Alright, it took me a few days to get everything figured out, but here we are. This is a short video I put together with short clips that I took during the trip. I realize the production value isn't the best but I'm just starting to get my feet wet with video. Most of the clips were just shot with a little Flip Ultra HD camcorder. The better quality wildlife shots were shot with my D90 and my Nikon 500mm f/4 or Sigma 24-79 f/2.8.
Enjoy!
Friday, October 8, 2010
Tuesday, October 5, 2010
Back Yard Birds
There are birds everywhere! You just have to take the time to look around for the little guys. One of my favorite types of photography is shooting back yard birds. These are typical birds you might see out your window or on your way to work.
Why do I enjoy photographing something that is so common? The answer is a fairly simple one. Generally, you don't get so close to small quick birds to notice all the intricate feathers and colors. An added bonus is that you soon realize how many different species and sub species there are around your neighborhood.
For Example, we all probably have seen or heard a Black-capped Chickadee. But if you look closely at the feather details in the photo below. You can begin to see the different shades of white, gray, black and brown.
If you look at the photo below of a Boreal Chickadee That Chad took. The Black-capped Chickadee and Boreal Chickadee are very similar.
To help keep track of the birds in your back yard with or without a camera is to download a free birding checklist. There are several websites to help you keep track and help identify the birds. One to try is http://printablebirdchecklists.homestead.com
Click each image to view it larger!
Why do I enjoy photographing something that is so common? The answer is a fairly simple one. Generally, you don't get so close to small quick birds to notice all the intricate feathers and colors. An added bonus is that you soon realize how many different species and sub species there are around your neighborhood.
For Example, we all probably have seen or heard a Black-capped Chickadee. But if you look closely at the feather details in the photo below. You can begin to see the different shades of white, gray, black and brown.
If you look at the photo below of a Boreal Chickadee That Chad took. The Black-capped Chickadee and Boreal Chickadee are very similar.
To help keep track of the birds in your back yard with or without a camera is to download a free birding checklist. There are several websites to help you keep track and help identify the birds. One to try is http://printablebirdchecklists.homestead.com
Click each image to view it larger!
Sunday, October 3, 2010
HTC EVO 4G as a Camera
The image above was taken at Oxbow Bend in Grand Teton National Park with the HTC EVO 4G.
I mentioned in our previous post, "Yellowstone Gear" that I would be bringing my HTC EVO 4G. I said, "Yes phones count these days!" The reason they count these days is because I believe some phones have a legitimate camera built in.
In my opinion, the EVO's 8 megapixel camera has good enough image quality that I no longer have use for a small point and shoot camera. It has effectively replaced my CoolPix. 8 megapixels is more than enough for the type of work that I requre out of it. There tends to be a fair amount of noise, but can quickly cleaned up in Lightroom 3.
With any camera or piece of gear, it is important to work within the abilities of the gear and work to strengths of it. The obvious strength of having a phone with a quality camera is you always have it with you. This seems obvious, but it really applies to how I got this shot.
My DSLR camera was set up on a tripod at Oxbow Bend. While we waited for the sun to come up we were joined by several other photographers. I walked around to look for other angles and opportunities. As I did, I noticed a beautiful silhouette scene in the opposite direction.
Since my camera was on the tripod pointed at the snake river, I used my EVO to take the photograph. I ran the image through Lightroom 3 for noise reduction and sharpening.
One reason this photograph is able to work with the EVO is because it's a silhouette. Since it's a silhouette I was really able to crank up the noise reduction without worrying about loss of detail. I sharpened the edges and the result is excellent image quality.
Whatever piece of photographic equipment you own, it has it's strengths. If you work to the strength of that gear you can make some great images too. It also keeps you shooting despite the gear you wish you had. Trust me, you can make some beautiful images with the gear you already own.
Tuesday, September 28, 2010
Editing
One big job after a photo shoot is to go through all of the images you created. It this case, I shot 1,100 photos while in our national parks. That may sound like a lot but it really isn't considering the duplicates while shooting 4.5 frames and second or doing HDR's.
The first thing I do is in Lightroom, I flagged the photos I like. After I have made my initial selections and find a favorite and start editing it. I try and not spend a ton of time in Photoshop or Lightroom. After I have selected my favorites I will go back and look at my whole library of shots from the trip, outing, or whatever it happens to be and make sure I haven't missed anything. It's always good to go back a week, month or even a year after and look at the ones you didn't initially like.
This photo was one of the first ones I edited after a day in Lamar Valley.
Sunday, September 26, 2010
Day 6 - Lamar Valley
WOW! sums up our day in Lamar Valley in the north east portion of the park. The day started early once again, however, this time we had the girls with us. As we were driving through the park we weren't seeing much for wildlife, but that didn't get us down because we hadn't actually arrived in Lamar yet.
