The Way We See It: Landscapes

Showing posts with label Landscapes. Show all posts

Saturday, September 28, 2013

September 22, 2013

Autumnal Grasses - Tamarack Nature Center, White Bear Lake
Canon 1D Mark III + Canon 100mm f2.8 Macro

Saturday September 22^nd was the autumnal equinox. The week preceding this first day of fall was unlike the pre-autumnal weeks to which I’ve grown accustom. Minnesota is known for its temperate weather where summer transitions to winter, and fall is a wish that rarely comes true. Bracing for the worst, this harvest season seems to be more summer than winter. Warm winds and dry air continue to bathe the parched landscape, and fall is hiding somewhere in the shadows. I don’t object to this extension of summer, but I can’t help wonder if our departure from the norm is a harbinger of the future.

To read more and see more images please visit our NEW SquareSpace gallery at http://btleventhal.com and blog at http://btleventhal.com/bruceleventhal/.

Thursday, June 27, 2013

Shooting the Prairie (I)

Road to Nowhere - Near Milan, MN
Canon 5D Mark iii + Canon 17-40L

Often referred to as “flyover country” this nation’s midsection is a rare destination for travelers, adventurers and photographers. The Rockies, Sierras, and Appalachians compete with the coasts for nature enthusiasts, and should anyone be interested in visiting the middle, they are likely to search for a good fishing hole or forest trail. Unlike the allure of the African savanna, North America’s grasslands are the ignored step child to the ecotourist.

Eye of the Storm - Lac Qui Parle State Park, MN
Canon 5D Mark iii + Canon 17-40L

Maybe it’s due to proximity or a nostalgic reflection on my research with monarch butterflies, but I seem to be drawn to the prairies of middle America. A frequent visitor to North and South Dakota’s Badlands and lover of road-trips to nowhere, I have been quietly documenting grassland species and landscapes between Minnesota and Montana. This unplanned personal project now represents a significant percent of my image-portfolio, and continues to be an important photographic subject. Representing less than three percent of its original distribution throughout the midwest, North America’s grasslands are an endangered ecosystem.

Old Barn - Near Milan, MN
Canon 5D Mark iii + Canon 17-40L

Photographing a sea of grass can be a challenge to the most accomplished photographer. More than any other location, the prairie requires a deliberate study of composition and light prior to squeezing the shutter. To make the mundane interesting, try to leverage the turbulent weather of spring and summer, the contrasting lines between habitat and farms, or the pastels of dawn and dusk in your photographs. To make the infinite intimate, seek converging lines and search for a focal point to anchor the viewer.

Minnesota River Sunset - Lac Qui Parle State Park, MN
Canon 5D Mark iii + Canon 17-40L

The formula, (Being There + Serendipity = Art) has served me well in the past, however I can not claim that this accurately describes my efforts on the prairie. Here, repetition and forethought are essential components for generating compelling images. For each picture presented in this post, I scouted the location and planned to be present in the “right” light. While I doubt that any one image was truly previsualized, I knew that if I put myself in the right place at the right time, I’d increase the chance of making a keeper.

Sunday, April 14, 2013

An April Diary

April 28, 2005
Canon 1D + Canon 200mm f2.8L @ f2.8Average Temperature 45 ℉, No Precipitation

As winter yields to spring, the vernal equinox foreshadows an inevitable change. The long nights become long days, and the repressed are free to bask in the warmth of spring.

April 5, 2008
Canon 1D mark ii + Canon 300mm f2.8L IS @ f2.8
Average Temperature 45 ℉, .1" mixed Precipitation

Having spent my adolescence on the west coast, I was not prepared for the schizophrenia that is April. In California, April is just another month of warm days and cool nights. The equinox was an irrelevant date on the calendar, and spring was cooler than summer. In contrast, the oppressor, winter, punishes the plebeians who reside in the middle of the continent. April is our reward for endurance, but we mid-continentals, are nothing more than April fools.

