Photo Tip: Wireless Remote Control ____ 2012/07

In 2001 I bought the Canon wireless remote LC-4. I used it for solo kayaking shots, usually with the camera ashore on a tripod and me triggering the shutter remotely from a kayak. The 3.5-sec delay option gave me time to stow the transmitter and pick up the paddle.  That was in the film days, […]

Photo Tip: Photograph Birds at Eye Level ____ 2012/06

At an April presentation “ Adventures in Bird Photography” at Rainier Audubon, I listed a few tips for photographing birds. A short list, and the tip I thought most salient was “photograph the bird at its eye level”. For intermediate bird photographers—especally those passionate for more after their early forays at bird photography—I can’t think […]

Canon 5D Mark III: Autofocus (AI Servo) for Birds in Flight ____ 2012/05

Edited 5/16/2012 Re: Case 5 On a recent shoot with the Canon 5D Mark III, I was photographing a Yellow-rumped Warbler, hand-holding a 500mm f/4 from a kayak. Routine for me—and should be routine with the new 5D III—but the camera failed to pick up the bird. I was on the bird with a focus […]

Photo Tip: Gearing Up! ____ 2012/04

We all make decisions about photography gear based on perceived need, cost or cost-effectiveness and—as pro photographer John Shaw pointed out—the “lust factor”. I’m guilty on all counts. Here’s what I did last month. Spring is always a transition. In our local (Kirkland, WA) watershed park, Indian Plum blossoms early. Next up are the dazzling […]

Photo Tip: Shoot the Moon ____ 2012/03

The Photographers’s Ephemeris (TPE), moon and sun locations and more . . . Back in January I was very much impressed by a Lee Rentz photo of a perched Snowy Owl backed by a round red moon. Of many Snowy Owl images from this irruption year, this one struck me as unique. It also struck […]

Photo Tip: Milky Way Photography 101 ____ 2012/02

Last April in Baja I didn’t get it right photographing the heart of the Milky Way, located near the constellation Sagittarius. Baja is great dark sky country—dry and clear, with little light pollution. Through research I discovered Sagittarius would be in the SSE night sky in the morning just before dawn.  I rose in darkness […]

Ultralight Backpacking and Photography ____ 2012/01

Making room for camera gear: More backpacking ideas for pack, footwear, stove, water, food, misc. This month (December) was about planning for next year, and part of the 2012 plan is quicker and lighter backpack trips.  I won’t compromise on photography, so the Canon 5D II, an adequate tripod and a trim list of accessories […]

Photo Tip: Ligthroom 3 Black and White ____ 2011/11

If Ansel Adams had had the darkroom power of Lightroom 3 to manipulate black and white imaging, he’d do a leaping victory dance like Jack Black in The Big Year. Ansel artfully dodged and burned his negatives, and controlled light in the field with filters, one filter per shot. Today, digital age tools boost control […]

Photo Tip: Look Thrice; Shoot Once ____ 2011/10

Photographing Wildflowers I reviewed some wildflower scenics from my August, 2011, Olympic National Park shoots and was once again reminded of the old carpenter maxim “measure twice, cut once”.  The low cost of shooting digital removes the cost barrier to shooting, shooting, shooting. Why not make dozens of shots? Surely some will succeed. I get […]