Where You Start May Not Be Where You End

• Image Processing, Nature Photography

As you know, half the effort of creating an image happens in post processing. While this is a necessary task it can also be an exciting process of watching an image transform. many times I started out with an idea in mind and in the end, I was nowhere close to what I envisioned. 

This final image is an example of just that. I was up at McKenzie Pass hoping for a normal but great sunset. On the way there I saw the horrible haze of thick smoke from the many forest fires in the NW.  Initially I was disappointed but as I started to look around ideas hit me and I started shooting.

The sun was several hours until it set and was a bright orange ball against the smoky sky. That gave me the idea to shoot one of the dead tree snag in the lava fields with a long lens and get a huge red ball of the sun. The problem was I could not frame that shot due to the shape of the land. I just could not get back far enough.

Incredible Mt. Hood, Oregon

• Nature Photography

I shot this image around 25 years ago on Mt. Hood, Oregon. Back then I shot mostly film with a 4×5 field view camera. I loved working that way!

This was a lucky day. A storm was pounding the west side of the Cascade Mountains and I was shooting up in the Government Camp area. I have been all around this mountain many times but never had I been in these conditions above the clouds.

As I was set up here, the clouds, once hitting the mountainside, would break up and blow across the pass at the base of the mountain as seen here. I would shoot a frame or two, then the clouds would cover the mountain, so I would wait a little longer until there was a break and the mountain was visible.

Who’s the Star?

• Nature Photography

When it comes to outdoor photography, many photographs have a star subject in them. It could be anything in the scene and often it is something that caught your eye.

Sometimes the star of the photo is obvious and other times it is not. When I find a star to photograph I often look for other features in the landscape that support the star and when those work well, you have a well composed image.

But in today’s digital world, composing and capturing the star and the supporting elements, is only half the process to a great photo. The other half of the process is in the digital darkroom. That is where you complete what you started in the field and that is the case here with this image.

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Scott Lake in the Oregon Cascades is a popular viewpoint for nature photographers. I was up there several times over the last month and captured this image on the first visit in July. We are in a terrible drought so the water was very low. That is of course terrible but also a blessing because this rock is right up close to the shoreline as a result of the low water and makes a great foreground element.

Rainbow Rock

• Nature Photography

Captured on a desert hike in March, this was shot with my iPhone in the middle of the day. I was really attracted to the varied color in the rock. There are many places on the planet with colorful rock like this, and I think they are very photogenic and make great photos. This was captured in Western Arizona.

My approach is all about color and not about great light because it is not that great, rather composing based on those lines and cracks and the colors.

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I opened in in Photoshop and added some contrast. While the sun was out and there was lots of lighting contrast, the light was flat and that is the reason I punched up contrast slightly. Then because it is all about color, I added a small amount of saturation to make the colors pop some more.

If you want to learn more about selling photography, check out my online class: How to Be a Professional Outdoor and Nature Photographer.

 

There are Marketable Photos Everywhere

• Nature Photography, Stock Photography

If you are in the business of marketing your photography, then you no doubt are always on the lookout for great images that are marketable. What makes a marketable image? One that is strong on concept! So why would this be marketable? Because it exemplifies the concept of Drought, Lack of Water or Water Shortage, and more.

I was really surprised to stumble on this and it is one of the best examples I have come across for good cracked mud. In fact it might be the best example of cracked mud I have captured and I say this due to how large the cracks were and how deep they were in the mud. But better yet, you may be surprised where I found this.

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It’s not in the middle of some desert wash or a slot canyon in Utah, but instead a storm water collection ‘system’ in Yuma, Arizona. I was out for a long hike/walk with my wife and dog, following a bike/walking path when I happened to look inside this water collection basin.

It is about the size of a football field and completely enclosed to prevent access. When the monsoon rains come the flowing water collects in here and slowly dissipates, and I guess that keeps the water from flooding streets and neighborhoods. I am guessing after years of collecting that water it has accumulated about 1 foot of silt or mud so when the rains stop, it dries out and created this.

I had my iPhone (as always) and stuck my hand and phone through metal fence and began going crazy clicking away and this is one of many results. I captured various different perspectives that all used the lines flowing in various directions. I will definitely be sending this to my stock photo agent.

