Photo Tips and Stories (Page 3)

This bull's herd of cows was split, half on the far side of the ridge with him, and the other half on the near side. Predictable was that he would come back for the rest.

The bull had choices on where to come back over the ridge, but not all were photographically optimal, including significant brush obstructions at some locations. Setting up for the ideal returning elk composition was the logical plan, and this bull hit the opening perfectly.

There is an aspect of this image that I do not like, but I'll start with some of the positive aspects.

The primary subject is a good specimen, with a large rack that includes a substantial and unique drop tine.

The early morning light is soft, avoiding hard shadows and creating a strong catchlight in the eye. The slightly upward shooting angle provides a regal perspective on the animal.

Shooting at 20 fps enabled the capture of this image with the bugling elk and its laid-back antlers precisely framed, without interruption, by pine trees and rocks. The trees and rocks have shape, color, and contrast character, and the distant background consists of an attractive pattern of blurred spruce trees.

Photographing bugling behavior is always a goal, and the front leg, especially the far front leg, bent slightly attractively conveys action and positions the head at a higher level than other positions in its cadence. You can visualize him walking out of the opening.

So, what don't I like about this picture? The elk has three legs. It doesn't really have three legs, but the back right leg is aligned with; and therefore hidden by, the front left leg. Viewed at full size, the larger back leg is visible around the front leg, but at typical web viewing size, only three legs are discernable.

This image is a slight pano. The elk came through fast, and I was holding slightly too far to the left when this pose was struck. The framing a few frames prior included slightly more of the right border that gives the image slightly improved overall balance.

A larger version of this image is available here.

Capturing a photo of a buck leaping a fence or log was on my photo bucket list, and the right circumstances enabled that line item to be checked off.

During the rut, a buck will stay with a doe that is ready to breed. Most of the time, the action is slow, but periodically, the doe will play a cat-and-mouse game, running away. When that happens, the buck gives chase, and that's what happened this morning in Shenandoah National Park.

The buck raced after the doe, and a log was in its way. I was on the other side of the log.

The Canon EOS R5 and RF 400mm F2.8 L IS USM Lens impressively nailed this shot, tracking the buck's eye as it fast approached.

I was slightly behind in my panning, but a small pano created from two consecutive shots opened up the left side of the image just enough to provide space in the subject's direction.

The shallow 400mm f/2.8 depth of field strongly blurred the distracting forest background, making the deer appear to be leaping out of the frame.

A larger version of this image is available here.

When getting the most architecture in the frame is the goal, move the camera as far away as possible. When photographing a ceiling, the floor becomes a hard limiting factor in this regard, making the ultra-wide 10mm angle of view a differentiator from most other lens options.

For this image capture, the Canon EOS R5 and RF 10-20mm F4 L IS STM Lens were locked onto an RRS BH-40 Ball Head on an RRS TVC-24L Mk2 Carbon Fiber Tripod. Taking the most architecture in the frame theme to the limit, the TVC-24L's legs were angled fully open, bringing the camera within a few inches of the floor. The vertical side of the MC-LS Universal L-Plate was removed, permitting full rotation of the vari-angle LCD for straight-up composition.

For precise symmetry without converging lines, the lens must be centered in the scene and leveled, leveled in a straight-up angle in this case. Floor tiles and the lines between them are frequently helpful references for finding the absolute center of a building. After positioning the lens over the center of the center tile, adjusting the camera to perfectly straight up was the next challenge, one that required finessing, trial, and error.

With the camera a few inches above the floor, staying out of the 10mm angle of view meant me going nearly flat on the floor while the HDR brackets were captured. Never before have I seen this much of the St Patrick Cathedral ceiling in the frame.

Now is a good time to add 10mm to your kit!

A larger version of this image is available here. See more RF 10-20mm F4 L IS STM Lens images.

For those unaccustomed to the full frame 10mm focal length, the extraordinarily wide angle of view it provides is certain to bring a big smile to their face and a new look to their images. Those already acclimated to this extreme view know that it can bring the drama needed to set their images apart.

