Daniel Sofer

Ok, I have found my photographer of the week. Many of Daniel Sofer's scenic shots are not primarily of nature but mix nature with the elements of a city. Instead of bringing attention to nature as beautiful he uses nature as obviously beautiful to bring beauty into manmade structures. Generally I think man made structures are pretty ugly by themselves but Sofer has managed to really make them look beautiful. My favorite are his beach pictures. The way he utilizes light to be everywhere, in the sky, in the water, in the reflecting sand, and the light is a different hue and form in each. I could not find what he used in taking his pictures but in this one I am guessing fast shutter speed to catch the suspended water droplets with no blurring. He is based out of California and in addition to 20 years of photography he is a professional web designer. His website is http://www.hermosawavephotography.com/.

Working at Close Range

In this week's chapter I loved the effect of sharp narrow focus with a blurry background achieved using extension tubes and or bellows. The extension tube and bellows allow you to zoom in and magnify small objects with very distinct detail no matter how many times the object size has been increased. The magnification combined with narrow focus allows perfect detail of the subject with blurring of the background, or other objects in the foreground and I think the effect is incredible. This makes wonderful shots of small objects such as flowers and hummingbirds as shown in the book. You have one subject in perfect detail, and the rest of the picture is just color. It makes the picture look half picture half painting. It is just really awesome.

Nature's Mystical Mirrors

The first thing in preparing to photograph water reflections is be prepared to get in it. Tripods that can handle being in the water, waders, and a zoom lens for when you can't get that close because of obstacles.
The best time for reflections is before and after sunrise. Since that means you will be out in the dark, you need to know where to go and how to get out beforehand.
The hardest thing about getting reflections is that you have to wait for the water to be still. The best times are dusk and dawn, but even then sometimes you just have to wait. Wind is less likely in areas with buffers. To keep from seeing the pool's bottom instead of reflection, place the tripod low.
Using a density filter brings the contrast of the picture out more clearly. To best do this, you will need a polarizing filter, a one stop split density filter, and a filter holder. Attach the polarizing filter, adjust it to dark so the reflection from the water is most distinct. Check the histogram to make sure everything is centered in it for good lighting ratios.
A two stop split density filter can be used to darken overly bright skies and snowy mountains. Shading both the object and its reflection brings the shadows into a range the camera can more easily detect. You will need to adjust the filters to fit along the angle of the border betweeen land and reflection, since it is rarely in an even horizontal line.

The Power of Perspective

This chapter covers one of the most important aspects of taking a nature photograph, which is to convey 3D depth of a flat picture to the human eye. Out in the real world with two eyes we can move to see a view from multiple angles. Unless done carefully, a single shot of a view is cannot convey the same meaning to the human eye. To take a shot that will convey this, emphasis needs to be placed on anything that shows depth.
Use the size of objects in the scene to act as markers for distance. Objects that are close seem large and objects that are small seem far away. You can use animals, flora, rock formations. If possible it is best to to let these receding objects lead to the main point of focus. Anything with a pattern can be used to show distance as one end of the pattern fades away.
The type of angle lens used can work with the size of objects to emphasize distance or closeness. A wide angle lens will make the objects seem farther apart. Telephoto lenses will seemingly compress the picture together. With either of these it is best to take your shot as near as you can to the first size object marker.
To mimic the height a person would normally see a veiw from, place the camera at a 45 degree angle above the horizontal line. While setting up your camera try to avoid overlap. Focus your camera in the middle of the nearest object marker.
If you do overlap, try to overlap with objects with contrast, so their is no muddling on which is which.
The best way to present a landscape is with it lit from the side. The best time to do this, as with most photography, is early or late in the day. Atmoshpere blurring such as fog, pollution, or rain can be played on to create the sense of what is close and what is far.
The five types of planes to look for when searching for deep perspective shots are as follows;
1. The closest plane shows interesting landscape details that set the scale for the composition;
2.the middle plane has good objects as size markers to draw the eye into the view
3.the feature plane shows the main interest
4. Clouds are ideally puffy
5.the sky plane in back are in pure shades to backdrop the scene.

Paul Schiller

This week I was looking for photographs that captured imagination in nature, and I came across a great picture gallery by Paul Schiller. All the pictures were good, but I tried to list the reasons why some just stood out for me. First of all the contrast was so great in these they drew the eye away from all the pictures around them. Most of them are centered with shades of red drawing the eye to the main focal point, outlined in black so nothing is distracting on the edge. All use some very slight diagonal lines to lead the eye to the main focus and strong use of shading contrast with light. The trees are just stark shades of light softened by blue. In the first with red leaves, the narrow focus sharpens the leaves in front, otherwise the picture would not have near the effect. Beyond aesthetics these pictures just capture your imagination to the area they were taken, it makes the nature scene in them look very inviting. These are just a small sample of Paul Schiller's photos, he takes panoramics and wildlife, and flora photography. Check out his site Acts of Nature; http://www.actsofnature.com/

Getting Close and Animals In Action

In Getting Close Tim Fitzharris gives basic rules for how to get close enough to wildlife to take good pictures without scaring them or getting hurt yourself. The first is to have respect for wild animals and only approach when they permit it, and than only as far as they are comfortable. This works best with animals that are used to the presence of humans, such as in a park reserve. Knowing about the animal you are shooting helps to know when they are most active and where they can be found. This will help you set up you camera so you can use your time wisely. Fitzharris points out that all animals have their own individual preferences, so if one does not like your approach, you may be able to find another who does. The easiest way to get close to an animal is to not--with a telephoto lens. This way you don't disturb teh animals. If you are going to approach the wildlife, there are three strategies; 1. approach directly and slowly, low to the ground being respectful of their comfort level and leaving a way out. 2. circle from the side and appear to be interested in something else. 3. hide, and let them approach you, using blinds such as your car or camouflage. Another little tip he gave which seems immoral is bribing your subject with peanut butter. Where's the integrity?

In learning how to shoot animals in action, what you really learn is all the preparation that goes into it beforehand. Rarely will you come across a good action shot and have your camera ready to capture it perfectly just by chance. you have to start by knowing where to show up, knowing what is happening with the animals and the seasons in that area, their behavior, and know when to show up. For action shots this usually means early morning or evening, when the light is faint. This is also when most animal activity occurs. Preparing you and your tripod low to the ground is less threatening to wildlife, and more complimentary to them in the pictures. Once you start shooting don't stop to check your pictures until you are done, you don't want to miss anything. Practice and knowledge of your different camera settings are needed for focus of different kinds of action shots, alternating between auto and manual. you can prepare for a shot by setting your stage area and waiting for an animal to come in it, this requires you to have a good idea of its behavior patterns.

Nick Brant

Nick Brant is a photographer from the UK now living in California who studied film and painting, and eventually gave up directing to go into photography full time. He takes black and white photographs of wildlife in East Africa. The reason he goes there is because, he says, "There is perhaps something profoundly iconic, mythical, mythilogical even, about the animals of East Africa, as opposed to say, the Arctic or South America". What's catching about his pictures is the up close personal feeling you get to being up close to these animals in the elegant black and white. Then you read about him and discover he does not use telephoto lenses because he wants to include as much sky and land as possible. So he really is getting close to these wild animals, sometimes within a few feet. And he really does do a good job of making the place look somewhat magical, like someplace unheard of. He has published his photographs in a book called "On This Earth".

"They're my elegy to a world that is steadily, tragically vanishing."

http://www.younggalleryphoto.com/photography/brandt/brandt.html