Pre Post Photography

Of late I have been concentrating on the technical aspects of photography, but I know in the back of my mind that whatever is worthwhile doing involves creating spirit and soul. In other words, you must have the contents of a great shot before you can record the details of it. Obviously, this is a truism. But I posit this simply because some times the contents of a great shot is captured with details that are not technically good or aesthetically captivating.

Such was the case when I attended the Championship AFC game in Foxboro, MA on January 22, 2017. The weather conditions were terrible (wind driven mist in the mid-30s) but I persisted to capture the emotions of the moment.

The two shot here posted are the pre-game (notice the different ways players/coaches deal with this anticipation) and the post game emotions of relief and thankfulness of a successful victory.

Winter Shelter

Again the Spirits of Winter (whether they be called Jack Frost, Old Man Winter, Father Frost, Snow Queen, Calleach Bheur, Frau Holle, or Boreas) have visited this New England Homeland of mine, and considering the times we live in, with the uncertainty of the future cast upon us with the Election of our current President, I have sought relief.

A musical refrain from the Rolling Stones, namely “Give Me Shelter,” has combined with the mood of this Darkest of Winters, to caption this title to this Post.

Luckily, one of the Guardians of my Psyche has provided some Salvation in the form of focusing on Relief. That Relief has taken the form of the New England Patriots whom I have found is a most unusual entity. The team/organization embodies many values which may be considered old-fashion (like work hard, unselfishness, loyalty, community-mindedness) but yet has allowed a team to be formed by a Zen-like coach (Belichick) to produce successful seasons that no other team can match. So, such a positive entity shines out in the gloom of this most dire of seasons. This is a blessings cast upon me which I cannot resist.

How does all of this relate to photography? Very simply. I attended the AFC Conference Championship Game in Foxboro, MA between the Patriots and the Steelers a few days ago. The game was at night in weather conditions which were challenging, to say the least (38°, 20 mph NE wind, drizzle). On top of that, I was located on the third most tier of the stadium. Fortunately, I was favorably angled at the 30-35 yard line.

I contemplated bringing my pro camera (Canon 5DS) but thought it might be rejected by stadium security. So, I relied on my Canon G3X, which, all things considered, proved adequate to the location and conditions.

While the speed of taking shots did not compare to the Canon 5DS, the G3X did respond well. The telephoto range (600mm) was reason enough (and in a compact profile easily carried in the craziness of a game crowd) to have it. But the G3X did provide enough responsiveness, sharpness, and ease of use to make it an essential tool in what may be called a “combat situation.”

The currently posted photo was taken in a series of separate shots with the Canon G3X, f/8 @ 394mm (35mm equivalent), 1/200″,  ISO 1600. Post processing was done with Color Efex Pro 4, Camera Raw, Photoshop CC (Photomerge).

 

Winter of Discontent

In an attempt to describe the awkward state I am in photographically I am using William Shakespeare’s Line from Richard III in my title. What I mean by this is that while I have come off a productive period of growth in taking photographs this past year, I am stalled by the forces of nature. At an advanced age of 69 years the body becomes sensitive to elements of cold and heat it was not prone before. In December 2016 the winter so far has been cold with many days of unrelenting winds.

So, in a real sense I am captive to the indoors and to my fantasy and musings.  But, I have a plan. Come June 2017 I have planned to take a Canon Destination Workshop in Hawaii  on the Big Island. It is my “come back” to the forces of nature. It is a  five day workshop of taking photos  of volcanos, the milky way, tropical gardens, and multicolored beaches. In addition to this I’ll be spending ten more days on my own visiting two more islands.

The currently posted photo is of Iceland taken this past July (2016) while crossing a stream on a so-called road in the south central part  of the country, namely Landmannalaugar. It is a region which, no doubt, has beauty and form but it escaped me on this day of cold, rain, and wind.

The photograph was shot with a Canon 5DS, Ef24-105mm f/4L IS USM lens @ 24mm, f/16, 1/400″, ISO 800.

