Master The Fine Art Of Printmaking, Part 1
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CONTENTS
January/February 2016
Scenic Travel
Wildlife
Sports
Vol. 32 No. 1
50
34
62 [F EATUR ES]
[HO W-TO ]
34 THE WORKSHOP EXPERIENCE
46 MODERN PRINTMAKING, PART ONE
Whether you’re a beginning photographer or an experienced enthusiast, build a stunning nature portfolio while learning hands-on
In this irst of a series on the ine art of photo printing, we consider the value of prints in the digital age Text & Photography By Jason Bradley
Text & Photography By Stephen W. Oachs
50 TIPS FOR WINTER PHOTOGRAPHY 40 FIND YOUR OWN WILDERNESS Regular visits to a location near home can help hone your skills and yield photographic insights that can only come with time and experience Text & Photography By Lewis Kemper
Essential considerations for safe and successful photo shoots in cold and wet conditions Text & Photography By Rick Sheremeta
[ TRAVE L ]
44 BEHIND THE SHOT: THE BEACON Grinnell Point, Glacier National Park, Montana
62 SOUTH FOR THE WINTER
Text & Photography By Harry Lichtman
It’s the perfect time of year to escape to Costa Rica and explore diverse wildlife and landscape photo opportunities Text & Photography By Josh Miller
20
22
20 Check out our website @ outdoorphotographer.com
ore On ext Page
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SUPPORT MATTERS
APHER MBER
Every wedding is a collection of once-in-a-lifetime moments an Pye Jirsa’s clients count on him to capture them all. In a single year, he and his EOS 5D Mark III cover about 100 weddings and rack up over 250,000 shutter clicks. That kind of wear and tear is why Pye and thousands of other professionals depend on Canon service, support, and education for the expedited repairs, comprehensive maintenance, and expert support needed to always be Canon Ready.
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CONTENTS
[ E Q UIP MENT] 56 MASTER THE GRAD ND How to use a graduated neutral-density ilter, the most essential ilters for landscape photog Text & Photography By Gary Hart
78 GADGET BAG: DESKTOP PHOTO PRINTERS FOR 2016 New models from Canon and Epson for enthu and professional on-demand printing By The Editors
78
79
24
21
COLUMNS 24 Wild By Nature Finding The Right Track By Melissa Groo
26 Tech Tips Gear To Go
D E PA R T M E N T S
By George D. Lepp And Kathryn Vincent Lepp
11 Cover Shot 12 In This Issue 16 Showcase 20 In Focus 32 Favorite Places: Death Valley National Park, California 70 Classes, Tours & Workshops 80 Last Frame
30 On Landscape New Tools, New Possibilities By William Neill
MORE On The Web
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Visit Your Favorite Places: Photographers from all over the world are sharing favorite nature photography locations. You can, too! Learn About New Products: Exciting new products featured in OP’s In Focus section appear earlier on the website. In addition, you’ll see the latest news releases from many different photo companies right away.
6 Outdoor Photographer outdoorphotographer.com
The OP Daily Blog: Posts from photographers Michael Clark, Jon Cornforth, Michael Frye, Jay Goodrich, George Lepp, Jerry Monkman, Ian Plant, Joseph Rossbach and Kevin Schafer. OP Forums: Connect with fellow OP readers and discuss your passion for nature photography and outdoor adventures in our Outdoor Photographer Forums.
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Editorial Publisher Susan Fitzgerald Editorial Director/Editor Wes Pitts Managing Editor Maggie Devcich Associate Editors J. Ana Beckett, Kristan Ashworth Field Editor George D. Lepp Columnists
Elizabeth Carmel, Melissa Groo Bill Hatcher, Dewitt Jones, Frans Lanting George D. Lepp, David Muench, William Neill Contributing Technical Editor
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PRINTED IN THE U.S.A. Outdoor Photographer (ISSN: 0890-5304)—Vol. 32 No. 1—is published monthly except bimonthly Jan./Feb. by Madavor Media, LLC. Executive, editorial and advertising ofices: 25 Braintree Hill Ofice Park, Suite 404, Braintree, MA 02184, (617) 706-9110. Periodicals Postage Paid at Boston, MA, and additional mailing ofices. Single copy price—$5.99. Annual subscription in U.S., Possessions, APO/ FPO—$23.94. Canada—$38.94; other foreign—$38.94, including postage and taxes. Payable in U.S. funds. For orders, address changes and all other customer service, phone toll-free (800) 283-4410. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Outdoor Photographer, Box 37857, Boone, IA 50037-0857. Canada Post Publications Mail Class Agreement No. 1559788. Email us (editorial matters only) editors@outdoorphotographer.com or visit our website at www.outdoorphotographer.com. Copyright ©2016 by Madavor Media, LLC. No material may be reproduced without written permission. This publication is purchased with the understanding that information presented is from many sources for which there can be no warranty or responsibility by the publisher as to accuracy, originality or completeness. It is sold with the understanding that the publisher is not engaged in rendering product endorsements or providing instruction as a substitute for appropriate training by qualiied sources. EDITORIAL SUBMISSIONS: Outdoor Photographer assumes no responsibility for solicited or unsolicited contributions and materials. We do not accept original transparencies or negatives. Otherwise, insurance for such materials, in transit or in our possession, must be the responsibility of the writer or photographer. Outdoor Photographer does not accept or agree to the conditions and stipulations printed on delivery memos, packing slips and related correspondence as they are presented without prior notice accompanying submission materials. Exceptions to this disclaimer of liability on the part of Outdoor Photographer must be prearranged, executed in writing and signed by both parties prior to the shipment of materials in question. All submissions must be accompanied by a self-addressed, stamped envelope (SASE) with suficient postage to cover the cost of return. The class of mail and insurance coverage for returns will be determined by the amount provided for on the SASE. SUBSCRIBERS: Any obligation we owe to you, including delivery of your magazine, is contingent upon you providing us with your correct mailing address. If the Post Ofice notiies us that your magazine is undeliverable, we have no further obligation to you unless we receive a corrected address from you within two years of the Post Ofice notiication. BACK ISSUES are available for one year prior to the current issue. To order within the U.S., send $7.00 plus $4.00 postage and handling (Canada: $7.00 plus $5.00; International: $7.00 plus $10.00) for each issue to Back Issue Dept., Outdoor Photographer Magazine, 25 Braintree Hill Ofice Park, Suite 404, Braintree, MA 02184, or go online and visit the eStore. No orders processed without proper funds and speciic issue information. Outdoor Photographer is a registered trademark of Madavor Media, LLC. Copyright ©2016 Madavor Media, LLC. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part without permission is prohibited.
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ADORAMA WANTS TO BUY YOUR USED PHOTO & VIDEO GEAR
Photographer: Stephen Oachs Location: Sacramento River, Northern
California Equipment: Canon EOS 5D, Canon
EF 16-35mm, ƒ/14 at ½ sec., ISO 100, Gitzo tripod Situation: There can be great rewards for those adventurous souls who step off the beaten path, with an eye in search of lesser-known locations. This enchanted place near Redding, California, is that kind of special reward, a spellbinding view of a lazy portion of the Sacramento River as it lows elegantly through a seldom-seen maze of moss-covered river tiles. Legend has it that these rocks are only visible from time to time, when the water level is “just right.” This almost magical place is known affectionately to area locals as The Furrows. It’s a mystical and serene riverscape nestled in beautiful Northern California, and feels as though it could be set in mythical Brigadoon. As most photographers know, plans for a colorful sunrise shoot are subject to the whims of Mother Nature. With a few setting changes and creative visual storytelling, however, even her most dour moods can be turned into something captivating—even enchanting. This photo of The Furrows was taken during a foggy sunrise on a hauntingly inclement winter morning. Its dramatic color and ethereal atmosphere are the results of the iltered light, low water levels, light drizzly rain—and conditions that were (perhaps) magical. —Stephen Oachs
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YOUR NEXT WORKHORSE
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Lewis Kemper
in this issue
O
ne of my favorite Internet memes is a Venn diagram with no intersection between the two sets (the circles don’t overlap). One set is labeled “Your comfort zone,” and the other is labeled “Where the magic happens.” It’s a simple visualization of the idea that to grow and improve, we have to be willing to take risks and motivate ourselves to try new things. Sometimes it’s as simple as being willing to reevaluate longestablished habits. The tradition of New Year’s resolutions embodies this spirit of fresh starts and new perspectives. As photographers, one of the most effective ways to step out of our comfort zones is to travel to new locations and explore different subjects. Joining a workshop is an opportunity to do this, with the extra advantage of learning from the workshop instructors and your fellow participants. In his article, “The Workshop Experience,” Stephen Oachs talks about what inspired him to create his own workshop programs and what photographers can expect when participating in them. “The irst thing to realize,” Oachs explains, “is that there’s more to nature photography than technical skills…a large part of landscape photography is dependent on understanding how to adapt to ever-changing conditions.” One of the main workshop beneits is the knowledge of the location that expert instructors offer, which not only increases your chances of making phenomenal images, but also enhances your safety and overall enjoyment of the adventure. Discovering new photo opportunities doesn’t necessarily require traveling to distant locations, as Lewis Kemper illustrates in “Find Your Own Wilderness.” For those of us who live in cities and suburbs, we often think of “wilderness” as a far-off place, but Kemper notes, “Within 30 miles of everyone’s home, there’s some wildness to be found. Whether that be an urban park, an undeveloped woodland, a pond, lake, river, a refuge or state park, all you need to do is explore and you can ind something interesting to photograph nearby.” While these locations may not be the iconic destinations on our wish lists, they’re no
less able to offer possibilities for practicing techniques, gaining new perspectives and making print-worthy photos. Speaking of prints, some of my happiest memories as a photographer are in the darkroom: the relective solitude of printing late into the night, watching images magically materialize in the developer trays, experimenting with new papers and chemical processes. Today, we have the ability to make gallery-quality prints that will last for generations, without the toxic chemicals, in the comfort of our home studios. While the technology has changed, the fact that printmaking is a craft unto itself has not. In the irst of a four-part series, photographer and professional ine-art printer Jason Bradley considers the importance of the print as a valuable alternative to the increasingly transient means of experiencing photography in contemporary culture, especially through social media. In future issues, Bradley will provide guidance for making pro-quality prints, addressing issues like worklow, color proiling and material selection. Also in this issue is the debut of a regular column by Melissa Groo, which will challenge us with new perspectives on wildlife photography. In this irst installment of “Wild By Nature,” Groo asks us to relect on the balance between our motivation to make memorable images of wildlife with the need to protect our subjects from the consequences of our presence in their habitats. Groo observes, “This is the best time in history to be a wildlife photographer, and this is the worst time in history to be a wild animal,” and that as a result, a “rising consciousness is looking at how we intersect with wild animals, and not only the immediate effect of our actions, but also the effects long term.” In future columns, Groo will share with us considerations and techniques to make successful wildlife images while mitigating our impact on our subjects and the ecosystems on which they depend. Wherever this year takes you in photography, step outside your comfort zone and make some magic happen! —Wes Pitts, Editor/Editorial Director
Questions, comments? Email us at editors@outdoorphotographer.com. 12 Outdoor Photographer outdoorphotographer.com
Add professional monitoring and recording to any SDI and HDMI camera with Blackmagic Video Assist! Blackmagic Video Assist is the ultimate on set production monitor and recorder for any SDI or HDMI camera! The large bright 5 inch monitor lets you see your framing and ensure you get absolutely perfect focus! The built in recorder uses common SD cards and records extremely high quality 10-bit 4:2:2 ProRes or DNxHD files that are much better quality than most cameras can record and are compatible with all video software. Now it’s easy to add professional monitoring and recording to any camera!
On Set HD Monitor Blackmagic Video Assist has an extremely bright and sharp full HD 1920 x 1080 resolution display that’s much bigger than the tiny built in display found on most cameras. Mount it directly to your camera or use a longer cable so it can be hand held by the cinematographer for composing shots. You can even monitor Ultra HD sources!
Fast Touchscreen Controls The built in monitor features a touchscreen to make setting up and using Blackmagic Video Assist incredibly easy! Use simple tap and swipe gestures to make adjustments, display camera information and evaluate audio levels and exposure. The elegant heads up display is semi transparent so you can still see your video at all times!
Broadcast Quality Connections Blackmagic Video Assist includes HDMI and 6G-SDI inputs so you can record from virtually any camera or DSLR. The HDMI and SDI video outputs means you get the ultimate hand held media player for viewing shots on set or presenting to clients. You also get a headphone jack, 12V power and two LP-E6 battery slots for non stop power!
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Now you can bypass the lossy compression used on most DSLR and video cameras! Blackmagic Video Assist records broadcast quality 10-bit 4:2:2 ProRes or DNxHD files onto high speed SD cards. Recording can be automatically triggered by camera start/stop and the files are compatible with all leading editing and color correction software!
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A D V E R T I S E M E N T F E AT U R E
ADVENTURE READY The Olympus OM-D system includes the innovative OM-D E-M1 (left), OM-D E-M5 Mark II (right), OM-D E-M10 and OM-D E-M10 Mark II.
Lightweight, compact and ruggedly durable, the Olympus OM-D E-M5 Mark II is ideal for nature photography
W
ant to signiicantly reduce the size and weight of your camera system without sacriicing image quality or durability? The latest Olympus OM-D system cameras offer impeccable image quality, an array of precision lenses and cutting-edge technology, with dust-, splash- and freeze-proof construction, ideal for outdoor work.
yaw, providing an industry leading 5 steps of compensation for both still images and cinema-quality 1080 Full HD video capture. For landscape photography with a tripod, an ingenious 40 Megapixel Capture Mode takes multiple images of the scene while slightly shifting the sensor between frames, then combines these into the inal high-resolution image.
SPEED & STABILITY The 16-megapixel OM-D E-M5 Mark II boasts impressive speed. With its 81-point Fast AF, you can capture wildlife at up to 10 frames per second, with a maximum shutter speed of 1/8000 sec. It’s also incredibly stable when shooting handheld, featuring the world’s most advanced 5-Axis Image Stabilization, which corrects not only horizontal and vertical camera movements, but also pitch, roll and
UNCOMPROMISING DURABILITY The OM-D E-M5 Mark II features a magnesium-alloy body that’s sealed against the elements, and when paired with select M.Zuiko lenses and accessories, provides protection from dust, moisture and temperatures down to 14º F. It even comes bundled with the FL-LM3 dust- and splash-proof lash.
A COMPLETE PHOTOGRAPHY SYSTEM To complement the advanced digital technologies in the OM-D E-M5 Mark II, Olympus offers an extensive line of M.Zuiko precision lenses. Comprised of 21 lenses in all, the system includes ive M.Zuiko PRO models, which together cover a 35mm-equivalent focal range of 14mm to 600mm. For telephoto applications, the M.Zuiko Digital 1.4x Teleconverter MC-14 extends the reach of the M.Zuiko ED 40-150mm F2.8 PRO all the way to a 420mm equivalent. The MC-14 is also compatible with the new M.Zuiko ED 300mm F4.0 PRO, for an extreme 35mm-equivalent telephoto perspective of 840mm.
For more information about the Olympus OM-D system, visit www.getolympus.com/omd.
MYTH: Your new OM-D camera will be obsolete in a year.
Image shot with the Olympus OM-D E-M1 and an M.Zuiko ED 12-40mm f2.8 PRO lens by Olympus Trailblazer Peter Baumgarten.
