Stormy skies
Posted by Doug Otto in Photography on February 3, 2010
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Sometimes good nature photography requires some suffering. In the case of this image, the suffering translated to very wet pants on a cold windy day.
I told much of the story of this image in a previous post. After witnessing a break in a large storm that had just passed through, I grabbed my gear and headed to the foothills above Sacramento. Although not raining when I arrived, shortly thereafter a cell developed and the rain started coming sideways. I ran to the car, and started going through my gear:
Rain cover for the camera; check.
Hat; check.
Umbrella; check.
Waterproof jacket; check.
Rain pants; oops.
The umbrella helped keep the front element of the camera dry but with the raining coming down sideways, it did little to keep my dry. It only took a few minutes for my jeans to be completely. The rain stopped after about 15 minutes but the wind coming through my cold, wet, pants reminded me of the event for the rest of the afternoon.
I could have hid in the car until the rain subsided but I’d have never gotten this shot. Being warm and dry isn’t always all that it’s cracked up to be.
I’ve been doing most of my shooting with my 7D but I wanted to go wider than the 24-70 would go on that body so I switched to my 5D for this shot. As much as I like the features and viewfinder on the 7D, there’s just something about a full frame sensor that can’t be duplicated.
Cheers
Horsetail fall
Posted by Doug Otto in Photography on January 28, 2010
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Often the journey is more important than the destination. Nothing underscores more for me thanHorsetail fall (Yosemite).
First made famous by the late Galen Rowell, Horsetail fall is a tiny water fall that can sometimes be seen on the side of El Capitan. What really makes it special is the treatment it gets, at sunset, during just a couple times each year. Fed by only a 30 acre watershed it often doesn’t flow at all, but when weather conditions are right it puts on an amazing show. Best viewed backlit, the fall appears as a river of fire down the side of the granite face.
Because of the special conditions, and timing required, Horsetail can be very elusive to photograph. While technically possible in the fall, due to the angle of the sun, Horsetail fall is traditionally photographed in middle to late February. Huge crowds of photographer arrive, each year, all trying to get the classic shot. Ironically, my best memories of Horsetail are of standing in the snow, shoulder to shoulder with some other photographers joking and laughing as we clicked away at the display. The photography was completely secondary. Even after “getting the shot” several times I still go back each year just for the experience.
This particular image was taken in late January from a less traditional location. Still early in the season for the full display, I liked it because of its different perspective. I took this shot with my Canon 100-400 from the edge of Southside drive, not far from Sentinel Beach.
Cheers
Keeping an eye on liberty
Posted by Doug Otto in Geek, Photography on January 25, 2010
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As I mentioned last week, I find macro photography to be very therapeutic. While I frequently drift from my landscape photography focus, macro photography is very similar; the compositions are just on a smaller scale.
About this time last year, I finished working on a custom macro lens. While sitting at home on a rainy weekend it occurred to me that I hadn’t tried it out on my new Canon 7D. The sensor format of the 7D gives it even more magnification than I get on my 5D. This image is a photograph of a small portion of a US dime. The area depicted is less than 5/16″ across. My, just turned 45 eyes, can’t even focus on it without my readers.
Cheers
Storms are opportunities
Posted by Doug Otto in Photography on January 21, 2010
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In Sacramento, we have it good. Compared to the rest of the nation, we really only have 3 seasons. What we call winter would be welcomed in much of the country. When we do actually get a bout of weather, people panic. After a steady stream of very wet storms, this week was no exception. The newspaper and every local news station had their redshirt character doing a spot outside, getting blasted by storm while telling us the obvious; it was raining.
For nature photographers, weather is an opportunity. Frequent readers of this blog often see me lament the blank blue skies that plaque California. While great for picnics, cloudless skies make for boring photography. Weather, especially right after a storm, can absolutely make a scene. Such was the case with this shot.