While creating Venus Optics Laowa 10mm f/2.8 Zero-D FF Lens review, I needed interesting large subjects, and the PA state capitol building's atrium and House of Representatives chambers were the choices. While the Senate chamber is also a great subject, it was under construction.

As the title implies, this image shows the PA House of Representatives chamber. After capturing the requisite centered images of the room, I mounted the Laowa 10 to an EOS R5 and moved to the far left of the visitor seating area for a different look, another one that only an extreme wide-angle lens can capture.

This image is an HDR capture processed in Photoshop.

If your kit does not have 10mm covered, consider adding the reasonably affordable Laowa 10mm f/2.8 Zero-D Lens to it. Then go visit your favorite architecture.

A larger version of this image is available here.

The first name that came to my mind for this image was "Getting High with the Boys." Fortunately, I quickly realized the alternative meaning.

One of the best aspects of photographing dall sheep is being at the high elevation where they live. While the climb is laborious, the views become constantly tremendous.

Multiple animals in the frame exponentially increase the compositional challenge, and in this scenario, the Canon RF 100-500mm F4.5-7.1 L IS USM Lens allowed the frontmost ram to be isolated. When the compositional challenge can be met by juxtaposing multiple animals in a complementary way, the image value can rise. Again, the RF 100-500 was there for this role, zooming out to 100mm to take in the big scene, with 4 additional rams showing in the background.

Strategically incorporating these rams was aided greatly by three of them having a temporarily fixed position (bedded). The strategy of positioning the camera for those three and waiting for the others to cooperate worked nicely this time.

A larger version of this image is available here.

The background is a significant percentage of most wildlife (and people) images, and the sky often provides a good background option, even when it is white. Clouds make the sky white, and clouds make the light soft, wrapping around the subject and taming the shadows.

White clouds also cause the camera's auto exposure to calculate for a dark result. I prefer to use a manual exposure with auto ISO when photographing wildlife. These settings permit rapid shutter speed changes to accommodate the animal, with the camera taking care of the proper image brightness with its ISO selection. The sheep was also white, and positive exposure compensation was managing this issue when mountains were in the background.

The white sky background opportunity developed suddenly enough that I chose to get the shot vs. risking missing it while changing a second camera setting. Fortunately, the Canon EOS R5 RAW image did not have a problem with the +1.6 stops of post-processing adjustment.

When the background is white (or black, or any other solid color), the background can easily be extended on the sides of the image void of subject details. In this case, a canvas size increase to the left and top in the matching color would provide space for creativity, including adding words.

A larger version of this image is available here.

This buck had a doe locked down during the rut. We named her "Dosi" doe (as in dosido, the dance move). The name seemed fitting as she was the object of his desire and frequently leaped to a new location with the buck following close behind.

As I said before, the Canon EOS R5 and RF 400mm F2.8 L IS USM Lens combination was the perfect choice for photographing white-tailed deer in the Shenandoah National Park woods.

The 400mm focal length permitted close enough working distances to avoid obstructions, and that focal length combined with the f/2.8 aperture blurred the abundant foreground and background distractions.

In this composition, I took advantage of the obstructions to create a frame for the buck, which was unusually cooperative for a couple of minutes, posing in the sunlight.

A larger version of this image is available here.

The Canon EOS R5 and RF 400mm F2.8 L IS USM Lens combination was the perfect choice for the white-tailed deer I was photographing in the Shenandoah National Park woods.

The 400mm focal length permitted close enough working distances to avoid obstructions, and that focal length combined with the f/2.8 aperture blurred the abundant foreground and background distractions.

Then, this barred owl showed up. Obviously, owls are much smaller than deer, and suddenly, significantly more focal length was needed.

Fortunately, the friend I was shooting with solved that problem via a pair of extenders in his pocket. He opted to use the 1.4x on his lens, kindly loaning me the 2x.

The capability to go too 800mm was indispensable in this case.

