Traveling the Journey of Light | Photoblog Thoughts, feelings, and techniques behind the photography of Derrald Farnsworth-Livingston

Growing an Artist-treePosted by drfl on January 14th, 2010

The tree is symbolic of an life of artist. The trunk is the base, the basics, knowledge and experience of the craft. The branches symbolize our various creative endeavours within that craft. Some of those branches are older and stronger and support many smaller branches, some are new and budding, while others are dying. Sometimes we must trim away those dead sticks so that we can encourage new growth. As the years pass, we may try to guide the path of these branches, but often there is a randomness that we cannot predict.

Our inspiration waters and feeds the artist-tree. Sometimes it rains and beautiful buds burst into being. Sometimes its winter and the tree waits quietly for the spring thaw. If we do not tend to the tree, it withers and the branches become brittle, but hopefully we can return and resume the care to save its precious nature.

Nurture and love your artist-tree. Let inspiration wash over it and allow the creative branches to reach to the sky. And remember: visit it often.

Technical Details:
Canon 50d, 300 f/4l + 1.4tc, f/6.3, 1/160 sec.
DeSoto National Wildlife Refuge

5 of the Most Ridiculous Arguments in Nature PhotographyPosted by drfl on January 7th, 2010

#5 Film vs. Digital

Finally, it seems that this argument has lost much of its momentum.  For a while individuals dedicated to film believed that the quality of digital would never match that of film.  It seems that enough film hard cores have come to the realization that the day has finally arrived.  Many digital people have also realized that there is still viable images and techniques that only film can produce.  Digital photographers using film and film photographers using digital, I guess we can all be photographers once again!

#4 PC vs. Mac

The computer is a tool, simple as that.  Some people like one brand, other’s like another.  Mac people, get over yourselves, you are no better than the PC people.  PC people, acknowledge that Macs are here to stay and will not be going anywhere.

#3 Photoshop vs. PhotoPaint (vs. PaintShopPro, etc.)

The program is a tool, simple as that.  Photoshop has its pros and its cons as do the other programs.  If someone is adamant about how great a program is, perhaps the initial image needs to be stronger. 

#2 Nikon vs. Canon (vs. Pentax, Sony, Digital Backs, etc.)

The camera is a tool, simple as that.  Nikon has some great gear and Canon has some great gear.  They both get the job done beautifully (as do the others, as well).

#1 Digital Manipulators vs. Documentarians

This particular argument is perhaps the most hypertensive, knockdown, drag-out fight that has been fought in the nature photography communities.  Countless soapbox speeches, different experiences, and various viewpoints have been espoused.  I remember at one art show at which I exhibited there was a gal who looked at my photograph, “Someday We’ll Find It…” and commented cynically, “I’ve never seen a rainbow look like THAT before.”  There is the old cliche that photographers must learn to “see” and it’s been my experience that many people just don’t “look”.  For example, there have been 3 spectacular occurrences of sundogs this month.  Of those, I have asked various people if they saw them, to which they universally replied they had not, even though I know that they were driving or otherwise outside.  I met up with three individuals during one of these beautiful sundogs, pointed up to the sky and said, “What do you think?”  All three replied, “Wow, I hadn’t realized that was happening!” even after they had been driving for a good 20 minutes during the show.  My point here is that many people get caught up in their day to day lives and never realize the beauty that surrounds them.  In a world of increased digital manipulation one can be forgiven if they do not realize what is real and what is not. 

This leads me to my next point, what digital manipulation is “right”?  In the article, “Photoshop and Nature Photography, how far is too far?”  Darwin Wiggett takes Michael Freeman’s view that the visual arts, including photography, is a representation of real life and therefore is a manipulation by its very definition.    Jim Goldstein concludes in his most recent post “Embracing the Imperfect Image” that perhaps we are over manipulated and an “imperfect image” should be embraced.  Indeed, my post from July “The Imperfect Image” discusses my discovery of the beauty that lies within an image with “flaws”.  Ultimately, after listening to one side and then the other, my view is that only an individual can decide for themselves what constitutes taking an image “too far” to become “perfect”.  Which side is right? It’s up to you decide, just don’t clog the communities with the banter, it takes away from the real goal: creating great art.

Technical Details:
Canon 5d, 70-200 f/4l @ 200mm, f/18mm, 1/15 sec.
Long’s Peak, Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado

What is “Acceptable Sharpness”?Posted by drfl on December 23rd, 2009

A few weeks ago I wrote an article entitled “How to get Sharp Enlargements: Breaking the Megapixel Myth”that gave some tips on creating images that could be greatly enlarged. Now, I am going to address the issue of “Acceptable Sharpness”. In a perfect world of capturing sharp photographs we would all have a remote similar to the movie “Click” in which we could simply hit the “pause” button and everything would simply stop. At that point we could setup our gear, put our tripod in place, connect our cable release, set the mirror lockup, choose the sharpest aperture, put on the best lens, fix the lowest ISO, and then finally capture the image. Unfortunately, no such device exists and so we are left to deal with breezes that blow, animals that run, and hands that shake and As a result, not all nature images are studio perfect. When zoomed in and analyzed imperfections may be noted, perhaps a little motion blur, perhaps a bit of depth of field issues and of course, hand held photographs will almost always be less sharp than an image from a tripod mounted camera. Does this mean that these images should be tossed out due to technical imperfections? At what enlargement point would these images degrade? These are the questions that led me on my path to finding my “Acceptable Sharpness”.

