photoartflightA Different View
Posted on November 30, 2013
Sometimes when I am out in the field, I try different crops or angles of familiar subjects that I am used to seeing. Here I am using Mute Swans as an example. I like photographing Mute Swans. They are large, so even if they are out in the distance I can get good images of them. They are usually always moving, taking flight quite often also so you have a lot of photo opportunities. The large white bird can be tricky in bright light to get proper exposures, so you have to be careful and check your histograms. But after a while you find your images begin to look the same as the ones you took before. So try different angles, positions and crops. Even try closeup details to add interest for a different look. You can also add them to a series to help show your subject in a different way and show visually a more complete story of your subject.
Sun Reflection Peaking Through Clouds
Posted on November 29, 2013
This landscape was taken at the Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge in Cambridge Maryland in Dec. 2011. Heavy cloud coverage hid the sun, but the colors shone through the clouds and reflected in the water. Usually we photograph Wildlife at Blackwater NWR, but you can also get some great landscapes with water or wooded areas. I also especially like the colorful sunsets with birds flying through them. This image was taken with a Canon EOS 1D MkII with a Sigma 12-24mm f/4.5 – 5.6 @ 12mm, 1/1000 sec, f/16, effective focal length 15.6mm, aperture priority -0.67 exposure compensation. Below are a series of B&W versions using Nik Silver Effects plug-in in Photoshop. The next to last one is using a Black & White adjustment layer in Photoshop. The last is just an adjustment of contrast. I usually do not think to use B&W images anymore for myself, (too many long hours, years ago, in the darkroom for commercial clients), but I thought this image might be interesting in Black &White.
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- Silver Effects Neutral
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- Silver Effects Push Process
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- Silver Effects High Structure
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- Silver Effects Yellowed 2
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- Photoshop BW Adjustment Layer
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- Photoshop Contrast adjustment
Eye of the Alligator
Posted on November 27, 2013
Alligator closeup from the Alligator Farm in St. Augustine, Florida. I photographed this alligator from the boardwalk that goes over the water that is filled with alligators. We were there looking at the birds that roost in the trees around the boardwalk. The number of birds roosting close by was amazing. From what we were told the birds feel safe here from predators because of the alligators below, so they build nests very close to the boardwalks. This provides a lot of close by bird photo subjects.
Leaf above Ice
Posted on November 25, 2013
Going over files from last year and found this one. When the weather starts getting colder, I like looking for interesting ice patterns in streams or along lakes and hopefully with an item in the composition for a focal point. I found this leaf stuck in a small twig above this ice formation. I liked the early morning low sun backlighting the leaf, adding warmth, highlighting textures & patterns in the ice. Photographed with a Canon Eos 1D MkIII with a Canon 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6 DO IS USM @ 300mm, 1/100 @ f/8, ISO 400. I also used High Pass Sharpening in Photoshop to help bring out details & textures in the ice and leaf.
Hawk Feather Still Life
Posted on November 24, 2013
I found this Hawk Feather in the yard so I thought I would try shooting a few Still Life images with the feather on an interesting background in the studio. I saved a wood section from a Pussy Willow tree that fell down during Hurricane Sandy and used it for an interesting textured background for the feather. When the weather gets colder or if it is a rainy day, it can be fun to try shooting setups indoors. You can use simple hot lights with homemade light modifiers, diffusers and scrims or even portable speed lights. I used a Canon EOS 1D MkIV with the Canon 100mm f/2.8 Macro USM. Lighting was with a Canon 550 Speedlight with a reflector bouncing light back in for a ratio of about 1:3. Exposure was f/22 for maximum depth of field with an ISO of 400. During the year I save items I find thinking of using them as studio subjects when the weather turns cold.
Autumn Swan Taking Flight
Posted on November 23, 2013
I used this series of selected images from one Swan’s takeoff to make one art print. I liked this Swan’s takeoff against the colorful Fall background, showing changing wing positions and the splashing of it’s feet trying to get airborne. I started with more wing positions, but the print got too long so I limited it to six images. Even at 6 images the final print was 96″ x 14″. Placing it on a black background also made the images really stand out and I used a gradated grey text as a subtle title accent so it did not detract from the images.
