I absolutely love when we receive hoarfrost, but I am often too busy and unable to shoot it. This week we received a doozy dose of hoarfrost and I went out and captured what I could before it melted. This image was captured about 10 minutes prior to the start of the melt and then it was totally gone less than 1 hour later.

Canon 5D Mark II, 24 TS-E f/3.5L II, f/11, 1/320 sec.
Chalco Hills Recreation Area, Nebraska

Winter finally came to Nebraska and in my excitement, I grabbed my gear and headed to the nearest park, Chalco Hills. I hadn’t had my camera out for landscape work in quite a while, so I was eager to get started. Unfortunately, the roads were not the best so the park attendants told me I would have to park and hike if I wanted to stay. No problem, I had donned my warmest stuff and I headed down the first trail I found. As the cold snow came all around I happily snapped photos here and there of trees and bushes all adorned with an outline of white. After a couple of hours I finally felt I had enough, besides I had a driveway to clear. I one last photo (above), went back to the car, hurriedly put everything in and took off for home.

After shoveling the driveway, I began to unpack my gear and to my dismay my recently purchased Gitzo Tripod was missing! I quickly realized that in my hurried and tired state I had forgotten to put it in the car. As a matter of fact, I think I had forgotten it when I took my last shot!

I drove back to the park as fast as the conditions would allow, skidded into a parking space and ran down the hill to the last place I knew I had my tripod. Frantically, I look all over and started to uncover the snow. As I dug my loud cursing broke through the quiet solitude of the park.

Breathing heavily, I stopped for a minute and realized that my tracks were not the only ones there. Just ahead were snowshoe tracks that stopped where I believe I had left the tripod bag and then continued down the hill. I began a quick jog following the tracks all over the park. I continued to holler out for the owner of the tracks, but my yelps were only answer with a stiff, cold wind and blowing snow.

Begrudgingly, I went back to my car. I started the engine and decided to drive around a little to clear my mind. As if on autopilot, I guided the car down the only road that was still open. About a half mile away, I could see a pickup truck coming the other way. I slowed down as I approached him, cracked the window and before I could say anything he spoke, “Did you lose a tripod?”

I felt relief and excitement, “Yes, yes, yes, thank you so much!”

“Well, I didn’t know what to do with it and the center was closed. I would have found a way to get it back to you.” he replied as he handed it me.

I asked him his name, quickly shook his hand and thanked him again. We were both backing up traffic at this point so we parted ways. I was gratified to find an honest person that day. Brian, if you ever read this, thank you for helping me out that day! You continue to fuel my faith in humanity.

Technical Details:
Canon 5D Mark II, 70-200 f/4l @ f/9, 1/800 sec.
Chalco Hills Recreation Area, Nebraska

This winter’s weather has not presented many opportunities for wintry photography. I did manage to get to a frozen section of Wherspann Lake here in Omaha and do some leaf and ice abstracts. While leaf in ice photographs are fairly common, each is still beautiful in it’s own unique way.

Technical Details:
Canon 50D, 50 CM lens, f/11, 1/100 sec.
Chalco Hills Recreation Area, Nebraska

I like detail in my photography – good, sharp, clean detail. I don’t think I’m unique in that regard, in fact I would say the vast majority of photographers feel the same way. I like sharp lenses, high megapixels, low noise. Once again, I think most of us would agree with that. Of course, camera technology isn’t the only thing progressing. Adobe continually makes improvements to Photoshop. Filter manufacturers, both the physical and software continue to progress, and most importantly, I continue to learn and evolve my post-processing techniques.

Over three years ago, I photographed Rocky Mountain National Park with the best cameras I had at the time – An original Canon 5D and a Canon 20D. Very capable cameras, in fact I still use the 5D original flavor from time to time. On a quite evening I captured the above shot with my 5D, a 17-40 f/4l lens, and a Singh-Ray 3-stop soft grad. I processed the shot in Photoshop CS4, used Nik’s Viveza 1 for some of the color balancing and then passed Nik Color Efex’s Tonal Contrast Filter over it for a bit of sharpening. Remember, I said I like sharp, so I thought I was gleaning more detail out of it. After reviewing this image again, I now cringe at the result. Heavy hand, very heavy hand.

I’ve always thought this image had potential so I’m going to provide some insight into my new process of today. More – after the jump.

To further illustrate my discussion, I’ve included two 100% crops below from the 3 year old image and the image from today as comparisons. These are from the left and right sides of the image.

What I Did Right!

To start, let’s review what I did right three years ago:

1. I shot RAW. This is, in my opinion, the only way to go. I’ve shot RAW since the first week I had my 20D in 2005 and I haven’t looked back. I even wish my cell phone camera had this option.

2. I used a steady tripod, cable release, mirror lockup, and f/11 to prevent too much diffraction.

3. I captured multiple images at multiple exposures. Even three years ago, I knew if I had the right exposures I could blend them together. In fact I was doing quite a bit of image blending with varying degrees of success three years ago. For more information on image blending check out the tutorial by Sean Duggan.

As a base, I had a set of sharp images that I could use to extract as much detail as possible later. I probably didn’t think later would necessarily mean over three years later.

What I Did Wrong!

Now, let’s look at what I did wrong.

1. When I used Camera RAW in Photoshop to bring in the image, I cranked the contrast up way too far. Over the years I have found that global contrast changes can further muddy the details in the shadow. My processing method of choice now is to bring the contrast way down in order to preserve the detail. I can then work on localizing contrast later. What does this mean? Well, I now often use luminosity masks to alter the contrasts of different exposure ranges. Luminosity masks are too broad a topic for me to discuss and Tony Kuyper has done a marvelous job of explanation. I highly suggest looking at this previous link for more information.

2. I pushed the tonal contrast too far. I strongly dislike Chromatic Aberration. Very. Strongly. Dislike it. When I look at what I did with the Tonal Contrast filter in Nik Color Efex, it appears I was putting it back in. What I was trying to do was get more detail out of the clouds and trees and in the process I ended up causing some funky fringing. I don’t like funky fringing. The original image has this effect. Bad.

3. I just didn’t blend well, or at all. I can’t tell, but I might have chosen to not blend this image originally and thought I could get away with simply cranking up the shadows. This has the unfortunate side effect of causing a lot of noise to creep into the shot. I had the multiple exposures, but I might not have been comfortable enough with blending at the time to use it. Either way if you look at the crop from the original shot from the left side of the image you can see some pretty bad noise with the muddied detail. The new image looks much better as it was taken from an exposure with more detail.

Below is are the comparisons of the before and after, you can click to see the images bigger. I personally think the after is much better. Is it perfect? No, and I will probably return to it again when my techniques and tools change. While I’m not going to redo every image, I do like returning to the occasional image to make improvements and see how it turns out differently with the post processing and tools of today.

Badlands National Park is a playground of shapes and forms, patterns and colors. Whenever I visit I explore these rock formations with a longer lens to capture a more intimate view of the park. The light was especially nice on this morning giving a warm pre-sunrise glow. To see what this area looks like from a wide-angle lens check out Morning Illumination taken 2 years previously. On the right side of that image you can see the area on which I chose to focus for today’s post. I also decided on the panoramic view because I felt the wide horizontal lent itself well to exploration of the shapes and colors in this image.

Technical Details:
Canon 5D Mark II, 70-200 f/4l @ 127mm, f/9, .6s
Badlands National Park, South Dakota

The Sandhills of Nebraska is an ecologically sensitive region that has been the subject of heated discussion due to the plans of TransCanda to build the Keystone XL pipeline across the area.

While I am glad that an increased awareness of this area has finally come, it should have come sooner and in a more positive light instead of the crux of a international debate.

The Sandhills is an area that is both beautiful and subtle, undulating hills and prairie as far as the eye can see. This is not the stereotypical Nebraska of corn and agriculture, but it is an area that comprises 1/3rd of the state. I have had the opportunity to photograph it several times and each time I know I will return. I encourage everyone to visit this place at least once if for nothing else, to hear prairie grass speak with every breath of the wind, to watch the clouds slowly traverse the azure sky and to experience the quiet solitude with only your thoughts as company.

Technical Details:
Canon 5D Mark II, 70-200 f/4l @ 200mm, f/8, 1/2000 sec.
Ft. Niobrara National Wildlife Refuge, Nebraska

For years I have visited DeSoto, my family often in tow. My eldest daughter, Riley loved to run the halls of the visitor center and look at the artifacts of the old Bertrand steamboat that had met its end in the mud and muck of what became DeSoto lake. I would occasionally visit by myself, finding a quiet solitude on the Cottonwood trail or on the shore of the lake.

The flooding of the Missouri this past spring, summer and into the fall affected lives, changed landscapes, and even modified the course of the river. Nuclear power plants stayed shut down, roads and highways were under water and destroyed, houses and farms were devastated. DeSoto was among the areas that was hit hard. The lake rose several feet and aerial photographs showed a large body of water covering the land that once existed in the former oxbow of the Missouri River.

The water has now receded. A week ago I returned to photograph it once again with a friend, Jayson Alder. Today I am presenting some images from that trip. I invite you to also check out Jayson’s blog to see what he captured as we hiked along the Cottonwood trail. I would also like to thank him for letting me use his 100 2.8 Macro lens. I really don’t need any help in wanting more equipment, but I must say the lens performed well. From the short time I used it, I do recommend taking a look at getting one if you are interested in doing some macro. Right now I use a 50 CM lens which works well, but you have to be close to your subject and it autofocuses ssssllllloooooowwww. Of course, it is one of only two lenses that remain from Canons original EF lineup from the 80s! The faster focus and longer distance of the 100 2.8 Macro was nice!

Since the winter hasn’t really come yet, I feel the need to go back to my Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado photographs I captured in May just to get something wintry. Yes, May for a winter feel photo and 50s for January in Nebraska. Different for sure.

Technical Details:
Canon 5D Mark II, 24mm f/3.5L TS-E Lens, f/11, 1/3 sec., 2-stop Singh-Ray Soft Grad
Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado

If you had a chance to check out my appearance on the Morning Blend yesterday, you’ll know that there is a new issue of Nebraska Life available with some of my winter landscape and nature photography from Washington County. I encourage everyone to check out the magazine, as always not just because of my article, but because there are some great stories surrounding the people and places of Nebraska.

This morning I had the privilege of being interviewed by hosts Mike and Mary on their show, “The Morning Blend“. On the show,  we discussed my Nebraska state pride calendar and the recent story in the January/February issue of Nebraska Life magazine. It was a lot of fun being on TV! Click on the link below to see my interview!

http://www.omahamorningblend.com/videos/136586588.html

I begin the new year by presenting a video tribute to athlete Jim Thorpe that features a striking song by Jack Gladstone, known as “Montana’s Blackfeet Troubadour”. Also featured is some historic and scenic photography (with a couple of images I contributed to the project). I invite everyone to take a look and listen. I have included the description from YouTube below for more information. Enjoy!

A lyrical narrative by Jack Gladstone, illustrating the odyssey of Jim Thorpe. Descended from a renowned Indian leader, born and raised on the Sac and Fox Reservation in Oklahoma, Thorpe became one of the greatest athletes of the 20th century. He set records, winning the decathlon in the 1912 Olympics and went on to play professional football, baseball, and basketball. His life was marred by the unjust stripping of his Olympic medals, ultimately to be reinstated thirty years after his death. Thorpe’s legacy is forever enshrined in the halls of athletic achievement.

Today is my last post of the year and with that I leave you with one of the most graceful creatures on earth, the pronghorn antelope.

As for next year, I wish everyone a happy, prosperous, and inspirational 2012!

Technical Details:
Canon 50D, 300 f/4l + 1.4tc, f/6.3, 1/1600 sec.
Wind Cave National Park, South Dakota

I begin with one of the first images I captured in 2011, an image of Boyer Chute National Wildlife Refuge. This made the list for two reasons, first, because of the flooding of the Missouri River, Boyer Chute has not been accessible and I am not even sure how it will look. Second, this was the first image I made with my Tilt/Shift 24mm TS-E II and it really showed me how much fun I was going to have with that lens.

This image almost didn’t happen. As I mentioned in my post from July, I don’t normally capture agricultural scenes, but as I was driving to my destination, I couldn’t help but stop and capture this image. The wheat, the clouds, the silos all just seem to come together.

This image made the list for a similar reason as the previous entry, I was driving on my way somewhere, saw these two horses hanging out in a field and I stopped and made a quick image. Later, upon review, I found that I liked the composition and the poses the horses had.

I included this image because it was a little outside of my norm of shooting, much like “Almost Harvest”. Due to high winds across the prairie at Ft. Niobrara National Wildlife Refuge, these tumbleweeds had piled up against a long fence. I liked the contrasts and patterns and decided to spend a little time, probably almost 2 hours, working various compositions. Although I captured a few I liked, this was the one that resonated with me the most.

