources to get road conditions. For example in the Yosemite app the CalTrans Highway Information number was missing to track when mountain pass roads are open/closed through Yosemite.

Weather information for each park is included in their respective app. Note that the “Weather” section will jump you to monthly averages. To get current conditions the app with an additional link will load Yahoo weather. Perhaps a personal preference I think I’d rather get the current weather first and click through to the monthly averages.

The Yosemite app includes a link to the Yosemite Cam page that loads with in the application. It’s just not possible to get enough of the Yosemite cams (unless you’re checking at night).

The Park information section covers the basics with wildlife, wildflowers, backpacking info and safety info. While the wildlife and wildflower sections are more than adequate it would be great to see in future versions more detail to fauna and plants species in each area.

The Interactive Map is a great feature allowing you to see example photos taken from various park locations. Small camera icons have been transposed to National Park maps so with a touch of your finger you can load photos to get an idea of what is possible. Each image on the Interactive Map loads with additional links to more detailed information and maps.  The downside to the Interactive Map is  that it’s impossible to do each park justice with the number of locations to photograph, but it does cover the major locations.

The Photo Gallery section also allows you to easily navigate additional information and maps. One thing that was mildly disorienting is that this section is a mixture of photos referencing subject and location. For example in the Yosemite app you might click a photo of Half Dome to read about a particular meadow and another photo of the same subject might tell you about Half Dome itself. Perhaps in future versions they’ll tighten this up to easily search of a quick means of seeing one or the other with in the gallery section.

The Photo Locations section does a great job of identifying photo subjects that are ideal to photograph  at sunrise, sunset or all day.  If you don’t have time to adequately scout these parks in advance this feature will prove to be a huge time saver.

The Sunrise/Sunset section of each app will give you a quick look at approximate times for sunrise and sunset for the 1st and 15th of each month. Helpful for general information it would be nice if the apps provided links that took you to a site that relayed specific information for a particular day. To be fair though this chart is more than enough if you lack connectivity in the field.

Rating:

iFotoGuide is well worthy of picking up for the price. For a version 1.0.x app it’s very well done. Easy to navigate, intuitive and full of great information. Some portions of the app aren’t as strong as others, but that’s normal. One app can’t do it all. On that note I’ll likely continue to use other applications that specialize in sunrise, sunset, moonrise and moonset calculations. I’m hopeful that in future releases more detailed information is added about wildlife and plant species. I’m eagerly awaiting to see what National Parks they add to the series next. For updates and additional information visit the iFotoGuide blog.

Funny thing about photography, it’s all things to all people.

• There’s never just one “right way” to learn it.
• There’s never just one “right way” to do it.
• There’s never just one “right way” to develop or post-process it.
• There’s infinite subjects.
• There’s never just one “right way” to share or show it.
• There’s an audience for virtually every subject.
• You can do it virtually anywhere.
• It often means many things to many people.
• There will always be someone who dislikes, if not hates, your photography.
• There will always be someone who likes, if not loves, your photography.

Feel free to add to the list…

Technorati Tags: photography, philosophy, art

Locations to enjoy quiet are few and far between these days. Fewer and fewer locations exist where you can go to avoid hearing man and/or man made objects. Even when I was in the Arctic it was common to hear small planes and on one rare occasion a jumbo jet. As an artist I thoroughly enjoy the challenge of capturing images that exemplify intangible concepts such as “quiet”. Some photos are more successful than others… the following photo, taken in Yosemite National Park, is a favorite of mine capturing the essence of quiet.

Out of curiosity….
When and where was the last time you experienced silence (no man made noises)?

An Unquiet Nation: Audio ecologist Gordon Hempton talks about America’s vanishing quiet spaces, and how our lives can be helped by listening to the silence – Newsweek

The Quiet - The Merced River in Yosemite Valley: rocks, water and reflections - Yosemite National Park, California

Technorati Tags: nature, photography, Yosemite, National Park, fine art, stock photo