Wednesday, April 11, 2012
Moving to eliminate distractions
Saturday, March 31, 2012
Making big scenes look big
There hasn't been a waterfall per se at Dry Falls in central Washington for at least 10,000 years. But when there was a falls there, it would have been spectacular: 400 feet high, 3½ miles wide and ten times as powerful as all the world's current rivers combined.
Wednesday, February 29, 2012
Setting limits to remove limits
We are creatures of habit. That's well documented. In stores, we buy a particular brand simply because that's the brand we always buy. Many of us regularly check our messages whether or not we're expecting anything because we've gotten into that habit.
And as photographers, we're inclined to photograph a familiar subject a particular way simply because that's the way we've always done it. It becomes habit and we probably don't even think about why we're setting up the shot that way.
Tuesday, January 31, 2012
Don't let backyard photography give you cold feet
The black-capped chickadee is no ivory-billed woodpecker. Dozens visit my office window every day to feast on the free suet.
But just because they're common, doesn't mean they are not interesting. And a recent snow storm that, at times, had my yard buried under nearly 10 inches of snow allowed me to create some images that help tell their remarkable winter story.
Sunday, January 1, 2012
Best images of 2011
For each of the past few years, I have compiled a small gallery of my favorite images from the year. It was something I did when I first started out in photography; Jim Goldstein, whose blog collects the best-of collections from more than a hundred other photographers, inspired me to restart the tradition.
I think the exercise of reviewing and editing your work is quite helpful in refining your art and identifying opportunities for improvement. For me, one of the things that was immediately evident in past years was that I often relied on travel to exotic locations to fuel my creativity. In 2011, I worked hard to bring the level of excitement and passion that I feel in a new place back to the familiar scenery at home.
Friday, December 30, 2011
Moving the camera to stop motion
The usual goal in photography is to create an exceptionally sharp image. If you're photographing a bird, for example, most photographers want an image that's so sharp you can see every feather on the bird and every barb on the feather.
To capture that, you typically need a sturdy tripod, a cable release, lots of light — and a stationary subject.
But what if the light is dim and your subject is moving? That's when you need to pan — moving the camera with your subject. It involves moving the camera so that your subject is always at the same spot in the image.
Wednesday, November 30, 2011
Dramatic sunsets: Two shows daily
If you're out photographing a sunset and you're not happy with what you get, you can try again. In a half hour.
For photography purposes, there are two sunsets every night. The sun actually sets below the horizon just once, but the dramatic golden color on mountains and clouds happens twice.
Wednesday, October 26, 2011
Photographing the elusive northern lights
For the next couple years, you'll have a better-than-average chance of seeing and photographing the northern lights.
Tuesday, September 27, 2011
iPad photography (business) apps
Judging by the number of articles written about the iPad over the past few months, you wouldn't think we would need another. But I think we do.
Most of the articles I've seen are obsessed with using it as a camera. They go on and on about all the creative effects you can buy and use. But my camera is my camera; my iPad is a tool for getting my photography business work done when I'm away from the office.
With that, here's my list of useful apps. Some are directly related to photography; others are applicable to any small business.
Wednesday, August 31, 2011
A tripod with sea legs
People often ask me what they can do to improve their images. Often, I reply, "Get a tripod."
I'm a firm believer in tripods, so to speak. They allow you to capture sharp images that could be impossible to capture with shaky hands. They also slow you down. In the time it takes to set up your equipment, you can also think about whether your first idea for a composition is really the best it can be. Nearly all of my images were captured from a tripod.
This one wasn't. And it wouldn't be anywhere near as good if it had been.
Sunday, July 31, 2011
The Big Picture
I rarely crop my images. There's nothing wrong with cropping; I just find that most of the time, the relatively wide 35mm frame works for me.
But every now and then, I want something wider. Really wide. Perhaps 10 times the width of a traditional 35mm frame. A serious panorama.