Hepatica in Filtered Light

Hepatica in Filtered Light

This is one of the things I look for in taking wildflower pictures. To me light dynamics are everything. This is a cinematic light photo.

In this composition there are interesting lines and negative implied shapes that create a wholly different concept of a natural frame.

The ribs on the leaves surrounding the bloom point to it. Leaves at the bottom point right, intersect the leaves about it, and form an interesting zig zag pattern leading the eye to the bloom.

This photo is something given, not something taken. One only needs to first observe and work slowly.

Eye Contact & The Critical Moment

We have an armadillo that hangs around our place we call Armondo. Many days I see Armondo hacking around the back woods dining on grubs and worms. When our chickens lay too many eggs, Armondo lives the dream dining on our surplus. He is dumb as a hammer, just north of an insect brain. 

Anyway, if you have seen armadillo pictures, you will note 2 things. They are shot at a high angle, and generally the armadillo is head down and sideways. To stand out from the crowd consider getting on your belly and waiting for eye contact and an unusual posture. This frame is 1 of about 50 I shot of Armondo. At most, I was 8 feet away from him. 

This is not your typical armadillo picture. Getting it is about observation, patience, and thinking through possible poses. In there somewhere is the willingness to lay down on the ground up close and personal. 

Armondo the Armadillo Checks Me Out

Grazing by 43/21 Intersection -- Compos With 2 Elk

Compositions with 2 elk can be hard to get to look right. One strategy is to overlap the elk to kind of convert the picture to "2 gets you 1 subject". In this case, the biggest elk, Box is in the foreground, the smaller behind is behind him mostly, and mostly in the shadows.

Morning light cutting across the bodies of these animals animates their contours. I cropped this to a vertical 12x8 so that the tree would participate in the compo more effectively -- it reinforces the lines. It is pushed back, so the traditional rule concerned about it growing out of the elk has no meaning. In fact, in this case, it seems to point the elk. If I had cropped to 10x8, I don't think it would be as effective.

Make 2 Elk into 1 Subject by Association

Why Not Black and White?

Days like today are great for working on your ideas and learning some new things. I took the river crossing image into my preferred  BW plugin and played around with it.

I applied a red filter to bring up the deer. Took the tree trunk and roots behind the deer down darker so the deer would pop out a bit. I lightened up the deer still more. I burned down the foreground water, again to lighten up the deer.  No formula, just eyeballing the end result.

Why not play with black and white?  It will teach you about how to work with darkness and lightness in the same composition. What you learn in black and white readily translates to your color post processing.  In some ways you might find experimenting with only black and white will help you better manipulate color values. There is the chance you will get hooked on black and white, not a bad problem to have. Whatever makes your photography enjoyable is what matters.

Whitetails Crossing at Ponca Low Water Bridge BW

Making Photo Cropping Choices

There are actually people who think cropping photos is a sin against photography. Seriously? Isn't the point of photography visual expression? Cropping is a fundamental tool. There are a lot of rules created about photography, especially by those who can't figure out composition and visual expression.

The picture below is a crop of the one I posted previously. I don't think it is better or worse, just different. There is no reason to prefer one over the other. I did lighten up the the photo a bit and saturate it slightly. If I were printing this I would spend more time fussing over it.

Note that there is "negative space" in front of the lead deer to the left. That is very deliberate. It is a pretty standard composition strategy to leave space in front of the direction of movement.

This photo is also cropped vertically. I try to place a linear subject along the 3rd lines. Also there is the two tree trunks with roots on the right. I will generally place the vertex of the intersecting 3rd lines between 2 elements that are participating in the composition. These 2 trunks meet that criterion.  Note also, there is not only movement right to left, these trees and roots reinforce the right-to-left sensibility of the composition.

Are these cropping ideas rules? Nope, they are suggested starting points, ways of thinking. If you think differently that pleases me. My concern is that you think about what you do, not whether you agree with me.

The final crop came in at 288 dpi. That is good enough for a pretty good sized print, bigger than most people might want. Might be fun to hack this around in black and white.

