Stalking Light Photography

noreply@blogger.com (Charlie Choc) — Sun, 19 Feb 2012 23:36:00 +0000

Finally got around to wiring the trailer for solar, again with the help of my sons. The nose cone now has a nice connection on the outside to plug the solar panel into and the solar controller is inside the nose cone.

That completes all the wiring I wanted to get done before the upcoming southwest trip.

Now all that needs to be done is reorganize the trailer contents and redo the trailer weather seal.;-)

noreply@blogger.com (Charlie Choc) — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 23:00:00 +0000

Got the wiring harness with the solar controller built and installed in the FJ Sunday with the help of a couple of my 'boys'. I also built the cable to connect between the vehicle and the 60w solar panel and got around to testing it today. All tested out fine and the next step is to do the same thing for the deep cycle battery in the trailer.

The FJ has a 40qt Engle fridge/freezer and, on days when I am not driving I will use the solar panel to keep the fridge from draining the deep cycle battery in the vehicle, and on other days I will use it to keep the deep cycle battery in the trailer topped off. I use the battery in the trailer mostly for battery charging and running the 17" MBP off an inverter. The MBP is a power hungry beast and likes the battery fully charged. :) I also use the trailer battery for the 12V LED lighting we installed in the tent for book reading before bed.

Really looking forward to getting the setup out on the road for an extended trip. ;-)

noreply@blogger.com (Charlie Choc) — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 17:14:00 +0000

Is high ISO performance a requirement for landscape photography? Most would say no, and I would agree that it is not a requirement, but I also think it is a very important thing to consider when selecting a camera for landscapes.

Now that Nikon has announced the D800 and D800E many folks are attracted to it for landscapes, and I admit I am one of them. The feature set is impressive enough that it is obvious it is not an iteration above the D700 but in fact a whole new camera. Two things cause me a little concern, though: the reduction in high ISO performance compared to the D700 and D3s, and the 36MP image size.

The increased image size can be dealt with by getting a faster computer with more disk space, but there are cases even in landscape photography that, if it were not for the high ISO performance of the D3s and D700 I might have had to pass up a number of shot opportunities.

The image here is one of those. I like this scene and whenever the flowers are blooming I can't resist taking this shot, but when I was there last year it was very windy all the time and the flowers were constantly in motion. This particular shot with a D3s was 1/250 sec at f/22 to both stop the flower motion and get the DOF I wanted. To get this combination of f stop and shutter speed, though, I bumped the ISO to 2500. With the D3s I can get away with this, as I can with the D700, and I am curious to see how the D800 will perform in similar situations.

For now, though, I will satisfy my curiosity by looking at the photos of others, since I can't afford to take the plunge just to scratch that itch. ;-) I won't be surprised, however, if I end up convincing myself that I absolutely can't get along without one. :)

noreply@blogger.com (Charlie Choc) — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 15:15:00 +0000

Plans for this spring's southwest trip in March and April are shaping up. We'll be hitting some new spots as well as some old favorites this year.

We'll start out with a little Natchez Trace and then on to Big Bend for a few days, then White Sands and Saguaro. We'll swing by Adventure Trailers for a quick visit then a few days in Mojave, followed by Death Valley and then Zion.

After Zion we'll spend some time around Page visiting White Pocket and Coyote Buttes South (entered the lottery for Coyote Buttes North but no luck). Then to Cedar Mesa for a day or two and then on up to Moab. Depending on the weather we might also swing by Dinosaur and Echo Park before heading back.

Going to tray a bit more off road camping this year, and have added a dual battery setup and solar to the FJ and trailer.

Should be back in plenty of time for some spring trips to the Smokies as well. :)

noreply@blogger.com (Charlie Choc) — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 13:23:00 +0000

Had some fun this past week with a rented 600mm lens in the Smokies and at the Hiwassee WR. The lens takes some getting used to and the lighting conditions weren't always the best, but I got a few images that I'm not too ashamed of.

I rented from lensrentals.com and, based on the cost of renting vs buying and the frequency that I need that long a lens, renting seems to be the way to go.

noreply@blogger.com (Charlie Choc) — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 13:12:00 +0000

Testing blog posting from iPhone.

noreply@blogger.com (Charlie Choc) — Sat, 03 Dec 2011 16:53:00 +0000

Another long spell with no entries. With all the various social media and photography sites it's difficult to remember what I've posted, where and when. ;-)

Google+ seems to really be taking off, I've had over 9000 people circle me there and over 1000 on my Stalking Light G+ page. I've had my FB page much longer and 550 'likes' there. Then of course there are 500px and flickr.