MIRRORLESS TRUTH: Firmware upgrades let you love your camera longer. Blink your eye and technology changes. Blink again and it’s obsolete. That’s why Olympus is looking out for your OM-D camera with the most regular, robust irmware upgrades in the industry. No other manufacturer gives you more advanced technology, more features and more enhancements with each free upgrade. All so you can keep shooting with the camera you will love long into the future. Get Power. Get Portable. Get Olympus.
show case Kevin Russ partnered with VSCO Artist Initiative™ to create The Western States, a book of photos that chronicles Russ’ multi-year, vagabond journey through western America, covering parts of Washington, Colorado, California, Arizona, Montana and Baja, Mexico. Shooting exclusively on his iPhone and editing on VSCO Cam®, he captured wildlife, rural scenery and the quiet, contemplative moments that deine life on the road. Says Russ of this photo, “All morning I had my back to the mountain with my lens pointing south shooting the Tatoosh Range. Those peaks kept going in and out of the fog while Rainier remained completely enveloped. My friend and I kept hiking higher and higher, shooting more wildlowers until the fog burned off and revealed this magical landscape. We stayed until sunset, stopping along the trail just to sit and look. Whenever it’s wildlower season at Rainier and I’m not there I feel like I’m missing out.” You can ind the book at www.artifactuprising.com/kevin-russ-western-states. 16 Outdoor Photographer outdoorphotographer.com
Kevin Russ
Mt. Rainier, Washington
Get the most out of your cameras and lenses with Kipon lens adapters The easiest way to extend your gear and expand your creative production THE NATURAL WORLD DEMANDS KIPON
Available in the U.S. exclusively at Adorama adorama.com/brands/kipon Use Kipon lens adapters to combine many brands of photography cameras and lenses including Canon, Nikon, Sony, Leica, Olympus Pentax and more. .LSRQ RƪHUV D PRQWK PDQXIDFWXULQJ ZDUUDQW\ DQG WKH ODUJHVW VHOHFWLRQ of adapters in the industry.
18 Outdoor Photographer outdoorphotographer.com
show case “Before this wild horse encounter, my morning was spent driving around the bay exploring the outskirts of Bahía de los Ángeles, a small coastal town located on the Gulf of California,” says Russ of this image from his book, The Western States. “There’s one main road into town and you generally have to backtrack when you leave. I saw on the map, though, you could keep driving south on dirt roads that would eventually spit you out onto the main highway. A few minutes down the road on my way out of town these horses just appeared. They were curious and would come toward me, but then get scared and run away, only to walk up again. This cycle repeated for a few minutes before they disappeared into the desert and I never found them again.”
Bahía de los Ángeles Horses
Kevin Russ
LENSBABY COMPOSER PRO II WITH EDGE 50 OPTIC X Bring a unique look to your landscape and close-up photography with Lensbaby’s Composer Pro II with Edge 50 Optic. Tilt the lens body up to 15º to create beautiful soft-focus effects around a sharp subject, adjusting your focal distance and aperture for precise control over depth of ield. The included 50mm lens has a maximum aperture of ƒ/3.2 and can focus as close as 8 inches. There’s a fun simulator online (lensbaby.com/usa/sim-e50.php) that gives you an idea of what’s possible with the lens. It’s available in mounts for Canon, Fujiilm, Micro Four Thirds, Nikon, Pentax, Samsung and Sony. List Price: $424.95. Contact: Lensbaby, lensbaby.com.
W MANFROTTO D1 BACKPACK FOR DJI PHANTOM Here’s a convenient solution for carrying your fully assembled drone, with room for a DSLR and zoom lens, too. The D1 Backpack’s clever design lets you unzip the front of the pack, drop in your DJI Phantom and zip it back up to quickly secure the drone when moving from one location to another, without removing the propellers. When you’re done shooting, the roomy inner compartment safely stores your drone with a separate pouch for the propellers. The pack also features a pocket for a laptop and tablet, plus a tripod attachment on the front, and includes a removable rain cover. List Price: $199. Contact: Manfrotto, manfrotto.us.
PEAK DESIGN FIELD POUCH & SLIDE LITE STRAP X Designed to carry your mirrorless camera with a pair of lenses, the Field Pouch from Peak Design is also a slick solution for organizing accessories, mobile devices, cables and the like. Loops on the back let you attach the Pouch to your belt, or add a Peak Design strap like the Slide Lite to wear it as a sling. You can also attach Peak Design’s Capture Camera Clip to the front of the pouch for a handy quick-release mount. Inside the main pocket are six additional pockets: four expandable pockets in the back and two more protected by a zippered enclosure at the front. List Price: $39.95. Contact: Peak Design, peakdesign.com.
20 Outdoor Photographer outdoorphotographer.com
W More gear online: www.outdoorphotographer.com/infocus
EPSON LEGACY PAPERS X A line of ultra-premium, professional papers created to produce gallery prints suitable for collecting, Epson’s new Legacy papers are the result of a collaboration with paper makers, art galleries and chemical engineers, achieving an image permanence rating of 200 years for color prints and 400 years for black-and-white (when used with Epson HD and HDX inks). These acid- and lignin-free papers will be available in four variants, Baryta, Etching, Fibre and Platine, in cut-sheet sizes of 8.5x11 inches, 13x19 inches and 17x22 inches, as well as rolls in widths of 17, 24 and 44 inches. List Price: TBA. Contact: Epson, epson.com.
ABLE ARCHER RUCKSACK T
S SIGMA 20mm F1.4 DG HSM | A A new wide prime designed for full-frame cameras (but also compatible with APS-C-sensor cameras), the Sigma 20mm F1.4 DG HSM | A offers a fast maximum aperture of ƒ/1.4. Sigma states that particular attention was paid to achieving edge-to-edge image quality, with minimal spherical and chromatic aberration. The wide perspective makes it an excellent choice for landscape and travel photography. Available in Canon, Nikon and Sigma mounts, it’s compatible with Sigma’s USB Dock, which allows you to install irmware updates and customize some performance aspects of the lens. List Price: $899. Contact: Sigma, sigmaphoto.com.
W TITANSTRAPS Attach a tripod. Cinch a sleeping bag. Tame cords and cables. Strap down just about anything—like an off-camera lash to a homemade wooden Arca-Swiss plate, shown here as used by TitanStraps inventor Cameron Lawson. TitanStraps are available in three lengths, 14 inches, 18 inches and 25 inches, and can also be daisy-chained together for tethering larger items. Made from polyurethane that’s injected with a UV inhibitor to enhance longevity, these straps are easy to adjust, non-marring and achieve a tight grip. TitanStraps claims a working load limit of 70 pounds. List Price: From $7.50. Contact: TitanStraps, titanstraps.com.
If you prefer that your camera pack not look like a camera pack, consider the Able Archer line of packs with retro military surplus style. The roomy Rucksack has space for your camera and lenses with access through the sides of the pack, and an upper compartment for organizing accessories, cables and the like. There’s also a neoprenelined compartment to carry a laptop up to 17 inches. Constructed of water-resistant canvas on the outside and nylon inside, the Rucksack also features waterproof zippers for extra weather protection. List Price: $350. Contact: Able Archer, ablearcher.co.
CANON EOS M10 X The latest model in Canon’s EOS M mirrorless lineup, the 18-megapixel EOS M10 is the entry-level body for the system, but in some ways is more advanced than the 24.2-megapixel M3, with an increased max ISO of 25600 (compared to the M3’s 6400) and a slightly faster capture rate of 4.6 fps (versus 4.2 fps). The M10 features an APS-C CMOS sensor and can capture Full HD 1080 in addition to stills, with stereo sound via the built-in mic. It also includes built-in WiFi, supporting remote control of the camera via smartphone, printing to a WiFi printer, and wireless image transfers and uploads. List Price: $599 (with EF-M 15-45mm ƒ/3.5-6.3 IS STM lens). Contact: Canon, usa.canon.com.
BLACKRAPID TRIPOD PLATE T If you use a BlackRapid camera strap and an Arca-Swiss-compatible quick-release tripod mount, BlackRapid’s new Tripod Plate promises to let you switch quickly from tripod to camera strap, without needing to remove the mount plate from your camera. Available in two lengths, 50mm and 70mm, the Tripod Plate is constructed from aluminum alloy and stainless steel for durability. List Price: $39.95 (50mm); $44.95 (70mm). Contact: BlackRapid, blackrapid.com.
T RED RIVER PALO DURO SOFTGLOSS RAG With its substantial 16.5mil thickness, acid-free, 100% cotton base and neutral white tone, Red River’s OBA-free Palo Duro SoftGloss Rag paper is an excellent choice for gallery-quality archival prints. The soft gloss coating is formulated to enhance details in the deepest shadow areas of the print, with rich black reproduction. It’s available in multiple cut-sheet sizes from 5x7 to 17x25, plus rolls of 24- and 44-inch widths. List Price: From $23.49. Contact: Red River Paper, redrivercatalog.com.
S PATAGONIA MERINO AIR CREW Staying warm on winter photo adventures starts with smart layering. Made from an innovative lofted knit of wool and Capilene recycled polyester, Patagonia’s Merino Air Crew is an ideal base layer for its breathability and wicking properties. Construction is high-tech, too: It’s computer-sewn around a 3D form for a completely seamless design to eliminate chaing. Available in men’s and women’s sizes. List Price: $129. Contact: Patagonia, patagonia.com.
22 Outdoor Photographer outdoorphotographer.com
W More gear online: www.outdoorphotographer.com/infocus
wild by nature
Finding The Right Track Now, more than ever, we need an open discussion on the ethics of wildlife photography [ By Melissa Groo ]
his is the best time in history to be a wildlife photographer, and this is the worst time in history to be a wild animal. That statement might sound extreme, but consider the facts. It has never been easier to ind a wild subject. Online databases, photography forums, texting and social media yield instant information on the location of a bird or other animal—often with GPS coordinates. Workshops that promise spectacular shots of wildlife in thrilling destinations abound. Thermal-imaging devices locate dens and nests; camera
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traps, drones and buggies ind and track elusive animals. It also has never been easier to actually photograph a wild subject. Current lens technology, AF systems, and gear lightness and maneuverability make stunning images easily within reach of both amateurs and professionals. However, it has never been more challenging to be a wild animal. Earth has lost half its wildlife in the last 40 years, and every day loses precious habitat to exploding human population and commerce, crowding wildlife into eversmaller fragments of wildness. Animals from polar bears to sea turtles to mon-
arch butterlies are adversely affected by climate change. One in eight of all bird species is threatened with global extinction. The illegal wildlife trade, now equal to the drug trade in proits, targets even the most endangered animals. Trophy and sport hunting are popular pastimes, even in bucolic upstate New York where I live: Regular predator killing contests offer rewards for the highest body count, targeting foxes, coyotes and bobcats. These are just a few of the sobering realities wild animals face. As wildlife photographers, we love our subjects. We want them to lourish, to successfully raise their young. Let’s
face it, for the most part, we aren’t in this primarily for the money, but because we have a passion for wildlife and nature. When we’re out shooting, it’s exhilarating to ind our subject, and easy to get carried away and at times make decisions that override the animal’s best interest. I know—I’ve done it. The allure of the decisive moment, the desire to enter the animal’s world, these are powerful motivators. In an age where we’re competing to get the next most spectacular shot on Facebook or other online arenas, and where photography competitions are seeking unique, groundbreaking entries, many of us seek to push the envelope. The desired image becomes paramount. Often, there’s also simply more of us at a given spot, and behaviors that might not matter if engaged in by one person can stress out an animal if it’s repeated by many of us. Access can also become an issue—careless behavior by a few can close off opportunities for us all, especially in national parks. It’s clear that these rapidly changing times for both photography and wildlife call for new ethical guidelines. Where do we start? The best place is with ourselves, in our own practice. How can we make ethics a part of our work? It becomes an essential part of the process. Just as we learn how to use the latest Photoshop plug-in or neutral-density ilter, we need to build in learning about the natural history of our subject and the least disruptive way to be around it. Is it the kind of animal that might abandon its nest if I get too near? What predators present threats to the young? Sound research on animals is only a click away on the Internet for any of us. We can also build in relection, taking time to think about what was good practice and what wasn’t, after we spend time with an animal. We can also help to create a new culture by engaging other people in productive dialogues about ethics in wildlife photography. Healthy debates are increasingly taking place about the techniques used to photograph wildlife. I believe we’re seeing a shift in values and perceptions about what is and isn’t ethical, one that has the welfare of the subject at its core. Photographer friends of mine are wrestling with their own practices and weighing their desire to get the shot with the possible cost to the animal. Publishers and contests are questioning
LEFT: In British Columbia’s Great Bear Rainforest, a mother grizzly bear pauses with a freshly caught salmon before retreating into the forest with her cub. ABOVE: Photographed in upstate New York, a red fox father returns to the den and is greeted excitedly by two of his kits.
the means that lie behind some captures. sense practices in the ield. What about This rising consciousness is looking contest organizers and magazine pubat how we intersect with wild animals, lishers that often unwittingly set the and not only the immediate effect of our standards so many people look to? They actions, but also the effects long term. wear a mantle that carries great responFor instance, people are starting to sibility. The choices they make help realize that offering food to predators, determine the choices photographers from foxes to wolves to bears, for the make. It’s that simple. sake of a photo can put those animals Finally, for viewers and all end users, at risk down the line. It can lead them don’t support images that show wildlife to associate humans with food, which that looks obviously harassed, tamed or can later bring them into conlict with overly manipulated, simply for the sake humans—conlict that never ends well of a photo, and don’t be afraid to ask for the wildlife. questions of photographers. Besides starting with ourselves, what We need strong role models in the are other ways we can support this growphotographic community, from phoing culture of awareness of good practography forum leaders to editors to tices? If you’re with a camera club or professional photographers, organizanature organization, encourage and help tions that promote, support and reward to create ield guidelines for wildlife phoethical behavior, and regulatory suptography that take into account the wellport that includes nondisruptive viewbeing of the subject and facilitate regular ing facilities like blinds and other discussions. These might creative ways to engage include how to approach photographers. This is 왘 MORE On The Web subjects without destroy- OP columns really about establishare available as an archive online ing habitat, getting too at outdoorphotographer.com/columns. ing a new culture across close or creating alarm, Find tips, answers and advice from OP’s trusted many platforms. It calls which ways of luring cadre of world-famous nature photographers! for a community. animals are acceptable Ultimately, it’s up to and to what degree (e.g., call playback), each of us when we’re out in the ield. If when to avoid animals with young and we work within the bounds of patience, when to keep the location of certain anirespect and an understanding of the chalmals private. lenges wild animals face, we’ll be on the Workshop leaders, by their actions in right track. OP the ield, can both model and directly teach others how to be good stewards To see more of Melissa Groo’s phoof wildlife. Beginners who attend these tography and learn about workshop workshops need guidance on commonopportunities, visit melissagroo.com. outdoorphotographer.com January/February 2016 25
tech tips
Gear To Go Empowering Photography Off The Grid Smarter Than A Smartphone [ By George D. Lepp and Kathryn Vincent Lepp ]
A Shameless Plug for Plugless Power Back when we all had SLR cameras that ate ilm, only the meter required battery power, and one lasted many months. If you had a motor drive, you carried a few AA batteries to power it; they also lasted a long time and were easily changed out. It almost seems too simple! Now we live and die by the battery. Our DSLRs have rechargeable batteries, as do all the other technical necessities of our lives and our craft: smartphones, tablets, GPS units and laptops. If we head out to a location without a recharge source, we have a limited time before we’re powerless to continue photography and communication. But, fortunately, there are even more technogadgets that can charge you up again and extend your time in the ield. The question of how to recharge digital tools off the grid has been posed to me many times over the last 12 to 15 years, but the answer, like our technology, continues to evolve. The camera manufacturers offer AC adapter kits that power the camera directly from a wall outlet, but when you’re in the ield, you can connect it to an inverter attached to a 12-volt battery. The inverter converts the battery’s DC power to the 110-volt AC needed to support camera battery chargers, cell phones and similar tools. I’ve typically used a deep-charge motorcycle battery as my DC source, but they aren’t that portable; they’re mostly of a lead-acid type that’s very heavy. But there are other options. Quantum Instruments (qtm.com) makes portable battery systems designed to power lashes. I’ve used the Quantum Turbo 2X2 for that purpose, but it didn’t make a signiicant difference for the camera’s run time. The latest version from Quantum Instruments is the Turbo 3, which will run a DSLR 26 Outdoor Photographer outdoorphotographer.com
Bristlecone Pine in Snow. This image of one specimen in an ancient grove was captured in a remote area of California’s White Mountains, where Lepp was camping. In ield locations such as this, auxiliary power is mandatory in the digital age. Canon EOS 5D, Canon EF 15mm ƒ/2.8 Fisheye lens, 1/125 sec. at ƒ/16, 100 ISO
for a considerable time, and even extend video capture to ive hours. The Turbo 3 weighs two pounds and costs over $600 without the cable to the camera. If I’m working close to my vehicle, I plug the inverter into the vehicle’s accessory plug (formerly known as the cigarette lighter). As long as I can run an extension cord from the inverter to where my camera is, I have plenty of power. Obviously, it’s important not to run the vehicle battery so low that you can’t start the vehicle later. If fuel, noise and emissions aren’t an issue, start the engine to use the power being generated off the alternator. This technique has been useful for doing long time-lapses on cold nights in locations that allow me to park near where I want to photograph, but it doesn’t earn me any points in the outdoorsman department, especially when I turn on the heated seats. What about being really in the ield? Say it’s a trek through the jungle, or a hiking expedition on the Paciic Crest Trail, or climbing a peak in the Andes, with no wall plugs, no vehicles and more important things to carry than a heavy
12-volt battery. Here’s where solar power has inally come of age for the nature photographer. In the past, I tried several versions of solar panels, but they mostly were intended for cell phones and useless for higher-voltage batteries in cameras and laptops. What we’ve needed is a “Say it’s a trek through the jungle, or a hiking expedition on the Paciic Crest Trail, or climbing a peak in the Andes, with no wall plugs, no vehicles and more important things to carry than a heavy 12-volt battery. Here’s where solar power has inally come of age for the nature photographer.�
small, eficient battery that holds a charge from the solar panels and a small inverter that converts that power to a system that accommodates plugs from battery chargers or accessories. It’s here. I recently came across the company Goal Zero (goalzero.com). They have a number of light systems made for photographers that use a
solar panel to charge a small, highly eficient storage battery and inverter so that a regular 110 AC plug can be used for recharging. The company’s Sherpa 50 and Sherpa 100 Solar Kits are ideal for recharging camera batteries, as well as cell phones, tablets and laptops. The price for the Sherpa 50 is $429.95 (weighs 3.15 pounds), and the more powerful Sherpa 100 is priced at $599.95 (weighs 5 pounds). You can clip the lightweight solar panels to the outside of your backpack to continuously recharge the storage battery tucked inside. Later, when you make camp, you have a completely recharged battery system. The price sounds pretty steep until you consider that if you’re serious about photography in remote locations, you need reliable power. One other company that I came across while researching this column on solar for photographers was Voltaic (voltaic systems.com). Their products are similar to Goal Zero, and their prices lower, but the design isn’t based around having a 110 AC plug to use for charging, which I think is very important.