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Photo Friday: Morning IlluminationPosted by drfl on December 11th, 2009

A morning that started off cloudy and not very promising turned into a beautiful morning overlooking the Badlands National Park in South Dakota.

Technical Details:
Canon 5d Mark II, 17-40 f/4l @ 17mm, f/11, 3.2 sec., 3-stop hard ND Singh-Ray Grad
Badlands National Park, South Dakota

This photograph can be viewed on my website at: Morning Illumination - Badlands National Park at Sunrise

Photo Friday: Morning RelaxationPosted by drfl on December 4th, 2009

Taken the morning of the second day of the DeSoto show, the sun’s light was filtered by some interesting cloud patterns. For just a few seconds at a time the rays would cut through.

Technical Details:
Canon 5d Mark II, 17-40 f/4l @ 17mm, f/9, 1/10 sec., Singh-Ray 2-Stop ND Grad, Singh-Ray 3-Stop ND Grad Reversed
DeSoto National Wildlife Refuge, Iowa Side

This photograph can be viewed on my website at: Morning Relaxation - Sunrise Over DeSoto National Wildlife Refuge

Returning to One’s Roots by Using a Point and ShootPosted by drfl on November 24th, 2009

Over the Sea of Grass

When I was a young lad I had a 35mm Kodak camera that I had won at a contest in Montana.  About once a year my family and I would go on a trip, usually to a national park and I would be sure to pack the camera.  I would take several rolls of film and I would ultimately end up exposing most of it in the first couple of days and then I would have to ration the rest for the remainder.  During the time I was scurrying up on rocks and running up to lake shores to snap a quick photo, I had no idea that one day that would turn into something greater.  My only goal in those days was to capture the beauty around me so that I could be reminded of it later.

As time has progressed, so has my equipment.  During college I used a completely manual Pentax K-1000 to capture almost solely black and white images.  I did quite a bit of dark room work in those days, rolling and exposing my own film, and creating prints until the dead of night with only a singular red light for illumination.  I learned of different lenses, apertures, and shutter speeds.  I first used a tripod and a medium format camera.  Needless to say, the quick point and shooting slowly morphed into more deliberate, careful shooting, I had become a “serious” photographer.   Besides, now I had a grade depending on it.

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A Post Show Thank YouPosted by drfl on November 23rd, 2009

Under the Skies of Fall

Over the weekend, I was setup at the DeSoto National Wildlife Refuge’s “Art of the Wild” show near Missouri Valley, Iowa. I want to thank everyone who stopped by and saw all the artists’ great work. It was so nice to visit with everyone and I had some great conversations. I look forward to attending again next year.

Additionally, I did get a couple of opportunities to grab a couple of new images. This particular image was taken in the parking lot with a leaf that I found on the ground. The sky was so beautiful I had to capture it in the background. The contrasting colors work well with this centrist composition.

Technical Details:
Canon G10, 6.1mm, f/3.5
DeSoto National Wildlife Refuge, Iowa Side

This photograph can be viewed on my website at: Under the Skies of Fall - An Autumn Leaf Against a Blue Fall Sky

Photo Friday: Graceful GlidePosted by drfl on November 13th, 2009

This is the time of year that migrating birds of all sorts make their way south for their yearly sojourn. Since most things are losing their color and going to earthy muddy tones, I like to take the opportunity to see some colorful, beautiful birds. This graceful Blue Heron is a prime example of some of the birds that make their way through this part of the country.

Technical Details:
Canon 50d, 300 f/4l + 1.4tc, f/6.3, 1/640 sec.
DeSoto National Wildlife Refuge, Iowa Side

This photograph can be viewed on my website at: Graceful Glide - A Blue Heron Glides Effortlessly Through the Air

Return of the Leaf Eaters: More People PicturesPosted by drfl on November 12th, 2009

Technical Details: Canon 5d, 70-200 f/4l @ 180mm, f/4, 1/400 sec.

So, once again I had the chance to photograph a couple of stellar subjects, little McCoy and little Tommy. These photos are from two different shoots, but both little guys decided that eating leaves was for them! Needless to say this activity did not continue for too long as both mommies made sure they saved room for dinner.

On a technical note, some may notice that I use an original Canon 5d for these photographs. While the 5d Mark II also does a spectacular job, I have found that this camera really works for me for portraits. The file size is perfect since I really don’t need 21 megapixels for these images. I liked it so much that when my 5d wouldn’t power on, I had to send it away for repair quickly since I knew these photo shoots were coming up.

Anyway, here are a few of my favorites!

Technical Details: Canon 5d, 70-200 f/4l @ 126mm, f/4.5, 1/200 sec.

Technical Details: Canon 5d, 70-200 f/4l @ 200mm, f/4.5, 1/640 sec.

Technical Details: Canon 5d, 70-200 f/4l @ 140mm, f/5, 1/500 sec.

Fall’s Final Curtain CallPosted by drfl on November 11th, 2009

This is an image of the same tree from Autumnal Brillance, close to sunset with the sun low in the sky. The leaves were completely gone in a matter of days after this photograph was captured.

Technical Details:
Canon 5d Mark II, 17-40 f/4l @ 17mm, f/16, 1/60 sec.
DeSoto National Wildlife Refuge, Iowa Side

This photograph can be viewed on my website at: Fall’s Final Curtain Call - A maple tree bursts forth into glorious autumn colors.