After the Flood: A Return to DeSoto National Wildlife RefugePosted by drfl on January 16th, 2012

Technical Details:
Canon 5D Mark II, 70-200 f/4l @ 91mm, f/8, 1/320 sec.

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!

Technical Details:
Canon 5D Mark II, 100 2.8 Macro, f/8, 1/125 sec.

Technical Details:
Canon 5D Mark II, 70-200 f/4l @ 145mm, f/7.1, 1/640 sec.

Technical Details:
Canon 5D Mark II, 100 2.8 Macro, f/7.1, 1/125 sec.

Technical Details:
Canon 5D Mark II, 17-40 f/4l, f/16, 1/8 sec.

Photo Friday: Quiet DawnPosted by drfl on October 28th, 2011

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

Ask Around: Calm Mist and Morning’s WelcomePosted by drfl on October 19th, 2011

Calm Mist

 

Morning’s Welcome

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

Photo Friday: Calm and QuietPosted by drfl on August 26th, 2011

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

Marketing Photography, Part II: Educating Your MarketPosted by drfl on July 21st, 2010

A Non-”Corn” Nebraska Landscape

Alain Briot, a successful photographer, especially in the print medium recently wrote an article regarding pricing fine art photography.  Within the article he proposes the following:

• Most people cannot tell average photography from good photography
• Most people cannot tell good photography from very good photography

 

I agree with Mr. Briot’s assertions, with the addition of the following:

The majority of people that can tell good photography from very good photography are photographers themselves and photographers rarely purchase other photographer’s work. From my experience with art shows I can tell you that about 85% of my conversations are with fellow photographers and revolve around how I got the shot or where I was at the time. An astounding 80% of those conversations are discussions surrounding equipment. Majority Result? No sale.

Following my extension of Alain Briot’s logic then the majority of individuals who would appreciate the efforts and beauty of great art is would never buy great art. In order to help your customer’s make their decision in your favor, you need to educate them. This is true whether speaking about a print, a stock item, or assignment work.

For example, I photograph a diversity of landscapes and nature surrounding the American Great Plains. I travel hundreds of miles to ensure that what I get is unique, but distinctly “Great Plains”. The majority of these images were captured in Nebraska. Through my website and various other channels, I am contacted by companies who wish to use photography captured within the state of Nebraska for their marketing. Often, an immediate assumption made by individuals outside of Nebraska, that the state is pretty synonymous with “corn” or “crops”. As a result, they ask me what stock images I have of corn. The number? I have 1 image of corn taken in Nebraska.  It is at this point that I usually try to help the agencies or purchaser understand that while corn is an important aspect of Nebraska, it is not the only aspect.  Indeed, close to a million people in the state of Nebraska never even see a corn stalk for the majority of the year.  That’s the majority of the populous of Nebraska.  On first blush, “corn” seems to be the winner, but upon deeper inspection there maybe a stronger, less cliched possibility.

In order to educate your market, you need to be fully knowledgeable on your images.  That means, if you captured an image of an animal, you need to know what kind of animal it was.  If you are capturing a landscape, you need to know where you captured it – Park name, city, county.  If you are capturing a plant, you should know the name of the plant.  Additionally, you need to know when it was taken – ie Month, year, time of the day, etc.  If it was during an event, you should know the details of the event.  All this means taking good notes and creating an encyclopedia of information.  People like to know the stories and information behind the images and so the more information you can provide, the stronger the educational experience and the more likely a sale. 

Technical Details:
Canon 5D Mark II, 17-40 f/4l @ 17mm, f/13, 5 sec., 2-stop Hard Singh-Ray Filter
Jack Sinn WMA, Nebraska

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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