*Life on Ngorongoro Crater, Shot with an 8 megapixel Camera and 300mm Lens*

Thoughts on Otus

November 29, 2013 in November 2013

Fact #1 : Photography is a technical discipline that cannot be pursued in a technological vacuum. The first photographers’ depended on chemists to formulate silver-halide coated glass plates and engineers to craft a box with optics that could focus light on the film plane.

Fact #2 : Photography is an art for the masses. Requiring little more than practice and honest critiques, every button pusher can learn to transform a memory snapshot into an artistically pleasing image.

Fiction : Great pictures come from great cameras. The push to produce and monetize new technologies that stretch the limits of lens and sensor resolution has convinced the hobbyists, amateurs and professionals that more money equals better pictures. While the newest cameras and lenses are capable of producing fantastically sharp images that have the potential to unleash the inner artist, the same can be said for the artisan with a modest piece of kit.

*Kenyan Sunset - Shot with a 12 Megapixel Camera and 17-40mm lens*

For example, consider the following,

A photographer might choose to go big and purchase the Nikon D800e. With a 36 megapixel sensor that is unencumbered by the presence of a detail thieving anti-aliasing filter, the D800e is the highest resolution camera in the Nikon system. Seeking perfection, the details first photographer might decide to spend an additional $4000 on the Carl Zeiss Otus 55mm f1.4 manual focus lens. Described as the sharpest fast 50mm lens made to date (see here and here), the Otus lens can out resolve the ultra-high resolution camera for which it is destined to be used. Your $7000 investment get’s you the best small format camera (35mm - type) that money can buy.

In contrast, the frugal photographer and wannabe artist has less than $1000, but also wishes to pursue this art for the masses. Our penny pincher might decide to invest in the more modest 24 megapixel Nikon D5300 with its 1.5x crop sensor and a matching Nikon 35mm f1.8 AFS (52mm equivalent) lens. Here the total investment includes modern digital gear, yet the package price will be a hair under the $1000 budget. While the $7000 system is superior in all ways, I doubt that the additional $6000 expense will lead to a better photographer. The true artisan will leverage the best in their gear by taking the time to make images in spite of the tools. No amount of money can be a substitute for learning to see, practicing the craft and studying light.

*Quiet Stretch in the Canadian Rockies - Shot with a 18 Megapixel Camera and 24-105mm Lens*

As a budget limited photo-enthusiast and card-carrying amateur, I’d sooner invest the lion share my photo budget in travel and leave the pricy new cameras to the pixel peepers and gear heads of the world.

Happy Black Friday and Cyber Monday...

Anhinga anhinga

November 24, 2013 in November 2013

Anhinga, snakebird, darter, American darter, or water turkey are the variety of names given to the diving Anhinga anhinga. With features that resemble cormorants and European shags, the Anhinga is a piscivore. Lacking nostrils, this species gulps air and dives when pursuing its aquatic prey. The individual pictured was photographed from a birding platform in a mangrove swamp near Hacienda Baru Costa Rica. The second image (below) was processed using a "painterly" effect in the TopazLabs B&W effects v2 software plugin.

*"Anhinga Painting" - TopazLabs B&W Effects II*

*Golden Orb Weaver Spider (Genus Nephila) - Selva Verde, Costa Rica*

Irrational Fear

November 17, 2013 in November 2013

Fifteen years later I still crack a snarky grin whenever I recall the student who slammed down her text in fear. Black lines and smudges grew around her eyes as they welled up with tears of freight. All of this drama was quickly followed by an infectious laugh that emanated from an embarrassed face. The source of fear, you ask? The student had inadvertently opened the page of her book to a section on arachnids. The two dimensional form was apparently so startling that it warranted a shriek that would make Jamie Lee Curtis proud.

Is there a root cause for our irrational fears and phobias? Historical and recent evidence suggests that phobias are a type of “evolutionary memory.” Deep within our DNA are coding sequences that correlate with pattern recognition. Recently, Cole and Wilkins* published a study that attempts to explain trypophobia, or the fear of small holes or bubbles. According to their study, a tight collection of soap bubbles or aerated chocolate may induce the sweats or a panic attack. The correlation between bubbles and fear is similar to the phobia that some experience when seeing a spider or snake. Poisons and toxins produced by animals once caused many deaths prior to the cultural evolution that has led us to the present. In the absence of modern medicine, a snake or spider bite might be fatal. In their study on The Fear of Holes, Cole and Wilkins demonstrate that some patterns of holes and bubbles have a “relatively high contrast at midrange spatial frequencies*” similar to that found on many poisonous animals.

Fear not for your phobias, as they are evolutionary relics that protected your ancestors. While irrational today, when given crap by those who laugh when you jump, you can feel good knowing that these fears have deep roots in our biology.

