Downtown Los Angeles Skyline and 110 Freeway at Dusk, California

I never thought I’d shoot something like this in L.A. but it was quite fun surprisingly! It is very noisy here above the Harbor Freeway as you might imagine. I’m fortunate that I brought along the 17-35mm lens because the 24-70mm lens wasn’t wide enough to capture the traffic and buildings all in the same frame. By the way, the building in the center of the image, the U.S. Bank Tower, is the largest building in California and west of the Mississippi River for that matter.

I had seen a number of pictures taken from this area but wasn’t quite sure where it was so I used Google Earth to track this spot down. So this is the first image that I’ve made as a result of Google Earth and not the last for sure. Using the “clock” feature, I was able to determine that the best light would be from sunset to dusk due to the remaining natural light reflecting against the skyscrapers. It is definitely a very powerful program.

See more of my Los Angeles pictures.

Crystal Cove State Park Coastline, California

On Friday night, I walked out onto the scenic vista at Pelican Point, Crystal Cove State Park before heading back to the trail when I passed this couple pushing their baby in the stroller to the scenic vista. I didn’t think anything of it until I rounded the corner below when the other people going back up the trail started pointing “Oh how sweet! He is proposing to her! Yay!” I missed the first part but saw them kissing so I’m sure that there really was a proposal.

So if either of you find my blog, a framed 16×24 print of this photo is on me. Let’s spread the word.

Cheers.

P.S. I’m still searching for my Crystal. :-p

See more of my Crystal Cove State Park pictures.

Lala's Argentine Grill, Studio City, California

I’m just getting over the flu which I’ve had since I got the 5D Mark II. Needless to say, I haven’t had many chances to test it out. So I brought the camera along last week and snapped a few high ISO photos indoors at Lala’s Argentine Grill in Studio City. Since there was a lot of shadows in the scene and lit primarily by window light I had to crank the camera up to ISO 3200 at f4, 1/45 sec. for the above photo. It wasn’t enough depth of field for the background so I cranked it up even further to ISO 12800 so I could use f5.6 at 1/90 sec. Check out the detailed crop below after I ran it through Noise Ninja.

Canon 5D Mark II, ISO 12800, f5.6, 1/90 sec. + Noise Ninja

This is ridiculous! ISO 12800 doesn’t look that great straight out of camera but is definitely publishable quality after running it through a noise reduction program like Noise Ninja. It would have been impossible to imagine shooting photos at ISO 12800 or 25600 even a year or two ago much less back in 2002. With all of this advanced technology comes this sense of freedom to achieve whatever you want anytime you want with a camera.

Happy Independence Day!

Sunset Clouds over White Mountains, Round Valley, California

If you’re in the San Francisco area on Sunday July 5th at 6 p.m., then check out the hour-long documentary on KQED Channel 9, Pete McCloskey: Leading from the Front. Pete McCloskey, a former California Republican Congressman, is best known for co-authoring the Endangered Species Act in 1973.

The above image from the Eastern Sierras was licensed for the project.

Since giving the nature photography lecture at the Sierra Club in March, I had been looking for ways to get parts of my presentation online. It wasn’t until I picked up the Canon 5D Mark II recently that I was able to figure out how to put all of the pieces together. I get a little chuckle out of that too because before I got the camera I was thinking how the HD video was more for marketing the camera than it was for actual professional use and how I wasn’t going to bother with it. That thought quickly got dispelled as soon as I tried out video mode because it is pretty awesome!

There were some issues with getting the video formatted for the web since the video was initially optimized for wide-screen HD TV’s. Also some of the footage I intended to include was unrenderable by my computer so I had to use an alternative clip. Either way, putting this together has been a learning experience. Hope you enjoy the video.

1. Ansel Adams - The grandfather of landscape photography. He is the one nature photographer that transcends the genre and even photography for that matter. His images are so well-known that photographers and tourists-alike are still trying to fill his tripod holes 60 - 70 years after his most famous images were made. Perhaps his greatest legacy were his environmental conservation efforts with the Sierra Club that led to creation of Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks among other areas, and also the art education institutions that he helped to create.

