The Rock Factory

The Rock Factory.

 

A little TBT (throwback Thursday for you folks my age) from outside Page, AZ a couple years ago. I have been going through some images preparing for my presentation to the Booth Photography Guild next Saturday the 11th and came across some images from the Rock Factory. A long time great friend, Stan Burman, was kind enough to take Cecil Holmes and I out to this incredible location for sunset. He even made a mysterious phone call and got us some beautiful clouds and color for sunset! I would love to get back out to this location and spend more than one evening to see all of the varieties of clouds and light that appear. I have never witnessed sunsets like they regularly have in Arizona anywhere else in America. It does get a little warm for my liking though too. Earlier in the day we were going to walk out to Horseshoe Bend, but we stayed in the air conditioned car when we saw the current temperature was 108 degrees! Thank you Stan for sharing this beautiful location with us.

 

Tamron SP 15-30mm f2.8 Di VC USD lens on a Canon 5DIII, Manual Exposure mode, f11, ISO 100, shutter speed of 1/5th of a second, Sirui N3204X tripod and K30X ballhead, processed in Lightroom CC. #WithMyTamron, #TamronUSA, #TamronLensesUSA, #TamronImageMaster, #Sirui, #SiruiUSA, #SiruiImaging, #SiruiProfessional

Advertisements

A Review of Night Sky Settings

A Review of Night Sky settings.

 

I was really fortunate that in my 2 shoots on Driftwood Beach I was able to have the Milky Way present in the sky for one of them. It was questionable for a while with the haze, and never did clear completely, but it was enough for me. I wanted to take a moment and talk about the settings I use for night skies. They are a starting point and can vary from place to place and should simply be used as just a starting point. First, my lens of choice is a Tamron SP f2.8 Di VC USD lens set at 15mm on a full frame camera, in this case the Nikon D-850. I shoot in Manual Exposure and Manual Focus modes setting the shutter speed to 30 seconds, aperture at f2.8, and ISO to 3200. I use the RAW setting on the camera since I will be adjusting the White Balance in Lightroom. On this lens I set the focus ring to infinity, on otherslenses I will back it off just a little. A must is a sturdy tripod and ballhead, for this image the Sirui N3204X tripod and K30X ballhead. A cable release or self-timer is needed to minimize camera shake. When I did this scene I did my first exposure at ISO 3200, but it was a little too bright, so I brought the ISO down to 1600. You want the image to be bright on the LCD, but you do want to see your Milky Way, be careful about it being under exposed, you will need the extra light for the processing of the image. After your first exposure, zoom in on the LCD to make sure your stars are good “point” sources of light, if not, adjust your focus. That is why I love this lens, it is always spot on at the infinity mark.

 

Get to your location and let your eyes adjust, use an App to locate the “Galactic Core” and move around to set your composition. Be patient and learn to process the image in Lightroom or another program, because more than half the image is achieved in the post processing. Most of all have fun!

 

#WithMyTamron, #TamronUSA, #TamronLensesUSA, #TamronImageMaster, #Sirui, #SiruiUSA, #SiruiProfessional

Driftwood Beach, Moonrise and the Milky Way

Driftwood Beach, Moonrise and the Milky Way.

 

Yesterday started at 4 a.m. for me, remember I am an insomniac, by preparing for a trip to Driftwood Beach. It is about a 2 minute drive from our hotel for the GNPA Expo, so it didn’t take long to get there. A good friend and I decided we would go out and shoot the Milky Way and a sunrise. After walking out on the beach and finding a perfect subject we set up and noticed that a layer of haze had moved in and blocked the view of the Milky Way. We were standing around talking when 2 other photographers walked up and we started chatting. They had been out since about 1 a.m. and said the haze had just moved in…of course it did. As we talked for a few minutes, I noticed the haze moving out. The other 2 photographers said they were going to call it a day since it was hazy, but I stated I wouldn’t give up on it just yet as it appeared to be moving out. They chuckled and commented about my optimism, but after about 5 more minutes they noticed it really was moving out. We all set up and shot for about 40 minutes before our new friends did call it a day and 4 other photographers showed up as well. We all continued to shoot when I noticed the beautiful orange crescent moon rising over the horizon. I recomposed slightly to include the moon in my frame. The scene, slight layer of haze and all, was exactly what I had hoped for on my first trip to Driftwood Beach, and surely not to be my last trip. We stayed until after sunrise and I will post those images in the next few days as well, and trust me when I say, you want to see how our morning finished. What an incredible scene!

 

Tamron SP 15-30mm f2.8 Di VC USD lens on a Nikon D-850, Manual Exposure mode, f2.8, ISO 1600, shutter speed of 30 seconds, manual focus set to Infinity, Sirui N3204X tripod and K30X ballhead, MindShift Gear PhotoCross 13L slingbag, processed in Lightroom Classic CC. #WithMyTamron, #TamronUSA, #TamronLensesUSA, #TamronImageMaster, #Sirui, #SiruiUSA, #SiruiProfessional, #MindShiftGear

Christ Church

Christ Church.

 

Just a quick post tonight, I’ve had a busy day getting ready for the GNPA Expo and have some cool plans for early in the a.m., so off to bed. Today while visiting friends on St. Simons Island, they took us by Christ Church, which has been continually having service since 1736 when James Oglethorpe arrived in Georgia. We did a quick outer tour and then went off to explore a few other areas like Fort Fredrica down the road. I promise I will post more information and photos soon!