M AY BE THE PHOTOGR APHERS ARE THE
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tech tips
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card and battery installed, shouldn’t be When a Smartphone Isn’t Smart much over 1.5 pounds, and it should So you’re going to a place that’s great it, along with extra batteries, memory for photography, but it just isn’t feacards and battery charger, in a small sible to take along the backpack with bag. Cost needs to be less than $1,000. the DSLR, the tripod and the lenses that The lens must be a part of the camera you’d love to have. It could mean that (no lens-changing necessary) and offer the family is the focus and not the phoa focal-range equivalent at least to a tographs. It might be that the locations DSLR’s 24-600mm. Many of these will be tight, crowded or restricted, as cameras actually have a much longer in a butterly aviary, or an architectural range; one reaches an equivalent of treasure, or a small tour boat. 2000mm! The camera must capture Another all-too-familiar scenario HD video. In order to produce goodinvolves the non-photographer partner/ quality images, the camera’s sensor spouse of the pro or enthusiast, together should be from 16 to 20 megapixels on a once-in-a-lifetime African safari or and the size of the sensor larger than a similar adventure. The partner wants no cell phone’s 4.54x3.42mm. A one-inch part of a backpack full of cameras and sensor (which would be ideal) mealenses, although often is drafted to carry sures 13.2x8.8mm. A point-and-shoot part of the enthusiast’s gear as part of camera sensor measures 6.16x4.62mm, his or her weight allowance or carry-on. with, typically, 16 to 20 megapixels. (We speak from experience.) Still, everyHere are a few examples that it the one on such a memorable trip wants the bill for that next trip where you can’t opportunity to document it from his or take the backpack. Canon has the her own perspective, and needs a camera PowerShot G3X (1” sensor and that will reach out and capture wildlife 24-600mm equivalent lens, HD video), from a distance. Or perhaps you’re travPowerShot SX60 HS (smaller 1/2.3” eling with a young person just beginning sensor, but 21-1365mm equivalent lens, to enjoy photography, and you want to HD video) and PowerShot SX50 HS encourage that pursuit without making a (1/2.3” sensor, 24-1200mm equivalent huge investment in money and gear. zoom, HD video). Panasonic LUMIX Some would say, “Just use your offers the DMC-FZ330 (1/2.3” sensmartphone; it gives good images and sor, 25-600mm equivalent zoom, 4K even video.” But the readers of this magvideo) and DMC-FZ200 (1/2.3” sensor, azine want more than a single-focal25-600mm zoom, HD video). Nikon length lens around 28mm and minimal has the COOLPIX P610 (1/2.3” senquality. Don’t you? And if you’re the sor, 24-1440mm equivalent zoom, HD photo-maniac partner of that patient and video), COOLPIX L840 (1/2.3” senhelpful person who’s helping you carry sor, 22.5-855mm equivalent zoom, HD your gear, you’re well advised to read video) and COOLPIX P900 (1/2.3” on, as we’re offering you a great idea for sensor, 24-2000mm equivalent zoom, the next birthday/anniversary event. HD video). Sony’s offerings are the There are a number of small, lightHX300 (24-1200mm equivalent zoom), weight cameras out there that have a HX400V (24-1200mm equivalent built-in zoom with ample focal-length zoom), H400 (24.5-1550mm equivarange, a sensor larger lent zoom) and H300 than the phone camera’s, 왘 MORE On The Web (25-875mm equivalent and the capability to cap- OP columns are available as an archive online zoom); all have 1/2.3” at outdoorphotographer.com/columns. ture video and even time- Find sensors and HD video. tips, answers and advice from OP’s trusted lapse. With a few cards cadre of world-famous nature photographers! Go to the manufacturand batteries, they travel ers’ respective websites light, take up very little for more details. room, and are always ready to work Oh, yes. If you buy this camera as a with no fuss or drama. They’ll produce gift, you may be tempted to borrow it a good 11x14-inch blowup, and have a back. From experience, I don’t advise range of focal lengths similar to what’s you to do that. OP in our serious camera bags, and that includes a telephoto that will capture To learn about George Lepp’s wildlife up close and personal. upcoming workshops and seminar Here are some general speciications: opportunities, visit his website at The camera’s weight, with memory GeorgeLepp.com.
on landscape
New Tools, New Possibilities High-quality sensors can open up creative, interpretive options [ By William Neill ]
Rocks and Surf, Paciic Grove, California
camera is a tool that allows others to see through our eyes. I’m a landscape photographer, so my camera allows me to capture how I see the landscape as I explore it. The tool renders an image, showing the lighting I see and the arrangement of objects within my frame. My job is to record my experience with it. What’s the mood of that brief moment when the shutter opens? How will I interpret what I see and feel? I ind it helpful to remind myself about the process of making creative photographs. I have a new tool, the Sony a7R II. I’m usually not a gearhead, but I admit to being caught up in the excitement of its announcement, the speculation on its specs and the social media bantering of its pros and cons. I haven’t been one to chase after the latest technology. I used Pentax and Nikon 35mm ilm cameras for 10 years, then a 4x5 view camera for 20 years, and Canon digital cameras for the past 10 years. The simpler I keep my gear, the more I enjoy the creative process of making images. I read about the latest cameras with improved dynamic range and resolution and cleaner high ISO performance, but at the time I was content with what I had. As I taught private
A
30 Outdoor Photographer outdoorphotographer.com
Rocks and Surf, Big Sur, California
quality sensors can open up creative, interpretive options. After capturing a normal scene with normal processing, the histogram would show a full range of tones with the classic bell curve. Here’s where some playfulness in processing can lead to new creative horizons. I often try quick experiments in Lightroom to interpret the scene. Most often, I’m fairly literal and straightforward, but if I think the light and mood aren’t coming through, I might darken or lighten an image to see those options. I’ll make virtual copies for lighter or darker variations, or make black-andwhite and color versions to compare. These images were made in the Big Sur/Monterey area. I made the normal exposures, but the literal interpretation didn’t express what I felt. They were too dark and heavy in mood and tone. I wanted to show a sense of lightness and brightness. To work the ile for the Big Sur photograph toward this highkey style, I experimented in Lightroom, lightening the shadows and overall exposure. Because of the camera’s high dynamic range, I could brighten the shadows with little digital noise.
Although this technique could be used with any camera and digital software, I found limitations with this approach in the past, especially in high-contrast scenes where I wanted shadows full of light and detail. In “Rocks and Surf, Paciic Grove, California,� the wide dynamic range allowed me to push the tonal values to the high end of the scale (+89 Shadows, +28 Exposure), to the right on the histogram, with very little noise in the shadows. I love to create high-key images like this one to convey the strong sense of brilliant light I saw on that early morning. Yes, a camera is just a tool. Great images can be made with any camera, with the key element being the photographer, not the tool. Different cameras have different strengths and weaknesses. Most photographers, including myself, don’t process images as radically as I’ve shown here, and may never ind limits in their systems. I just know I have a tool that opens up creative possibilities. OP Learn about William Neill’s one-onone Yosemite workshops and see his latest images at WilliamNeill.com.
B+W
EXPOSURE
students and helped them learn how to better postprocess their images, I noticed their new cameras’ iles were better than images of the same scene taken on my camera. Creative options from the newer sensors, especially in the management of shadow detail, were greater; that’s when my frustration began to grow. I really knew I was ready for a new camera when I found processing limitations in my own iles. In a small percentage of high-contrast images, I needed more dynamic range, like what I was seeing from newer sensors. As much as HDR or image blending can be a good option, my old-school background using a view camera makes me want to get it right in one frame. Also, since I have clients that want large mural prints, I’m happy to have the high-res iles from the new camera, which are twice the size of those from my previous one. Fast-forward to the present, and I have my new tool. Slowly, I’ve made new images and I’ve enjoyed the process of learning a new system. I’d like to show a few images made with my new tool. The key lesson I want to share is that high-
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outdoorphotographer.com January/February 2016 31
F A V O R I T E
P L A C E S
Text & Pho to g ra p h y B y A b e B l a i r ind. It’s sometimes important to bring a GPS and mark the trailhead, and it also helps to mark dunes and locations you want to return to in the dark. Note that all of the dunes in Death Valley are protected as wilderness, and off-road vehicles aren’t permitted anywhere in the park.
Best Times
MESQUITE FLAT DUNES
Death Valley National Park, California
Location In the heart of Death Valley National Park are the Mesquite Flat Dunes, located in southeastern California, with a small portion of the park extending into Nevada. The park is located 133 miles from Bakersield, California, and 110 miles from Las Vegas, Nevada. Among the many dunes in the park, the Mesquite Flat Dunes are the best known and the easiest to visit. The dunes are viewable right off Highway 190, about two miles east of Stovepipe Wells, where you can RV or car camp, or stay in a hotel for base camp. There’s a large day-use parking area and bathrooms, and many of the park’s other best attractions are each about Death Valley National Park
an hour away in all directions. The park is open year-round, day and night, and a good place to start is the Furnace Creek Visitor Center & Museum.
Weather As Death Valley is one of the hottest places in North America, you’re best off visiting during the winter/spring months of November through April. Daytime temperatures at this time of year are usually a cool 80º instead of 110º-plus in the summer months. Watching the weather and planning your trip just after a windstorm will ensure the dunes are clean, with few signs of past visitors.
Photo Experience With many acres of dunes and no set trail system, you can wander and explore to your heart’s content. You can easily hike a few miles as you wander up,
down and around the dunes. A light camera bag and good sandals are highly recommended, and always pack extra food and water, along with a good shade hat. When shooting with my Nikon D810 DSLR, a wide zoom and zoom-tele are my lenses of choice, the NIKKOR 17-35mm ƒ/2.8 and 70-200mm ƒ/2.8. For this image, I used a Hasselblad 503CW, 150mm lens at ¼ sec. and ƒ/11, Fujichrome Velvia 100F, a Gitzo Traveler 1 tripod and a LEE 0.6 soft-edge grad ND ilter. After sunrise and before sunset can often provide the best images, when the shadows are long and the black-and-white/ texture images are everywhere. If the wind is still blowing, having each lens mounted on a camera will help reduce sand and dirt getting inside this sometimesharsh shooting environment. The farther you hike, the more you’ll
CAL IFORNIA
My favorite time to visit is in the winter months of December and January. The temps are usually the coolest and the sun is at its lowest in the horizon, providing the best and longest sidelight of the year. This is also the busiest time of year, so plan ahead with campground or hotel reservations. The early predawn light can be amazing. Scouting the day before and marking a few spots on your GPS really go a long way when you’re trying to ind your location in the dark (think needle in a haystack). OP Contact: Death Valley National Park, nps.gov/deva. See more of Abe Blair’s photography at abeblair.com.
Essential
Gear Even during the cooler months, staying hydrated in this arid environment is essential. Consider using a photo backpack with an integrated hydration solution like the Lowepro Photo Sport BP 200 AW II, which has a dedicated pocket for a 2-liter reservoir (not included). The lightweight bag is sized for day trips and can accommodate a mirrorless system
What’s Your Favorite Place? 32 Outdoor Photographer outdoorphotographer.com
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or smaller DSLR. List Price: $169. Contact: Lowepro, lowepro.com.
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et’s begin with you. Maybe you’ve just purchased your irst DSLR, or maybe Santa thought you were extra-good this year and left you the latest mirrorless camera under the tree. Or, you’re like most of us and you’ve had your camera for a while, but you’ve been using it in auto mode because all those buttons and options leave you feeling a bit overwhelmed. You may even be a “weekend warrior” with a solid grasp of your camera’s controls. Whichever scenario its you, chances are, you’re longing for more creative control of your compositions and conident postprocessing skills. You’re itching to learn professional “insider” techniques so you can produce images that relect the inspiration and emotion you see and feel
L TEXT & PHOTOGRAPHY BY STEPHEN W. OACHS
Whether you’re a beginning photographer or an experienced enthusiast, build a stunning nature portfolio while learning hands-on 34 Outdoor Photographer outdoorphotographer.com
The exceptional sandy beaches of southern Oregon are known for their beauty and public accessibility. They also sport fantastic examples of amazing sea stacks, the haunting geological remnants of marine terraces eroded by the power of the salty Paciic Ocean. These ancient markers of time silently watch the diminishing sunlight from their view along this Bandon beach. The weather, stormy, cold and windy, delivered intense color just before the clouds opened up and poured with rain.
