The Book

The book was very helpful for making sure that I had a basic understanding of all the aspects of photography. It also gives not just photography information but helpful tips to as what to bring along to make the shoot more comfortable and successful. The most helpful tip from the book was dealing with how to dress. That was a key factor, because I got wet. I was around a creek all day and in and out of water. The book prepared me for this by listing what to bring when you are going to be out shooting. The only thing the book doesn't mention is to bring materials to keep you busy when you arent shooting such as a fishing pole(as I mentioned I am brining next time).

Conditions and Changes

The morning conditions were excellent. It was a cloudy morning free of rain, leaving me with great opportunities to move around and take some great shots. Towards the afternoon the wind really picked up, so I decided to travel some back roads towards Bridger. Though I did stop by the Red Lodge Nature Center first and take a look around. After I made it to Bridger thats when the weather really changed for the worst. The wind picked up and the rain started to come down. This pretty much ruined my evening shots. Overall, I feel it was a successful shoot.

Some things I would do differently next time is I plan on bringing my fly-fishing pole so that I have something to do while in the afternoons when the sun is high point. I would also try to find a place for good sunrise and sunset photos. The area I was in did not give me the colors I hoped for nor did the rain allow for photos as well.

Top Images Continued

Top Images

Before and After 3

This photo I was not sure how to edit it. I liked how it was first shot. Though I did want another black and white, so I decided to change this one and I like how it turned out. First I filtered it to black and white. I then adjusted the brightness to make it a lighter while darkenging the contrast to make the ripples really show bouncing off the rocks. You can also see the rocks under the water in a much clearer view.

Before and After 2

For this photo I wanted to to have a closer view of the goose with a warmer background. First I zoomed in on the goose and cropped it where I felt captured the scene the best. From here I played with the contrast and saturation until it gave the shot a warmer image. I then changed the tint to lighten the colors. The last edit I made was to sharpen the edges of the water with the land.

Before and After

This was the first photo I chose to edit and explain. The first edit I made was a filter to black and white. From here I adjusted the brightness to make it a lighter. Then adjusted the contrast to help it blend and give it a soft natural look. By doing this you can see the light really reflect off the water.

Initial Feelings-Red Lodge Shoot

While looking over the photos from yesterday I feel that I captured some great images. I felt like I achieved most of my goals besides for a couple. Also I noticed a few things I could have done differently for certain shots.It was a great day to go out. I did not expect to see snow still on the ground, however, it turned out great for capturing some scenes. One of the goals I felt that i did not really accomplish were those of sunrise and sunset photos. Where i was it just didn't give the image that i felt was necessary for a good photo. I did try to get some wildlife shots but could not get as close as I wanted to. Overall, the day went well and I had a great time. I believe I did a good job.

Tuesday, May 5th- Red Lodge

Tomorrow I plan on going to Red Lodge, Montana. The forecast for the day is a high of 60 degrees and low of 37 degrees with 14 mph west winds and a 40% chance of rain. Should be a great day for shooting with the clouds and hopefully no rain. Sunrise is around 5:57a.m and sunset is 8:27p.m.

The areas planned for shooting are just southwest of Red Lodge. I will be taking Ski Run Rd. and following it to West Fork Rd. It will be branching off into many areas that I will be taking for a variety of photos.

My goals for the shoot are first off that it does not rain. From there I hope to capture some wildlife in their natural state. I hope to get some good shots of Rock Creek or some random off streams. I also hope to get some great sunrise photographs. However, I will be in a canyon so my hopes of nice landscape photos are slim.

Below is a map a couple pictures displaying where I will be shooting tomorrow.

Preparing Images For Presentation

This section talks about the computer work that is necessary to prepare images. RAW mode, this is a state where everything is in it original setting and has no manipulation or focus done to it. There are three color spaces most useful to landscape photographers -ProphotoRGB, Adobe RGB, and Adobe sRGB IEC61966. When manipulating RAW images you first want to correct the brightness, then the level curves, color saturation, color balance, and adjust the contrast. Most landscape photographers try to get their contrast correct when they shoot the scene. The last characteristic to change is sharpness.