So the lesson is to always have a camera with you no matter what. You may just discover something unique and marketable.

If you want to learn more about selling photography, check out my online class: How to Be a Professional Outdoor and Nature Photographer

The Next Photographic Expermient

• Nature Photography

I just joined Stockimo which is an online agency for smartphone photography. I have learned to love ‘happy snappin’ with my iPhone for quite sometime.

I usually snap away where ever I am and then later open them in Photoshop and play around with the images, simply for fun. I am addicted to shooting on the fly like that. 

Then Alamy launched Stockimo and it got me thinking that while I will continue having fun shooting, I might make some money. So I got busy.

The difference between Stockimo and traditional agencies is that you cannot upload regular stock images from your dslr, they can only be from a smartphone. 

Knowing full well, that I cannot let any digital capture pass by unprocessed, I wondered how I would process the images, so I dug into the apps. There I found Mix by Camera360 and it is quite cool as well. Adobe Photoshop Mix is another app I am playing with. 

I am just now uploading pics to Stockimo to see how it goes and if I make any money I will be sure and write another post stating as such. For now here are a few of my first experiments with Stockimo. 

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This is a lot of fun! 

You can join my email list on the right side, get my ebook at the link above. and if you are interested going pro, check out my online course: How to Be  a Professional Outdoor and Nature Photographer. 

Master Back Lighting in Landscape Photography

• Nature Photography

Back light in nature and landscape photography is very effective lighting technique. When a subject is back lit the sun is in front of you or very close. I like to reference the Lighting Clock as example.

The camera is at 6 o’clock and the subject is in the middle of the clock. If the light is to either side, then it is at approximately 9 or 3 o’clock. I generally think of back light as anywhere between 10:30 and 1:30.

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In this example from the Anza Borrego in CA, the sun is in that zone of 10-12 o’clock. What I love about this photo is that back lighting adds amazing definition to the cactus and especially the Chollas. It looks like fuzz. This approach works on many subjects, even ones that dont look so great side lit.

For processing I added a hint of contrast to make the shadows touch darker, a bit of saturation, and the sky went white which is common in back lit images due to haze and such. So I added a touch of blue back in. Then sharpened a hint as well.

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Nature’s Amazing Palette

• Nature Photography, Online Courses

It is amazing what Mother Nature provides for our cameras. I looked at this scene and wondered what was happening on Earth to make all these colorful layers? The multitude of colors, i presume, means some specific mineral was ‘spewing’ all over for a while before another mineral came along. It’s fascinating! Any geologists out there?

When you think of creating great compositions, scenes like this dont make it hard. There is not only lines and diagonals adding to the composition, but the horizontal layers as well. There is contrast as well but it’s not lighting. Instead, I call it color contrast: a full range of colors both dark and light bring contrast to the scene. If it was converted to B&W it would have tonal contrast.

This is southern Utah due north of Page, AZ. Shot with a Canon 5D and 80-200mm lens

The eroded hills near Pareah, Utah   Join my mail list on the right side. Get my eBook above. Checkout my online photography course: How to Be a Professional Outdoor & Nature Photographer.

New photo workshop: Light on the Land

• Seminars & Workshops

I am excited to announce I will be teaching a 2 days Landscape Photography workshop August 15th and 16th at the Cascade Center of Photography in Bend, Oregon. The workshop is called Light on the Land and will include some classroom instruction and plenty of outdoor shooting in beautiful Central Oregon.

light on the land

You can view the workshop here: http://www.ccophoto.com/light-on-the-land/

If you are interested dont wait long as these sell out quickly.

What Makes a Good Selling Photo?

• Nature Photography

Concept!

Without a doubt concept is the biggest ingredient in a top selling stock photo. This image screams farming, agriculture, Heartland, and more, and has made good money.

 wheat farmer

I was actually on assignment for the former America West airlines when I was shooting this guys cornfield. He drove up and asked what I was up to. We chatted and later became friends and I was invited to photograph anytime I wanted including wheat harvest where we set up this photo.

It was shot before sunset so it had the golden light of the setting sun. Having them in the foreground with the combine in back added a great sense of depth. It has been on brochure covers, bank ads, and more.