2. Galen Rowell - A well-rounded photojournalist with a special ability to connect with a vast audience through his writings, Rowell influenced countless photographers in multiple genres beginning with rock climbing, wilderness adventure and then eventually landscape photography in the 2nd half of his career. The list of current working photographers that have followed in his footsteps reads like a who’s who in outdoor adventure and landscape photography and number too many to list. He was one of the first to utilize 35mm cameras exclusively in outdoor photography and popularized the use of graduated neutral-density filters.

3. William Henry Jackson - One of the early pioneers of landscape photography, Jackson’s photos were instrumental in the creation of the National Parks system beginning with Yellowstone National Park in 1872. Not to go unmentioned should be the fact that this was essentially the first of a long-tradition of using nature photography as a catalyst for environmental conservation efforts.

4. Eliot Porter - In contrast with Ansel Adams’ big landscape style, Porter’s photos were more “quiet” and focused on the intimate landscape scenes that are easily overlooked. It is easy to overlook his body of work of postcard views but one needs to only look at the photographers that he influenced to see that his work has left a lasting impact. Photographers including William Neill and Charlie Cramer have styles that bear a strong resemblance to Porter’s vision. His most famous body of work is arguably the book, In Wildness Is the Preservation of the World.

5. David Muench - Like Ansel Adams did with black and white landscape photography a generation prior, Muench is synonymous with color landscape photography. The now-cliche’d use of prominent foreground elements leading the eye through the frame to the background in the distance was a style that Muench became known for back in the 50’s and 60’s. You would walk into any library or bookstore in America in the past 40 years and be hard-pressed to not see his books or calendars even if you don’t know his name.

6. Carleton Watkins - Created some of the earliest known images of Yosemite National Park which helped to spark interest in the western landscape.

7. Philip Hyde - A top Sierra Club photographer in the 50 - 70’s, Hyde’s photography was instrumental in campaigns to save southwestern landscapes from flooding due to dams including the Grand Canyon and Dinosaur National Monument which led to the birth of the modern environmental movement. A number of leading nature photographers cite him as an inspiration for their life’s work.

8. Robert Glenn Ketchum - He is arguably the most prominent conservation photographer working today. His photography is actively used to further environmental causes in the American political system. His aerial photography of Alaskan landscapes are especially stunning.

9. John Shaw - The author of several best-selling nature photography how-to books he is often credited with helping beginning photographers to improve their photography and is still a leading figure in the workshop market today.

10. Arthur Morris - A sign of an influential photographer is one that is often imitated, and one would be hard-pressed to see any bird photography that doesn’t bear Morris’ influence. He is arguably the most prolific bird photographer of all-time and runs a successful birding workshop business.

Honorable Mentions: Art Wolfe, David Doubilet, Subhankar Banerjee

I tried my best to remove my bias from creating this list by judging solely on resume and lasting impact on future generations of photographers. It is no secret that Galen Rowell was my biggest influence in photography but even if he weren’t, I would probably still rank him in a similar fashion. I’m also a fan of many more contemporary photographers so perhaps in ten years there might be some new names on this list that reflect the digital era. On the flip side, just because they are on this list doesn’t necessarily mean that I am a fan of their photography either but their accomplishments deserve to be recognized. With that said, I believe that valid arguments could be made for the ordering of any of the top four photographers on this list.

I’m interested in hearing what others think and if you think anyone has been left out. So if you would like to participate, then feel free to leave your list within the comments or create a blog post on your blog with your own list of most influential nature photographers and include the relevant link in the comment section.

So feel free to check out this new section of my blog. I will be updating it with more gear eventually.

New Mexico State Capitol, Santa Fe, New Mexico

As the only round capitol in the United States, the New Mexico State Capitol building has a unique look. As such, it also doesn’t really stand out as being “the capitol” building either when you are walking around Santa Fe. Perhaps because the city is blessed with such historic architecture that it just kind of blends in. They have an interesting way of lighting up the building at night though.

See more of my New Mexico pictures.

Bull Head Skulls, Santa Fe, New Mexico

The weather didn’t cooperate for long in Santa Fe as I had time to briefly walk around the Plaza and Canyon Road before a heavy thunderstorm complete with hail and lighting arrived. Having no umbrella I must have spent 2+ hours in a cafe and the underhang of a retirement home just to avoid getting struck by lightning on the way back to my car. It was scared (poop)-less to say the least. This was one of the few pictures I managed to take.

See more of my New Mexico pictures.

