I'm late, but I have a good excuse

I should have posted a blog about the May calendar photo back at the first of the month, however I have a good excuse.  June and I were in South Korea for the first two weeks of the month and have been busy getting back into the swing of normal day to day life since we got back a week ago.   I'm not saying we're over the jet lag of 13 hour time difference, but we are getting closer to a normal life again.

I really like the quote from Ralph Waldo Emerson.   After 13 days in the hustle and bustle of South Korea I can appreciate the pace of nature.   I'm more tuned to a quiet evening an a lake with no one else around except the wildlife than the big city life.   I get recharged by a scene like the one below.

This photo is unique because there appear to be two suns setting across the lake.  The top star burst is from the sun and the bottom one is from the reflection of the sun in the lake.  It is a bit strange to look at.   I could edit out the bottom star burst but then it wouldn't be what I saw on that cold evening in February.

It's easy to capture a photo with a star burst like above.   First, you will need a strong point light source.  I typicall use the sun, but will position my camera so the sun is partially obscured from view.  This makes the light source appear smaller, which will give a better star burst effect.   You also need to take your camera off auto and put it in Aperture Priority (Av) or Manual (M) mode and set the f/stop to as high a number as your lens will support.  This is typically f/22.   The combination of the small aperture (large f-stop number) and a point light source will create the star burst effect.

In an earlier version of this photo, I had done some edits to lighten the tree trunk on the right and give the effect that the sun was shining on it and showing more details than the camera could capture.   The feedback I got on that version was not possible.  People did not like that because it is not possible for the sun to light that side of the tree trunk.   I toned down that effect and didn't get any more negative comments about my post processing edits.

I pray that you will appreciate the patience of nature - slow and beautiful.

What I Learned in 2013

“I learned this, at least, by my experiment: that if one advances confidently in the direction of his dreams, and endeavors to live the life which he has imagined, he will meet with a success unexpected in common hours.”

― Henry David Thoreau, Walden: Or, Life in the Woods 

I have tried to advance my photography in a positive direction this year.  I've gone new places,  tried new things and learned all along the way.   My experience says Thoreau was right -- "we will meet with a success unexpected in common hours".  I usually go out with a photographic objectives in mind.  I want to try a new technique, photograph a new subject, get that iconic shot, and better yet get the one that no one else has.   Sometimes I meet my objectives, but more often I learn things and have success in unexpected ways.   Of course photography is a passion so I'm going to have a good time.

As I look back on 2013 I have decided to not do a "best of 2013" collection.   I've already shared my best shots on my calendar, on Google+, and on facebook and no one really wants to see them again.  Instead I have decided to share some things I have learned this year and some successes I have had at unexpected times.  These are not my best photos of the year but they can illustrate a point.

If you click on any of the photos below you will get a window with a larger version.  You can then use the right and left arrows to browse through the images.

Here goes.

• If you try new things you'll learn something new.  If I go at it with the right attitude I will have fun, even if I don't get anything worth sharing.   I've tried water drop photography a couple times and done it differently each time.  You never know what you'll get.

 

• You don't always have to go far to find opportunities.   The photo below was taken a short walk from the lodge where we were staying.  We had taken an eagle tour, drove around the lake and didn't find any better opportunities than right next door.

• There are always photographs to be made, if you just look around.   The photo below was shot from an overlook on the Blue Ridge Parkway one cold morning when snow was still covering the road.   It's not what we were looking for that morning.

• If you don't try you'll never get the shot.   I shot this photo of a very active bee while hand holding my camera.   It's a low probability shot, but if I didn't try my probability would have been zero.

• Rainy days are great times for photography in the woods.  It was raining pretty hard when I took this.  The rain drops don't show because of the slow shutter speed.  The overcast light was great and the rain made the colors more vibrant.

• Shoot the details.  This is just part of a steam locomotive I shot this year.  Because I shot this detail of a lamp I had a customer buy three large canvas prints of the Shay #4 engine, including this one.

• Don't shoot from the first place  you set your tripod.   My first position for this shot was a few steps to the left and the mountain in the distance wasn't visible between the trees.  All that was visible was blah white sky.  I took a few steps to the right and got a better composition.

• Get away from the crowd.  I took the shot below while on a photography workshop.  I don't think anyone else got this shot because June and I were the only ones that didn't follow the crowd down the mountain that day.

• Be aware of your surroundings.  While photographing a waterfall we noticed this American Dipper (aka Water Ouzel) catching food in the stream. We then noticed a juvenile near by on a moss covered rock.  I put my long lens on, waited and was rewarded.

• Don't be timid.  Just act like you belong there.  At a concert at the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville  I walked up to the edge of the stage to shoot this. 

• Don't give up when you're lost.  On the way back home after a weekend away we stopped for gas and saw a sign for a waterfall and took off up the mountain.  After a while we realized there was no waterfall where we were.  It was getting dark and we had a long drive ahead of us.  We could have given up but instead we tried and eventually found the right road.

• Have fun.  This Ibis was perched on top of the bird food dispenser.    He must not have read that is said "Feed the ducks, geese, and swans."  

• Finally, give back and help others.   I volunteer to take pictures at a couple different community events.  They get some free photography and I get to try new things.