This little cottonwood tree found its roots in the most unlikely of places—a small pothole worn by erosion in the middle of a giant sandstone formation. Contrast is obvious in this photograph, both by color and texture, at this remote location in Utah’s Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument.
when you look through the viewinder. Whether a true beginner or an advanced amateur, you’re looking to learn how to take better photos, be more creative, see new places and experience new ideas. In today’s information age, there’s certainly no shortage of books, videos and online tutorials for learning just about anything, including photography. In my experience, however, the problem for photographers is that we’re a creative bunch who learn best in action, being hands-on, creating ourselves as we grow. This gets to the very heart of why, in 2008, I founded the Aperture Academy, to conduct on-location digital photography workshops that cater to all skill levels. Aperture Academy was born from my own early experiences as a
new photographer, when I struggled to learn on my own and make sense of so much misinformation online. In those early years, I had struggled with ideas and concepts, and now I can help others with the hands-on instruction that would have greatly sped up my learning curve early on. On-Location, Hands-On Advantages Getting out into Mother Nature with a camera can be a very rewarding experience, but all too often it can be a frustratingly disappointing one, as well. The irst thing to realize is that there’s more to nature photography than technical skills. For instance, a large part of landscape photography is dependent on understanding how to adapt to everchanging conditions, such as light and weather, which can challenge even the most experienced photographer. A quality photography workshop
will go beyond just camera operational controls to subjects like learning how to read subtle shifts in light and color temperatures to see and capture the world in new ways. The opportunity for high-quality imagery often comes and goes quickly, especially in situations such as standing at water’s edge or overlooking a panoramic vista. Having a professional instructor by your side, guiding and coaching your aperture and exposure, and looking over your shoulder with compositional suggestions, creates an ideal learning environment. Recently, I was leading a workshop in the Zion Narrows in Utah. Light in the canyon is tricky to read and capture, and composition is everything when telling the story with a single image. While working with one student (who was already a competent photographer), I suggested some slight shifts in composition to help exaggerate the
scale of the scene and shutter variations to ensure silky, yet textured water low. As we worked together, her photos went from good to great. I watched as she increasingly learned to “see” her capture, and that ability was strengthened from the one-on-one experience. There’s really no more valuable way to learn for a creative person than with hands-on experience. What to Expect: Tours vs. Workshops If you’re thinking to yourself, “I’m a visual learner; the idea of on-location photography education sounds right for me,” then you need to next consider the wide variety of options available to you. This can be a bit overwhelming, in itself, so here are a few pointers to help you choose the right experience for you. A photo tour usually consists of a large group guided to a location. General instruction may be given, but guests
This spectacular waterfall is fed from springs along the Upper Sacramento River canyon. The water cascades downward about 50 feet, lowing over a moss-covered wall feeding the river below. Mossbrae Falls is remarkable in its expansive width that spreads about 150 feet. Found outside Dunsmuir, California, it’s one of the most unique scenic waterfalls in the state, providing an almost tropical atmosphere. This winter capture, with snow peeking out among the mossy ledges, supports popular descriptions such as Shangri-la, Paradise, Garden of Eden and a piece of Hawaii. 36 Outdoor Photographer outdoorphotographer.com
Created by deep erosion of limestone rock, Johnston Canyon lows unstopped from the high mountain regions of Canada’s Banff National Park to the Bow River below. Along Johnston Creek are many beautiful waterfalls and blue-green pools, but this only represents the calm conditions of modern day. This canyon’s history is long and violent, where the water once lowed so forcefully that giant underground caverns were formed in the wake of powerful lows. This image depicts one of the mighty remnants of Johnston Creek, an enormous limestone extrusion, captured from deep within one of the very caverns this tributary created long ago and its scale conveyed by the small human igure that looks upon it in amazement.
usually are left to their own devices. Pros—A group environment is generally safe, and being with like-minded individuals can be conducive to learning a few new tips and tricks. Cons—Large group sizes can make it dificult to work freely, as you’re often competing for compositions and jockeying for a clear view. Instructors are also shooting their own images and little focus is provided to the group. Photography workshops usually limit the number of guests and provide two or more instructors to ensure the student-teacher ratio is low for maximizing one-on-one time together. Pros—Instruction and learning are the priority, and workshop routes are planned around the best time of day and year for optimal conditions. Instructors are there to teach versus being distracted with their own personal photography. Cons—Workshops are often more
expensive. If you are looking to enhance your individual photography knowledge and skills, however, the extra expense should be well worth it. Once you’ve decided on the type of experience you’d prefer, it’s time to choose an operator. There are a wide variety of tour and workshop options. I highly recommend using social media and review websites to help select the right tour or workshop for you. Student and user experiences are a very valuable tool and can give you a nice “inside look” at what you’ll be selecting. How to Prepare: Essential Gear To ensure you’ll get the most out of your workshop experience, here are a few key tips.
Utah’s Zion National Park is known for many beautiful locations, but, arguably, one of the most exciting and challenging is the Zion Narrows, a 16-mile slot canyon through which lows the Virgin River. The only way to walk this magniicent landscape is to hike through the river, and depending on the season, it can be bone-chillingly cold or a rather treacherous trek. After ighting the river for nine miles, the entrance was an especially beautiful site. This photograph elegantly captures the entrance of the Narrows in fall, when the river waters are energized by the oncoming rush of changing seasons.
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Timelessly standing as silent sentry above the eastern end of Yosemite Valley in California, this majestic granite behemoth towers over 4,737 feet above the two glacier-carved valleys surrounding it. Once considered inaccessible to humans, Half Dome, originally called “Tis-sa-ack” (Cleft Rock) by local Native Americans, is now a major hiking and photographer’s attraction. Immortalized by Ansel Adams, Half Dome continues to be a mecca for photographers. Taken from Glacier Point, 7,214 feet above sea level, this photograph captures an ethereal perspective of Half Dome. It showcases the light and elevation, revealing the rariied atmosphere that truly makes it appear as if the view is “Halfway to Heaven.”
• A camera that offers you manual control of shutter and aperture is ideal. This gives you full creative control and provides a great platform for your instructor to teach by. • Stability is everything. A strong and sturdy tripod goes a long way toward helping you achieve sharp, consistent images. • Lens choices vary greatly between locations and workshops. Usually for landscape photography, you want to bring lenses that cover a range of 16mm to 200mm. A typical combination might look something like a 16-35mm, a 50mm prime and a 70-200mm. There are single lenses that cover a range of 18-200mm (or greater), and these can be a great “walk-around” lens for vacation, but for a workshop, I highly recommend bringing a variety of lenses to ensure the best-quality end result. • Extra memory and batteries are a must! You want to take a lot of pictures during a workshop, and running out of 38 Outdoor Photographer outdoorphotographer.com
memory, or batteries, is a bad idea. I suggest one extra battery and a couple extra memory cards, 16 GB or greater. • A polarizer is a must-have ilter for most landscape photography. I also highly recommend a 3-stop, soft graduated neutral-density (ND) ilter. I know that’s a mouthful to say, but trust me, with proper use you’ll be amazed at how much an ND ilter will improve your photography. • A shutter release cord is a nice optional piece of gear to bring along. Having a release cord allows you to ire the shutter without touching the camera, which helps prevent the slight vibrations and soft images you can get when directly iring the camera itself. I recommend a release cord over a wireless remote, as the wireless remotes are easy to misplace or lose, and batteries can fail. However, each provides the same end result. • A good backpack is important to keep your gear padded and safe from the elements.
• A headlamp is a valuable tool for inding your way up a path after sunset. • Camera equipment rental is an excellent option to consider, because it allows you to fully prepare and equip for a workshop or tour with minimal cost. • Given the wide variety of locations and conditions, my best advice is to speak with your instructors and do a gear review before the workshop. Ask Questions! So, you’ve chosen a workshop operator that visits a location that interests you, and you’ve acquired the proper gear to maximize your learning experience. It’s time to go! You’ve arrived on location and you’re ready to begin. The best thing to remember—ask a lot of questions! Your learning will be maximized if your instructors understand what you know, what you don’t know and what you want to know. Don’t be shy. Too often, I work with guests who say, “I almost didn’t sign up for this trip
Aperture Academy Aperture Academy provides a wide variety of learning opportunities in an à la carte, hands-on format, conducting over 150 on-location workshops around the world each year. Working with thousands of photographers at every skill level, the workshops are kept to small groups, so instructors can work closely with every student, teaching each of them at their own pace, experience and skill level. Learn more about Aperture Academy at apertureacademy.com.
In the northwestern corner of Yellowstone National Park, there’s an ever-changing terrain made up of centuries of limestone and mineral formations. This almost-alien landscape is known as Mammoth Hot Springs, a geothermal phenomenon that started possibly before the dawn of man, and continues today, building, sculpting and re-sculpting as it continually spills minerals onto the earth. These formations, called terraces, are perpetually evolving, slowly encroaching and reforming its surroundings, burying whatever previously existed, with the exception of a few trees, persistent against the constant unrest of evolution, even after their lives have ended. This photograph captures the unique light and atmosphere of an early spring sunset over the hot springs, which casts an unearthly glow over the scene, as if showing it frozen in time, forgotten by time.
because I thought I didn’t know enough yet,” or “I thought I’d be the one who held up the whole group because everyone else would know so much more than me.” By the end of the trip, after so much one-on-one learning, guests realize their individual skills, or lack of, weren’t problematic in the group situation, after all, and often even helped others learn things they didn’t know they wanted to learn! Questions make for a more comfortable, enjoyable and relaxed learning experience for everyone. For me, teaching on-location landscape
workshops is very rewarding. Teaching outdoor and landscape photography puts me in my element and it’s where I thrive. I ind great satisfaction when someone’s face lights up and they smile when they see a quality image appear on their camera screen. Witnessing their learning and epiphanies gives me pride in a job well done. And, for those who return to us for additional workshops, it’s exciting to see their progression and watch them grow from complete beginners to seasoned photographers who have found their own style and niche. OP
Stephen W. Oachs is an award-winning photographer, successful entrepreneur and technology veteran. He was recognized in 2007 as wildlife photographer of the year by the National Wildlife Federation and was awarded best nature photographer in 2008 by National Geographic. Oachs founded Aperture Academy, a unique combination of ine-art photography gallery in conjunction with classroom and workshop instruction. See more of his work at stephenoachs.com. outdoorphotographer.com January/February 2016 39
Find Your O Wilderness TEXT & PHOTOGRAPHY BY LEWIS KEMPER
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utdoor photographers are always searching for the next “best” photographic location. They travel hundreds and even thousands of miles to take pictures, often bypassing their own “backyard.” Yet within 30 miles of everyone’s home, there’s some wildness to be found. Whether that be an urban park, an undeveloped woodland, a pond, lake, river, a refuge or state park, all you need to do is explore and you can ind some-
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thing interesting to photograph nearby. Two years ago, I moved near the American River in Sacramento, California. Little did I know it would become the focal point for my photography. The American River Parkway is visited by more than ive million people a year. Most of them bike or run along the paved trail that runs 23 miles from Sacramento to Folsom. During the summer, people lock to a few local parks to swim in the river. Others loat rafts down the river, and there are dedi-
cated ishermen trying to ply the waters, but these numbers are small compared to those who experience the river from the trail. When I irst moved to the new house, I began to look for a good location where I would be able to take sunset and sunrise pictures. I found one about a quarter of a mile from my home and began to go there periodically. Knowing that great light makes a great photograph, I was a bit disappointed in the cloudless skies that are the summer
Regular visits to a location near home can help hone your skills and yield photographic insights that can only come with time and experience Sunset panorama, the American River, Sacramento, California
norm in this part of California. I soon realized that every day may not be a good picture day, but every day would be a good river day. I started timing my excursions to the river for rare summer days with good clouds. By coming back to the same location time after time, I became familiar with the area, and I could tell by the clouds and sun whether I would need to be facing west into the sunset or east to see what the sun was lighting up. I experimented with different focal-length lenses and differ-
ent angles, even though the area I was returning to was fairly small. I soon came to realize that I could only experience a small slice of the river trying to photograph from the shore. If I really wanted to experience the area, I needed to be on the water. Once I got my kayak, a whole new world of photographs opened up to me. Not only did the landscape change, but I also discovered there was an abundance of wildlife that I never saw from the shore. Wanting to truly experience the river,
I decided to see what it was like in the early morning, and I discovered this was the best time for photography. For the most part, unless we had spectacular clouds, the morning light was better than the evening light. I also discovered the wildlife was much more active in the morning. So began my habit of going out at dark before sunrise, walking my kayak down to the river and photographing for several hours at a time. I learned all the good places to photograph, where the birds, otters outdoorphotographer.com January/February 2016 41
Sunset on the American River
Great blue heron, the American River
and beaver like to hang out. I began to feel like this part of the river was “My Stretch of the River.” I rarely saw another human out at that hour, except for an occasional isherman. And as summer progressed through autumn and on to winter, I frequently found I was the only person on the river, yet I could hear the drone of the cars 42 Outdoor Photographer outdoorphotographer.com
on the interstate less than a mile away. Watching the seasons change, I became aware that most winter mornings begin with a low fog over the river, which makes everything appear magical and mystical, adding atmosphere to my images. Some days, the fog was too thick to even launch the kayak because I could barely see more than a few yards
in the distance and I didn’t want to take any chances hitting rocks or snags in the water. On these mornings, I would spend my time photographing from shore until the fog lifted enough to paddle. Winter gradually made way for spring and a whole new set of subjects appeared on the river. The birds and mammals had their young, lowers grew, trees turned green and everything was bursting with color. In short time, the lowers died off, the bright greens began to fade and I came full cycle back to summer. In that irst year, I spent countless hours photographing the same one-mile stretch of river over and over. People would ask me if I got tired of photographing the same thing all the time, and I would reply, “I’m photographing the same location over and over, but every day is different.” The real challenge is making new and interesting pictures day after day while visiting the same location. By taking on that challenge, I grew as a photographer. You can ind your own private wild area with just a little bit of homework. One of the best places to start is to look at public parks nearby—anything from a small urban park or preserve to a larger state park or refuge. Another one of my favorite areas to photograph
is a small nature center a few miles from home. It’s a small oak woodland of about 80 acres. Most people walk through and just see a few paths among the trees, but when I go there at sunrise, I see so much to photograph. In the center of our city, we have a large park with a nice garden and a large duck pond—something as simple as that could be your wild place if you let it. Look for any bodies of water. Whether it be natural or man-made, reservoirs, lakes, ponds and rivers all have lots of great photographic potential. I ind maps, Google Earth, photo apps and, of course, word of mouth to be invaluable when trying to scout photographic locations. Just remember, the irst time you look at your location, it may not jump out at you as a great place to photograph, but give it a chance, try it out at different times of the day, different times of the year, and be willing to look more carefully than you’ve looked before. As Thoreau said, “It’s not what you look at that matters, it’s what you see.” The time I spent on the river has made me a better photographer. I think if you return to a familiar location and have to work at trying to photograph something new or different, it helps you learn to see and to appreciate the nuances that make a great photograph. It’s easy for some-
one to go to Yosemite or Yellowstone and make nice images; the scenery is just so fantastic you can’t miss. But try going to a place most people would ind ordinary and make nice pictures day after day, and your skills as a photographer will grow in leaps and bounds. The little discoveries you make in your own personal wild area translate to anywhere you travel. You learn to ine-tune your composition, to anticipate and predict what the light will do. You learn just how much underexposure will drop your
Double-crested cormorants in fog, the American River
shadows to black or how much depth of ield you need for a particular scene. Once you get proicient at making nice pictures there on a constant basis, you’re ready to take on any challenge a new location can throw at you. OP Lewis Kemper created the multimedia presentation “My Stretch of the River: A Photographer’s Journal.” Watch a trailer and purchase or rent the video at lewiskemper.com/store/dvd/my-stretchriver-photographers-journal.
Tule, the American River
BEHIND TH E SHOT
T e x t & P h o to g ra p h y B y H a rry L i ch tma n
The Beacon Grinnell Point, Glacier National Park, Montana 44 Outdoor Photographer outdoorphotographer.com
Canon EOS 5D Mark II, Canon EF 17-40mm ƒ/4L USM, Manfrotto tripod, Formatt Hitech 2-stop hard-edge grad ND ilter, ƒ/16, 3.2 sec., ISO 100, single exposure
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o often, photographers talk about the color of light and its inluence on the interpretation of a landscape. That’s probably why landscape photographers chase the warm colorcast that’s produced near sunrise and sunset. This phenomenon was never so evident to me as in an image I took in Glacier National Park during sunrise. The view of Grinnell Point from the shores of Swiftcurrent Lake is one of the most commanding and frequently photographed. To get a unique shot, I hoped for some exceptional lighting, as compositional choices were somewhat limited. This section of shoreline was chosen for the foreground rocks that seemed to cradle the relection in the lake. Clouds from overnight rain greeted me as I walked the shore to a location that I had eyed the day before. The cool tones of early morning dominated the scene until shortly after the sun rose. Then the transformation took place. A break in the clouds of the eastern horizon allowed the rays of the rising sun to strike Grinnell Point and little else. This highlighted the contrast of warm and cool light that morning. The red tones of Grinnell Point were further enhanced by the mountain’s rock composition—a sedimentary argillite and quartzite, which is reddish brown. Even the dark green pine trees near the far shoreline were cast in red from the sun. In order to capture the wide dynamic range of the scene in a single shot, I used a 2-stop hard-edge graduated neutral-density ilter over my Canon 1740mm wide-angle lens. The Canon EOS 5D Mark II has a two-second-delay feature on the self-timer that I often use for these types of shots to reduce camera shake when triggering the exposure. Live View was enabled to further eliminate vibration of the mirror movement during exposure. My technique is to handhold the 4x4-inch ND ilter in front of the lens and move it slightly up and down during the exposure, lining up the hard gradation edge of the ilter to the transition of brightness in the scene. This avoids a nasty dark-light transition in the inal image and negates the need for postprocessing correction. Without an ND ilter, a dark and light exposure could be blended manually using layers in Photoshop. This would require two or more exposures, depending on the dynamic range of the scene, and more computer time and skill. While wild light can be dificult to control and capture, proper technique and practice can yield stunning results. OP
Harry Lichtman recently received the Smithsonian’s Windland Smith Rice Award for Landscape Photography. See more of his work at HarryLichtman.com.