Every Time I go to central or western Nebraska, I have to shoot the Milky Way. Toadstool Geologic Park lends itself well to this type of photography, so naturally, I had to take advantage of the opportunity.

This photograph made the list, well, because pheasants are darn hard to shoot and I feel like it came out pretty well!

This image made the list because I wanted a unique perspective on Snake River Falls in Nebraska. I found this high vantage point after searching and hiking for a bit. Additionally, because of new developments, Snake River Falls is endanger of no longer being publicly accessible, so this could potentially be the last image I capture of it.

Forty mile per hour winds, pelting sand, lousy light, everything seemed to be against me for this image. Then, only 10 minutes prior to sunset, clouds rolled in and the sun’s light shot out from behind with a beautiful intensity. It’s good to be patient.

Fog, trees, contrasts, shadows and patterns, I like the simplicity of this image.

After walking about a mile in waist deep snow before sunrise, the sun finally crested the horizon and bathed snow covered Rocky Mountain National Park and Long’s Peak in warm light.

Lastly, after a spring snowstorm came through Rocky Mountain, I ventured to Moraine Park and waited for sunrise. The light was good and by using my Tilt/Shift I was able to shift for greater detail. That’s when a plan really comes together – good plan, great weather conditions and cooperative gear!

Thank you for a great year!

*Music courtesy of danosongs.com

According to the official DeSoto Wildlife Refuge website, the park’s public roads will re-open on January 2nd. I plan on taking a tour sometime on that day to see how the flooding has changed the park. While there, I am sure that I will not see a scene like the one above since it’s been so warm. Eastern Nebraska may even see the lower to mid fifties this week! Here’s hoping for a little snow before this winter’s over.

Following up with my last pheasant wildlife photograph from December 2nd (been a bit busy), I am posting an image taken this past fall at Smith Falls State Park in North Central Nebraska. I very quietly crept up on a family of deer grazing in the fields, catching an image when I could. I did not want to disturb them, but unfortunately, my presence caused them to move, albeit not very far as they must have felt somewhat safe.  Deciding not to disturb further, I only captured about a half dozen images, of which, this was the strongest.

Technical Details:
Canon 50D, 300 f/4L + 1.4tc, f/6.3, 1/640 sec.
Smith Falls State Park, Nebraska

After the devastation flood this spring, summer, and fall, DeSoto appears to be preparing to re-open.  The visitor center will not open at first, but at least some of the refuge will once again be available to visit.  I am very curious to see how the landscape has changed due to the water levels and to see how the wildlife adapted and thrived.   More information can be found from the Omaha World Herald article from December 10th.

I just created a profile on the new service, WhyTake.net. It seems like yesterday that I was creating a profile on 500px. The mantra of WhyTake.net is “whytake.net is the first Social Network dedicated exclusively to Nature Photographers – Designed by Nature Photographers, for Nature Photographers.” Below are some of my initial thoughts and feelings on this new service. 

More after the jump.

When I first visited WhyTake.net, I took some time to surf through profiles and photographs. The interface is clean and fast and takes little to get used to. One of the first things I noticed under the “Explore” area was the photographer listing was by most popular, most recent or most impact. It would be nice if there was a different sort or someother random way to look at the various artists. It’s hard to be the most popular if you don’t start off as the most popular. I often like to just randomly look at photographers because I am often surprised by what I can find. You also have the ability to search for artists by specialities (there are only 5 – Landscapes, Birds, Macro & Flora, Wildlife, Underwater), language, country, or a dynamic search. Great if you are looking for an artist, not so good if you just want to peruse.

I then visited the “Images” section (again under “Explore”). Here I found a similar interface with the “Most Impactful” photographs coming up first. You could also see recent and popular additions. Clicking on “Inspire” I found the images under the 5 specialties sorted randomly (I believe). This I liked. I was able to keep clicking on “Refresh” to see new random images.

After this I was ready to sign-up (it being free and all). I began my profile only to be stopped by my last name. Apparently, hyphens are not allowed. This is a little annoying as more and more people’s names contain hyphens. I had to omit the hyphen to continue. After the obligatory information, such as name and location, website and blog, I was immediately allowed to begin uploading photographs. To start, I attempted to upload 3 that I had on 500px. The first two went great, the third errored on a file size error. Not a bad issue as long as you know the requirements. I fixed the issue and the file was uploaded immediately.

After reviewing my images, I went to the “Wall” area. Just like Facebook, I could input my status or a link. Interesting, except I have enough trouble updating everything else in my life, I’m not sure about updating WhyTake.net as well. If it had integration into Facebook updates, RSS Feeds (Blog), or the like it might be more interesting for me. I could also subscribe to other photogs. Cool, but I’m already subscribed all over the place and can’t seem to keep up with that let alone another set of threads.

Lastly, I visited the “Products and Services” section. Here you can create various products or services you offer. I might update this later and it could be interesting, but I need to think about how that might integrate. Once again, the problem with this area is that if you update a price or product in another area (Website, store, etc.) it would have to be updated here as well.

As far as the profile area is concerned, the biggest omitance I could see was a contact area.  I did not have the ability to show my email, phone, and there was no contact form.  If you want to have someone contact you, I could not see a clear way for this to happen outside of visiting my website and getting the information there or going to my bio if I included it.  Perhaps I just missed it, I’m going to go back later and look.

Oh, one more thing. Because I like shorter links and I wanted to offer a short link here, I attempted to truncate the URL for my profile from http://whytake.net/Profile/DerraldFarnsworthLivingston/0000000791 to http://whytake.net/Profile/DerraldFarnsworthLivingston/index.php which takes me to a blank profile page with broken links all over the place.  There should probably be some souped up error checking there.

Overall, Whytake.net is a decent addition to the nature photography community.  It’s clean, the navigation isn’t bad, and there are some nice features.  Personally, I’m not sure it’s a good fit for me with pages and profiles all over the place.  With that being said, I always like browsing inspiring work and it is a good place for that.  Additionally, for a fledging nature photograph it might be a good start on an extended web presencse, but it is no substitute for a real website as 48 photograph uploads are the max.  If you are a nature photographer, I encourage you to check it out, it has potential and its a community to watch.

Now that I’ve said all that I’ve had my website for over 10 years and have changed and maintained it. It’s grown and changed and if you look at my post from August of last year you can pursue some of the horrific designs I tried. Ick! Today, I’m releasing a new set of changes based upon feedback from clients (most important), websites and blog articles I have read (important), and webinars I have attended.  I thought it might be valuable, not only for my clients to see the changes, but also for the other photographers that visit my blog to see what changes I’ve implemented and why I think the changes might be valuable based upon my experience with the hope it helps someone else.

Read on if you want to see the website changes and my experience.

First – improvements based upon feedback from clients.  The number 1 request from my clients was a “Recently Added Section”.  As I add more and more photographs it was getting harder to see the newer images.  6 months ago I put in a stop-gap measure (showing images from this year and NOT sorted by date), but I had intended to go back and do it up right.  Besides, as 2012 approached I realized I would have a problem, I was restricted to the current year, so anything I took in December would not show up in January.  I finally took the time to put together something I wanted to see – images sorted by the most recently added in order by date with the ability to manipulate the date.  Click on the image to see it in action.

Besides the “Recently Added Photos” section, I have added a link that allows any gallery or search to be sorted by the newest photos first. I’ll show this a a little later.

Second – improvements based on websites and blogs. I’m always looking at dos and don’ts of website design based upon professionals in the industry. I have mentioned in the past that many photo buyers and analysts say bulky flash is out, sound is out, clean fast navigation is in. One of the best lists I have found that really list the dos and don’ts as I have read them was a post on PhotoShelter’s in July. Check it out. Below I’m going to look at each point outlined from that post and what I did to try to implement each and my opinion of the value I felt each adds to any one’s website in italics. The items in blue are the ones I targeted with this last update cycle.

Do:

• Fast image loading – I keep the image fairly small in size. Many people are still on Dial Up (Poor Souls) and if they have to wait to see an image, they may leave. Important.
• Email address always visible – I added my email in the footer of all my pages. Low on value, especially if you have a contact page, but easy to add.
• Phone number always visible – I added my email in the footer of all my pages. Low on value, especially if you have a contact page, but easy to add.
• Ability to click to view all thumbnails – Added this to my website in this round. Medium value in my opinion. See below for my implementation.
• Search all images by keyword – I added a search to the top of my site last year and I received very positive feedback. A “Must” for any photo website.
• Ability to send or copy a link to a photo or gallery – I added this a few years ago through the “ShareThis” service. Good value, easy implementation.
• Showcase a ‘newly added’ section – The biggest struggle for me for the last year. Excellent value.
• Captions below photos or on roll-over – Available since my 2001 website. Invaluable. Search engines index text and this is a necessity for that.
• Ability to view at full screen – While my images can be viewed larger, on my main website I do not have a full screen option, yet. Not sure on value.
• Ability to create/send a lightbox of select images – This I do not have. Unfortunately, this is probably beyond my programming expertise, at least my time. Probably very valuable.
• Ability to price/purchase/license images right on the site – All my prints can be purchased through my site. Valuable for that. I had a licensing wizard for a while, but found it to be confusing for clients. Most people want to just correspond via phone or email and I found that to be easy. I’m sure dedicated photo buyers would find it valuable and I should re-add it, but for now I’m going without.
• Navigation menu consistent on all pages – Another no-brainer.
• Ability to email a photo – While someone can email a link, I do not have the ability to email a photo. This is probably valuable and I am looking at this for my next website iteration.
• Make browsing easy and logical – I hope my website is easy and logical to navigate. A necessity, of course.
• Simple navigation – Pretty much falls in line with “make browsing easy” and “navigation menu consistency”.
• Group photos in logical categories/ galleries/ portfolios - I’ve had “Portfolios” and then “Galleries”, but it helped when I expanded from only location based to subject based as well (i.e. Nebraska vs. Close-Ups). Some people want to look at images based upon location, others based upon type. This folds in with keyword searching and is important.
• Enable a buyer to request a comp download – This ties in with emailing a photo. This is so photo buyers can download the image, put it in a document for approval and then purchase it. While I don’t have an explicit function for this, I have not disabled right-clicking which allows someone to download the low-res photo. I have seen several of these documents come from my clients to me to help validate that I get the correct image. If you don’t implement this, at least allow them to right click and save a low-res version. Fairly important and I will have an explicit function in my next website.

and I’m going to add one more to their list:

• Enable navigation to browse back and forth through the gallery of images (larger version, not thumbnails) - Very important. I had this ability on my website about 7-9 years ago and lost the functionality. It took me too long to implement it again.



Whew – I hope that the list above with my explanations help some of the photographers that visit my blog to better analyze their website. Below I’m going to showcase a few of the changes and why I made them. Hopefully, this will give some of you ideas for your own websites.

Navigation-Related Changes

All photography galleries now have navigation arrows at the top left of the screen that facilitate movement through the screens of thumbnails. Additionally, the total number of images in any given gallery or search is now displayed on this bar. As I mentioned previously, there is now an image sorting feature which allows sorting any gallery or search by the newest additions or by gallery order. In order to see the most recent photographs, be sure that you are on the first page of any gallery or search when activating this sort.

There is a new “View All” option by the page numbers toward the bottom right of the screen. This option allows viewing of all thumbnails in a given gallery or search. For instance, if a gallery has 306 images, all 306 will display on one screen. This can be used in conjunction with the sorting feature to see all thumbnails in a given gallery in newest or gallery order.

When viewing a single photograph in the enlarged view, new navigation and information has been added to the informational bar above the image. The arrows will allow movement back and forth through any gallery. A “Thumbnails” link will allow navigation back to the thumbnails page. Additionally, the information bar will display the image number that the user is currently on. Although this change isn’t explicitly on the above list, it’s something that I’ve needed to add for a while. Almost every image site allows this and I was sorely behind the curve on this one. I’ve had several people mention that it would be helpful to be able to browse through the larger images instead of going back to the thumbnails.

Other Changes

The last item I am going to mention has come from a couple of different webinars I listened to and from a couple of other sources through the years – Tear Sheets on the websites. First, what’s a Tear Sheet – this is an example of published work from a professional source – Magazine, Calendar, etc. It is recommended so that other publications, editors, etc. can see that a photographer is published. The webinars I have been attended were put on by photo buyers at large magazines so I feel the advice is valuable. Still, while it may be true, I have also felt that it may convey a bit of boasting which may turn off others. I’ve added it, I’m not sure the value at this point. We’ll see if it drives the publishers to me.

This was a long post, but I hope that it benefits both my clients who view my site and other photographers looking to improve their web presence.  If you feel differently or have had a different experience, let me know. I’m always open to feedback. I’m still striving for that 99% pleased 99% of the time.

While pheasants are beautiful birds, they are quite shy, especially in the fall. While I was visiting Ft. Niobrara National Wildlife Refuge in North Central Nebraska, I came across 4 pheasants – 2 males and 2 females that I watched duck in and out of the tall prairie grass for about 2 hours. Even the slightest move on my part sent them scurrying back. I managed to get about 2 shots, with this one being the best.

