tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10303917447587550182024-02-20T09:06:06.875-08:00Michael Basista PhotographyAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00291153871732725108noreply@blogger.comBlogger18125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1030391744758755018.post-26384844292736420072017-02-01T19:51:00.001-08:002017-02-01T19:53:21.650-08:00Droning On<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Droning On<br />
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I've always wanted to be a pilot but never had the time to learn. Plus, it's one of those things that you can't just do every now and then. You have to stay sharp or you become part of the landscape instead of flying over it. I've also had many occasions where I wanted to take a photo from "right there" but right there was either a few feet off the edge of a cliff or several yards out into the middle of the river or ... you get the idea. Plus to be honest, Toledo is just not a photography hotspot and I need to find new and different ways to see it to enjoy my photography addiction between photo trips.<br />
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Enter the drone. Or actually, the third drone. I'm somewhat of an early adopter, so several years ago I bought a drone and a GoPro. Realistically GoPros are not landscape photography cameras so the images weren't great. But more problematically, the drone was just not right. It had an affinity for trees or other obstacles and a two year old could hold still better that it could. My 12 year old son who regularly embarrasses me playing against me in any video game couldn't get this thing to fly right and flew it into Lake Erie. It's not a submarine either we learned. So last year DJI came out with version 4 (my first was version 2) and the promise was stable, controlled flight. I bought one last summer, and Eureka! I could fly it, it held stationary if necessary, and it could find it's own way home when I lost track of it. That happened often I'm embarrassed to say. Unfortunately, the camera was a 12MP wide angle affair which was decent but not awesome. But still, better than nothing so I started experimenting with drone photography. And of course, as with all technology, I no sooner paid the credit card bill for that drone when DJI released the 4 "Pro" version with a 20mp camera and a 1 inch sensor. This is clearly a Chinese plot to extract as many American dollars from me as possible but I went for it (my long suffering wife Chris said "quit whining and just get it already" bless her heart). Now we're working on 90% awesome. Great camera -RAW+JPEG, low noise and super easy to fly with collision sensors all around. Only complaint is fixed focal length and no zoom. I'm sure it's just a matter of time - and probably not long - they've got to keep extracting those dollars you know.<br />
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So what have I learned so far? Aerial photography is a whole different perspective and even with Google Earth you have to just get the drone up there and see if there's an image. I use Google Earth to scout out possible subjects and safe places to fly from to access my intended subject. Light still matters but so does wind speed and precipitation which never completely stopped me before when I was using an SLR and a sturdy tripod. People are suspicious of drones - especially if you are flying them near someone's home; which for urban images is impossible to avoid. I've been harassed about flying in public airspace, but my new German Shepherd will take care of that.... Air travel is a pain because the drone takes up it's own backpack and my personal Sherpa (Chris) doesn't always fly with me so a camera backpack and a drone backpack makes me wish I was a camel. (Mike Mike Mike Mike....) I haven't tried night drone photography yet but will report on that later when I figure out a safe location without aerial obstacles to experiment. And finally, drones are not allowed in national parks (I agree) so there will still be those cliffs where I wish I could be 3 feet to the right but never will.<br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00291153871732725108noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1030391744758755018.post-67801184486497265782016-05-20T06:28:00.000-07:002016-05-20T06:28:19.267-07:00Smoky Mountains in the Spring<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Recently I had an opportunity to assist in teaching a photography workshop in the Smoky Mountains with Andy Cook of <a href="http://www.rockymountainreflections.com/">www.rockymountainreflections.com</a> . The timing of the shoot was designed to take advantage of the spring environment: fresh green leaves, water flowing in rivers and falls, and wildflowers. Although I've been there many times before, it's mostly been to shoot the fall colors. What a difference springtime makes! Fall shooting in the Smoky's is just stressful - people everywhere, cars clogging the roads, traffic jams for animal sightings (mostly deer! why??? everyone has those at home $%#*@!!) and you never know for sure when and where the peak color will be until of course it happens. Spring is the opposite. Not as many people; especially during the week and so much less traffic. Most people seem to be hiking instead of just driving around. The predominant color is - green! And it's everywhere - but with so many different shades and hues. The leaves are new, not heat or insect damaged, and not so dense that they obscure the view into the woods. Water is flowing everywhere and many places that would be dry in the fall become delightful small waterfalls or water fans in the streams. There are many wildflowers as well, but unlike out west where there are entire fields of large, bright flowers, these are smaller, more subtle, and somewhat hidden in the forest floor. Plus, there are still the usual opportunities for the well known fog shrouded mountain ridgelines and old wooden buildings. So if you're willing to think green, photographing the Smoky Mountains in the spring is a truly delightful experience.<br />
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00291153871732725108noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1030391744758755018.post-30331312855598152412015-09-20T11:24:00.002-07:002015-09-20T11:24:51.677-07:00 Trip Jinx<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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My friends and family know that traveling with me is like a
hazardous occupation. I've seen snow in Death Valley, rain in the
desert, and busloads of tourists invading isolated overlooks at
sunrise. True friends have even suggested to my wife that we really
ought to just stay home.<br />
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This summer was no exception. I had arranged a canal houseboat rental from Mid Lakes Marina in Macedon along the Erie canal in New York. June was one of the wettest months ever, and just before my trip was to start, large stretches of the Erie canal were closed - for high water! How you get too much water in a canal I don't know. Admittedly the boat was quite comfortable but we had to head west instead of east as I had intended. Canal houseboats are also very slow - people walking briskly along the towpath trails could outpace us when they were motivated. So we didn't cover quite the area I had planned, but it did force me to slow my own pace down. Way down. I guess that's a good idea and fits with the concept of a vacation. At least I didn't have guide a mule pulling the canal boat.<br />