Digital Darkroom Equipment

The first topic that we discuss in this section is storage for your pictures. It is always a good thing to have a backup storage unit to put pictures on in case something drastic happens while you are out shooting. The author recommends using a one to two gigabyte memory card for landscape purposes. We then go into editing, this is where we learn to adjust color balance, saturation, brightness and contrast, dodge and burn, remove imperfections, straighten horizons and manipulate many other characteristics. The recommended standard program is Adobe Photoshop.

Week 2 Photos

Just getting used to the camera

Here are a few pictures that I took when I first bought my camera. I was not really going for anything specific but more just trying to get a feel for the camera.

Captivating Clouds

The last section in this part is capturing and using clouds. Clouds ensure your chances of producing images that are dramatic and distinctive, because the colors they allow are always different. Clouds are used as diffusers of light that allow some light to go through and gives features you are shooting different tones and detail about it. Thats why it is great to go out and shoot on cloudy days. You will have the best detail and colors.

Wide View Panorama

To get those wide view pictures that you cant capture with just one shot is pretty simple. First situate your tripod away from foreground features. Make sure it is level. Select a focal length that captures all the features you want in your shot. Put your exposure control to manual, and put shutter speed to provide the best exposure of the parts of the scene you really want to capture. You then do a framing sequence, overlapping the shots by 25%. Then its to the computer to do your stitching. This process can be different depending on the programs that you use but each one will have a walk through of how to stitch your pictures to get a wide view photograph.

Twilight Time

The twilight time section deals with shooting after sunset in the short time that you have. This is a time when mosquitoes and other pests like to feed so wear repellent and dress a appropriate such as layers again. Have the area you want to shoot already in mind and be there because the time you have to shoot is a short window. Make sure all your setting and focus's are set. Set your ISO to 200-400 and set your aperture to capture all of the features of the scene. Shoot and bracket with a tripod.

Floral Wilderness

Capturing the meadows in bloom!Trying to capture the broad landscape with your pulse racing is very difficult as the author claims. To do this you will want to find when the flowers will be blooming in the area you will want to shoot. Try to capture the flowers when they are at or just reaching their blooming peak, have a mixture of colors, have the land tilt toward your tripod, use early morning front light, have other elements in your scene as well. When talking about front light that means having the sun behind you. You will want to keep everything you can in focus. Try using a low angle to help capture flowers in front of you as well as landscape further back.

Oceans of Light

When shooting oceans and ocean's edge, you have a few things to remember. Get ready for wet conditions, waders, shorts, vest, zoom lenses, and filters. Timing the tides, look for shorelines with low elevation backdrops or south facing beaches with headlands. Back to timing the tides, you sometimes will want to capture the action. To do this you will want to try to get your timing correct. So take some shots and look to see how timing is and coordinate it. Also look towards the sky to help give your photo that living accent to really show off your picture.

Sunrise and Sunset

This section is pretty self explanatory being as we have discussed throughout the book that sunrise and sunset are the best times to shoot. It is when you have the calmest times, best colors, best tones. Also the sky creates its own scene for us that we do not have to touch and is natural and beautiful in itself.

Dramatic Dunes

When dealing with dessert areas such as sand dunes, we have a few points that we will want to remember. Before shooting make sure the site is free of footprints, keep your camera away from the sand and bring lots of water. Make sure you pack lightly, walking in sand is tougher than walking on normal ground. Timing is very important when shooting sandy images. You will want to shoot when the sun is low in the sky. Roughly 15 mins before sunset or after sunrise.

Radiant Reflections

The Reflections section helps us with one of photographers favorite subjects as he states it. Again you will be getting wet so make sure to keep dry and keep your camera dry as well. Look for landscape that will be under, front, or sidelight, at sunrise or sunset that will help capture the lighting. Then look for pools, ponds, marshes, and etc that will have an opportunity to reflect the landscape . A main point to remember when trying to capture landscape reflections on water is to have water that is untouched by wind. Again filters may be used to help get the darkness you want for the sky or for the water.

