Posts Tagged Canon 24-70 f/2.8L
Sunset Storm over Albuquerque
Posted by Doug Otto in Photography on August 30, 2010
Click to Enlarge
Taken with Canon 5D and Canon 24-70 f/2.8. ISO 100, f/11, 1/4 second exposure. Exposure balanced with a Singh-Ray 3 stop, hard, graduated neutral density filter.
Cloudless morning, Mono Lake
Posted by Doug Otto in Photography on August 18, 2010
Last week I spent a few days in the Eastern Sierra. My son leaves for the Navy early next week. The trip was the last chance to spend some time with him, outdoors, for quite a while. Other than the decision to move from one campground to another, it was a relaxing trip. We collected trout and mosquito bites before finally heading home.
While the weather was perfect for a vacation, it wasn’t very conducive to good photography. California summer “blank blues” were the dominant weather pattern. Regardless of the conditions I still choose to get out and experience the calm of the morning. After walking around and doing some shooting in the South Tufa area of Mono Lake, I turned and saw that the sun would be cresting the mountains at any second. I literally ran towards the water’s edge to get in position. I dialed in the exposure and with just a few seconds to spare was ready to catch the first ray of light.
To get the starburst on from the sun I dialed my aperture to f/22 (a setting I rarely use for any other reason).
Local Dogwoods
Posted by Doug Otto in Photography on July 29, 2010
I just love Dogwood blooms. So delicate and fleeting, it’s a magical flower. When not in bloom it’s a rather non-descript tree/bush but for a week or so in spring, they’re amazing. I’ve had a love hate relationship with the dogwood in Yosemite for a of couple years now. The timing of the bloom has proven to be my undoing. Try as I might, I always seem to miss “the peak” by a week or so. Maybe someday I’ll get it right.
With just one or two non-native exceptions, the dogwood in Yosemite are all, white petaled, Pacific Dogwood. This image was taken much closer to home and is a pink variety of Eastern Dogwood. By much closer, I mean 175 miles closer. I made this photograph at the Jensen Botanical Gardens just 2 miles from my house. It’s a tiny little garden that now belongs to a local parks and recreation district. Park policy, for years, has been that photographers must purchase a $10 daily permit to make images in the garden. Apparently you can drag your easel and paints in without a problem but to take a picture it costs $10. After pointing out that disparity to a park official I’ve been told that I can shoot there any time. I’m not sure what the original thought behind the regulation was but it seems a bit silly.
I made the image with my Canon 5D and 24-70 f/2.8f lens. I’ve considered replacing the lens with the 24-105 to fill a gap in my range but every time I see the buttery smooth bokeh this lens produces at f/2.8 I change my mind.
Why I never delete anything
Posted by Doug Otto in Photography on May 18, 2010
Click to Enlarge
I often get asked questions about digital workflow. In particular, folks want to know the process I use to pick and reject images. It’s honestly something that I’m not very good at. Right after a shoot I usually go through my images and pick the few that really stand out. I’ll work on those until I’m happy with them and then start going back through the rest of the images. Usually is the important word.
Yesterday while organizing some files on my hard drive I stumbled on this moonlit shot from November 2008. I honesty don’t recall ever seeing it and barely remember taking it. Opening this image for the first time felt a little bit like winning the lottery. It’s a good thing I never delete anything.
I wonder what else I can find?
Cheers
Flooded Meadow, Yosemite Falls
Posted by Doug Otto in Photography on April 24, 2010
Click to Enlarge
A few months ago I finished reading Tao of Photography: Seeing Beyond Seeing. While I have no intention of converting to Taoism it was a good read. An engineer by vocation and photographer by avocation, I sometimes struggle with my analytical mind. While creativity truly comes from within it’s interesting to see other approaches of connecting to that inner self. Often, a mix of the analytic and creative is required to make thoughtful images.
