random notes Recent Comments Facebook 2009-12-29 1:01 PM I find it ironic that my two preferred styles of photography are so different. Making beautiful nature pictures requires much study of the subject , patience in the field to get just the right conditions, and a deliberate slowness in setting up the shot. Sports, on the other hand, does not allow the time and meticulous preparation by the very nature of the fast paced action .... or does it? As I am learning to compose decent pictures from athletic competitions, I am finding that the processes are actually very similar. First, you have to know the sport and the teams you are covering to be able to anticipate what is going to happen next. If you wait until the balll has been thrown, you are not going to get a picture of the pitcher that has the ball coming out of his hand. Proper planning is as necessary when trying to photograph football as it is to knowing when to be where for a gorgeous sunset. Where is the play going to be? What are they going to do? Bringing the right equipment is always a given. Fast lenses, sensitive cameras, and bright lights will always help, but you have to know where to be to get the shot in the first place. Rarely will you see a touchdown from the 50 yard line, and it is highly unlikely to get that great slide into home if you are focused on the outfield. Know what you want to shoot, and be in the right place before it happens -- just like you know that you can only find certain flowers at a certain time of the year in certain places, you really do need to be there to see it. Just try to find a dogwood blooming in August, and you'll know what I mean! In nature, you generally have the advantage of decent light -- after all, isn't that what makes the scene so beautiful in the first place? Not so with sports at anything below NCAA Division 1 levels. High school football is played in the dark, gymnasiums have unpredictable dim light, and baseball ... well, maybe there is hope for baseball! Flash is not allowed for Volleyball or baseball for everyone's safety and you know that you don't want to blind the players in other sports with your flash, but how are you going to have enough light to make decent shots? I have learned a whole bunch this year about off camera lighting ... and that in itself is enough for another post. Suffice it to say that between off camera lighting and today's higly sensitive cameras, there is hope! The key is in starting to figure it out before you get to the game. When I head off to take pictures of the great outdoors, I often spend hours, if not days, doing research before I go. What will I find, where will I find it? What is the weather going to be like? How about the light? Where is the sun? What time will it rise and set? What new techniques do I want to try? These, and another thousand questions flood my mind. What I have discovered is that every bit the same amount of research is needed for me to effectively photograph a basketball game. Only then will I Have the confidence to know that I will bring home memories that are worth sharing with others! 2009-10-15 2:51 PM Unfortunately, I have had to add another layer of security on to the pictures you see on this site. You will now see a copyright notice on each picture displayed on this website. The notice will not print when you order prints, but will appear on illegally downloaded images. Most of my prices, especially for the sports pictures, are quite reasonable, and I will make every effort to make sure that no child is left without pictures because they are economically challenged. If you need a copy of a photo and cannot afford it, please speak to me or email me, and I will make the proper arrangements for you to get the pictures you would like. For the rest of us, small prints are only a dollar. (quite cheap compared to most others producing similar results!) The fine art galleries are a little more expensive, but again, quite reasonable when you shop around. Prints that I am selling on this site for $20 are going for $175 in my gallery shows. Of course, you are always welcome to buy the prints at the higher prices! Your purchases allow me to keep current with equipment and software that is needed to produce the pictures and pay the rent that makes it possible for you to view them. I hope that you enjoy the pictures! 2009-08-04 10:50 PM Cataloochee Valley is probably the least visited site in the entire park --- And for good reason! It is at least an hour’s drive from your starting point, or, as my guide book said: “You can’t get there from here.” The road in is a well maintained gravel road, but there are steep grades and sharp turns as you travel through the forest. Staying on the NC side (Cherokee or Maggie Valley) is a wise choice if you are not camping here. There is a nice barn and farm house in the valley, but the real reason for going is to view elk in the wild. (although someone told me they saw one in Cades Cove in the spring of 09) Arrive just as the shadows are creeping in, and the elk come out for dinner (6:00 in the first week of August). By 8:00, they were closing in on the camera, and I could have used a wide angle lens for a close-up. Rangers tell you not to move in on them, but they will come to you. If you camp here, there is a good possibility of also encountering bear, fox, and coyote as well. If you are not spending the night, head back up the mountain to catch sunset at the overlook. 