Co-Authored by: Neil Silverman For anyone visiting Death Valley National Park, one of the intriguing attractions is the Racetrack Playa. This is an area in an ancient dry-lake bed where mysteriously moving rocks make tracks in the mud surface of the lakebed. Endless studies have been made, attempting to determine what force is actually moving the rocks. Getting out to the Racetrack is no easy matter — as in 27 miles of tough ‘washboard’ driving on primitive dirt road. We …
Taking Singh-Ray filters along on a crazy road trip
Although most of my stock shooting trips are planned well in advance, this time I discovered that I had an unexpected open week on my schedule that would begin in less than 36 hours. Just enough time to plan my journey. Joined by my friend and fellow photographer, C.W. McGowen, we set out to capture various coastal and inland locations spanning a wide area of Northern California and Oregon. These were locations that were on my ‘bucket list,’ and weather …
An unexpected chance to visit Hawaii proves to be a lifetime experience
The wonderful thing about life is that we never know! We create this crazy illusion that we control our lives, yet when I think about it, I realize how little is planned and how much is serendipity. In my quest to see and photograph in all the National Parks, I find myself still twenty-one parks short. Out of the fifty-eight locations that carry the N.P. designation, I’ve now visited thirty-seven. The Hawaiian Islands is about the last place I expected …
Following up a ten-day visit through Scotland with an adventurous trip to Ireland
After a couple of days in Dublin we rented a car and drove to Northern Ireland, which is part of the United Kingdom. Our plan was to head straight to the scenic northern coast of the island and then swing back through the Republic of Ireland following its western edge as we made our way back to Dublin and our plane back to the States. In the early afternoon we arrived in the beautiful little town of Ballycastle which was …
Leading two workshops to Utah for a great adventure in fall colors and amazing scenery
Each of the workshops, lasted five days with a two-day private excursion with two friends tagged onto the end. Needless to say, it was a long steady pace with very little sleep. I left California on October 25 with my co-instructor Scott Schilling. We took an early morning flight from San Jose, California to Las Vegas, Nevada, and then drove another 8 hours to Moab, Utah — which would be home base for my Arches/Canyonlands Workshop. I like to time …
Coming back to Vari-ND when wanting to try doing something different
I began reflecting on the images I’ve created this past year, and I have made an interesting observation. There was one filter that was pivotal in the creation of some of my favourite images — images that I would have really struggled to create any other way. And that was my Singh-Ray Vari-ND. Some of the techniques I’ve been able to use with this filter have been rather interesting — and I like to share them with other photographers whenever …
Finding the Singh-Ray Filters even more useful
One reason I’ve survived for over 35 years in the competitive world of freelance photography is my ability to read the writing on the wall. It’s just an awareness to cues about impending change that are given by the marketplace, cues that many will ignore. For example, I used to do a lot of photography for corporate annual reports. Before the internet, a publicly-owned company presented its face to the investing community with a glossy annual magazine-like publication that stated …
Jason Odell says making the choice between his Singh-Ray Vari-ND and Vari-N-Duo “depends”…
I recently returned from leading a four-day photography workshop in Rocky Mountain National Park. One of my favorite spots to photograph is Hallett Peak at sunrise, with an alpine lake in the foreground. If you’re really lucky, you’ll get calm conditions and amazing scenery reflected in the lake. However, the slightest wind can create havoc with reflections, and the day we made the trip we had 10-15 MPH gusts with no relief in sight. What do I do in a …
Covering the scenic western United States in a very big way
I try to visit new places each year, I will revisit a place many times, however, if I feel I can pull out an image that is different from what I already have. I usually stay for a period of three to ten days or more. It depends on the number of image opportunities I expect to find and the distance I will need to travel. Even if the potential of a place looks bleak when I arrive, I almost always …
Going to Bali with my family and camera — a memorable time was had by all
I figured there would be some great opportunities, though, in such a beautiful tropical setting. Although I spent a lot of time trying to decide what photo gear to take, my Singh-Ray Filters were at the top of every list I made. While we were in Bali, there was a lot of entertainment activity going on. Surf company Rip Curl was there hosting the Rip Curl Cup at Padang Padang Beach; as excited as my kids were to surf, I …