After getting sharp insurance shots at faster shutter speeds, the exposure time was increased, decreasing the ISO setting for less noise. The keeper rate dropped, but only 1 sharp image was necessary, and the results surpassed that requirement.

A larger version of this image is available here.

A great subject in great light aligned with a great background and captured by a high-performing camera and lens combination is a sure recipe for an image I like. In this case, and often the case, the hard work was getting to the right location at the right time. The photo was easy to capture.

As I said in the last Dall Sheep Ram photo I shared, the Canon EOS R5 and RF 100-500mm F4.5-7.1 L IS USM Lens were the first choice for this adventure. The R5 was selected for its high resolution, AF performance, and ease of use, and the RF 100-500 was selected for the optimal focal length range, including 100mm for environmental portraits and 500mm for tighter framing or distant subjects, and outstanding sharpness over the range, backed up by a high-performing image stabilization system. The relatively compact size of this combination proved ideal for the climb.

My go-to wildlife camera settings were in place for this image. The eye must be sharp, and the subject (and I) were moving, so servo (continuous) AF with eye detection was selected. The aperture was set to the widest available at all focal lengths (initially f/4.5 at 100mm), and the shutter speed was frequently and rapidly adjusted to the comfortably lowest needed (or lower after initial safety/insurance shots were captured). Auto ISO ensured that the exposure instantly changed for the shutter speed selected (and light changes), with exposure compensation applied as needed.

While the ram was moving, it wasn't moving fast. Thus, I opted for the 1st-curtain electronic shutter to retain the full 14-bit image quality with still fast "H" continuous shooting mode providing good viewfinder coverage (low blackout).

A larger version of this image is available here.

Do you have go-to locations to use when you must bring home high-quality images?

Three new cameras (Sony Alpha 7C R, Alpha 7C II, and Alpha 6700), two new lenses (Sony FE 16-35mm F2.8 GM II Lens and Sigma 10-18mm F2.8 DC DN Contemporary Lens), and some new accessories needed a workout. When many good images are needed, that go-to location is called upon, and it the success rate at Ricketts Glen State Park in the fall is high.

The optimal (cloudy) weather forecast selected the day choice, and the above gear (plus some additional gear and food) went into a MindShift Gear BackLight 26L for a big day in the field.

I have many favorite photo locations in this park and often revisit them as it seems new angles that create different, often better, results can often be found. In this case, Triangle Falls was the revisited subject, and I wanted a slightly lower-angle image than the last one from here.

As I said when posting that image, sometimes the picture does not tell the full story. While this image appears to be a simple capture, you don't see that the rock I'm standing on is slippery and the RRS TVC-24L Mk2 Tripod is in the fast-flowing water. Learned was that the tripod flowing downstream during exposures creates interesting motion blurs.

Fast-flowing water meeting a stationary object causes splashing, and in addition to forcing recomposition, the fast-flowing water also splashed onto the camera and lens from the tripod legs positioned forward of the camera. The mentioned lower angle perspective positioned the lens close to the water, and the splashing water was hitting the circular polarizer filter (responsible for this image's deep saturated colors). Thus, wiping the filter with a microfiber cloth between every shot was part of the process, with hope that the next exposure would finish before the water drops reappeared or the tripod washed downstream again. The cameras' weather sealing was appreciated in this scenario.

Fortunately, patience and repetition prevailed, and there were sufficient good images to select from.

The a7C R and FE 16-35mm F2.8 GM II got the call for this image. This full-featured compact camera delivers incredibly detailed images, and this lens has the optical quality to support that extreme resolution. This combination is an outstanding choice for landscape and travel photography.

Two weeks of guiding elk photography in Rocky Mountain National Park resulted in a rather overwhelming number of images. Selecting the keepers is a huge project, and deciding which image to share first was daunting. It seems that everyone loves breath shots, so I'll start with that option.

This bull walked in so close to us that it didn't fit in the 600mm frame when its head was turned. While I liked the tight image that crops the back of the antlers, I knew that having the entire elk and its breath in the frame might be an option I later wanted.

