Night Photography

We spent a few days in Terlingua, Tx. to do some hiking and photography.  I decided to do some night photography of this trip and while driving around the area I kept an eye out for some good nighttime subject matter.   I discovered this old bus outside of town and contacted the landowner about retuning at night to photograph.  Once I was granted permission I scouted out the location during the day time to get an idea of where I wanted to setup the camera and which lens would be required.  I marked my tripod position by stacking a few rocks in a pile.  It had been my desire to visit during the period of a new moon so I could have a sky full of stars.  The first few nights of our trip were cloudy and the moon was already at a quarter.   In this image I choose a five minute exposure at f9 using a 35mm f2.8 Sony lens.  I put the camera in manual focus and working with the mirrorless camera bright LED screen locate a focus point.  I made a test exposure to determine sharp focus by setting a very high ISO using my F9 apeture. Once I was satisfied with the composition and that the image was in focus I placed an LED light inside of the bus to light the interior.  During the long exposure I walked around the bus with a flashlight at about a 90* angle to the axis of the camera.  It is important to use extreme angles of light to get contrast and details on the subject and surrounding ground.  It is best to try several diffent exposures to be certain that the final image has enough light for a proper exposure.  It is easy to be fooled by the bright LED screen at nighttime in thinking you have made a good image.  The best thing is to review the histogram to determine the exposure.  Although the stars were not out and the moon was coming up, the movement of the clouds added a new and unexpected demension to the image.  

Santee State Park

I made a stop in S.C. at Santee State Park while traveling back from up north.  I found an interesting swamp near by with some nice cypress trees.  After the sun had set I waded out through the swamp with my tripod and camera to look for an area to photograph.  The light at this time of day is soft and directional and provides nice detail in the scene.  This region of South Carolina has plenty of areas to explore and I hope to revisit it again to spend more time there.

Pemaquid Point

We recently spent some time in the state of Maine.  We chose late fall for our trip knowing that the tourist season would be over and we could have all the wonderful lobster dinners to ourselves. The irregular coastline of Maine with it's many back bays sometimes looks more a land of lakes than a ocean shoreline.  One place that I like to photograph is at Pemaquid Point.  This is the location of the Pemaquid lighthouse that sits on the rugged rock shoreline.  I am fascinated with the shapes and contours of the rocky coast in this area.  I made this image long after sunset with very little available light left for photography.  I often prefer this soft light to bring out the details that would normally be lost in the bright sunshine.  The reflective light from the open sky makes the white boulder glow against the darker surrounding rock.  

Little Gator

I was honored to have this image win an award in the Nature & Wildlife Art Exhibition held at St. Augistine Arts Association Gallery.  I made this image in May of this year at Manatee Spring. Florida.  I enjoy photographing from a kayak because I am able to get back in area that otherwise would be difficult to access. 

Evening Light

I live near Blue Cypress Lake in Florida.  It is a wonderful wilderness area that has plenty of wildlife.  I enjoy kayaking along the shore of the lake where there are numerous tall cypress trees that stand in the water.  My little kayak is equipped with an electric trolling motor to reduce the amount of paddling I need to do when I am out photographing.  My camera of choice for this type of photography is the Sony A7R11 because of the five axis in camera stabilization system the camera has.  I like to use a Zeiss Batis 18mm or Sony 16~35mm zoom lens when I am out on the water.  Both lenses are ideal for these kind of images because it lets me include a lot of sky and water in the image.  I am always fascinated with these majestic trees that stand alone surrounded by water. 

Barnafoss Waterfall, Iceland

I made this image of a waterfall in Iceland in the month of May.  The daylight hours are nearly twenty four hours a day at that time of year.  This image was made after 10:30 p.m. and there was plenty of daylight to keep photographing well beyond that time of day.  It is easy to forget the the late hour and push yourself well beyond your limits to keep traveling and exploring new areas to photograph.  The light in Iceland is constantly changing and creates the opportunity for some dramatic images.  I hope to return to this wonderful land and continue to find new and interesting landscapes to photograph.