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In July my long suffering wife Chris and I headed to Glacier National Park. About two days before departure we got an email from one of the hotels informing us of a forest fire. I've been to Glacier four times and this is the 2nd forest fire. That's 50%. I should probably be banned from the park. When I called the hotel to inquire about whether I should get a reservation elsewhere, the man who answered said not to worry, and nonchalantly added that the fire wasn't close - 6 miles away - and that it was at worst just a bit smoky.... So we flew into Great Falls Montana because although Kalispell is closer, it's on the west side of the park and we were spending all of our time on the east side which is separated from the airport by Logan's pass and the Going to the Sun road which can have surprise delays (even when there's no fire) and mess up your attempt to catch the flight back home.<br />
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Great Falls seemed to be a pleasant town and when we checked into the hotel we surprised with an upgrade - a jacuzzi suite. That night after dinner there was the sound like a herd of horses galloping around the room above us. Just when we were about to call the desk about that there was a knock on the door. When my wife answered there were two intoxicated young women standing there, one of whom slapped the other and slurred "told you this was the wrong floor!" A few minutes later, there was the sound of flowing water coming from the room with the jacuzzi. When I checked it out, there was water streaming from the light fixtures, the fire suppression nozzle, and down the walls. Definitely time to call the front desk. Apparently it's ok to go out and get drunk, leaving your children to wreak havoc back at the hotel.<br />
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The next day we drove to the park to discover that the main road through the park, Going to the Sun Road, was closed because of the fire and was unlikely to open in the near future. This is the main road to access the majority of the highlights of the park. The good news was that the fire wasn't heading towards our hotel. The other upside was that it forced us to explore the Two Medicine section of the park which is definitely under-appreciated. But this trip was timed to let us see the Logan Pass area after the snow had melted and when there should have been wildflowers and that wasn't an option anymore.<br />
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We spent the last few days of the trip in the Many Glacier area and stayed at the century old lodge. It's definitely cool, historical, and offers access to my favorite section of the park. However, there have been major advances in hotel construction over the last 100 years in areas like bathrooms and noise control. And when the fire alarm goes off at 3 am in a century old wooden structure you're really motivated to exit quickly! <br />
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In spite of the challenges of the trips, there was great scenery and plenty to photograph. One of the most fruitful outings were the two drives we made exploring the area east of Glacier National park. This area is agricultural and the landscape was more of the big sky type with horses and hay fields under it. This area was quite a contrast to the mountains and lakes of the park.<br />
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As always, I was pleasantly surprised with the opportunities for images, even if they weren't what I had anticipated. And of course, I'll continue to travel in spite of the black cloud. I'll even go back to Glacier National Park - but next time I'll probably travel under an alias...<br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00291153871732725108noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1030391744758755018.post-77982321645633067292015-04-11T18:01:00.000-07:002015-04-11T18:01:17.195-07:00Sometimes You Get What You Need<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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My photography crazed friends Andy and Pete suggested a shoot where we would only photograph at night and sleep during the day. And we would primarily car camp - each of us sleeping in the back of his own SUV. The one week which seemed to fit our schedules was in February and the target area was eastern Utah. It was necessary to find a week where the moon was less than one half at it's brightest and it would set early enough to give us both some moonlit landscape and some moon free night sky. We didn't quite figure the impact of the very late rise of the thickest part of the Milky Way, which turned out to be around two hours before dawn. For those who like night photography, you know that the night starts fading two hours before sunrise (and doesn't get really dark until 2 hours after sunset.)<br />
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We met up in Arches NP and the first night started off well and then became increasingly cloudy. Then there was a major league snowstorm. So much for night sky shooting. We elected to head south because the snowstorm was moving northeast and we figured it would clear there first. We drove to Natural Bridges National Monument where eventually we were the only visitors for a day. When you see no other tire tracks, you know you have the place to yourself. The snowstorm coated the rocks and trees perfectly and we had the opportunity to photograph the high desert scenery in its winter finest. Of course, hiking in the snow was a little challenging and sleeping in the SUV's at 20 degrees wasn't exactly cozy. But the images were awesome, and eventually the storm cleared providing a superb sunrise in the process. We photographed our way back north and eventually got some night shooting as we had envisioned. <br />
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In retrospect I was glad for the diversity the snowstorm provided and the fact that it forced us to get some sleep at night.<br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00291153871732725108noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1030391744758755018.post-85614315383317733352015-02-15T19:06:00.000-08:002015-02-15T19:06:05.546-08:00<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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So Now What?<br />
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My wife and I had planned a February trip to Hocking Hills in the fall. She was looking forward to the romantic cabin and I to some winter photography - and romance in the cabin. We had just gotten a foot of snow at home so I figured the scenery would be awesome. She was hoping the cabin would be as nice as its website. The cabin was, but the snow never got quite as far south as Hocking Hills. Now what?<br />
