Not since my 45 RPM record collection dominated my life during the 50’s and 60’s have I been as interested in gathering information and experiencing a subject in as much detail as I now give to our National Parks system. The parks and the landscapes they present were the reason I returned to school in the 80’s to learn the art of photography, but I had no idea I would spend so much time in them. The green of the …
Recording the dramatic beauty found along the North Shore of Lake Superior
My favorite combination of on-camera filters starts with the 10-Stop Mor-Slo ND filter on my Canon 24-70mm f/2.8 lens. This is a very sharp lens. I add the Gold-N-Blue on top of that, and then use some combination of 4×6 Graduated ND filters. My favorite is the Reverse ND Grad. Sometimes I just need the Gold N-Blue Polarizer, which was used in the above panorama from the Temperance River, about a mile above Lake Superior. This next image was shot …
Experience the world through the eyes of an eight-year old
I believe there are very few creatures on this planet more majestic and powerful than the Alaskan Brown Bear. Most either fear it or think of it as a cute and cuddly being akin to the Teddy Bear. After being allowed to visit with them many times, I believe they are creatures that transcend both sides of that spectrum. This animal possesses great power to defend itself while simultaneously displaying great care for its young. The last few summers I …
Never be caught without Your Graduated ND Filters
Several weeks ago, I left my house in a hurry in hopes of capturing some late-light images up a local canyon here. Don’t you fret—I was fully clothed! I arrived at the location and began setting up my equipment. Suddenly I was flabbergasted to realize I’d forgotten my filter pouch. All of a sudden, I felt incredibly naked. No…worse. I felt…powerless. Not a good feeling. Sure, there are a few alternative techniques to simulate some effects of filters out there; …
Strive to make fine art landscapes that are a lot more than realistic
When Don Smith switched from a 20-year career as sports photographer to dedicate himself to landscape photography, he adopted the philosophy that fine art images should do more than simply recreate reality. “The major theme in my workshops is the importance of seeing the finished image in my mind as I click the shutter. As Ansel Adams used to teach, we need to go on and visualize the finished image in our mind while we’re composing the scene in our …
Scott Fisher’s very brief trip to Iceland was nevertheless rewarding
As a professional video producer/editor based in Boston, Scott Fisher has also taken on landscape photography as a serious hobby to help him learn more about framing and exposure. “I realized a few years ago how using filters would step up my game as a landscape photographer. I have always used neutral density filters in my video work so I was a bit embarrassed that it took me so long to start using them in my still photography. “I currently …
Marco Crupi enjoys a quick trip down the Jersey Shore looking for something special to photograph
I like to go on short trips in and around my home in New Jersey. This past Father’s Day, I decided to head down the Jersey Shore for the weekend even though the weather forecast was calling for afternoon thunderstorms and showers. What a great call! My wife and I spent most of the day basking in the sun and enjoying the Spring Lake beach area. After several hours of relaxing on the beach, I decided to take a walk …
Explaining why LB Neutral Polarizer is almost always a good filter!
This is my part of the natural world, and I can feast on all the natural beauty around me for years to come. But there have been many more decisions I have made to assure success as an outdoor photographer — including the decision to use Singh-Ray filters. I’d like to talk a bit about the one filter that, as a landscape photographer, is almost always on my lens. That filter is the Singh-Ray LB Neutral Polarizer. Many photographers only …
Explaining how to determine correct exposures for long exposure images
An acknowledged master of long-exposure photography, Cole Thompson shares his techniques for finding his “correct” exposure, and extrapolating that to dramatically longer exposure times. Getting the correct exposure when using one or more neutral density filters can be challenging. I use up to 18 stops of ND with exposures ranging from 30 seconds to 8 minutes. At first finding the correct exposure was very frustrating and my images were often underexposed and I’d have to resort to guessing at the …
Tribute to the 4th of July
I am one of the luckiest people in the world. Many of my friends are artists whether they be painters, writers, poets, musicians, photographers or what have you. What’s the term that is used — starving artists. Every once in a while I tend to complain and moan about the state of the union. Several friends have reminded me if I don’t like the state of the union I can go somewhere else. To be honest, I’ve been lucky enough to …