A Synopsis of Part 1 of my Digital Nature Photography Book

The book starts out by talking about a basic kit for getting decent photography results.  First you have to start out by choosing a digital camera.  If you are a more serious photographer, a 10-40 megapixel 25 mm format DSLR with a full-frame sensor.  This full frame sensor will retain the actual lens focal length.  Once you have acquired a basic camera and lens, the very next thing you'll need is a tall and independently adjustable tubular leg tripod.  One of the most expensive, yet necessary purchases for good wildlife shots is a good super-telephoto lens.  This will allow you to take pictures of wildlife at a distance, but still produces extremely detailed up-close shots.  For landscape shots it is good to have two or three lenses between 18mm and 200mm.  If you are interested in shooting macro shots, extension tubes can be purchased relatively cheap and can be added onto wide angle lenses (landscape) to produce some very detailed up-close shots when long-distance is not an issue.

The next section in part one is all about choosing the best tripod.  This is just about as important as camera and lens selection.  When looking for a tripod, make sure you find one that when the legs are fully extended, the view finder of your camera will be at eye level.  The head (sometimes not included) can add up to five inches of height.  The center column can helpful in shooting landscapes or can be removed for shooting macro shots.  Tripod heads can be purchased in the form of ball-and-socket heads or gimbal heads depending on the maneuverability that you are looking for.  Lighter tripods are suggested for shooting in the field because of the distance you will have to carry all of the equipment.  Good features in tripods are quick-release platform, carbon fiber construction, independently adjustable legs, and should be able to support your heaviest camera/lens combination plus about five pounds.

The third section talks about super-telephoto lenses.  If your camera has a full-frame sensor, any super-telephoto lens shorter than 500mm is too short and anything longer than 600mm is too long.  Zoom telephotos are becoming increasingly popular as well, giving you more versatility.  Nikon and Cannon are the leaders in high quality lenses.  Glass APO, LD, UD, ED and especially DO designated lenses limit and even eliminate blurring of the color spectrum (chromatic aberration).  Image stabilized/ vibration reduction lenses are particularly useful for telephoto lenses because it reduces image blur due to the vibrations.  Auto-focus lenses can be convenient for fast paced shooting, but can hinder specific effects that you want.  Water resistant lenses can be very helpful as well for shooting in any weather.

"Working in the Field" is the title of the next section of part one of my book.  A good vest is very important for hiking through the wilderness.  Vests allow for accessories to be easily accessible and provides a way to carry everything without as much strain as carrying a separate camera bag.  As with anything else, duct tape is a very handy and cheap item that should be in your vest.  Even with water resistant equipment it is a good idea to have some plastic bags handy for unexpected downpours.

When shooting in the winter, it is especially important that you are well equipped and ready to deal with the elements.  As 70% of heat is lost through your head, it is important to have some warm headgear like a fleece-lined Gore-Tex had with ear flaps.  Breathable waterproof boots, moisture-wicking underwear, zippered sweater with a turtleneck collar, bib overalls, parka outer shell, and a heavy pair of Gore-Tex fleece-lined gloves are also recommended.  Utilizing layers with zippers allows for quick ventilation in case of unexpectedly warmer conditions.  Lithium batteries provide the best performance in cold conditions.  When transitioning between extreme temperatures (taking equipment from outside to inside), put your entire vest and camera gear into a large plastic bag to avoid condensation buildup inside such components.

Citations:

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

My Camera: HP Photosmart R607

I was trying to think of what I should blog about this week and I decided that it might be a good idea to talk a little about the digital camera that I currently use.  About 8 years ago, I got a package-deal HP laptop, printer, and digital camera.  Well, that 8 year-old digital camera is the one I still use...unfortunately.  But, its not all bad news for this now ancient piece of digital technology.  It features a 4.1 megapixel sensor, Pentax lens with 21x total zoom (3x optical and 7x digital), sd memory slot, 36-bit color, 16 to 1/2000 sec shutter speed, Auto (default) mode, action mode, landscape mode, portrait mode, beach/snow mode, sunset mode, aperture priority mode, panorama mode, and MPEG-1 video.  This is a point and shoot  digital camera mind you, so there is somewhat of a delay between pressing the shutter button and the camera actually taking the picture.  It has done surprisingly well for me throughout the years, but I just know that it is time for a real digital camera (a DSLR).

A Couple Articles from "Outdoor Photographer" (June 2010 issue)

'"Panasonic Lumix DMC-G2"

I recently was looking through a June 2010 issue of Outdoor Photographer when I noticed something that I had never seen before; a SLR-looking Panasonic digital camera that doesn't utilize single lens reflex (no reflex mirror).  This camera is much lighter and more compact than traditional DSLRs.  It has a 12-megapixel Live MOS image sensor, 4000x3000 megapixel resolution, 3 inch tilt/swivel LCD screen,1/400 to 60 second shutter speed, 100-6400 ISO settings, and only weighs 3.1 ounces.  It can record pictures as well as high definition video.  Recordable format settings accommodate JPEG, RAW, RAW+JPEG, AVCHD Lite/QuickTime Motion JPEG.  The LCD touch screen is a wonder in itself.  It allows the user to select the auto-focus focal point by just touching that location of the pane right one the screen.   The touch screen can also be used in manual mode to select shutter speeds and even can be used to zoom in or out.