Of course I still had a beautiful woman, a really nice cabin in the woods, a hot tub, wine, and some gourmet food. If I wasn't a diehard photographer, this would be perfect. We did do some hiking, as my wife Chris really does enjoy the outdoors and thankfully can find things to enjoy while I photograph. Besides the lack of snow, it turned out that the Yaktrax that she had weren't up to the ice covered stone steps that lead down to the really cool features in the park. My Kahtoola microspikes were awesome but we only had one set of those. So for our hikes together we went places without lots of icy steps and I looked for ways to depict winter without showing a snow covered landscape (bottom photo.) When she'd had enough hiking I slipped out (pun intended) and used the microspikes to find wintery looking scenics (top photo.)<br />
In the end, we had some quality "us" time and I found some images too, so it was a perfect weekend.<br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00291153871732725108noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1030391744758755018.post-68513772695175429202014-12-27T17:15:00.002-08:002014-12-27T17:17:33.199-08:00<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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REVISIT</h2>
Being that it's the Christmas holiday season there's a lot of visiting going on. Earlier in the day I was thinking about how many people I visit during the season, how many parties there are, and how many special events occur. There are times I wish I could spread out the Christmas fun over a few months - especially January and February which in Ohio could use some help. And then there are those people who I only see during holidays and wish I would see during the rest of the year and do a revisit of the holiday get together. <br />
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Thinking about the concept of a "revisit" also made me think about photography. Yeah, I know, the average person would never connect these things and sure I have a photography fixation. And yes my poor wife Chris needs lots of sympathy. But what occurred to me is that photography offers the possibility of revisiting your previous work and redoing the processing of images. If you're not into cold weather photography or if you're not escaping to a tropical paradise, January and February are great months to look at old images and see what else you can do with them. Perhaps you have some new software which would allow you to process an image that you never could get to work out previously. Maybe you've learned some new ways to work with images in Photoshop or Lightroom. Or, you could try to create black and white images from some previous captures. For instance, the image above was tone mapped in an HDR program that salvaged an image photographed in harsh midday light last summer. The image below is a black and white conversion using a dedicated monochrome program from Topaz. <br />
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So since half time is over (why are all the interesting football games crammed into two weeks!) I'll end this post now. But remember, when it's cold, dark, and boring this winter do a revisit.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXlm9jw4y6ItPgqX8YUQ1OkzpepIFFB1gTaexsRlJfsGgT-76JcuFnaqULtTuHxHF6gO9GlIFiky18MIKVsBY6Y64iectLJvZ7tubjUQA1VEWsJ7E60S0RQ2tzAAGGwV1R4evuDRHyK1s/s1600/cracked+up+B&W+0714_M3C4551_tonemapped+m.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXlm9jw4y6ItPgqX8YUQ1OkzpepIFFB1gTaexsRlJfsGgT-76JcuFnaqULtTuHxHF6gO9GlIFiky18MIKVsBY6Y64iectLJvZ7tubjUQA1VEWsJ7E60S0RQ2tzAAGGwV1R4evuDRHyK1s/s1600/cracked+up+B&W+0714_M3C4551_tonemapped+m.jpg" height="213" width="320" /></a></div>
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00291153871732725108noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1030391744758755018.post-75259474735633157162014-11-03T19:41:00.000-08:002014-11-03T19:41:16.494-08:00Mood and Photography<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVThpQ9r1JXEmXMPPY2bUKBbxpiHZ2csotWB2ygGEA-xaxbonPYNl07ud-malJoUv83f4s9MZmW2EDnYGLbGijrHuRy5R5a8WlqsFr-mxtephMTA9qnb6S1FoqRJ80CFJjASuQkGKJIU4/s1600/edge+of+day+olympic+park+0714_M3C4932+m.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVThpQ9r1JXEmXMPPY2bUKBbxpiHZ2csotWB2ygGEA-xaxbonPYNl07ud-malJoUv83f4s9MZmW2EDnYGLbGijrHuRy5R5a8WlqsFr-mxtephMTA9qnb6S1FoqRJ80CFJjASuQkGKJIU4/s1600/edge+of+day+olympic+park+0714_M3C4932+m.jpg" height="213" width="320" /></a></div>
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When you see this image, do you think it's sunrise or sunset? If you see a sunrise, is it because you are optimistic and the sunrise holds forth the promise of a new day? If you see a sunset, is it because you generally hold a different outlook and the day's end is a melancholic event? Certainly a photographer can attempt to convey mood by composition, color, or by choosing a monochrome look. The composition is generally determined at the time of the image capture, and will reflect the photographer's mood at that time. But even more so, the emotions of the photographer at the time the image is processed will set the ultimate expression of mood. <br />
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We've all heard of the tortured artist who creates masterpieces but must be suffering intensely in order to create. For the rest of us, working on images might be a refuge from difficulties in the rest of our lives. Images we are processing probably recall a happier time when we were out doing something that we truly enjoy and probably somewhere far away from those things that cause us stress. For myself, I find that if I'm too upset about something, I can't even work to process images. If I'm not quite that distraught, I've been told by friends that my processing tends to take on a gloomy look. The most important thing in my life is my wife, and after that my family, so if something major is going on there I can turn a blue sky sunshine puffy white clouds and field of daisies image into an expression of despair. <br />
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So that's all for now; no real epiphany. Just something to reflect on for a moment.<br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00291153871732725108noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1030391744758755018.post-7617898148805110602014-09-03T20:01:00.002-07:002014-09-03T20:01:21.194-07:00Better Late Than Never<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEib_5LdBnDX649CV6dsr7mamagdZPFAMuhLu5YPf_d2tYr4h4gvcn1xxeLRlV5tMLRM0DhPr84CkfqqiGUFkNIA8fi8OghMApMReMuPZx1TuHKR9OdwZJWJ-Q9zyC6zHEjbTqfmUFBDdUc/s1600/flying+chaff+0714_DSF1650+m.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEib_5LdBnDX649CV6dsr7mamagdZPFAMuhLu5YPf_d2tYr4h4gvcn1xxeLRlV5tMLRM0DhPr84CkfqqiGUFkNIA8fi8OghMApMReMuPZx1TuHKR9OdwZJWJ-Q9zyC6zHEjbTqfmUFBDdUc/s1600/flying+chaff+0714_DSF1650+m.jpg" height="213" width="320" /></a></div>
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Having lived in Northwest Ohio for more than 20 years and having been an avid photographer for even longer, you might think that I've checked out just about anything photo worthy around these parts by now - especially given that this area is more famous for it's toxic algae blooms than any other natural attraction. But even though I live on the edge of the farm belt, I had never gone to see the Five Point Steam Threshers Reunion which was in it's 54th incarnation this year. <br />
