Innholdsfortegnelse for September 2017 i Outdoor Photographer

Location As if lifted from within the earth, a formation of clay, sandstone and volcanic ash known today as Courthouse Rock towers above the open prairie. Lesser known than Chimney Rock a few miles to the west, Courthouse Rock and its little brother, Jail Rock, were nonetheless important and identifiable landmarks for settlers in the early pioneer days. Early travelers on the Oregon, Mormon or Pony Express trails called the rock a “castle” or “capitol” for its resemblance to a large building, before settling on “courthouse.” A remaining symbol of days gone by, Courthouse Rock sits in the panhandle of Nebraska south of the town of Bridgeport. Not far from Highway 88 out of town, a small gravel road leads out to the two bluffs, making them very accessible. Weather…

Before I began shooting color photography (I had done black-and-white since I was six years old), I studied the work of painters and viewed hundreds of paintings. I learned how painters create both what they see in front of them and what they want to see, so that you can feel how the work comes from their hearts. The study of paintings has impacted my photography greatly. I spend a great deal of time watching the interaction of light with objects as it plays about in various scenes in nature. That has made me slow down and see nature on a much more intimate level. For this project, I literally focus on the light as it passes over and across the lily pads. I stalk a composition. I may be…

I love bears, and bear cubs even more. It doesn’t matter if they’re fluffy polar bear cubs or darker brown bear cubs; they all show wonderful behavior and character. Kamchatka is one of the most remote places on earth, in the far east of Siberia and closer to Alaska than anything else. Lake Kuril is in the southern tip of this peninsula, being the largest salmon spawning site in the entire Eurasian continent. It takes an hour-and-a-half helicopter flight to get there, and I’m fortunate enough to return there every year, guiding unique photography workshops in bear country. We spend four days with these magnificent bears, photographing them catching salmon, fighting and playing with each other. There are no barriers, no human impact and no stress, so we can photograph…

GRAND PRIZE “Kofa Mountains at Dawn” by Long Nguyen Last spring, I visited Kofa National Wildlife Refuge to photograph the desert cactus and mountains. This particular location is famous for abundant teddy bear cholla against the dramatic backdrop of Kofa Mountain. I camped there overnight for sunrise. These mountains were quite magical at the first light of the day, just when the sun rose and shined on the desert floor. I tried to photograph this scene backlit since that allows the cholla needles to glow and pop out in the image. This image is a composite of two exposures, one for the sky and one foreground, due to the high dynamic range of the scene. ➤ Canon EOS 5D Mark III, Canon EF 16-35mm f/2.8L l, Singh-Ray polarizer. Sky Exposure:…

In his foreword to Frans Lanting’s Into Africa, available this fall from publisher Earth Aware Editions, Wade Davis quotes former National Geographic Director of Photography Thomas Kennedy: “As a chronicler of natural history today, Frans Lanting is a singular, extraordinary talent. He has the mind of a scientist, the heart of a hunter, and the eyes of a poet.” Few photographers enjoy a career as celebrated as Lanting’s, and Outdoor Photographer has been fortunate to regularly present his work through the years in his recurring column “World View” and in feature articles like this, in which we present a selection of images and excerpts as a preview of his forthcoming monograph. “This book,” describes Lanting in its introduction, “is a mosaic of images and experiences that range from intimate moments…

Have you seen the movie “Glengarry Glen Ross?” It’s a great movie about salesmen and sales culture, and there’s a very memorable line from it. Actor Alec Baldwin makes a cameo to address a room full of burned-out real estate salesmen and set up the plot for the rest of the movie. Baldwin yells at a salesman played by the late Jack Lemmon, who is pouring coffee as Baldwin is trying to make a serious speech. Baldwin scolds him, barking, “Put the coffee down. Coffee is for closers!” Lemmon’s attention, along with that of the rest of the room, is swiftly grabbed, and Baldwin continues by announcing the rules for a new office contest. “First prize is a Cadillac Eldorado…Second prize is a set of steak knives. Third prize is…

In this issue, we’re excited to feature preview portfolios from the upcoming books of two longtime Outdoor Photographer contributors, Frans Lanting’s Into Africa, and William Neill – Photographer, a Retrospective, both of which will be available this fall. Into Africa expands upon Frans Lanting’s exhibit of the same name, presented by the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History and the National Geographic Society with support from the World Wildlife Fund. In the summer of 2015, we were fortunate to visit the exhibit which, in addition to Lanting’s incredible photography, also featured videos of him working on location in Africa that provide a rare look behind the scenes. In our portfolio feature, we present a selection of images that represent the primary themes of the upcoming book. In his article “Retrospective,”…

SWEET SPOT FULL-FRAME DSLR Photographers wanting to step up to a full-frame sensor have an excellent new option with the Canon EOS 6D Mark II , which includes several upgrades over its predecessor. The original 6D will remain in the lineup for now, priced at $1,399 for the body only, while the new 6D Mark II has a list price of $1,999 for the body only and is also offered in two kits: with the Canon EF 24-105mm f/3.5-5.6 STM lens for $2,599 or the EF 24-105mm f/4L IS USM II for $3,099. Canon has improved several key specifications in the EOS 6D Mark II compared to the original EOS 6D. The 26.2-megapixel full-frame sensor is new, with an increase of 6 megapixels of resolution over the 6D’s 20.2 MP.…

Cape Buffalo With Oxpecker While on safari in the Ngorongoro Crater in Tanzania, Barbara Fleming was finally able to capture the image she had been attempting for two years. “Many elements came together successfully to create this image,” Fleming explains. “Sidelight lit the oxpecker while the buffalo was kept in the shade, and this balance of light was crucial. I wanted a darker pallet for this image and think I got it, with the colorful oxpecker adding drama. I worked to capture both subjects in focus, which was very difficult to do, as both were moving in different directions and in different focal planes. The position of the vehicle that I was shooting from was also important. I asked my driver to line us up in the path (at a…