Landscape, Nature And Travel Photography

I was recently interviewed by Marc Silber on the topic of Landscape & Nature photography for his online video series Advancing Your Photography! Marc has talked with some truly amazing photographers who I greatly respect and I was humbled to be asked to take part in his great video series. The video is only 9 minutes long and full of tips. I hope you find it informative and entertaining. If you enjoy it be sure to let Marc know by commenting on his blog to encourage him to invite other great nature, landscape and travel photographers.

Jim Goldstein’s Tips on Landscape & Nature Photography

Technorati Tags: Interview, video, nature, landscape, photography, Marc Silber, Jim Goldstein

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

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.

Golden Gate Bridge & Fog at Sunrise

Technorati Tags: photography, travel, San Francisco, California, Golden Gate Bridge, stock photo

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.

Santa Barbara Mission Under A Blue Moon

Technorati Tags: travel, photography, Santa Barbara, California, Santa Barbara Mission, blue moon, moon, stock photo

Fresh off the heels of my Practical Review of the Canon 17mm TS-E f/4 lens I thought I’d post one of my many favorite photos taken with the lens. The areas surrounding the Golden Gate Bridge forever call me when I’m testing or learning new gear. In particular I love exploring between Baker Beach and the Golden Gate Bridge. It never hurts photographing this area when Mother Nature serves up an amazing sunset made up of great light, clouds and surf.

The photo below was taken after sunset when both the sky and beach turned an amazing purple color. What you see is what I saw… no filters were used on the lens (if you read the review you’ll understand why). I suppose the draw to ideal, yet rare, conditions like this are what keep me coming back to this area over and over again.

Golden Gate Bridge Sunset & Surf

Photo Info: Canon 1Ds Mark III, 17mm TS-E, f/18 at 1.6 sec.

Technorati Tags: San Francisco, California, photography, photo, stock photo, landscape, surf, beach

The rugged coastline of Big Sur is always a dramatic scene, but especially so when large surf sweeps through the area. This week large surf returned, but I was unable to get out to the coast in time. I’m not losing sleep as more storms are certain to travel through the area this winter.

Interestingly while preparing this image I noticed two small streaks in the sky. I can’t prove it with out a doubt, but I’m certain there were more meteors falling on the evening I took this photo in 2009 other than the one I reported in my post Primitive Coast III.

Big Sur Crashing Surf

Technorati Tags: landscape, photography, stock photo, Big Sur, California, surf