Technical Details:
Canon 50D, 300 f/4l + 1.4x tc, f/5.6, 1/250 sec.
Ft. Niobrara National Wildlife Refuge, Nebraska

Often, photographers become so focused on capturing one type of image that we often ignore what else is happening in the environment around us. When I was out on the prairie near Valentine, I was caught up in getting some wide-angle landscape shots when I looked up and saw beautiful clouds floating in front of the sun while sunbeams shot out in all directions. I managed to snap 3 shots before this scene disappeared.

Technical Details:
Canon 5D Mark II, 17-40 f/4l @ 40mm, f/8, 1/8000 sec.
Valentine National Wildlife Refuge, Nebraska

On an early November day I went to the Lincoln, Nebraska area to get some late fall shots. Today’s post is an image I captured about 10 minutes prior to sunrise on Branched Oak Lake on a windy and cool day.

Technical Details:
Canon 5D Mark II, 17-40 f/4l @ 17mm, f/11, 10 sec., 3-stop Hard Singh-Ray ND Grad, 2-stop Hard Singh-Ray ND Grad
Branched Oak Lake, Nebraska

I am always searching for unique images and unique destinations. I often research the areas which I travel, but some of the best shots were captured in places that I did not necessarily expect. Today’s post is one such image. Toadstool Geologic Park is a fairly well known location in Nebraska and one that I have shot before. The photographic possibilities are endless and I could spend weeks just trying different compositions, light, etc. The first time I visited Toadstool, I noticed that there was a trail through the park that led to the Bison-Meng kill site 3 miles away. On that trip, I did not have the opportunity to take this trail, but I made it a priority on my last visit and took the trail twice.

The first time I took the trail, I had planned on shooting the stars that night as the forecast called for clear skies. I decided to do some scouting so I started off and wandered down the path through the otherworldly landscape, pinnacles, spires and canyon walls rising on either side of me. After about a 45 minutes the path climbed and I emerged from the canyon area onto a grassy prairie above the landscape. Not wanting to stay long so I could get setup for my star shoot, I surveyed the area and quickly descended back into the canyon.

The next day I decided I wanted to shoot the plateau area so I began the about 2 hours before sunset and once again made my way through Toadstool park and the canyon area and climbed up onto the plateau. After walking for another half hour, I came to the edge and carefully selected my vantage point. All around me were photographic possibilities from a vantage that I had never seen shot before. I imagined myself, not on the prairie of Nebraska, but rather in the Badlands of South Dakota and indeed, later I was told by a local that the Badlands could be spied on a very clear day. Here, the gentle prairie gave way to a harsher landscape.

Within 20 minutes dusk was upon me and I took my shots, knowing it would be a while before I could return. I used my 24mm Tilt-Shift lens vertically and shifted the lens left and right so I could maximize my image resolution later with stitching. As darkness began to fall I walked back satisfied with what I had seen. As I approached the trail I saw another beautiful scene before me. As the light was quickly fading, I setup my camera and captured one last image on the plateau. After three clicks the light was gone and I was left to hike back through the canyon in the dark. I picked up the pace and made it back in about a half hour, briefly stopping only for the startling sound of a porcupine hiding in a bush.

It was a unique location and one that I hope to return to again someday.

Technical Details (Warm Evening Glow):
Canon 5D Mark II, 24 TS/E 3.5L II lens, f/8, 3 images stitched, 2-Stop Hard Singh-Ray ND Grad
Oglala National Grassland, Nebraska

Technical Details (Prairie Glow):
Canon 5D Mark II, 24 TS/E 3.5L II lens, f/8, .4 sec., 2-Stop Hard Singh-Ray ND Grad
Oglala National Grassland, Nebraska

An autumn tree photographed in the afternoon, under cloudy skies.

While at the calendar signing at Costco this past weekend I was asked many questions. There were lots of people intrested in my stories and experiences from shooting images for a Nebraska calendar. Some long time residents of Nebraska had been to many of the locations depicted and indeed several were from the eastern part of the state, the region where 80% of the population lives. Of course, this was done for a reason – if people recognize a location, they are more apt to purchase the calendar. Others had lived in Omaha, some their entire lives without seeing hardly any part of the state. It was those that were often surprised at the diversity of the landscape in Nebraska and the Great Plains as a whole.

Without a doubt, however, the number one question I was asked and am asked at art shows is “How do you get the best light?” It’s no secret, I tell them, I only show you the images where I the light was right for the situation. Beginning photographers and those that only shoot occasionally have not yet learned to “see” the light. What this means, essentially, is that there is are appropriate lighting situations for every occasion. Early on, I thought I only wanted the best sunrise/sunset light and if I didn’t get it, I shot nothing and went home. Now, I know that if I’m not going to get that crazy light, it maybe a good lighting situation for intimate nature scenes, or wildlife, or something else. Seasoned photographers have practiced images in all kinds of light, and you know what, sometimes we even surprise ourselves with a lighting situation we did not expect.

There is a common mantra among pro nature photographers – There is no such thing as “bad light”, there is only light and what you make of it. If I had heard this as a beginner I would have retorted with a “Yah, right!”. I can understand it’s hard for new photographers to grasp this, but over time and experience, it becomes easier. Don’t let the lighting conditions limit your creativity, as I once I did, let it unleash it.

Technical Details – Long Way to Go
Canon 5D Mark II, 17-40 f/4l @ 17mm, f/18, 1/200 sec.
Branched Oak Lake State Recreation Area, Nebraska

Technical Details – Electric Fire
Canon 5D Mark II, 70-200 f/4l @ 87mm, f/5.6, 1/500 sec.
Arbor Day Lodge State Park, Nebraska

Today’s image comes from Valentine National Wildlife Refuge which lies in the heart of the sandhills. As I have mentioned previously, this is the area that is causing reviews of the TransCanada Keystone XL pipeline proposals. In an article dated yesterday (http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/45242052/ns/us_news-environment/t/us-orders-alternate-routes-controversial-oil-pipeline/), it appears that other routes may be researched. I’m not sure what the end result will be, no one is sure, but what I can say is that the Sandhills is a unique region that has a distinguishing landscape all its own.

This was a somewhat difficult image for me to capture. The winds were blowing 30-50 miles per hour which made not only the tripod and camera unsteady, but it also made for a very uncomfortable shoot. As the name implies the Sandhills are made of sand. They stay in place by the grasses and plants that grow, but that doesn’t keep all the sand in place and with wind that fierce, the sand whips up and stings. I sat here for about an hour and a half and almost left because I thought there would be no light, but my patience was rewarded when the sun descended behind these clouds and gave me this show.

Because of the winds, I was unable to capture the grass stationary, so I used it as an opportunity to use a slower shutter speed and blur the grass. I was happy with the ultimate effect. During my entire stay in Valentine the winds were fairly strong so I captured a video with my 5D Mark II to show what I was dealing with. I’ve embedded a 42 second video of prairie grasses waving in the wind at the Niobrara Preserve not far from Valentine.

Technical Details:
Canon 5D Mark II, 17-40 f/4l @ 17mm, f/11, 1/4 sec., 2 Stop Singh-Ray Hard ND Filter + 3 Stop Singh-Ray Hard ND Filter
Valentine National Wildlife Refuge, Nebraska

Before I take a trip anywhere, I do a fair amount of research on where I’m going. First, I try and find all the publicly accessible areas within about 100 miles. I then look at images that other people had captured from those areas to get an idea of the landscape. I also look at topographical maps to understand how the light would fall at various times of the day. Lastly, I either print or buy maps of the area to have on hand so if I don’t like where I am, I can easily try a different location. For today’s post, I researched the Valentine, Nebraska area fairly extensively. Of course, I have photographed the area previously, which always helps, but I wanted to explore some different landscapes. I found that the Nature Conservacy has a large tract of land publicly accessible with a long trial along a ridge overlooking the Niobrara. I wanted to get some shots of this scenic river and it seemed like a perfect place to explore. I spent all day hiking the area and found several places to photograph. When sunset came and some storm clouds rolled across the horizon, I was ready in to grab a shot of the snaking river going into the distance.

Technical Details:
Canon 5D Mark II, 70-200 f/4l @ 131mm, f/8, 1/30 sec., 2-stop Singh-Ray Hard Stop Grad
Niobrara National Scenic River, Keha Paha County, Nebraska

The first calendar I’m listing here is available only at the Costco in Omaha. The images are all mine and contain a wide diversity of imagery from across Nebraska. As an added bonus, if you come to Costco next Saturday (November 12th) from 11-2, I’ll be signing the calendars in the store. I hope to see some people there!

The second calendar I’m listing is the Nebraska Life calendar. I’ve been a contributor, both as a writer and photographer, to Nebraska Life in the past and as a reader I find it filled with engaging and fascinating stories about the people and places within our state. You can get this calendar from the Nebraska Life website at: http://www.nebraskalife.com/products.asp

The last Nebraska calendar I’m listing is the Brown Trout Wild and Scenic calendar. I’ve contributed 8 of the 12 images. This can be purchased through Amazon at: http://www.amazon.com/gp/search/ref=as_li_qf_sp_sr_il_tl?ie=UTF8&keywords=B004Z0EOBW&tag=tutorialweb-20&index=aps&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325 or through Calendar kiosks and bookstores across Nebraska.

For Colorado calendars, I have contributed to the Brown Trout Wild and Scenic calendar and the Brown Trout Colorado Wilderness calendar, also available through Amazon or across stores in Colorado.

Through Amazon:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/search/ref=as_li_qf_sp_sr_il_tl?ie=UTF8&keywords=1421681412&tag=tutorialweb-20&index=aps&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325

http://www.amazon.com/gp/search/ref=as_li_qf_sp_sr_il_tl?ie=UTF8&keywords=1421681404&tag=tutorialweb-20&index=aps&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325

When I first began photographing the state of Nebraska, Snake River Falls was near the top of my list of places to visit. The largest waterfall in the state by volume, it seemed to be a location that should be captured and preserved as one of Nebraska’s top scenic destinations. A somewhat interesting fact stood out when I began doing my research on Snake River Falls, however, it sits on private land and was not designated a public park, recreation area, or the like. I always thought that a place like that should be designated public for all to enjoy. As it turns out, however, it is owned by a private club that does not discourage visitation – to see the falls, you simply place a dollar in a mailbox and hike down the trail to the falls.

I had heard rumors of the state attempting to purchase the land. I hoped that the state would succeed. I find out today, that is probably not the case. From an article in the Omaha World Herald from yesterday, it appears that the land will now be sold for a private fishing reserve. Will that mean that the falls will no longer be accessible? Will this Nebraska beauty be forever sealed from the general public? Unfortunately, the writer of the article mentions that perhaps the Game and Parks commission has not been the best at protecting the public areas that already exist and that the bordering private landholders fear it becoming a public place due to the increased possibility of littering, fires, and trespassing. It seems that my fellow Nebraskans have a low opinion of how we treat the land. Too bad, I can’t say as I blame them. A few years ago I was hiking in Schramm State Recreation Area and had come across a couch that someone had dumped! A couch! Is it just Nebraska or is this a problem across the United States? I can’t say that I’ve ever seen a couch dumped in Rocky Mountain National Park.

2 years ago my family and I made the hike to see it. Last month, I returned to capture more photographs. I had hoped to return and see it in the winter. That may not happen now I guess. We’ll have to wait and see what happens next.

Technical Details:
Canon 5D Mark II, 17-40 f/4l @ 20mm, f/11, 10 seconds
Snake River Falls, Nebraska

In the sandhills of Nebraska there are several permanent and temporary lakes that are formed from water from the Ogalala Aquifer. There are protests and meetings happening right now because of the TransCanada XL pipeline that is currently planned to cross over the region containing this large underground body of water. The primary contention of the protesters is that the pipe will break and oil will leak into the water tainting it for the region’s drinking supply and agricultural uses. Since going through Nebraska is in the path of the shortest distance between Alberta, where the oil resides in the oil sands, and Texas, where it will be processed, this is a key element of the current plan. In today’s post I present an image of the North Marsh Lake at Valentine National Wildlife Refuge one such lake created by the Aquifer, reflecting the morning sunrise.

Technical Details:
Canon 5D Mark II, 24mm TS-E 3.5 II, .6 sec, f/9, 3-stop Hard ND Grad, 3 images stitched and cropped to 2×3
Valentine National Wildlife Refuge, Nebraska

I’m posting an image of Carhenge today because I just read that it’s for sale. For those unfamiliar with Carhenge, it is a display of cars designed exactly like Stonehenge in England. It’s in western Nebraska, just north of Alliance and it was dedicated in 1987 and receives more than 87,000 visitors a year. I’ve been there about 5 or 6 times and I can tell you that 87,000 visitors is a lot as it is not on the way to or from anywhere really. That section of Nebraska is sparsely populated and is away from any major Interstates. If you’re interested in buying it, you just need $300,000. I’m pretty sure that it would be a good property to own and develop as this appears on many “must-see” lists and I often see it on Yahoo or MSN’s top 10 kitschy locations.

