One of my very favorite photographic subjects — besides people — is water. We can find so many creative possibilities in water photography because it’s almost always moving, it takes on different colors, reflects light and forms so many different shapes. In water photography, it is so easy to get really unique results. All that’s required is hard work, lots of experience and the right equipment. Most of the time water is involved in something interesting like giving sand, stones, …
Putting the Singh-Ray filters to good use when capturing reflected images
We almost always get our share of great light — most often at the beginning or the end of the day — no matter what time of year or location we’re visiting. But we all realize there will also be those really challenging times when we need to work with the light we’re given. That’s often when we learn the most. The best solution I have found for the lack of ‘good light’ is stronger composition and more creative selection …
Recalling the origins of the Galen Rowell Graduated ND Filters
In those bygone days, BD (Before Digital), one of the biggest frustrations for landscape photographers was the limited latitude of color slide film. A four to five-stop dynamic range was all that our film could handle before the shadows blocked up or the highlights burned out. This presented a real problem especially when we were faced with a beautiful (but dark) foreground and a glorious (but very bright) background sky. At best, we would have to wait for just the …
It’s easy to photograph the American West without straining your budget or your back
For the many photographers who live out here, it’s just about heaven. If I have any advice for photographers who don’t live out here, it would be to come visit. Just be sure to bring your camera, a good tripod and all your filters. There’s an infinite supply of dramatic beauty, natural geological wonders, and the historical remains of the recent and ancient past to be enjoyed and documented. And the best part is their easy accessibility to all of …
The Essential Filters for Controlling Contrast in Digital Nature Photography
Originally posted in March, 2010, this article from Darwin Wiggett contains some truly fundamental information about using filters for photographers to learn or review. Each time award-winning photographer and author Darwin Wiggett writes about filters, he is sharing his own years of successful experience. His stories featured on this blog have become a trusted reference source for many visitors. Now Darwin discusses the essential filters for controlling the luminance or contrast range of digital images and offers us his perspective …
Learning to photograph where we are, prepares us to photograph anywhere we go
Like many serious landscape photographers,Chris Moore finds that balancing the demands of a busy career, family life, and the search for dramatic landscapes is a challenge. “With just a couple of weeks a year to travel to exotic places,” says Chris, “my appetite for landscape photography has to be fulfilled close to home most of the time. Since integrating Singh-Ray filters into my workflow over the past year, however, I’m capturing more dramatic images wherever I’m shooting. It’s mostly here today, …
Graduated Neutral Density Filters by Galen Rowell
It’s still difficult to believe that our friend Galen Rowell and his wife Barbara are gone, since his work continues to live on in so many books, magazines, calendars and in our mind’s eye, and he still is such a presence in the lives of his friends, family and photographers everywhere. Galen wrote this column for Outdoor Photographer in 1992 when not many photographers were familiar with Graduated Neutral Density filters, and it provides an interesting perspective and insight into …