The DMC-G2 also allows the user to shoot HD video and utilizes a high resolution Live View Finder(LVF).  It is able to shoot 1280x720p HD video in AVCHD lite format, which allows the user more footage per gigabite.  The camera is also able to shoot video in Quick Time Motion JPEG.  Both video formats shoot at 30 frames per second.  It has a mono microphone with the option of attaching a stereo microphone as well.  If you still like to look through a traditional view finder when shooting videos or photos, the DMC-G2 comes with a high resolution LVF.  Both the LCD touch screen and LVF show the camera settings before the picture is taken.  The LVF is an electronic view finder that gives the shooter the feel of an SLR with a 180 fps refresh rate to reduce "flicker".

The camera also comes equipped with a Micro Four Thirds system that allows it to operate just like a DSLR without the necessity of a reflex mirror or mirror box and allows quick-refresh (800x600 pixels at 60 fps).  The Micro Four Thirds system utilizes the same 17.3x13.0mm image sensor size as a standard Four Thirds System camera.

"You Wish You Were here"

Brandon Riza is both a 3D graphics programmer and photographer who uses digital capture and compositing to create photographs that are "intensely real and completely factual in tone."  He also likes to get out and hike different areas on the weekends with his dog "Neutron."  At first, Brandon hiked and took pictures around California to send off to his friends back home in Texas.  He quickly came to realize his true passion for adventure and excitement in hiking alone with only his dog at his side.

Looking at Brandon's pictures it is clear that he likes to hike and likes to show what he sees when he is out on his hikes.  The photographs are extremely colorful and use a lot of reds to attract viewers.   Riza remarks, "This is just my personal philosophy and opinion, but I think that when photographs of landscapes are interpreted artistically, it does a tremendous disservice to the universe."  He is a firm believer that nature doesn't need manipulation by Photoshop.

Brandon likes to shoot underexposed because it allows him "more dynamic bandwidth to pull up areas in post from the RAW data that are too dark without introducing grain."  He believes that if you overexpose, it is very difficult to recover your details.  Although he is not a Photoshop junkie, Brandon does like to uses image stitching where he "stitches" multiple exposures together in order to maintain perspective and minimize distortion.

Citations:

"Panasonic Lumix DMC-G2." Outdoor Photographer. June. 2010: 20.

Sawalich, William. "You Wish You Were here." Outdoor Photographer. June 2010: 40-46.

 

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    

My Top 5 Photos from our Recent Yellowstone Trip

About Me

I just thought I would take this week to give all of my fans(?) out there a little info about myself.  As you may have guessed, my name is Andrew Hewins.  I am a senior at Rocky Mountain College, majoring in Aviation Management.  I plan on either running an airport some day or doing something in air traffic control.  After I retire by age 40 (it's a dream, I know) I would like to travel the world.  I have been interested in photography ever since I was little.  In fact I still have my first manual wind-up camera.  Unfortunately it was a cheap Vivitar, but it still took decent pictures.  My dad and grandfather were the ones that passed that on to me(the interest for photography and the cheap Vivitar).  Although they didn't teach me a whole lot about photography, it was something that was always a part of growing up.  My grandfather was a professional freelance macro photographer.  As far as I know, most of his work was done through small parts manufacturers who would want photos for their magazines.  My other interests include hiking, tennis, biking, flying, and food. 

Mike Muizebelt Nature Photography

This week I decided to surf the web for some really awesome macro photography.  While I was looking, I found a photographer named Mike Muizebelt, who specializes in macro nature photography.  Mike is from the Netherlands, but has an English site where you can view his work.  In his welcome page Mike writes, " My main interest is macro photography, the life in the undergrowth has my interest and capturing the details in nature never seizes to amaze me. As a member of the Dutch Nature Photographers Guild I'm striving to get better and honest feedback is something I value greatly."  If you look through his online gallery, it is obvious that this is his passion.  The detail of his shots are just amazing no matter how small the target.  He is able to capture the smallest details such as tiny hairs on the back of a bee.  Check out his site!

Citation:
http://www.culinair.com/

Twisted Tree Photography

This week I decided to try to look into some abstract tree photography.  So, I Googled "tree photography".  The first thing to pop up was a link to twistedtreephoto.com.  To my surprise, the photos on twistedtreephoto.com were nothing like what I was looking for, but not in a bad way.  As I looked through Michael and Tammy Rice's photography gallery, I became hooked.  The husband and wife team specialize in landscape photography and promote their photos that they have taken across the U.S. and Canada.  They take pride in what they do, and it shows.  I really can't think of too many jobs that you can go out and enjoy the sights while still making a living at it.  And their photos are beautiful in my opinion.  On the twistedtreephoto.com home page, Michael and Tammy mention that they, "believe that to take photography to the next level, one must pursue both disciplines (taking pictures and enhancing images)."  My favorite section of their photo gallery is the Yellowstone National Park section.  Why?  Well, I really like to see things that I have never seen in pictures that I am sure we have all seen just walking around.  Since moving to Montana, I have been to Yellowstone National Park 5+ times.  Not once have I thought about taking a picture of a marsh or a hill.  The Rice photographers have taken shots like these and look just as magnificent as a picture of a mountain range.  I have noticed that in most all of their landscape shots in Yellowstone contain cloud cover and/or the use of natural side-lighting.  This allows the scene to show more definition and, I think, adds more emotion to the photograph.  My most favorite picture of theirs is a landscape of hotpots covered by dark stratocumulus clouds.  Visit their website if you get a chance!

Citation:
http://www.twistedtreephoto.com/index.html