Jan 6, 2021 | AF-S DX 12-24mm f4G IF ED, Daily Image 2021, Fine Art Portfolio, Fine Art Portfolio Posts, Michigan, Nikon D300
Fine Art Portfolio | Long Exposure Lake A long exposure not only flattens and smooths the water, it also can create interesting shapes. In this case, the trees made nice curved shapes on the water. Long exposures also tends to add calm and tranquility by smoothing the rough edges. This image seems to capture the drama between the smooth lake and rugged sky.
The Back Story What a beautiful end to a nice day on the lake! Just enough light remained to cast shadows on the lake. The air was calm but small waves persisted on the lake. A long exposure would hopefully smooth the water. Long exposures can be really fun to capture. From the dock, I experimented with different 30 sec exposures while waiting for the best shadow. With everything dialed into the camera, the calm wait for the best composition was quite pleasant. As the sun quickly sank late in the day, the strength of the light made very dramatic changes in the reflections off the water. Before I called it a night, I captured several long exposures.
Details…
| Event | A Day on the Lake |
| Location | Lake Cadillac |
| Date/Time | 5/31/2010 8:20 pm Local Time |
| Weather | Partly Cloudy | 65°F | Light Winds |
| Method | Amble out to the dock before sunset, setup tripod, and wait. |
| Gear | Nikon D300 with 12-24mm lens, tripod |
Jan 5, 2021 | AF-S 70-200mm f/2.8 ED VR II, Daily Image 2021, Fine Art Portfolio, Fine Art Portfolio Posts, Hyalite Canyon, Nikon D3x
Fine Art Portfolio | Oxbow Bend OxBow Bend is located along the Snake River near Great Tetons NP. It’s one of the most photographed places in the country. In this image, Mt. Moran stands majestic in the background. The crisp, cold morning air and the light spring snow cover along with the calm, no wind quiet of this remote place made me appreciate the scene in front of my lens. Dawn at Oxbow Bend is always an emotional experience. This image reveals the stark contrasts in this mountain wilderness.
The Back Story To capture this image, I arrived at the the Ox Bow Bend turnoff a little before o’dark thirty. A light snow cover greeted me at the turnoff. After setting up my tripod, I waited for the light to change. As I waited several coyote packs could be heard in the distance. Also, black bear, grizzly bear, moose, elk, and wolves call this area home. At o’dark thirty, I was the only person at the turnoff. Finally, as Mt. Moran became reflected in the Snake River and the morning shadows began to change, this composition appeared. For more images and information about Oxbow Bend, see Grand Tetons | a 7 Image Story.
Details…
| Event | Oxbow Bend o’dark thirty photo shoot |
| Location | Oxbow Bend turnoff |
| Date/Time | 5/02/2010 6:35 am Local Time |
| Weather | Fair Skies | 25°F | Light Winds |
| Method | Park at Oxbow Bend turnoff, reposition to get the angle on foot, use tripod. |
| Gear | Nikon D300 with 50mm lens, tripod |
Jan 4, 2021 | AF-S 70-200mm f/2.8 ED VR II, Daily Image 2021, Fine Art Portfolio, Fine Art Portfolio Posts, Hyalite Canyon, Nikon D3x
Fine Art Portfolio | Grand Teton Flats The Grand Tetons get many clear mornings. Low lying fog along the Snake River lingers to make a beautiful American image. Teton country provides many contrasts between the flats and the mountains. Tall grass in Teton country adds more contrast for B&W images.
The Back Story After an early morning photo shoot at Oxbow Bend, I was driving around on country roads looking for a nice image possibility. It wasn’t hard; the Grand Tetons provided numerous possibilities. For more images and information about Grand Teton Flats, see Grand Tetons | a 7 Image Story.
Details…
| Event | Grand Teton Flats photo drive |
| Location | Grand Teton county roads |
| Date/Time | 11/06/2010 9:40 am Local Time |
| Weather | Fair Skies | 41°F | CALM Winds |
| Method | Stop along the road and make a simple click. |
| Gear | Nikon D3x with 70-200mm lens |
Jan 3, 2021 | AF-S 70-200mm f/2.8 ED VR II, Daily Image 2021, Fine Art Portfolio, Fine Art Portfolio Posts, Hyalite Canyon, Nikon D3x
Fine Art Portfolio | Hyalite Canyon As the stream winds down the mountain, it gets wider and narrower and the flow gets slower or faster. Slow the shutter speed and time smooths the water’s rough edges. This image was captured between wet snow showers. To be honest, it seemed like a rather dreary day to me. Slow down the exposure for the stream to blur and you get a simple, long click. The light coming off the blurred water makes nice contrast.