For you non-farmer types that don't remember the turn of the century -we're talking late 1800's to early 1900's turn of the century - steam threshers use steam power to separate wheat grain from the rest of the wheat plant. It's a task that formerly required many people to do steps with names like winnowing, thrashing, and shaking which nowadays are dance steps for rap music. Or maybe that's how they compose rap music... Anyway it was much more efficient and caused a whole bunch of workers to lose their jobs in the fields and have to work at Walmart. These inventions were the first step in the green revolution which has nothing to do with being green today. That revolution massively increased agricultural production but while steam itself is white, fluffy and clean, the coal and wood fired boilers that produced the steam certainly are not. It was very cool (well, not the weather as I was sweating like a ...) to see machines built so long ago they were even made in America still running and threshing... or something, as I have no clue what they were actually doing other than making lots of wheat parts fly around and try to get onto my sensor. Anyway it was quite interesting and a way better photographic subject that the other famous summer event around here which is the algae bloom on Lake Erie. That's happened every year for quite a while now - yet it still managed to surprise the city of Toledo's water department who allowed the algae toxin to contaminate the water supply. So to return to the original point of this blog, it was great to finally photograph the steam thresher reunion. Maybe next summer I'll check out the algae. <br />
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00291153871732725108noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1030391744758755018.post-9337590653814052052014-07-04T14:51:00.001-07:002014-07-04T15:11:34.764-07:00Photographic Assignment<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQti1PhivcCYiQs2ihk307PTQtj9lyzyMoAGirCDasVayf2b9W4T1b5RBLSfunr8Q0SMlM9oPzp4ykFxjwUfQmLsvCb0uDrRblNweYFz0IHZYjVr-PsUwbr_1dc3LIjHSM4jWPwWhXEjQ/s1600/flower+blur+2_M3C1240+0714+m.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQti1PhivcCYiQs2ihk307PTQtj9lyzyMoAGirCDasVayf2b9W4T1b5RBLSfunr8Q0SMlM9oPzp4ykFxjwUfQmLsvCb0uDrRblNweYFz0IHZYjVr-PsUwbr_1dc3LIjHSM4jWPwWhXEjQ/s1600/flower+blur+2_M3C1240+0714+m.jpg" height="320" width="158" /></a></div>
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Normally when I go out to shoot landscapes I'm just looking for something interesting with no specific use for the images in mind. However, a bathroom remodeling project led to a need for images for an exact location that had to compliment some art that had already been installed. Hence, the assignment... My wife requested something abstract, and abstract in the sense of a blur rather than just a tight composition of something recognizable. It's summer, so flowers came to mind and off we went to Schedel Garden <a href="http://www.schedel-gardens.org/">www.schedel-gardens.org</a> to find some subject matter. <br />
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One of my photographer friends, Rick, always jokes that if you want abstract, just hit a camera on a tripod while the shutter is open, and Voila - abstract. You can also use a long shutter speed and let the wind blow, or zoom in or out while shooting. You can also change the focus. These images were shot handheld with a long enough shutter speed to allow me to move the camera. How fast, how far, what direction - well that's the fun part.<br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00291153871732725108noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1030391744758755018.post-37748468147685390062014-03-19T20:03:00.000-07:002014-03-19T20:03:48.364-07:00A Howling Good Shoot<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuxock8F_cZx5W6UQ-GdvqACOxkpmFtQjV9ZEB0zxUcG5BO5PtKPJZQwJOMLRFBfQ5wPB_vXWfXeO3VZ3yT9QRBRXOfxiVRDtZRjYUn5yS01JXXxailomZSwk_49M-We5zcCm_9RFIeSg/s1600/howling+artic+wolves+0214_M3C7623+m.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuxock8F_cZx5W6UQ-GdvqACOxkpmFtQjV9ZEB0zxUcG5BO5PtKPJZQwJOMLRFBfQ5wPB_vXWfXeO3VZ3yT9QRBRXOfxiVRDtZRjYUn5yS01JXXxailomZSwk_49M-We5zcCm_9RFIeSg/s1600/howling+artic+wolves+0214_M3C7623+m.jpg" height="256" width="320" /></a></div>
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We recently went to New Jersey. Why you ask? We wanted to see
governor mandated traffic jams. How do you tell the difference between
traffic jams from political spite and traffic jams that just happen?
Beats me. They look just the same as the ones that occur from political
stupidity like having road construction on every highway ringing the
city simultaneously like we do back home. Anyway, we went to see
wolves. There are no wolves in NJ you say... just on Wall Street and
that's in New York... Well, in the the upper west portion of NJ
bordering the Delaware Water Gap and the Pocono Mountains is the Lakota
Wolf Preserve. www.lakotawolf.com But you would be correct that the wolves were not originally from Jersey. You can tell by their accents...<br />
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About an hour west of the Newark airport (and yes, Delta managed to lose our luggage on a direct flight) Jim and Becky are enthusiastic hosts for a preserve with several packs of wolves including a group of British Columbia wolves which are extinct in the wild. These are not pets. You can arrange an escorted photography shoot during times the preserve is not open to the public. There are ports in the fencing allowing good camera views of the enclosures and Jim and Becky are able to keep the wolves in photographic range for you as well as provide information about wolves for your edification. Although I'm not a crazy nuts wildlife photographer these animals are magnificent and their howling invokes a kind of primordial spiritual response.<br />
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Although when you were done with the wolves you would have the option to photograph in the Poconos and Delaware Water Gap we headed into Manhattan to photograph a different kind of wildlife. Street photography is a discipline that requires the ability to anticipate how undirected people might work with an urban scenic backdrop and the ability to see a landscape made of buildings, streets, etc. I find that the most interesting shots occur when there is precipitation and especially at night. This is really a topic that deserves its own blog post so I'll just end this one with another image.<br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00291153871732725108noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1030391744758755018.post-50345251882574645332014-02-24T19:33:00.000-08:002014-02-24T19:33:35.471-08:00A Cold Winter Photo Vacation is Best<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVHmbLhUI8Q83DO66AqRNUJ_GtD2Gul2jY5LaddonOSc8Ih8fXNqpWqKqLJejw7yTED1BN45UZYw_v43p0b-bKDnuZaxtVj-3JLm7q-V7FAR1YrmkgIhae0nmZ_j3wRlLj_GMT22Gk_4g/s1600/frosted+view+0114_M3C6366+m.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVHmbLhUI8Q83DO66AqRNUJ_GtD2Gul2jY5LaddonOSc8Ih8fXNqpWqKqLJejw7yTED1BN45UZYw_v43p0b-bKDnuZaxtVj-3JLm7q-V7FAR1YrmkgIhae0nmZ_j3wRlLj_GMT22Gk_4g/s1600/frosted+view+0114_M3C6366+m.jpg" height="213" width="320" /></a></div>
