August 17, 2010
G’day Everyone,
We’ve recently returned from another outstanding Tom Jordan Memorial Boreal Coast Tour and rather than extolling the photo opportunities of this tour, let me simply show you a couple of the images I harvested this year and let our esteemed participants offer their commentary. By the way, if you’re still wondering about the name of this tour, you’ll have to either 1) come on the tour or 2) purchase my memoir – http://www.sojournsinnature.com/store.php#Nesting. 
Also, while the Blue Ox Moose Tour is filled, there’s still some room for additional participants in the upcoming Fall Foliage Magical Mystery Tour – http://www.sojournsinnature.com/fallfoliageworkshop.php. Come join us to capture New England’s autumn grandeur.
Atlantic Puffin in Flight with Fish
Canon EOS 1-D Mark II N
Canon EF 70-200mm f/4 L IS USM lens at 200mm with 1.4x teleconverter
1/2500″ @ f/8, .33 EC, ISO 400
evaluative metering, aperture priority
IS mode 2, CF 17 at automatic 13 pt. expansion
handheld
Read more…
Posted by Gustav under Hot Shots,Maine,Workshops & Tours | Comments (4)
July 18, 2010
G’day Everyone,
After the Grand Canyon, the tour headed south, stopping for a sunset shot of Cathedral Rock in Sedona before returning to Phoenix to overnight and depart for home the following morning. At Sedona, I hugged and kissed my wife, Cheryl, goodbye, bid everyone else farewell, and instead of accompanying everyone to Phoenix, I climbed into Eliot Scher’s rented Grand Cherokee and the two of us headed for Kayenta and Monument Valley.
Cathedral Rock at Sunset
Canon EOS 1-D Mark II N
Canon EF 17-40mm f/4 L USM lens at 25mm
6″ @ f/22, +.67 EC, ISO 100; aperture priority, evaluative metering
Moose warming polarizer and Lee – 1.5 GND filters
Gitzo GT3541LS tripod with Manfrotto 3047 head
cable release, mirror lockup
Read more…
Posted by Gustav under American West,Workshops & Tours | Comments (4)
June 21, 2010
G’day Everyone,
One would think that leading an exclusively landscape photography tour in Arizona, the off chance of spotting a California Condor or Elk notwithstanding, would be a piece of cake. Heck, it should even be easier than photographing fall foliage in New England since, after all, fall colors are ephemeral and tumble to the ground within a few days after turning and, as unlikely as it seems, one can actually miss peak autumn color! (Believe me, I ought to know.) But the rain-bowed rocks and famed geological formations of the American southwest – the buttes, mesas, canyons, and arches, well, they aren’t tumbling down or losing their vermilions and ochres and burnt oranges anytime soon, unless you’re a geologist and consider, say, five million years “soon”. Yes, one would think that getting world-class images of these locations is as easy as, well, pointing and shooting. Yet, as I stepped out of the Phoenix airport into the blistering desert sun and looked up at the absolutely cloudless sky I was reminded that even though stationary rock formations don’t run off or fly away like mammals and birds and insects or wave in the breeze like flowers, my coleader, Arizona photographer, Ed Taube, and I would still have to work hard to send our participants home with some prize photographs.
Sunset at Yavapai Point, Grand Canyon National Park
Canon EOS 1-D Mark II N
Canon EF 17-40mm f/4 L USM lens at 21mm
f/20 @ 1/15″, ISO 100, -1/3 ec
Lee -1.5 GND & #2 Coral GND warming filters
evaluative metering, aperture priority
Gitzo GT3541LS tripod, cable release, mirror lockup
Read more…
Posted by Gustav under American West,Landscapes,Workshops & Tours | Comments (0)
March 28, 2010
This image was taken 20 minutes after sunset, on an unusually calm evening, on the shores of Lake of Two Mountains in L’Ile Bizard, Quebec – just a few kilometers from where I live.
When shooting sunsets, it’s worthwhile to wait a 15-30 minutes after the sun has dipped below the horizon to see what happens. The wind usually dies down, the sky can take on some beautiful & rich colors, and the lower contrast between land and sky is easier to control.
I really love this type of image - the simplified composition, calm water and pastel colors convey a sense of tranquility and calm. I hope you like it too.