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Modern Printmaking Part One
In this first of a series on the fine art of photo printing, we consider the value of prints in the digital age TEXT & PHOTOGRAPHY BY JASON BRADLEY
ike many who make their living with photography, my income is generated in several ways. One is by teaching Lightroom and techniques in digital worklow, and another is working with photographers to develop their images and produce ine-art archival pigment-ink prints— which is a fancy way of saying I run a digital print lab. Through these two endeavors, my experience has been that learning how to print well, which is a somewhat subjective thing, isn’t easy. Subjectivity aside, by “print well,” I mean knowing how to pay attention to detail and tone, to shadows and to highlights, to print with consistency and predictability, and with an understanding of how an image may or may 46 Outdoor Photographer outdoorphotographer.com
not translate onto a certain medium. I’m referring to having clarity about the vision you have for your work, and having enough command over the tools and technology at hand to successfully translate that vision so that your irst print is as successful as your hundredth. Again, it’s not easy. It takes patience, technical knowledge, trial and error, and commitment. Nonetheless, I think it’s the most important phase of the photography worklow. The print is, as Ansel Adams once famously called it, the photographer’s “performance.” So, with due reverence for the performance, this article is part one of a series of four articles on how to print with modern tools. To kick things off, we’ll irst examine the usefulness of printing in today’s virtual, computer screen-
driven world. Following articles will introduce you to the tools and concepts needed to print consistently and predictably, and the inal article will review the types of paper and media available for digital printing. Whether you print often and want to improve your skills, or don’t print and need to know where to begin, let me suggest you start, as of now, by thinking about what kind of performance you want to create. The Value of Printing A photographer’s job is to make a print, right? Isn’t that the end goal? Create a negative, digital or otherwise, and then print? Well, actually, not really, not anymore. Imagine, if you will, a 20-something shooter who’s hot with
I believe printing and hanging your work is the most valuable part of any photographer’s worklow.
his or her camera—maybe that’s even you. He has thousands and thousands of followers on Instagram and Flickr, but never in his life has he made a print. Is he, or is he not, a photographer? For him, the craft of photography is about the capture, the shared ile. In step with the digital photography culture, he produces many, many images. His worklow is void of printmaking because there’s no requirement or motivation to do so, but a photographer he is nonetheless. For better or worse, printmaking isn’t necessarily the job or the requirement for the modern photographer, as it has been historically. So, the question is, why print? What’s the importance of making a print in an era that doesn’t require it? Even though the answers to those questions are likely
as plentiful as there are photographers, let me attempt to distill a few. Artisan Printmaking “Artisanal” language in advertising has become popular, to say the least. McDonald’s even has a sandwich called the Artisan Grilled Chicken Sandwich. I like a cheat meal just like the next guy, but McDonald’s? Artisanal? Try Googling the keywords “artisanal parody,” and you’ll ind hilarious videos on artisanal water making, artisanal irewood and artisanal pencil sharpening. The fact of the matter is that such language has made its way into our culture to the point of parody because there’s a cultural need for it. People value craftsmanship. They value the rare thing, the diamond instead of the quartz. Yes, we live in
a McDonald’s world, but there’s also The French Laundry (a famous restaurant in Napa serving inely crafted French-style dishes with American inluences). The very act of printmaking is the act of highlighting the rare thing. Making prints forces us to sift through our archive with more care and consideration, to select that image that’s truly worthy— worthy beyond the social-media post. Worthy enough to analyze its details in Photoshop or Lightroom, to pay attention to things like edge sharpness, removing chromatic aberration, noise reduction and spot removal—things that are less necessary with low-resolution viewing. Worthy enough to print, to frame, to add my signature to, to hang on my wall and to properly light, because it best represents my vision for my work. outdoorphotographer.com January/February 2016 47
Technology has provided us with the means to show images and share them virtually with friends, colleagues and clients, but do computer screens and mobile devices truly show a well-polished, inished photograph?
Making prints forces us to scrutinize our work more intimately, and if you have any interest in getting better at photography, such scrutiny can only help. The daily social-media post is just inherently less rare. I think people appreciate, even yearn for, the inely crafted, rare thing. The Tangible vs. the Virtual Digital information isn’t merely short-lived as it comes and goes on our computer screens—it leaves our memory faster, as well. There’s real science that points to the phenomena that what we see digitally doesn’t last as long in our memory as things on paper. Admittedly, I’m making a correlation between science and the photographic arts, but there have been countless studies showing that when a person reads text on paper, he or she was able to retain and comprehend that information longer than when the same text is presented on a computer screen. There’s something about the tangible that triggers a physical and emotional response that doesn’t happen on computer screens. And this physical and emotional response is what elicits access to the right triggers and synapses in the brain that are needed for long-term memory pathways. Comprehension isn’t absent when reading on computer screens, it’s just not as long-lasting. 48 Outdoor Photographer outdoorphotographer.com
For me, holding a print in my hand is a much more rewarding experience than just looking at an image on the screen. The computer display holds the image’s potential, but the print is where that potential is realized. Images resting on my hard drive are forgotten more easily than those that are framed and hung, and seen over and over; these are continuously thought about and are explained to others. Prints are, as the science suggests, an enduring experience. Archivability In addition to the durability of the personal experience, prints also have more inherent archivability—they have the potential to live longer. A print made
on the right paper with the right ink can last 100 years or more under the right condition, whereas anything digital runs the risk of becoming obsolete. Storage devices over the last 20 years have changed from loppy disks, to Zip drives, to CDs and DVDs, and from hard drives to solid-state drives. Oh, yeah, and here comes cloud storage options. If today’s computers can’t read storage devices from 10 to 20 years ago, how do we know that in 30, 50 or 100 years from now we can still access JPEGs, the iles on our hard drives, our raw ile formats, and the developmental metadata we made while processing our image with today’s version of Lightroom? Have you heard of the new
Lightroom’s Detail Panel and the Lens Corrections Panel are often overlooked by photographers, as the details aren’t as crucial for those who show their work solely on computer screens and portable devices.
BPG (Better Portable Graphics) image format yet? I’ve seen a few articles saying it’s the format that may inally replace the JPEG. We have no idea what we’ll be able to do and not do that far ahead, but we do know that anything we print will last, and will look the same decades from now, if handled with care. Why Buy a Leica, If You Already Have an iPhone Once I had a client submit an image to me for printing that was captured
responded loudly with a “Hell, yeah, it will!” and made it clear that the ile can go much larger than that. I don’t tell this story to disparage my client. Instead, the story is an indicator of how many photographers have come to understand camera and photo quality. If looking at images solely on computer screens, through social media, through email and websites, where images are no wider than, say, 1000 or 2000 pixels, how can one distinguish the difference between the image qual-
you may be shooting black-and-white 120 ilm that you process yourself in your personal darkroom. Either way, the print celebrates the rare gems of our photo archives; it allows us to scrutinize our work more intimately. Prints are a tangible experience that we connect with on a deeper level, and their potential is that they will outlast the cameras, and the computers that created them, by far. For all these reasons, I believe printmaking is the most valuable phase of a modern worklow, and I encour-
Prints that last don’t always have to be ine-art prints. Services like Blurb (you can publish to Blurb directly from Lightroom) or Chatbooks can create and send you bound books of images that normally would just sit on Instagram or your hard drive.
with a Leica S. The image was technically precise, the exposure was good, everything was sharp, the ISO used was low, and the client asked me if I thought the ile would hold up if we made a 16x24-inch print. Now, for those of you who may not be in the know, the Leica S isn’t a cheap little camera. Leicas are well known as the pinnacle of optical engineering, and the Leica S body alone is over $20,000. Yet, there was a question of whether the ile would hold up for what I consider a medium-sized print. Of course, I
ity of a top-quality camera and lens versus a point-and-shoot camera, or even an iPhone, for that matter? If our concept of camera quality is only conceptualized through the prism of price and megapixel marketing, or through what the highest achievable ISO is, then how do we get a feel for what our tools are capable of? The print! Are you getting it now? The value of the print is, ultimately, the value of the print. It’s in the eye of the beholder, as they say. You may be a 20-something Instagram sensation, or
age anyone reading this to do it more, to share your art more with people in person, and hold up the inal vision of your work as high as you can. OP Jason Bradley is a nature and underwater photographer from Monterey, California. He owns and operates Bradley Photographic Print Services and Bradley Photographic Workshops, and is the author of Creative Worklow in Lightroom by Focal Press. To see more of Bradley’s work, visit BradleyPhotographic.com. outdoorphotographer.com January/February 2016 49
WINTER photography TIPs FOR
Essential considerations for safe and successful photo shoots in cold and wet conditions TEXT & PHOTOGRAPHY BY RICK SHEREMETA
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inter can be an exciting time to get outside and expand your photographic portfolio. When the ground is enveloped in a blanket of white, even familiar surroundings can take on an entirely different perspective, and there are many opportunities to capture unique images. Winter does present certain challenges that photographers normally don’t have to deal with during other seasons, however. This article offers a number of tips garnered from what I’ve learned over the years through experience, and may be useful for making your winter photo efforts more productive and enjoyable. 50 Outdoor Photographer outdoorphotographer.com
Snow Can Trick Your Meter One of the most challenging things in winter is achieving correct exposure. All camera metering systems are calibrated to base exposure on neutral tonality or neutral gray. White, snow-covered landscapes will inluence and most likely dominate your camera meter’s exposure reading. Consequently, solely relying on the camera’s meter to set exposure may lead to disappointing results when you discover that all your snow-covered winterscapes are underexposed and appear a dull gray. While this might be the mood you’re trying to capture, you normally would expect snow to appear white regardless of lighting conditions.
Armed with the knowledge of how the meter functions, it’s then a simple matter to achieve correct exposure by adding positive compensation (overexposure). I ind that even on an overcast day, or in shade, a snow-covered scene will need to be overexposed by +1 stop, or exposure value (EV). Bright sunlit snow scenes may require +2 EV. Be very careful at going beyond +2 EV compensation, though, as things will start to become blown out with loss of detail. Here’s how I approach this challenge. I prefer to work in manual exposure mode and use spot metering. This way, I can get a direct meter reading of any object or portion of the scene that I wish
Figure 1. This is the result of an exposure based on metering the sky.
to be measured. On clear days, I may start by irst metering the northern sky at about 45º above the horizon. Then, by adjusting aperture or shutter speed, or both, I’ll set exposure for between -1 EV to +1 EV, depending on how dark or light I want the sky to render. Next, I’ll meter the snow to see how the meter reading compares relative to the exposure previously set. If the reading is less than +3 EV (or if the overexposure warning isn’t blinking on the preview screen), I know I’m good to go. If the snow is too overexposed, I’ll go back and re-meter the sky, and reset exposure by one stop less—rechecking the snow metering and readjust again, if
necessary. This is a reiterative process, and no two scenes will be the same; it just requires practice and patience until you get a feel for it. Figure 1 is a good example of an image achieved using this technique. If it’s overcast, I’ll simply meter the snow and set exposure for +1 EV. Of course, in either situation, you can always spot-meter something neutrally toned, such as a gray rock or similar object, to set exposure and then let everything else be exposed relative to that. The same principles apply in Shutter or Aperture Priority modes, but it’s a little trickier to get a true picture of how different parts of the scene render
compared to each other or which will control exposure. Furthermore, if you don’t use exposure lock, the exposure will change if you move your camera— too many chances for error. When in doubt, bracket shots by one to two stops over and under your initial exposure setting. It’s best to do this in 1-stop (EV) increments. With experience, you’ll become more conident setting your exposure so that you’ll need to bracket less. Always check your histogram and learn how to expect winter scenes to appear: They generally will be skewed toward the right, since the snow will be overexposed. It’s a good idea to have “Exposure Warning” set in your camera’s custom functions, too, so any overexposed areas in your LCD preview screen will blink. It’s okay to have some small, very bright areas blinking with overexposure, but you don’t want the entire snowield or sky doing so. Should that happen, merely increase shutter speed by one or more stops, or close down the aperture by the same amount, until the blinking area in the preview is within tolerable limits. Photographing wildlife in winter may be a little more straightforward. Since they’re generally the main subjects, having them correctly exposed is essential—everything else can be compromised, if necessary. Again, I ind that it’s best to spot-meter on the animal, taking into consideration whether it’s predominantly white, neutral-toned or dark, and then set respective exposure compensation accordingly—i.e., +1 EV, 0 EV or -1 EV as a starting point, then adjust, as necessary, after checking the histogram. Again, this will become more intuitive with experience, and if in doubt, bracket exposures, then pick the one you like best. More on winter wildlife photography later. Don’t forget lash when shooting in winter. It can be used as an effective tool to highlight foreground objects, provide a catchlight or eliminate undesirable shadows. Filters My one standby ilter, regardless of the time of year, is the polarizer. This is a great tool for darkening blue skies, adding deinition to clouds, eliminating glare and adding more saturation to colors. The only caveat is that it’s easy to over-polarize with winter’s low outdoorphotographer.com January/February 2016 51
Figure 2. A winter scene at Glacier National Park’s Lake McDonald. A polarizer was used to accentuate the sky and add more deinition to clouds.