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Winter. Thoughts of photographing palm trees, beaches, or bikini clad models. Any excuse to get out of the frozen tundra of the northern states in January and February will do - especially given the vortex crazed climate this year. It's clear that Sports Illustrated has even given up worrying about whether both pieces of their models' bikinis arrived on time for the shoot this year just to make sure they weren't trapped in the cold, waiting for a delivery from some snarky designer...<br />
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Back on topic, I think a winter photo shoot is a better choice than some tropical getaway. And it's not because I'm jealous of my friends who went to Hawaii, Costa Rica, or Bora Bora and missed some of the coldest, snowiest weather I've seen since my childhood in Cleveland. There are actual benefits to going somewhere cold to shoot. And I mean cold - not 32F at night reaching 50F the next day. I mean minus 32F as you stop at the entry to ... Yellowstone. On a snowmobile. Ready to add your own personal windchill of whatever speed you crank that snowmobile up to. (no more than 35 mph in the park, Mr. Ranger, I swear...)<br />
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At the end of January I had the pleasure of joining Barb and John Gerlach <a href="http://www.gerlachnaturephoto.com/">www.gerlachnaturephoto.com</a> for a snowmobile based photo tour of Yellowstone. Since there is a limit on the number of snowmobiles allowed in the park each day and all snowmobiles have to be with a guide, it's much less crowded in the winter than the when the hordes of unguided, minivan transported, wildlife harassing plodders descend on the park in the warm weather. Advantage number one. The wildlife also has to hang around the lower elevations to find food, which of course is the elevation where the snowmobile trails are located, so it is plentiful. Advantage number two. Because the animals are close to the trails, you don't need a 1200 mm lens costing as much as your house to photograph them. Advantage number three. The animal coats are full and lush unlike the spring and summer when they shed and look like they've contracted some horrendous disease. Advantage number four. The park itself is coated in about 5 feet of snow, which covers up a lot of ground which in the summer is covered with ugly drought browned grass. If it's cold enough, there can be fog and hoar frost coated trees and animals. The animals often hang out near the thermal areas, which can give the animals an extra frosty look and make the thermal areas more interesting because of the presence of the animals. Advantage number five. Another plus to a winter shoot is that most photographers hibernate in the winter so if you have any winter images you will have something special. Advantage number six.<br />
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But the biggest advantage to a real winter photo trip is that pretty much no matter where you live the weather back home will be milder. After the minus 30 F morning I had in Yellowstone, I was just about ready for shorts and a tshirt when I got back to Toledo at a balmy 19 F. That's a 49 degree swing in the right direction. Not like when you go tropical and drop from 85 to 19F and swing 66 degrees the wrong way!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00291153871732725108noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1030391744758755018.post-34568274141459136082014-01-07T16:16:00.001-08:002015-09-20T11:27:32.572-07:00Level 3 Captivity<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFxaPmWtWws-HjfcrAzzHdsi6m3eU4BW1OT8pyTw7qJFdmkmAsQZDPsZ0ui9U9zyCDnMuNs5yESLjxseBhFGRu_asOLKw4jiAyNb0g6dLdnlueOC-6AwBq_3Zb_lKnQLr8L90yEa8eB3I/s1600/sidecut+snowfall+0114_M3C3633+m.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFxaPmWtWws-HjfcrAzzHdsi6m3eU4BW1OT8pyTw7qJFdmkmAsQZDPsZ0ui9U9zyCDnMuNs5yESLjxseBhFGRu_asOLKw4jiAyNb0g6dLdnlueOC-6AwBq_3Zb_lKnQLr8L90yEa8eB3I/s1600/sidecut+snowfall+0114_M3C3633+m.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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So it's the third day of the level 3 weather travel restriction where I live. For those of you who don't have this system, the basic premise is the county sheriff (who? we don't live out west!) has the authority to restrict travel if he believes the weather has made the roads too dangerous. It started Sunday when northwest Ohio got 8 inches of snow rather quickly but then continued now into the third day because the temperatures dropped below zero and some of the roads are still icy. Only those who have "vital" jobs are permitted to drive. The rest have to stay home and of course the kids who hadn't gone back to school yet from Christmas break don't go to school and have been out so long that they've already forgotten everything they learned this year. Mothers of school age children are so crazed that they've likely stress eaten themselves out of any hope for a January fitness regimen. My day job has enough priority that I could surf an erupting volcano to get to work and the sheriff would just wave as I glided by but the rest of the populace is certainly going stir crazy. I don't recall any of this level stuff in year's past; growing up in Cleveland a level 3 storm probably meant we got 3 feet of snow so I'd be out shoveling three times as long (snowblowers hadn't been invented yet or more likely my father didn't think one was worth the expense when he had kids for shoveling.) Ice on the roads was an occupational hazard - if you had an occupation you hazarded your way to work; usually in a rear wheel drive car with no traction control, 2 snow tires in back, and something heavy in the trunk - but not too heavy since back then road salt rusted out the cars so quickly many trunks looked like some kind of reddish swiss cheese. The government seems to be so busy protecting us from ourselves that we're going to turn into a nation of wimps where survival of the unfit is the norm. But I digress.<br />
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At work today someone asked me if I had been out photographing in the snow and cold. I hadn't. Not because I'm a wimp; after all I had just photographed sunrise in the Badlands at -19 F a couple of weeks ago, but because the parks don't open if it's level 3 and because in general I try to be law abiding. Level 3 days are great for image processing, maintaining those file backups, and working on websites. The other reason is that I'd already been out shooting twice this year on days when we had what I call a photogenic snowfall: the kind that sticks to all the branches and edges of things and really makes the structure of the trees pop. The image above is from Side Cut Park along the Maumee River and I think it demonstrates the beauty of a photogenic snowfall. My only other comment is - hand warmers! And I'm referring to the chemical ones that heat up when exposed to air and last about 7 hours. I put them in a thin pair of gloves so that I can work my camera controls without my fingers freezing.<br />