April 16, 2011
Canon 7D + Canon 300mm f2.8L IS @ f2.8
Average Temperature 35.8 ℉, .11" Precipitation

Today is April 14th, it snowed, hailed and rained all day. My income taxes are due tomorrow, and the high school prom I coordinate is on April 27th. My students now behave like caged rats, and the drive to work has more pocks, cracks and shifts than the San Andreas Fault. I hate April! April is the greatest fallacy there ever was. Spring is not relief from winter, spring is just winter after winter.

April 7, 2012
Canon 7D + Canon 300mm f2.8L IS @ f3.2
Average Temperature 50.3 ℉, No Precipitation

April is as schizophrenic as my rant; it is unpredictable, unforgiving and a wild ride. Every year I look forward to April’s migrations, buds and renewal and each time I am bewildered by its unpredictability. Who is this deviant we call April?... your guess is as good as mine.

April 14, 2013
Canon 5D mark iii + Canon 17-40mm f4.0L @ f14
34 ℉, Rain, Sleet Snow

Saturday, March 30, 2013

Canon 40mm f2.8 STM Review

Sunset at Crex Meadows - Crex Meadows WMA, WI
Canon 5D Mark II + Canon 40mm f2.8 STM flat fantastic

Gear reviews are a departure from my norm, but this little optic is such a good performer that is deserves a bit of love. I’m not one to shoot a brick wall or stuffed animals, so I can’t tell you how much sharper the EF 40 f2.8 is than “lens X,” but I do use my gear in the field, and if it survives the horrid weather and my abuse, it becomes a keeper.

I bought the Canon 40mm f2.8 STM from West Photo in Minneapolis, MN for about $175 and added the matching lens hood for another $20, or so. The purchase coincided with the onset of Fall and just prior to my trip to New York. I thought I’d use it for some street photography, but found that its also a superb landscape optic. Just to be clear, I had been using the Zeiss ZE 35mm f2.8 as my medium wide-angle lens, but decided to sell it shortly after shooting the far cheaper Canon “flat fantastic.” Now if this doesn’t get your attention, nothing else I say will. While the Zeiss was sharper at f2.0 and f2.8, it lost its edge once I began shooting at f5.6 and f8. The Canon 40mm f2.8 is every bit as sharp as the Zeiss when stopped down, and its lighter, smaller and has autofocus.

Spring? - Vadnais Heights, MN
Canon 5D Mark III + Canon 40mm f2.8 STM flat fantastic

If you are not aware, the Canon 40mm f2.8 STM is a “pancake-style” lens; this means that the optic is really flat. When mounted on a 5D Mark III, it’s barely bigger than the camera with just a body cap. Pancake lenses are nothing new to photography and were first conceived by Paul Rudolf in 1902 when he designed the Zeiss Tessar. I really love pancake lenses and have owned many in the past. My first was the SMC Pentax-M 40mm f2.8 that I purchased with a Pentax MX in 1979. This was followed by a Carl Zeiss 45mm T* Tessar f2.8 that I bought for my Yashica FX-3 Super 2000 in 1985, and a Nikkor 45 f2.8-P that I added to my kit when I was using Nikon FM’s and F100‘s. Regardless of the make, I always seemed to like the small profile and amazing quality packed into this simple optical design. While none of these pancakes are terribly fast at f2.8, they all were relatively sharp across the entire film plane.

Enter the Canon 40mm f2.8 STM. This lens was a surprise introduction in a somewhat feeble attempt to stem the movement away from small SLR cameras to Micro 4/3 bodies and Sony NEX camera systems. While I doubt the “new” Canon pancake will stop anyone from switching to smaller camera bodies, I do believe that this is a revolutionary lens. At less than $200, and often found for $150 after rebates, the Canon pancake is a bargain. It is solidly built with a quiet autofocus motor. Although not a USM style focus system, the STM focus motor is fast to autofocus and can be manually adjusted while in AF-mode. While the manual focus is slightly delayed due to the “focus by-wire” STM motor, it is just fine for a landscape shooter. Unlike the less expensive and faster Canon 50mm f1.8, the 40mm pancake has a metal lens mount and feels solid to the touch. I could never find any love for the “nifty fifty,” and now own the Canon 50mm f1.4 for my low-light shooting needs.