I made this image on the last workshop trip in Yosemite. While the group all marched out to Swinging Bridge, where they could should in relative comfort, I trudged out into the flooded meadow. (Budding nature photographers take note: waterproof boots are your friends.) Before I was close enough to compose a shot I knew that would be reflection opportunities. Once I got there it was just a matter of letting my creativity turn it into an image.
After working this scene for a bit, I tipped off a few folks in the group and let them have a crack at the spot. In retrospect, I wish that I’d tried a few more compositions before tipping my hand and losing my location. There’s always next trip.
Cheers
Another sunny day in paradise
Posted by Doug Otto in Photography on March 26, 2010
I often ramble on about my desire to create fresh images but this is another view that I just never tire of. Perched above the West end of Yosemite Valley, the Tunnel View overlook draws hundreds of photographers each day. While it’s not often that you see an original image from this location it’s certainly not to be missed. This vantage is a bit different than the standard view but I’ve been sworn to secrecy over it’s exact location. I could tell you, but I’d have to…..
A classic view for a reason, this was the first location that we took the current workshop to. I thought that the wet granite and the blue reflection, from the sky, added interest and depth to the scene. To make the image I used my Canon 5D, and 24-70 lens at 28mm. To get adequate depth of field I set the aperture to f/11. There was a little more dynamic range than the camera could handle, so I brought down they sky with a Singh-Ray 2 stop graduated neutral density filter. While many would espouse the use of HDR imaging to handle the scene, I’d much rather correct it in the camera vs on the computer.
Cheers
World’s greatest taco stand
Posted by Doug Otto in Geek, Photography on February 9, 2010
Click to Enlarge
While Mexican food and landscape photography don’t generally share a common bond, that isn’t the case with this image.
The first step to overcoming an addiction is admitting that you have a problem. If you know me personally it’ll come as no shock to hear that, yes, I am taco junkie. I’m not talking those cardboard and packaged meat things you get from TacoBell™, I mean real tacos; some spiced meat in a soft corn tortilla with just onion, cilantro and salsa.
Over the summer of 2008 I took the family on a 5 day backpacking trip in Yosemite. The high country, in Summer, is a great escape from the crowds in the valley. There’s a little spot along Yosemite creek, about 7 miles from the Tioga road, where we like to set up camp. From there it’s an easy day hike to North Dome, Yosemite Point & falls or El Capitan; where this image was taken.
Rather than rely on packaged food, we always cook and dehydrate our own meals. It’s easy to do and it tastes WAY better than the bagged meals. On this particular day, my son had set a goal:
We should have tacos on top of El Capitan!
After a moderate 4 mile hike we were treated to this view. While my son started setting up the Jetboil stove, I took the time to make this image. After a few shots I sat down and had lunch at the greatest taco stand in the world.
Cheers
Storms are opportunities
Posted by Doug Otto in Photography on January 21, 2010
Click to Enlarge
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
Mount Hoffman
Posted by Doug Otto in Photography on January 11, 2010
Click to Enlarge
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
A day at the beach
Posted by Doug Otto in Photography on December 16, 2009
Click to Enlarge
This probably isn’t the beach that you were expecting but I’d much rather be here than at the ocean. Cathedral beach is a labeled picnic area on Southside drive in Yosemite. While near Cathedral rocks, the most prominent feature is El Capitan. Reflection possibilities abound with the Merced river winding through the area. In the winter the gate is almost always closed but it’s a very easy walk from the road. I took this shot on the same morning as the previous entry.
The real story about this shot is the fact that it sat, untouched, on my hard drive for almost a year. Generally speaking I’m usually very good about sorting my images right after a shoot. Apparently I’d been so happy with the previous shot that I didn’t bother to go through the other images from that morning. Processing this shot yesterday was a lot like finding a lost wallet with a 20 dollar bill inside. As luck would have it, I found a few more from the same morning but I’ll save those for another day.
Cheers
- Binary Emulsion on FacebookVisit my gallery to see more of my images.Binary Emulsion Gallery
Get Filter Calc for your iPhone or Touch.
Back up your computer, before you wish you had. I use it and you can try it free for 15 days.
Translator
