As I prepare for my fourth trip to Iceland — the third time I will be serving as a guide for other photographers — I’ve given a lot of thought to what I’ve learned to this point. I can also draw upon my previous experience leading workshops to almost every corner of this country. I’ve spent some time considering how I might improve on the way I shot these locations before, and how I’ll guide the other photographers to do …
Using the Singh-Ray ColorCombo with ND Grads to control the complete picture
When I realized I’m living in one of the world’s most scenic areas. I am now striving to promote nature conservation through my outdoor photography, and I am also discovering the benefits of using Singh-Ray filters for optimum results when shooting landscapes. I first discovered the importance of using Singh-Ray Graduated ND filters (ND Grads) to produce landscape images with just the right balance between nature’s bright skies and shadowy foregrounds. More recently, I’ve discovered that my Singh-Ray LB ColorCombo is equally …
Capturing the alpine drama with two Singh-Ray filters
During that time I’ve gone through more than a few cameras and lenses, transitioned from film to digital, and mastered the digital darkroom. Through it all my vision has been the common thread driven by my passion for the natural landscape — and during that time, Singh-Ray Filters have played a significant role in helping me translate and preserve my unique view of the outdoor world. For example, the image above, which was made in Dusy Basin, Kings Canyon National …
Explaining the very important advantages of the Singh-Ray LB Polarizer
For the most part, the students don’t exactly know what a polarizer does so they’re not at all sure when to use it. I start by explaining that Singh-Ray offers four different polarizers; two ‘standard’ types, the LB Warming Polarizer and LB Neutral, as well as the Gold-N-Blue and ColorCombo Polarizers. (Each of these filters is fully described on the Singh-Ray website.) Since my personal choice for about 85% of my images is the ColorCombo, that’s the filter I demonstrate …
Wet weather failed to dampen a well-planned visit to Olympic National Park
The next day, I met up with Dustin, a photographer buddy of mine from the Sacramento area. We jumped on the Bainbridge Ferry and headed to the Port Angeles and Olympic National Park area. Driving from the ferry to Second Beach in a heavy downpour, I wasn’t at all confident that I could capture any images. From the parking lot, we hiked about a mile through mud, rain and flimsy wooden bridges to reach Second Beach. What a sight! As …
Capturing a number of well-earned images of the residents of Salisbury Plain
I can not adequately describe how mind-blowing my visit was with these adorable king penguins. After spending a week sailing in horrendous seas with terrible weather, I finally arrived at my dream photography destination. Upon landing, most of the king penguins were somewhat skittish, but these guys walked right up to greet me! Oh, boy. It was cold, too. The fresh snow on the normally rocky beach, however, helped make this already dramatic scene even more photogenic. In order to photograph this spectacle, I …
Several recent trips add many new high-resolution images to a website gallery
As a result of all that travel and shooting, I have been able to post over 150 photos in the New Images section on my website. That would include the image above of sunrise through fog with boats at Newport Harbor, Oregon. Here I used my Pentax 645D with a three-stop soft-step Graduated ND filter over the sky. I like the softness and moodiness of the image. I have also posted another 130 images that have been ‘reprocessed.’ These are …
Disguised as a wandering landscape photographer to capture New York City
Los Angeles, It was a big sprawling city even in those days. One block looked like the next. I don’t have any photography to speak of from those days because I always felt that nature was elsewhere. I’ve never looked back and, through my photographic travels and workshops, I’ve been treated to some of the most beautiful and scenic locations imaginable. The National and State parks throughout the American West are my home and photographic focus. Nevertheless, I recently had …
Reflections of this year’s visit to the splendors of Glacier National Park
Sometimes I wonder whether success in any creative art is more dependent on the singer or the song? That is to say, is it really the photographer or the place? Over the years, I’ve come to realize excellent outdoor images can be made almost anywhere at any time. Nevertheless, that rationalization fades from memory when I find myself surrounded by the awesome grandeur of our nation’s National Parks, and one in particular. Although it’s in a remote location, Glacier National …