Technical Details:
Canon 5D Mark II, 17-40 f/4l @ f/9, 1/125 sec., Circular Polarizer
Alliance, Nebraska

The locals are often very helpful on good locations around the area. When I was exploring the Oglala Grassland this past September, I stopped into the lcoal ranger’s office to grab a map. While there, I asked the ladies where I should visit to get some good shots. They recommended an area on the north side of the grassland. One morning before sunrise, I took a road up that direction and saw mist rising from this reservoir. I drove up the two-track road, grabbed my gear and captured these photographs.

Meng Reservoir, Oglala Grassland, Sioux County, Nebraska

Technical Details (Calm Mist):
Canon 5D Mark II, 17-40 f/4l @ 40mm, f/9, 1/160 sec., Singh-Ray 2 Stop Hard ND Grad Filter

Technical Details (Morning’s Welcome):
Canon 5D Mark II, 17-40 f/4l @ 21mm, f/8, 1/100 sec., Singh-Ray 2 Stop Hard ND Grad Filter

Completely overcast and rainy conditions can present real challenges for landscape photography.  Often, photographers get caught up in the idea that successful landscape photography must be captured with a wide-angle lens.  Some of the most successful images, however, are captured with long lenses.  This image was captured with a 300mm lens coupled with a 1.4 teleconverter on a Canon 50D.  That’s long for a landscape!  I really wanted to isolate the abstract nature of the intense red and orange colors of the prairie grass that were emerged during the rain.  While I was initially bummed by the rainy conditions, I wouldn’t have seen these colors without it and if it had been sunny, the colors would be contrasty and hard to capture.  I found that when I looked closer I could find a more intimate and abstract landscape that I might not have seen otherwise.

Technical Details:
Canon 50D, 300 f/4l + 1.4tc, f/7.1, 1/250 sec.
Cherry County, Nebraska

Also, I wanted to mention that if you have not “liked” me on Facebook, please do by following the link below. I will be adding some unique information, events and deals there in the future.

http://www.facebook.com/JourneyOfLightPhotography

Smaller than the South Dakota Badlands to the north, Toadstool Geologic Park in Sioux county exhibits much of the same geography and structures. Toadstools, layed sediment, and short prairie grasses rule here.

Technical Details:
Canon 5D Mark II, 17-40 f/4l @ 17mm, f/9, 1/160 sec.
Toadstool Geologic Park, Nebraska

As I mentioned yesterday, for the next few blog posts, with the exception of the Photo Fridays, I will be presenting a photograph and then giving a little background on how I was either able to create the photograph or what I did that made the photograph different or better.

For landscape photography I generally want partly to mostly cloudy conditions with some dynamic light. Unfortunately, on my recent trip to extreme Northwestern Nebraska, I had clear skies on a couple of the days. Rural Nebraska, however, has very little light pollution and makes for great night photography. Instead of not shooting, I embraced my conditions and I took the oppotunity of having these clear skies to capture the Milky Way rising from Toadstool Park. It made me feel like I was standing on the moon!

Technical Details:
Canon 5D Mark II, 17-40 f/4l @ 17mm, f/4l, 30 sec.
Toadstool Geologic Park, Nebraska

I’ve recently returned from two trips that included Western South Dakota and Nebraska that netted a few photographs that I am currently processing. It was nice to actually get out and make new images as opposed to marketing, calling, emailing, etc. Over the next few weeks I will be busy processing these images and putting them up on the blog along with some techniques and stories so stay tuned! Today’s image comes from Keha Paha county in Nebraska which is in the north central section of the state. I was travelling down the highway quickly trying to get to my next photo destination when I saw these two horses standing together in a field of prairie grass. Stopping immediately, I quickly grabbed my camera which was on the seat next to me and got off about 4 photos before the one on the left lost interest and left. It’s always good to be prepared!

Technical Details:
Canon 50D, 300 f/4l, f/6.3, 1/4000 sec.
Keha Paha County, Nebraska

Today’s post contains two images, one is from a popular location in Nebraska, one is not. The first image, from the bluffs at the the tri-state overlook in Ponca State Park, the Missouri is seen snaking through the lowlands during a pretty spectacular sunrise. This is what I would consider a recognizable Nebraska photograph. I do, however, strive to photograph new and interesting locations in Nebraska and while this would be considered “interesting”, it may not be considered “new”. About 15-20 miles from this location is Powder Creek Wildlife Management Area where I witnessed another spectacular sunrise. These images were taken on back to back days. To me the second is more memorable morning, I was alone on the shore with no other soul around photographing an area I hadn’t even heard about until I saw the lonely sign the previous day while driving down the highway. It was a place with its own beauty and serenity. From a marketing and business perspective, the first will probably sell better, simply because it is recognizable, but the second has its own meaning to me. Not to say that one shouldn’t seek out the Tri-State Overlook at Ponca State Park, to me that it is a must-see location in Nebraska, but sometimes there is value in blazing your own path.

Technical Details (The Mighty Missouri at Sunrise):
Canon 5D Mark II, 24mm TS/E II, f/9, Singh-Ray 3 Hard-Stop Neutral Grad, 3 vertical images stitched together
Ponca State Park, Nebraska

Technical Details (Tranquility):
Canon 5D Mark II, 17-40 f/4 @ 17mm, f/16, 4 sec., Singh-Ray 3 Hard-Stop Neutral Grad
Powder Creek Wildlife Management Area, Nebraska

10 years ago the United States and the world was forever changed. 5 years ago Omaha remembered that tragic day with a light display in downtown which I captured from Gene Leahy Mall.

From Omaha’s Morning Blend on Friday – the Picture of the Day.

Today’s image is another from northeastern Nebraska. While traveling around the countryside just after sunrise, I found these undulating hills of corn that were graced by the first light of the morning with clouds that mimicked the patterns on the ground.

Technical Details:
Canon 5D Mark II, 70-200 f/4l @ 84, f/8, 1/250 sec.
Dixon County, Nebraska

This past weekend the family and I got away from the city and went to Ponca State Park in northeastern Nebraska. This is one of my favorite areas of the state – forests atop high bluffs, rolling hills, and a slower pace of life. On both Saturday and Sunday I went out into the surrounding area to explore and capture what I found. Both days I had excellent light – great sunrises with dynamic clouds. Today’s post was taken on a random gravel road that I decided to explore. I was drawn to the hay bales as they dotted the landscapes. The fields were very green, even though it was August due to increased rainfall. It almost looked like spring with the dew glistening on the grass, almost that is, except for the harvested hay.

Technical Details:
Canon 5D Mark II, 17-40 f/4l @ 17mm, f/8, 1/100 sec.
Dixon County, Nebraska

While I’m always adding new work to my website, sometimes its hard to find the recent images. Usually, I just place new items into the galleries in areas that I think make sense and when I do thumbnail reviews they usually make sense – to me. A common feature of many photography websites is a new work gallery, so I have added it. To view my most recent photos be sure to check it out – Go to the Photography Galleries link and click on the “Recently Added Photos” section. You might even spot a new image or two (such as this Steller’s Jay Photo)!

Technical Details:
Canon 50D, 300 f/4l + 1.4tc, f/5.6, 1/320 sec.
Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado

I found myself yet again at Jack Sinn last week photographing the marsh. It is similar to my image, “Listen to the Quiet” taken last year, abut different enough I though it warranted processing. This image is another stitched Tilt/Shift image. Weighing in at just over 32 megapixels I once again enjoy the ability to take multiple shots for stitching with ease. One thing I do want to say, though, is that the stitching technique can be performed with any normal and some wide angle (wide to about 24mm) lenses. Before the tilt/shift I used my 17-40 f/4l which worked well, but shifting the 24 TS-E lens is much easier than lining up my tripod head and moving it correctly.

Technical Details:
Canon 5D Mark II, 24 TS-E II, f/9, 2 seconds, 2-stop Singh-Ray Hard Stop, 3-stop Singh-Ray Hard Stop Reversed
Jack Sinn Wildlife Management Area, Nebraska

As I mentioned yesterday, I’ve been reassessing my marketing in different aspects. One of the quandaries that many professional photographers face on the interweb is that some people that follow you are clients and some are fellow photographers. For a while I posted for the photographers, but I read that I should be writing to whom I am attempting to market. I’ve flipped and flopped on this and realized that I could post to both – but I would preface the post with a little note that it’s intended for photographers. Not to say that non-professional photographers wouldn’t enjoy posts on how to use a tilt/shift and what mirror lockup means, but I believe many of my clients may want to see some new photographs, products, photography uses, etc. and I understand that. So, with that said, this post is for the photographers who read this blog, non-photographers are welcome to read on or visit tomorrow to view my Photo Friday image.

When I first started out – I mean back in my black and white film days – Photo communities on the Internet were fledgling little websites trying to find their feet. I joined Photo.net, a site that is still around and very active today. It was a great experience for me, I saw inspirational images, found new techniques and I learned what was technically and compositionally wrong with the photos I had taken to that point. From there I moved on to TrekEarth and Usefilm, both of which I was only a part of for a few months. I guess I thought the more sites I joined, the better I would be become. There is some truth to that as I was exposed to a lot more material.

Well, interest in those sites waned for me and I eventually joined BetterPhoto.com. The thing that piqued my interest with BetterPhoto.com was that there was a monthly contest in different subjects with decent prizes. I found myself more motivated to post and I also found the community very welcoming. There were people at all skill levels brought together for a love of photography and a want of discussion. I went on a couple of group excursions with some members of this site and had a great time. I was very active with BetterPhoto for about 3 years and two things happened – My first daughter was born (Riley) and my photography became more focused. Time became very limited.

When Riley was about a year old, things slowed down (just a little) and I decided to return to the photographic communities and I joined a site called NaturePhotographers.net, mainly because a fellow photographer was a member and he recommended that I check it out. For a while I was semi-active, but I never really connected with the individuals like I had with BetterPhoto.com. That’s not to say that the people weren’t nice or helpful, but I think I was just in a different place artistically and in life than many of them. During this time I became really worried about defining myself as an artist. I wanted to define my style and vision and set photographic goals. Many of the people on NaturePhotographers.net liked a set of people and sought to emulate them. As such they would often critique my work and I would be compard to these other artists. Well, I didn’t want my work to look like theirs, I wanted it to look like mine! Sure, some of the suggestions were helpful, but many were just how to get my stuff to look like someone else’s. 2 years ago I posed – “Why You Should Always or Never Listen to Your Critics” to this blog regarding my frustrations. Needless to say I needed some introspection away from the noise of the forums and I just left one day.

After that I thought I would be done interacting with communities. From there I focused on building my artistic vision and style and connecting with other photographers through their blogs. This experience has proven to be more personable, but slow at the same time. I still visit some forums to find images I like or to get inspiration, but I became a silent observer.

Yesterday, that changed, I decided to join 500px. Like Facebook and Twitter it seems to be the “in” thing for many photographers. From the outside it seems to be a fairly friendly community which is one reason why I joined. The second reason is simply for marketing. The more your work is on the web, the better your online marketing, in the simplest manner I suppose. We’ll see where it goes. I am beginning with some trepidation. They have a rating scale similar to Photo.net, which I’m not really a fan. (Eye of the beholder and all that Jazz) Still, having feedback on some images might be useful. I might even give out some feedback on photographs.  We’ll see how it goes and I might give everyone a report in a little bit to what I think, time permitting, of course. Until then, you can check out my profile at http://500px.com/JourneyOfLight.

During the past couple of weeks I’ve been busy preparing for shows and getting some marketing together. In the beginning of a photography business you may think it’s all photography all the time. It’s later you learn that the business side slowly creeps up and takes time. At first it’s just a little time, but eventually its more and more. That’s ok, it can be a nice change of pace from sloughing through the mud. Just yesterday my dear wife mentioned how nice my clothes smelled – “Your clothes smell like you’ve been swimming in a swamp!” My reply, “No, I’ve been wading through a marsh.” There’s, of course, a big difference! Anyway, it’s sometimes nice to just sit back in a clean area with air conditioning and be creative in different ways.

For the next three months I’m showcasing some work at the Glacial Till Tasting Room in Ashland. It’s a beautiful rennovated brick building in the downtown of a nice town and minutes from Jack Sinn Wildlife Management Area – one of my favorite photography spots. I’m showcasing mainly work from eastern Nebraska, but I do have a couple of pieces from Colorado and the western side of the state (with one Iowa image in for good measure). I highly recommend taking a nice Sunday drive, stopping in, and partaking in a glass of Chambourcin (or their other fine wines).

On October 1st and 2nd I will be at the Fall Harvest Art Show at Mahoney State Park. October is one of my favorite times in Nebraska – cool winds, changing leaves, and fresh apple fritters. Stop down and take a look at all the great art and enjoy the beautiful state park.