sun angles, giving the sky an unnatural appearance, so it may be wise to take several frames with varying amounts of polarization to see what works best. Figure 2 shows the effect to be gained with use of a polarizer. Graduated neutral-density ilters are useful when it becomes necessary to equalize variations in exposure between different parts of a scene such as the foreground or the background and sky. I ind that a three-stop (No. 8) gray graduated neutral-density ilter works well for common situations in winter scenes. Another ilter that’s receiving less use in the digital age is a warming ilter such as the 81C. The complementary yellowish color will neutralize the snow’s bluish cast that can occur on sunny days or in the shade. Setting white balance for “Shade” or adjusting it in post with Lightroom or other software will provide a similar effect. Filters are typically of two types— those that screw directly onto the end of a lens and those that slide into a holder (such as the Lee and Cokin systems). The latter may be preferable for winter use when fumbling around with heavy gloves. 52 Outdoor Photographer outdoorphotographer.com
Focus Problems With conditions of low contrast, such as overcast or foggy days, or when snow is falling, your lens may experience dificulty in obtaining autofocus. Figure 3 illustrates such a situation. Under these conditions, the lens may hunt or lutter as it attempts to gain focus. Don’t panic—it’s not uncommon. The problem is that the lens can’t ind anything with enough contrast to lock focus. There may also be times when the lens will want to focus on the falling snow, as opposed to the main subject, leaving the subject soft or even entirely out of focus. When photographing under these circumstances, it’s best to switch from auto to manual focus. While using manual focus, hold the shutter button down halfway, and once focus has been obtained, the focusing point(s) in your viewinder will light up to let you know that you’re good to go. Don’t forget to re-engage autofocus when you’re inished. The Correct Shutter Speed to Use When it’s snowing or the wind is howling, a conscientious assessment needs to be made regarding shutter
speed to achieve the desired result. Fast shutter speeds will stop any movement, whereas slow shutter speeds will result in blurred motion. Falling snow is a good case in point. With a slow shutter speed, snowlakes will appear as streaks of white, whereas a fast shutter speed will render falling snow as white dots. So what’s fast and what’s slow? While gently falling snow on a calm day may require as little as 1/125 sec. to freeze motion, during blizzard conditions, 1/350 sec. barely will be enough. So, if there’s any question, it’s advisable to bracket shots using various shutter speed and aperture combinations to ind out what works best depending on conditions. Figure 4 shows this effect with falling snow. Cold Weather and Batteries Batteries lose power at low temperature, and the colder it is, the faster the drain happens. While this applies to all batteries, the latest generation fares much better than its predecessors. The best rechargeable performers are lithium-ion followed by NiCad and NiMH. They should all function satisfactorily down to 32° F (0° C). As for non-
rechargeable batteries, lithium-ion is the best choice. Avoid alkalines entirely, as they perform poorly in the cold. Even though batteries may appear exhausted in cold weather, they will regain their power once warmed back up. The recommendation is to have one or more spare batteries when out in the ield. Keep spares in a warm inner pocket and switch them when needed. A hand warmer placed in the pocket with the spare batteries will keep them toasty and help them recover faster. Cold Weather and Moisture Moisture is always a problem where camera equipment is concerned, and winter is no exception. Very cold air is generally dry, but air in heated buildings or vehicles typically contains moisture. While outside in the cold, there’s no problem, but when entering a heated space with an ice-cold camera, any moisture present may condense onto or inside your gear. For the same reason, it’s also not a good idea to place an icy cold camera under your coat to protect it—don’t! The problem isn’t so much
the moisture you may see on the outside that can be wiped off, but moisture on internal electrical components. As we all know, electronics and moisture don’t mix, so the best thing is to avoid the situation in the irst place. Placing camera gear in an airtight plastic bag, like a self-sealing freezer bag, or in a camera gear bag before going indoors is the irst step to prevent the problem. Leave gear inside the protective bag until everything reaches room temperature. If you should happen to get condensation on or in your camera gear, however, remove the batteries and let things sit until all the moisture has evaporated. This can take some time, unfortunately, but the process may be hastened by gently warming your equipment using a hair dryer set on a low setting. Protect Your Equipment Modern DSLRs and associated equipment generally function just ine in wintry conditions. Plastic camera bodies, lenses and components may become brittle in extreme cold, how-
ever, so a little extra caution in handling is advised. Dry powdery snow shouldn’t pose a problem at all and generally will fall off or may be lightly brushed away, but it’s imperative to keep wet snow or rain off your gear. To keep things dry in inclement conditions, a rain cover, an umbrella or even a heavy-duty plastic bag (although they can be stiff and a little unwieldy) will work. Keeping the lens hood attached and pointing your camera down and/or away from the prevailing wind direction until ready to shoot will lessen the likelihood that snow will accumulate on the front element of the lens. In the event that snow gets on your lens or camera, use a lens brush to remove it. Don’t try to blow snow off with your breath, as that will only compound the problem by adding more moisture. Sometimes a soft chamois or cotton towel can help if things are really wet, but again, avoidance is the key. Warm breath or moisture from a hat or balaclava can fog up a viewinder and get the back of a camera wet in
Figure 3. This is a good example of a scene that can cause trouble for autofocus, with heavy snowfall and low-contrast lighting. A fast shutter speed and manual focus will be helpful in situations like this to get the shot. outdoorphotographer.com January/February 2016 53
Figure 4. Heavy snowfall required a shutter speed of 1/250 sec. to stop motion as shown in the photo at top. The lower image shows the effect of streaked snow at a shutter speed of 1/15 sec.
short order. A rubber eyecup may be helpful to keep moisture at bay, or the use of Live View may be the best remedy when it’s necessary to ensure that moisture is kept totally away. Winter and Wildlife Winter can be a harsh and critical time for wildlife. Their ability to con54 Outdoor Photographer outdoorphotographer.com
serve precious energy can be crucial to their very survival. For this reason, it’s vitally important that photographers use good judgment and ethical practices to avoid causing wildlife any undue stress that could put them in jeopardy. Learn how to recognize any signs that an animal is uncomfortable, exhibiting stress or stopping its normal activity—if this
is the case, you’re too close and need to give the animal space by slowly backing away. It’s obviously best to avoid this situation in the irst place by using a telephoto lens, maintaining a respectful distance and not putting wildlife in a “ight or light” situation. This can be critical in aiding their survival. Keep in
mind that all wildlife photos don’t need to be close-up portraits; it’s often just as interesting to take wide-angle shots from a distance, placing the animal in its wintry environment. When photographing animals, focusing on the eye is paramount. Catching that instant when a specular highlight pops will make the image stand out even further, as shown in Figure 5. Personal Protection If you’re not comfortable, you simply won’t have an enjoyable or productive outdoor winter experience. More importantly, hyperthermia can be a killer and must be averted at all costs. Being properly attired is therefore of paramount importance. Garments that are breathable and have the ability to wick moisture away from the body, such as wool or synthetic fabrics like polyester, are desirable. Cotton should be left at home in winter. Outer garments should be windproof, water-repellant and breathable. Jackets or parkas should also preferably have a hood. Wool or polyester leece hats will aid in wicking away perspiration. A face mask or balaclava can keep your face from freezing in extreme cold or windy conditions. When outitting for the outdoors in winter, it’s always best to dress in several lightweight layers rather than a single heavy layer. Layers then can be removed or added based on activity level. The key is to stay warm, but also keep from becoming overheated—perspiration eventually can lead to becoming chilled, if clothing becomes wet. In order to operate small camera controls without freezing your ingers, hand protection presents a unique challenge for photographers. I typically use glove liners or lightweight leece gloves alone or under “glomitts” (ingerless gloves with laps that transform them into mittens) when it’s really cold. In extreme conditions, I’ll don waterproof shell mitts as an outer layer over heavier leece gloves. Getting used to working with gloves by practicing on your camera before heading out into the cold is always a good idea. Waterproof, insulated boots that are breathable, along with wool or synthetic socks, will help keep your feet dry and toasty. Standing on snow or frozen ground for an extended period of time can lead to cold feet regardless of what you’re wearing. Standing on a
foam sleeping pad or even an old doormat will go a long way toward keeping your feet from freezing. Snowshoes not only will help keep your feet off of the cold ground, but will make walking in deep snow a breeze. Additionally, they can provide great stability on icy or hard-packed snow when itted with built-in crampons. Ski poles or trekking poles with snow baskets provide even more stability when walking through deep snow or when climbing or descending steep slopes with or without snowshoes. Don’t forget to add lip balm and sunglasses (keep them on a lanyard) to your list of personal gear. Staying hydrated and nourished is also important for maintaining warmth, so have water and snacks handy.
Get Out There! Don’t let the challenges posed by winter conditions prevent you from getting outdoors. Winter is a unique time of year, when numerous and everchanging photographic opportunities abound. If you take advantage of the tips presented here, you’ll be well on your way to a fun-illed winter season with the reward of some great images to be proud of. OP Rick Sheremeta resides year-round in the wilds of northwestern Montana, where he lives with his wife and business partner Dody and their two Golden Retrievers. To see more of his photography and learn about upcoming workshops, visit his website at alpenglowproductions.com.
Figure 5. This scene was exposed for the pronghorn, focused on its eye. I waited until it turned before pressing the shutter release to catch the specular highlight. outdoorphotographer.com January/February 2016 55
MasterThe Grad ND
Orienting a Singh-Ray 2-stop hard GND ilter diagonally across the granite/sky intersection allowed me to bring out foreground detail while maintaining color in the Yosemite sunrise sky.
How to use a graduated neutral-density filter, one of the most essential filters for landscape photography TEXT & PHOTOGRAPHY BY GARY HART
I used a Singh-Ray 3-stop reverse GND ilter, which allowed me to target my ilter density on this Ke’e Beach horizon in Hawaii, where it was needed most.
A
typical graduated neutraldensity ilter (GND) scene is a landscape with a bright sky and dark foreground. While this extreme dynamic range is often addressable with blending and processing techniques, a GND can subdue dynamic range enough to give you more processing lexibility. A GND is also useful in scenes with motion that make blending dificult. Choosing the Right Filter for the Scene Effective GND use requires the correct ilter for the scene. Hard? Soft? Reverse? How many stops of density? Your goal is always to defeat the scene’s dynamic range with minimal evidence that a ilter was used. Placing the transition separating the ilter’s dark and clear regions in the wrong place, or using too much or not enough density, will be
ineffective and/or betray the ilter’s use. A GND ilter darkens half of the scene without affecting its color. The strength of a GND is the amount of density in its darkest region, measured in stops. For example, a 2-stop GND will subtract up to 2 stops of light. A hard GND ilter has an abrupt transition. Its effect is much more pronounced than a soft GND ilter (which has a more gradual transition) because a greater percentage of a hard GND is maximum density. The downside of a hard GND ilter is that its abrupt transition is much harder to disguise in the scene. A reverse GND ilter’s region of maximum density is across the middle, with an abrupt (hard) transition to the clear region below and a more gradual transition to less dark (but not clear) to the top. A reverse GND is most effective at sunrise or sunset, when the brightest sky is on the horizon.
A soft GND ilter’s effect is more subtle than a hard or reverse GND. Its darkest region is at the top, and it gradually transitions until it’s clear from the middle down. A soft GND is better for scenes where a hard transition is dificult to disguise or scenes with less extreme dynamic range. Disguising Your GND Filter Use Disguising the transition between the dark top and clear bottom of the ilter is job one for GND use. Choosing the right ilter for the scene, and recognizing the best place to hide the transition, is an art that improves with experience. Hard and reverse GND transitions are easiest to disguise in scenes with a straight, uniform horizon, such as the ocean or a lat desert. Lacking that, look for a darker, low-detail region spanning the frame between a bright sky and shaded foreground, like a line outdoorphotographer.com January/February 2016 57
of trees at the base of a mountain. When shooting toward the sun, I prefer a hard or reverse GND with as much density as I can get away with, because the more density I can apply to the sky, the brighter I can make my foreground. Sometimes the terrain doesn’t provide a good place to hide a hard or reverse GND transition, but that’s my goal until I decide it’s not possible. In a scene with no obvious place for a hard transition, I use a soft GND. For example, in Yosemite Valley, where both El Capitan and Half Dome jut into the brightest part of the sky, a hardtransition ilter darkens the primary subjects right along with the sky, while a soft-transition ilter’s subtle transition blends much better. A soft GND is also ideal for holding back the sky opposite the sun (e.g., the eastern horizon at sunset) enough to prevent sunset/sunrise color from washing out—a subtle difference that makes processing a snap. An often overlooked giveaway of GND use is a relection that’s brighter than the scene it relects. Since this is impossible, it’s important to take care not to use too much density in relection scenes. Metering In the ilm days, exposure failure wasn’t an option. When a GND was called for, I carefully spot-metered irst on the highlights and again on the shadows—the difference between the two gave me the scene’s dynamic range. With this information, I knew how much light to give my shadows and how many stops to subtract with a GND. (I still bracketed my exposure to hedge my bets.) Then came digital photography, with its post-capture histogram—I soon found myself (after setting my ISO and ƒ-stop) spot-metering once on the shadows, dialing the shutter speed to a value that ensured suficient foreground light and selecting the least extreme GND necessary to subdue the highlights. After my irst shutter click, I’d check the histogram and adjust the shadows and/or GND, as needed. Now we have mirrorless cameras and DSLR LCDs that display the histogram before capture. Now (after setting my ISO and ƒ-stop) I just start with the GND I think the scene calls for and, with my eye on my pre-capture histogram, dial up the shutter speed until the highlights 58 Outdoor Photographer outdoorphotographer.com
A Singh-Ray 3-stop soft GND ilter prevented the highlights from washing out in the sky without marring Half Dome with a visible transition.
are all the way to the right without clipping. Reviewing the post-capture histogram, I determine what adjustments are needed, if any. If my shadows are still too dark, I pull out a stronger GND, or add a second GND, and increase my exposure correspondingly. Grad ND Technique I handhold my GNDs, but some photographers prefer to use a holder. I ind holders more trouble than they’re worth—they’re an extra step, and they interfere with lens hoods and polarizers (yes, it’s okay to use a polarizer with a GND). Holders also limit your lexibility, unless you want to carry a holder for
every lens thread size and GND size combination you carry. On the other hand, if you ever want to use a GND when you’re not on a tripod, you’ll need a holder. Placement of the transition separating the ilter’s dark and clear regions will make or break a GND image. Your goal is to darken the brightest parts of the scene with minimal effect on the scene’s dark area, while disguising the transition as much as possible. To position the GND, check out your composition in your viewinder or on your LCD, and slide the ilter down the scene until you’ve found its most effective position. If the GND transition is dificult to see, move the ilter up and
Fresh snowfall at Morraine Lake The peaks beyond the steely blue-grey glacial waters of Morraine Lake are partly shrouded by the swirling low cloud cover. I’m using a LEE 0.9ND soft grad filter to retain detail in the brightest part of the sky.
LEE 0.9ND Soft Grad
Coromandel Peninsula
LEE 0.75ND Hard Grad
Dawn on the Coromandel Peninsula brings more gorgeous crystal clear light. A gentle breeze wafts the branches of the trees. That movement precludes any merging of exposures in post-production. This one frame must be a perfect exposure and the key tool here is a LEE 0.75ND hard grad filter holding back the exposure of the sky.
Neutral density & long exposure filters Ice on the black sand beach at Jökulsárlón I wanted to express enough movement in the breaking waves to create graphic icy streaks against the black sand. The 6 stop LEE Little Stopper filter enables me to use shutter speeds measured in seconds, giving me the desired effect.
LEE Little Stopper
Languedoc
LEE 0.9ND ProGlass
I love to have movement in my images, here I wanted to blur the swaying red poppies in the foreground. A LEE 0.9ND ProGlass Filter enabled me to slow the shutter down to half a second.
100mm system
system
leefilters.com
SW150 system
In at least a quarter of my GND images, the GND was oriented at an angle. One reason I prefer handholding my GND ilters is so I can further disguise the GND transition by moving the ilter up and down slightly during exposures of one second or longer. This is especially effective for hard-transition ilters. You don’t need to move the ilter much, and the amount of movement will vary with the size of the brightness you’re trying to hold back and the size of the area where you want to hide the transition. An often overlooked GND beneit is moonrise and moonset photography. I’ve always felt it’s important to get both terrestrial and lunar detail in the frame; darkening the sky with a GND can stretch that twilight window by 10 to 15 minutes.
A Singh-Ray 3-stop hard GND ilter allowed me to bring out detail in the twilight darkness of Garrapata Beach in Northern California without turning the moon into an overexposed disc.
down and watch the scene slide between light and dark—just a few up/down strokes should be enough to locate the transition and position the ilter. When positioning a GND, I hold it slightly away from the lens to avoid scratching the ilter. When I’m ready to click, I gently rest the ilter against the lens to prevent relections. When a scene’s dynamic range exceeds the capability of your darkest GND, you can stack two GNDs (pancake one ilter in front of the other) for 60 Outdoor Photographer outdoorphotographer.com
extra density. For example, when shooting toward a bright sun, I sometimes combine 2 hard and 3 reverse GNDs for up to 5 stops of density spread fairly evenly across the top half of the frame. Sometimes the intersection between the bright and dark regions in your scene isn’t horizontal. Fortunately, there’s no law that mandates a GND to be oriented horizontally. Always orient the transition along the boundary between highlights and shadows rather than defaulting to straight across the frame.
Grad NDs in the Digital Age Digital processing provides the missing link for GND use. Even the best photographer, ilm or digital, will have visible GND transitions at capture. The late Galen Rowell, GND-ilter pioneer and its greatest advocate, was a ilm shooter who was stuck with imperfect in-camera GND results—no matter how much he tried to disguise his GND’s use, there were situations where a visible transition or over-darkening was unavoidable at capture. Rowell’s GND technique was impeccable, but he lacked the ability to touch up visible transitions, or too much/little density, after capture. Today, with careful dodging and burning in Photoshop, digital shooters can virtually eliminate any sign that a GND was used. The dynamic range of the latest sensors allows me to keep my GNDs in my bag for shots I previously would have never attempted without a GND, but that doesn’t make my GNDs any less useful—combining today’s sensors with a GND enables me to capture scenes that were once impossible, bringing my camera closer than ever to the dynamic range my eyes see. OP Gary Hart is a Northern Californiabased professional photographer and writer who conducts photo workshops in Death Valley, the Eastern Sierra, Grand Canyon, Hawaii and Yosemite. Gary’s book of images, Undiscovered Country, was sold at Barnes & Noble stores throughout America. Visit his website at garyhartphotography.com.
