Sunday's Photo Tech: Fine Art Photography Technique & Inspiration

Saint Mary’s Lake and Wild Goose Island is located near the Eastern side of Glacier National Park. The lake is almost 10 miles long and about 300 feet deep – a beautiful scene anytime of year. Our excursion through the area was in late June, and as a result we encountered a series of storms that brought in thick billowing clouds, strong winds, rain and at higher elevations, snow. Perfect.

Figure-1 Saint Mary's Lake and Wild Goose Island  L. A. Lewin

Seriously, “weather” can make most landscape and seascape locations more interesting.
Of course, there is a limit to how much rain, wind and snow a photographer (and their equipment) can tolerate! So, a little common sense will go a long way in keeping your photo shoot exciting, safe and successful. Almost the entire 9-day trip to Montana and Glacier National Park included some type of stormy or at least overcast weather. I was thrilled! 1. Overcast (especially bright grey skies) saturate color and 2. It eliminates most shadows – adding a softer feel to some photographs due to less contrast. 3. In addition, billowing clouds, light rain or snow add a layer of texture to the scene that if captured properly through the lens can make a good photograph into a more interesting one.

How did I get the shot?
 
After a long day traveling and shooting, Anne and I traveled East and down the “Going-to-the-sun-road” towards Saint Mary’s to have a late lunch at this great little café serving among other things, out of this world home baked pies! Thinking maybe I would capture a few frames at Saint Mary’s Lake later, or perhaps the next day, my right eye caught a glimpse of clouds hovering over the peaks that encircle the lake. Anne! I shouted, stop the car, now! Of course Anne is used to this behavior, so her reflexes are sharp and instantly found a small spot to pull completely and safely off the main road.

The Canon 16-35mmL-II was already attached to the camera, so no time was lost choosing and attaching a lens – the weather was moving quickly and I was making haste back to the spot I saw a few moments ago – if I was lucky, the picture I envisioned was still viable.

Wow! Wind gusts was 30+ miles per hour; I found a position behind a narrow tree, just wide enough to block the wind overlooking Saint Mary’s Lake and the tiny Wild Goose Island, and still allow me to easily peek and quickly get into position for a shot. I worked quickly because the weather was rapidly changing and I literally had about 1 minute from the time I hid behind the tree to capture the interpretation I was after. I got off two shots holding the camera vertical, and 4 shots horizontal. Many iconic pictures of the lake span the entire girth to include the mountain range on both sides and centering Wild Goose Island in the middle – instead, this less photographed view (or frame) in Figure-1 represents my alternative version of I wanted to capture the lake, this day.

Though the original color photograph is beautifully rendered, the GNP series will be mostly finished in black and white, with few photographs published in color.

Technical: Digital Capture: Canon 5D Mark II camera system
Hand held
ISO 100
Captured @32mm
F/4.5 @320 sec
(+1) exposure compensation
Post Production:
Photoshop used for specific dodge and burning; Color Efex Pro-4 for polarizing filter
and BW conversion via Silver Efex Pro-2: yellow filtering and custom silver dip

Please, your comments are welcomed – I look forward to hearing from you!

Best regards,
Lance A. Lewin

www.visualizingart.com

Fine Art Photography Techniques: Sunday's Tech Shot

Hello everyone!  Sorry for the long pause between posts – it has been a furiously busy summer!

Though not a landscape frame, “Horse” is becoming one of my favorite images in my new Glacier National Park landscape series, captured during an intense 2-week adventure through Glacier National Park, spanning the area between Whitefish, Montana to the Waterton Lake region in Canada!

So, the experienced photographer will learn to make quick adjustments to camera dynamics and position in a series of calculated decisions (or guesses) based on the subject, and its position and of course, lighting.  Let us dissect this photograph.

"Horse"  L. A. Lewin Captured near Glacier National Park - 2013

Prepare & Shoot:

Suggested by a local in Browning, Montana, we turned north to transverse a beautiful back country scenic route - Hwy 49 - passing local farms - (wandering cows) and gleamed at meadows rolling up and down the hill side framed by snow capped peaks majestically looming to the west.   The sky illuminated bright grey and was shredded by a light, but steady rain – my favorite combination for bright colors, soft focus and little to no shadows. Perfect.  The road is narrow, so Anne is driving slow – posted speed limit is 35mph and in some places 25mph.

As we make a couple of sharp turns we came upon several cows crossing the road – actually these were tagged steer, wondering from one meadow to another.  Going forward we stayed alert in case another encounter suddenly appeared, and it did!  But, not steer, but a small group of 5 horses grazing just off the right shoulder.  The rain had picked up and the scene – the shot – came into focus for me!  I felt the connection and began adjusting the camera.

 So here was the situation: angled steady rain, a moving subject, low light and no place to stop get out and position for a shot.   At once, I made the decision to shot the subject as an intimate portraiture: aperture was set wide open on the Canon F/1.4 50mm (which happened to already be connected to the 5D Mark II).   Because the F/1.4 lens opening will create a wide and deep area of Bokeh (or soft blur) around the point-of-focus, I was aware crisp focus on the subjects eyes will make or break this shot!  The “sitter”, the Horse, and his buddies stopped momentarily – I composed through the viewfinder – rain quickly began showering me, camera and seat – click, click!  I was done, up went the window – I looked back and the leader, “Horse”, followed my gaze as we slowly sped away from view.  A very pleasing, even emotional and rewarding experience to meet and photograph these beautiful wild horses.

Post-production included very little: slight dodge & burn, small color correction and a minimum application of a polarizing filer in Color Efex Pro 4 software.  Done.

Conclusion:

Be alert, know your equipment, and focus on the eyes - Shoot!