The colors are “real”, and obtained by stacking three separate filters: a Singh-Ray 4-stop Neutral Density filter to slow the exposure to 20 seconds, a 3-stop Graduated Neutral Density filter to darken the bright sky, and a polarizer to eliminate the shine off the wet rocks and to help see through the water’s surface.
Image specs:
- Canon EOS 5D Mark II
- Canon EF 17-40mm f/4 L USM at 21mm
- f/13, 20 seconds, ISO 200
- Singh-Ray 3-stop hard GND, Singh-Ray 4-stop ND and B+W polarizer mounted on a Lee Filter System
- Gitzo GT3541LS tripod with RRS BH-55 ballhead, mirror lockup, cable release
- Processed with Adobe Camera Raw 5.x
Please leave a comment, either positive or negative – it’s always appreciated. If you’re interested in purchasing a print of this image, please let me know.
See you in the field,
Rob
Posted by Rob under Filters,Hot Shots,L'Ile Bizard (Quebec),Quebec | Comments (5)
January 31, 2010
In the colder North American climate, such as found in southern Quebec and Vermont, Mother Nature puts up an incredible display of colors in September and October. For many us landscape photographers, this 2-3 week period of fiery fall colors is the most productive, exciting and stimulating time of the year. This makes the arrival of November all the more difficult to accept: cold weather, gray skies, rain, snow, drab colors – probably the worst month for nature photography around here… In December, the cold weather arrives, and winter slowly settles, putting an icy grip over the regions.
At this time of year, many people imitate bears and head indoors to “hibernate” until the arrival of warmer spring weather. Nature photographers tend to spend more time in front of their computers, working on articles, preparing image submissions to Editors, while slowly packing on the pounds…
Ice Floe Sunset Over Lake of Two Mountains
Canon EOS 20D
Canon EF 17-40mm f/4 L USM lens at 17mm
1/13s (middle exposure), f/16, ISO 100
Hoya Moose Polarizer, Hitech 3-stop GND
3 exposure HDR image processed in Photomatix Read more…
Posted by Rob under L'Ile Bizard (Quebec),Landscapes,Musings,Quebec,Wildlife,Winter | Comments (13)
December 3, 2009
G’day Everyone,
It’s late afternoon on October 2 and our small group of Magical Mystery Tour participants are becoming acquainted over cheese and crackers and a little bit of wine provided by our wonderful host, Deb Godin, at the Lakeview Clubhouse in Eden. I glance out the window and notice that the crisp autumn light has mellowed so I muster everyone and we head over to my favorite fall foliage location, Belvidere Pond.
I’ve always bragged on Belvidere Pond, how it never lets me down, graciously offering me something to photograph nearly every time I visit it, from otters glissading on its frozen surface in winter or migrating geese relaxing on its glassy water during the spring migration, stunning fall foliage landscapes, to an occasional moose. Belvidere Pond has typically been the highlight not only for myself, but for many participants on the Fall Foliage Magical Mystery Tour. That’s high praise when one considers that the tour covers some of the most fabulous autumn scenery in all of New England, from the Green Mountains to the Kancamagus Highway in the Whites.
There was nothing special about the light that evening, on the contrary, it didn’t look that promising, what with the dark clouds on the horizon behind which the sun would soon disappear. There was really no reason to suspect that Belvidere Pond was about to yield up yet another incredible gem of a photo.
Autumn Splendor at Belvidere Pond
Canon EOS 1-D Mark II N
Canon EF 70-200mm f/4 L IS USM lens at 116mm
evaluative metering, aperture priority
3.2″ @ f/11, ISO 200
Moose 81A Polarizer
Gitzo GT3541LS tripod, cable release, mirror lockup
Read more…
Posted by Gustav under Fall,Fall Foliage,Landscapes,New Hampshire,Vermont,Workshops & Tours | Comments (2)
November 27, 2009
The grey, drizzly November weather we’re having is making think back and look at images taken in different seasons. I fell upon this one taken in May 2009, following record-high spring water levels. After many weeks of frustration caused by extremely high water, which robbed me of my usual shoreline compositions, the water finally receded dropping by about 6 feet in 1 month.
Still, the water line was still many feet above normal levels – the “seaweed” see in the foreground is actually grass, and the “aquatic plant” in the middle of the image is a dry-land bush…
In order to tame the very bright sky and properly expose the dark foreground, I used two GND filters, a 2-stop one just below the bush, and a 3-stop one at the horizon line.