Misty Morning - Vadnais Heights, MN
Canon 5D Mark III + Canon 40mm f2.8 STM flat fantastic

So What’s The Big Deal?

There is something about the quality of this lens that continues to shock me. It is quite resistant to flare and seems to have amazing edge sharpness at f8 and f11. I never hesitate to use the pancake lens on my 5D MarkIII and have found it to be a surprisingly good landscape lens. In terms of quality, it bests the 17-40mm f4.0L at 40mm, exhibits no chromatic aberrations, and does not appear to vignette when stopped down. While shooting wildlife, I keep the 40mm f2.8 STM on a second body and can quickly capture snapshots of the landscape, setting and companions without feeling burdened by a heavy lens around the neck. In short, at $175 this flat fantastic has the best combination of price and performance than any lens I have owned in the past or present.

My advice... try it... you’ll buy it!

Tuesday, February 12, 2013

Jekyll and Hyde

Stony Point in Black and White - Hwy 61 Scenic Drive, MN
Canon 5D Mark iii & Canon 24mm f3.5L TSE

A story about the stark contrast in one’s humanity, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde symbolize both the best and worst in any situation, moment or time. Say their names and the imagination runs wild. They are good and evil, Yin and Yang, light and dark all wrapped into a single package; he is the misguided man who wants it all.

Owl Landscape (Aegolius funereus) - Hwy 61 Scenic Drive, MN
Canon 5D Mark iii & Canon 300mm f2.8L IS + Canon 1.4x Converter

February is Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. A time of stark contrasts where daylight grows and temperatures fall. Void of life, its leafless forests reveal the gems who hide in a summer’s shadow. The mass Exodus that began in August leaves the hardy behind, where survival is intimately linked to a well managed energy budget.

Contrast - Hwy 61 Scenic Drive, MN
Canon 5D Mark iii & Canon 24mm f3.5L TSE

Yet the dearth that is February includes small nuggets of gold. One’s barren woods is another’s cornucopia. While resources are depleted to the north, ours are free for the taking and opportunistic migrants seeking easy food will see the Jekyll in my February’s Hyde.

Boreal Owl (Aegolius funereus) - Hwy 61 Scenic Drive, MN
Canon 7D + Canon 100-400mm f4.5-5.6L IS

Sunday, December 23, 2012

The Day After

Stacked Rocks - Lake Superior, MN
Canon 5D mark ii + Canon 24mm f3.5L TSE

In the words of Edie Brickell “Drop me in the shallow water before I get too deep.” It’s another 5 degree morning, I’m buried knee deep in snow and the Mayan apocalypse was yesterday. Funny... I’m still here. As usual, the collective herd was wrong and I’m left with an empty feeling.

Damn Trail - Redwood National Park
Canon 20D + Canon 15mm Fisheye Lens

I’m not sure what I was expecting. I’m not the apocalyptic type and tend to be a skeptic when it comes to anything fanciful. Yet, I couldn’t help imagine what it might be like if an apocalyptic event selectively eliminated this human virus. Hey, I’m grateful for the life that evolution has managed to send my way, but let’s face it... we are a paradoxical species that is wreaking havoc on the planet. Beings crafted from nature, we are one with the world, but our love affair with the planet’s bounty will likely be the source our demise. We kill just to watch it die, level mountains in search of shiny baubles and interfere with nearly every biogeochemical cycle. We are a wart that keeps getting bigger, and I fear that all that will remain of life’s diversity will be one giant wart!

Well, it’s December 22nd... and “it’s the end of the world as we know it, and I feel fine.”

... I think.

Sunday, December 2, 2012

Tip #101: Fog, Smog and Overcast Light

Yellowstone National Park
Canon 5D mark ii + Canon 17-40mm f4L

You’ve traveled halfway around the world, woke up three hours before dawn and fought off cardiac arrest during your 6000 foot assent. What’s more, you broke the bank to take this trip and used all your vacation time just to capture an elusive target. Unfortunately, Murphy waved his ugly hand and the light is crap. Either the sun is too bright or you’re surrounded by a pervasive mist that will not go away.

