Often hidden in the fog of the northern California coast is the Farallon Islands. On rare days from San Francisco the atmosphere is clear enough to see their outline across 27 miles of the Pacific Ocean. Virtually out my backdoor is a view of these distant islands. The 850 foot elevation of this particular vantage point from my neighborhood helps in conjunction with the 840mm focal length used to capture this image. Of all my years in San Francisco this particular day provided the unique combination of clear view and amazing color in the sky. While the Farallons are often concealed in fog on this evening they were concealed in a curtain of color.
Farallon Islands Curtain of Color
Photo Info:
Canon 1Ds Mark III, 600mm + 1.4x = 840mm, Â 1/320 sec, f/13, ISO 400, Compensation: +2/3
Some landscapes are so sweeping its an incredible challenge to portray them properly in a tightly constrained photo, no matter what the format or lens used. The South Dakota Badlands fall into that category. Standing at any one of numerous scenic lookouts one’s field of view is completely filled with this amazingly surreal landscape.
South Dakota Badlands Spring Panoramic – Badland National Park, South Dakota Click to Enlarge
On this particular day the weather was turning for the worst, but the cloud cover provided nice even lighting to bring out the color in the eroded hillsides. Sporadic rain rejuvenated grass and flowers sprinkled through out the scene giving this otherwise desolate landscape vibrancy of color and life. Impossible to capture in entirety I opted to capture this scene in a panoramic format with a hint of  life revealing itself amidst an endless maze of canyons.
Photo Details:
Canon 1Ds Mark III, 90mm tilt-shift, 3-image horizontal panoramic
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.
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.
Warm air rises and cool air sinks.
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.
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.
By definition the towers of the Golden Gate Bridge rising above the fog is as iconic a photo as you can take.  Most of these  types of photos are taken looking Southeast from the Marin Headlands at a distance of 1 – 1 1/4 miles. The photo below was captured from a distance of 4 miles, looking North towards the Marin Headlands. This extreme telephoto perspective via the Canon 800mm f/5.6 lens breathes a bit of life into a regularly photographed subject. No matter what the perspective seeing this iconic structure endure the ebb and flow of fog is eternally an awe inspiring experience.
This past week a few things have happened to help me put perspective in perspective.
My DSL connection stopped working which is always helpful in seeing the world strictly in an off-line fashion. It’s quite refreshing so make sure you reserve time to unplug and embrace the moments where perhaps that is forced upon you.
One of my dogs has been suffering from deteriorating health. Moe my 15 year old Jack Russell Terrier has always had some weird neurological issues, but nothing pressing. Lately he’s been experiencing atypical seizures at a frequency that has been nothing short of alarming. We’re hoping his new medications keep things in check and he can grace us with his very own brand of insanity for several more years to come.
I was recently a member of a jury deliberating a criminal case. To date I’ve never been on a jury and often tried my hardest to avoid being on a jury. My attitude about jury duty is quite different now. It was an amazing experience that really makes you appreciate the U.S. legal system. It may very well be flawed in some ways, but the process of being judged by a group of your peers rather than one individual under the precept of innocence is amazing. To come to any  conclusion all 12 jurors needed to be unanimous. To get 12 people to agree to the same thing is incredibly difficult and as a result finding a person guilty of a crime takes a lot of solid evidence and discussion.
How does this all piece together? This past week has left me feeling free to see the world beyond an LCD screen with fresh eyes. It’s been a reminder that many of the precious things under your nose require careful attention that shouldn’t be lost in distraction. It’s shown me that no one person sees the circumstances of every day life the same way. While I see each of these things individually as great reminders in how to live, photographically its also a reminder that what you see and document with your camera (even the most mundane of subjects) is an extension of your perspective on the world around you.
All these events made me rethink my perspective on perspective. Perspective isn’t just how you frame what you see, but how you interpret what you see, how you emphasize what you see, how you lead your viewers to interpret what you see and how you piece multiple things together to provide a perspective to something larger and more meaningful. Something to consider the next time you reach for your camera.
Bellevue des Alpes Hotel at Kleine Scheidegg, Switzerland
The past several days I’ve been in Santa Barbara where I caught up both with family, as I attended my sister in-laws wedding, and on some long over due photography. It’s embarrassing to admit, but in the 8 years years I lived in Santa Barbara I never photographed the area. If you’ve never been, Santa Barbara is roughly 100 miles north of Los Angeles and is often called the American Riviera. Santa Barbara is among the most beautiful locations in California and is home to one of the most beautiful Spanish missions. I was very fortunate this weekend to not just photograph the mission, but to photograph the mission under a Blue Moon as it was setting. To say the least it was an awe inspiring experience to witness this moment… not to mention the happy union of my sister in-law with her new husband.