Image specs:
- Canon EOS 5D Mark II
- Canon EF 17-40mm f/4 L USM at 31mm
- f/22, 4 seconds, ISO 50
- Singh-Ray 3-stop hard GND, Lee 2-stop hard GND, B+W polarizer
- Gitzo GT3541LS tripod with RRS BH-55 ballhead, cable release
Please leave a comment, either positive or negative – it’s always appreciated. If you’re interested in purchasing a print of this image, please let me know.
See you in the field,
Rob
Posted by Rob under Filters,Hot Shots,L'Ile Bizard (Quebec),Landscapes,Quebec,Spring | Comments (1)
November 8, 2009
“The Basin” area of Fraconia Notch State Park in New Hampshire is truly a beautiful place. The Pemigewasset River snakes through the park, creating many small waterfalls, rushing water… and endless compositions. This image was not particularly difficult to capture, the only tricky part was to get the full image (near to far) in good focus at 80mm. Oh, that and also having to wait a while until there was nobody on the bridge…
For me, there something peaceful, quiet and comforting about this image – the vibrant fall colors, the cold water, the little bridge that just invites people to cross it… I can still imagine the smell of pine trees in the air. I’ll need to go back there sometime soon, and this time, I want to spend a full day there, not just a few hours.
Image specs:
- Canon EOS 5D Mark II
- Canon EF 24-105mm f/4 L USM lens at 80mm
- f/16, 3.2 seconds, ISO 100
- Hoya Moose Polarizer filter
- Gitzo GT3541LS tripod with RRS BH-55 ballhead, cable release
Please leave a comment, either positive or negative – it’s always a good thing to get feedback on my work and my blog posts. If you’re interested in purchasing a print of this image, please let me know.
See you in the field,
Rob
Posted by Rob under Fall,Fall Foliage,Hot Shots,Landscapes,New Hampshire | Comments (6)
November 3, 2009
G’day everyone,
Spend, say, three days in Baxter State Park in Maine, especially in Spring or Fall, and you’re bound to encounter a moose. Though, on any given day, you could beat the bushes from the first glimmer of dawn until the last bit of twilight gutters without ever seeing Alces alces. I know. I’ve done it, as have many people. In fact, I spoke with a couple I met in the park during this year’s tour who told me they paid a professional guide $400.00 for one day to help them find a moose. They eagerly followed the guide to several dozen ponds, wallows, and wetlands throughout the park, in vain. The guide apologized and kept their money.
On the one hand, Baxter State Park, central Maine for that matter, is the moosiest area in all of New England. On the other hand, it’s a huge area with thousands of wetlands, ponds, and lakes where one might see a moose out in the open. The thing is that on any given day moose will indeed make an appearance in any of these areas. But not necessarily every day and not consitently in the same location. Question is, will you pick the same location a moose has chosen to visit on a particular day?
Bull Moose
Canon EOS 1-D Mark II N
Canon EF 300mm f/2.8 L IS USM lens with Canon 2x teleconverter
1/400″ @ f/5.6, ISO 400
Gitzo GT3541LS carbon fiber tripod with Wimberley Head
Read more…
Posted by Gustav under Fall,Fine Art Prints,Maine,Wildlife,Workshops & Tours | Comments (0)
November 1, 2009
The Basin at Franconia Notch State Park in New Hampshire is a beautiful place. So many subjects to shoot, so many different compositions for each subject. I could spend days and days in this one small area.
It was drizzly, cloudy and cold when I took this shot. It was worth the effort, but I certainly appreciated wearing my light gloves and hat…
A strong S-curve. An anchor at the top and another at the bottom. A few strong colors. A simple but elegant composition. Motion and stillness.
For those of you who are artists or have studied the art of compostion, you understand why the above image works. For those of you who like the image, but you don’t quite understand why, you’re on your way to understanding. For those of you who don’t get it… well, I can only hope you will understand one day.
There is beauty in simplicity. There is beauty in elegance. There is beauty in nature. I hope you see the beauty in this image.
Image specs:
- Canon EOS 5D Mark II
- Canon EF 24-105mm f/4 L USM lens at 35mm
- f/16, 0.6 seconds, ISO 100
- Hoya Moose Polarizer filter
- Gitzo GT3541LS tripod with RRS BH-55 ballhead, cable release
Rob
Posted by Rob under Fall,Hot Shots,Landscapes,New Hampshire | Comments (4)