Lastly, I’ve been really busy with producing some marketing materials and updating my resources. When I was in college my photography teacher didn’t teach me a whole lot (well, nothing, actually) about marketing. Of course, even back then no one had thought of Facebook or Twitter and Google was just a big number. Today, you’ve got to keep up with all the changes while maintaining some of the old as well (for instance I just printed some new brochures!). I’ve added the Google +1 button to my website and blog. I ask everyone to +1 my pages if you have a google profile. Please go ahead and +1 my website right now, the badge can be found in the lower right. This will help show others what you are interested in on the web and if you’ve read this far that means my website and blog! Don’t worry, I’ll remind you again at a later time!

Yes, I know it’s Monday and I really don’t like it when I get behind on my postings, but right now there are just not enough hours in the day. Being busy can be a good thing, and, well, a bad thing since things like my Photo Friday posts gets missed. Today’s images are a little different than my nature-y shots. This past weekend the family, some friends, and I went to the Omaha Wine and Balloon festival. I took the opportunity to grab my camera and get some shots of a different subject matter. It was extremely busy and almost everyone had a camera to capture the colors and the excitement. This night, I decided I wanted to mainly focus on the shapes and colors and used my mid-long 70-200 lens for all the shots. It was a cool evening to just sit, click a few photos, and enjoy the night air.

In January and February I reported that I had acquired a new lens – the Canon 24 TS-E II f/3.5L. I made a complete report regarding the capabilities of this lens in my post Photo Friday: Winter Prairie Sunset. On my May trip to Colorado I was very excited to try out the capabilities of the lens. I’ve mentioned using the tilt feature on some images from Colorado, but in today’s post I utilized both the Tilt (for DOF) and the Shift (for stitching). To capture this scenic winter landscape, I knew I had to place the lens horizontal as a panoramic created by using a vertical shift might be distorted by the moving water as panoramic stitching often has issues with movement. Horizontally, the water and movement would be in one frame and the sky in another. I started with the lens centered on my image – that is the mountains were placed exactly center on my composition. I then tilted the plane of the lens until everything was in focus. It was at this point that I placed my filters and shifted the lens down. I captured the first image and then shifted the lens up, careful to make sure there was some overlap in the image and then capturing the second image.

Back in Photoshop I merged the two into one big 36 megapixel image. This makes an astounding large print due to the ability to tilt, the sharpness of the lens, and the added megapixels. While I would love every image to be like this one, the right conditions definitely presented themselves for this capture. I must say, this is one of my favorites of the trip, not just for the beautiful scene that nature gave me, but also for everything falling into place technically. Really, I recommend this lens to anyone wanting to capture grand landscapes, but it takes time and patience to understand all the nuances of the lens.

One added bonus – people are sometimes looking for a horizontal or vertical representation of a scene for a particular use. This image has the benefit of being a 24 megapixel vertical (2:3 ratio) photograph

or a 20.5 megapixel (2:3 ratio) horizontal.

Not bad for offering choices!

Technical Details:
Canon 5D Mark II, 24 TS-E II f/3.5L, f/14, .5 s, 3-stop ND-Soft Grad, 2 images stitched
Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado

For today’s Photo Friday, I’ve decided to switch it up a bit and post a wildlife image from Colorado. As I have mentioned before, I crossed paths with numerous coyotes. I really wanted to capture one hunting and had my opportunity on one of the last days of the trip. In this image, the coyote attempted to pounce on his prey, only to find that the little critter had quickly descended into his hole. Not one to give up yet, he started digging into the opening a bit. This didn’t last long, however, and he left defeated, but it was certainly a great spectacle to watch.

Technical Details:
Canon 50D, 300 f/4l + 1.4tc, f/6.3, 1/640 sec.
Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado

When I first began capturing photographs of the American Midwest and Great Plains it was my goal to NOT capture any agricultural type photographs. I felt that the area was underrepresented in scenic imagery with other subjects and I wanted to fill that void. As I travel through this area I find myself passing crops, silos, barns, and farmhouses that lend themselves to a successful image. While it is still not my goal to focus on the agricultural aspect of the area, some of the scenes with which I happen across I cannot help but stop and shoot. Today’s image is one such example. The clouds were looking ominous and looming on this hot and humid summer evening, so I packed up and headed to one of my favorite locations, Jack Sinn Wildlife Management Area. As I passed this farm, as I have done dozens of times before, I looked back and saw the clouds contrasted by the wheat almost ready for the harvest. After travelling another mile down the road, I decided to make a u-turn and head back to see what I could capture.

As I’m also focusing on some monochromatic imagery this year, I have included a black and white version. As usual, I would appreciate knowing which you prefer.

Technical Details:
Canon 5D Mark II, 17-40 f/4l @ 17mm, f/9, 1/40 sec.
Saunders County, Nebraska

As a change from the recent wintry Colorado photos, today I present an image take just a couple of weeks ago at Mahoney State Park. Near the toboggan run, there are several large Burr Oak trees that I enjoy photographing on occasion. On this warm summer eve, I captured the setting sun through the branches of one of these large, old residents of the park.

Technical Details:
Canon 50D, 10-22 e-fs @ 10mm, f/20, 1/10 sec
Eugene T. Mahoney State Park, Nebraska

As I mentioned last week, this post is an image of the area near Dream Lake after a night of heavy snowfall received in mid-May in Rocky Mountain National Park. This location is not far from the previous image, maybe normally a 10 minute walk, but in the deep snow, it took about a half hour. While I did make it all the way to the lake itself, it was nearly completely covered in snow and the conditions prevented me from setting up my tripod. By walking back a little bit, I found this enclave which allowed me to grab some images of the fierce weather conditions and the peaks of Hallet and Flattop as they appear, slightly obscured from the blowing snow.

Technical Details:
Canon 5D Mark II, 17-40 f/4l @ 40mm, f/9, 1/320 sec.
Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado

Technical Details:
Canon 5D Mark II, 24mm T/SE, f/8, 1/25, 3-stop Grad ND Singh-Ray Filter
Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado

After a fairly heavy snowfall the day before, I decided to climb up to Dream Lake to capture the recent snowfall with the sunrise. This was one of the hardest hikes under 1 mile (One way) that I have ever undertaken. The snow was deep, I had no snowshoes, and the wind and snow blew fiercely. To boot, I had to cross Nymph Lake and the snow was up to my waist. Needless to say, the snow combined with the weight of my gear caused my progress to be slower than I had originally calculated so I did not make it to Dream Lake before the sun grazed the mountain tops. I was, however, in a position to have a spectacular view of Long’s Peak. I did make it to Dream Lake eventually, which I will present next Friday.

Technical Details:
Canon 5D Mark II, 17-40 @ 34mm, f/8, 1/320
Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado

On the hike down, I stopped to capture this view of Long’s Peak still obscured by the blowing snow and clouds. It was a serene morning filled with quiet solitude, although I did see one snowshoer ascending a different route as I was descending.

While I’m not primarily a portrait kind of guy, I do, on occasion, take photos of  friends and relatives and children (of friends and relatives).  Today, I’m happy to present some photographs from my engagement photo shoot of Carrie and Robert.  I’d like to thank my sister-in-law, Kayla, for her assistance with working with the happy couple.  Below are some of the results from the shoot!  Congrats, guys!

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/06/22/technology/22camera.html?pagewanted=1&_r=1

I was enamored with the foggy conditions that prevailed for the first few days at Rocky Mountain. Today’s Photo Friday is another foggy composition of some evergreens in Horseshoe Park.

Technical Details:
Canon 5D Mark II, 70-200 f/4l @ 118mm, f/4.5, 1/250 sec.
Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado

In the current issue of Nebraska Life magazine is an article entitled “Hiking with Riley” that features some experiences I had with my eldest daughter at Schramm State Recreation Area in eastern Nebraska. To accompany that and to give a little bit of insight into myself I allowed myself to be interviewed for their monthly email newsletter. If you want to know a little bit more about me, below is the content of the interview.

Through the Lens of Derrald Farnsworth-Livingston

In the past year, we’ve introduced you to the mesmerizing photos and personal accounts of photographer and writer Derrald Farnsworth-Livingston. Derrald stepped away from his camera long enough to give us a peek through his viewfinder into his life and his adventures.

What led to your interest in photography? More specifically, why did you choose nature and wildlife over other subjects?

Every year as a young boy, my parents and I would plan trips to visit various national parks and other historic areas. Both of my parents were in education and saw the importance of visiting places and immersing oneself in the area instead of just reading about them in a book. On one such trip in Montana, I took a camera to document my experiences. Upon review of the countless rolls of film, I realized I was drawn toward wildlife, nature subjects and landscapes. I continued to pursue this passion through college and after.

You do some writing, too. How did you get into that?

Writing began to interest me in high school. In college, I took a creative writing class, which I consider one of my most enjoyable classes. Since then I’ve continued to write and continue to find it satisfying.

Do you have a favorite place in Nebraska to photograph? Write about?

One place I find myself returning often is Boyer Chute National Wildlife Refuge near Fort Calhoun. When I visit Boyer Chute, I am often alone in the park and find the serenity a nice break from the chaos of life. Here, I am allowed to wander through the prairie, watch the wildlife and listen to the quiet swoosh of grass in the breeze.

You’ve got some breathtaking nature and wildlife photos. How do you do it?

Besides getting out there and experimenting, research is key. I find myself reading and using the Internet to find new places to see and photograph. I find that the better I know my subjects, the more I am able to get a meaningful and artistic shot.

What is the biggest challenge you have had to overcome shooting and writing?

One of the biggest challenges that I think any artist faces is finding a distinguishable style. I am continually evolving my style by broadening my techniques and subjects.

What is your proudest accomplishment professionally?

While I have been published in magazines, calendars, postcards and had numerous gallery showings, I would actually say that my “Hiking With Riley” (May/June 2011 issue) story has been my proudest accomplishment. It contains two important and major aspects of my life – my photography and my daughter. That’s going to be a hard combination to beat.

In “Hiking with Riley” you touch on the fact that your daughter, Riley, helps you see the world through a different set of eyes. What does she help you see?

One of Riley’s favorite things is to stop and look at everything again. Although photographers already slow down and study their subjects, having a child that is interested in the world encourages another level of reflection. Additionally, Riley has really shown me that I don’t ask the question “why” enough. She often asks this question, as most children do, and it has only proven to increase my knowledge and subsequently my appreciation of what surrounds us. With her, I am encouraged to seek out new activities and places that I think may be of interest to her, and this adds even more knowledge and further enriches my life.

Are there any places in Nebraska that you haven’t been that you still hope to capture?

I have not had an opportunity to fully tour the Wildcat Hills. I am hoping to visit and photograph that area soon.

I have never seen so many coyotes as I did on my recent trip to Rocky Mountain. I’m sure part of it was the snow, they tend to stand out more when surrounded with white over foliage with which they would blend. This coyote was hunting right by the entrance to the park and had a lot of attention from the visitors. We all watched quietly and then dispersed one by one to let her continue her hunting in the cold snow.

Technical Details:
Canon 50D, 300 f/4l +1.4tc, f/6.3, 1/4000 sec.
Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado

While the majority of my trip to Rocky Mountain was snow-filled, for a couple days after I first arrived it was dry and the road was open to Rainbow curve. Beyond that the road had been plowed, but the gate was closed to cars, so I decided to huff it one night up the road. It’s can be a bit eerie hiking on a deserted paved road near the top of the world and on this evening the wind was whipping around pretty well. My goal was to get a shot of some of the unique trees that stand near the tundra that have withstood these conditions for decades.

Technical Details:
Canon 5D, 17-40 f/4l @ 17mm, f/11, 1/4 sec., 3-stop Singh-Ray ND Grad
Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado

Unfortunately, the flooding on the Missouri is getting worse. It probably will continue to get worse for sometime. All around there are stories of possible loss of property, damage, and people attempting to fight the onslaught. I hope they succeed. On Memorial Day I went to Ponca State Park to get some shots, but the flooding prevented me from going to parts of the park that I normally visit for photography. This event has also postponed my display at DeSoto National Wildlife Refuge, which is now closed indefinitely. Today I present an image of Rocky Mountain National Park that I captured, above the fog. I imagine that by mid-July this is how Nebraska and Iowa may look, only with water instead of clouds. I hope not, but it’s been a crazy spring and early summer so far.

Technical Details:
Canon 5D Mark II, 70-200 f/4l @ 98mm, f/8, .6 sec.
Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado

In today’s Photo Friday entry, I bring you another image from Rocky Mountain National Park, but this time, it’s a wildlife shot of a Bighorn Sheep. My past two trips to Rocky Mountain were during the fall and I never had the opportunity to see these magnificent creatures as they are at the higher elevations and mostly hidden during this time. Since this trip was during the early spring, I was able to watch several of these large guys gracefully pounce from rock to rock, balancing on little more than what seemed like pebbles at a time. This particular one wasn’t shy and liked to pose, making it almost too easy to capture some nice shots of him.

