Innholdsfortegnelse for November 2020 i Outdoor Photographer

Beyond The Camera Aesthetic expression in a photograph is more important than the tools and techniques used to make it. By Huntington Witherill Assignments Share your best shots in our weekly “Assignments” photo challenges. Submit images that fit the week’s theme—you may be our next Assignment winner. Tip Of The Week Available on our website—or delivered directly to your inbox—our “Tip of the Week” provides shooting and processing techniques to sharpen your photography skills. Sign up today. The Big Picture Photographer and author Amy Gulick’s regular column takes a contemplative approach to nature photography, with an emphasis on conservation. Connect With Us Get the latest news and be inspired by great photos from the Outdoor Photographer community. Newsletter Subscribe today for updates on the latest features, how-to articles and photography…

Grand Prize Dawn’s Early Light By Gary Grossman “This photograph was shot at daybreak in early February 2020 at Ridgefield National Wildlife Refuge in southwest Washington. The refuge is on the Pacific Flyway and is part of a diverse chain of habitats extending from the arctic to the tropics. “As pink highlights appeared on the clouds, a flock of geese broke from their nightly roost and flew overhead, with many of them reflected in the wetland pond.” Second Prize Mesquite Dunes #2 By Thomas Gibson “This image was shot at sunrise in Death Valley National Park. My favorite time of day to photograph the sand dunes is at sunrise because it never disappoints and always provides some surprises. “The light was starting to get specular, so I began my trek…

Black and white is a powerful tool for nature and wildlife photography. It magnifies focus on the subject by eliminating the distractions of color and excels in those instances where the subject lacks color naturally, creating interest through shades of gray. The human eye can distinguish more than 500 shades of gray. As for the digital image, it’s limited to 256 different shades of gray, including pure white and pure black. By way of comparison, the human eye can perceive and distinguish around a million colors—considerably more than 256 shades of gray. I feel that the best way to understand how to compose black-and-white images successfully is to actually look at captures where it works best and consider the reasons why. See The World Differently Black and white is a…

Giraffe-itude “The cold morning air in Bojanala can make you hunt those warm rays of South African sunshine just to break the chill,” explains Dutch Dyer. “Several hours into a guided photo safari in the Pilanesberg Game Reserve, we had been on the hunt for some of that sunshine along with what locals call the ‘Big 5’—buffalo, elephant, leopard, lion and rhino. My ear-to-ear smile was some indication of how the day was going. I had also captured shots of hyenas, wild dogs and hippos, but I had yet to add a giraffe to that list. “We stopped for lunch close to a water source. In the arid African grassland, water is the universal lure, and I didn’t have to wait long. I could see two giraffes approaching in the…

Tamron expanded its lens lineup for Sony’s full-frame E-mount mirrorless cameras this year with the 70-180mm F/2.8 Di III VXD (Model A056) and 28-200mm F/2.8-5.6 Di III RXD (Model A071). Both zooms offer appealing features for Sony shooters: compact weather-sealed lens bodies, versatile zoom ranges and fast maximum apertures. Even better for photographers on a budget, these Tamron E-mount lenses are relatively affordable. The 70-180mm F/2.8 Di III VXD sells for $1,199, and the 28-200mm F/2.8-5.6 Di III RXD goes for $729. Sony’s own closest equivalents to these lenses sell for considerably more. How do they perform? I had a chance to test these lenses this past summer in the Catskills in upstate New York, and they were both excellent telephoto zooms and a good value. TAMRON 70-180MM F/2.8 DI…

In the previous articles in this series, we’ve discussed the ways to recognize great light and the best camera techniques to capture it. Now it’s time for the last step, understanding when and how an image needs to be post-processed. Over the years, I’ve developed a method for producing images that have the correct contrast ratio for printing or publishing to the web while also incorporating my own style. This mostly subjective part of producing your personal work links with your pre-visualization and camera technique. Think of this method as adding furniture to your home to make it yours. Post-processing isn’t just a technical function but rather a blend of technical and creative skills required to create the final image. When editing an image, I consider it a performance that…

A fortunate turn of events led to our feature article in this issue when I received an email from John Sexton asking for help with his Outdoor Photographer membership. Of course, I knew the name—Sexton is among the great photographers living today, having worked for Ansel Adams in the late ’70s and early ’80s and then establishing a reputation as an artist in his own right with a body of work that is widely recognized and has earned numerous awards. Though Sexton’s photography has been featured in this magazine before, I had never worked with him personally, so I seized the opportunity to try to persuade him to contribute to OP once again. Over the course of our conversation, we discovered a mutual affection for Polaroid films, and he proposed…

Location The Nature Conservancy’s Bear Rocks Preserve is remote, rugged, high-elevation West Virginia mountain land with an often-severe and quick-changing boreal climate. It’s atop the Allegheny Front, the predominant ridge of the Appalachians and the “eastern” continental divide. This ridge has a rim of sandstone cliffs and giant rock outcropping with a 2,000- to 3,000-foot drop below to hills and valleys. To the east, there are breathtaking 30-mile views where seven mountain ridges are visible on a clear day. Along the rim are stunted red spruce trees with flag-formed limbs pointing to the east as a result of the almost-constant and often high-velocity winds. Large, striking and uniquely shaped white sandstone and quartz rocks are found throughout the Bear Rocks Preserve area. These wind- and rain-sculpted boulders rise up out…

Lake Jesup is located in central Florida and is one of the area’s largest lakes as well as home to a wide variety of wildlife. Living in close proximity to this area affords me many opportunities for observing and photographing wildlife. To better understand their many complexities and behaviors, I’ve spent countless hours watching the wildlife perform different activities and capturing these various endeavors with my camera. When photographing wildlife mannerisms, it’s especially rewarding to watch the interaction between members of the same species. On this particular day, after two hours of photographing other birds, I spotted these two great egrets engaged together in movement across the water. They appeared intent to find an appropriate landing spot to begin their search for food. Luckily, I spotted them due to their…