 

6 frame HDR using the Tamron SP 15-30mm f2.8 Di VC USD lens on a Nikon D-850, Aperture Priority, f5.6, ISO 64, varying shutter speeds, Sirui N3204X tripod and K30X ballhead, processed in Lightroom Classic CC. #WithMyTamron, #TamronUSA, #TamronLensesUSA, #TamronImageMaster, #Sirui, #SiruiUSA, #SiruiProfessional

Get Ready for Night Skies!

Get Ready for Night Skies!

 

Obviously we can photograph night skies and the Milky Way at any time during the year, but the peak of the season is considered from mid-April to the end of July. That is when the galactic core is visible the longer during the night. It is when I like to photograph it to be able to place an object into the bottom of the frame and improve the composition. A few settings I use for my starting point are: Manual Exposure, 30 seconds, f2.8, ISO 3200, and infinity focus on my lens set to manual focus as well. I prefer the Tamron SP 15-30mm f2.8 Di VC USD lens. A good sturdy tripod, like my Sirui N3204X tripod, is a necessity. These settings are a starting point and some adjustments will be made to optimize your image exposure. All you need to do is get to a really dark place and then check Apps like Photopills to see where the core will align and the optimum time to shoot and then have fun! The lighting in the image on the rock and tree was done by a passing car as it rounded the curves in the road.

 

Tamron SP 15-30mm f2.8 Di VC USD lens on a Canon 5Diii, Manual Exposure mode, f2.8, ISO 3200, shutter speed of 30 seconds, manual focus set to infinity, Sirui N3204X tripod and K30X ballhead, processed in Lightroom CC. #WithMyTamron, #TamronUSA, #TamronLensesUSA, #TamronImageMaster, #TamronUSAMagazine, #Sirui, #SiruiUSA, #SiruiProfessional

Disclosing a Location continuation

Disclosing a Location continuation.

 

I was impressed with some of the discussion yesterday when I brought up the reasons some photographers will give for not disclosing a location vs. not posting it or going there at all. Honestly though, no one could present a decent reason for just not posting it in the first place. I get it, you go to a great location, you get a great image, you are proud of your image, you want to share it, but you feel by simply removing the location information you are saving that location from exploitation. The problem is this, in this day of the selfie, there are those in this world that feel one way to improve a beautiful scene is to put their face in front of it. Then others feel the challenge and have to do it as well. As an experiment I simply looked at a few images that the locations were withheld and did a few things. First I simply Googled a key word (like slot canyon) near a location like “Northern Arizona” and more than 75 percent of the time just a description got me the information I needed. Then using Google images I tried to closely match the image. There were no locations that I couldn’t find. Time to go do a selfie! Guess what though? When I had no image to work off of, I had no way to find something I didn’t know was there! Hmmm… My point is this, posting a great image is an ego boost and you want to share your skills, but don’t try and fool yourself into thinking that you can feel better about being a good steward by simply adding the phrase “I’m not going to disclose the location” because it doesn’t work. Be a good steward, don’t post the image.

 

This is a “Secret Canyon”, no really it is. The name of the Canyon is Secret Canyon and is only accessible by a guide service who has an agreement with the Navajo tribe who owns it.

 

Tamron SP 15-30mm f2.8 Di VC USD lens on a Canon 5Diii, Manual Exposure mode, f11, ISO 100, shutter speed of 5 seconds, Sirui N3204X tripod and K30x ballhead, processed in Lightroom CC. #WithMyTamron, #TamronUSA, #TamronLensesUSA, #TamronImageMaster, #Sirui, #SiruiUSA, #SiruiProfessional

Disclosing the Location of an Image

Disclosing the Location of an Image.

There have been some articles and posts recently about disclosing the location of an image. By not disclosing the location you are protecting a sensitive area from irresponsible people or too many people. My thoughts are this: If you are morally troubled by posting the location, don’t go to that location, don’t post an image and by all means don’t lead a workshop group to that location. Your moral dilemma should have kicked in before you went, not after you posted the image. You are simply dangling a carrot out there for others to find the location. I know with a few folks it is more of them being worried someone else is going to get a better image than they got, or they advertise it as a “secret” location of which they are willing to take a group to if you simply sign up for their workshop. It is simple, if your visit or other’s visiting will damage the area, stay away and don’t post an image so the “Likes” and heart shaped emojis boost your ego. Making the statement that you won’t disclose a location doesn’t stop people from finding it, it simply may ease your conscience about being part of the problem. If you want to confront people that are contributing to the destruction, look first in the mirror to make sure you aren’t one of them. Let your morals kick in before you visit, not after you leave. I will not post an image, much less visit an area my presence will damage that location.

The image attached is of an area in northern Arizona that I can’t disclose, not because I am being hypocritical, but instead because I was following a friend down some dirt roads and couldn’t find it again if I had to without assistance. Be part of the solution, not the problem. Be a environmentally aware photographer with your actions, not your words.

Tamron SP 15-30mm Di VC USD lens on a Canon 5Diii, Manual Exposure mode, f11, ISO 100, shutter speed of 1/5th of a second, Sirui N3204X tripod and K30x ballhead, processed in Lightroom CC. #WithMyTamron, #TamronUSA, #TamronLensesUSA, #TamronImageMaster, #Sirui, #SiruiUSA, #SiruiProfessional