Lake Agnes - Banff National Park
Canon 5D mark ii + Canon 24mm f3.5L TSE

We’ve all been there and it’s these moments that test your patience and reward creativity. I have day job, so when I’m out on a shoot or traveling to photograph an ecosystem, I have to come back with something. It’s a cliche thing to say, but restrictions and limits feed my creative spirit. When faced with less than ideal shooting conditions, I put on my black and white goggles, study the landscape and look to play with tones and angles. During these less than ideal conditions, I work harder to define my story and be sure to pre-think the impact of every technical decision. Selecting the correct aperture, emphasizing shadows that define and choosing the right lens will be the difference between the images you cherish and those you can’t wait to forget.

Icefields Parkway
Canon 40D + Canon 100-400 f4.5-5.6L IS

Sunday, November 25, 2012

Tip #100: Eat that Frog

Poison Dart (Dendrobates auratus) - Selva Verde, Costa Rica
Canon 40D + Canon 100 f2.8 Macro USM

It’s your mountain of homework, bills that need to be paid or taxes you’ve neglected to file. Your frog is the ugly task you avoid each day, week, month and year. It is your anchor; a weight that drags you into the abyss. Your frog saps your creativity. It sits on your desk and croaks in your general direction. That frog needs to be eaten!

First Snow - Stillwater, MN
Canon 5D Mark ii + Canon 40mm f2.8 STM

Based on a book by Brian Tracy and introduced to me via a podcast by Martin Bailey, the analogy really resonated with me. We all need to eat that frog now, because there will be two tomorrow and three the next day. It is important to recognize that we do the things we need to do so that we can do the things we want to do. If you eat that frog today, you’ll have more time for your craft tomorrow.

Before First Snow - William Obrien State Park, MN
Canon 5D Mark ii + Canon 40mm f2.8 STM

Want to learn more about Brian Tracy’s book? Check out the link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0W7GB5Fh2XM

Cope's Gray Tree Frog (Hyla chrysoscelis) - In the Garden, MN
Canon 5D Mark ii + Canon 100mm f2.8L IS Macro

Wednesday, October 31, 2012

Tip #97: Keep a Level Head

In Flight (Grus canadensis) - Crex Meadows Wildlife Refuge, WI
Canon 7D + Canon 100-400L f4.5-5.6 IS

Bad puns deserve loud groans, but slanting horizons really drive me nuts. When film was king, photographers worked more purposefully because every image had a cost and laziness became lesson in economics. Sloppy technique at a pinnacle moment detracts from an otherwise perfect moment and causes your audience to question the laws of physics. I can't stand seeing birds and boats paddling up some fictitious aquatic hill. The cure for this ailment is a quick fix, and your choices are quite simple.

Use a sturdy tripod, a quality head and a bubble (or in camera) level. Frame your landscape, step back for a moment to clear your preconceived vision, and give the image a second look. Find an anchor on which to level your horizon and only then make the shot.
No time to level in camera, then level it during the post process edit. Every image editor has a leveling tool. While some are quicker than others, there is no excuse to share an image with a blown horizon.

In photography, it is often said, you are judged by weakest image in your folio. Like bad grammar and the tendency to lie, blown horizons may define you to your audience in ways that will be hard to change.

Before Sunrise - St. Croix River, MN
Canon 5D mark II + Canon 24mm f3.5L TSE

Wednesday, October 17, 2012

Tip #96: Instinct

After the Sun - Crex Meadows Wildlife Refuge, Wisconsin
Canon 5D Mark II + Canon 40mm f2.8 STM @ f11

Listen to the voices inside and follow your instinct. Be in the present, block the distractions and go where the light takes you. While any photographer can capture the reality in a moment, it takes an artist to convey the manifestation of a vision.

Thursday, August 30, 2012

Tip #91: Tools (Part 3: The Landscape Lens)

Water in the Slot - Banff National Park, Canada
Canon 5D mark II + Canon 24mm f3.5L TSE

In tip #83 I describe the five key features I need in a camera, while tip #84 considers the essential characteristics of a wildlife lens. In this, my final gear post, I share my thoughts about selecting a lens for landscape photography.