I've been planning out my spring southwest trip and it's shaping up to be a nice one. We'll head out driving a bit of the Natchez Trace, then on to Big Bend and White Sands. After that we'll stop in Tempe for a couple of days before heading up to the Mojave and then Death Valley. From there on to southern Utah to visit Zion and then to see the backcountry sites around Kanab and Page before wandering up to Cedar Mesa and maybe Escalante, Capitol Reef, etc. on the way to Moab.

I put in for a Coyote Buttes North permit via lottery and will try and get a permit for Coyote Buttes South when they come available online in January. We also want to visit White Pocket at the same time. It's going to be a fun trip.

Hope everyone had a nice thanksgiving and is having fun getting ready for the holidays. We have finished our shopping for our 'adopted' family and filled a couple of stockings for some 'elderly' women; generally the 'elderly' folks in need are actually younger than we are but we really enjoy shopping for them.

Here's a belated Thanksgiving shot:

noreply@blogger.com (Charlie Choc) — Wed, 02 Nov 2011 13:50:00 +0000

Just got back from a week in the Smokies. The colors were past peak in most places but I was able to squeeze a few images out of the shots I took:

noreply@blogger.com (Charlie Choc) — Wed, 19 Oct 2011 21:43:00 +0000

Been way too long since I've posted an entry.

Got the blahs for the hot weather here, got caught up in Google+ and then my son's wedding and a rip to Yosemite, Kings Canyon and Sequoia.

Enough excuses, here are a few images from the trip:

noreply@blogger.com (Charlie Choc) — Thu, 25 Aug 2011 17:51:00 +0000

Still ridiculously hot and humid here, too much so for any camping trips or even hikes.

I'm really liking the TC17E-II teleconverter I got; works great with both my 105mm macro and 70-200mm VR II. With the 70-200mm and it on my D3s it makes a nice butterfly chaser, except that there are almost no butterflies around this year.

Here's a couple of shots of a swallowtail that came by today, hopefully it will cool down soon and more will show up.

noreply@blogger.com (Charlie Choc) — Tue, 16 Aug 2011 17:37:00 +0000

If anyone wants a invite to Google+ go here. I had this posted on my FB page but realized that FB blocks the sharing of invitation links from Google+.

noreply@blogger.com (Charlie Choc) — Sun, 14 Aug 2011 16:43:00 +0000

Another butterfly blundered into the garden this morning, this one an easter black swallowtail. So far this year I'v only seen two swallowtails and a bunch of skippers, hope some more show up soon.

noreply@blogger.com (Charlie Choc) — Tue, 09 Aug 2011 12:50:00 +0000

Here's a couple more shots from yesterday in the garden. Taken with a 70-200mm VR II with TC-17E II on a D3s.

noreply@blogger.com (Charlie Choc) — Mon, 08 Aug 2011 17:41:00 +0000

Other than the odd skipper this is the first butterfly I've seen in our garden this year.

noreply@blogger.com (Charlie Choc) — Sun, 07 Aug 2011 11:23:00 +0000

Been playing around with Google+ too much, I'm almost forgetting to get out and shoot. Here's a couple of shots of a katydid nymph on a hibiscus I got in the yard yesterday.

noreply@blogger.com (Charlie Choc) — Fri, 29 Jul 2011 21:50:00 +0000

Been playing around with Google+ lately and must say I like it - as do a lot of other photographers. There is a pretty large community going on there now and a lot of great photos and tips being shared. You can find me there at this link.

Google+ and Blogger both use Picasa for photo sharing, so I'm going to link to some of the photos I have been posting there.

These are some from my 'Smokies' album.

noreply@blogger.com (Charlie Choc) — Wed, 20 Jul 2011 22:22:00 +0000

Some more shots from the butterfly shoot at the CNC. I think for my next visit I'll add my 1.4 TC to the 70-200 so I won't have to crop so tightly. In another few weeks there should be a lot more butterflies, I haven't seen any monarchs at all around yet for example.

noreply@blogger.com (Charlie Choc) — Tue, 19 Jul 2011 23:05:00 +0000

Went on a photo shoot at the Chattahoochee Nature Center this morning, mainly targeting butterflies. The event was organized by the Georgia Nature Photographers Association.