2009-08-04 11:06 PM Robert Hitchman (Photograph America Newsletter) has nailed it or you can use Bill Campbell’s “Photographer’s Guide to the Smoky Mountains,” or chip in a dollar at a time for the guide pamphlets that give ecological and historical background for each locale. For planning purposes, Hitchman’s is great, but Campbell has much more info. I got both and don't regret it. There are plenty of books, field guides, maps, etc for sale in the Visitor's Centers. Of course, there is the official web site at http://www.nps.gov/grsm/ with tons of information. Check it to see what programs are happening during your stay. Ranger walks can be a great source of information and inspiration. www.thegreatsmokymountains.org offers hiking guides and flower bloom reports. They are the sponsors of the Spring Wildflower Pilgrimage in mid April. www.thewonderofitallphotography.com - has what amounts to a photographer's tour guide to the smokies on their site including recommended places to eat. Definitely skip sunrise one morning to eat at the Pancake Pantry in Gatlinburg! Foilage & Flowers It seems like there is always something in bloom somewhere in the park. Head up the mountain to find the same flower two weeks later than in the valley or to find "exotic" species. Fall colors Fall Color in the Smokies can be spectacular due to the hardwoods that poulate these hillsides. If you are running late for fall colors, head to the NC side or the Western Scenic Parkway. I found great color there in early November. Stream Scenics With all of these hills, the water has to go somewhere! There are lots of streams and waterfalls to photograph, and often you don't need to venture far from your car to get winning shots. Needless to say, the opportunities abound if you are willing to walk a little. This is the Salamander Capital of the US too, so be sure to look under the rocks as well. 2008-09-21 1:47 PM I made it out to the local antiques car show yesterday, and tried my hand at photographing them. Here are a few observations: First off, it is near impossible to get a good clean background at a car show. Yes, the vehicles are amazing, but they are lined up on a street and there are lots of people poking around. Some owners are showing off thier "baby," some are curious onlookers remembering the past, others are kids who have heard about these power cars and want a look for themselves before the beast is extinct or to get an idea for a modern day variation. All are quite pleasant, and the owners will gladly show off thier vehicle for you. Secondly, getting a good shot often depended on the use of both a flash and a polarizer. The polarizer cuts the glare and reflections to give a much richer and truer color to the car. And most of these cars are so highly polished that there will be reflections and glare on any day of the year! The flash absolutely must be off camera. I used a remote to trigger mine, and an assistant to hold it (or ideally, them) would have been helpful. My batteries died about half way through -- oops! Finally, matching the color on your screen or print to the actual color of the vehicle can be tricky. At least that is the case with my Canon 30 D. These are VERY vibrant colors, and might be pushing the limits of my monitor. I found that in order to duplicate the color, I needed to push the saturation (Velvia) and tweak the specific color output. 2007-04-27 8:42 AM well, after using an extension tube added on to various lenses, I have finally bought a true macro lens - the EF 100 2.8, and what a difference! Not only is the setup lighter than using tubes, it also allows more light to actually get in, and the resolution of fine details is MUCH crisper. I am now kicking myself for not doing this sooner, and can see the eventual need for an additional macro lens in the wider or normal range. (think EF 65 .... 5x magnification!) 2006-12-27 10:34 PM I have spent the last day in Washington DC. I am traveling by myself, and really don;t know DC that well for photo purposes, so I signed up for the Washington Photo Safari with David Luria. This trip is really geared toward beginniners, and the web advertisement really should be changed to reflect that. The upside is that I got to know my way around our nation's capital a little bit better. I got a few good shots which are in my gallery, and learned a few additional things about DC. 1 -- Use public transportation as much as possible. Traffic is terrible and parking is even worse! After 45 minutes of hovering, I abandoned my plan to visit the Rembrandt exhibit simply because I could not find a place to park. If you are going to the Mall, arrive at your parking space at 9:30. Parking rules are strrictly enforced. If you are not gone by 4:00, expect to be towed. 2 -- Stay at the St Gregory hotel ! ! ! ! ! The rooms are VERY cofortable, and moderately priced. Parking is $25, which seems to be the going rate. It is close enough to the Metro to get you anywhere you need to go, and has wonderful dining in the neighborhood. 3 -- It is ironic that in the city that symbolizes freedom, you are restricted from so many places. I had to walk a mile out of my way just to get to my car because sidewalks were closed .... except to the security guards who drove thier carts on them. Security guards and police are everywhere -- even in the bushes. While contemplating a shortcut through the roped off lawn between the Mall and the Tidal Basin, I recalled my trip to Slovakia a few years ago, and the fact that there were no "Do Not Enter" signs anywhere in the former Soviet Block country. It appears that the terrorists have already won. 4 -- Truly great photo times (golden light) is very limited here, at least in the winter. spring probably has better possibilities because of the colors. It is challenging to be creative with suibjects that are shot a thousand times every day, but possibilities do exist. I would need to spend a month here once I learned my way around and what light works best at what times. For example, Lincoln is best in the morning just after sunrise, the Washington Monument catches the evening light. Shoot the Korean Veterans Memorial at night, and bring a tripod for a long exposure! 5 -- Tripods are a tricky subject .... they are considered to be platforms for launching an RPG or a weapon for hand to hand combat. It appears that you can use them in open spaces, but not in buildings -- and that word is interpreted loosely. At the FDR, Korea, WWII memorials, I did not have a problem, but the security guard at the Lincoln Memorial informed me that I could only use it at the bottom of the stairs, not inside. 6 -- The night sky is muddy -- probably from all the lights. This place has got to have the highest utility bills of any place on the planet with all of the electricity and water that it uses. | |