The Back Story Alarm! Hello, it’s o’dark thirty on the first shoot of my first photo workshop. So, I quickly showered, shaved, and soon found myself carpooling south of town to Hyalite Canyon. As we left Bozeman, it was raining, but as we rose in elevation up Hyalite Canyon, the rain changed to heavy, wet snow mixed with rain and sleet; a fine start to my first workshop shoot. Finally, our caravan stopped along the dark winding mountain road. And, we were off, all thirty of us, trying to envision a decent image. I stuck around the group for a while trying to gain knowledge and insight. Whatever they were seeing; I wasn’t. So, down the bank along the road to the mountain stream, I went. Although there were waterproof boots in the truck, they were not on my feet. Big mistake! After setting up the tripod and moving around a bit to get the angle, my foot stepped onto a non-existent rock into the stream. With wet feet, it was time to make an image. After experimenting with a variable ND filter to get a good shutter speed, I made a few test shots and waited for a bit more light and a bit less precipitation. It took awhile to get a good shot while slipping around on the wet rocks in the stream. For more image and information about Hyalite Canyon, see Snowy Rain | a 7 Image Story and Hyalite Canyon Hike | a 7 Image Story.
Details…
| Event | Hyalite Canyon photo trip as part of a photo workshop |
| Location | Hyalite Canyon stream located about half way up the mountain near the road. |
| Date/Time | 11/08/2010 8:16 am Local Time |
| Weather | Snow/Rain mix | 33°F | Light Winds |
| Method | Stop along road, climb down to stream, position tripod legs in the stream, and wait for good light. |
| Gear | Nikon D3x with 70-200mm lens, variable ND filter, tripod, rain gear, water proof boots |
Jan 2, 2021 | AF-S PC-E 24mm f/3.5D ED, Daily Image 2021, Fine Art Portfolio, Fine Art Portfolio Posts, Nikon D3x, Wind Cave
Fine Art Portfolio | Wind Cave Lone Tree Each national park has a character of it’s own. “Solitude” describes Wind Cave NP, above the ground, particularly in the off-season. At solitary Wind Cave, it’s all about the land and its wildlife; a nature photographer’s heaven. This image tries to capture some of that solitude with a lonely gravel road as far as the eye can see. The tree is almost a silhouette against the wild clouds of a stormy day.
The Back Story A really good image of this tree had eluded me for several years. I have probably taken hundreds of images of this tree. However, this image is the first that I really like. It all started on my first trip to Wind Cave NP in 2008. Wind Cave is secluded and quiet with a feeling of remoteness. You can drive through the park on the one gravel road, stop the car, turn off the engine, and hear: nothing, for a moment, then the sounds of nature. It is totally quiet of the sounds of man and screaming with the sounds of pure nature. I have returned several times since my first trip. Each time capturing images of this lone road tree. Sometimes the sky was not creative, sometimes I did not get the angle, etc. I tried color, HDR , and now B&W. When the composition is off; well, it’s off. Perhaps, my eye for composition is getting better. Perhaps, it was just luck. Anyway, this image is my best so far. For more about Wind Cave NP, see Solitude @ Wind Cave | a 7 Image Story.
Details…
| Event | Wind Cave Photo Drive |
| Location | Wind Cave National Park near center of the park “Y” in the road |
| Date/Time | 5/02/2011 3:40 pm Local Time |
| Weather | Partly Cloudy | 30°F | Light Winds |
| Method | Drive the gravel road. Stop, position tripod for composition, and wait for nice clouds. |
| Gear | Nikon D3x with 24mm PC-E lens, Tripod. |
Jan 1, 2021 | AF-S 17-35mm f/2.8D IF-ED, Daily Image 2021, Fine Art Portfolio, Fine Art Portfolio Posts, Nikon D3x, Yellowstone
Fine Art Portfolio | Yellowstone First Snow Yellowstone’s first snow of the year in mid November made for a great day to capture images along the Yellowstone River. This Yellowstone image is one of my favorite images. In particular, the dark contrasts against the snow enhanced contour. The rock seems almost majestic against the sky. And, the depth of the valley adds perspective.
The Back Story This particular Yellowstone visit was very short; only one day. The park was officially closed except for the north entrance and the road to Cooke City through Lamar Valley. A snowstorm had fallen the night before, covering everything in sparkling fresh snow. The Yellowstone River, flowing north out of the park, was not frozen due to the thermal features of the park. Actually, we only had a few minutes to capture this image between snow showers. Although it was midday, the sun was shining through a thin cloud layer softening the light. Blowing snow and the calming sound of water ripples from the river enhanced the experience. Not expecting deep snow in the week before Thanksgiving, I was not dressed properly and got very wet. In fact, light snow was still falling shortly before capturing the image. The skies just opened for a few minutes, the sun peeked through the clouds, then it quickly closed up again and snowed on us the rest of the day. For the record, I did not fall into the Yellowstone River. For more about Yellowstone NP, see Yellowstone NP Wild | a 7 Image Story.
Details…
| Event | Yellowstone photo drive during and after first snow |
| Location | Yellowstone National Park near north entrance |
| Date/Time | 11/19/2011 12:55 pm Local Time |
| Weather | Partly Cloudy | 14°F | Light Winds |
| Method | Climb down to the river bank from road. Position camera on a rock at a low angle. |
| Gear | Nikon D3x with 17-35mm lens, Tripod used as walking stick, Rope. |
