Photo Friday: Fiesty PheasantPosted by drfl on December 2nd, 2011

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

Double Feature Photo Friday: The Long Sunrise and Long’s ObscuredPosted by drfl on June 24th, 2011

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.

Rocky Mountain BlanketPosted by drfl on June 8th, 2011

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

Photo Friday: Around the TreePosted by drfl on March 4th, 2011

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

Photo Friday: From Wind and SnowPosted by drfl on February 11th, 2011

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

11 Necessities in Building A Photography BusinessPosted by drfl on January 26th, 2011

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.

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