Hank – Page 32

September 14, 2013September 15, 2013

Yosemite Cloudscapes

Clouds build over the northern mountains of Yosemite National Park. In the summer, afternoon thunder storms are common, often lasting less than an hour.

Recently I made a short overnight backpacking trip to the Ten Lakes region of Yosemite National Park. The trail to Ten Lakes starts at Highway 120 and heads north, into the Yosemite high country. Unfortunately, the sunrise and sunset weather conditions were not optimal for my particular location. With a large cliff to the west of my camp site, I was more or less blocked from the setting sun. Sunrise came with blue bird skies – definitely not what a landscape photographer is hoping for!

However, some of the best atmospheric drama came from the typical afternoon cloud buildup over the high peaks. As my group reached Ten Lakes Pass, we were greeted with a large cumulus buildup, and distant showers, providing a dramatic topper to a never ending mountain range to the north.

There was such detail in the cloud textures that I began thinking instantly of Ansel Adams, and the magnificent work he created on similar afternoons in the high country. I began thinking in black and white, centering my composition on the clouds, and using the mountains as nothing more than to give the photo a sense of place. The stark blue sky above the clouds was turned black by applying a strong orange filter (in post processing of course!), which rendered the isolated cloud bursts below the clouds in lighter grays.

Storm clouds are bottom lit from the setting sun

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That evening, I watched the sun settle with bland ambivalence behind the ridge line to the west. It was not quite yet true sunset, but my world was thrust into shadow. Dark, colorless clouds spotted the sky, but I couldn’t tell if the western horizon was free of cloud cover or not. Just as I was about to give up and pack the camera, the bottom of the clouds lit up in a surreal magenta. With nothing to anchor the shot, I began creating cloud abstracts, loving the way the sun colored the bottoms of the clouds, leaving the upper clouds dark and mysterious.

Although I took many other landscapes on the trip, nothing spoke to me like these two cloud images. I was satisfied returning with these two images and happy memories of being out in the wilderness.

September 9, 2013

Pelican Palooza

Several american white pelicans swim together, alternately dipping their heads under water to pull up a bill full of fish

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I stopped at one of my local spots to photograph birds and was rewarded with an abundance of not only one pelican species, but both species that are regularly seen in California – the American White Pelican and the Brown Pelican. Usually I don’t see both in one area, but here they were at Shoreline Park in Mountain View, each doing their own thing.

First, I saw a half dozen white pelicans swimming together, and fishing simply by dunking their heads underwater and scooping up great billfuls of water. In this way, they were able to catch small fish, but on a fairly regular basis.

A fish attempt to flee the confines of an american white pelican's bill. — A fish attempt to flee the confines of an american white pelican’s bill.

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Most of the time, at least one pelican would remain above water while the rest would go for fish. They would rotate this way, dunking, scooping and eating. At some points however, I saw all pelicans in the group go under at the same time. I waited to see if I could get them lined up, and finally I saw a moment of symmetry in order to capture this photo.

Four american white pelicans line up, all of them fishing at the same time. There was a nice symmetry to this image, which was calling very strongly to be rendered as a black and white fine art photograph.

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Next it was on to the brown pelicans, who were circling above Shoreline Lake, and going through much more effort to fish. A pelican would circle for a while, keeping a close view of the surface of the water.

A brown pelican circles through the air above a lake, looking for fish to dive for

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When it saw a movement of fish in the lake below, it would stop its forward flight and sort of hover in air.

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At this point, it would plummet to the water surface in a dive, completely submerging its entire body underwater. The success rate of fishing this way seemed lower than the white pelicans, but perhaps when the diving did work, it rewarded them with bigger fish. It was fine by me, because their activity rewarded me with many flight shots and photographs of the birds on the surface of the water.

A brown pelican flies low and flat over the surface of the water after it takes off from the surface

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After a dive, the pelican would drain its bill of water, and swallowing any fish it caught. Occasionally, I was rewarded with a vigorous head throw.

After diving for fish, a brow pelican dries its feathers with a vigorous head throw.

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After a couple of hours of shooting, I was pretty pelican’ed out and I packed up to leave. But it was great to see both species side by side on a single morning.

August 15, 2013

Gidget and Lola

Meet Gidget, a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel. She loves to fetch the ball, and will do it for hours if you let her. Afterward, she is quick to take long naps and generally look very cute.

I find myself doing more and more pet photography these days. I photographed some friends’ dogs on a recent trip to Las Vegas, where they live. These little ones are Cavalier King Charles Spaniels, and they have the wonderful trait of remaining cute even long after puppihood. They both had a very sweet disposition and were relaxed and easy to work with. I didn’t try to pose them at all or add props – they were cute enough just hanging out and snoozing! Too see all the photos of these two buddies, be sure to check out the gallery here.

Meet Lola, a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel. She has a very sweet disposition and loves to cuddle.

These are very impromptu and informal shots, but even if you are not creating a full studio setup, there are certain things to keep in mind to improve the photos. Most importantly, put the camera at eye level with your subject. This is a good idea for any time of animal photography (and people too!), but with pets, your environment is controlled and you really have no excuse not to. If the dog is lying on the floor, this usually means you are too. But the sore knees is worth it in the end.

Next, and again this is a general rule for many types of photography, use a tripod whenever possible. As I didn’t have a studio setup for these shots, I was relegated to normal home lighting, which can be quite dark. I stayed away from using a strobe as I didn’t have any diffusers or bouncers with me, and I was too lazy to create a make shift one. This meant that longer shutters and a tripod were a must.

Finally, if a pet is active or energetic, tire them out before any photography session. For Gidget this meant fifteen minutes of playing fetch with a ball. She was already pretty calm to begin with, but after a fetch session she was very relaxed in front of the lens. A tired pet will allow the photographer much more freedom in posing, props, or just making sure the pet will sit still.

Pet photography can be a lot of fun (in fact, I think I enjoy it more than taking people portraits!) and the results can be treasured keepsakes for loving owners.

August 4, 2013August 4, 2013

Shooting the Ends of the Day

Stillness envelops the landscape of Mono Lake just after sunset

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One of my favorite times of day to shoot is either just before sunrise or just after sunset. The sky casts the entire scene in deep blues and purple hues, and the light becomes very soft. It is actually a great time to shoot because all harsh contrast is removed, and the photo captures all the details in the shadows.

The photo above was taken about 45 minutes after sunset, just after the typical “magic hour” light had left the sky. For post-sunset photography, it helps to scout your intended shots earlier in the day, as it can quickly get quite dark, and it is harder to compose the photograph. There is only about half an hour with this type of light before it becomes night photography.

Additional benefits include lack of crowds (even most photographers leave after the sunset light goes away), and (usually) any wind will die down, allowing for reflections and keeping grass and plants from moving in those long exposures. Here it is helpful to have an intervalometer to help time really long exposures, as most cameras stop their auto exposure shutter timings at 30 seconds. A stopwatch can also work in a pinch, but that can become more fiddly, especially in the waning light.

Moments before the sun rises, Hot Creek reflects the cool glow of snow covered peaks

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This photo was taken at the other end of the day, about a half hour before sunrise. Again, there is little contrast difference between the foreground and the distant mountains due to the soft, even light. I had been to this location before, and had pre-visualized this shot in this kind of light. This helped me greatly in knowing where to go and how I wanted to compose this shot, so that I didn’t have to wander around in the dark (and cold!) of the early morning. I find it also helps with my early morning motivation to know exactly what I want to accomplish. Without a clear plan, it is far too easy to glance out the window and then roll over and go back to sleep!