The Way We See It

Tuesday, December 13, 2011

Tip #26: Intensity in the Moment

Dominance - Lake Manyara, Tanzania
Canon 1D MarkII + Canon 300mm f2.8L IS

Have you experienced the rush? It is a primordial flood of emotion, tension, and excitement triggered by the release of adrenaline. Beats reverberate the walls of the thoracic cavity with each contraction, palms sweat, and the little hairs stand at attention. It is the thrill of the hunt, a connection to a less civilized past, to a time when we were one with nature. This is the intersection between fear and passion, the point where anything can happen, it is the endorphin... the wildlife high. Conservation, preservation and education are the public tagline, but our pursuit of art in nature is fueled by the thrill of the experience. Make images that convey the intensity of the moment.

Ssssnake! - Selva Verde, Costa rica
Canon 5D MarkII + Canon 180mm f3.5L Macro

Sunday, December 11, 2011

Tip #25: Be an Image Maker

Blue Jeans Poison Dart Frog (Dendrobates pumilio) - Costa Rica
Canon 5D markII + Canon 180 f3.5L Macro

What is the difference between the travel snapshot that says “I was there,” from a compelling image that makes an artistic statement about a place and time. With the ubiquitous image capture device in billions of pockets and purses, our challenge is to make pictures that give pause for thought. In a world where time is ephemeral and immediacy is expected, it is the image that captures the imagination and focuses the viewer’s mind that will garner more than the obligatory two-second glance.

Hanging Around Prague
Canon 5D + Canon 24-105mm f4.0L IS

The image taker is the snapshooter. The snapshooter walks haplessly with the cell phone in hand, arms extended, and calling for smiles. These images have slanted horizons, national park signs, and generic pictures suitable for the “magic albums” of the 1970’s. Photography can become a transcendental experience for those who learn to slow time.

After the Storm - Minnesota
Canon 7D + Canon 300mm f2.8L IS @ f3.2

Tip #25: Be an Image Maker

Turn the cell phone off (even iPhones can be shutdown), extract the camera from its hiding place, and “go walkabout.” Mount your camera to a tripod and slowly investigate a place. Study the patterns in leaves, the atmospherics in a habitat, and the details of your subject. Turn the autopilot off and take back the controls. To be in the moment, you will need to select the optimum shutter-speed and aperture for your subject, ponder an intriguing composition, and make a thoughtful lens choice. We all can become image makers when we deviate from the norm and slow time.

Thursday, December 8, 2011

Tip #24: Follow the Path

Between Light and Dark - Tamarack Nature Center, MN
Canon 7D + Canon 300mm f2.8L IS

“At the foundation of everything is Nature” Lao Tzu

Dao or Tao (道) is the Chinese word for the way, path or route. It is a philosophical doctrine that attempts to explain the underlying order of the universe in what might appear to be a contradiction... being and nothingness. I will not pretend to be an expert or even knowledgeable about the ‘Way,’ however I can’t help but admire a philosophical objective that attempts to bring practitioners closer to Nature. Becoming “one with the tao” is to seek balance and harmony with the natural order of things.

One Leaf - Tamarack Nature Center, MN
Canon 5D markII + Zeiss ZE 35mm f2.0 @ f16

Tao of Photography, by Tom Ang has influenced my work more than any other book about photography. This is not a text about nature, equipment or exposure theory, it is a discussion about seeing and feeling. With its focus on “less is more” and the value of “the journey,” readings and images from this book continue to impact my vision today.

“Treat the large as small and the few as many.” Lao Tzu

Tuesday, December 6, 2011

Tip #23: Include the "Hand of Man"

Black and White Colobus Monkey - Kenya
Canon 7D + Canon 300mm f2.8IS L

Include the "hand of man" when it contributes to the story you want to tell. Not all nature images need to be void of humanity. Like the flora and fauna that populate the planet, we too are the product of biological evolution, subject to ecological processes, and impact environmental stability.

Keepers of the Crater - Masai walking the Rift Valley, Tanzania
Canon 5D + Canon 17-40L @ 20mm and f11

Sunday, December 4, 2011

Tip #22: Time Machine

Surrounded by Fire - Wonder Lake, AK
Hasselblad Xpan + 45mm f4.0 w/Central Spot ND Filter
Fuji Velvia 50

Relax ...while I am a long-time Mac OS™ advocate, this is not my covert attempt to inspire creatives to leave their antiquated mock-Mac (Windows™) machines. Rather, I’ll offer a tidbit of advice that suggests you go “retro.” Like the blinders restricting the vision of a carriage horse, digital photography now dupes us into ignoring the past. No longer constrained by the cost of purchasing and processing film, digital capture restricts reflective practice. In the film era, budget limitations forced photographic “time-outs,” so we spent hours reviewing old images. The practice of selecting the best of the best refined our vision, emphasized the importance of technique, and suggested a path to pursue. In contrast the modern digital photographer rarely invests the time to process their work let alone seek an honest self-assessment and critique.

