Innholdsfortegnelse for May 2016 i Outdoor Photographer

Photographer: Ian Plant Location: Los Cuernos, Torres del Paine National Park, Chile Equipment: Canon EOS 5D Mark II, Canon EF 24-105mm ƒ/4L IS USM, polarizer filter, 2-stop graduated ND filter Situation: I’ve been traveling to the Patagonia region of Chile and Argentina for the past six years, and I’m always inspired by this awesome mountain landscape. I made this photo in March 2011, before a huge wildfire burned much of Torres del Paine in Chile, leaving large swaths of the landscape blackened. I feel lucky that I managed to capture this stunning sunrise, although by now the vegetation has begun to grow back. I had scouted this location the day before when it was raining, and although it was difficult to see the full scene in the drizzle and low…

In late 1969, photographer Boyd Norton traveled from Idaho to Washington, D.C., with his story layout for Audubon magazine’s upcoming January 1970 issue. He spread the pages on the desk of Oregon Senator Bob Packwood. Norton’s photographs and words revealed the story of Hells Canyon. The deepest river-carved gorge in North America, Hells Canyon was formed by the Snake River along the border of Oregon and Idaho. Despite its spectacular scenery, wildlife and recreation opportunities, the canyon was slated to be dammed. The Senator studied the pages in silence. Finally, he looked at Norton and said, “Holy smoke! Is this in my state?” Senator Packwood went on to introduce a bill to the U.S. Congress to protect Hells Canyon. He floated through it on the Snake River in 1974 and…

Focus stacking involves blending multiple exposures of the same scene, each taken with the focus set to a different point, and using a computer program such as Adobe Photoshop (or a dedicated focus-stacking program such as Helicon Focus) to combine the images. With focus stacking, you no longer have to rely on small, diffraction-limited apertures to get sufficient depth of field for near-far landscape scenes. Instead, you can achieve exceptional near-far focus exceeding what you can get using depth of field alone. The process is fairly easy. After composing your image, make a series of photos, starting by focusing on the closest part of the scene, making small focus adjustments until you get to the background (typically, five to seven images will be sufficient, although some extreme compositions may require…

Long-Lens Balance Q I’m planning a trip to Namibia and purchased a fixed-focal-length 400mm “L” Canon lens (f/5.6) in anticipation of great opportunities for wildlife photography. I use the lens with a Canon EOS 70D body, and in first trials with wild birds near home, I experienced too much lag time in getting the subjects sighted. In addition, I found that mounting the camera/lens to a mono-pod via the camera mount to be frighteningly unstable. The lens came with a removable metal collar, but I don’t use it because it gets in the way when I’m handholding the setup. E. Torch Atlanta, Georgia A There are two main reasons why it’s difficult to “find” the subject when working with long lenses. First, the longer the lens, the smaller the angle…

LOCATION Crested Butte is located in the heart of the Colorado Rocky Mountains. At an elevation of nearly 9,000 feet, this popular ski town, named after the nearby mountain, is surrounded by alpine meadows, vast aspen groves and towering peaks. There are activities for all ages and countless other ways to enjoy this beautiful place. Crested Butte is roughly 230 miles southwest of Denver, and it’s well worth the trip. WEATHER There’s a saying up here, “If you don’t like the weather, wait 10 minutes.” The weather can be extreme and fast-changing anytime of year, so always pack rain gear, plenty of water and extra food. Summer temps are mild, rarely getting above 80º F. Winter temps are often well below 0º F, and it’s common to get below freezing…

“Twilight erupts over an ancient bristlecone pine. I may have ‘accidentally’ pointed Steve Turner in the wrong direction, causing him to miss the beautiful color.” As a professional landscape photographer, I’m finding it considerably more difficult to write this article than I had planned. Conditions here on location are extreme, which makes the mere task of typing arduous, and the head trauma I suffered during this morning’s treacherous shoot is making thoughtful words challenging to come by. Actually, that’s a lie. All of it. I’m not a professional landscape photographer. I’m a cookie-obsessed commercial airline pilot observing my middle-aged waistline get larger and my hair grow cheerfully in all the wrong places. The only injury I’ve sustained today is a cut to my nose from shaving—which I didn’t even think…

Wide-angle lenses—those with focal lengths of about 35mm or wider—are the most popular choice for landscape photography because their perspective allows you to capture the grandeur of a scene, incorporating foreground, mid-ground and background elements in a broad, encompassing view. That doesn’t mean that standard and telephoto focal-length lenses can’t be used effectively for landscape photography. For compositions where the most interesting light and subjects are distant, telephoto lenses can help you get closer, and can also be used to isolate landscape elements like a lone tree for simple, graphic images. If you’re building your first lens kit for landscape photography, however, we recommend starting with a wide prime or zoom, or for a budget alternative, a superzoom that covers the whole range of focal lengths from wide to tele.…

Opening At Sunset Photo by Jarred Decker “I took this image on the Nevada side of South Lake Tahoe in January 2015. It was my first time there since childhood, and I spent the afternoon trying to find a good spot to shoot the sunset. I was excited when I came across Zephyr Cove. I came back to the location for sunset, and was pretty bummed that it had gotten completely overcast. After hanging out for a bit, I noticed the clouds were moving into some of the most amazing UFO-like formations I had ever seen, and then, out of nowhere, they parted, leaving a beautiful blue opening and amazing reddish tones through the sky and clouds. To this day, I’ve never seen any cloud formations as unique and intense…

If I’ve learned anything during my long career as a landscape photographer, it’s that the learning never ends. We can always expand our knowledge, improve our technique and connect with our subjects more deeply. I strive to be a better photographer every time I pick up my camera. Light, as we all know, is a critical element for making great photographs and, therefore, a key to improving. Use ordinary light and your photographs will be ordinary. Many years ago, I made a conscious decision to become a lifelong student of light. Seeing light, learning the light, is a daily practice for me. One of the most dramatic lighting conditions for landscape photography occurs when light and shadow work together to define a subject. The contrast of a backlit branch of…

Like fellow lovers of landscape photography, I’ve spent many a season roaming the crown jewels of our National Park System. Starting in the 1970s in Yosemite and Death Valley, then Grand Canyon and Utah’s Grand Circle, I’ve photographed my way through Rocky Mountain, Grand Teton, Yellowstone, Glacier, Mount Rainier and Alaska’s mind-blowing parks—Denali, Lake Clark, Glacier Bay, Kenai Fiords and Wrangell-St. Elias. Later, I shot Hawai‘i Volcanoes and Haleakalá, and truly believed that in exploring and shooting 40 of the 59 national parks, I had seen all possible landscape types, from alpine tundra to deserts and even island volcanoes. Tropical beaches never crossed my mind. Being a Westerner, I have a built-in bias for big skies and spacious parks, where one can hike a few miles and easily find true…

Ground Control To Pigeon Guillemots! Staked out along the water’s edge on the Hood Canal in western Washington State, where a colony of pigeon guillemots burrow nesting sites in a hillside overlooking a secluded bay, Ken Archer captured a near-collision of two of the birds as they returned for the evening. “Flying into the bay just above the water’s surface at what seems like 90 mph,” explains Archer, “the guillemots’ flight is fast, erratic and amusing. Just before landing, their bright red feet come out in front of them to help slow their approach, and at the last second, they pull up their feet, roll their body forward and bellyflop into the water to a screeching halt. It’s extremely comical to watch and very challenging to photograph.” To see more…