With the prolonged gray-sky (Seattle) weather stretching into July, I started looking for subjects and techniques to get some sort of advantage: subjects I could pursue regardless of the gloom; techniques that eliminate a gray sky. Shooting under a gray sky is like photography in a studio moved outdoors—you just don’t want to point your […]
Clipped Bird Wing Repair in Photoshop Elememts 8 ____ 2011/07
A throw-away image rises to four-stars. I was in Eastern Washington last week at a Williamson’s Sapsucker nest site. They’re interesting birds, and unlike other woodpeckers, the male and female look completely different. The male is a black and white typical of woodpeckers, but the female is brown with spectacular white barring on the wings. […]
Photo Tip: Focus Stacking ____ 2011/06
Focus stacking is a relatively new digital imaging technique, especially useful for macro and scientific photography, and an occasional aid for landscapes and small portraits as well. It’s a clever digital answer to lens optic limits that conspire to demolish resolution and depth-of-field (DOF). Image resolution falls precipitously at high f-stops (f/22 and smaller). Depth-of-field […]
Expedition Critique
“Old wisdom says, ‘Find out what you did wrong and never do it again.‘ New wisdom says, ‘Find out what you did right, so you can be sure to do it again.‘ The old way suggests moving ahead while looking back over your shoulder. The new way suggests moving forward by finding safe footholds and […]
Expedition Trip Photography Plan, Part II—the Photo Plan ___ 2011/04
Some photographers travel to shoots without researching the site. The idea is to have “no preconceptions”, I suppose, or to look at scenes as they unfold with “fresh eyes”. I like the idea of “no preconceptions”, but I think the more you know about a place the better prepared you are, and the better you […]
Expedition Trip Photography Plan, Part I—the Gear ___ 2011/03
Two years ago, I wrote about photography on a longish kayak trip (Ten-day Power Trip, 06/2009) in Baja, a trip without the ability to charge batteries. My solution then was extra batteries and plenty of flash memory, coupled with judicious use of those resources. A solar charger didn’t make sense—the trip wasn’t long enough—and a […]
Photo Tip: Hot Spots and Spotlighting ___ 2010/12
Shortly after a late October rainstorm, I visited the Columbia Gorge for some weekday waterfall shooting. Our first stop was Elowah Falls, a .8-mile hike up a boot-worn trail. After a half-hour of scouting, we got down to shooting at this photogenic spot. To my knowledge, the first photographer to get the “shot” from this […]
Backpacking and Photography Re-visit ___ 2010/11
I survived our Enchantments backpack trip. OK, maybe better than survived. I feel more like I thrived, despite the 4,400 ft vertical climb the first day over Aasgard Pass. The thriving resulted from getting in shape, and cutting the gear load. The eye-popping, golden-larch and granite spire landscape-that-rivals-Yosemite might be a factor. Maybe. Washington’s Alpine […]
Pelican Box Fiasco ___ 2010/10
September, Bowron Lakes, BC. I got caught in a rookie mistake last week, on the Bowron Lake Canoe Circuit in British Columbia. I punched a hole in the bottom of my fiberglass Necky Eliza kayak during a portage when the padding on the aluminum rails of my cart slipped off. As I hauled the loaded […]
Photo Tip: Tripod Tricks ___ 2010/09
Last month I arrived in evening light at the Mirror Lakes reflection pond at Mt. Rainer National Park. True to its name, the quiet little tarn was a mirror, but instead of the Mountain it reflected clouds that surrounded Rainier’s massive girth. I looked about for an alternate photo to salvage the shoot. August is […]