The first animal saw was a huge bull elk running through the sage brush. I couldn't even begin to tell you how huge it was, so I'll leave it at that. Next we saw the back end of a black bear near the petrified tree. After that we encountered a large heard of bison and then another and a another. That's when I knew we were in Lamar Valley. After being stuck in a bison jam for 20 minutes we came across a elk carcass near a creek that was a kill from the previous night by the Canyon wolf pack. There was a single coyote feeding on the elk. After 40 minutes we continued our trek east towards of the edge of the park. On the way back west we drove past the elk carcass and stopped by a group of cars to see what the commotion was about. Chad and I spoke with a very nice lady that was a part of the Yellowstone wolf research project about what was going on. She said that there were two male wolves running along the hills and were moving east (towards the elk carcass). Since they weren't visible we kept on moving west.
Near the Roosevelt junction the was a minor traffic jam. We spotted another black bear slowly walking around the tall grass.
Later that afternoon we headed back to Lamar Valley to see if we could find anything to shoot. As we were approaching the elk carcass there was a considerably higher number of vehicles than earlier. Since we were stopped in the traffic I jumped out to see what had some many people stopped. As I walked up, a guy said that there were three coyotes, and two wolves near the carcass.
Chad and I sat and watched the coyotes try and provoke the wolves before they would eventually moved in to fed. After about 3 hours the black wolf moved in to feed off of the carcass! Chad and I took turns using his 500mm lens with my 1.4 teleconverter and while I was shooting Chad said "it's like a scene out of PBS Nature."
We will be adding new photos and video from our trip to the blog and image galleries. We are also planning our next trip to Yellowstone!
The first animal saw was a huge bull elk running through the sage brush. I couldn't even begin to tell you how huge it was, so I'll leave it at that. Next we saw the back end of a black bear near the petrified tree. After that we encountered a large heard of bison and then another and a another. That's when I knew we were in Lamar Valley. After being stuck in a bison jam for 20 minutes we came across a elk carcass near a creek that was a kill from the previous night by the Canyon wolf pack. There was a single coyote feeding on the elk. After 40 minutes we continued our trek east towards of the edge of the park. On the way back west we drove past the elk carcass and stopped by a group of cars to see what the commotion was about. Chad and I spoke with a very nice lady that was a part of the Yellowstone wolf research project about what was going on. She said that there were two male wolves running along the hills and were moving east (towards the elk carcass). Since they weren't visible we kept on moving west.
Near the Roosevelt junction the was a minor traffic jam. We spotted another black bear slowly walking around the tall grass.
Later that afternoon we headed back to Lamar Valley to see if we could find anything to shoot. As we were approaching the elk carcass there was a considerably higher number of vehicles than earlier. Since we were stopped in the traffic I jumped out to see what had some many people stopped. As I walked up, a guy said that there were three coyotes, and two wolves near the carcass.
Chad and I sat and watched the coyotes try and provoke the wolves before they would eventually moved in to fed. After about 3 hours the black wolf moved in to feed off of the carcass! Chad and I took turns using his 500mm lens with my 1.4 teleconverter and while I was shooting Chad said "it's like a scene out of PBS Nature."
We will be adding new photos and video from our trip to the blog and image galleries. We are also planning our next trip to Yellowstone!
Day 5 - Yellowstone
We stayed at the Old Faithful Inn and once again got up early on day 5. This was our first morning in Yellowstone. We checked the roads between Old Faithful and West Yellowstone. We got to see some great wildlife. It was our first close look at Elk in the daylight, Bison up close as well as an Osprey, Kingfisher and River Otters.
As we drove the road we saw a Bison near Nez Perce Creek. The Bison wasn't in a good position for a photo, but the scene above Nez Perce Creek was beautiful.
Since Bald Eagles are fairly common in our area, we didn't think we would spend a whole of time looking for eagles. But we spotted an eagle on an old dead tree. It was a great photographic opportunity because it was a different "scene" that we are used to shooting in Minnesota.
As we drove the road we saw a Bison near Nez Perce Creek. The Bison wasn't in a good position for a photo, but the scene above Nez Perce Creek was beautiful.
Since Bald Eagles are fairly common in our area, we didn't think we would spend a whole of time looking for eagles. But we spotted an eagle on an old dead tree. It was a great photographic opportunity because it was a different "scene" that we are used to shooting in Minnesota.
Friday, September 24, 2010
Day 4 - Oxbow Bend
Another iconic place to photograph in Grand Teton National Park is Oxbow Bend. Since this was our first time to the Tetons, we weren't shy about shooting these iconic areas. Something so photogenic makes our job easy. We got several images from different angles.
It was an amazing experience. We actually went to Oxbow Bend two mornings. Day 3 and day 4. It's best shot in the morning with the sunrise behind Moran Mountain. We got there before dawn and shared the area with at least 50 other photographers. As the sun rose we could hear Moose nearby. They make an almost prehistoric sound that could be intimidating in such low light.
Eventually the sun rose to some great photographic opportunities. I've only gone through a few of the images and will be going through more once I get home.
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