Technical Details:
Canon 50D, 300 f/4l, f/5, 1/1800 sec.
Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado

The weather in Rocky Mountain National Park last week brought a great variety of weather. It also brought a lot of snow. This past season brought so much snow that the snow plow drivers (which did an excellent job, I might add) said it was the most they had seen in 30 years. In the higher elevations, snow coverage was similar to mid-winter. I must say, I loved it. It produced such a variation of conditions that I photographed all over the place. Unfortunately, some of the places I had planned on visiting were either not accessible or hard to access. Today’s image comes from Horseshoe Park. Two aspens, joined together, their branches intertwined as if they are holding hands through the wintry snow.

Technical Details:
Canon 5d Mark II, 70-200 f/4l @ 140mm, f/8, 1/1600 sec.
Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado

As I mentioned yesterday, I am in the process of processing (yes – process) my latest images. I have recently returned from a trip to Rocky Mountain National Park in Colorado and have a few thousand to go through. One of the first things I noticed as I was sorting my images was how my subjects have changed. Whereas I used to be all about the grand image, I now shoot more introspective smaller scenes. That doesn’t mean I don’t have the grand image, but I think I now have a better variation of subject matter. Another interesting thing I noted was that the images I processed first were these intimate scenes. I didn’t realize it until last night, but of the 17 images I have processed, only 4 are wide-angle landscapes.

I believe this is a good thing, for if I shot the same type over and over I think I would be bored with the art. Additionally, the more varied one’s work, I think that allows greater creativity in all aspects. Today’s image was taken from a location in the park known as “Many Parks Curve”. It’s essentially what it sounds, a curve on the road to the top of Trail Ridge (the main road through the park) that overlooks many of the parks in the park. This particular day was incredible with fog rolling throughout the valley engulfing the trees. As the sun rose, the trees emerged from the fog. I found myself shooting with telephoto lens mainly and although I have some wide-angle shots, I haven’t even begun to think about processing them yet. This image spoke to me first, so it was one of the first I processed.

With that I suggest that everyone go out and try to capture something a little different. I know this is something I’ve espoused before, but sometimes we need a little kick to get us out the door. Consider this your kick!

Technical Details:
Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado
Canon 50D, 300 f/4l + 1.4tc, f/5.6, 1/125 sec.

So, I’ll admit, I haven’t really kept up on my blog posting. Besides being busy with the family, I have had the opportunity to capture some more photographs, which I plan on presenting over the course of the next couple of weeks. Additionally, I’m thrilled that an article that I’ve been hard at work on for the past few months has been run in the current issue of Nebraska Life magazine. The topic? Hiking at Schramm State Recreation Area and discovering nature with my eldest daughter Riley. If you get an opportunity, be sure to check it out.

Technical Details (Flower Photo):
Dutchman’s Breeches, Schramm State Recreation Area, Nebraska
Canon 50D, 50 CM, f/2.5, 1/1250 sec.

Since I missed last week’s Photo Friday, I’m presenting 3 new images this week. Of course, they’re all of the same subject – A Tom from Mahoney State Park. He had a large contingent of females with him and didn’t seem to care too much that I was photographing him.

Happy Arbor Day!

A little bit about Arbor Day from Wikipedia:

Arbor Day (from the Latin arbor, meaning tree) is a holiday in which individuals and groups are encouraged to plant and care for trees. It originated in Nebraska City, Nebraska during 1872 by J. Sterling Morton. The first Arbor Day was held on April 10, 1872, and an estimated 1 million trees were planted that day. The national holiday is celebrated every year on the last Friday in April; in Nebraska, it is a civic holiday. Each state celebrates its own state holiday. The customary observance is to plant a tree.

Arbor Day Lodge State Park is one of my favorite state parks in my home state and every fall I try to make it down to Nebraska City for Apples and to see the large variety of trees transform to their autumn dress. Today’s photograph was taken last fall at Arbor Day Lodge State Park under a beautifully changed Maple tree.

Technical Details:
Canon 50D, 50 CM, f/7.1, 1/100 sec.
Arbor Day Lodge State Park, Nebraska

Another photograph from Schramm State Recreation Area in eastern Nebraska. This is a blue phlox that blossoms in early spring throughout the forest. While generally not a long-lasting bloom, the blue really pops against the green.

Technical Details:
Canon 50D, 50 CM + 12mm extension tube, f/4.5, 1/400 sec.
Schramm State Recreation Area, Nebraska

Technical Details:
Canon 50D, 300 f/4l + 1.4tc, f/9, 1/1250 sec.
Hall County, Nebraska

Welcome Spring!

View More Spring Photos on Journey Of Light

Technical Details:
Canon 50D, 50mm f/2.5 CM, f/3.5, .4 seconds
Schramm State Recreation Area, Nebraska

In the evenings during their migration through Nebraska, Sandhill Cranes come back from the fields to the Platte River to rest. Hundreds to thousands can be visible for miles around during this time as they land during the sunset hours.

Technical Details:
Canon 50D, 300 f/4l + 1.4tc, f/6.3, 1/2000 sec.
Hall County, Nebraska

I wanted to thank everyone who made it to the Mahoney Art Show this past weekend.  I really enjoyed talking with everyone who came through.  I’m planning on doing the fall show in October, so if you couldn’t make it to this one, I hope to see you there!

Technical Details:
Canon 50D, 300 f/4l + 1.4tc, f/6.3, 1/1000 sec.
Hall County, Nebraska

One of the things I like best about photographing Nebraska is the ability to find beauty and have no one else around. I mean, Nebraska isn’t exactly on most photographers lists of must-go places. I had previously mentioned that I have only been out one other time when I came across another random photographer. There is one place and experience in this state, however, that you will find yourself shoulder to shoulder with others, fighting over tripod space and that would be the great crane migration every spring. A huge event that draws thousands of people every year, I have only witnessed the migration of 500,000 Sandhill Cranes one other time. This year I vowed to end that and participate. Perhaps it was the multitude of people that kept me from the multitude of cranes previously, but I decided I should really photograph this experience. I have several images to share from my one day whirlwind photo session which I will do over the next week or so.

Also, I wanted to remind everyone that I will be at the Platte River Art Show at Mahoney State Park this weekend. It looks like Saturday is shaping up to be a fine day so I encourage anyone in the area to come down and see several featured artists from Kansas, Missouri, South Dakota, Iowa, and of course Nebraska at the Lodge. Hope to see you there!

Technical Details:
Canon 50D, 300 f/4l + 1.4tc, f/7.1, 1/2500 sec.
Hall County, Nebraska

In keeping with my recent black and white theme, today I present an image from 2008 that I converted to monochrome. It didn’t work well as a color image, but the patterns and contrasts seem to really work in black and white.

Technical Details:
Canon 5D, 17-40 f/4l @ 17mm, f/13, .6 seconds, 2-stop Singh-Ray grad filter
Great Sand Dunes National Park, Colorado

I have been contacted by the Weather Channel to send out a little snippet about the new show featuring landscape photographer Peter Lik.  In an effort to expand the bounds of this blog and subject my audience to a wider range of inspiration, I am also holding a contest to receive a free copy of Peter Lik’s “Spirit of America” book.  In order to enter to win you must simply:

1. “Like” Journey of Light Photography on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/JourneyOfLightPhotography.  If you are already a fan, no worries, this part is complete.

2. “Like” this page by using the Facebook “Like” button below.

3. Sit back and wait until April 17th and catch a couple of episodes of “From the Edge with Peter Lik”.  Or, in Peter’s words “Get off the couch and get out there!”  I will be randomly choosing a Facebook fan by using the tools at random.org.

Note: This contest is only open to my friends in the U.S.  Sorry, it’s not that I don’t like my foreign friends, it’s just that contest rules get tricky outside the U.S. and I, unfortunately, do not have time to interpret them. 

Now for the announcement:

The Weather Channel is launching a new reality TV show, “From the Edge with Peter Lik”, focusing on scenic outdoor photography. The show will follow Peter Lik, an Australian landscape photographer as he travels to places where weather continues to have a unique impact on the landscape. Every week, Lik will attempt to capture the essence of Mother Nature through his lens with his unique perspective, style, and skill. Throughout the thirteen episodes, Peter will photograph stunning landscapes across Hawaii, Alaska, Death Valley, Utah and other hidden gems off the map. We’ll see all his photographs and techniques along the way as he overcomes weather-related obstacles to find “the perfect shot”.

Premiere Date: March 31, 8pm, The Weather Channel, 13 episodes
Homepage: http://weather.com/peterlik
Slideshow (embed code available): http://t.co/gk84hAf
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/#!/TWCFromtheEdge
Twitter: http://twitter.com/#!/TWCFromtheEdge

The fine print:

The information above has been provided by the Weather Channel.  They are directly providing the book in this contest.  I am not affiliated with Peter Lik or the Weather Channel in any way.

This promotion is in no way sponsored, endorsed or administered by, or associated with, Facebook. You are providing your information to Journey of Light Photography and not to Facebook. The information you provide will only be used for providing information regarding Journey of Light Photography.  I will not sell, transfer, write on a paper airplane and fly, or otherwise disseminate your information to others.  That causes bad karma.

In addition to my normal Photo Friday image, today I’m going to do a mini-review of Silver Efex Pro 2 by Nik Software.  Having used Silver Efex in the past, I became quite a fan of the engine and options behind the filter.  Besides giving me some granular control over the image, I was able to modify items such as film grain, structure, color filters, and contrast with ease which helped take my black and white conversions to the next level.  Silver Efex Pro 2 takes all of this and adds even more.  All the same stuff is there, but now they have added fine structure, soft contrast, image borders, the ability to amplify both the whites and blacks, and a feature for selective color.  The normal presets are still there with the ability to set your own and export and import them.  This is great because if you develop a “look” and want a team of people to have access, it can be readily available.  One last item to note, the software seems faster to me than the previous version.  While version 1 wasn’t a slouch, I am impressed by how quickly it rendered the output.  The only nit I found was that when changing presents, sometimes I had to click on the image to get it to update.  Not a huge problem, but it was somewhat annoying, initially.

Last week I photographed a duck feather I found with my daughter and I thought it the perfect opportunity to put the software through a test.  Below are some of the looks I created with Silver Efex Pro 2.  Mind you, this is only scratching the surface, but it can create some wildly varied output. See the examples after the jump.

Below is the color version for reference. As I was not that interested in the color version, I spent little time getting the white balance right. To me, this image is meant to be in black and white.

To begin, I went with the first available present – neutral. If this is all you’re going to do, then Silver Efex Pro 2 is not for you. It does present a good starting point, however, for your creativity.

In my early years, I was strictly a black and white photographer. I used only film and primarily Tri-X. While the film type feature was available in version 1, I had to process this image a way that was reminiscent of my old darkroom days.

An example of going high contrast with high structure. A little too much for my taste, but it may appeal to some.

A version with just high structure, here the contrast was still low.

Here is a version that utilizes both the cool tones and the new border feature. Interesting, I might have to explore the borders a little more.

The last item in the feather series and my personal favorite. I really wanted to accentuate the white of the feather in this image so the “high key” present turned out pretty well. I adjusted the “fine structure” on this image as well in order to bring out the lines in the image.

For an example of the new selective color feature, I have an image taken last fall in Colorado of an Aspen leaf on a log. A popular way to process photographs, this is a nice addition to the software. It’s very easy to control the color you want to keep while pressing the rest into monochrome. I’ve included the color image for reference.

And with selective color on the yellows.

Lastly, I have an image I grabbed of some coils of wire from old pylons at DeSoto National Wildlife Refuge. The color image wasn’t that exciting so I convereted it to black and white for a little more “artsy” look and toned it as well.

Silver Efex Pro 2 is a nice upgrade which I recommend for anyone using the current version and I highly recommend the product to anyone looking to transport their color photographs into the realm of monochrome.

Happy Friday!  Photo Friday today is a black and white abstract of grasses.  While out taking a small walk through the OPPD Arboretum, I came across this grass that had been flattened from a large animal (likely a deer) resting or sleeping on it.  I was drawn to the lines and patterns, the swirls and the contrasts.

Technical Details:
Canon G10, 8.9mm, f/4.5, 1/200 sec.
OPPD Arboretum, Omaha, Nebraska

Prairie grass is fascinating to watch, especially when one is standing in miles of it.  Acting as one connected organism, groups of prairie grass move and sway in unison with even the smallest of breezes.  A quiet rustling accompanies the movement, gentle, calming.  On the prairie one can find peace and solitude with miles of nothing and nobody.  The vastness is engulfing and liberating, making one feel both small and large simultaneously.  It is endless and eternity.