Colors of Fall
Posted on November 22, 2013
Fall is moving on, getting colder every day. Most of the leaves are starting to become dull, but the Maple tree in the yard takes a while for the leaves to change color & really come down. This is a sign that Fall Color will be ending soon. Here is a series of colorful Maple leaf images when the Maple leaves started to come down in quantity with bright yellow colors. Starting with a wide view moving to a closer up composition. This helps visually to show the story of the Maple leaves in different views and compositions. Canon EOS 1D MkIV, Canon 24-105mm f/4L IS, 1/125 sec @ f/11, ISO 320.
Opening Photo @ 24mm , 1/125 sec, f/11, ISO 125 – effective focal length with 1.3 crop camera body is 31.2mm
105mm, 1/100 sec, f/11, ISO 320 – effective focal length with 1.3 crop camera body is 136.5 mm
~75mm, 1/125 sec, f/11, ISO 320 – effective focal length with 1.3 crop camera body is 110.5 mm 
55mm, 1/125 sec, f/11, ISO 320 – effective focal length with 1.3 crop camera body is 71.5 mm 
Red-tailed Hawk Fly By
Posted on November 21, 2013
This is a Red-tailed Hawk that was sitting in a tree off in the distance. It took off and flew right by me. I shot a burst of frames as it passed by and I liked this one because of the wing position out of the series. Photographed with a Canon EOS 1D MkII with a 400mm f/4 DO lens. Exposure 1/1250 @ f/6.3, ISO 400.
A Little Different Macro – Canon MP-E 65mm
Posted on November 18, 2013
I went out to The Celery Farm Natural Area to photograph very small dried wildflowers. I took along my Canon MP-E 65 mm 1-5X Macro. This is a very specialized macro lens that starts at 1X and goes to 5X magnification. It is more like a lens with a variable extension tube zooming out for the increased magnification. I decided to add a 1.4X teleconverter to add a little more working distance. This adds just a little bit more working distance, in some cases the front element is less than an inch away from your subject, but every bit helps. With the 1.4X Teleconverter it makes this a 91mm f/4. I was using a Canon Macro Ring Flash MR-14 EX to light these subjects as I was shooting handheld. My camera body was a Canon 1D MkIV camera body, so with the 1.3 crop of the sensor, this also adds to the lens, making it 1.3X to about 6X. For the wildflowers I left it at 1.3X for most, then later I shot some areas of the wooden lookout tower at various magnifications to show the different magnifications. I used aperture priority for some where I wanted to get some background detail, while the ones I have with dark backgrounds I used Manual exposure to darken the background and let the flash light the subject.
Full image for an idea of scale and subject
One of the smaller dried wildflowers @ 1.3X, lit with ring lash, no ambient light, for darker background
Larger Dried Wildflower @ 1.3X, handheld, lit with ring flash for main exposure, ambient light for background 1/10 of a second
Dried Wildflower @ ~3X, handheld, lit with ring flash for main exposure, 1/80 sec ,positioned for dark background
Dried Wildflower Bud @ ~2X, handheld, lit with ring flash for main exposure, ambient light for background 1/60 of a second
Reference shot for examples of scale
~ 2X Magnification, Carriage bolt magnification detail
~ 4X Magnification,, Carriage bolt magnification detail
~ 6X Magnification, Wood grain and with slight crack in wood grain around Carriage bolt
Swans FlyBy
Posted on November 16, 2013
One from the achieves, a pair of Mute Swans flying together. I used a Fuji S2 with a Nikkor 80-400mm zoom. With the Swans flying across from left to right, I used a little slower shutter speed, but panned along with the moving swans. This gives the background a streaking out of focus look while keeping the swans relatively sharp.It takes some practice, but it is worth the effort and comes in handy to make your images look a little different. I liked how the swans seem to be gliding by. close above the water, casting a shadow below them to add depth to the image.
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