I don’t often shoot panoramas, not because I don’t like them, but because I don’t think of it when the opportuntiy presents itself. The Digital Imaging Association conference that I participated in this month in Page Arizona included attendees who are panoramic photographers. Their discussions heightened my awareness of opportunites.
Monument Valley Panorama
The above image was stitched from two separate images using Photoshop CS4. One of the things I learned from the group is that stitching programs are so good today that even hand held images can be successfully merged into a single panorama. I still advocate the use of a tripod, not for stitching success but for the highest quality image results. This particular panorama was shot hand-held with an image stabilized lens.
Posted 1 year, 3 months ago at 7:57 am. Add a comment
High dynamic range imaging allows the building of a single image from multiple images that when taken together can far excede the dynamic range of tradional film emulsions. The image below is the result of combining five images spanning about 12 f stops.
HDR Image Bryce Canyon- Arizona
The images below are the five individual images from which the composite was blended using PhotoMatrixPro’s exposure blending option. The ability to render detail in the deepest shadow areas while retaining detail in the highlights is obvious.
1/3000 @f/9
1/750 @f/9
1/180th @f/9
1/45th @f/9
1/10th @ f/9
From now on whenever my histogram tell me I cannot capture the full tonal range of a scene, I will turn toi the new tool in my arsenal.
Posted 1 year, 3 months ago at 10:20 pm. Add a comment
Canon 600mm f/4.0 IS
My first results with the Canon 600mm lens were a large disappointment not due to the lens but due to my lack of experience with the super telephoto class of lens. With a little research I discovered that much of what I thought I knew about obtaining sharp images was no longer appropriate.
While a very sturdy tripod is a must with these heavyweights ( the lens itself weighs almost 12 pounds), I found the traditional ball head to be a less than satisfactory attachment of lens to tripod. More on this subject is available on my post about Wimeberly heads.
The biggest surprise of all is instead of detaching myself from the lens/camera with a cable release to get the sharpest images, I had to get used to the super-telephoto” drape” … hanging my left arm over the top of the lens while releasing the shutter with my trigger finger. The drape is important in dampening vibrations that can degrade image quality when using these long focal length lenses.
I shoot a lot of images of birds in flight. Picking them up in the viewfinder can be a real challenge at these focal lengths because the field of view is so narrow. I had to adapt to a both eyes open approach to help in picking up the subject.
Last, while in the field I have noted many photographers covering these “great white” lenses with camouflage. I have discussed this with Canon technical reps and they tell me that the white coating is to assist in heat dissipation on hot sunny days. Covering the lens is contrary to good use and good image quality.
Posted 1 year, 5 months ago at 8:24 am. Add a comment
Successful photography along shorelines that are impacted by tides is dependent on planning your outing with accurate information on two vital pieces of information about the shooting location:
- Curent tide height and direction
- Current lighting conditions
Of course, the weather is also a factor!
In the past I have relied on tide prediction software on my desktop before heading for a photo destination. Not having that capability in the field prevented spontaneous changes in my game plans. Later I found an application for my pocket PC which allowed spontaneous in-the- field updating. The latest in the evolution is the “Tide Graph” software available as an iPhone application from the iTunes application store.
Hopewell Rocks, New Brunswick
This photograph of the Hopewell Rocks in New Brunswick is an extreme example of the need for tidal information. The rocks are located in the Bay of Fundy which boasts the greatest tides in the world. The seabed is open at low tide and provides opportunities to photograph the rock formations. At high tide, they become small islands in the ocean. In this shot, the tide was perfect for strolling the ocean floor but the harsh sunlight left much to be desired photographically. A future post will discuss another iPhone application I
Main Display Page
have found to predict sun and moon positions.
The main display page of Tide Graph is shown in the adjacent image. It contains all the information you need to time your photographic outing with respect to the tides. The information can be updated for a given day by dragging the target circle on the tide graph. Other locations and dates can be selected by tapping the current tide station displayed on the main display. Tapping the small map icon will bring up a Google earth display of the active location.
This is truly convenient application for me as I never travel without my cell phone and the price is right at $.99. Try it, you’ll like it!
Posted 1 year, 7 months ago at 9:59 pm. Add a comment
Several years ago I was hiking a trail along the north rim of the Grand Canyon. An unexpected severe thunder storm prompted me and several others caught in the open to seek shelter under a rock outcropping. It was crowded and we quickly became “close” friends. To protect my cameras from the elements I covered them with my rain jacket. I don’t know if it was the humid conditions caused by the weather or my body that caused both cameras to malfunction, but malfunction they did. When the storm ebbed and I uncovered them, both electronic displays were flashing and neither camera would function.
View from north rim of the Grand Canyon
How I wished I had an “old fashioned” mechanical camera at that point. The photographic opportunities created in the canyon by the ebbing storm were fantastic!
It’s that time of the year in the north east when capturing a winter scene of new fallen snow prompts us to venture out in the cold with our camera gear. Going out into the generally dry winter air is not a problem for our equipment but bringing it back into a warm and humid indoor environment invites condensation on both the outside and inside. This is particularly a problem if you want to use the camera gear immediately when your lens and viewfinder will promptly fog up or , like my Grand Canyon experience, not work at all.
There is an easy solution. Place your camera inside a large plastic bag before bringing the cold camera indoors. Let the condensation form on the outside of the bag insterad of on your camera equipment while it warms to room temperature.
Posted 1 year, 7 months ago at 7:04 pm. Add a comment