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Travel
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Winter FOR
THE
It’s the perfect time of year to escape to Costa Rica and explore diverse wildlife and landscape photo opportunities TEXT & PHOTOGRAPHY BY JOSH MILLER
Scarlet macaws are one of the most colorful and photogenic birds in the tropics, but they’re hard to photograph because they typically stay high in the trees. The key to photographing them is iguring out which trees they like to frequent or roost in and then climb a hill or tree nearby to get an eye-level perspective that makes the tree the background rather than the sky. Often, guides know spots where you can set up a good angle on a popular tree. Nikon D3S, AF-S Nikkor 80-400mm ƒ/4.5-5.6G ED VR
The key with tropical frogs like this green and black poison dart is to use two light sources similar to working in a studio situation. The forest loor is often very dark and high contrast, so adding light gives you much more control over the situation. Ideally, work with another photographer so you can trade off holding the lights, and don’t stress the frog by photographing it for very long. Nikon D800, AF-S VR Micro-Nikkor 105mm ƒ/2.8G IF-ED, 2 LED panel lights
H
as winter got you down? Tired of cold, short days where photography has lost some of its fun? Perhaps it’s time you plan a winter photo trip to the tropics. While many tropical countries are great for escaping winter’s cold, Costa Rica is quickly becoming one of the world’s best winter photo locations. In addition to warmer weather and great photography, Costa Rica is perhaps the safest and most developed country in Central America, making for productive photography. Ecotourism is the largest segment of the Costa Rican economy, so travel is easy and lodges are set up speciically for nature-loving visitors like photographers.
Best Time? Our Winter. While photographers will do well visiting Costa Rica any time of year (even in the rainy season), visiting during our winter coincides with their dry season. Yes, it always rains in the tropics, but it does rain a bit less in the winter, which makes for easier photography. Oficially, the dry season runs from about mid- to late December (a few weeks later on the Caribbean Slope) until late April, but anytime during the winter will make for an amazing trip. Typical winter weather and temperatures will vary depending on your elevation and proximity to the ocean, the Caribbean Slope being typically wetter than the Paciic Slope. At either
coast, you can count on hot and humid weather, but as you work your way up toward the mountain cloud forests, temperatures cool and you may even ind yourself wearing pants or a long-sleeve shirt in the evenings. A Wildlife Paradise For wildlife photographers, Costa Rica is also a winter migratory birding hotspot due to its unique location along the Paciic Flyway. Several southbound migratory bird species from North America travel through Central America, and many choose to overwinter in Costa Rica. Combine that with the fact that Costa Rica has a relatively small land mass, creating one of outdoorphotographer.com January/February 2016 63
Deep in the rain forest, sunrises and sunsets often go unnoticed due to the tree canopy. When you can ind a good vantage point where you can look above the treetops, it’s worth hanging out and waiting. My favorite places to shoot treetop sunrise/sunset are in the higher-elevation cloud forests because the clouds pick up so much color. Nikon D300, AF Zoom-Nikkor 80-200mm ƒ/2.8D ED
the most diverse bird populations in the world during the winter, and photographers have the opportunity not only to photograph native tropical species, but also North American species that they normally would have to travel great distances to photograph back home. All this talk of birds doesn’t even include all of the unique species of poison dart frogs and snakes, or waterfalls, or cloud forests, or beaches—oh, my! The truth is that for most of us traveling outdoor photographers, the hardest part about Costa Rica is deciding what not to shoot. There’s just no way a typical two64 Outdoor Photographer outdoorphotographer.com
week trip will leave you satisied. You’ll likely ind yourself like many of us—trying to igure out how to justify just “one” more trip south to escape the winter. Planning Your Trip When planning your trip, especially if it’s your irst time to Costa Rica, it pays to focus your energies in fewer locations, rather than trying to see and photograph the entire country. While it’s not overly large, it often takes a while to get from one area to another. Since travel days aren’t typically very productive in terms of photography,
it’s best to maximize your shooting by traveling as little as possible. Typically, when I guide a photo trip in Costa Rica, we try to spend at least three nights in each location so we have two full days of shooting between travel days. If you have more time, spending even longer in each location will allow you to be even more productive. By taking one’s time and getting to know an area well, it gives photographers a chance to learn wildlife habits, deal with any bad weather, and most importantly, have the time needed to create those once-in-a-lifetime photos that don’t happen quickly.
On a typical trip, photographers ly into San José and spend a single night before heading toward the Caribbean coast to a location like Tortuguero National Park, where they’re able to get up close and personal with wildlife using boats along river canals. Shooting from boats allows you to get closer to wildlife than otherwise possible, and Tortuguero is also a great spot for many of the migratory species from North America. Although the winter isn’t peak turtle season in Tortuguero, there’s still a chance to ind a leatherback sea turtle on one of the park’s beaches. Following Tortuguero, head inland to the Caribbean lowlands and the Sarapiquí area, where poison dart frogs and birds abound. This is one of the best
Josh Miller’s Gear For A Typical Costa Rica Trip • Nikon D800E with vertical grip for most work • Nikon D3S for fast action light work (will be replaced by the D5 when it comes out) • AF-S Nikkor 500mm ƒ/4G ED VR for serious bird work at feeders, as well as boat tours (if I want to go light, I may leave this at home) • Nikon AF-S Teleconverter TC-14E III for extending the 500mm • AF-S Nikkor 80-400mm ƒ/4.5-5.6G ED VR, a great walk-around lens that provides a wide range of focal lengths and fast autofocus • AF-S Nikkor 16-35mm ƒ/4G ED VR for a great landscape range • AF-S VR Micro-Nikkor 105mm ƒ/2.8G IF-ED for frogs and butterlies • Nikon SB-800 AF Speedlights (two to four of them, depending on the subjects) • 2 LED panel lights for macro work; this is becoming a more common and easier way to light small macro shots because the light is continuous • Gitzo GT-3540LS tripod with Kirk Enterprises head for lenses up to 500mm • Wimberley Sidekick for working with the 500mm while not adding the weight of a full gimbal head to my already heavy bag • 2 Bogen lightweight travel light stands for holding lighting gear
When photographing hummingbirds, I irst look for a background near a place already frequented by the tiny birds. Lodges often have hummingbird feeders, so that makes it even easier. After inding a good background, I’ll line it up with a nice lower using a longer lens to isolate the bird and lower as much as possible from the background. Then, with the camera locked down on a tripod, it’s a matter of waiting until the birds come to my lower. At a lodge, adding a cable release and a cup of coffee make for a relaxing shoot that even can happen when it’s raining. I may add a couple of off-camera lashes to catch more of the bird’s colors, if needed. Nikon D3S, AF-S Nikkor 200-400mm ƒ/4G ED VR II outdoorphotographer.com January/February 2016 65
If you still have time for another stop before lying home, heading down from Savegre toward the Paciic coast is a great way to end your trip with a sunset. Basing yourself near Dominical or Jaco gives you a chance for tropical sunsets and more wildlife. On your way back to San José, make sure you don’t miss the spectacular boat tour on the Tárcoles River, where you’ll see crocodiles, wading shorebirds and, hopefully, scarlet macaws lying overhead. Book your boat tour in the early morning or late afternoon for cooler temperatures and better light.
The red-eyed tree frog is, by far, the most popular and easily photographed poison dart frog in Costa Rica. It’s easy to ind at night around water sources and makes a loud call, giving away its location. Using two lights held by another photographer, we were able to fully compose our shot and only take a couple of frames to avoid stressing the frog. Nikon D800E, AF-S VR Micro-Nikkor 105mm ƒ/2.8G IF-ED, 2 Nikon SB-800s off-camera
areas to photograph a true Costa Rican classic, the red-eyed tree frog. While not a great photo opportunity, adventurous photographers often ind a rafting trip on the Sarapiquí River to be a change of pace and a trip highlight. After the lowlands, head upslope for cooler weather in the cloud forest. For years, the most popular cloud forest location has been the world-famous Monteverde region. While this area is popular for a reason, and offers a wide range of lodging and food options, it has become so developed that working 66 Outdoor Photographer outdoorphotographer.com
here as a photographer is more dificult due to the crowds. If you don’t mind the longer drive, many photographers would be better served by heading to the Savegre region, which offers fewer people, good wildlife, dramatic landscapes and waterfalls. Savegre also offers a greater chance to photograph the most sought-after bird in all of Central America, the resplendent quetzal. Just make sure to pack everything you need before heading to Savegre, because there are no stores, and the few lodges in the area are expensive.
To Guide, or Not to Guide As someone who guides tours in Costa Rica, one might expect me to say a photo guide is a must, but for the motivated and researched photographer, Costa Rica is a great place to go on one’s own. It’s safe, has great local transportation and many people speak English. The question becomes how limited is your time, and how much are you willing to pay to get the most out of your trip. Most professional photographers hire a “ixer/guide” when on assignment in foreign countries to help maximize their time by handling logistics and translation, and for their natural history knowledge. Similar to a ishing guide who’s on the same river every day and knows where the ish are, the knowledge of photo guides is often just as speciic. By having a guide handling everything else, photographers can focus on photography and increase their “catch” dramatically. While it’s possible to keep the costs down by arranging all the logistics yourself and just hiring a local guide in speciic locations, as needed, most photographers join packaged tours, which include lodging, transportation, meals, a local naturalist and a photo guide. Having personally done both, and now working as a photo guide, my advice is, if you can afford a packaged trip, you come home with better photos in the end. While you may have your camera mastered, a guided trip will put you and your camera in front of wildlife more often and in better locations than you’ll likely ind by yourself on your irst trip. Another way to keep costs down while increasing your “catch” is irst to join a packaged tour and afterward spend another week or two doing your own photography in just one or two locations.
This allows you time to learn about photographing in the tropics during your tour and then time afterward to apply your new knowledge. Any good tour company will be more than willing to give you advice on where to spend your remaining days and often can help arrange transport or individual rooms, as needed. What to Bring When planning your Costa Rican adventure, it’s best to pack as light as possible. While traveling with a camera is always a hassle, adding heat and humidity makes the task doubly dificult. Often, it’s best to pack a day bag with just what’s needed for a speciic shoot, rather than carrying everything with you everywhere. Personally, when I lead trips in Costa Rica, I pack everything into a large Think Tank Photo roller bag, which I leave in the van or in my room, and carry a smaller F-Stop daypack with just the equipment I need for a given day or shoot. While this makes carrying my gear much easier, it does mean once in a while I do miss a shot where I needed something that was left in the big roller, but overall this makes dealing with the heat much more pleasant. The key to doing this successfully is knowing what you’ll likely be shooting in any given location and then planning accordingly. Asking a local or your guide is a great way to be as prepared as possible for each situation. Determining the subjects you plan to shoot during your trip will help you decide what to pack and what to leave home. In addition to the typical lenses and tripods, if I intend to do much macro or hummingbird photography, I also pack a fair amount of lighting equipment. On a typical trip, where I plan to photograph everything from small macro frogs to landscapes and birds, I end up bringing a lot of gear. Endless Opportunities Over the years, I’ve visited Costa Rica more than a dozen times, but each time I visit, I ind new subjects and new photo opportunities. Even though Costa Rica is small compared to some states in the U.S., there’s so much to explore, I doubt I’ll ever be inished. Yes, I may have visited a lodge before, but part of what’s fun about wildlife photography is that it’s unpredictable. With landscape photography, a
little research means you know exactly what a waterfall looks like before you get there (maybe even what lens to use), and as long as the light is good, you’ll get the shot. With wildlife photography, each trip offers up totally different photographic material, which often builds heavily on your earlier experiences. So pull out your lonely camera gear and escape the cold of winter by heading south to Costa Rica. Make yourself a shot list, but keep it lexible; be ready for all the opportunities that come your
way, and you’ll soon be asking yourself the same question I am: “Have I really been to Costa Rica more than 12 times, but there’s so much more to shoot?” OP Josh Miller’s images have been featured in publications throughout the world, and his work is represented by Aurora Photos. To ind out more about his work and his workshops, follow Miller on Facebook and on Instagram @joshmillerphotography, or visit his website at joshmillerphotography.com.
Rio Celeste is unique in that it has a distinctive turquoise color due to large mineral concentrations. Best photographed during the dry season so the water is even more blue, the key with shooting any waterfall is being there when it’s in complete shade or in overcast light. This not only allows for slower shutter speeds needed to blur water, but also helps reduce the contrast range so everything can be captured by your camera’s sensor. Nikon D800E, AF-S Nikkor 16-35mm ƒ/4G ED VR, Gitzo tripod outdoorphotographer.com January/February 2016 67
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Classes,Tours
&Workshops Bill and Linda Lane’s 2016 Kickoff
Adventure Kodiak Capture Alaska’s coastal brown bears with Adventure Kodiak’s guided cruise expeditions to coastal Katmai National Park and the Kodiak Archipelago aboard 58 ft. M/V Single Star. Daily guided shore excursions. Small groups (maximum 4 guests) allow optimal time and locations for viewing and composure with minimal disturbance to the bear’s normal activities.
mary@adventurekodiak.com
Jump start the new year with one of our workshops. Each offers variety, challenges and learning experiences. It’s dificult whittling down our workshops from 12 to just 5 or 6; we love them and totally enjoy the participants. For 2016 we’ve planned the best of the best. Our goal is for every participants to advance at least 1-2 steps. We are with our participants up to 16 hours a day. Together, we work, study, instruct, laugh, learn, eat…Lots of hands on ield work with class time for reviews and critiques.
804.883.7740
www.adventurekodiak.com
www.lanephotoworkshops.com
Osprey Photo Workshops & Tours
Russ Burden Nature Photography Tours
I am a pioneer developing and leading nature photography workshops & tours with greater than 30 years experience at more than 80 locations. Small group specialist. Destinations in the U.S. & abroad — Chincoteague NWR, Assateague Island National Seashore, Tangier Island, VA, West Virginia Mountains, Costa Rica, the Brazilian Pantanal… for details:
Join Outdoor Photographer Tip Of The Week columnist, Russ Burden, on one of his nature photography tours to an iconic US destination or the Serengeti in Tanzania. He will demo the techniques used to capture the weekly photos he posts on the OP website. Experience his contagious enthusiasm, motivation, knowledge and passion he’s acquired over his 30 plus years of teaching and running tours. Russ is intimately familiar with every tour location. He’ll teach you how to read light, create optimum compositions and improve your technique. He limits his domestic workshops to ive participants. For Tanzania, he takes 6 photographers who each have his/her own row in one of two jeeps.
“It’s All About The Light” | 720.560.6123
Irene Hinke-Sacilotto | 410.679.2873
www.ospreyphoto.com
www.russburdenphotography.com
Nature Workshops
Scenic Light Workshops with Bob Evans Yosemite in Winter is a great time to shoot amazing landscapes and waterfalls. Join Bob Evans For one of 2, 3-day adventures starting, Feb 18 and also Feb 21, 2016. He will guide you to great locations as well as instruct you on skills to advance your photography. Only 10 per group. All for only $450. Only a few seats remain.
916.223.5211 | Bobevans@sceniclight.com
www.sceniclight.com 70 Outdoor Photographer outdoorphotographer.com
The Nature Workshops started offering photography workshops 20 years ago with a goal to take small groups to the best locations. We started in the US, mostly in National Parks, and now have expanded to some of the best locations of the world. Upcoming trips include Kenya, several in Florida, Alaska (with unique brown bear, bald eagle & polar bear opportunities), Texas wild lowers, Oregon Coast, Olympic Nat Park, & Orcas of the Paciic Northwest. Look for Patagonia & Iceland in our future. Join us and become one of our returning alumni! Check our website for all the details.
Roger Devore | 618-589-1729
www.natureworkshops.com ▶▶
For more workshop listings, go to www.outdoorphotographer.com
Photograph in Monet’s Garden with Private Access
www.charlesneedlephoto.com
www.BCphotoadventures.com
WOLVES-WOLVES-WOLVES
Strabo Photo Tour Collection
a photo center in the east
Best photo ops available anywhere and you don’t have to leave“home�. Timber, Arctic and British Columbian Wolves in natural settings.