To avail that option, additional images containing the cropped content on the left and right were captured immediately after the primary image, and the three images were manually stitched in Photoshop as a panorama.

This image utilized a camera position near the ground, just high enough to create a blur that transitions into the animal's legs, and elk legs are one of my favorite leading line sources, especially when they are equally spaced apart. The relatively close proximity of the elk combined with the distant background creates a strong background blur that makes this bull stand out.

Getting obvious breath in an image requires cold temperatures and a supporting background. While I could see the breath in many other images by the changes apparent when browsing one after the other, light-colored and detailed backgrounds often hide the breath in single images. A dark background and backlighting create an ideal scenario for making the breath element obvious.

A larger version of this image is available here.

The minimum goal was seemingly simple. Capture one great (to my eyes) photo of a dall sheep ram in Alaska, and I allocated eight days to accomplish that goal.

Dall sheep are usually found high in mountains, where accessibility becomes a challenge. This challenge was furthered by the weather, and primarily rain and snow prevented climbing into sheep altitudes for five of those eight days.

Fortunately, the success enjoyed on those three good days ranged from good on the first ascent to outstanding on the last. Ironically, weather, snow specifically, was part of the reason for the incredible photo opportunities on that last ascent. In this case, a snowstorm creates a clean background, while brighter clouds behind the camera created a strong, yet soft, light.

This huge dall sheep ram surveyed its environment as it walked over the alpine ridge, with continuous shooting providing a full range of head positions, including this direct glance.

The Canon EOS R5 and RF 100-500mm F4.5-7.1 L IS USM Lens got the call for this outing. The R5 was chosen for its high resolution, AF performance, and ease of use, and the RF 100-500 was selected for the optimal focal length range, including 100mm for environmental portraits and 500mm for tighter framing or distant subjects, and outstanding sharpness over the range, backed up by an optimal image stabilization system. The relatively compact size of this combination proved ideal for the climb.

I expected the sheep eyes on white hair to be an easy eye detection target for the R5, but the camera sometimes preferred the round black nostrils over the eyes when the sheep was facing the camera. Still, the eyes are sharp in an extremely high percentage of the sheep images, impressive performance.

A larger version of this image is available here.

Cliff swallows flying around their community nesting sites appear to be in chaotic synchronization. While birds are flying everywhere, each seems to accomplish its task, arriving at and leaving their mud nests.

Today's question answered is, do cliff swallows ever collide? Until now, I would have answered "No." However, I was wrong, and this image makes the question rhetorical.

Photographing the cliff swallow chaos in Badlands National Park was a huge challenge, and the keeper rate was low. Aligning the lens into the area where hundreds of birds were approaching and hitting the shutter release as soon as one entered the frame was the technique deployed for this capture. The Canon EOS R5's impressive subject detection and tracking capabilities were relied on for focusing.

Capturing a pair of cliff swallows large in the frame during a mid-air collision with a supporting juxtaposition of blurred birds was a gift.

A larger version of this image is available here.

It was adventure day. Some new gear was in house, two of the girls were home and anxious to go somewhere, and a plan was quickly formulated.

Gear prep included mounting a Sony FE 16-35mm F2.8 GM Lens to the Sony Alpha 6700 and the Sony FE 70-200mm F4 Macro G OSS II Lens to a Sony Alpha 1. For fast access, both kits were put into Lowepro Photo Active TLZ AW Top-Loader Camera Bags, the 45 and 50 respectively. A CPL filter for each lens was stowed in the case's front pocket.

We picked up sandwiches and drove close to 2 hours to the boulder field at Hickory Run State Park. After hiking out onto the rocks beyond the other visitors, the a6700 was pulled out for the requisite rock and cloud photos. That's when I discovered that the Sony FE 24-70mm F2.8 GM II Lens was mounted instead of the 16-35. The lenses are similar in appearance, and both were on my desk for evaluating the a6700.