G. G. Cole, A. J. Wilkins. Fear of Holes. Psychological Science, 2013;

Reflecting the Sky - Crex Meadows WMA, WICanon 5D Mark iii + Canon 17-40mm L @ 18mm — *Reflecting the Sky - Crex Meadows WMA, WI*
*Canon 5D Mark iii + Canon 17-40mm L @ 18mm*

Five from Fall - (v)

November 14, 2013 in November 2013

The parting shot in this Fall series was made at the Crex Meadows Wildlife Sanctuary in Grantsburg, Wisconsin. A lesser known gem between the Twin Cities and Superior, Crex is a managed series of dikes and ponds that extend as far as the eye can see. During the Fall and Spring migrations, these ponds are home to thousands of sandhill cranes and migratory fowl. This image was made while waiting for the cranes to arrive at their nocturnal roost. While it's always exciting to see the birds drop from the sky, the low clouds made for poor arial photography… the same can not be said for making a few unique landscape images.

One Tree Farm - Stillwater Area, MNCanon 5D Mark iii + Canon 100mm f2.8 Macro — *One Tree Farm - Stillwater Area, MN*
*Canon 5D Mark iii + Canon 100mm f2.8 Macro*

Five from Fall - (iv)

November 13, 2013 in November 2013

I just returned from a pre-trip conference with student-researchers who will be my travel companions to Costa Rica in March, 2014. While I'm now tempted to post work from the tropics, I'm three for five and believe in completion. So, image #4 in my "Fall Five" series is "One Tree Farm." Shot at sunrise on November 10th, I converted the pastel pinks and blues of the sky and water to a stark black and white image that reflects the inevitable end of fall and the beginning of a winter which will likely be too long.

Someone say Thanksgiving? (Meleagris gallopavo) - Tamarack Nature Center, MNCanon 5D Mark iii + Canon 300mm f2.8L IS — *Someone say Thanksgiving? (Meleagris gallopavo) - Tamarack Nature Center, MN*
*Canon 5D Mark iii + Canon 300mm f2.8L IS*

Five from Fall - (iii)

November 12, 2013 in November 2013

Wild turkeys (Meleagris gallopavo) continue to be a challenging subject to capture. These birds were foraging at a distance just as the sun began to rise. Despite my stealthy approach, my cloak of invisibility disappeared as soon as I depressed the shutter. The image pictured was my second and final shot of the morning.

A Superior Monochrome - North Shore of Lake Superior, MNCanon 5D Mark iii + Canon 17-40L w/ Variable ND Filter — *A Superior Monochrome - North Shore of Lake Superior, MN*
*Canon 5D Mark iii + Canon 17-40L w/ Variable ND Filter*

Five from Fall - (ii)

November 11, 2013 in November 2013

Taken on October 17th, this long exposure of Lake Superior was shot in a panicked attempt to make the most of a fading opportunity. In the car by 4:00 a.m., it was race between us and the sun. We live nearly 140 miles south of the North Shore, so I knew that my timetable was tight. Driving through Duluth, I could see hints of the morning glow on the horizon. Atmospherics, typical of Fall on the lake, offered the extra time I needed to get on site and prep the composition. The amazing light never broke through the fog, so I composed for tones, shapes and shadow and knew that the final product would be a monochrome. Fall doesn't have to be about the color, sometimes it just about being there.

Early Fall on the St. Croix - St. Croix River, Stillwater MNCanon 5D Mark iii + Canon 300 mm f2.8L IS w/ a 1.4x matched converter — *Early Fall on the St. Croix - St. Croix River, Stillwater MN*
*Canon 5D Mark iii + Canon 300 mm f2.8L IS w/ a 1.4x matched converter*

Five from Fall - ( i )

November 10, 2013 in November 2013

In this first of a five image series, you are peering at a fragment of the river that separates Minnesota from Wisconsin. A remnant of an ancient ice-age, this river divides forested cliffs that offer clues about a wilderness that is all but gone.

Taken around 6:20 a.m., I hiked down to the edge of the river and waited for the predawn light to strike the eastern shore. I stabilized the legs of my tripod in the river to position the camera and lens at water level. With the camera set to ISO 50 (L on the Canon 5D Mark iii) and an aperture of f/16, I was able to use a long exposure to blur the water and smooth the reflection.

*"Fall Back" - Willow River State Park, WI*

Searching for Solitude

November 03, 2013 in November 2013

Today is November 3rd and most Americans rejoiced in their opportunity to steal and extra hour of sleep; I chose a different path. By getting up and out early, I was able to hike in solitude. The still of a quiet forest is a rare pleasure that needs to be experienced to be understood.

The image pictured was taken at a popular destination near the Twin Cities. Had I slept for that extra hour, I would have fought contrasty light and intermittent crowds. The result would have been an exercise in frustration rather than the meditative experience that it was. To make the most of your time with a camera, put yourself in the right place and in the right frame of mind.

Powered by Squarespace