There weren't a lot of butterflies there yet but it was a nice outing and I got a few shots I'm not too ashamed of.

noreply@blogger.com (Charlie Choc) — Tue, 19 Jul 2011 23:00:00 +0000

Went for a trip to Jekyll Island over the weekend and had a nice time. Here's a couple of shots from the north end of Driftwood Beach. I found out after we got back that we were in the wrong place, but it was still fun.

noreply@blogger.com (Charlie Choc) — Mon, 11 Jul 2011 11:25:00 +0000

Took some more shots in the yard yesterday.

Looking forward to heading down to Jekyll this weekend, and hopefully swing by the Okefenokee too.

noreply@blogger.com (Charlie Choc) — Thu, 30 Jun 2011 17:31:00 +0000

Still practicing in the garden with my 105mm macro. Lots of bees around but only a few butterflies so far, and they are small and don't sit still long enough to get good shots. I expect more butterflies will start showing up as July progresses.

noreply@blogger.com (Charlie Choc) — Fri, 24 Jun 2011 16:01:00 +0000

It's been so hot and humid lately it's hard to get inspired to go camping, so I've just been hanging around the house occasionally shooting with the 105mm macro.

When I shoot landscape I typically want all the depth of field I can get and shooting macro, like wildlife, is a different story. Even in landscape, using DOF to isolate a subject can make for some powerful images, so it's good for me to practice at apertures less than f/16 once in a while. :)

Here's a few I've shot lately. The high key one was more or less an accident since I had the D3s set on spot metering, but I kind of liked the effect.

noreply@blogger.com (Charlie Choc) — Mon, 13 Jun 2011 14:35:00 +0000

Went to the Georgia Aquarium yesterday as a part of a GNPA (www.gnpa.org) group. We were able to go in an hour before the aquarium opened to the public and then later get access to the ballroom viewing window into the tank with the belugas.

Aquarium photography is something I had never really tried before and it has a number of challenges - low light, weird white balance, tough to auto-focus due to low contrast, reflections, etc. I shot with my D3s and 28-300mm VR lens, sometimes at ISO up to 6400. I also had my 17-35 and 70-200 lenses along, but never did use either one. I wish I had done as I originally planned, and brought my 28-70 in place of the 28-300 so I could have shot more wide open, and I probably should have switched to my 17-35 in a few places for a wider view. All things to remember for next time. I did get a rubber lens hood before the trip and that came in handy for pressing up close to the 'glass' to eliminate reflections, so at least I got that part right. I'm glad I didn't bother bringing my tripod since pretty much everything was moving and long exposures were just going to be a lot of blurred creatures.

Here are a few of the better shots I got, all are pretty grainy due to the high ISO.

noreply@blogger.com (Charlie Choc) — Tue, 07 Jun 2011 11:07:00 +0000

Went up to Cades Cove in the Smokies for a planned overnight the week before Memorial Day but the wind blew a tree down just behind our campsite around 9pm, so the dog and I decided to pack up and drive back home.

Heading up again tomorrow for another overnight, winds supposed to be light so hopefully no trees down, but it will be brutally hot and much more crowded. I just love watching parents encourage their kinds to run up close and see the bears. :(

Here are a few shots from the last trip:

noreply@blogger.com (Charlie Choc) — Fri, 20 May 2011 19:34:00 +0000

Kind of got lazy and didn't post for a while.

Am back home now and still going through the images from my trip. Not as many as I would have liked since the wind was an issue pretty much the entire trip and many of the compositions I like have at least some foliage, so long exposures and HDR shots were not possible for the most part. Weather is always an issue on a photo trip, of course, but this is the only one I can recall where the wind was so relentless - I think we had maybe one or two days of 10-15mph winds and the rest were 20-30 with gusts as high as 55mph. I understand it is still cool and rainy out there, so definitely a weird weather year. And then there were the tent caterpillars in Zion; if you stood or sad for 30 seconds or more they would be coming up your legs - they were everywhere, just raining from the trees. And maybe the most depressing is that someone apparently concluded they were more entitled to the D ring shackle on the back of my trailer than I was. It's less than $15, but it's the first time I can recall having anything stolen in a campground.

All in all, though, it was a good trip. I visited some of my old favorites and explored a few new ones. I keep telling myself that 'next year' I want to do more back country camping - maybe next year will be that 'next year'. If I can stay farther off the beaten path I will be less tempted to shoot the same things again and again. ;-)

Here's a few more shots from the trip. I spent a lot of time shooting the Organ with the flowers in the foreground, and finally made it the the House on Fire ruin, albeit too late in the morning to get the best light or much choice of a spot to setup since there was already a crowd there.