Hello everyone, I have had a very busy summer so far! This is always such a crazy time for me with art shows and all the other summer things going on. Just wanted to take a quick second to share a link to two galleries showcasing some of the images that were made by the participants of my recent Spring in the Northwoods workshop.
The first session on Memorial Day Weekend Session 1 Gallery
And from the second session the following weekend Session 2 Gallery
Thanks again to all who were able to join me for these workshops I was blessed with two great, hard working, groups. We had a lot of fun discovering Spring in the Northwoods.
Just a quick note to let everyone know that I started a facebook page. I plan on using it to keep everyone informed of my schedule, post images, photo tips, and other general information. If you use facebook please “like it” using the link at the top of this page so you will get the updates.
I also just posted some images from my recent trip to Belize on this new facebook page you can find them here http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.206467019393946.60883.103798062994176
One of the things I love about photography is it appeals to both the geek and the artist in all of us. On the geek side you have the technical considerations of making an image; the f-stops, shutter speeds, depth of field, histograms, dynamic range, and that hyperfocal distance stuff that we must all master in order to communicate our vision. Of course we can’t forget about all the ‘geeky’ gear, super telephotos, focusing rails, tele-converters, extension tubes, fill flash, and such. On the artistry side things are a little tougher to define, shape, color, composition, mood, balance, and that fickle mistress light, to mention just a few.
To make a great photograph you have to find the balance between the geek and the artist. If you lean too much toward the geek your pictures, while technically perfect, can lack emotion. They may not reach out and touch the viewer; they can be missing a mood or feeling. Conversely, too much focus on the artistry at the expense of the technical may leave your work riddled with technical flaws distracting the viewer from your message. Most photographers tend to lean in one direction or the other, some are master technicians crossing every t and dotting every i in their images. While others have a flair for the artistic not having the time or desire to bother with all of that technical stuff. A truly great photographer finds a balance and mastery of these two opposing disciplines.
MONARCH BUTTERFLY WING SCALES
The best photography communicates with the viewer. It reaches out and touches them in some way. Your message does not have to be some deep life changing affirmation. It can be something as simple as, “Wow look how pretty this is!” The most effective way to communicate your message is without technical flaws that distract the viewer from your message. The most powerful way to reach someone is by touching their soul with your artistry.
Just returned from a great trip to Belize where I was scouting some possible locations for future photo tours.
I have to admit that when I am travelling I have the mindset that, if I leave something at home at some point I will certainly need that piece of equipment in order to get the greatest shot ever. So I bring everything that I think I could possibly need on a trip. Which is a total pain in the… back! Here is a picture of all of the photography gear I brought along on this trip.
I have a very definite strategy when I am packing for a trip like this. I try to bring all of the essential, expensive, and hard to replace gear on the plane with me. So in my carry-on I have my two big lenses, two bodies, my flash system, a small wide angle lens, my tele-converters, all the battery chargers, spare storage cards, my laptop, hard drives, card reader, and all of the cables needed to hook it all up. Then in my checked luggage I have all of my shorter lenses, macro lenses, filters, tripod and heads, and all of the other stuff needed. My thinking is that if my checked package gets lost, stolen, or damaged I am not shut down; I still have the essential, hard to replace gear with me. I can always buy a tripod or smaller lenses locally or even have them overnighted to me if need be. But it will most likely be impossible for me to put my hands on a 600mm f4 on short order in the middle of Central America.
Here is a shot of my carry-on all loaded up. I use a backpack model made by Think Tank, called the Airport Addicted. I LOVE it! The bag is very well made holds a ton of gear and has a pocket in back to hold my laptop. Being a backpack allows me to throw it on my back when making those long treks through the airline terminals.
I will try to get some pictures from this trip posted soon. Right now however, I am late for an appointment with my chiropractor.
Here in Michigan it still remains unusually chilly for this time of year, but spring is definitely on the way. The days are getting longer, bird song fills the morning air, and the trees are beginning to show their buds.
One of my favorite signs of spring is the return of the red-winged blackbirds. The males usually arrive in early March and start to stake out territory in every bit of cattail marsh they can find. Within a week or so they are everywhere; every roadside ditch seems to have its own resident male. Each bird announces his claim with loud calls and by flashing their bright red shoulder patches. For the next few weeks he will vigorously defend his territory from rival males. All this in the hopes that he and his patch of cattails will be met with approval by one of the females that will be returning in the next few weeks looking for a mate, and a nice place to raise a family.
Here is a shot of the Red-wing’s western cousin, the Yellow-headed Blackbird.