Chapel and US Flags at Vietnam Veterans Memorial State Park, Angel Fire, New Mexico

Heading up to the Vietnam Veterans Memorial turned out to be my best decision of the entire trip. It just felt right to photograph this on Memorial Day weekend. The only other person there was this vet who I spoke with briefly. He seemed like a real nice guy. Neither of us realized that the chapel was open 24 hours so that was kind of a bummer to find out later but this was definitely a great morning to be out and about. It is not hard to wake up at 4:30 a.m. when you are near a place like this.

See more of my New Mexico pictures.

Sangre de Cristo Mountains Sunrise, Moreno Valley, New Mexico

I would be posting a picture of the San Francisco de Asis Church in Rancho de Taos right now but my sunrise photo shoot never materialized. I got up before 5 a.m. and drove over to the church expecting to see some flood lights illuminating the exterior but that was not to be. The sky behind the Sangre de Cristos was already starting to get brighter and I had no idea what to do as a backup plan. So I must have driven past the church two or three times vacsillating between the Rio Grande River or the bridge again before deciding to just head up the mountains which I had never been before and saw a sign for the Vietnam Veterans Memorial State Park 30 miles away or so. I figured what the heck, Memorial Day is tomorrow and I probably am going to be out of place to catch any great sunrise light so lets just go for a long early morning drive with no expectations. Somehow I got lucky and made it there just in time to catch the tail end of the sunrise alpenglow.

The memorial is located on a little hill above Moreno Valley so there were some spectacular views from up there because the valley is largely undeveloped. The landscape actually reminded me of the Flagstaff area which is one of my favorite places in the southwest. I made this photo just after pulling into the parking lot.

See more of my New Mexico pictures.

Teresina Lane, Taos Plaza, New Mexico

After having spent at awesome day at Santa Fe Plaza two years ago during a business trip, I was expecting Taos Plaza to be at least equally as cool. A friend of mine had talked about Taos quite a bit also in the past so that added to the expectations. Turns out that I really didn’t find Taos Plaza to be interesting at all. I took two snapshots of the statue in the middle of the plaza but that was about it.  This little side alley with southwestern style window bars caught my eye however so I waited around until after everyone cleared out of the scene before taking a few photos. The rain started up again right after this so I didn’t get to do any night photography like I had intended to.

See more of my New Mexico pictures.

So here are the results from my detail / sharpness test:

5D MKII, Canon 24-70mm L Lens, 24mm, f16, 1.6 sec, ISO 100

5D MKII, Tamron 17-35mm @ 24mm, f16, 1.6 sec, ISO 100

f16 Center Sharpness: These crops were from the center of the images, which the Canon 24-70mm lens is showing more detail in the rocks and higher overall contrast. This could make a big difference for large prints (16 x 24 and larger) and for murals. Most important if you have a picky stock photo agency then any image from this lens combination should pass quality control no matter how detailed the image. Also keep in mind that most images won’t place such a great emphasis on small details such as this forest scene.

Priced at nearly $1,000 less than the Canon 24-70mm lens, the Tamron 17-35mm lens is not bad at all when it comes to center sharpness though less capable of revealing the fine detail in the rocks. Neither lens has any visible chromatic aberration in the center of the image.

Canon 24-70mm lens detail crop

Tamron 17-35mm lens detail crop

f16 Corner Sharpness: This is where the most obvious difference between the two lenses are. While both lenses are showing a fair amount of chromatic aberration in the corners, the Tamron lens looks like a blurry picture whereas the corner detail from the Canon lens is still looks like that of the same image for the most part.

Canon 24-70mm corner sharpness

Tamron 17-35mm corner sharpness

Canon 24-70mm lens at 24mm, f8, .8 sec, ISO

Tamron 17-35mm lens at 24mm, f8, .6 sec, ISO

f8 Center Sharpness: There isn’t much difference in center sharpness between the two lenses at f8 which one of the sharpest apertures for most lenses.

Center Crop of 5D Mark II, Canon 24-70mm @ 24mm, f8, .8 sec, ISO 100

Center Crop of 5D Mark II, Tamron 17-35mm Lens at 24mm, f8, .6 sec, ISO 100

f8 Corner Sharpness: As for corner sharpness however, there is no contest. The Canon 24-70mm lens maintains sharpness throughout the frame. The Tamron is unusable for landscape photography at f8.

