The Way We See It: May 2012

Wednesday, May 30, 2012

Tip #79: The Alarm Clock

Bolsa Chica Sunrise - California

Not much to say about Tip #79... If you’re a wildlife and landscape shooter, buy one, use it and shoot!

Sandhill Crane Fly By - Wisconsin

Gooseberry Rain - Minnesota

Sunday, May 27, 2012

Tip #78: You Are

Killdeer at Sunrise (Charadrius vociferus) - Stillwater, MN
Canon 7D + Canon 300mm f2.8IS L @ f3.2

There is nothing “New” about “New Age” philosophies. The view which suggests humans are natural beings, subject to the same forces that have shaped the planet, is central to the traditions of Zen Buddhism. Practiced since 6th century China, “Zen Philosophy,” is anything but new. To suggest that you are nature and nature is you, might seem heretical to those that endorse a Judeo-Christian world view; yet the Zen view that we are all connected to nature offers valuable insight to the nature photographer.

Consider the following from the the graphic text “Zen Speaks (by Tsai Chih Chung):”

A Baby fish asks an Elder fish, “I hear people talk about this thing called the sea. Just what is the sea?”

The Elder replies, “The sea is what surrounds you.”

The Baby thinks and exclaims with wide eyes, “But why can’t I see it?”

The Elder, with an air of authority explains, “The sea is within you and around you. You were born in the sea and will die in the sea. The sea envelops you, just like your own skin.”

Here Zen suggests that you - the person - are of this place, from this place and by this place. The same can be said for you, the nature photographer. We are all part of the planet, givers and takers and subject to the whims of natural processes. We are not voyeaurs, we are participants. Being one of us makes us one of them. This is my approach to wildlife and nature. I will not disrupt the life process of my subjects; I will not interfere with their survival. I see myself as a part of the world that I try to capture on my sensor, and I respect the place from which I was born.

Just a little something to think about when you’re hoping to capture some of life's magic.

Thursday, May 24, 2012

Tip #77: National Parks

Badlands NP Series - South Dakota
Canon 50D + Canon 17-40mmL @ 17mm

“WANTED”

Solitude - Space - Time

Photographer Seeking Unique Landscapes

Space to Wander

Wildlife to Discover

Light

Waiting for creativity and inspiration to emanate from the abyss often feels like an eternity. Vision mongers, artisans and seers seeking the creative muse can succumb to feelings of hopelessness that perpetuate the void. Breaking your creative fast is only a short road-trip away. Nearly every country, state or province is dotted by national parks, monuments or refuges. These relics of a pre-settlement past will jumpstart the muse, inspire the lost, and refresh your vision.

Find your park, pitch a tent, paddle a kayak and chase some light.

Dreaming of Ferns - Fern Canyon Redwood National Park
From Life in A VW Campervan 2007
Reprocessed in Topaz B&W Effects (soft diffusion)

Sunday, May 20, 2012

Tip #76: Teach to Learn

Raindrops - Tamarack Nature Center, MN
Canon 5D MarkII + Canon 100mm f2.8IS L

Today was day two, the final day of my Vision Quest Workshop at Tamarack Nature Center. This eleven participant program was a mix of instruction, slide presentation and field work. While the weather reminded us that Spring in Minnesota is unpredictable, all of the students endured a cold drizzly morning and tried to apply the lessons learned from the previous day.

Tamarack Study - Tamarack Nature Center, MN
Canon 7D + Canon 300mm f2.8IS L

During our image review session, I realized how much I enjoy teaching and sharing my experiences with others. The enthusiasm of the participants was infectious, and it demonstrated that each of has inner artist just waiting to be set free. My students - teens and working adults alike - immersed themselves in the experience, took many risks and broke with their established practices.

Two-Heads (Meleagris gallopavo) - Tamarack Nature Center, MN
Canon 7D + Canon 300mm f2.8IS L

However, my intent is not to brag about my program or advertise my future events. What I offer you today, is recognition for the way that I’ve grown as a result of the experience.

Spring Lupine (Lupinus perennis) - Tamarack Nature Center, MN
Canon 7D + Canon 300mm f2.8IS L

Teaching forces reflective practice. By planning new lessons and presentations that focus on “Vision,” “Composition,” “Creative Exposure” and our “Tools,” I educated myself about my own approach to photography. We are always so busy doing, that we rarely take the time to articulate what we do to ourselves. This reflective practice and desire to share my this focus with others allowed me to focus on myself. In teaching my craft, I have learned more about my own approach to photography than I have in a very long time.

Thursday, May 17, 2012

Tip #75: Be Prepared with a Backup Plan

Mallard Drake at Sunset - Vadnais Heights, MN
Canon 7D + Canon 300mm f2.8L IS @ f2.8

I'm prepping for my upcoming "The Way We See It - Vision Quest" Workshop, so I only have time for a quick one today. As I pack the gear bag, dig out the projector and check my documents, I can't help but think about all of the things that have gone wrong in the past.