I am very fortunate to be able to live out in the woods. Since all of the windows in my home reflect the surrounding woods, it is not unusual for me to have the occasional bird/window crash at my house. I think what happens is that as the birds fly they see the trees reflected in the windows and try to fly through them. Usually the bird seems to realize it’s mistake at the last minute and changes course and just bumps the window. But every once in awhile a bird will break it’s neck and die as a result of this mistake. I have moved all of my bird feeders further away from the house and this has greatly reduced the number of collisions.
Pictured below is the evidence left behind by one of these collisions. This particular impact was unusual because it happened at night, and was made by a little screech owl as it flew into a large picture window in my lower-level. The imprint that was left behind on the glass was made by the dust on the bird’s feathers. I made the image below the next morning, I placed a black cloth behind the window so that the impression would be more visible in the photograph.
I am pleased to report that the owl was not found dead below the window so I can only hope that only it’s pride was injured by this collision.
Towards the end of winter often times the snow will melt off the lakes leaving the ice exposed. when this happens I like to head out onto the ice and look for leaves that have been frozen in the ice. This is usually a nice change of pace from the birds and mammals that I have usually been photographing during the winter. This type of photography is a lot more thoughtful, and not as reactionary as bird photography. With this type of photography I am working more with pattern, form, and texture. The photography itself is pretty straight forward, the challenge here is in trying to find pleasing compositions.
For this second image I actually gently removed the leaf from the ice and laid it next to the leaf shaped impression in the ice.
If you are out there early and get a nice frosty morning you can get some hoar frost on your subject as well.
Another great thing to photograph in the winter is the landscape. The winter landscape has a dreamy surreal quality about it that I really like to try and capture. When everything is covered in a fresh blanket of new snow the landscape is transformed. Snow has a way of smoothing out the landscape, not only softening all of the sharp edges, but also taking away much of the color as well. This more simple quieter landscape has a real serenity and peaceful feel to it.
When photographing the winter landscape you need to pay special attention to your histogram. Your camera has no idea what color or tone it is looking at, so it assumes everything is a mid tone. You will need to dial in an exposure compensation to help your camera record all of that snow as white. Usually a compensation of anywhere from plus 2/3 of a stop to as much as plus 1 2/3 stops, depending the lighting conditions and, how much snow there is in the scene.
As I write this, it is a chilly 3 degrees here in Michigan. If you live north of the Mason Dixon line chances are it’s pretty cold outside at your house right now as well. I love to photograph at this time of year, all of the animals are in their best coats, and all that snow acts like a giant reflector bouncing light back into all of the nooks and crannies. I am always surprised at how many photographers put their equipment up and hibernate (photographically) during the winter months. This is a real shame because although, it can be a little more challengeing, winter is a magical time to get out and make great images. I have decided to do a series of posts on why winter is a great time to get out and shoot. For all of you people south of the Mason Dixon line you’re welcome to come north and enjoy some of the winter photo opportunities up here on the frozen tundra.
One of my favorite times to shoot in the winter is when the snow is flying. Whenever I look out the window and see nice big snowflakes gently falling from the sky, instead of running for my shovel I grab my gear and go find something to photograph. Falling snow not only adds depth to an image but it also adds a real sense of drama to a shot that I really like. Photographs like this show how animals live in the natural world. Animals are out in the elements, come, rain, sun, or snow, they are out there living their lives.
When you photograph in the falling snow you want to protect your gear. There are elaborate covers you can buy or you can use something as simple as a plastic garbage bag and a couple of rubber bands to keep the snow out. Often times however, if it is cold enough, I will just leave my equipment outside (protected) until it get cold enough so that the snow won’t melt when it comes in contact. Then I can just brush or blow the snow off without any worries.
You do however, need to take some precautions when you bring your camera and lenses in from the cold. Because the warm moist inside air will cause condensation to form on your cold gear as it warms back up. When I come back inside from the cold I wrap my gear in a blanket or plastic bag until it warms back up to room temperature this will stop the condensation from forming on your equipment.
Finally, this last shot is of a snow monkey that was actually catching snowflakes on his tongue during a snow squall. I took dozens of images of this behavior but unfortunately I was never able to get a shot where the monkey’s head and the snowflake were in the right position to show what was actually happening. As a general rule I don’t manipulate my work with photoshop. But for this particular image I did use photoshop to “move” the snowflake in his mouth to a position that better told the story of what was going on.
Here is a fairly unique image of a female wolf spider with her young. After mating the female wolf spider creates an egg sack made of silken threads into which she deposits her eggs. For the next three weeks she carries this sack everywhere she goes waiting for the eggs to mature and hatch. Once they hatch the young (up to a few hundred) crawl out of the sack and onto their mothers back. Where they will stay well protected for the next few days as they grow familiar with their new world.