Cascades and Waterfalls

In this section we learn how to capture water either flowing or still. This section is very interesting because its a challenge to capture water in different ways. He gives a few tips to help capture this expressive image: use soft lighting, shutter speed priority, isolate the foam, polarizing filter, capture rock and foliage in the scene, cue on diagonals, keep it simple, look for S curves, capture the sky, go below the flow, and get in the flow. Seems like a lot to remember, but overall is common sense as to what we have already learned from the book so far. Another issue that arises in this section is some precautions that should be taken when shooting water scenes. Water sprays sometimes mainly when dealing with rivers and waterfalls, so some advice is to shoot farther away with a longer lens. Keep your camera covered with a plastic to protect it. Keep your lens free of drops or mist. Also for yourself make sure you wear the right gear such as waders, extra clothes, shorts, and lost of material to dry off with.

Bonfires of Aututmn

This section tells us of some excellent places to look for picture sources that will help capture an autumn mixture. Again he tells us to use polarizing filters to help eliminate reflections, use cloudy mid-mornings to gain less wind and ample light that will give you sharp detail. Shoot when the land is wet to give your picture a "soaked look" that has lots of color saturation. Also look for complementary colors.

Photogenic Opportunities

This again was a short section but gives some good incite to some things to look for to help capture those images that we are all looking for. Color, clouds, calm weather, angles, moody weather, foreground features, open horizons, reflecting water, and good environments. These features or whatever you would like to call them are items to look for when you are needing inspiration for shooting or for new ideas.

Expressing Perspective

This was a particularly short section but there isn't much to say for portraying a perspective. You can use different angling of the camera to capture different scenes so that you can get a whole image in a shot. It also deals with depth and taking scenery depth into mind when wanting to get a image that is very far away while also getting a image that is right in front of you as well in to a photo.

Art of the possible

This sections deals with adapting your shooting to the natural conditions. Sunrise's are more preferable to shoot landscape scenes. Early morning for wildlife, midday for recharging yourself and getting ready for evening shoots. Late afternoons you can use for scouting for landscapes or areas where wildlife might be. Sunset you can shoot landscapes again but from another perspective of darker colors and tones.

Composition Basics

This section describes the basic ways to compile a photo. In dealing with composition we are talking about what is seen in the scene. Such as a animal, flowers, mountains, people. It can also deal with colors, lines, shapes, and sizes. Color can play a big role in composition when dealing with soft and hard colors and brightness. Certain colors can bring out a image that you may want to stand out. Placement of objects is also important because having a focus center will help draw the viewer in to the photo. You can also do thirds instead of have a focus center. You can also have a theme that will give your scene a fullness to it, capturing it as a whole.

Illuminating the scene

In this section light is the topic and it can come in many different forms. Lighting is another key that can really help capture a scene. There are different times that are better for capturing some scenes. Such as overcast light, frontlight, sidelight, backlight, and twilight. These terms are set as to where the sun is in direction of either you or in the sky. The best times to shoot are early morning or in the evening(twilight) because the light is softer and different colors are displayed giving scenes a different image that you may not capture during the daytime.

Aperture and Shutter Speed

This section is probably one of the hardest concepts to grasp. For this section i will try to explain in my own terms to as what they are. I will start with shutter speed. Shutter speed is pretty much what it sounds like. It is the amount of time it takes for the shutter of the lens to open and close. The faster the shutter speed the less light aloud in and the darker the picture will be. The slower the shutter speed the more light aloud and the brighter the picture. Aperture is the depth to field. Meaning that it is how much of the lens is used. It can be opened wide to gain more area yet the detail will be a little hazy or it can be closed somewhat and then you gain more detail and lose some area. It takes time to master these two features of a camera but once you gain the concept you can take some amazing photos that really capture a scene.