Of course, as we pulled away I checked my preview and saw the shoot was successful.  Because of this subject, lighting and softness the rain provided (the emotional experience), if the review showed I did not get a clean frame, I would have asked Anne to turn around.  But this time, all went well – luck is a great friend to all photographers!   As always, I welcome your feedback and similar stories of your adventures!  Ciao.

Tech: 5D Mark II

ISO 100

Canon F/1.4 50mm lens

Aperture Priority Mode – set wide open at F/1.4 

No exposure compensation

Manual focus

Hand held through the SUV’s opened window

Altamont Pass, California: One of the oldest Wind Farms in the US

Wind Generated Electricity in California

Anne and I were driving East along I580 when we saw strange looking towers looming in the distance – each time we came up and over a rise more and more towers seemed to manifest out of nowhere!  Little did we know we were driving through Altamont Pass, California, home to one of three primary wind farm regions in California.  Wind farm development began here more than 30 years ago, and to date, more than 4,800 wind turbine towers stretch across the rolling landscape about an hour east from San Francisco.

Image 1 Rolling hills in Altamont Pass, Ca - Copyright L.A. Lewin 2011

Really, it was amazing to see wind turbines spread across the landscape.   We had never seen anything like it.  Seeing it for the first time was bizarre.

Even more bizarre, the sight of cows grazing seemingly unfazed by these massive structures and the constant non-harmonic hum they produced.  The hum seemed to be everywhere and nowhere; the sound travels in the wind that constantly blows across the Altamont Pass region; an amazing experience, indeed.

Image 2 Seemingly unfazed cows graze among the wind turbines - Copyright L. A. Lewin 2011

I asked Anne to turn off the next exit so we could tour some of the back roads, many of them unpaved, for photographic opportunities.  Capturing the strange beauty of hundreds of wind turbines painted across the golden hills in Altamont Pass was a task; very strong winds, some gusting to 35+ miles per hour, made using a tripod useless; all shots are hand held.  For the shot along the fence, (see Image 3), I had to brace myself right up against the front grill of our rental SUV to keep the camera and myself steady.

Image 3 Some wind turbines are 30 years old - Copyright L. A. Lewin 2011

Early wind farm development included construction of wind turbine towers 60 feet to 80 feet in height.   These low profile towers interfere with bird migration and on the lower, 60 feet towers, allows the rotating blade to come very close to the ground sometimes killing raptors as they swoop low in search of prey.  In a 2003 report issued by The National Renewable Energy Laboratory, 1000 birds are killed annually in the Altamont Pass region!

Image 4 These older turbines are being replaced with 400-450 feet structures by 2015

In an effort to reduce the number of birds killed each year, some of the oldest towers began replacement a few years ago with 250 feet towers, and more recently with towers more than 400 feet in height!  Taller structures keep the blades tips far off the ground and away from low flying raptors, while the greater height will keep the spinning turbine blades out of migration paths.

Image 5 More modern 250 feet wind turbine towers - Copyright L. A. Lewin 2011

Replacement of 2000 of about 4000 older wind turbine towers, (some dating back more than 30 years), is part of a ambitious project slated to be complete by 2015.  These new wind turbine towers rise more than 400 feet in height, and for every new one erected, replaces 23.   These state of the art wind turbines are much quieter and each produces 2.3 megawatts of electricity, enough to power 600-700 homes!

If you are interested in reading more about this wonderful, clean and efficient alternative energy source, follow this link for a head start. 

http://www.eoearth.org/article/Altamont_Pass,_California

Be sure to visit my website and Blog later in March to learn about the tech in capturing and developing the images viewed on these pages.  Thank you.

Citations:

Data research gained from an article titled: Altamont Pass, California - by Melissa Lowitz - Copyright 2009

Additional information researched from an article by Diana Hull – San Jose Mercury News - 2012

Fine Art Photography Techniques: Sunday's Shot Tech

The Missed Shot!

I scolded myself for not having my camera with me.

The scene was perfect: strolling along a mountain path I came upon an open field.  Looking east, tall blades of wild grass glistened with gold, and in the distance, framed in a square, treetops reflected the yellow-orange glow of the parting sun. 

Nice, but my camera bag was home. Bummer.

As an added slap to my face, as I came to the end of the trail, close to where my car was parked – a family of deer emerged from the tree line and grazed – beautifully lit by the golden glow and unmoved by my presence.  Just then, I saw another hiker emerge from the forest; I placed my hands up in the universal sign to “stop!”  She did, and I used both hands to direct her gaze to the tree line.   We both stood in silence and enjoyed the moment.  After the deer walked backed into the woods she yelled over, “thank you!”

Though this short four-mile hike near Kennesaw Mountain proved to be a wonderful experience, I scolded myself for not having my camera with me. 

As a photographic landscape artist I have trained myself to “see” – to capture frames created by nature.  However, up until this hike, every time I strolled along a path or along a shoreline without my camera, I just walked – looking straight ahead and daydreaming about “stuff”, in many cases unrelated to photography.   But recently I began composing drafts on the art of seeing – visualization.  As a consequence, I visualize more, and this being the case, I should have had my camera.  Obviously, this will not happen again – and my new TENBA backpack will help by transporting equipment wherever I travel – a local walk or a fifteen-mile hike into the mountains.

Lesson: The first step in becoming a better photographer involves carrying a camera with you at all times.  Now, let me be clear, I am not talking phone and iPad cameras, but better point-and-shoot or digital single lens reflex, (DSLR), cameras; equipment that will capture the moment in all its color, structural and emotional detail that you originally experienced.  Even a trip to the grocery store: place the camera in the passenger seat – incredible scenes show themselves everywhere – when you least expect it.  Be ready.

As always, your feedback is greatly appreciated – sharing stories is fun.

Best regards,

Lance

www.emotionalrenderings.com