Bathing Royal Tern

Splish Splash

Ft. Myers Beach, Florida-March 15, 2009

Tech Info:

Shutter Speed: 1/1500 sec.

Aperature: f/5.6

ISO: 200
Focal Length Used: 250 mm

Equipment Used:

Camera: Nikon D200

Lens: 70-300mm f/4-5.6

Filters: None

Catching Action:

Many times when photographing wildlife catching action will make the image more interesting. The real key to catching action is patience and prediction. With Terns like the one above patience is very important as they tend to sit in one position for a very long time. With most wildlife patience will pay off but there are also times when the animal just continues on its way. Predicting when action is going to occur is also very important. Many times the action will happen very quickly and if you aren't ready before it occurs you won't be able to capture it.

Lake Monroe Sunset

Scout Sunset

March 11, 2009-Lake Monroe, Indiana

Tech Info:

Shutter Speed: 14 sec.

Aperature: f/18

ISO: 100

Equipment Used:

Camera: Nikon D200

Lens: 18-55 mm f/3.5-5.6

Filters: 3 stop ND filter, 2 and 3 stop graduated neutral density filters

Tripod Used

Importance of Using Foreground:

The slabs of sandstone in this shot were used as foreground. It is very important to include foreground in most cases. The foreground in this shot leads the eye into the frame and creates more interest in the foreground. The sandstone slabs are much more interesting than just having water in the foreground. The long exposure accentuated the sandstone slabs by making the water look very calm.

Eastern Box Turtle

Recently while out driving some backroads in southern Indiana looking for spots that might be good for butterflies and dragonflies I came across this turtle on the road. In central Indian where I am from the Eastern Box Turtle is uncommon but drive an hour south and they become much more common. This series shows how many different things you can do with each subject, especially one that doesn't move too much. Look for different compositions that might be more engaging than just walking up and taking a quick shot.

Eastern Box Turtle-This was the first shot I took after finding this turtle. I tend to like intimate portrait shots so that is usually what I do first if I have an opportunity.

Eastern Box Turtle-This shot shows the turtle in its habitat.

Eastern Box Turtle-When photographing this turtle I realized I had never taken a close up of the amazing pattern on the shell so I tried it before having to move him to the side of the road.

Let me know which you like best.

Effects of Polarizing Filters

These two pictures were taken to show the effects of a polarizing filter. A polarizing filter cuts reflections which makes it a very important piece of equipment when photographing creeks and waterfalls.

Take a look at what the polarizer can do.

This was taken without a polarizer. Notice the very bright reflections in the water and the reflections on the leaves in the upper right portion of the image.

This was taken with a polarizer. You can see much more color in the leaves and the water isn't as reflective.

Sometimes cutting the reflections isn't always the desired effect. The polarizing filter is used by twisting the filter while it is on the lens so you don't have to take off the filter if you want reflections and you can make slight adjustments between its full power and not using it at all.

Miners Falls

Miners Falls

July 28, 2009-Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore

Tech Info:

Shutter Speed: 1/2 sec.

Aperature: f/16

ISO: 100

Equipment Used:

Camera: Nikon D200

Lens: 24mm f/2.8

A polarizing filter and tripod were used

Keys to the Image:

The key to most waterfall images is to include some form of foreground. Without foreground the image usually lacks depth. Another key to waterfall images is to use slow shutter speeds. Because of the 1/2 second exposure the water still contains some detail. In many instances I use slower shutter speeds which sometimes last as long as 15 seconds. Using a polarizing filter is extremely important when taking waterfall shots. I will post an example of when a polarizer is used and when it is not in the next couple days.

Let me know what you like/dislike about this image.

Medicine Bow National Forest

Vedauwoo Dreams

June 2, 2009-Medicine Bow National Forest, Wyoming

Tech Info:

Shutter Speed: 1 sec.

Aperature: f/16

ISO: 100

Equipment Used:

Camera: Nikon D200

Lens: 18-55 mm f/3.5-5.6

A polarizing filter and tripod were used.

Pros/Cons:

The foreground isn't quite as sharp as I usually like to capture. This fog was a great compliment to the rock formation.

Story:

This area in southeast Wyoming is one of the most beautiful areas in the state. It is overlooked by many because of the other wonders of the state like the Grand Tetons and Yellowstone. I woke up on this cold morning to heavy fog and rain. Once finished with some bird work that I had to do I headed to this point and waited for the rain to stop.

Crazy Woman Creek

June Snow Showers

06/07/2009-Bighorn Mountains, Wyoming

Tech Info:

Shutter Speed: 1.3 sec.

Aperature: f/18

ISO: 100

Equipment Used:

Camera: Nikon D200

Lens: 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6

A polarizing filter and a tripod were used.

Pros/Cons:
The light snow really made this image interesting. The soft light coming in from the top of the frame also adds interest. The bush in the front looks fine but the branch going out of the frame can be distracting.

Story:

One morning during the summer while I was conducting bird surveys I woke up to snow. I had not expected it at all so I got ready quickly and headed for this canyon which I had visited once before. The snow had fallen throughout the mountains so I wasn't dissapointed when I arrived at this canyon. All of this snow fell during one night in June. I spent about 2 weeks in the Bighorns and had almost every type of precipitation fall durning my time there.

Sable Falls

Leaves of Green

07/30/2009-Grand Marais, Michigan

Tech Info:
Shutter Speed: 1/3 sec.
Aperture: f/18
ISO: 100

Equipment Used:
Camera: Nikon D200
Lens: 24mm f/2.8
Filters: Polarizing Filter to reduce reflections/glare.
A tripod was also used.

Pros/Cons:
I really like how this image shows the vegetation that surrounds the waterfall. I could have been a little more careful with the leaf placement in the foreground. The cloudy weather made for great even lighting throughout the scene.

The Story:
This image was taken on my first visit to the falls. It was very overcast allowing me to photograph waterfalls even in the afternoon. I wanted to show as much green around the falls as I could in at least one image so I came up with this shot.

Launch

The purpose of this blog will be to discuss technique and tell the story behind some of the landscape and wildlife photographs I take. Hopefully everyone will learn more about photography through the discussions on this blog.

Inspiration Falls

Tech Info:
Shutter Speed: 10 sec.
Aperature: f/16
ISO: 100
Camera: Nikon D200
Lens: 24 mm, f/2.8

Compisition/Lighting:
For this compisition I wanted the waterfall, cliffs, and lake in the image. While the waterfall is the main subject in the pic there is a lot of interest throughout the frame. I found this little falls about 2 hours before sunset and waited until the sun was just above the distant island to take this shot. As the sun goes down it creates warmer tones with less contrast which usually makes an image more pleasing.

The Story:
My brother and I were walking down this beach (Miners Beach in the UP of Michigan) looking for a good place to shoot a sunset. We had no idea we would find this nice waterfall running into the lake. For a couple hours before sunset we messed around with different compisitions of the area including and excluding the falls.