I find it fascinating that one could be attracted to a location with death in the name as is the case with “Death Valley”, yet strangely I am. Death Valley is one of the worlds most extreme environments, but thanks to technological developments over the past century I can easily enjoy it. All it takes is a long air conditioned car ride and a decent supply of food and water if I choose to camp. Still it is an adventure visiting Death Valley as you can never underestimate Mother Nature. (more after image)
This weekend I’ll be returning to Death Valley to lead a photo tour and introduce a group of photographers to Death Valley’s most photogenic locations including the remote and world famous Racetrack. You might not think of hanging out in remote areas of the desert as the place to be with a camera, but the desert reveals its colorful beauty at sunrise and sunset. The desert truly is Mother Nature’s art canvas as the wind and rains create intricate formation and patterns. It’s a real treat for the eye, if you look for it.
Stay tuned for new images next week and if you’re interested in photographing Death Valley’s Racetrack I’m running another photo tour there in February of 2012. Death Valley Photo Tour Info
After a full day of driving from Utah I landed in Glacier National Park just in time to enjoy this stunning sunset. I’m a firm believer you can’t rush a sunset or sunrise, they’re to be savored like fine wine. I captured a few frames of this scene unfolding and then just enjoyed the view. All worth a numb butt from hours of driving and the short hike back to my car in the dark.
With that being said may you enjoy ample blood supply to your backside if you’re driving long distances this weekend and a glorious sunsets or two.
Canon 1D X – It’s not the gear it’s your creativity behind it. What would you use the Canon 1D X for?
Here are the features that caught my eye in order of interest:
In-camera image composite
Up to 9 images with 4 different compositing methods are provided for maximum creative control, including Additive, Average, Bright and Dark. Compositing results can be viewed in real time on the camera’s LCD monitor, and there is a one-step Undo command that allows photographers to delete an image and try again if desired.
Low light capabilities with super high ISO
ISO range is 100 to 51,200, but the EOS-1D X offers ISO 50 and 102,400 at H1 and 204,800 at H2
Lower megapixel sensor with larger pixels
The camera sensor sports pixel size of 6.95 microns, 1.25 microns larger than those in the EOS-1D Mark IV sensor and .55 microns larger than those in the EOS 5D Mark II sensor
Video improvements
New compression formats, improvements to reduce moire and the following frame rates of 24p (23.976), 25p, or 30p (29.97); and 720p HD or SD video recording at either 50p or 60p (59.94)
Plopping down $7K for a camera is not for the light hearted so its not something I would do unless I felt I could produce something truly unique. (see my take below the image)
I would love to create in camera composites and the creative options there really have piqued my interest. I can think of several subjects that would make this a killer feature.
Low light capabilities with reduced digital noise would be fantastic. Astrophotography would be a subject I’d like to revisit and I’m wondering how the High ISO values might translate to video as well. The 5D Mark II sucks in this area.
While everyone is bent out of shape on the lower megapixel sensor I’m not so hung up on it. It certainly is an eye catcher though. What is the real indicator of image quality with a sensor is pixel size and density that impacts noise characteristics. If the sensor creates higher quality images with far less noise at a lower megapixel count then I don’t care if its 18, 20 or 36 (the rumored Nikon MP count). Any subject is going to be improved with less noise. The key will be to see if the reduction in noise with this configuration impacts perceived resolution. I doubt that will be the case. I’m looking forward to seeing example images from the camera.
Additional video recording options with recording time codes and the possibility of lower light shooting with better ISO/Noise performance has caught my eye the most. The 1 series has never been the flagship for video so I’m wondering if the 5D Mark III might one up the 1D X on this front. Either way these improvements are nothing to scoff at. I’d love to experiment with lower light video work.
So in the end I’d still be doing the same type of landscape, nature and travel photography, but I’d be looking for openings to push the envelope given the new technology. What more could I get out of a scene in low light scenes such as during the blue hour. Will video be usable in such lighting conditions? Are astrophotography photos going to be that much more impressive with the low light capabilities of the 1D X? What cool things can I do with the in-camera image composite? I’d super eager to experiment with a 1D X to find out.
What would you do with the new capabilities of the Canon 1D X?
Of my time in Switzerland I really enjoyed the scenery in and around Grindelwald most. It is a beautiful town in a beautiful valley. The towering Eiger mountain that stands above the valley is a legendary mountain climbing destination. Tough to believe people climb straight up its steep cliff face. If you ever visit Switzerland I highly recommend exploring Grindelwald and taking the train to Kleine Scheidegg above Grindelwald for lunch.
Grindelwald Homes Under the Shadow of the Eiger, Switzerland
If you were a photographer from 100 years ago and dropped in todays world to discover how you take and publish a photograph you’d be blown away. What is really scary is that photography really hadn’t changed that drastically until 20 years ago when Kodak converted a Nikon F3 to use a 1 megapixel digital sensor and on the consumer side 17 years ago when Apple released the QuickTake 100 that could sync photos to your computer. Oh and lets not forget the first camera phone photo being taken only 14 years ago. Before that there were varying degrees of improvement with film development, but by and large it was the same process and it took time.