Technical Details:
Canon 5D Mark II, 300 f/4l + 1.4tc, f/9, 1/60 sec.
Chalco Hills Recreation Area, Nebraska

For Photo Friday I present an image taken in 2009 on a trip to Badlands National Park.  Badlands is one of my favorite National Parks, not only for the stark terrain, but also because it is my closest National Park (it beats Rocky Mountain by a mere 100 miles).  I captured this image in the Sage Creek area of Badlands and have attempted to process it several times, but never quite captured the feel I wanted until this week.  When taking this image I purposely envisaged it in monochrome, but I also like the color.   If you like, drop a line to which version you prefer.

Technical Details:
Canon 5D Mark II, 17-40 f/4l @ 17mm, f/9, 1/400 sec.
Badlands National Park, South Dakota

When creating their business or their brand, photographers fall into 2 major categories: Using their own name, usually followed by “Photography”, and creating a completely different name.  When I first started back in college, I made the decision to create a name.  After all, “Derrald Farnsworth-Livingston Photography” is a mouthful.  As a result, I decided to brainstorm some names that might work well for a general photography business.  I didn’t want to confine myself to a specific genre, but I wanted something that would fit in well with the theme.  During this process, I was spending a lot of time in the darkroom (yes, chemicals and paper and film – ah the days) turning my enlarger off and on, off an on to expose the paper, it occurred to me.  The word “light” had to be in the title as light is really the bare essential of photography.  As I continued with this line of thought, I came to the conclusion that a photograph is really the end result of a journey that light takes – thus “Journey of Light”.  I choose this because I thought it was simple and easy to remember, easier to remember than my name.  Interestingly, my experience has proven the opposite, my name seems easier to remember to those that have actually met me and my website analysis reports also show that there are more hits on “Farnsworth-Livingston” than “Journey of Light”.  This made me question if I should change my brand of 10 years.   Ultimately, I determined, since the end result of both queries end up on my website, I shouldn’t really care.  “Journey of Light” will continue to be my company name and my brand.

In general, what has my experience shown?  That it probably does not matter what your name is, as long as it is consistent and fairly unique, you should be ok.  Bill Smith Photography, for instance, might have a problem, but I think if you separate yourself with enough unique identifiers – i.e. Bill Smith Natural Light Images, the name will stand.

Having a name, however, is not the end to building a strong brand.  Consistency is the key to generating brand recognition.  Without consistency, for instance, every time someone looks at your web site with 15 different fonts, three different image templates, different colors on each page, and two different names, it adds to the noise that defines what your business does or can do for a prospect.  By keeping everything the same throughout the experience, the visitor will find that things are orderly, neat, easy to read, and thus easy to remember.  In the past, I’ve dealt with marketing companies on branding businesses.  During this process the marketing company tries to come up with an official set of items that will define the company going forward.  These items include: fonts, colors, logo, letterhead, marketing materials, etc.  Marketing companies are usually very good at picking colors and fonts that will work well with the theme of the business.  Banks, for instance, usually want to exude a sense of stability, corporation, and success.  Fonts that usually fit into this theme are serif fonts, such as Times New Roman.  Colors are usually neutrals, like dark blue or grays.  Day Care facilities, on the other hand, want to show a sense of childlike fun.  Fonts that fit into this theme are san-serif fonts, such as Comic Sans, the colors are bright and pastel – yellows, pinks, cyans, etc. 

Should you hire a marketing company to help define your branding image?  While I think that this is a good idea for many companies, the stark reality is that photographers, especially those just starting out, don’t have the money to invest.  Additionally, photographers are a creative bunch and can generate some great ideas on their own.  So, what do I recommend?  Go out and read some literature, website, etc. on branding and marketing and decided what image you want to portray in your business.  If you photograph headshots for corporation, for instance, stay away from the fun san-serif fonts and pastel pinks.  Do you photograph children?  Then go with the crazy Comic Sans type fonts and add heavy doses of teal and yellow!  The biggest thing to remember is consistancy.  Blog, website, Facebook, mailers, signs - they all need to encorporate your chosen font and colors.   If you’re not sure, print up a card with the colors and fonts and keep it in front of you for a couple of weeks.  Let it simmer inside your mind and see if you still like it after some time.  Like a good image, does your fondness for it increase or do you end up deleting it after a few days?

The last thing I want to touch on is logos.  I have found that about 30-40% (my general feeling, I have no statistics to back this up) of photographers have a logo.  The other 60-70% of photographers simply use their name (in a consistent font).  For years I would work on a logo, hate it, ditch it.  Then I would start over, work on a logo, hate it, ditch it.  Repeat.  About 7 years ago I started using “Journey of Light Photography” in Copperplate Gothic font on everything.  This became my defacto logo.  Copperplate Gothic, incidentally, was my official font.  A stately font which was easy to read and worked well on all browsers, computer types, and looked good on signs.  I consistently used this font, coupled with Verdana for normal text on everything I did.  I felt like I wanted a logo, but I had a compelling feeling that I wanted to design it so it was completely mine.  

For my the logo I knew I wanted the following:

1. Readability of my name (I think this is a must for everyone)
2. A visual reference to “light” (To pull through the consistancy in my brand name)
3. A reference to something in “nature” – but not something that would place me in any one geographic location
4. Something that would look good on wide variety of background colors, especially black and white
5. Colors that weren’t too “pastel-ly” and not too “corporate” – something that could cross venues

Five things and a pretty simple list, right?  I think the biggest hold ups came from numbers 2 and 3.  Number 2, simply because everytime I tryed to portray “light” in a logo, it never felt “right”.  Number 3, because I photograph the midwest and great plains extensively, I wanted something from nature that could found there, but I didn’t wanted something fairly general so that it could be found in many places.  Additionally, as I move into other aspects of photography – architecture and portraiture, I wanted something that would still work in those arenas.  I’ve incorporated it into every aspect of my marketing – from my website, to my mailers, to my store, to my blog with the new font – Trajan Pro.  Last weekend, I finished this process (exhibited at the top of this post).

Do I think a logo is necessary?  Probably not, but I do think it helps those that remember things visually better.  If someone sees my logo at an art fair and then visits my website, they’ll know they’re in the right place.  Will it increase my revenues?  Maybe on repeat business, we’ll see.  The most important activity I recommend regarding logos is to create a list of “musts” and “likes” as I did above to help shape your vision into something workable, artistic, and of course, consistent.

Continuing with my black and white series, today’s image comes from the fish ponds at Schramm State Recreation Area. It’s been unseasonably warm in Nebraska recently and as a result all the ice and snow are melting, leaving a dull, muddy mess. This feather, however, was caught in what was left of the ice and I liked the texture of the melting ice below.

Technical Details:
Canon 50D, 300 f/4l +1.4tc, f/9, 1/500 sec.
Schramm State Recreation Area, Nebraska

Today’s Photo Friday post is another view of the snow drifts from last week, in Black and White, but instead of using the Tilt/Shift function to increase my DOF, I used it to narrow my vertical DOF causing a sharp center, following the patterns of the drifts and losing focus to the left and right. This photo also exhibits the wedge-shaped DOF phenomenon, being smaller at the beginning and fanning out as distance increases.  Cool to be able to do this all in-camera!

Technical Details:
Canon 5D Mark II, 24 f/3.5L II TS-E, f/3.5, 1/100 sec., Tilted for minimum DOF, vertically
Chalco Hills Recreation Area, Nebraska

http://www.aphotoeditor.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/workforfree.jpg

Some branding tips:

http://thephotoletariat.com/branding-101/

A look at pricing photography services:

http://www.thephotographyparlour.com/2010/04/marketing-pricing-forphotographers/646

A list of places to get lists of creative directors and photo buyers:

http://www.photo-marketing-tips.com/?page_id=34

And lastly, Using Social Media to it’s fullest potential:

http://thephotoletariat.com/how-photographers-can-be-more-social-with-social-media/

My comment on the last link is that it’s something I should take to heart and engage more on my Facebook page and Twitter.  It’s a good reminder that the more you engage people, the more you will draw them in.  About once a week I try and let myself surf the web haphazardly looking at other’s work, other’s ideas, and links that may better my business.  Sometimes I have a fruitful session, sometimes I don’t.  This past week was fairly fruitful, but also shows I have work to do and that’s great because if I didn’t it means I have run out of purpose and from what I discussed yesterday, I know I need a purpose. 

To begin the engaging discussions, I encourage anyone to submit me links at info@journeyoflight.com that may be of interest to all readers.  Subjects can include marketing, sales, branding, technical reviews, processes, techniques, really anything that will help with the business side of photography or the creative process.  I will review them for quality and content and if I feel they have merit, I will post them about once every two weeks.  If I start getting more, I’ll increase the posting rate.

There are two sources of motivation, extrinsic – or external and  intrinsic – or internal.  To facilitate today’s post, I present a video which was produced from a speech done by Daniel Pink on a fascinating study on what motivates people most effectively, both intrinsically and extrinsically.  I encourage everyone to watch it as can be illuminating as to why some ventures are successful and others not (check it after the jump – you’ll need 10 minutes).

So what motivates you?  As Daniel Pink points out in the video, external rewards work best on repetitive, mechanical tasks.  However, when any skill or creativity is necessary (such as photography), external rewards fail to produce any additional results.  Why?  Because the research shows that a person’s desire to be creative or highly cognitive is better tied to a purpose or intrinsic motivation.

When we began photography, few of us received monetary rewards.  I would even venture to say that 99% of us first picked up a camera only see what we could do for ourselves.  Many of us continued because we developed a vision and wanted to improve our art.  This motivation is intrinsic, an internal desire or purpose to further our creative goals.  Of course, some ventured forth to gain the extrinsic rewards ($$) because we wanted our art to become a mean to an end.  We wanted to make enough money to live so that we could continue to provide a way to feed our intrinsic desires. Mr. Pink goes on to say that when profit is disconnected from the purpose, failure often occurs. We must make sure that the intrinsic and extrinsic motivators are aligned for maximum effectiveness. We must make enough to not worry about money, which in it’s most essential form fulfills the base needs on much-studied Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs.

Upon reflection of my own personal experience, when an extrinsic motivator was introduced and not aligned with a internal purpose I have seen my vision falter, my inspiration fail, and I ultimately did not produce something which satisfied my creativity.  To be specific, about 5-6 years ago, I was asked to photograph a family for a portrait.  At the time, I was not interested in portraiture and initially turned the request down.  After a repeated request, I acquiesced and determined that I “needed the money and experience” to continue to grow my fledgling photography business.   I went to the appointment, snapped a few uninspired shots, developed them, sent them off, and washed my hands of the affair.  I had some money and now some “experience” with photographing people.  Internally, I felt unchallenged and felt even less motivated to photograph people.  Although I did not consciously realize it at the time, my desire was not for money, but for something internal. 

So what happens when something internal is added?  Three years ago my first daughter was born.  As many proud papas would, I wanted to capture great photographs of her.  This was the intrinsic motivation I needed to push my portraiture photography.  Since then, I have added gigs photographing people and although it is not my primary business, I now have a purpose which propels me to improve myself in this area.  Am I the best portraiture photographer available?  No, but now I have something that pushes me, that motivates me other than money.

So, how does having this knowledge really help?  For me, I now consciously know that I must have purpose when photographing anything.  Indeed, there have been times I haven’t take a photograph because I do I not “feel” it.  There was no purpose and without purpose images can feel “hollow”.  I know that to perform my best, I need to find that intrinsic motivation, something within me.  I can’t simply turn myself off and snap a few shots, I must challenge myself creatively.  In my previous example where I photographed the family, I needed to find an intrinsic desire in order to perform my very best and allow the creativity to take hold.  For any assignment, whether it’s self-assigned or corporate assigned, I know I need to find something to motivate me other than money or I am doomed to failure.

So back to the question at hand, “What motivates you?”  While the answer is different for everyone, I believe that by looking inside oneself, each one of us can identify the intrinsic motivators necessary to allow us to perform at our peak.  We must find our internal motivators, apply them to our challenges, conquer them, and add new challenges. So now I challenge you to take that knowledge, apply it, give yourself purpose, and see where it takes you.

Technical Details:
Canon 5D, 135mm f/2l, 1/200 sec.
Little Maddie, Amy’s Daughter

As promised earlier for this year, I am actively capturing images to convert to Black and White.  Today’s is a double whammy because I also took it using my tilt-shift lens. As I mentioned last week, the 24 TS-E f/3.5L is sharp.  Did I mention it’s sharp and it’s a workhorse?  Nothing tests equipment better than subjecting it to negative degree days (Fahrenheit) with strong winds across an open stretch of nothingness.  For today’s image, I am including the color version as well, as I like them both.  This image was taken two days ago in the frigid cold on Wehrspann Lake in eastern Nebraska.  The strong winds had created some great patterns and contrasts in the recently fallen snow.  If you like, tell me which you prefer.