Last Monday, we got hit by a very wet storm. Around 2:30PM, we got a partial break that looked like it might last for a few hours. I threw my gear in the car and headed up to the foothills in the hope of catching a great sunset. About 20 minutes after I’d arrived, Gary Hart, pulled up behind me; completely unplanned. After shooting a while, we consolidated cars and headed down the road. With an eye on the developing sunset color, we found a spot that he’d shot at previously. On a fairly narrow road shoulder, we set up and tried our best to keep from being run over. At one point a friendly California Highway Patrol officer stopped by and told us: “I know it’s pretty, but you’re going to get killed.” Thankfully he was wrong and we both got some great shots.
To get this capture I used a Singh-Ray 3 stop reverse graduated neutral density filter. This special filter has a dark band in the center and slowly transitions to clear. For sunsets, on a fairly straight horizon, it’s a great tool. Bringing down the brightness at the horizon, the filter allowed me to get a good exposure on the rest of the sky. The same result could have been had by combining multiple exposures during processing but it’s always more rewarding to do it with the camera.
Cheers
Tiny Landscapes
Posted by Doug Otto in Photography on January 19, 2010
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There’s something very therapeutic about macro photography. When you shrink your view of the world to that of a tiny object it’s almost reminiscent of Alice in Wonderland. It’s very easy to get lost in the land of giants created by the lens.
A few years a go we had to remove a beautiful Ash tree in our yard. We were sad to see it go but it was beginning to damage our home’s foundation so we had little choice. The tree company ground up all of the surface roots but left a ton of organic material in the ground. Every time it rains we get some new fungus growing up through the lawn. The dog vomit slime mold is especially nice.
This little patch of mushrooms appeared about a week ago. To make this image, I used my ground tripod, Canon 7D and my 100 macro lens. I’m pretty sure my neighbors thought I was nuts, crawling around the yard.
Cheers
Just a leaf
Posted by Doug Otto in Photography on January 14, 2010
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If you’re a regular reader of this blog you know I often eschew the grand vista in favor of a more intimate view of the world. Such was the case with this image from my last Yosemite trip.
Along Southside drive in Yosemite, there is an unmarked parking area with two large trees protruding from the asphalt. Not far from Cathedral beach, it’s about the only location where you can see El Capitan from end to end. (Capturing that view requires a pretty wide lens) Since El Capitan gets its first light roughly 30 minutes after sunrise this location is a great place to head after you finish shooting sunrise.
On this particular morning I’d stopped, waited for the light and decided that breakfast was calling. The only clouds in the sky were jet trails and the light just wasn’t very interesting. On my trek back to the car I walked past this leaf. The frozen texture was what initially caught my eye but the angles of the branches is what really tied it together. With nothing but snow in the background it was a perfect setup for a high key approach.
The exposure was very simple. With the aperture set to f/11 I dialed down my shutter speed until my meter read +3 and took the shot. Overexposing the snow caused the entire background to go white, removing any distracting elements.
Cheers
Mount Hoffman
Posted by Doug Otto in Photography on January 11, 2010
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While not one of Yosemite’s tallest peaks, at nearly 11,000 feet Mount Hoffman is still respectable. The spelling of the name seems to vary between Hoffman and Hoffmann I’m not sure which is correct but Ansel Adams referred to it by the former and that’s good enough for me.
I took this shot on the same evening as a previous post. Shooting star trails were the goal of the trip for me so this was just a bonus. Having endured many a cloudless sunsets from the top of Sentinel dome, this one was a real treat. The big lenticular cloud over Hoffman was the icing on the cake.
To make this image I used my Canon 5D. The relative closeness of the scrub in the foreground required an aperture of f/16. At this point some folks would be reaching for a hyperfocal chart but that’s all a bit too formal for me. When dealing with such a large depth of field (DOF), I generally will focus on the foreground element most important to me and then adjust the lens to just beyond that point. The result is a sharp foreground and an acceptably sharp background.