Whitetails Crossing the Buffalo (Crop)

Godzilla Steering His Herd

Bull elk steer their harems away from danger. This was taken a bit later when Godzilla had had enough of me and it was time to move his herd.

Compositions usually have negative space in front of a moving subject, in this case it is behind. This is because in these steering movements, the bull pivots toward the last cow as he walks back and forth moving them toward the tree line in this case.

Herd Bull Turning His Harem

All Bull Herds Forming

We are in the crossover period where late rut becomes post rut. These bull elk are functioning both as satellite bulls and seem to be an all bull herd. These transitions are never clean, they do overlap, and sometimes the animals will reverse for a few days. 

This group are second tier bulls, not big enough to be in the game. They do trail herds during the rut, but eventually group up roughly by size. They were quite near Godzilla's herd. 

Part of the joy of wildlife watching is to look past what the books say and observe what really goes on. 

Note the back bull's steamy breath. With 5 elk in a single frame it is useful to mix up movement, the line of heads, and eye contact. I have about 6 frames of these 5 bulls and this one is the most visually interesting for those reasons. 

All Bull Herds Are Forming

Godzilla and Harem 11/19/13

The big bull elk was in a front field this morning. I crept up on him at some distance, but he saw me anyway. He walked toward me on an upslope and picked his head up some.  This big bull is visible now just south of the 43/21 intersection, at least he was today.

Generally I will not center a subject, but in this case I think it works because it shows a "day in the life of elk". Godzilla is locked on to me as a threat, some cows are walking away, a couple are looking on. Crossing morning light makes this appealing to me.  Even though it is mid-November, Godzilla is still bugling and showing rutting bull behavior.

Herd Bull Godzilla Protecting His Harem

Getting Good Photos on "Off Days", Composition

Pretty sure this is "Hammers", the shag bull. He was grazing around the bridge at Moore Creek this morning and he gave up a lot of shots in crossing light. 

If I didn't tell you, you would not know this is a roadside shot, it is a crop. This composition uses negative space in the direction that the bull is looking -- a pretty standard composition strategy. It creates interest, much more than a centered shot. 

Also, this was taken on a day when there were few elk. The day was carried by roadside bulls, small ones like Hammers, and a medium sized bull in the other picture I posted today. Today paled compared to yesterday with JYD. There were still plenty of elk pictures to get. 

Sunrise Light and a Crop Carries this Compo

Late Fall Color -- Why Not Try Black and White?

Steel Creek like you never see it. There are plenty of different ways to interpret the place. I found myself draw to this odd tree -- very geometric and eccentric.  This is late fall color when tree trunks emerge to provide form and interest. 

I think this compo is better as a BW.  I could spend an afternoon interpreting this in black and white with different filters and presents.  This conversion is pretty straight ahead.  Maybe more contrast would be better with a mild red filter. I use Silver Efecs 2.0 from NIK for conversions. Easy to work with, and you can focus on the end product. (And no, I don't hype anything I don't use and like.)

Not Your Standard Steel Creek Compo

Maybe a Touch More Contrast

Tips for Elk River Shots & Crossings

Setting up for river shots is pretty simple, but one must be mindful that it is roughly like swinging for home runs -- you will strike out a lot, BUT when you connect with a river shot, you are hooked for life.

The photographer below was heading to one such sitting spot. He was hoping to get elk drinking at the river on the opposite bank. The formula for this is simple. Locate the field where the elk are, get behind them (or beside them) and wait. The will come to the river to drink, and they might cross too if it is possible (or not).

Going for an Elk River Shot

Fall color reflections can easily be brought into these photos. The key here is to locate a great river reflection and locate the elk trail that crosses it. Elk trails are easy to find. Good landscape compos are pretty easy to make. Bring the two together, add elk, and you have it.

Elk River Shots With Fall Reflections Can Be Dramatic

The crossing shot below puts an even finer point on the composition. This elk is cross lit by sunrise light cutting right down the trail toward him. This shot kind of looks impossible, but really it is about time of day, pre-visualization, and moving elk. If there are reflecting pools they add a lot.  

