Sunrise over Namibian Mountain Range
Nikon D300, 17-55 @55mm; ISO 320, f 7.1 @ 1/640 sec
Category Archive for 'Travel'
Photo of the Week
Posted in Pacific Northwest, Photo of the Week, Travel on Oct 9th, 2009
Mountain Goat, Mt. Evans, Colorado @ 14,130 feet
September 2006, Nikon D2x, 200-400VR, @240mm, ISO 100, f8.5
Shooting above 14,000 feet, I thought I was going to die. Knowing that I was not in shape for this final climb to get to the goats and already feeling the thin air, I took only one camera and lens with no tripod, plus my GPS. I took my clothes down to hiking shorts, knee pads, and a tee shirt and windbreaker on top (plus my hiking boots of course). I was able to snap only a few shots before I really started getting light headed. Rocks were used as the shooting platform for my 200-400, because I had no energy to hand hold the beast. What amazed me was the how approachable the goats were and the intensity of the clear blue sky. Ok, the thin air really did kick my butt – I’m seriously working on getting into better shape so I can do this again!
Happy photo’ing
Windy Ridge - Skeleton Coast
May 2009 – Nikon D300, 17-55 @17mm, ISO 200, f 10 at 1/250 sec
Windy Ridge Sunset, Skeleton Coast, Namibia, looking toward the ocean.
The Best Seats in the House
Nikon D300, 70-200VR @130mm; ISO 400, F7.1 @ 1/320 sec
Traveling through a river bed in Namibia inland from the Wilderness Safari Skeleton Coast campsite, three photographers grab the best seats in the house while taking in the wonderful scenery.
Photo of the Week
Posted in Africa, Photo of the Week, Safari, Travel on Sep 25th, 2009
Namibia Sunrise
May 2009, Nikon D300, 17-55mm f2.8@ 55, ISO 500, f11 at 1/50 sec, -1/2 EV
Metered slightly below the horizon in spot metering mode
As sunlight started across the distance mountain range, I hiked up a nearby rock outcroping some 500 feet above the valley floor to get this image. The clouds were simply spectactular as the moved across the desert sky. After shooting about 6 frames (I don’t recall even checking the histogram), I put the camera down and just took in the view of the entire valley. As I watch the rising sunlight dance across the valley floor, I realized just how lucky I was travel to places like this – to see and photograph things and places that others seldom get a chance to see or even hear about.
Cheers and happy photo’ing
Randy
Photo of the Week
Posted in Africa, Photo of the Week, Safari, Travel on Jul 11th, 2009
Red Dunes (Dune 43) of Namib-Naukuft Park, Namibia
Nikon D300, 70-200VR, 95mm @ f9 1/640 sec, -2EV
While shooting in the sand dunes of Namibia, I found myself in an environment that was largely reds and blues. After looking at the large histogram for general exposure, I always shifted to the RGB histograms for evaluation. More often than not, I found that I was blowing out the reds. A simple drop in EV solved the blown channel. Usually using only a -1/3EV to solve normal exposure problems, I was very surprised by having to drop down into the -2’s for a correct exposure. While post processing, I was also surprised by the white balance of the camera. I always shoot in auto WB mode and correct during post processing. When shooting in extreme conditions, it is not uncommon for me to use either a white balance card or a color checker to help with setting my white balance in post processing. What surprised be was how far off the color temperature was when I started the post processing. I am going to attribute this to the high amount of reds from the sand. The lesson here is to use all of your tools, both in camera and out of camera. Learn when the in-camera meter is smart, when it is dumb, and take the necessary actions to get the shot.
Cheers and happy photo’ing
A visit to Kauai is not really a complete visit unless you see the Na Pali coast. From air or water, the views of this coastline are simply breath taking. In all of my trips to Kauai, including numerous trips out the the Na Pali coast, I have always been greeted with fog and low clouds. My recent trip was the exception with high clouds and near perfect lighting early in the morning.
Fingers of the Na Pali Coast
Coast Line Close-Up
Stacked Coast Line
If you get a chance, visit Kauai. You might just fall in love with all that it has to offer, just as I have.
Cheers and happy photo’ing
Randy
There are basically two roads to take up to the Waimea Canyon, the “Grand Canyon of the Pacific”. I prefer the Waimea Canyon Drive on the way down, but you should always look in your rear-view mirror or you will miss photo opportunities such as this one below. Be cautious on your selection of pull-outs, as traffic seems to come out of nowhere on this road.
- Nikon D300, 17-55mm @46mm, ISO 200, 1/80 sec at f10
Our attempt to visit the Kalalau Lookout at Kokee to get a clear view of the Na Pali’s Kalalau Valley was unsuccessful due to land fog. This fog is formed not long after sunrise when the sun starts heating up the ground surface near the ocean. The warming along with the cool moist conditions at altitude, generates a moving bank of fog that gently rises and falls up and down the valley. Best times for clear viewing are first thing in the morning, and late afternoon. In our case, all I photographed was fog. Next year…..
- Kalalau Lookout Ridge Line Clouded in Fog
At the bottom of the lookout, assuming you can see through the fog, you would see just beyond the very end of the bluff below, the true beginning of the Na Pali Coast. Park your car, kick off your shoes and go for a stroll along the seldom populated Barking Sands beach. Once of the longest stretches of beach in Hawaii, be sure to bring plenty of sunscreen – it’s hot and totally exposed.
- Na Pali Coast, Barking Sands
Walking to to the end of the beach, you will soon see a mariners cross which serves as a reminder that the loss of life is often just a wave away. Please note, Barking Sands is frequent to serious undertows. Please proceed with caution when playing in the water.
Barking Sands, End of the Beach
After a late night in Seattle visiting some friends that reside on Maui and were in town on the ship World, I found a message in my email stating that two out of my four submitted images had made it to the Semi-Final level of the BBC Wildlife Photographer of the Year Competition. These two images were taken from my 2008 and 2009 safaris to Tanzania and are presented below:
Nikon D300, 200-400VR @400, March 2009
Nikon D300, 500mm+1.4 TC, Feb 2008
As a final note, the email stated that there were some 93,000 entries for the 2009 competition. I am happy!
BTW, there is still room for the 2010 safari adventure to Tanzania.
Enjoy and happy Photo’ing.
Kauai Beach Photo Shoot II
Posted in Travel on Jun 21st, 2009
Below are the final photos in the beach series of Coogan and Paul shot in the Poupou Beach area near the Beach House Restaurant. All images were shot with a Nikon D300 with a 17-55mm or a 70-200mm lens and a Nikon SB900 mounted in a Lastolite 24×24 EZbox off camera left. Basic exposure was a -1/3 to -2/3 EV in the camera to increase background saturation with a +2 to +2.5 EV push in the strobe to offset the daylight, all controlled with the Nikon CLS from the camera. Lastolite Trigrip was camera right and low bouncing upward to fill shadows underneath the eyes. Limited processing was done in Lightroom including grayscale conversion. Once I got through the craziness with Coogan and Paul (they sort of had enough of the photo stuff early on), they were a blast to work with. I certainly hope they enjoy these photos as much as I had producing them.
