Innholdsfortegnelse for November 2013 i Outdoor Photographer

Photographer: Jim Shoemaker Location: DoubleArch, Arches National Park, Utah Equipment: Canon EOS 5D Mark II, Canon EF 16-35mm ƒ/2.8L USM, Gitzo tripod, Manfrotto ballhead, Singh-Ray warming polarizer, cable release Situation: Over the years, photographer Jim Shoemaker has made several trips to Arches National Park, exploring Double Arch in the famous “Windows” section and the surrounding area extensively. Fans of Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade will recognize this place from the movie, where a young Indiana Jones comes across illicit treasure hunters. Shoemaker found no hidden artifacts, but he did make an excellent photo of this unique place. Describing the Double Arch area, Shoemaker says, “Every time I see the iconic Double Arch, I get a nostalgic rush of Indiana Jones-like excitement. Instead of a stylish fedora, I wear a…

SONY RX100 II A compact camera with ultra-low-light capability, the Sony RX100 II with a 28-100mm Exmor R Sonnar T* ƒ/1.8 fixed lens fits in your pocket on days when you want to travel light. The 1-inch CMOS reverse structure sensor increases sensitivity by 40% from the RX100. The 3.0-inch White Magic LCD screen tilts 84° up and 45° down to aid in overhead and waist-level shooting. A 24p video option has been added to the 1080p60 standard included in the original RX100. A shoe-mount expands versatility, allowing the addition of a viewfinder, flash or clip-on LCD monitor. A shutter-release remote control may be added with a Multi Terminal. The RX100 II includes a built-in WiFi connection and Near Field Communication technology for smooth one-touch asset transfer between devices, as…

If I can name one thing in photography that really brings the kid out in me, it has to be light painting. Lately, I’ve been using light painting to expand on my nighttime photography. I recently used it, while on assignment, to illuminate the environment of scientists doing night work with tree kangaroos. In the photo here, I used the technique to light a climber ascending the ultra-classic chimney route Agamemnon in Mount Arapiles in Australia. The basic concept of light painting is pretty easy to master; you need a dark space that allows you to set a long exposure of at least several seconds with your camera fixed on a tripod. Light painting simply involves exposing the scene by moving a light around, like a flashlight, while the exposure…

Digital photography is an amazing medium. The rate in which quality and performance are increasing is staggering, and the possibilities are endless. It’s as if the digital age has opened up an entirely new world of thinking; I’m constantly amazed at the new things I see and how modern-day photographers push the envelope to create mind-blowing work that borders on the bleeding edge. I had been primarily a wildlife photographer until a few years ago when I started spending more time focusing on nature landscapes. I found landscape photography enjoyable. I also found it to be challenging when trying to find my own unique take on the classic vista points and well-photographed national parks. I chose panoramic images as my first attempts in finding my own landscape style, yet my…

In the early 1970s, when SLR photography experienced its first major growth spurt and digital was an uncommon phrase that referred to the use of one’s fingers, the Holy Grail of lenses, at least for Nikon owners, consisted of three Nikkors: the 24mm ƒ/2.8, 105mm ƒ/2.5 and 50mm ƒ/1.4. Add a 55mm ƒ/3.5 Micro-Nikkor and the ultra-exclusive 80-200mm ƒ/4.5 Zoom-Nikkor, and you had a set of glass that could handle virtually any photographic assignment—if you could afford them. When autofocus cameras crept into the market in 1985, camera and lens manufacturers began the slow process of replacing most of the classic glass with AF models. Manual-focus lenses stuck around for a while, even on AF bodies, but the handwriting was on the wall. Lenses that were already a generation old,…

When you’re shooting macro, sharpness is especially critical. The power and impact of a shot at extreme magnification deteriorates significantly when it’s soft or exhibits motion blur. Motion blur can be defeated by choosing an appropriate shutter speed, and you can ensure sharpness by using a small aperture to gain depth of field. But what happens when you want a shallow depth of field? For those images, your technique needs to be spot on. Here are a few quick tips to help you get perfect macro shots every time. Having a rock-steady tripod is a great way to prevent any kind of camera shake, obviously. Anchoring your camera on a solid tripod also gives you the freedom to concentrate on critical focus in the frame. Your camera’sAF system might try…