Not the Falls - Sol Duc Olympic National Park
Nikon F100 + Nikon 28mm f2.8 @ f16
Fuji Velvia 50 - Converted to B&W w/Topaz B&W Effects

Retrieved from old chromes that now sit dormant in file cabinets and digital captures from an “ancient” 4-megapixel SLR, these are pictures from a prior photographic life. They are images from places I have visited in the near present, but are unique moments in time that I could only capture in the past.

Tip #22: Get into your Time Machine, Mine your Archive, and Learn from the Past

After the Sun Sets on Moro Rock - Sequoia National Park
Nikon D2h + Tamron 180mm f3.5 Macro @ f8

Friday, December 2, 2011

Tip #21: Try Black and White

Ubiquitous Iguana iguana - Selva Verde, Costa Rica
Canon 7D + 300 f2.8L IS @ f4.0

There was a time when a photographer had to choose between black and white or color prior to the shoot. As travel/nature photographers, our default plan was to load the bodies with chrome film and shoot for color. While the film bodies of the 80’s and 90’s were amazingly rugged, they could be painfully inflexible. Forced to shoot the entire roll or forfeit multiple images at a cost, black and white was little more than an afterthought.

Enter the digital era... We millennial photographers are now like painters with an infinite palate. Regardless of the software you love or love to hate, you can now make any image monochromatic, dichromatic or polychromatic. The “new” post-processing options are so vast, that we are only limited by our imagination. More than ever I am thinking like a black and white photographer. I am looking more closely at form, tone and pattern prior to squeezing the shutter.

Tip #21: Put on those Monochromatic Glasses and See it in Black and White

Fulgora lanternaria (aka: Peanut-head) - Selva Verde, Costa Rica
Canon 5D markII + 180 f3.5L Macro

Wednesday, November 30, 2011

Tip #20: Converging Lines and Vanishing Points

The Earth is a Sphere - Costa Rica
Canon 1Ds + 15mm f2.8

I’m no student of art, but I know the power of converging lines. Convergence creates a sense of depth and dimensionality. Strong lines can transport your audience into your pictures.

Tip #20

Use lines to provide your viewer with a pathway to Walk, See and Dream

Monday, November 28, 2011

Tip #19: When You Include the Landscape, You Tell the Whole Story

Bison Panorama - Grand Teton NP, WY
Five Image Pano-Stitch - Canon 5D Mark II + 50mm f1.4 @ f11

While animal portraits excite the shooter, a landscape conveys the ecology of your subject. When photographing wildlife, put down the long lens and become a landscape photographer. Use leading lines to frame your subject, wait for a unique composition, and tell a life story by including the land.

Solitude
Masai Giraffe - Serengeti NP, Tanzania
Canon 20D + 300mm f4.0 IS L

Saturday, November 26, 2011

Tip #18: Take the Camera

Looking for Nature - Pasadena, CA
Canon 5D markII + Zeiss ZE 35mm f2.0 @ f2.2

Tip #18: On Business or Visiting Family - Take the Camera

Travel with a camera even if you’re not on assignment or taking a photo-vacation. Pack light by selecting a few pieces of essential gear, and embrace the self-imposed constraint. Having only one lens and a body can be both limiting and liberating. Take a hike with your minimalist kit or shoot from the street. Study the way small changes in camera position, aperture and shutter speed can influence your final composition.

The posted photo was taken along a walking trail that parallels one of California’s cement rivers. Known as the Arroyo, these sterile aqueducts symbolize a great environmental paradox. Fully aware that we are dependent on limited resources, we modify, manipulate and engineer nature to meet our basic needs. Short-term need masks judgement and thus, long-term sustainability. An eyesore in the valley and throughout Southern California, the Arroyo is void of native vegetation and rich with exotic species. Ironically, these concrete waterways are perceived as quiet retreat for those seeking to escape the throngs of humanity.

Thursday, November 24, 2011

Tip #17: Don't Fear Post Processing

The Grand Canal - Venice
Canon 5D Mark I + 24-105L @ f16

Tip #17: Experiment when processing your images

Redwood Trail - Redwood NP, CA
Canon 1Ds + 15mm Fisheye

Don't just take pictures... make pictures. The final image is the sum of your skill as a photographer and a processor. When sitting down to a file, stretch the image making process by pushing the contrast, desaturating the color, or over-sharpening the picture. Now, reverse it all. Study how changes in color, tone and detail influence the final picture. Experiment with plugins and presets to match your final vision.

Sneaking a Peek - Masai Mara, Kenya
Canon 40D + 100-400L IS @ f5.6
Processing: Topaz B&W Effects - Diffusion w/Color