TIP: One thing that makes these photos much easier is that the herd bull is nearly always last when herd moves.  This give you plenty of time to think through your composition, exposure and timing.  You set these up with the cows that precede the bull. In this way, this is nothing like a snap shot, it can be very well planned. In the shot below, at least 20 cows that preceded this bull. They made it easy to get this shot and help me plan the final compo.

Think About Painting with Cutting Light -- Get Creative

Work on your Landscape Photography Skills in Black and White

In my world black and white is far from dead. When I get a color photo that frustrates me, often I will kick it over to black and white to overcome ishy colors like blue greens. If the photo is any good, often a black and white interpretation will show you what you thought you saw. Some photos are great both in color and black and white, others are not.

I am very pattern oriented. In landscapes I like strong lines and good vanishing points. I work in HDR quite often because I like very long tonal ranges.

So why bother with black and white? One reason is that it can help you strengthen your compositional skills. It forces you to find lines and shapes, and highlights and shadows. This will help you pre-visualize better whether you shoot color or black and white.  Black and white makes you work harder to get a great composition.

Because we are in a digital world now, you can retain your color negative so why not interpret your landscapes as black and white and deconstruct your voice.?  If you look at a few pictures you will see your patterns in your work and perhaps think more deeply about composition.

Looking East from the Ponca Low Water Bridge

The picture above had foreground sharpness giving way to softness at the distant point there the Buffalo River.  There are lines and curves, and implied forms. Fall color is always a plus, but it can be a distraction too.

Color is never the whole game. There are lines, textures, rhythms, and so on. Maybe looking at the landscape that has frustrated you for years will be more understandable in black and white.  Try deconstructing your photos by removing color. It can provide a lot of insight.

Old Barn by 43/21 Intersection

I don't know how many photos I have of this old barn, but it might be 100+.  It is fascinating to take pictures of old buildings across the seasons and with all the variations in light.  In this case it is early color, fog and sunrise light.  It is a very detailed photo, tough to sharpen correctly for web scale.

Animal photography is my priority, then there are wildflowers, and old buildings. I love how the fog adds mood to early morning photos.  Sunrise light is warm and it offers a lot of dynamic range making 3D looking photos.  If there were no elk in the valley, a day could be spent just on the many old buildings that are there.  This is one of the best, but there are many.  I took this as a "time out" from shooting elk that were in the field opposite the old barn. Not a bad break.

The Old Barn at 43/21 Intersection

Steamer Season -- Cold Weather is Start of Steamer Season

I have been shooting elk for a long time now and "steamers" are one of my favorite photo strategies to add something to kind of ordinary compositions. "Steamers" will be possible on early morning shots beginning this week. The obvious first choice is a bull elk bugling, but there are many other choices as below from my archives. I added the shot locations.

Satellite Bull Looking at Harem (43/21 Area)

Backlit Bull Walking and Bugling (Ponca Field)

Bull Breathing Heavy Over a Cow (Ponca Field)

Shag Elk Just Bounding Around (Lost Valley)

Big Bull Just Breathing in Frost (Lost Valley)

Fall Color Update 10/12/13 -- Landscape Tips

Fall color is picking up speed now and should be very good for next weekend's Color Fest at the Ponca Elk Education Center.  See my earlier entry on the Color Fest.

We are entering the early fall color period when there is plenty of green mixed in with fall foliage.  I love this stage of fall color because it offers so many creative choices.  The picture below is one of my favorite early fall color landscapes.  I think the date on it was October 10 a couple of years back.  I think the variety of colors really adds a lot and draws you in.  That is the essence of early fall color landscapes.  This is where we are at right now and it is changing every day.

Early Fall Color Landscape -- Buffalo River at Ponca Access

Fall color will be very good now for at least a month.