While the FE 24-70 II is an outstanding lens, the angle of view was not as wide as I wanted for an APS-C camera body at this location. Still, the 24-70mm APS-C angle of view range worked fine for the primary need, field use with the a6700.

Our next location involved a close to 2-mile hike to a river gorge vista. Again the 16-35 would have been ideal, but good use for the 24-70mm range was availed. When photographing a still subject while focal length limited on the wide end, a panorama technique is a great option, and I made that happen.

As we explored the relatively small rock outcropping, my middle daughter shouted "Copperhead!", referring to one of the three venomous snakes found in Pennsylvania. All of us watched parts of the snake move through the mountain laurel and rocks that prevented a view clear enough for a photo.

Soon, the snake went under a rock, and we went back out onto the rocks. A few minutes later, the same daughter and I simultaneously spotted a timber rattlesnake hiding in the shade of rock layers included in the landscape pictures already captured. The dark-phased snake was highly camouflaged by the shadow it was in. Within seconds, we had the rest of the area scanned, with the realization that we were hanging out with 8 copperheads and two timber rattlers, one of which was quite large.

With a heightened sense of awareness, we began observing this location's newly availed photo subjects. While the 70-200 still in the car would have been the ideal lens, it didn't make this hike's light packing list. However, the inadvertently included 24-70 got the job done much better than the 16-35 would have.

Snakes under light-colored rocks on a sunny day create a dynamic range challenge. To overcome that obstacle, a well-positioned daughter created shade.

Numerous compositions were captured, but none of them show the awkwardness of photographing these snakes in rock cracks. To get low enough to see the snake and get the desired eye-level view, the back of my hand was on the rock, supporting (and protecting) the camera along with some upper body weight. While the a6700's LCD rotates, the angle reflected the sun, making the display unusable, and looking through the viewfinder at this height added to the challenge. Scars heal, but memories aided by digital images last a lifetime.

The elevation angle was easy to discern, but the side-to-side position decision was not as easy. In this example, the shallow f/2.8 plane of sharp focus was aligned to include the visible eyes of both snakes.

To those who fear snakes and are feeling creeped out by this image, understand that we were not in danger. While they are venomous, copperheads and timber rattlesnakes are generally docile if not attacked. Fleeing is their first choice vs. biting, and these snakes didn't care that we were there.

We said goodbye to the vipers and moved on to the next stop on the adventure.

Processing this image involved a minor complication. Despite the daughter shade, the snakes under the rock were darker than the rock above and in front of it. A manually processed single-image HDR strategy evened the lighting.

A larger version of this image is available here.

To an observer unfamiliar with elk behavior, this bull's antler flossing may not make sense. However, it is all about the scents.

Pine trees smell great to me, and apparently, this elk would agree. Or, at least pine trees are a good place to get and leave scents.

A larger version of this image is available here.

As I mentioned recently, the ultra-high-performance of the Canon RF 100-300mm F2.8 L IS USM Lens means still excellent image quality with extenders mounted, including the Canon RF 2x Extender. The 2x addition results in a 200-600mm f/5.6 IS lens, and ideal choice for wildlife photography.

So, this combination and I headed out for some birding.

A great blue heron was standing on a small, mostly-submerged log — for a long time. I was having the oft-repeated stay-or-go argument with myself when the bird started looking intently into the water, clarifying that staying won the argument. The bird plunged its head and entire body into the water and came up with a speared sunfish.

I know, these birds do this every day — it is how they survive. However, what the bird did was incredible.

Duckweed covers the entire surface of the water (except where the plunge just occurred), making underwater visibility from above water, even for a bird, seemingly impossible, but this heron performed a perfect strike at the extent of its reach under these circumstances. Upon shaking the duckweed from its feathers, the heron turned slightly toward the camera for an "I'm so cool" hero pose.

