Churchill Wild posts article
Churchill Wild has posted a blog entry that highlights our recent trip to photograph polar bears at their lodge along Hudson Bay in Manitoba, CA….
A busy May
Its been a busy May – the Sports Workshop in Colorado Springs was a great chance to learn about new lighting techniques, the new Elinchrom Quadra, and the new FlexTT5 series of wireless transmitters for the Nikon camera line. TTL flash photography was never so flexible!
On the prowl
Immediately upon leaving Colorado Springs, it was off to Africa for our small group workshop in Botswana and Zimbabwe. We visited 3 Wilderness Safari camps, including Duma Tau, Chitabe, and Little Makalolo in Zimbabwe, finishing with a night in Victoria Falls. The amount of water going over the falls was simply awe inspiring! There was so much spray coming off the falls, it was just like a rainforest. You could hardly take an image without the camera and lens being deluged in water. The best was when our pilot flew us over the falls at a couple thousand feet…now THAT was a view.
Coming back from Africa, I thought a lot about how to manage the thousands of images I had taken in those 12 days. Of course, I had deleted hundered each day – there is always brush to worry about, a slight out of focus shutter release, or one subject walking in front of the other… And then there are the times a photographer dreams of – a subject so irrestible and available you cannot resist taking image after image… later, you have to decide which is the best to keep as you look at multiple images of the same pose… slight differences make each different, but barely. Is there a catchlight in the eye, does the use of the space seem right, is the light better in one image vs another? Is the focus on the eye, or on some other part of the subject? So many factors to consider…. so many images to evaluate.
So we will be talking about this workflow issue the next few installments on the blog. While I will discuss the software I use, I maintain it does not generally matter what software you use… its how you use its features to accomplish the basic functions – renaming files, inserting metadata ( keywords, copyright, location, etc), sorting files, tagging unwanted images for deletion, and preparation for display… and as photographers, we always want to share our work with others! Web, email, DVD, social media…. there are multiple ways to share your images with others! The software is a tool for you to use to accomplish the tasks above… which one you use is a personal choice. Maintaining flexibility so you can move to new options later or as you become more sophisticated in your image processing is an important consideration which I will discuss in future articles.
Portrait of a King
See more of the Africa 2011 images!
Spring arrives – or not!
The calendar says it should be spring… but today its 25 degrees and blowing snow! Of course, yesterday was a record high in Colorado at 84 degrees! The birds think its spring – they have started their annual nest building/repairing, mating, and will soon lay eggs in those nests. From Florida, where the egrets had begun nesting in St Augustine 3 weeks ago to Jackson, WY this past week where the great gray owls had begun gathering in their mating rituals.
Both trips provided me with new images of subjects I’ve wanted before, but never photographed in early spring.
Great egrets have fascinating breeding plummage – they look so light and airy – delicate.
Great gray owls were still working in record snowfall in the northwest Wyoming areas.
Photos featured at Le Fotografie print web site!
Announcing Volume 1, Issue 3 of Le Fotografie Magazine Featuring The Wildlife Photography Of Robert Smith
Le Fotografie Magazine featured a selection of my wildlife images in their latest magazine. Click Here!
Le Fotografie is a new web site offering very high quality prints of curated images by a select group of photographer / artists. And the prices are so reasonable, we all wonder why everyone doesn’t order a print!
Photo Processing options
Aperture 3 offers full screen editing of RAW and JPEG images
Fall in the Tetons
I was up early this morning, and up in Grand Teton National Park for sunrise. This is such a magical time of year – beautiful sunrises, the bull elk are bugling along the meadows, moose are soon in rut, the black bears are feeding on berries and the geese are flying overhead. Aspen and cottonwood trees are turning golden and squirrels are gathering nuts for the winter… And not only are the animals putting on their fall shows, but friends from near and far have arrived. It is such fun to be able to visit with old acquaintances and make new friends. Photographers come from across the country to see the fall spectacle here and in Yellowstone.
So I must decide what to focus on… black bears in the berry bushes? or elk in the early morning light? beavers at Schwabacher Landing? Mormon Row and the classic barns? or sunrise at the Oxbow?
I’ve decided to shoot some video this season. Now, I did not just decide to shoot video… I”ve been involved with video for some years, demonstrating Final Cut Pro editing software at Apple workshops, editing video clips for Tom Mangelsen, and creating video of my travels to Alaska, Antarctica, and Africa…
But what do you do with the video once you’ve captured it? Is there a market for video? and when do you shoot video vs. stills? Do I need more equipment? what about audio? These are all questions that one must address, probably over time as you work with the components in different situations.
Some will say you can’t shoot video if you are doing still images. And they are mostly right. You have to make a conscious decision when to do one or the other. If you have a companion that likes to shoot video, then you have some flexibility. And most new 35mm cameras will also capture video. So you can often carry one piece of equipment to do both – unless you are recording video for broadcast on national TV – then you better video equipment and audio.
You can see some of my video results on my web site at http://www.elkmeadowimages.com and choose the video tab. I’ll be posting more videos over time… but this week, I will be focused on capturing some new source material. I hope to see you in the field!
New iPad app features
We are in the process of updating our iPad app development system to support multi-touch features, images can be used as wallpaper on your iPad, and we’ve added support for audio and video files! Antarctica – Land of Ice will soon be updated to include these new version 2 features among others!
Alaska 2010
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A workshop with 9 great friends is not really work… its a joy! And visiting the lodge of old friends on Lake Clark NP is extra special… then you throw in the wildlife photography opportunities and its a magical week in a place I love. Sometimes its nice to watch others see for the first time those places you wish to share….
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- Searching for clams at low tide
Alaska – Bears & Puffins
I’m off on Monday morning to Lake Clark National Park to photograph coastal brown bears and puffins (horned and tufted)! It is a great trip, with 9 good friends + Scott and Paula Frier joining me. We will basically take over the lodge and enjoy David and Joanne Coray’s hospitality. I will report more on my return.
And, on the iPad front, we’ve launched Dave Black’s iPad app “The Way I See It”, a great instructional app for sports photography and more! Dave’s lavish photographs grace the pages of the app as he describes how to shoot in large sports arenas, sports portraits, use small camera flash units (Nikon Speedlights), and a whole chapter on lightpainting…
Antarctica – Land of Ice released as an iPad app!
Well, so much has happened in the past month… I spent a few days in Botswana – what a great trip! Then, I spent the last month working with my programming team at XCellent Creations to finish our new Apple iPad application development project… and last Friday, Apple approved our first iPad app! Antarctica – Land of Ice is now available as an iPad app as well as a printed book! With 160 images, interactive maps, external web links for more in-depth information, slideshows, and more, the app is an interactive experience in exploring 25 locations along the Antarctic Peninsula! At only $9.99, its a real buy! You can reach the application directly on iTunes at:
http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/antarctica-land-of-ice/id376311802?mt=8
Wind River Creative, LLC – our new iPad app development company – is recruiting photographers with compelling content and great stories to create their own iPad app.
http://www.windrivercreative.com