Corner Crop of 5D Mark II, Canon 24-70mm lens at 24mm, f8, .8 sec, ISO 100

Corner crop of 5D MKII, Tamron 17-35mm lens at 24mm, f8, .6 sec, ISO 100

Conclusion: If you are a landscape photographer with any intentions of selling your work professionally then you should pay whatever money you need to in order to get a great lens. It doesn’t make sense to buy a $3,000 camera and worry about what the lenses cost. People often get this part wrong. It should be the inverse, buy the best lens you can afford then upgrade the camera whenever you have the money to do so. The greatest camera in the world can’t produce detail the lens is incapable of producing. Also, the income you will lose out on in marketable images is much more than the difference in what lens cost.

The Tamron lens is an awesome walk-around lens on crop sensor cameras such as the Canon 50D but on a full-frame camera the corner sharpness is just unacceptable at 24mm. The Canon 24-70mm lens is definitely worth the money but I would be interested in comparing it with wide angle prime lenses to see if this is really as good as it gets. I didn’t want the more versatile Canon 24-105mm IS lens packaged with the 5D Mark II because I knew that it would suffer from the same issues as the Tamron 17-35mm lens on a full-frame camera if not worse in some regards at the widest settings.

As for the Tamron 17-35mm lens, I will probably only use this lens on the 5D Mark II as an ultra wide angle for seascapes at f16 where fine details are less obvious or if I need to cut weight for a hike. I am also going to do a barrel distortion test at the beach in the near future with these same two lenses to confirm my conclusions from this test.

I took the camera out to a local park in the foothills for my first official test run. I clearly have a lot to learn about videography. (I’m not even in focus!)

Taking a break from New Mexico blog posts, tomorrow’s blog post will probably be of interest to my photographer friends who are thinking about purchasing a 5D MKII so stay tuned.

Rainbow over Sangre de Cristo Mountains, Taos County, New Mexico

Sangre de Cristo when translated to english means, “Blood of Christ.”

See more of my New Mexico pictures.

Rio Grande Gorge, New Mexico, USA

Visiting the Rio Grande Gorge wasn’t in my plans initially but since I got rained out of Taos my options were to either sleep the rest of the day away or drive to the gorge and just take a look regardless if I took any photos or not. It turned out to be a good decision as it stopped raining for about 20 minutes when I first got there.

I’ll let you in on a little secret… I am terrified of heights! As you can tell, the bridge is located way above the Rio Grande River… So I nervously walked out onto the bridge without my camera gear. I couldn’t even look over the edge and had to walk along the far edge of the sidewalk just looking straight. It was embarrassing to say the least. I made it to the middle and briefly looked over the edge before returning back to the car to retrieve my camera gear.

I don’t know what it was about the 2nd time crossing the bridge but I wasn’t nervous anymore. No clammy hands, no holding my breath, nothing but pure eye contact with the gorge. Perhaps it was because I had a Sierra Club backpack on this time that gave me super powers to conquer my fears or maybe something just clicked that said, “No pain, no gain.” Whatever it was, the Rio Grande Gorge is awesome.

See more of my New Mexico pictures.

Plant on Turquoise Doorway, Taos, New Mexico

I am drawn to old architectural styles much more than the modern stuff you will see out on the west coast. I managed to get this photo during a brief window of time when it wasn’t raining outside. On one hand it was nice to get diffused lighting on all of my subjects while on the other hand, rain isn’t good for the camera gear…

See more of my New Mexico pictures.

Christian Cross Atop St. Jerome Chapel, Taos Pueblo, New Mexico

St. Jerome Chapel at Taos Pueblo is one of the most photographed landmarks in the southwest but I preferred the simple composition of focusing on the cross hinting at an incoming storm of biblical proportions.

See more of my New Mexico pictures.

U.S. Flag Hanging on Door, Taos Pueblo, New Mexico

I felt a strong sense of irony when I saw the U.S. flag hanging within the door frame of a home at Taos Pueblo. To give a little background, right before I photographed this flag, the tour guide had been gleefully talking about how their sacred Blue Lake had been taken over by the U.S. and placed it under the National Parks system in the early 20th century. After years of legal fighting, the territory was returned back to the Red Willow people and is now only accessible to their people.

“Well god bless you.”, was the response from one of the tourists.

See more of my New Mexico pictures.