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So whenever the sheriff finally rides out of town and takes the level 3 restrictions with him, I'll be out there looking for another photographic delight - snow drifts!<br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00291153871732725108noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1030391744758755018.post-83726154476161035242013-12-15T16:37:00.003-08:002013-12-15T16:43:19.429-08:00A Fun Way to Learn Photography<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxOiDLm1omxDIrJ-CV-AdEibiAbTSbZ2uo30N02pGSU__q7401BcrNvLkSR0e454TwCpNeZ1aN7jw5yIBaUijEDoCK3xP1yuJM9uI2JUaEOPsFoRcIEsqqrY8jZFKDlQgmiq2Enl3kdC8/s1600/basista+bobcat_A1G3671.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxOiDLm1omxDIrJ-CV-AdEibiAbTSbZ2uo30N02pGSU__q7401BcrNvLkSR0e454TwCpNeZ1aN7jw5yIBaUijEDoCK3xP1yuJM9uI2JUaEOPsFoRcIEsqqrY8jZFKDlQgmiq2Enl3kdC8/s1600/basista+bobcat_A1G3671.jpg" height="213" width="320" /></a></div>
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Often people will ask how I learned photography. While I certainly did my share of reading books and practicing with the camera in areas around my home, I believe I learned the most from attending photography workshops. I know I've been to more than 15, and even though I'm fairly accomplished, I still attend them and still learn something new each time.<br />
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An ideal format for a workshop is for an established photographer to lead a group in a scenic area where the typical day consists of sunrise and sunset shoots, lecture or critique time, and time for participants to develop images from the workshop. There has to be some scenery to photograph both for inspirational and practical purposes, so most workshops are somewhere especially beautiful and are timed to occur during a season where that location is even more photogenic. The leader accompanies the group members into the field and shares his/her knowledge of optimal locations for shooting in that area. The leader makes himself available for questions and assists the participants as they are composing and capturing images. Most workshop leaders have either a set of lectures with photographic examples to present or will have Q&A sessions. It's very common towards the end of the trip to have a session where each participant presents several images taken during the workshop. While this gives the leader the option to critique the images, it gives the other participants a chance to see how other people viewed the location and created images. Since digital photography is very dependent on imaging software skills, participants often bring laptops and develop their images in a common workroom under the guidance of the lead photographer.<br />
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Workshops are beneficial for all levels of photographers. Certainly beginners can learn all aspects of photography in this situation, but even advanced photographers benefit. If the workshop is in an unfamiliar area, you won't waste time trying to figure out when and where to be during the best light of the day. Sometimes a workshop is the only way to access a sensitive area or private land. There's safety in numbers for workshops that occur in wilder areas and there is the opportunity for camaraderie and creative synergy with people who share an interest but often have a different viewpoint. One of my favorite aspects of a photo workshop is to see the compositions from people who were often shooting right next to me but saw something completely different.<br />
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The image of a bobcat is from a workshop I just returned from given by <a href="http://www.rikkflohr.com/">Rikk Flohr</a> in the South Dakota Badlands. I'm essentially a landscape photographer but was interested in the possibility of incorporating animals into my landscape images. I've been to the badlands in the past, but until this workshop with Rikk and the other lead photographer Laurie Hernandez I didn't realize the variety of wildlife living in the park or where to find them. One of my favorite photography workshop leaders is <a href="http://www.rockymountainreflections.com/">Andy Cook</a> who melds the right balance of knowledge, personality, and energy into a workshop that's both educational and really fun.<br />
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For so many reasons, a photography workshop is a superb way to improve your skills. They make great Christmas presents too! (Chris, are you reading this?)<br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00291153871732725108noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1030391744758755018.post-29334807077409506542013-12-01T15:29:00.002-08:002013-12-01T15:29:28.340-08:00Photographic Things to be Thankful For<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzJuwBZBwdAaB6RgXYXKu9LmkI2onfHuBR2Y6yIgIJthWhOF4FaeRuUv0qKSAahPswuA76mgs6GrF5Fp4GL6876Df7k6fGbDEjaQnlavuYesqEIV3Mz9p68rNrL_tFeX7pvQrPU_mnCLk/s1600/fishing+solo+1013_MG_0768+m.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzJuwBZBwdAaB6RgXYXKu9LmkI2onfHuBR2Y6yIgIJthWhOF4FaeRuUv0qKSAahPswuA76mgs6GrF5Fp4GL6876Df7k6fGbDEjaQnlavuYesqEIV3Mz9p68rNrL_tFeX7pvQrPU_mnCLk/s1600/fishing+solo+1013_MG_0768+m.jpg" height="213" width="320" /></a></div>
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Being that it's the tail end of the Thanksgiving weekend I was musing about things that have to do with photography for which I am thankful. A big category is jets, rental cars, on line reservations and all of the services that make modern travel so much easier than in the past (the TSA is not one of these) and permits you to get to photographically interesting places. The image above is from the Pacific coast of Costa Rica which took less than a day to reach from Toledo. It was taken with a mirrorless camera - small enough to carry without needing a chiropractor afterwards, fairly inconspicuous, high quality, and yet not so expensive that if I'd have dropped it overboard I would have been heartbroken. My Canon M is a great back up camera for trips that aren't designed as hard core dawn to dusk expeditions and is a reasonable primary camera when I'm accompanying the wife somewhere that's not supposed to be a photographic outing (Chris has already learned there's really no such thing!) Digital itself is another blessing. I've heard it said that a real photographer has to learn by shooting film first but I disagree. The instant feedback showing your mistakes makes a digital camera a far better learning tool. I do not miss the days of slide film when I would review my images from a photography workshop by placing a large trash can next to a light table, peering at slides through a viewing loop, and then pitching many of them into that trash can. It's been derided as "chimping" when you look at your images on the camera monitor right after capturing them, but the best way to learn is to set the viewscreen to show the image along with the RGB histogram and review as you go. HDR software is another plus. When it works, it's sure better than trying to put together a series of exposures by hand. However, I do often start with the HDR program but then blend that image by hand with one of the original images, usually the one with the best sky, because I find that HDR software often makes a mess out of the sky. Panoramic software gives you the chance to widen your opportunities for compositions (bad pun intended.) Seriously though, panoramic technique gives one the freedom of composition far beyond the traditional 2x3, 4x5 or square formats. My last thanks goes out to grocery stores everywhere as I don't have to spend time like the fisherman trying to capture food - I can capture images instead.<br />