I've learned a lot this year and improved a little.  I hope you get something from what I've learned.  

“It's not about what it is, it's about what it can become.”
― Dr. Seuss, The Lorax

Good Idea Poorly Executed

"Experience is simply the name we give our mistakes."

- Oscar Wilde

Sometimes I come up with a good idea for a photograph.  Unfortunately, I don't always turn those good ideas into good photos.  

We were at Walnut Log Road on Reelfoot Lake for sunset on Friday and Sunday night last weekend.  It's a great place for sunset with plenty of Cypress trees in the water with the sun setting behind them making dramatic silhouettes.  The wind that had blown strong all weekend calmed down at sunset making the surface of the lake look like a mirror.  God blessed us with a beautiful painting across the sky and  I came home with 115 shots from Walnut Log Road on Friday night alone!  Some of my favorites from this trip are available viewing and purchase in the Reelfoot Lake Gallery.

I had both my cameras with me - the Canon 7D had a 300mm prime lens with a 1.4 teleconverter.  With the 7D's cropped sensor this is equivalent to a 672mm telephoto lens.   I also had a 17-40mm wide angle zoom on the Canon 5D.  In compact camera terms this is a 40x zoom range between the two camera/lens combinations.

Almost all the shots from Friday night were with the 5D/17-40 combination on a tripod to capture as much of the landscape and sunset as possible.  Here's one of those shots

This is was shot with a 32mm focal length.  It took 1.6 seconds at f/13, ISO 200.   I was hand holding a 2-stop graduated neutral density filter to darken the top half of the photo.  Normally hand holding a graduated neutral density filter (Grad) is not all that difficult.  This night I had to do it with gloves on and my had was still shaking from the cold.  This shot is what I came for and am pretty happy with the results.

However, an idea popped into my head to use the that long lens to isolate some of the tree branches with the sunset reflected in the lake behind it.   I picked the area on the left side of the cypress tree where the color went from yellow to rich dark orange.    In my mind I saw a very dramatic shot.  What I got was not what I envisioned.

I picked the wrong composition and ended up with an image that is too cluttered.

There are too many branches in this picture and there is nothing for the viewer's eye to settle on.   I could have made a better composition if I had pointed my lens a little to the left and isolated the branch that dips down from the rest.

I think it was a good idea but I rushed and didn't think through it.   The good news is I see what I should have done and if I get a similar opportunity and can remember what I learned I might come away with a good picture and not just a good idea.

Test Driving a Lens

June and I joined several other photographers this last weekend for a trek across Tennessee to Realfoot Lake State Park to take pictures of eagles, hawks, snow geese and other birds that winter around the lake each year.   This is perhaps the best opportunity to photograph eagles that doesn't involve traveling to Alaska or Northern Canada.  At one time there were about 200 nesting pairs around the lake.  Those of us on the trip agreed that the numbers appear to be less than that.

It takes about 8 hours to drive from Kingsport to Reelfoot Lake, which is a long road trip.   We might not get this opportunity again so I decided I needed some "better glass" (i.e. - more expensive lens) than what I had.  I have an older Sigma 80-400mm zoom that does pretty well in good "bright" light and on a tripod.   I decided I wanted a prime lens that would produce sharper images, was faster than the Sigma, and have enough "reach" to take shots of birds that might be a little ways away.   My lens of choice was a Canon 300mm f/4L.   To get a little more "reach" I wanted to use a 1.4x teleconverter, making the 300mm 420mm.   I have a cheap(er - it's all relative) teleconverter but putting a cheap teleconverter on an expensive lens gives you a longer lens that takes pictures like a cheap lens.  I needed the Canon version.   These two items sell for $1,376 and $499.  Ouch!

I had talked to people who had rented higher end lenses in the past with good results.  This was my opportunity to try out this lens and teleconverter without having to shell out a lot of cash.  After all, I wasn't sure the Canon would be that much better than the Sigma I already had.   I decided to rent from LensRentals.com.

The rental process was about as smooth as it can be.  The hardest step was deciding what to rent.  Once I made my decision I placed my order online specifying the day I wanted the lens delivered to my house and the day I would ship it back.   Simple.   FedEx delivered the lens right on time.

The lens and teleconverter were packed very well with material that made repacking for return shipping easy.   The gear looked like new and worked perfectly.  This morning I packed it back up in the original box, stuck the preprinted label on the box and dropped it at the FedEx authorized shipper in town.  The entire process was smooth and flawless. 

The one risk I was worried about did come to pass.  I now see how much better the Canon L prime lens is than my old Sigma zoom and I want to have my own copy.   This may end up costing me much more in the end. 

All these photos were made with the 300mm and 1.4TC combination on a Canon 7D.   Except for the owl, they were taken under overcast conditions.   The eagle on the nest was on a tripod.  All the others were handheld.

Knowing what I know now about shooting birds of prey at Reelfoot lake I think I would go with a longer lens.  The birds tended to be too far away for the 300/1.4x combination.  Maybe the Canon 400mm f/2.8L or the Canon 500mm f/4L.  They are big heavy lenses but it would have given me more reach, more light, and faster focusing.