 

Blowing in the Wind

Today I had the opportunity to travel down to Little Compton, RI. This is a rather remote area of a small state, which is deceptive since despite its diminutive status the state has a road system which makes it not easily accessible to certain areas. If you can imagine that Rhode Island is the 13th State, meaning that it’s been around since colonial times, and the roads in all likelihood were build upon old cow paths, as they are won’t to say in these parts._77a3403_dxo11efexpro

In any event, I thought I would take the opportunity to fit some photography in while I was down in this part of Rhode Island. Unfortunately, the elements of tim
e and weather did not fully cooperate, since I was there at around 10 AM and the weather was blustery (25-35 mph winds). Nonetheless, I pushed onward, especially since the area I wanted to shoot in was not visitor friendly. What this means is this: I was interested in shooting Sakonnet Point Light which lies off the southeastern coast of Rhode Island on a little rock jutting out of the sea, whose name is Little Cormorant Rock. Getting a good visual viewpoint of Sakonnet Light is not easy, at least from land. Most of the area is privately owned and very little parking is available to make access easy. In any event, I did manage to find parking (particularly since at this time of year anyone in their right mind under these weather conditions would not be here).

The wind was merciless when I finally set up my tripod on the shore directly in front of the Light. I proceeded quickly since I was freezing (mid 30s temperatures with a wind chill of mid 20s). I captured about 70 shots and felt pretty good about my efforts. Little did I know that although I did everything by the book, with tripod and cable release, my shots were less than sharp simply because of the wind moving my tripod ever so lightly, even though I was about 2 feet off the ground.

The currently posted shot of Sakonnet Light was the only shot I was able to salvage. It was shot with a Canon 5DS, EF24-104mm f/4L IS USM @ 105mm, f/11.0, 30″, ISO 100, using a Heliopan 10 stop ND filter, processed with DxO 11 Optics Pro, Adobe Camera Raw, Photoshop, and Color Efex Pro 4

 

State of the Art

This post will focus on exactly where I am in relation to certain goals set for myself over the last year.

First and f_77a3324_dxo11oremost, I’m taking sharper photos due to improved technique, use of a tripod, and being more aware of my camera settings (aperture, shutter speed, and ISO).  Also, my photos are less noisy due to excellent use of DxO Optics Pro noise reduction. By the way for some reason my camera and lenses remain fairly clean and free of dust; exactly why I do not know.

There still are many goals to achieve. I tend to take high contrast scenes and have been blowing out either foreground or background. So, I recently invested in graduated neutral density filters. Another goal is to improve my intended focus, especially in long focal lengths or panorama shots. In this regard, I have been trying to perfect my estimate of hyperlocal distance based on the focal lengths of my lenses.

The posted blog photo is of Sugarbush Farm in Vermont. It was shot with a Canon 5 DS, EF 24-105mm f/4 IS USM @ 40mm, f/13, 1/640, ISO 800. I was aware of trying to capture the hyperlocal distance, and believe I succeeded.

A Different Kind of Light

Vermont has been an area that I have visited and photographed for a long time. Admittedly, I may not have been as disciplined and focused in my shooting then as I am now, but I had a great difficulty in adapting to the lighting conditions on my just completed visit. The scenery was in full brilliant color, it being the height of the foliage season, but getting to a spot or angle to shoot what were on the face of it spectacular vistas or compositions, was challenging, if not impossible due to how the lighting conditions were.

The many hills, mountains, ravines, and valleys created sharp contrasts and haze. Positioning or re-positioning oneself to overcome these obstacles was difficult at best due to the terrain (streams, hill, private property). It seems that one would have to develop a log of sorts to work out when to shoot and where to shoot precisely in order to get a good composition.

Living on the coast of the eastern USA makes photography immensely easier as compared to Vermont. Sunsets and sunrises are completely different in the Green Mountain State. Consequently, for the time being I have not posted any panoramas or long shots of Vermont on this blog.

The photo to the right was taken in the heart of Gaysville, which has to be one of the more unique and diminutive villages in the state. The lantern sat on the side of an old unique Vermont barn next to an historic inn by Cobble Hill. The sun had just risen and morning mist was burning off.The photograph was taken with a Canon 5 DS, EF24-105mm f/4L IS USM lens @ 55mm, f/16, 1/25, ISO 800, post-processed with DxO Optics Pro 11, Camera Raw, and Nik Color Efex Pro 4.

 

 

The Missing Element

This is a shot of Pigeon Cove, Gloucester, MA, taken around 8 AM on a very foggy mid-September day. This shot would never have occurred if I were not “forced” to be at this location. I say this in jest for I was not forced literally but I was forced since I signed up to take this Canon Destination Workshop.