Kathleen P. Turner says that she and her group had spent the majority of a photo tour to capture bears in Katmai National Park & Preserve, Alaska, working with very little of the expected subject matter, but plenty of rain. “This was my last day,” she laughs about the weeklong downpour, “the sun was finally shining, but most of the other photographers had left because the light had become so harsh. I know lighting is everything in photography, but in this case it paid off to hang around to get this shot. This momma bear and two cubs were enjoying a midday nap, and I was there to catch it, bright light and all.” Nikon D300S, AF VR Zoom-Nikkor 80-400mm ƒ/4.5-5.6D ED…

In Romeo and Juliet, Juliet famously says, “What’s in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet.” She’s right, it would smell as sweet, but, of course, she would come to learn that while a rose would smell as sweet, she and her beloved couldn’t outrun the cruel hands of fate that shackled the star-crossed lovers to their families’ long and violent feud. I wish the photo industry did a better job of naming things. The SLR was great; it’s catchy and it’s descriptive. But other than SLR and, of course, DSLR, I’m hard-pressed to think of any particularly good names for any photographic technology. Film? It’s something that you brush off your teeth in the morning. Medium format? How about just…

Starring The Sparkles Specular highlights, those seemingly random pinpoints of light reflected from shiny surfaces, can be huge distractions in photography. As faithful readers know, I’ve spent a lot of time perfecting my cross-polarization methods to remove highlights that obscure detail in shiny subjects such as tide-pool residents, lush foliage and minerals. When gloss is a defining characteristic of a subject, it can be a challenge to control the shine to render a natural photographic interpretation. But highlights, like some other troublesome photographic phenomena (such as graininess, for example), can be turned to artistic advantage when intentionally emphasized. When the sun appears in the frame, it’s quite common to exaggerate the large point of light into a starburst by using a wide-angle lens stopped down to its minimum aperture (ƒ/22).…

After many safaris, cheetahs are still among the most alluring subjects in Africa to me. Unlike lions, who sleep most of the day, cheetahs are daytime hunters. And unlike leopards, they live their lives in the open. Cheetahs are renowned for their ability to go from 0 to 60 mph in a few seconds—perhaps the ultimate challenge for any photographer, even with an autofocus lens. They lead a high-performance, but high-risk, lifestyle. Cheetahs know they’re vulnerable, and they run more often from, than toward, other animals. When I tracked cheetahs for National Geographic, I learned that males live longer when they band together in coalitions. I became acquainted with a trio of brothers known as Honey’s Boys who ruled a portion of Kenya’s Masai Mara that’s heavily visited by tourists.…

Today’s mirrorless cameras offer the nature photographer DSLR image quality in much smaller packages The original concept behind the mirrorless interchangeable-lens camera was to provide DSLR image quality without DSLR bulk. The image-quality part was easy: Just use a DSLR sensor—first, Four Thirds size, in the Micro Four Thirds cameras from Panasonic and Olympus, then, APS-C in cameras from Samsung and Sony, and later Fujifilm, Pentax, Canon and Leica. The compact part was achieved largely by eliminating the DSLR’s bulky SLR mirror box and pentaprism or pentamirror viewfinder. The big drawback of early mirrorless cameras was slow autofocusing. DSLRs use phase-detection AF, which (theoretically) can determine from a single reading whether the image is in focus, and if not, in which direction it’s out and by how much. Mirrorless cameras…

Creating a compelling short film is easy, with a little planning and a willingness to stop what you’re doing and position the camera and the action properly. Most motion clips of weekend activities are boring because they’re shot from one vantage point with one focal length so the viewer never gets a feel for visual variety. In this article, we’ll show you how to mix things up to build a film that will entice your audience instead of putting them to sleep. The art of an action film lies in making it look easy to do. In reality, it’s not difficult, but it does take some planning. Have athletes, hikers or skiers, or as in our example, mountain bikers, who are up for doing some stops and starts during the…

Hawaii Photo Seminars “Rekindling The Creative Spirit” For the 25th year, Hui Ho’olana Retreat Center offers a photographic intensive workshop, “Rekindling the Creative Spirit,” as it ventures deeper into the art of photography and returns to “old Hawaii.” National Geographic freelance photographers Rik Cooke and Dewitt Jones (OP columnist), international photographer and author TheresaAirey, and Photoshop whiz Jonathan Kingston will take you to explore the incredible beauty of Molokai—from the highest sea cliffs in the world and the most sacred valleys to the warm waters of secluded beaches. These are four of the finest technical and inspirational teachers you’ll find. In the lab, you’ll manage digital files, learning new and exciting techniques in Photoshop to maximize and communicate what you’ve experienced. This workshop is about expanding your creative vision and…