Technical Details:
Canon 5D Mark II, 24mm TS-E f/3.5L, f/11, 1/13 sec.
The Black and White was converted using Nik Silver Efex Pro
Chalco Hills Recreation Area, Nebraska

Use the code “BeMyValentine” (without the quotes) at checkout to receive your special discount at the Print Store - http://store.journeyoflight.com and have a happy Valentine’s Day!

10 Secrets to An Online Photo Portfolio

This link has some great tips on displaying photographs on a website.  Keep in mind they are marketing their business, but a lot can be gleaned from this link.

The Top 11 Things Photographers Wish They Learned in Photo School

Guess what?  Most are not art-related!  Take a look at what some people mention, if you’re a photographer with a business, I guarantee you will have wish you learned a couple of these too.

How I Use Visualization to Drive Creativity

An interesting article that has little to do with photography.  It speaks about how creativity helps with business.  Photographers have a lot of creativity so it should help in business, according to the author!

The Three C’s of Social Networking

Social Networking is becoming a necessary marketing tool and this link attempts to break down and analyze it’s inhabitants. Are you a creator or curator?

I went out and used my new 24mm Tilt-Shift lens this past week.  On today’s image, however, I did not tilt, nor shift, I only used it as a 24mm lens to take advantage of the sharpness that the lens has to offer.  I love the stark white interspersed with the grasses and the various patterns that emerge which fresh snow on the plains bring.

Technical Details:
Canon 5D Mark II, 24mm TS-E 3.5L, f/11, 1/30 sec.
Jack Sinn Wildlife Management Area, Nebraska

I would venture to say 99% of people who start in off in the photography business believe it’s all shooting, technique, and fun!. Sure, maybe there will be a little digital darkroom work, but that’s fun too, right?!

Coming from a fairly entrepreneurial family and having worked on building other businesses, I knew there would be more to it than the shooting and I even knew some of what I would need to do to get the business side done, but I didn’t realize everything I had to do. I’ve had my share of bruises and setbacks, but year after year I keep doing this and year after year my business grows. So today I’m going outline 11 things to keep in mind about what I’ve learned to keep up the business side of photography. Some of it may surprise, other may not, but let’s dive in.

1. Taxes, taxes, taxes! That’s right, if you’re in any kind of business, you must pay taxes. Some businesses go a long time without paying taxes on their income. I’m not advocating this in the least, but it will catch up with you. I just sent in my Nebraska Sales Tax form so it’s at the top of my mind. Oh, that brings up another point, be sure to understand the tax laws in your state. For instance, if I deliver photography to someone in Nebraska physically – i.e. on disk or print, I must collect Sales Tax. If I email it, i.e. for stock, then I do not have to collect.
2. Get a fax number. What? Fax – that’s so 1985! Well, it is, but I have to get forms with signatures faxed all the time. Email is not secure and most people do not know how to secure these forms. It’s ironic, but faxing is actually more secure and more accessible to several businesses. I choose to have a fax to email capability so that I can receive faxes (Such as a Nebraska Resale License – Form 13 – see above) and have them emailed to me.
3. Backup your data. I hate to mention this, but so many people in the digital age do not know how to backup their data. I go overboard and have a rotation – offsite system. Crucial, necessary, effective. This includes all your business related items as well, not just your digital images.
4. Get a website, with a unique domain name. Make it easy to update. Flash – I don’t know, decide if it’s better to have a glitzy website or one that’s more accessible. Pros and cons to both.
5. E-commerce enable your website. The 6 months after I added easy e-commerce functionality to my website, my sales went through the roof. Photography, especially fine art photography is often an impulse buy. Cater to that impulse, that is what the public wants.
6. Get social media (I.E. Facebook or Twitter). I was against this for a long time and so I was a bit behind, but I finally did it and it’s been a good avenue of communication. I don’t place it as highly as a website, but probably necessary none-the-less. Read this link about my implementation.
7. Get a paypal account or some other credit card processor. I still accept some checks from some businesses, but being able to process credit cards for large amounts is important.
8. Organize your paperwork. Find a way to keep important documents accessible and referenceble. The more time you spend looking for something, the less time you will be shooting. Personally, I have gone as paperless as possible and keep everything in directories on my computer – which I backup.
9. Be consistent in pricing stock quotes. This can be a tough issue. If you’re just starting out, knowing how to price is hard to determine. Each stock usage is a little bit different from another use. When I first started I priced some things too high and some things too low. I found out I was all over the board and I often fretted about if I was doing the right thing or not. After some time, I gained more confidence and experience and I used a few stock programs – Fotoquote being the primary tool. Incidentally, if you are just beginning, be sure not to start off by pricing usage too low. It’s hard to go higher if it’s wrong than come lower. Also, be sure not to give away too many rights. Like many photographers, I receive the “but, I’ll give you credit!” or “I’ll make sure we can pay you next time” line. Something to note: 99.9999% of interested parties (notice I didn’t say “buyers”) will not come back to give you that money. My standard response is “I’ll be happy to quote the job for you, however, I need a little more information.” Many are interested still or had expected to provide some monetary compensation, the others will usually go away without me needing to tell them things like “I have time and equipment costs.”, “I have Internet costs.”, “My daughter needs to eat.”, items that matter in running a business (yes, my daughters’ well being is directly correlated to mine, both personally and in business).
10. Be consistentant in quote language. Find some good quote verbiage that will help secure your rights in a dispute. For instance, all my quotes go out with statements close to the following: “One-Time Non-Exclusive usage by [Client] to use the photographs described on this document, with a print run listed below, NO ELECTRONIC RIGHTS are granted in any form without an express license in writing. These photographs may not be used on the Internet for any purpose including revisions or electronic editions of printed work without said written license. NO PRINTED OR ELECTRONIC REVISIONS are granted with this license. Any additional usage, including said revisions must be negotiated with the copyright owner. This License may not be transferred to a third party without the written consent of the copyright holder.”
11. Realize it will not take overnight. No business I have ever run or helped run was successful immediately. It takes years. Sure, we hear about “viral” this or “viral” that. That’s not how businesses are built. Longevity is required and a good foundation is the only way to make this happen. Take your time, don’t fret, and most of all prepare yourself for the highs and lows. It’s a wild ride, but hang on, it will be a fun and adventurous one.

Technical Details:
Canon 50D, 300 f/4l + 1.4tc, f/5.6, 1/640 sec.
Sky Somewhere in Nebraska

Last week I mentioned that I have given myself two challenges this year.  One is to create more black and white photographs.  The other is to become familiar and master the nuances of my new 24mm TS-E II f/3.5L Canon Tilt-Shift lens.  In college I had the opportunity to use a medium format view camera and with that equipment I had access to tilting mechanisms that allowed modification of the plane of focus.  In this post I will not go into how it works, the Scheimpflug principals, etc., (See this article for that) but sufficed to say view camera landscape photographers have been using this function for years to get everything in focus from near to far with a large aperture.  So what are the pros and cons, why did I decide to purchase this lens, and for what work do I plan to use it?

(Read on for more!)

Pros:

• Ability to change the plane of focus to allow objects both near and far to be in focus
• It is the sharpest 24mm lens currently made by Canon – one of the sharpest lenses, period
• Ability to shift for perspective correction on buildings and panoramic stitching
• Chromatic Abrasion is nonexistent (CA is one of my biggest photographic enemies)

Cons:

• Manual focus only
• 82mm Filter Sizes (Luckily, I moved to the 4×6 Singh-Rays a couple of years ago)
• Cost (It hurts)

 
For years my wide angle work has been done with primarily a 17-40 f/4l lens and to a lesser extent a 10-22mm ef-s lens (on Canon’s APS-C cameras). The majority of my work is printed very large and while these lenses have functioned admirably (especially the 10-22 – that lens continues to surprise me), I have recently felt the need for something sharper and would allow me better enlargements in my wide-angle images. Now, I’m not saying that either of the other lenses are slouches, indeed, they have been great lenses and I’m not planning on selling them anytime soon and the quality of images they produced have been fantastic, but the 24mm TS-E performance and functionality raises the bar. Additionally, the shifting abilities on the lens allows me to stitch photographs giving me more megapixel per photograph. This brings me to the next point – most of my wide angle work is really wide – 17mm-20mm range. So why the 24mm TS-E and not the 17mm TS-E? The panoramic function I just mentioned is the reason. By shifting the lens side to side I have the ability to accurately capture 3 images and stitch them together giving me a 15mm view. This is accomplished by the fact that the image circle is greater than the size of the sensor, much like EF lens on a crop body. See the diagram below for a visual on how this works.

So, now I can stich 15mm panos while still retaining some great definition. My wide-angle, just got wider! Additionally, everything is manual with this lens so I have to slow down. There’s something to be said about being more careful with your work and this forces me to be so.

There is one more “ability” that I have not yet mentioned, but it is the last reason I purchased this lens, although I do plan on checking it out – fake miniatures. For those who do not know about this – check out these images. About a year ago I received a call from a friend who told me I had to buy this lens just so I could make miniature looking shots. At the time I told him it was on my shortlist, but not for that functionality. I’m going to admit, though, I’m going to try it. I mean why not!

Back to my challenge for myself. This year I’ll be documenting my journey and experience with this lens. The tilting and shifting functionality really opens some new abilities with my photography, of which I’m obviously very excited.

About today’s image:
This is a combination of 2 images stitched together by shifting the lens. Additionally, I had given the lens about a 2.5 degree tilt to get everything in focus at f/8. Normally, at the distance to the foreground bush to get everything in focus, I would have had to stop down to about f/16-f/18 causing loss of sharpness due to diffraction and longer shutter speeds resulting in blurred grass from movement in the slight breeze. For more information regarding diffraction please check out this link.

100% Unsharpened Crop – Near

100% Unsharpened Crop – Far

The final image is over 24 megapixels at a 8×10 aspect ratio. Here are 100% crops of the sharpness both near and far. I had to do no CA correction (I can’t believe it!) in this image.

Technical Details:
Canon 5D Mark II, 24 TS-E II f/3.5L, f/8, .6s
Boyer Chute National Wildlife Refuge, Nebraska

Climb the mountains and get their good tidings.
 -John Muir

When I was a wee lad and I visited the National Parks with my family, we would stop into a gift shop at some point on our trip to pick up a souvenir of our visit.  I would normally gravitate to the postcard racks, rotating each over and over again perusing each sets of cards.  I’m sure I bothered several other shoppers as these racks were usually quite old and as such and they usually squeaked and creaked their objection to my movements.  I would carefully select the card that I thought exemplified the beauty of the place, take my change, count it out and then take it to the counter to be bagged. 

With each purchase, my dream of photography began to form, I realized that not only did I want to visit the beautiful locations portrayed, but I wanted to share a slice of what I had witnessed with everyone.  What better way than with postcards?  

I began to carefully study these slices of “art”, their composition, their colors.  On my little point and shoot film camera I would frame similar photographs and dream of the day when my photographs graced the glossy surface of postcards. 

As I got older and my art evolved, I started to study books of photography, the works of the masters, and images from the intrepid explorers of the wilderness.  Older and more experiences, I returned to these parks and realized that many postcards were mid-day shots with simple compositions.  In many places, the only differentiation between the cards was the season!  Where were the shots of the setting sun with brilliant underlit clouds?  Where were the images of thousands of stars above a mountain?  Where were the photographs of the waves breaking across the rocks while a rainbow rocked in the background?

For the most part, these types of cards were nonexistent.  I knew these shots existed, but why were they not the predominant faces of these cards?  For a simple reason – those shots are not good marketing.  Postcards are many things: a way to communicate to home to brag, “Look where I am and you are not!”, a reminder of a good vacation, and a pretty picture, but above all else they are pieces of marketing.  Clever pieces at that – where else can someone print a picture on card stock and then make you pay for the postage to advertise a location?  So why would stunning photographs make even better marketing?  Because postcard printers want icons as they look to the majority of people and the majority of people do not stand out in inclement weather hoping for stunning light, they do not spend hours in the fog hoping for a moody image, and they do not get up before sunrise.  The common traveler on vacation sleeps in, eats breakfast, hits the main iconic locations around mid-day and they’re back for dinner and a cocktail.  Only the intrepid photographers, artists, and nature lovers find themselves out in during the times of most incredible lighting and beauty.  Postcard printers know this and target this audience.  Does this mean they never have the postcard of the iconic beauty in incredible light?  No, they will, but it will be surrounded by images of blue sky and direct overhead sun and for the most part the mid-day sun photographs are the ones that sell.

So what of my dream of sending my images to postcard publishers?  There are those that prefer those photographs and those are the ones to target.   That doesn’t exclude  calendar publishers, puzzle manufacturers, poster printers, etc. that might want that type of image.  That doesn’t mean that I’m going to sleep in on my next excursion, however.  I’ll still be out before sunrise, in inclement weather and fog, hoping for some incredible light.  The blue mid-day sky isn’t the limit!

Technical Details:
Tundra, Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado
Canon 5D Mark II, 17-40 f/4l @ 17mm, 3-stop ND Grad, 2-stop ND Grad, 2 images blended