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00291153871732725108noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1030391744758755018.post-34450717858186022782013-10-18T14:35:00.001-07:002013-10-18T14:37:11.152-07:00Time and patience<p dir="ltr">Currently I'm on vacation in central america so I have lots of free time. Of course I do, I'm on vacation! But this is not my usual run and shoot til I drop vacation so the photograph on this blog is from home where I don't have much free time and especially not much time for photography. But since shooting images is one of my most favorite activities, how do I fit it in? <br>
One of my techniques for maximizing my photographic opportunities in Toledo is that I have a list of images I would make if the weather and season (and my schedule) coincide. As I've driven around the area I've noticed potential subjects and thought about when they might make an intriguing image. Then if those circumstances arise and I can get to that spot I'm able to photograph quickly and efficiently. <br>
For years I've been fascinated by the crumbling interurban bridge. I've photographed it numerous times but really hadn't gotten an image to my liking. I thought a foggy day would work but it honestly took years until one morning the fog seemed perfect and first light was early enough that I could get there and then to work on time. That's the image below.</p><p dir="ltr"><br></p>
<p dir="ltr">Now I just need a lightening storm at sunset...</p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-s_nby31gjWk/UmGpkf7ADKI/AAAAAAAAAEU/s1600/foggy%252520old%252520bridge%252520B%252526W%2525201013_Panorama%252520m.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"> <img border="0" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-s_nby31gjWk/UmGpkf7ADKI/AAAAAAAAAEU/s640/foggy%252520old%252520bridge%252520B%252526W%2525201013_Panorama%252520m.jpg"> </a> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTEESZruD5zxL20oJmwfhZvuTuWIhn2FPklRd4uphosp6Q2LwrTcW9AWQUadeRuBGFfmtP-CHvXrbIxMCQ-9q2II83Aw1dwL55dvqocBvbY-saosBcGBYzJ7wQSjgXDnsN2aq7fy4Gw5c/s1600/foggy%252520old%252520bridge%252520B%252526W%2525201013_Panorama%252520m.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"> <img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTEESZruD5zxL20oJmwfhZvuTuWIhn2FPklRd4uphosp6Q2LwrTcW9AWQUadeRuBGFfmtP-CHvXrbIxMCQ-9q2II83Aw1dwL55dvqocBvbY-saosBcGBYzJ7wQSjgXDnsN2aq7fy4Gw5c/s640/foggy%252520old%252520bridge%252520B%252526W%2525201013_Panorama%252520m.jpg"> </a> </div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00291153871732725108noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1030391744758755018.post-74596677590670014832013-09-05T20:06:00.000-07:002013-09-05T20:06:30.718-07:00<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOdLMnZ8L8650UIIQtKHFyuL3NzRbhPWDRWUjds8Kf4zVHHDKghwYuJPXJxqq3kNE7_EKpARweHw8NuDC3TvFXrqQYFBqAJwjsYkPvHg_ATvAuSDKBdAIa7qkHmxMRcHza1oK4CfnOpgc/s1600/toledo+lighthouse+B&W+0913_M3C8562+m.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOdLMnZ8L8650UIIQtKHFyuL3NzRbhPWDRWUjds8Kf4zVHHDKghwYuJPXJxqq3kNE7_EKpARweHw8NuDC3TvFXrqQYFBqAJwjsYkPvHg_ATvAuSDKBdAIa7qkHmxMRcHza1oK4CfnOpgc/s320/toledo+lighthouse+B&W+0913_M3C8562+m.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<h2>
Going with the flow</h2>
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Most of the time when I head out to photograph I have something specific in mind. The destination and time of day are chosen because I think I might be able to create a certain image: sunrise light on a mountain, fall foliage along a stream, flowers in bloom in a meadow, or maybe city lights reflecting off a wet street. If you've spent much time photographing you know that frequently you don't find the image that you were anticipating. Maybe the flowers were wind damaged, the sunrise was obscured by heavy clouds, or the light just didn't work at that time of day for that location. At those times, which happen to me more often than I'd like, I try to pause, look around, and see what else might make a good image. That's the situation that challenges your creativity and can result in great artwork.<br />
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I had been looking for ways to photograph along the Maumee River from a different point of view as well as enjoy one of the underappreciated recreational opportunities in the Toledo area. Chris and I decided that a boat was too much trouble to own, but jet skis would get us out on the water and I hoped to use them as a photography platform. Of course water and a 5D Mark III don't play well together, so I bought a "diving bag" - a plastic watertight bag with a lens port and headed out. I'd always wanted to photograph the Toledo harbor lighthouse, but it's about seven miles out into Lake Erie from the mouth of the Maumee River. An image of it would need to be made in daylight since jet skis aren't allowed out at night and it would be difficult to stabilize a camera in low light on the water. We picked a day with blue skis and fluffy clouds and hoped for the best. Of course by the time we reached the lighthouse, most of the fluffy clouds had dissipated from behind the sunlit side of the lighthouse. So I swung around behind the lighthouse with the thought of a starburst type effect and the sun coming through the light of the lighthouse. It was fairly choppy on the lake so precision composition was a lost cause. But the biggest surprise when I looked at the images on the computer was that the plastic of the port of the waterproof bag had caused a rainbow color effect on the images. When I had tested the bag inside my house this hadn't happened, but in bright sunlit images the problem was major. Time for a black and white conversion! Not what I had planned, but it's a decent image and it was fun creating it.<br />
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00291153871732725108noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1030391744758755018.post-43574299300559001322013-07-28T06:15:00.000-07:002013-07-28T06:15:29.018-07:00Canon vs. Nikon - Or, thoughts on choosing a camera.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgf0BqyCpPEQmFTapSfCIXmn_ZJIoEo7Qtbb8wOwL67OiyqcFR5jO9owxN7ygTsnkdVrv4wUYPR5kdpcFFIlPACttH60yRjyYhdtkgQEd7iVapuSnkN6YcdjO-tviUdQLgDJwqth8HG05g/s1600/mesa+arch+by+moonlight+1112_Panorama+m.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgf0BqyCpPEQmFTapSfCIXmn_ZJIoEo7Qtbb8wOwL67OiyqcFR5jO9owxN7ygTsnkdVrv4wUYPR5kdpcFFIlPACttH60yRjyYhdtkgQEd7iVapuSnkN6YcdjO-tviUdQLgDJwqth8HG05g/s1600/mesa+arch+by+moonlight+1112_Panorama+m.jpg" height="392" width="640" /></a></div>
<i>Mesa Arch by Moonlight</i><br />
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One of the most common questions I'm asked is "What camera should I get?" Most people are probably expecting me to say something specific like "Get the Canon XYZ-5." But my first response is always - what kind of images do you want to capture and what are you going to do with them? The purpose of the images is probably the most important question to answer. If all you ever do with them is post to facebook, then a cell phone camera might be all you need. If you plan to print them as 4 foot long fine art images, then the camera will need to be capable of high resolution and low noise. Most current point and shoot cameras as well as many cell phone cameras will capture images of sufficient quality to post online or print up to 8x10 inch images. If the images will be made into large prints then it's necessary to have a camera with a high quality sensor. The digital SLR cameras (those with interchangeable lenses and mirrors that flip up during an image capture) have those types of sensors. However, those cameras tend to be bigger and bulkier and tend to be the most expensive because they also require a selection of different lenses to cover wide angle to telephoto ranges.<br />