Join accomplished photography leaders to exotic locations all over the world, from Africa, Asia and Paciic, Eastern Europe, Europe, Latin America and Cuba. Expert planning on our part allows you to delve in to learning new skills from your photo leader, and enjoy the company of like-minded travelers. You will have long days in the ield, explore sunrise and evening shoots, or learn from others during a critique or lecture. Your guides will assist you in achieving your vision. Our journeys are intended for all levels of interest and accomplishment. They are a cultural encounter for everyone and a learning experience for photographers.
photography@lakotawolf.com | 877.SEE.WOLF
info@phototc.com | 607.756.8676
www.lakotawolf.com
www.phototc.com
Adventure Photography
BIG IDEA,
With Cathy & Gordon Illg We’d love to have you join us! Small groups, great locations, 16 years of putting you in the best places at the right times. We’ll take care of your lodg-
SMALL SPACE Find out how to effectively reach a large audience in a small space. Contact Claudia Warren at (617) 279-0213 or at cwarren@madavor.com
ing, meals and do all the driving--just come along and enjoy the photography! Beauty & the Beasts Northern Lights Grouse Galore TX birds
LA Bayou Wildlife Babies AK Eagles AK Bears
Rocky Mtn Nat’l Park Bryce & Zion Arches/Canyonlands Falklands/Patagonia
Gordon Illg or Cathy Illg | 303-237-7086
www.advenphoto.com and click on Classes, Tours & Workshops
outdoorphotographer.com January/February 2016 71
&Workshops
Charles Needle Photography | 425.968.2884
0DUJR 3LQNHUWRQ DQG $UQLH =DQQ UXQ VPDOO LQWHQVLYH IXQ ¿OOHG workshops to great locations here and abroad. They encourage you to seek your own vision and improve your artistic skills. With groups limited to 12 participants, you’ll have lots of individual attention, help and daily critiques.
Classes,Tours
Ignite your artistic passion in 2016! Join award-winning ine art nature photographer Charles Needle for creative macro, lower/ garden and iPhoneography workshops that will challenge and inspire you to see in new ways, and take your photography to the next level. Locations in 2016 include: Monet’s Garden (Giverny, France) with private access, co-taught by National Geographic freelance photographer and OP columnist, Dewitt Jones; The Butchart Gardens (Victoria, Canada); Atlanta Botanical Garden (Atlanta, GA.); Seattle, WA; Alaska and Nova Scotia.
Classes,Tours
&Workshops Explore in Focus™ with Jeff Parker
We lead small groups with the best instructors and guides on the planet. Join us as we work side-by-side with you in Death Valley, Iceland, Utah, Palouse, Cuba, Norway, Africa, New Zealand, Alaska, Pantanal, Scotland, Acadia, Greenland, Glacier, Canadian Rockies and more!
Join Jeff Parker for a photographic journey to Colombia. This Caribbean nation’s coastal mountain habitats provide one of South America’s best nature photography experiences. During this 9-day/ 8-night all-inclusive photo tour, we’ll photograph the region’s amazing scenery & vibrant wildlife. Colombia is home to more birds than any other place on Earth—nearly 2,000 species!
info@muenchworkshops.com | +1 917-854-8118
Jeff Parker | 512.378.3355
MUENCH WORKSHOPS All inclusive, total-immersion photo workshops where the focus is you.
muenchworkshops.com
Colombia ˜ 2016
Rod Planck Photography Workshops and Tours Rod’s workshops and tours teach low-impact photographic techniques and feature small group sizes which provide the greatest opportunity to improve your technical and creative abilities. Rod has spent years scouting and photographing each location. Each one is chosen based on its beauty, ecological diversity, and variety of photographic subjects. Workshops feature classroom and in-the-ield instruction. Tours offer dynamic instruction as you photograph in unique locations alongside Rod Planck who was heralded by Outdoor Photographer as one of the top ive “Masters of the Landscape.”
Rod Planck Photography | 906.293.3339
Tom Dwyer Nature Photography Retreats
“Take it all in, relax, breathe, enjoy & learn.” It’s not about how many photos we take, it’s about each photo and its story. Enjoy the beauty of NY’s Adirondacks or Finger Lakes regions while discovering the magic of putting the story to your images. Small groups, one-on-one instruction, great photography, lasting friendships & lots of fun.
Tom@TomDwyerPhotography.com
www.rodplanck.com
www.TomDwyerPhotography.com
Vern Clevenger
FLORIDA BIRDS BY BOAT
JOIN VERN, THE PREMIERE PHOTOGRAPHER OF THE SIERRA NEVADA “Vern Clevenger’s acute ability to respond with such an unerring sense of place has evolved from an adventure-illed life of sojourning in the Sierra Nevada. His legendary Yosemite climbs, his record irst ascents’, more than 40 years of ramblings over the range’s peaks and trails have given Vern the experience of wildness he so powerfully expresses . . .” “His images share special mountain moments deeply lived.” Join Vern and his wife Margaret, and search for those moments during their workshop schedule in 2016.
760.934.5100 | vern@vernclevenger.com
www.vernclevenger.com 72 Outdoor Photographer outdoorphotographer.com
ExploreinFocus.com
Scenic Aperture’s Florida Birds by Boat workshop is about birdsin-light and chicks in the nest. April is nesting season in Florida and there is no better place for bird photography. During this workshop we will shoot from the deck of a 24’ boat under the command of a U.S. Coast Guard certiied captain. This workshop offers the serious wildlife photographer an unparalleled opportunity to shoot nesting spoonbills, herons, egrets, wood storks and many more, all decked out in breeding plumage at the peak of nesting season; many will likely have chicks in the nest. Limited to four photographers.
970.385.5853 | ▶▶
scenicaperture.com
For more workshop listings, go to www.outdoorphotographer.com
First Light Photo Workshops Leading photo workshops since 1992, Andy Long shares his keen eye for composition and new techniques on all trips. Whether in the ield or the room, take home new ideas to bring your photography to the next level. With trip locations from Alaska to Florida and points between along with numerous foreign locations, he will get you to the right place at the right time for images you’ll enjoy for years. Experience his passion and enthusiasm for subjects and participants.
Don Smith Photography Photo Workshops
www.firstlighttours.com
don@donsmithphotography.com
www.donsmithphotography.com
Gary Hart Photography Extraordinary Photo Workshops For ten years Gary Hart’s photography workshops in Yosemite, Hawaii (Big Island and Maui), Death Valley, the Eastern Sierra, and Grand Canyon have illed with photographers from around the world. These workshops are scheduled for the best times to photograph each location, and feature small groups, expert training, and insightful image reviews. Hart’s enthusiastic teaching and intimate knowledge of his locations ensures that you’ll return home with beautiful images, improved skills, and great memories. You’ll also have a lot of fun.
Beautiful and Inspiring Locations for the Ultimate Workshop Experience GRAND TETONS • ICELAND ARCHES & CANYONLANDS PALOUSE • MOUNT RAINIER SMOKY MOUNTAINS DEATH VALLEY • TUSCANY BADLANDS • ZION & MORE!
Gary Hart | 916.283.6362
888.972.3535
www.EloquentImages.com
www.jenniferkingphoto.com
Arizona Highways Photo Workshops Join conservationist and Arizona nature photographer, Shane McDermott on this photo adventure to the Salt River Canyon and Cibecue Falls. This lesser known gorge in Eastern Arizona is illed with hidden photographic treasures from lichen-covered hoodoos to Arizona’s other horseshoe bend. This camping based workshop will include hikes along the Salt River and Cibecue Creek to capture stunning images of grand vistas, placid relecting pools and pristine waterfalls. Check out this and more than sixty other classroom, studio and ield workshops.
info@ahpw.org 602.712.2004 | 1.888.790.7042
www.ahpw.org and click on Classes, Tours & Workshops
outdoorphotographer.com January/February 2016 73
&Workshops
andy@firstlighttours.com | 303-601-2828
Classes,Tours
Join acclaimed landscape photographer/instructor Don Smith as he guides you to the most scenic locations in the Western U.S. Don has been leading successful workshops for the past 11 years in areas he knows intimately. Classes includes image reviews and worklow.
Classes,Tours
&Workshops
Galápagos Travel Specializing in comprehensive, professionally-led, natural history and photo tours in the Galápagos Islands. In-depth monthly departures on 16 passenger yachts spend either 11 or 15 days fully exploring the islands, including early morning and late afternoon wildlife viewing sessions.
Other in-depth photography destinations: Cuba, Madagascar, Easter Island, Antarctica, South Georgia
(800) 969-9014 or +1 (831) 689-9192
www.galapagostravel.com JIM CLINE PHOTO TOURS
NUNAVIK
As night takes over the Arctic sky for extended hours up in Nunavik, Quebec’s Far North, the winter months ahead are the perfect time to catch a glimpse of the famed aurora borealis, before the bright long summer days come and steal the show. Dancing with the stars up above, Northern lights will dazzle you with their bright green glow and mesmerizing purple shades. With our Inuit guides, you’ll be sure to get front row tickets to this unforgettable open-air performance.
Small group photo tours to the best photography locations around the world. Join us as we explore and photograph the colors of Guatemala; the Incan ruins at majestic Machu Picchu, Peru; the spectacle of India’s Pushkar Camel Fair; Papua New Guinea’s renowned Mount Hagen sing-sing; the fascinating winter wildlife of Japan; the mystic moods of Morocco and the rhythm of the streets of Cuba. Other destinations include Vietnam, the Philippines, Romania, the Adriatic, Turkey, Day of the Dead in Oaxaca, Mexico and more.
Jim Cline | info@jimcline.com
www.JimClinePhotoTours.com
YOUR TICKET TO A NORTHERN LIGHTS SHOW
Inuit Adventures | 1.855.657.3319
www.inuitadventures.com
Cheesemans’ Ecology Safaris Leave the beaten path behind and experience a place where two million square kilometres of untouched Arctic wilderness are waiting to be photographed. The possibilities are endless; the choice is yours.
1.800.491.9710
www.nunavuttourism.com 74 Outdoor Photographer outdoorphotographer.com
Photograph the vibrant early Antarctic season on South Georgia Island when snow blankets the mountains and springtime brings special penguin and other wildlife treats seldom experienced. We give you maximum time on shore and Zodiac cruising so you can photograph at your own pace during our 19-day expedition Oct-Nov 2016.
800.527.5330 |
www.cheesemans.com
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New models from Canon and Epson for enthusiast and professional on-demand printing | BY THE EDITORS
Photo Printers For 2016
Canon imagePROGRAF PRO-1000 One of the best features of the imagePROGRAF PRO-1000 is the dedicated channels for Matte Black and Photo Black inks, meaning there’s no need for the printer to switch between the two depending on your paper selection. This not only is a time-saver, but also eliminates the ink consumption that comes with purging the system when switching inks. In our tests, we produced borderless 17x22-inch, full-color prints at best print quality in about 15 minutes. We were particularly impressed with the depth and detail in the shadow areas of the prints. In addition to the 11 ink colors, the LUCIA PRO inkset includes a Chroma Optimizer, which is essentially a clear coat to improve the print’s surface quality and perceived color gamut. The printer features an innovative Air Feeding System, a vacuum that helps ensure the paper is lat and correctly aligned as it passes through the printer. For pros and enthusiasts who print frequently and want the ability to make wide-format prints on demand, the imagePROGRAF PRO-1000 delivers brilliant color and dynamic range.
KEY SPECS Inkset: LUCIA PRO 11-color, plus Chroma Optimizer Ink Type: Pigment Ink Colors: Matte Black, Photo Black, Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, Photo Cyan, Photo Magenta, Gray, Photo Gray, Red, Blue, Chroma Optimizer Minimum Ink Droplet Size: 4 picoliters Maximum Print Resolution: 2400x1200 dpi Ink Tank Size: 80 ml Maximum Cut Sheet Size: 17x22 inches Maximum Roll Size (W): N/A Borderless Printing: Yes WiFi Connectivity: Yes Dimensions (WxHxD): 27.4x9.5x18.2 inches List Price: $1,299 Inkset List Price (Full Set): $714.88
A Note On Print Speeds It’s important to note that print speeds can vary signiicantly, depending on your print quality settings, as well as the content of the image itself. Simply boosting the sharpness of an image ile can increase the time to print. Keep this in mind when comparing the print speeds from our tests, as well as the maximum speeds quoted by printer manufacturers in their specs. 78 Outdoor Photographer outdoorphotographer.com
I
f you’ve been waiting to upgrade your photo printer, both Canon and Epson have recently introduced major updates. From Canon, we have the imagePROGRAF PRO-1000, a step up from their PIXMA PRO line. Epson’s offerings include three models in their new SureColor P-Series: the P400, P600 and P800. All of these printers allow you to take advantage of the high-resolution image iles from modern digital cameras to make large borderless prints, with the Epson P400 and P600
producing cut-sheet sizes up to 13x19 inches, and the Epson P800 and Canon imagePROGRAF PRO-1000 printing up to 17x22 inches. The Epson SureColor models also offer the ability to print on roll paper for panoramic photos. We had the opportunity to work with the Canon imagePROGRAF PRO-1000 and Epson SureColor P600. Both printers are capable of making stunning color and black-and-white images on a wide range of ine-art and traditional photo papers.
Epson SureColor P600 The mid-range model in Epson’s new SureColor P-Series is a versatile photo printer with the advantage of allowing you to make both cut-sheet and roll-paper panoramic prints. It also includes an insert for printing directly on to printable DVDs and CDs. The nine-color ink system incorporates fully automatic switching between Photo Black and Matte Black inks to suit the print media you’ve selected. In our tests, it took about three minutes to switch from Matte Black to Photo Black, and just under six minutes to switch from Photo Black to Matte Black. Switching inks not only takes time, it also uses ink—according to Epson, about 1 ml to switch from Photo to Matte and up to 3 ml to switch from Matte to Photo—so the best practice is to print in batches and switch media types as infrequently as possible. We were able to print a full-sized, 13x19-inch borderless print at best print quality, with excellent color reproduction and tonal range, in about 6 minutes. The SureColor P600 is ideal for enthusiast photographers who do a moderate amount of printing at sizes of 13 inches wide and smaller. For enthusiasts and pros who want to go larger to 17x22, consider the SureColor P800.
KEY SPECS Inkset: UltraChrome HD 9-color Ink Type: Pigment Ink Colors: Photo Black, Cyan, Vivid Magenta, Yellow, Light Cyan, Vivid Light Magenta, Light Black, Matte Black, Light Light Black Minimum Ink Droplet Size: 2 picoliters (variable) Maximum Print Resolution: 5760x1440 dpi Ink Tank Size: 25.9 ml Maximum Cut Sheet Size: 13x19 inches Maximum Roll Size (W): 13 inches Borderless Printing: Yes WiFi Connectivity: Yes Dimensions (WxHxD): 24.2x9.0x14.5 inches List Price: $799 Inkset List Price (Full Set): $287.91
outdoorphotographer.com January/February 2016 79
80 Outdoor Photographer outdoorphotographer.com
last frame Vadim Trunov went a little nutty in his attempt to capture images of squirrels in the woods near his town. “There’s little food available in winter in the woods,” he explains, “and for nuts, squirrels are ready to do anything. I noticed that squirrels are very curious animals. They sniff and inspect foreign objects, hoping to ind food there. So, at the place where I put nuts, I set the camera on a small tripod. The squirrels ran to the place in the hope of inding nuts, noticed the camera and began to inspect it and sniff. I went a few meters away, hid behind a snowdrift and started taking pictures. I received an interesting series of images with the squirrels in the winter woods.” To see more of Vadim Trunov’s work, visit vadim-trunov.wix.com/foto and 500px.com/vadimtrunov.
Say, Cheese!
Vadim Trunov
300mm
16mm
16-300mm Di II VC P [Model B016] The widest range all-in-one zoom lens. This extraordinary world’s only 18.8x zoom comes with Vibration Compensation and high-speed Piezo Drive autofocusing, making the Tamron 16-300mm Di II VC PZD Macro a lens you can rely on for crisp, detailed true wide-angle to long-telephoto shots. For Canon, Nikon and Sony* mounts *Sony mount without VC
www.tamron-usa.com
Rodeo Beach Sunset - 270s - F18 - 24mm - ISO 100 - X4 ND 6-stop
Photography by Graham Clark
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