Exposure

In the exposure section we learn that exposure is the total amount of light allowed into the image during the time of taking a photograph. So when talking about an exposure it refers to what is called a shutter cycle, meaning how much light is allowed in during the time it takes the shutter to open and close.

Logistics in the field

Logistics in the field section tells us how to transport, access, and protect our equipment while being in the field. This section is important because if we can manage our equipment easily the more time and fun we can have while taking photos. Some of the things mentioned is a photo vest which is great for having easy access to gear, while being comfortable moving around. Extra film or memory cards depending on what you are shooting with. Have a means of communication in case of an emergency. For person preference it is recommended to take a brimmed hat, pepper spray, compass, lighter, knife, and waders. So in other terms a small survival kit. It is also important to stay dry and keep your equipment dry. While staying dry is important staying warm may be more important. Dress in layers!!!

Landscape Optics

The landscape optics section stresses the importance of lenses and how lenses are a key factor of how scenes are recorded. There are a couple important points to remember for lenses. A lens should have a high quality image at small apertures, should accept the same filter size, have well-designed zoom lenses, and the should focus internally. It also covers different types of lenses such as normal, wide-angle, telephoto, and tilt/shift lenses. No one lens is better than the other it is just a matter of what type of photographs you are deciding to shoot determines the type of lens you would want to consider.

Camera Systems

This section tells us of how the digital camera has taken over the photography world today. It talks about the ease of using digital camera's compared to film camera's. Digital camera's have all the settings at hand and can be changed in a matter of a second. This section also talks about camera formats as well, such as the most popular 35mm to medium and large formatting. Large formats are great for landscapes, while medium format is great for detail and 35mm is just an all around format. Towards the end we discuss tripods and that stabilization is a key factor while choosing a tripod that fits you.

Think I found one!!!

So in my search for a new digital SLR i think i found one that I like. It a Nikon D60 10.2MP 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6G VR. If anyone knows anything about this SLR please feel free to let me know.

Broken Camera

Well in my attempt to take photographs this weekend my camera was.....well lets say broken but in reality it was dropped and shattered into big pieces. So if anyone has any idea to what type of digital camera i should get next i would like ideas. But for now ill resort back to the Kodak digital that i have as well.

Inspiration

In looking for more inspiration i have decided to find two other landscape photographers.
The first person whose work i found intriguing was John Sexton. The way he uses the light to help bring the image to life is amazing. I like the use of color as well. You will see this when you click on the link below.

http://www.johnsexton.com/recollectionspages01.html

The second person i selected was David Muench. Many of his nature photographs have a texture to them. What i mean by this is they really capture the live look of nature. He does this by capturing the true colors.

http://www.muenchphotography.com/

Part 1 Favorite Picture

My favorite picture from part 1 is the one on page 33.(Totem Pole and yei bi Chei, Monument Valley, Arizona) I like the shadow casted from the rock formations. The picture has a good flow to it as well from left to right. It appears darker from the left side and gets lighter as it continues right. The sky gives off a stormy appeareance on the left side as well, with the lighter side shining bright giving a sense of hope so to say. I may be anazlying this picture more than i should be but it is one of those pictures that you can use to display many different views.

Week 1

For my first post i decided to look at Art Wolfe and choose a place and than find two artists from that area and tell why i chose them.

Arctic Natinal Wildlife Refuge in Alaska

The first photographer i chose was Jim M. Goldstein. I like his photographs because he used a wide view that captured a vast amount of scenery. His photograph of the refuge really shows the vast climate and weather changes in one picture.

http://www.jmg-galleries.com/articles/ANWR_arctic_national_wildlife_refuge.html

The second photographer i chose was Roddy Scheer. I like his photographs because of the many different tones of light and color in his pictures. His pictures arent dull nor bright but have a calmness about them.

http://www.roddyscheer.com/photo_keyword_result.php?keyword=Alaska