8/24/08 - The One That Got Away

Last weekend I was away on a camping excursion and found a beautiful clearing where the morning sun filtered through the trees, sending gorgeous rays of light down to the clearing floor which was a carpet of ferns. One morning, I woke at 5:30am and brought my camera, coffee, and a book to this spot so I could capture the changing effects of the light as the sun rose. At one point, I was down on hands and knees with a tripod photographing close-up shots of the fern. I was heavily engrossed in this for a while, and when I finally looked up, I found myself staring into the eyes of a doe and her fawn, less than 10 yards away. I suspect that, in the crouched position, they did not find me threatening. At that moment, I panicked... there is no other way to explain it. I could tell that they were now becoming alarmed and I had only seconds to grab a shot. Unfortunately, I forgot that I was programmed in at 1/4s for the fern shots, and this was way to slow for the deer shot.



Flashback a couple of months ago.... I was taking a 2-day workshop on Documentary Photography. Both days, we were assigned with the task of walking around Boston capturing entriguing images of people that told a story. We were not allowed to ask permission to take the shots, we were just suppose to see the opportunity and make the best image we could. Frankly, I found this difficult.

So, what's the lesson? My photography leans more towards the "fine art" category. I like to immerse myself in a scene with tripod and cable release, taking in what is around me and taking my own sweet time about figuring out what I want to "say" with the image and figuring out the best way to do so. As a result, I am not accustomed
to making quick decisions with composition and camera settings when it is called for. I never realized this until the afore-mentioned workshop and this was reinforced when I missed the deer shot. Apparently, I need to spend more time with "quick-shot" opportunities.

8/8/08 - A Tourist in Oregon, Part IV

Ok... so Mt Rainier is in Washington, not Oregon... close enough. Toward the end of the week, we drove the few hours up to Rainier to spend the night and do a little hiking the next day. However, even at the end of June there was still 10 feet of snow at the upper elevations, so instead of hiking, we sledded.

The images for this section were all taken in low-light situations (dusk and dawn). They are of a section of the Nisqually river as it flows by near the Cougar Rock Campground, where we stayed. The source of the Nisqually River is the Nisqually Glacier that works it's way down Mt. Rainier.


The intent of this shot was to make use of the low-light to allow me to use a slow enough shutter speed in order to capture the flow of the river, while maintaining the color in the sky as the sun set behind the trees. I did have to perform some doding and burning to bring out details and color that was otherwise lost in the dusk.


This image was shot shortly after the previous image. The same approach was used.


This image, with Rainier in the background, was taken at dusk. It was a little tricky because the mountain is in the full sun, while the forground is still in shade. Therefore, the background has a yellow hue, while the forground is blue.

8/7/08 - A Tourist in Oregon, Part III

The dramatic change between the lush Columbia Gorge and the High Desert is sudden and almost hard to believe. One moment your in green forests with cascading waterfalls and suddenly your in dry, arrid country with nothing but sand and sage.

We timed it so that we reached the desert in the late afternoon so the sun was low and the lighting more suitable for dramatic desert shots.


For this shot, I used a polarizing filter to bring out the blue in the sky, to contrast against the light green sage bush and the the yellow black-eyed susans. The shadow under the bush helps give the image some depth.


This was one of the last shots I took on this particular day. The sun had nearly reached the horizon from my left, casting an orange glow over the landscape, and deep shadows for detail. In this case, I had to use the polarizer to prevent the sky from seeming to be blown-out. I was able to get just enough blue to save the image.

8/6/08 - A Tourist in Oregon, Part II

It is probably a cliche to photograph the waterfalls of the Columbia Gorge, but there is good reason why everyone does it... They are simply stunning. On this particular day, it started out overcast and drizzly. I was able to take advantage of these conditions to produce, what I think are, moody images.


Multnomah Falls is one of the more popular falls to visit in the Gorge. However, I was lucky enough to have arrived early enough to time a shot without herds of tourists standing around. My goal for this shot was to show the flow and height of the falls while also presenting the lush vegetation and dramatic cliffs on either side of them. I shot this at a slow shutter speed to capture the fall as one continuous flow. I did have to do some burning and dodging to get the details in the rocks.


It's apparent why these are called Ponytail Falls. I placed my wife behind the falls to provide a perspective for just how tall the falls are.


This image was capture by standing behind Ponytail Falls. My goal was to show the power of the falls as contrasted by an otherwise peaceful forest setting.