Cheers
Last light on Half Dome
Posted by Doug Otto in Photography on January 7, 2010
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This morning I worked on a talk that I hope to give at the NANPA Summit in February. The theme of the nights program is Discovery. My first experience with this location turned out to be a discovery that really wasn’t.
As I’ve mentioned before, we snow camp in Yosemite for New Years. Last year, 2008, my wife and I donned the snow shoes on New Year’s eve morning. We parked near Ahwahnee Meadow and made our way towards the Merced River. We trudged along through fresh snow, the only footprints around were from an occasional dear or small furry thing. We felt like we were the only people around for miles. During our walk I took pictures of the snow, the frost in the trees and reflections in the river.
After a couple of hours we popped into a clearing and were gifted with a view much like above image. I quickly set up my gear and took a number of photographs from this newly found “secret spot.” After I’d worked the scene to my satisfaction, I turned around and noticed the snow covered picnic tables. Behind the tables was a parking lot that we could have driven to. So much for my discovery.
The area is called Camp 6 and is just across the road from Yosemite Village. Even though it didn’t turn out to me “my spot” I still return there from time to time. While a classic view, it’s not as frequently photographed as many other locations. This image was taken last Wednesday evening, shortly after we arrived in the park.
Cheers
Happy 2010
Posted by Doug Otto in Photography on January 5, 2010
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To steal a quote, stumbled upon while browsing the net, “Life is like a roll of toilet paper. The closer you are to the end, the faster it goes.” After how fast 2009 seemed to blaze by, I think it’s appropriate. I hope the New Year finds you and your loved ones well.
It’s a challenge to go to a place as widely photographed as Yosemite and come back with fresh images. The challenge isn’t the availability of the subjects as much as learning to see them. Once seen, the next step is figuring out how to make it into an image.
On New Year’s day morning, I did what I often do when presented with overcast skies, I went to Bridal Veil fall. Bridal Veil is one of the few waterfalls in Yosemite that flows all year. While the water fall is a beautiful sight, most of the photographic opportunities are in the three streams flowing out from its base. Often requiring scrambling over rocks, you can be completely alone while the tourists stream up the path to the viewing area at base of the fall.
What caught my eye here was the foam on the top of the water. Directly above my location was a small cascade that was creating these bubbles on the surface of the water. Caught on a long exposure, I knew they would imply motion. The trick was finding something else to put in the frame. I walked around the area, doing my best to keep from falling in, looking through my camera to find a scene. (When shooting in the area, my Canon 100-400 is my most useful tool. Using a long lens helps compress perspective and lets you “carve” out scenes and make them stand alone.) After finding this leaf, I knew I had my shot. While seemingly simple enough it took 10 frames, at varying exposures, to get this pleasing pattern. I settled on f/16 and 3.2 seconds.
Finding a scene like this is far more satisfying than creating it. While I didn’t place this leave, in the spirit of full disclosure, I did wash away some foam stuck to the near side of the rock. I almost never place a subject but I have no issue with removing a distraction. While something that could easily have been taken care of during processing I prefer to do it in the field.
Cheers
Cold and gold
Posted by Doug Otto in Photography on December 29, 2009
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As I often do, before a trip, I was going through some images that I took last year on New Year’s eve. Like last year we’ll be snow camping in Yosemite for the holiday. The weather forecast looks promising, although honestly just being there is enough.
I made this image at Valley View. The eastern sky was overcast and grey but there was a gap in the cloud layer on the western horizon. The gap allowed the days last light to reach El Capitan. Rather than take the image of the whole scene, which would have included the flat grey sky, I opted to frame just a reflection. I liked how the the three rocks formed an opposing triangle to the shape of El Cap. The warm light also made a nice contrast against the cold monochrome of the stream and snow.
To make the image I used my Canon 5D with a 100-400L. I was zoomed all the way out, at 100mm, and set my aperture to f/22. I normally avoid settings narrower than f/16 because of diffraction but I need to slow down the shutter speed to get the look of the water that you see here. The resulting exposure was 1.5 seconds at ISO 50.
Cheers
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