This pair of cattle egrets were hanging out at Jack Sinn the same evening as the previous image. I was able to quietly approach and take about 10 shots before they decided they were done with the photo shoot. Beautiful birds that fly gracefully through the sky.
Technical Details:
Canon 50d, 300 f/4l + 1.4tc, f/6.3, 1/1600 sec.
Jack Sinn Wildlife Management Area, Eastern Nebraska
Today’s image was taken at a little Wildlife Management Area called Jack Sinn just east of Ceresco, Nebraska - here is a place of solitude. The first three times I visited this area I was the only person out in the fields, it was only the wildlife and me. On this evening the atmosphere was calm and warm with nary any sounds except the chatter of the insects. I setup my photo gear and watched as the sun set, illuminating the clouds for one more brief minute. I captured a few images and then quietly packed up, determined to return once again to the quiet peacefulness that this area provides.
Technical Details:
Canon 5d Mark II, 17-40 f/4l @ 19, f/14, 1 sec.
Jack Sinn Wildlife Management Area, Eastern Nebraska
Following yesterday’s post, I went out last night to photograph some flowers that are blooming in a nearby field and found one that had gone to seed similar to the one I saw yesterday. I stopped and spent almost an hour photographing the patterns, contrasts, and small details that were contained within this little piece of nature.
On the technical side of things, something that really helped was the phenomenal high ISO performance of the Canon 5D Mark II. This photograph was taken at ISO 2000 with a little work from Noise Ninja. Back in the film days this would have meant high grain and loss of detail, but today’s digital is really pushing what one can do in low light. Today’s tools are simply amazing.
Technical Details:
Canon 5d Mark II, 50 CM lens + 25 extension tube, f/2.8, 1/60 sec.
Light Variation of Orton Effect
Where does one find inspiration? I can’t seem draw it out every time I wish. I wish I could head to the local supermarket and pick up a case of Inspiration, but of course, I can’t.
There are instances where months will go by without any Inspiration and then something unexpected happens and I am right back out in the field (figuratively and sometimes literally) ferociously creating images. It maybe something I saw, an old image, a new technique, something encouraging that happens. Sometimes, it is a little glimmer of Inspiration that causes me to capture something new. Other times I wish I had the energy to act on all the Inspiration I feel, because I know in the end, it will be gone as quick as a lightning flash in the dark of night.
Today, I saw a large flower that had gone to seed. The delicate, wispy seeds created a perfect sphere on the tip of the plant. I realized that I could create some fascinating images from this one small part of nature. Unfortunately, I could not act on this fleeting feeling of Inspiration, because I was involved in something else and had no gear with me. There is an intense rain projected and I know the odds are not good that the seeds will still be there tomorrow. The rain will wash the Inspiration away and I will be left searching once again.
Where will I find Inspiration next? Inspiration hides in plain sight, waiting. I always look, but I do not always find. Perhaps the seeds will be there tomorrow, or perhaps something else will be there that inspires. Wherever I go, I know I will be inspired again.
About a month ago, I noticed several purple flowers growing down by the Platte River. I don’t ever remember seeing these flowers blooming and certainly not in the magnitude that they seemed to flourish this year. Determined to get a shot I went down by Schramm a couple of nights while they were at their peak. Unfortunately, every time I was there the wind would blow the flowers around which did not make it easy to get a sharp shot. After review I decided that this image would be perfect for the Orton Effect. For more information on what this is visit http://www.naturephotographers.net/articles0106/dw0106-1.html. Overall, it’s good to use this effect sparingly and there has been an increase in people thinking this effect has been overused recently. I still like it for an image like this, it seems to work well to bring out the contrast of the purple on green.
This photograph is currently a finalist in Digital Photo Pro’s Ultimate Creativity contest. If you wish to vote for it visit http://www.digitalphotopro.com/photo-contests/ultimate-creativity/finalists/contest/ultimate-creativity-finalists/1156-ethereal-plane.html.
Technical Details:
Canon 5d Mark II, 17-40 f/4l @ 35mm, f/13, 1.6 sec., Orton Effect
By Schramm State Recreation Area, Nebraska
For today’s entry, I am going to post one last photograph from my western Nebraska trip. This was a cool, serene sunrise, the ducks and I were the only ones there to witness the beauty of the rising sun reflected off the clouds and then again off the lake. The show lasted for only about 10 minutes before the sun rose behind the clouds. A relaxing way to start the day for sure.
