Winter Photography; Advice from my Photography Text

Thus far, my photography textbook, National Audubon Society Guide to Nature Photography Digital Edition, has taught me a little bit about the basic equipment required to be a good digital nature photographer. Most recently, I have read a section entitled "Winter Photography."  This section spends quite a bit of time just making sure the reader knows how to dress before going out on a winter shooting session.  Dressing in layers is not always the answer, because if you get too hot and start to perspire you will eventually be even colder.  That is why breathable warm clothing, preferably with zipper vents, is most important when going out on these shoots.  Ski/snowboard pants are often ideal pants to wear.  Headgear is also important because 70% of heat is lost through the head.  Although I misread initially and though the author was recommending to wear a Greek dessert on your head to keep warm, I reread it and found that he recommends wearing a balaclava (a hood that completely covers the head, with eye and mouth openings).  Breathable, waterproof, insulated boots and gloves are also strongly recommended.

Equipment is also prone to the affects of the cold.  Batteries have shorter lifetimes when subjected to cold temperatures, so keep some extras packed in your vest where they will stay warm.  Also, when going from a cold environment into a heated car or building, it is a good idea to tightly seal all equipment in a large plastic bag before transitioning so that condensation doesn't build up in it.  Once the bag and its contents feel as if they are the same temperature as the room, the contents can be removed.

Finally, shooting photos in the winter is obviously different from shooting in the summer.  Picking subjects in the summer usually includes bright colorful scenes.  In the winter, however,  it is valuable to capture reflections of light off of snow and ice.  Snow laden fur and feathers are also something to keep an eye out for when shooting wildlife photos.

Citations:
Fitzharris, Tim. National Audubon Society Guide to Nature Photography Digital Edition. Buffalo: Firefly,            2008.

Chris Peterson of Glacier Park Magazine

This past summer, I took a one week-long trip out to Glacier National Park.  I was amazed at the beauty of the park, but also came to realize that a week just isn't long enough.  So, this week, I chose to recognize one of the many great photographers of the park.  Glacier Park Magazine photographer and editor, Chris Peterson, recently embarked on a 100 day journey through Glacier National Park located in northwestern Montana.  The journey, which started on May 1st, 2009,  commemorated the 100th anniversary of the national park.  If you sift through cyberspace looking for a biography on Chris, you probably won't find much.  Therefore, I thought I might just tell you a little bit about his journey.

Chris is not a typical modern day photographer.  The shots featured in his May 11, 2010 edition of Glacier Park Magazine entitled "100 Strait Days in Glacier" are not all taken by digital cameras.  The pictures in this edition are comprised of digital and film prints, and not just film prints from 35mm cameras either.  He embarked on the journey equipped with his digital Nikon camera, an 8 by 10 field camera, a Kodak Pocket Vest camera, circa 1909, and a Speed Graphic, among others.  He took pictures with these older cameras in order to further commemorate the 100th anniversary of Glacier National Park.

After Chris Peterson concluded his 100 day journey through Glacier National Park, he set up a traveling exhibit.  He sells prints from his trip and donates some of the proceeds to the Glacier Fund for an Accessible Trail Project.  This project was started to create a wheelchair accessible trail in the park, which is currently under construction near Swiftcurrent Lake.  Peterson is thankful to have the opportunities to see Glacier  and wants to share that ability with those who might not be able to view it on the current trails.

 Citations:
Glacier Fund for an Accessible Trail Project
http://www.glacierparkmagazine.com/100_days_in_Glacier_National_Park/100daysinGlacierNationalPark.html

My First Impressions of the National Audubon Society Guide to Nature Photography Digital Edition

 

 The National Audubon Society Guide to Nature Photography Digital Edition, by Tim Fitzharris, is the "textbook" that I will be using throughout my Digital Nature Photography course.  First, I have to confess that I really don't view this book as a typical textbook.  It is more like an enjoyable book that I probably would have considered buying at a bookstore just to see all the beautiful pictures and to learn a little bit more about good photography.  After reading through the introduction of the text I came to realize that this book is not so much about the really technical aspect of photography (shutter speeds, apertures, exposure etc.) , but more about picking great shots.  Of course for it to be a photography book it will have to talk about some of the technical stuff, but in reading through this introductory section of the book, I think the main purpose of the book is to give insight into picking great shots as well as to inspire the reader to be a better photographer.  With the advancement of photography from 35mm to the digital era, today's photographers have to be even more creative.  With digital photography, most everybody can take and develop their own pictures right in their own home; something that used to cost more and require the assistance of a photo shop/lab.  I am really looking forward to learning how to be a better photographer with this book!

Citations:
Textbook Photo-
http://www.fireflybooks.com/bookdetail&ean=9781554073924

Reading-
Fitzharris, Tim. National Audubon Society Guide to Nature Photography Digital Edition. Buffalo: Firefly,                  2008.

A little bit about Ansel Adams (Post for 8/26/10)

Ansel Adams is known as one the greatest, if not the greatest landscape photographer of the 20th century. He was born in 1902 and lived until 1984.  As a child, Adams was very musically inclined and played piano until he found another calling in photography in 1922 when he published a few pictures for the Sierra Club's Bulletin.  After going on a few month-long "High-Trips" with the Sierra Club as a photographer, he realized in the late 1920's that he could make a living with his work in photography.  His ability to become a professional photographer was greatly influenced by the support of a friend and insurance entrepreneur from San Francisco, Albert Bender.  Adams was largely an advocate of and activist for preservation of the wilderness and the environment for years.  Many people say that Ansel Adams' photographs represented an idealization of a wilderness that has been long extinct, but the photographs he took are of places that are preserved and protected by the U.S. National Park Service as well as agencies such as the Sierra Club.  He will not only continue to be greatly respected in the world of photography, but will also continue to be hailed as a champion of wilderness preservation in the coming years.

Source:

http://www.anseladams.com/anseladams_biography_s/51.htm