I've brought the wrong cable
I've left the memory home
I've forgotten the flash manual
I've broken a charger
I've had a camera melt down
I've busted a ball head in baggage
I've broken the camera-bag zipper
I've forgotten my film (a long time ago)
I've lost the cable release
... and the list goes on.

Today's tip... Have a backup plan...!

Sunday, May 13, 2012

Tip #74: Fighting Macro Frustrations

Spring Lupine - Square Crop - Tamarack Nature Center, MN
Canon 5D Mark II + Canon 100mm f2.8L IS @ f5

Love it or hate it, macro photography provides a context for the broader environmental story. To the nature generalist, macro is just one of the many techniques we use to convey our vision. As with any field of photography, there are specialists. The “macro-master” is disciplined and patient beyond imagination; when compared to them, I am a toddler. The tedium of macro and ultra-closeup photography challenges my imagination and endurance. As such, I am only willing to invest discrete units of time in pursuit of the near microscopic universe.

Too Cold to Move - Tamarack Nature Center, MN
Canon 5D Mark II + Canon 100mm f2.8L IS @ f5

What follows is a list of macro tips for you to consider. If you’ve been following my suggestions thus far, you know the importance of a stable tripod, mirror lock-up and a cable release. I will not rehash these here. Instead, I offer a few ideas for making macro fun, simple and less tedious.

Pick your moments: Macro is most fun when you have an exciting subject and great light to capture it. I shoot most of my macros in soft morning light when there is dew clinging to the miniaturized world.
Use an L-Bracket or Tripod Collar: Tripod gymnastics is a key skill for framing and composing your macro subjects. Having to adjust and readjust to achieve a vertical or horizontal image adds frustration to this tedium. By using an L-bracket attached to the camera or a tripod-collar attached to the lens, you can seamlessly move from vertical to horizontal or anything in between.
Knee Pads save the Back: Making macro images requires a slow and deliberate approach. Regardless of your age, squatting or stooping for long periods of time leads to memorable aches and pains. Combined with rocky or wet surfaces, the pursuit of macros can be quite uncomfortable. This discomfort serves as a reminder to keep the macro lens in the bag when the opportunity suggests otherwise. For once, the solution is cheap and easy, wear knee pads when on the ground and get comfortable with your macro subjects.

Thursday, May 10, 2012

Tip #73: Deliberate Practice

Brushed Sky - Manning Trail, MN
Canon 5D mark II + Canon 17-40mmL @ f16

The constraints imposed by life should not restrict the pursuit of your art. Be the consummate amateur, a lover of photography and maker of images. Rainy days and sparse opportunities should not foil your desire to peer through a lens and squeeze the shutter. Days without subjects should not quell your passion or derail the obsession, this is when you practice. Log your 10,000 hours, make the process intuitive, play with your gear, study the work of masters and embrace exposure theory.

Deliberate practice will make you a better technician, a more focused seer and enhance your ability to make art.

Sunday, May 6, 2012

Tip #72: High Key - Black & White

Young Capuchin (Cebus capucinus) - Hacienda Baru, Costa Rica
Canon 30D + Canon 70-200 f4L @ f4.0

When confronted with a shaded subject against a bright background, forget the highlights and shoot for a high key “glow.” Some animals live their lives in the trees, and unless you have access to a canopy blind, distracting highlights are unavoidable. While flash might be the equalizer, a burst of directional light might disrupt the subject and cast an unnatural tone across the image. On these occasions I live the light, accept the compromise, and expose for the subject.

For this image I chose to deal with the backlight and leave my flash in the bag. The inherent curiosity of the capuchin produced expressions that I feared a flash might alter. To capture the eye-eye perspective, I spot-metered the face, added a stop of light and purposefully blew the highlights. The raw image was converted to black & white in Aperture 3.2, while a red filter was used to accentuate the eyes. Throughout the years, I’ve discovered that I prefer to shoot within nature’s constraints, I love to be challenged by the unexpected, and would rather accept the light than impose my selfish goals on my wild subjects.

Wednesday, May 2, 2012

Tip #71: The Purposeful Photographer

Wizened (Loxodonta africana) - Tanzania, Africa
Canon 1D Mark II + Canon 300mm f2.8L IS

I photograph wildlife, ecosystems and natural subjects because I am drawn to evolution’s “imagination.” Elegance in this life with its fantastic adaptions inspires my obsessions. Far from simple, the elegance I see suggests a deep complexity of process and time that has produced life’s infinite variety. The ultimate cause of this rich diversity is rooted in the most primordial and universal purpose ...self-propagation. It is the need to perpetuate the self, the vessel for a genetic code, that drives life’s creativity and the endless diversity I seek to capture.

Peaceful Pause (Loxodonta africana) - Tanzania, Africa
Canon 1D Mark II + Canon 300mm f2.8L IS

I've Got Grass (Loxodonta africana) - Tanzania, Africa
Canon 1D Mark II + Canon 300mm f2.8L IS

Red Clay (Loxodonta africana) - Tanzania, Africa
Canon 1D Mark II + Canon 300mm f2.8L IS

Be a purposeful photographer, find your theme and embrace the obsession.