What blows my mind is that I’ve lived through and experienced this rapid evolution of photography. I might as well have been the photographer from 100 years ago being dropped in this new world of photography. Photography is no longer as difficult to learn, print, publish or share. I grew up flipping through pages of National Geographic and Life in awe of the images and had to wait a month to see the next batch of images from great photographers. Now anyone with a cell phone can take a photo, post it online and in a matter of seconds have a stream of photos ready to be seen at a moments notice. I can take a photo of my son on the way to the grocery store and before I get there have people commenting and sharing a photo of him.
Digital photography has been an incredible game changer, but combined with the latest social media revolution it has amplified its impact. The likes of Instagram, Tumblr, Facebook, Google+ and now Apple with their Photostream functionality built into their operating systems makes photography a seamless part of modern life. I know there are several other dinosaurs that read my blog and have witnessed this photography evolution revolution. Take a moment to extract yourself from the gradual changes you’ve become accustomed to and think about being dropped into another time. Is this not amazing? Damn it is great to be a photographer!
Normally the Mesquite Dunes in Death Valley National Park are known for their golden yellow and orange hues, but at the right time of day they can turn a stunning purple. While easily accessed and often traversed by park visitors its easy to be drawn into the vast dune field to find inspiration, both from the drama of the unfolding light that paints it and within oneself as you experience the solitude of the dunes. That being said I can’t wait to return here later this month.
Blue Hour at the Mesquite Dunes, Death Valley National Park
One of the best places to take in the view of downtown San Francisco is Twin Peaks. Situated in the heart of San Francisco on a great day (like this one) you can see clear across the bay. I consider myself lucky as I live rather close to this great look out spot, but I don’t enjoy the view as often as I should. On the day I shot this time-lapse I opted to spend my lunch break here. It was time very well spent even if a little windy.
One last thing if you’re in San Francisco this weekend its Fleet Week and that means the Blue Angels will be flying over head. Be sure to check out my article 10 Essential Tips To Get Great Blue Angels Photos if you’re planning to photograph them this weekend..
Clouds billowing over downtown San Francisco, California
Back in 1983/4 my friend showed me his Apple IIe and I was blown away. In 1986 I was super stoked to get a Macintosh Plus. No more hand written reports or worse using a type writer and relying on Wite-out to correct my bad typing. The world thanks to Steve Jobs and Apple is very different now.
I have been an Apple fan as long as I’ve used computers and I’m unashamed to admit I’ve purchased a vast majority of their computers and mobile devices. When the Macintosh II came out, Apple’s first color computer, I knew the world of digital imaging would be in my future. I didn’t now how exactly, but I knew it would happen. Photoshop did not exist in September 1988 when I paid over $5000 for the Mac II, but as I saw software develop in the months and years after that enabled the editing of photos I was enthralled. Sadly scanners were equally expensive back then, but I relied on scanning my photos using an HP scanner in my college computer lab. It took ~15 minutes to scan a 4×6 print at a resolution of 1600×1200 (a giant file at the time) and to share it I had to use dial up at home or bike to campus to use the earliest form of the Internet. It was a super exciting time. It was so obvious things were changing in radical ways. I had no idea how it would turn out exactly, but Steve seemed to have a master vision that kept Apple users on their toes waiting for the next development.
Since that time so much has changed. Steve Jobs without any doubt has influenced my life laying the groundwork for my interests and career aspirations. Would I have been able to do the things I’ve done to date with out Apple or Steve Jobs… likely, but not with as much passion. Steve Jobs kept me on my toes always thinking about the next big evolution in computing, content creation and publishing channels.
A Crowd Photographs the First Apple iPhone - MacWorld Expo 2007
I never met Steve Jobs, but I came close while at the 2008 MacWorld Expo. It was the year following the release of the iPhone and he was on the convention floor at the Apple booth. He was busy catching up on email on his iPhone. I never had any interest in interrupting him, but I did want to get a “I saw Steve Jobs! photo”. I had my dSLR with me which stuck out like a sore thumb and every time I raised it to take his photo one of his handlers would casually move between us blocking my view. I had to eventually shoot from my hip as I walked by to get his photo. I suppose it added to the adventure of it all.
Steve Jobs Checking His iPhone at the 2008 MacWorld Convention
I will certainly miss Steve Jobs not because I ever knew him, but because of how he made me think about the next big thing with each big announcement. The computers and gadgets were a means to an end… self publishing, photo editing, podcasting, webcasting/video conferencing, app development and so on. I will also miss hearing his catch phrase delivered only as he could say it:
One More Thing…
One final note, if you have yet to see this then I highly recommend setting some time aside to watch Steve’s Stanford commencement speech from 2005
I would rather say: buy...