In many ways choosing your lens for wildlife photography will be simpler than finding the “ideal” landscape optic. Animals adapt to environmental pressures with elusive behaviors, cryptic patterns and a healthy dose of fear. To produce wildlife images, we use telephoto lenses that will compress distant landscapes and isolate wary quarry from a cluttered environment. Ultimately the selection of a wildlife lens depends more on ones budget than the target you seek to photograph (see tip #84). Sadly, this calculus is not as easy when looking for the “perfect” landscape lens.

First, consider the vast array of subjects that reside within the landscape umbrella. Many landscape photographers seek to convey the essence of a place by capturing it all. These images imply the enormity of our world and can extend from toe to infinity. Here depth of field is king, as it is used to focus attention on strong foreground elements and the most distant details.

Alternatively, some landscapes are defined by the minute patterns in an ecosystem or city. These can be images of fall leaves swirling in an ephemeral pool, waterfalls framed by mossy rocks, or surreal “lichenscapes” that might easily be confused with the Martian surface (go Curiosity!). Whatever the subject, landscape photographers are pattern seekers who claim a continuum from the microscopic to the macroscopic as their own. As such, it can be quite a challenge to select only one lens to meet this diverse need.

Given the broad nature of the landscape genre, nearly any lens can be a suitable landscape optic. What follows are three strategies to consider prior to making another expensive purchase.

Ask Yourself... What is your primary Subject?

One Lens to Capture it All

When flexibility is your priority, consider investing in a wide-angle to normal or wide-angle to telephoto zoom. These lenses rely on clever optical designs that allow a shooter to capture both the expansive landscape and details of a micro-scape. I suggest that you look for a zoom lens with a fixed aperture and LD, ED, or APO glass elements. As with telephoto lenses, these specialized glass elements reduce blur by focusing the varying wavelengths of light (ie: ROYGBiV) at one point. In addition, consider finding a wide-angle zoom that employs aspherical optical elements. Aspherical lenses are engineered and ground to have a non-spherical (thus “aspherical”) lens to air surface. By including this specialized type of glass in a wide-angle, disturbing distortion is reduced and even eliminated. The addition of these specialized elements really improve the optical quality of zooms, which represent an engineering compromise in order to meet their zooming function. My favorite all purpose Canon zoom is the 24-105 f4.0L IS. This would make a great one lens kit for the generalist who wants to travel and shoot it all. For those using a camera with a full-frame sensor (Canon 5D-series, Canon 1Ds-series, Nikon D700-D800, D3x or D4) and hoping to specialize in traditional landscape subjects, consider purchasing a 17-40 f4L (Canon) or 16-35 f4-ED (Nikon). Those using cameras with APS-sized sensors (most other digital SLR’s) should look at lenses in the 10-24mm range. Nearly every lens manufacturer has a quality lens in this focal length. In fact, I’ve recently added the Tokina 12-24mm f4 ATX II to support our cropped 7D bodies, and have found this to be as good as any Canon super wide-angle zoom I’ve used or owned.

Regardless of your choice, if you are seeking flexibility, include a wide-angle zoom in your bag.

Self Imposed Constraints for Creativity
While Tamy likes the flexibility of a zoom lens, I prefer to work with prime optics. In fact, in addition to my two camera bodies, I only carry three lenses with me in the field. In general, I attach a 300 f2.8L IS to a Canon 7D with its cropped APS-style sensor, and alternate my other two lenses on my Canon 5D mark II. The latter lenses are a 100mm f2.8L IS macro and a 24mm f3.5L TSE manual focus lens. I thrive on the constraints and minimalism of this simple system. While all of my the optics include apochromatic glass or aspherical elements that increase detail while reducing distortion, they do not zoom. Instead, I zoom with my feet, spend time studying my composition and work very slowly. The absence of the zoom is a self imposed constraint that forces me to process the entire shooting experience.

There is no one best landscape lens nor one best landscape shooting technique. We live with a cornucopia of options that facilitate infinite possibilities. Find a style, select a lens and make some images.