First Place Photographer: Kendall Rittenour | Location: Rushing Creek Below Moraine Lake Congratulations to Kendall Rittenour who’s the First Place winner of this year’s Focus On Nature photo contest. Thanks to sponsorship from Ilford, Rittenour will receive $1,000 in cash and a $500 gift certificate for Ilford paper products. Rittenour describes the winning photo: “I’ve been to Moraine Lake many times, but this time I tried a fresh perspective. Instead of the typical vantage point everyone shoots, I saw people walking over this creek on their way to the main lookout and knew it would make a great foreground. I balanced on some rocks in the creek to capture the shot.” Canon EOS 5D Mark II, Canon EF 24-70mm ƒ/2.8L USM, heavy-duty tripod Second Place Photographer: Leif Smith Location: Palouse…

Location The Hocking Hills region of southeastern Ohio, also referred to as Hocking Hills State Park, is a combination of six separate smaller park areas that include Cedar Falls (pictured), Ash Cave, Old Man’s Cave, Conkle’s Hollow State Nature Preserve, Rock House and Cantwell Cliffs. Lake Hope, Lake Logan and Rose Lake are also located in this area, which totals roughly 2,000 acres of woodlands, gorges and hollows. It’s a nature photographer’s paradise because so much material can be found within a 15-to 20-minute drive between most of these locations. What makes this part of Ohio unique—actually considered the beginning of the Appalachian Foothills—are the sandstone gorges. Gushing waterfalls and flush streams pour through carved sandstone amongst towering hemlocks (remnants of the last Ice Age). The Hocking Hills region is…

Adam Barker is a man of needs. He left a steady corporate job because he felt deep down in his bones that he needed to pursue his dream. Now, as a working commercial photographer, he feels the need to do everything in his power to make his business thrive. He also feels the need to avoid mediocrity at all costs; he needs to excel, which he does, because he has found a way to combine the needs of his business with his personal creative needs: photographing the outdoors. “Landscape is my first love,” he says, “it’s where I fell in love with photography. I’m a stickler on shooting that which you’re passionate about. But, as my business has progressed, it really has taken a backseat to what pays the bills,…

Consider the talents of a 90mm macro lens at both ends of the We took a Tamron SP 90mm F/2.8 Di VC USD lens into the field to shoot everything from close-ups to broad scenics. Your macro isn’t limited to small stuff. The Face Of The Landscape In traditional terms, the focal-length range from 80mmto135mmhas been considered ideal for portraits. There’s something about the modest compression that flattens facial perspective while drawing close to lips and eyes. This has changed, to some degree, in more recent years. One, with the advent of sub-frame digital cameras, this focal-length range is cropped by the sensor to act like about 1.5X. Also, it became popular for swimsuit photographers to use as much as 300mm or more for the special effects of soft backgrounds,…

The landscape of the Colorado Plateau is ephemeral, a changeling, although to beings with short life spans, this land seems immutable, a constant. But in canyon country, stunning changes can occur in a single afternoon, altering the course of a stream, stranding a waterfall, even creating a new unheralded cascade. Thus, it has always been in Havasupai, named for the people of the blue-green water. Havasupai, the mythic side canyon hidden well to the west of the South Rim summer mayhem and adjoining Grand Canyon National Park, has always been near the top of my favorite locations to photograph. I’ve been lucky to shoot this desert Shangri-la a dozen times since the late 1970s, with a progression of cameras from a large-format 4x5 to a Pentax 6x7 to a variety…

Digital image files have made it simple for any photographer to upload and print their own high-quality photo books. A few options online include Bay Photo, Blurb, Mpix, AdoramaPix, AsukaBook, BookBaby and PhotoBook Press, among others. Each of the companies we look at here offers a variety of customizable sizes, designs and features for making your book stand out from the pack. As convenient as a tablet is, there’s a special cache that comes with a printed book. When you show it to friends and family, or just have it sitting out on your coffee table, the printed page has an allure that compels people to look. If you’re looking to build a photography business, even a part-time weekend business, a book is a perfect way to show off what…