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Fortunately advances in camera technology do provide a few options to a digital SLR. A new class of camera called "mirrorless" can have an excellent sensor in a much smaller body that uses smaller and lighter lenses. I recently used a Canon EOS M on a trip. It has the same sensor found in one of the top Canon SLR cameras but the body is about 1/4 the size as are the dedicated lenses. It was very easy to carry and the images are superb. Downsides though are shorter battery life and a much slower autofocus. Another option is what I call the "professional backup camera point and shoot" which have fixed zoom lenses that cover wide angle to moderate zoom and can capture in RAW format which allows you much more latitude to adjust the image later with photo editing software than with JPEG captures. These cameras (example Canon G15, Canon G1X) have bigger, higher quality sensors than the average point and shoot as well as almost all of the controls that are found on digital SLRs. Some pro's have them as a backup in case disaster befalls their regular camera or for those times when you want a good camera but don't want to carry around a big SLR body and 3 lenses.<br />
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What you plan to photograph is important in choosing a camera as well. If you want to take pictures of sporting events or young children (they are rarely still!) the camera needs a fast autofocus or you miss the moment. You can test this out in a store by seeing how fast the camera focuses on other customers walking around. If you will photograph indoor sporting events a flash won't help so you need a camera with low noise at higher ISO settings and the ability to use ISO's of 3200 and above. ISO in a digital camera is the setting which allows faster shutter speeds in less light and in effect multiplies the sensitivity of the sensor but introduces noise (a grainy, unsharp look) to an image. For those cameras with fixed lenses, the bigger the opening of the lens (f stop, smaller f number is bigger opening) the faster the shutter speed and the lower the ISO that is necessary in low light situations. Outdoor vacation photos and family gatherings are handled well by almost all cameras. I frequently photograph at night using light from the moon or just starlight, as seen in the photo above. Night photography requires a high ISO low noise camera and lenses with small f stops.<br />
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My final advice about choosing a camera is that the camera that you can just pick up and make work without reading the instructions is often the best one for you. There are so many digital devices that people use every day that it's difficult to remember the fine points of how to operate any of them that you don't use frequently. So if the camera feels good in your hand and the buttons and dials make sense to you right away, get that one. After all, you won't get the photography if you can't work the camera! And who walks around with an instruction manual...Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00291153871732725108noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1030391744758755018.post-75939267494996393002013-07-01T19:55:00.001-07:002013-07-01T19:55:54.641-07:00Local Beauty<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsvhC_aMhaSjFh1pUofQr0N8JuZM1Xerg5LUk_aeMiZORDvA3gePljO2QadWwiZx8qKlkGCwGPmfFnSRh1BOFL87fyE8Dxp1JC1ry6o3zV9lveeYUuknwWUeJTOfSmmQ_1rV64zFRjgII/s1500/barn+behind+yellow+flower+field+0613_M3C7007+m.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsvhC_aMhaSjFh1pUofQr0N8JuZM1Xerg5LUk_aeMiZORDvA3gePljO2QadWwiZx8qKlkGCwGPmfFnSRh1BOFL87fyE8Dxp1JC1ry6o3zV9lveeYUuknwWUeJTOfSmmQ_1rV64zFRjgII/s320/barn+behind+yellow+flower+field+0613_M3C7007+m.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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As a photographer, it's tempting to think that you have to travel away from home to find compelling images. And if you live in the midwest like I do, you probably find yourself dreaming of the next chance you have to shoot the Rocky Mountains, fall color in New England, or the coast of Oregon. It can be very difficult to get motivated to get up for a sunrise shoot close to home or to explore areas within an hour or so from home to find photogenic locations.<br />
<br /> If you want to keep your skills fresh it's important to keep shooting regularly. And most of us have a day job, so frequent trips to photography hot spots are out of the question. So what's a dedicated photographer to do? The answer is to shoot locally and shoot often.<br />
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I live in the Toledo area, and I would be stunned if anyone lists northwest Ohio in their top 10 dream locations to shoot. It's been a challenge for me to extend my vision and find images near my home. But it's been worthwhile. I've gotten to know my home region better. I've kept my skills sharper so when I am in one of my dream locations I don't have to think about how to operate my camera equipment. It's also allowed me to expand the style of images I shoot from the traditional landscape scenic to urban images and still life images.<br />
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When I think about photographing near home, I head out with either a location in mind that I've pictured under certain circumstances - ie, a bridge at sunrise, a forest after a light snow, or I have a concept in mind but need to find the location. The image above was the result of a short exploratory drive. I had intended to find barns with rows of crops serving as leading lines. I had pictured rows of corn that weren't so tall and grown that you could still see the dirt in between. It's a seasonal event that I've notice occurs in late June to early July - the common saying being that corn should be "knee high by the 4th of July." Too tall and it's just a sea of green. I've been successful in the past finding this situation but not on this day. It can be amazingly difficult to find a decent looking barn that lines up right with the crop rows and doesn't have a bunch a junk parked around it. I found plenty of rows of corn, but none with an photogenic barn. However, this year the field in front of this barn hadn't been planted and was instead filled with wildflowers. Paydirt!<br />
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Everyplace has something worth photographing under the right conditions. If you can see these images around your own home you will be more successful on those dream trips - and in the meantime add some great images to your portfolio. <br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00291153871732725108noreply@blogger.com0