This year think about playing with light in unconventional ways.  This was taken late in the day as the sun was setting.  I think it adds something to see long tonal scales in the bluffs that are often rendered flat.  The dark tones on the left and right create a natural frame that leads your eye around the photo.  Shadows also create a vanishing point on the lower right.  To me, this landscape is emotional.

When doing your compos, think of how a painter would approach this subject. You can bet it would be much more than "point and shoot".

Think Creatively About Head Shots

Here are 2 different elk head shots of Hooks taken just a couple of minutes apart.  I want to talk about getting outside the box a bit in your elk compos and shooting something besides elk standing sideways in a whole body shot.  In this case it is about getting in close for head and shoulder shots.

Pretty Standard Head Shot -- Note Eye Detail, It Matters

Tip #1  There are lots of ways to shoot elk besides frame filling whole body shots.  If you get in close you can capture some emotions in some shots. The eye in Hooks above makes this shot. The limbs on the left are deliberate to break up the space some.  Soft foggy light casts nice reflections on the antlers. 

A Looking Away Head Shot -- Less Standard, Maybe More Interesting

Tip#2   Looking away shots are permitted. This shot sparks my curiosity because I wonder what he is looking at, or even what he is thinking.  If you are an antler fan, this is also usually a better look at the antlers.  Again, soft light casts a sheen on his antlers.  (I suppose if I got fussy with this I would clone that branch away from his nose a bit.)

As you take more elk shots, you will get away from straight ahead standing shots.  Getting in close is a nice way to break up your routine and explore these animals differently.

Hooks in the Fog by the Buffalo River -- 10/9/13

Getting out there is the key to getting the best shots. There is no substitute for determination. Today when I got down to the valley it was really socked in with dense fog.  At the north end I thought it could be a total loss, and I really didn't have time anyway.  As I drove south, the fog was not so dense, and Hooks was right at the roadside ready to pose. 

Thin fog can provide really interesting light.  Hooks provided the pose with a slight head tilt showing some expression, always a key. Partial natural frame, slight up angle, and the background is fogged out of focus.  Something a little different.  Maybe more engaging.  These small things add up. 

Hooks in the Fog by the Buffalo River

9/23/13 Walking the Wild River

Sometimes you get what you get.  I like black and white and intend to devote a year to it.  I call this image "Along a Wild River Pool".  This is classic Hailstone (the uppermost Buffalo National River).

I like to stalk elk along the river even though I often come up empty.  Pooled water and rock are inspiring to me and not a bad fallback.  So this is what I got today.  A study in light, texture, and reflections.  A nice break from antlers and fur.

A Wild Pool on the Hailstone

Butterfly Shooting is Very Good Now

If you visit to photograph the elk herds, you will definitely want to have a secondary target in mind.  Summer heat is back and the elk will be gone by 8 or 9AM.  My favorite second subject at this time of year are butterflies.  Early rains have created strong summer wildflower blooms. For some reason hummingbird moths are thick this year in many places.

Below is my favorite hummingbird moth picture so far. I call it "pollen puss". My standard strategy for this sort of photo is to pick a flower composition I like and just wait, often for hours. I would say this photo took me 6 hours to get.  As always, there is plenty of luck in getting a decent photo.  I chose a top lit flower in this case for an out of the ordinary compo.

Required Reading for the Color Fest Workshops

Creative Voice is About Answering Your 
Own Questions About Composition

Friday and Saturday at 2 PM I will be doing free elk photography workshops at the Ponca Elk Education Center. Call 870-861-2432 to reserve your seat.

Contrary to popular opinion, good photography is thoughtful, and the best results come from thinking carefully about what you do. We will be talking about the questioning process, and how to figure out what to do. And how to think about what equipment to buy.

The link below takes you to a blog entry I did early this year. My goal is to get you to learn how to ask effective questions about your photography so you can get to the next level on your own. A new camera is not the key, a new way of thinking is. The blog entry below is a good start. Please read it before the workshops this weekend.

http://arkansaswildlifephotography.blogspot.com/2012/01/learning-composition-questioning.html?showComment=1336878959578#c3206271887804983012