The point of all of this is that I had to be “there” to have this shot, even though it is a photo of no consequence. It does serve to illustrate a point that I have recently become very sensitive to, and that is, I have to put myself out there for the likelihood of capturing that special moment in a photograph that leads to the “Ahh” experience. If I do not do this, it will not matter. The subject matter of my photography will simply be ordinary. This is the insight that has come upon me. It may appear quite elementary but the demands of this insight are quite “demanding.”

The photo was taken with a Canon 5 DS, EF70-200mm f/4L IS USM @ 176mm, f/11, 1/400, ISO 1000, post-processed with DxO Optics Pro 11, Nik Color Efex Pro 4, Skylight Filter.

Style: Coming Softly

The last couple of weeks have seen a resurgence in disparate elements of my photographic skills coming together. Why this is so is anyone’s guess, but my recent Canon Professional Services Destination Workshop in Rockport, MA was certainly  a catalyst.


Arriving at a style is a curious process since so much of what I have been doing with photographs is unconscious and intuitive, but this has been occurring with a certitude I did not have before.  Also it is a subtle process in developing this so-called individual styling preference.

While I am not totally happy with the photo in this post, I am offering it as an example in what I am trying to do. The subject matter of the shot was difficult to craft. It was taken on a very foggy morning around 6 AM at Eastern Point Lighthouse, Gloucester, MA. It was a long exposure of sorts using a polarizing filter to stop down. There is a vagueness to the photo but I tried to capture the unsettledness yet order of the sea and coast. Certainly the sepia toning added to the mood.

It was shot with a Canon 5 DS, EF 24-105mm f/4L IS USM @ 58mm, f/22, 4″, ISO 100.

 

Photo Boot Camp

In my ongoing endeavor to increase my nascent photo skills I decided to take a pEastern Point Lighthouse, Glouchester, MAhoto workshop offered by Canon Professional Services. Not many of these workshops are offered on the east coast so it made sense to immerse myself within some serious training and critiquing while I had the chance.

The workshop took place in Rockport, MA and the surrounding Gloucester area. However, the weather for mid September did not cooperate, and it was more like mid August with high temperatures and humidity to go with it. Rain was always a threat, and the night sky was not clear for star shooting.

Nonetheless, the workshop made the most of the circumstances with intense in-class training. The whole group of us was up at 5 AM each day, and out again to shoot at sunset. At times I felt we were in basic training maneuvers jumping in and out of SUVs to find optimal photo areas based on the conditions, which were always in flux.

Happy to say this type of exposure to learning was what I needed to continue my journey to creating finer photos. Luckily the class members were congenial and quite talented, each taking some wonderful photographs themselves.

The photograph on the upper right was taken around 6 AM at Eastern Point Lighthouse, Glouchester, MA. The shifting fog made it difficult to find perspectives on the lighthouse itself and other items of interest on the shore. I tried to incorporate what was stressed in class in this particular shot. It was shot with a Canon 5 DS, EF24-105mm f/4 IS USM lens @ 47mm, f/18, 0.4″, ISO 100, with a Gitzo tripod, and RRS ballhead.

Haunting Memories

077a1124dxopps9gradmapnikThe year was 1974 and both my good friend and I were totally enchanted by Martha’s Vineyard, and for good measure, Chappaquiddick Island. Remember, the movie Jaws was recently released, so images of adventure and the sea ran rampant with our generation.

We had the good fortune to be able to take a short trip to the Vineyard in early fall. We disembarked in Vineyard Haven and proceeded to rent bikes to see the Island. As luck would have it we rode along the sea bike trail between Vineyard Haven and Edgartown. Both of us were overcome with the land and sea scapes. When we arrived in Edgartown we decided to take the Chappy Ferry across the channel. As memory would have it, we rode to the very end of the rode on Chappy until we hit a dirt rode and then we walked our bikes. Then the vista of the sea and beach met our eyes. The vision was seared into my memory and I always wanted to relive it. A desolate and sun drenched stretch of land and sea.

Fast forward to 2015 when my wife and I decide to visit Chappy. This is a photo I took along the “road” where our cottage stood. The location was hauntingly familiar, for, I believe, it was the same vision that came before me 41 years earlier.

The photo was taken on a Canon 5 DS, 70-200mm f/4 lens, @ 70 mm, f/4.5, 1/640, ISO 1000. Post processing occurred with DxO Optic Pro, Adobe Camera Raw, Perfect PhotoSuite 9, a gradient map, and Nik Color Efex Pro 2.