Technical Details:
Canon 5d Mark II, 17-40 f/4l @ 30mm, f/11, .4 sec., 3-stop Singh-Ray ND Hard Grad
Valentine National Wildlife Refuge, Nebraska
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Last night I had the opportunity to go to Game 4 of the College World Series, played every year in Omaha, Nebraska. The smell of hots dogs, the sound of the bat connecting with the ball, the cheer of the crowd - all remined me why I always enjoy watching the game. I attempt to make it to at least one game each year and this year I brought my camera along to get a shot of Rosenblatt Stadium. Omaha is building a new stadium so Rosenblatt only has one more year after this in which it will be hosting the College World Series. Since it has been an icon of Omaha for several decades I wanted to make sure that I was able to capture an image with the game in play and with the stands filled with a crowd. Overall, the game was pretty exciting with some good back and forth between Texas and Southern Miss. for quite some time. In the end Texas emerged the victors, though.
I took several images around twilight from different vantage points. This photograph is actually two shots taken and stitched together to create a long pano.
Technical Details:
2 Photos, Canon 50d, 10-22mm ef-s lens @ 22mm, f/8, 1/25 sec.
Rosenblatt Stadium, Omaha, Nebraska
“Your portfolio is only as strong as your weakest piece.”
This idea seems to be simple - and yet like an iceberg, the real issues lie beneath the surface.
What defines a “weak” piece?
Once I exceeded about 150 images in my portfolio, I immediately reviewed the photographs and outlined the ones that needed to be trashed, kaput, do not pass go. I wanted to keep the number low with only the most visibly appealing images. The images I initially chose were the ones that seemed to resonate with me the least - usually older images over which I believed that I had improved. As I prepared to re-organize my portfolio on my website - I received an email from someone interested in one of the photographs I had defined as “not worthy”. This forced me to realize that the ones that I consider to be the inferior ones may not be those that others consider so. So the “Weakest Piece” must be in the eye of the beholder - right? Since I have gathered slightly more data on the subject, I decided to dig deeper to see if that concept still valid.
Statistics don’t lie - or do they?
When I revamped my website in January, 2008 to its current look, I added a “Most Popular Photographs” section. This page was probably more for me than it was for the viewing public. Here, I had a database keep track of all the views of various photographs and then display the top 12. Every quarter I archive the numbers and reset the counters. An interesting pattern emerged - the same photographs rose to popularity almost every time. As I researched this further I came to realize a few interesting facts.
1. One image in particular was referenced heavily by search engines - a photograph of a young elk - mainly because I used the term “baby elk” which proved to be a popular search.
2. The images that appear on this list are mainly older photographs - from 2006 and prior. In fact all this includes all of them save one and that one only just barely made it in with the most recent statistics.
3. While several of the top images had won awards, some of the others that had received accolades never made it to the top.
This led me to several questions:
“Am I less effective as an artist today than I was before?”
“Am I just not creating popular images presently?”
“Which images are truly my weakest ones?”
“Do I need to re-evaluate what I am doing?”
Over time, I have come to realize that I have competing photographic interests that I attempt to balance. First and foremost, I must photograph for myself. I used to go out on the mission of achieving “The Shot”. I would search for the most scenic, the most impact, best location, etc. that I could and then setup the grandest shot I could at the time. These would be the images that I thought everyone would like and that would garner the most respect. I have since moved away from this thinking. When I go out to photograph I may or may not return with “The Shot”, but I hope that I return with images that are often more subtle. It’s the quieter images that I think over time grow in their appeal.
This seems to compete with another primary goal - building my portfolio with images that are saleable. Most of the grand landscapes are easier to sell as prints or advertising pieces than the small nature shots. Many individuals can look at a landscape and easily imagine themselves in that place -it allows them an opportunity to be transported away. The more intimate images may not present themselves in this manner and are therefore less likely to be the pieces that people relate with initially. Overall, though, I think I have struck a good balance. I still try to get the large landscapes, but I also explore the smaller subjects around me for those images that may not seem as demanding.
As an artist, I want to grow and I feel that in order to do so I must force myself out of my comfort zone and try something new. It’s OK to return to that zone, but if I find myself doing that too often I must refocus myself on creating different images. As time progresses I continually find it fascinating which images people relate with and why. Some, because it was taken at a special familar location, some, because it reminds them of another time, and sometimes, simply, because it reminds them how beautiful nature can be. So what about “The Weakest Piece”? For now, I lightly edit my portfolio and I have learned to recategorize and still keep those other images available for viewing because you never know “The Weakest Piece” may be considered to be “The Strongest Piece” to someone else.
Technical Details:
Canon 50d, 300 f/4l + 1.4tc, f/6.3, 1/640 sec.
Jack Sinn WMA, Nebraska
For the 2010 calendar year, I contributed several images to “The Great Northwest” calendar by Brown Trout Publishing including the cover shot. This calendar focuses on the Pacific Northwest region including Oregon and Washington. If you would like to preorder from Amazon, please check out the link below.