Significant foreground obstructions mean limited openings for shooting in this location, and I couldn't move any further away from this great blue heron. The Canon RF 600mm F4 L IS USM Lens is my usual choice for the selected location. While that lens has a 1-stop aperture advantage, it lacks the other focal lengths. The RF 100-300 with the 2x in place provides the 600mm angle of view while enabling zooming out to 339mm from this GBH vantage point for a full-body image.

A larger version of this image is available here.

The Canon RF 100-300mm F2.8 L IS USM Lens and I hung out with these fawns for a couple of hours this week.

White-tailed deer fawns are at the top of my most adorable animal list, and white-tailed deer fawn bokeh also works well.

A larger version of this image is available here.

Briefly, the Badlands National Park skies produced a nice show this evening, complete with the clouds seeming to match the ground texture. While I like the photo, the experience was even better.

See the sheep standing on the leftmost peak? We were in location for the sunset photo when this bighorn sheep ewe showed up on the ridge immediately to our right.

Then, it ran down the side of the cliff and ran up the one it is shown on. The sheep's ability to navigate the steep, slippery terrain at speed is incredible.

Experiences like these happen when you spend time in the right places. A second sheep is bedded on the tall peak close to the center of the image, and two more are walking between the two. Also impressive is that all four sheep stood still for a one-second exposure.

The optically impressive Sony FE 12-24mm F2.8 GM Lens got the call for this sunset. With clouds covering most of the sky, the odds of good sunset color were low. However, that scenario meant the entire sky could light up brilliantly, and I wanted ultra-wide angles of view ready to capture as much color as possible.

A small opening in the clouds created a light show that made 12mm a highly welcomed option. The Sony Alpha 1's ultra-high resolution makes the distant sheep easily recognized when the image is viewed large.

A larger version of this image is available here.

Last fall, my oldest and her husband were blessed with a son, Elliott. Right, that makes me a grandfather, and no other word has made me feel older. If you have followed this site from the beginning (celebrating 20 years this fall), it might make you feel old too.

It was time for another round of Elliott pictures. Timing baby pictures, even for babies as adorable as Elliott (I admit bias in that regard), revolves around the short durations between eating, sleeping, and being fussy.

It was nearly noon when I got the "We're ready!" call. Outdoor pics were requested, and the available lighting was from a bright overhead sun. The good location option under this bright spotlighting condition is facing outward from just inside a shade, yielding a large, but directional, soft light. A patio was the choice for this example.

These pics were all about Elliott, and a sense of place was not important. The Canon RF 135mm F1.8 L IS USM Lens was my easy first choice. Especially with the close subject distance required to fill the frame with a baby, this lens easily turned the background into a strong blur.

The shallow depth of field produced by the 135mm and f/1.8 combination at close distances challenges a camera's AF system. With a DSLR, a significant percentage of always-moving baby pics with such a lens would be at least slightly out of focus, and getting a perfectly focused image combined with the perfect baby pose is difficult.

With the latest round of mirrorless cameras, the challenge has become selecting the favorite image to share (and having the fortitude to delete cute baby pictures to avoid overload). The Canon EOS R5 in servo mode with people eye detection AF enabled allowed me to focus on framing and shutter release timing. The camera's results were nearly perfect. Image selection was almost exclusively based on Elliott and I coordinating on the timing and framing.

Post processing primarily involved use of the drool and mulch removal tools. Check out how sharp this eye is:

Most results looked like this. Drool inspiring.

Hopefully you picked up a photo tip and felt the joy of this little boy.

A larger version of this image is available here.

While you may or may not think this image is "great", the bird is undoubtedly a "great egret", and this beautiful bird is a great subject, especially at Gatorland, where they are acclimated to people.

Combine the permitted close proximity with the greatness of the Canon EOS R7 and RF 100-500mm F4.5-7.1 L IS USM Lens combination, providing an ultra-high-resolution APS-C imaging sensor and a tight angle of view at 500mm, and creative bird headshots become easy.

In this example, another egret behind the subject provided an all-white background, making the colorful bill and eye stand out artistically.

A larger version of this image is available here.