By Jay Patel, on May 9th, 2011
As you may know, Jay and I generally travel and shoot together. Our trip to Oregon was no exception. The weather was just right for a trip to the Columbia River Gorge. Occasional rain kept the mosses and stones wet – and helped to bring out rich colors. Overcast skies gave us perfect, even lighting for waterfall shots like the ones you see here. And when the skies cleared up, we spent some time photographing nearby peaks and scouting for other locations.
Here are a few of the shots we took at Elowah Falls on McCord Creek. This is an easy-to-access spot, and it’s incredibly beautiful. Locations like this are great because the options for compositions are unlimited.
Up close, blowing mist is a constant problem – especially in Spring when more water is falling. Varina set up her camera on a slippery rock just beyond the falls. She chose her composition, selected the appropriate camera settings, and wiped her lens clean before replacing the lens cap. With everything ready to go, she needed to wait for clouds to cover the sun, and a moment of calm wind. She protected her camera from the water with her jacket, and when the moment was right, she removed the lens cap and released the shutter. A quick check of the histogram was enough to be sure the photo was just right. And then it was time to get the camera – and the chilly photographer – out of the wet mist.
 After drying everything thoroughly, Varina set up her camera for a second shot. This time, she wanted to show more of the gorge surrounding the falls. Since she was further back, the mist was no longer a real problem – but she still needed to wipe the lens before shooting. This was a quick and easy shot – camera settings were already just right, and the sun stayed hidden long enough for her to snap a quick image. Notice that both compositions avoid the sky. Without the sky, the waterfall is the brightest element – and it can claim the full attention of the viewer. The image is less complicated in terms of composition, and is much easier to process as well.
 Jay decided to climb right into the creek to shoot the falls. Luckily, he’d remembered to bring along his neoprene water shoes! He wanted to hide the human element – the bridge – and he found that he could do that be placing it behind the large rocks in front of the falls. Notice that Jay’s image is a bit darker overall. Because he was lower in the gorge, the shadows are more obvious. He also waited until the sun went behind a cloud. That meant that the camera could capture the entire dynamic range of the image – from the dark shadows under the rocks, to the bright water of the falls. He needed to process the image twice – once for the water, and once for the rest of the scene – but he was able to get all the detail from a single exposure.
The beautiful golden glow you see in all three images comes from the filtered sunlight as it touches the mosses and trees. We’ll definitely take students to Elowah Falls when we return to the Columbia River Gorge for a workshop.
By Jay Patel, on April 21st, 2011
Spooky Canyon is very narrow, and it gets pretty deep in places – so it’s often necessary to use a long shutter speed in order to capture detail in the shadows. The bumps along the walls provide interesting details, and the curving walls of the canyon are great for leading lines. The challenge for wide-angle photography is to get everything in focus, even when the walls are so close to the camera. This is when it’s important to know the limitations of your camera and your lens.
Here’s another shot of some of the interesting details on the canyon walls at the front end of the slot. You can see the richly colored, orange sandstone through holes in this thin sheet of darker iron.
By Jay, on February 16th, 2011
Today we are posting a few of our recently processed images. We try to make sure we process images right after a trip, but with our busy schedules, that’s not always possible. We took these shots during our recent trip to New Mexico.
This shot of a leaf was taken in the morning. The leaf provides a point of interest against the smooth, rippling sand. Small details like these are everywhere – so when you are out there shooting, be sure to search them out. Sometimes it’s tough to see the details when your focus is on the big picture.
A minimalistic shot of the dunes under a soft, sky. Scattered light works well for a subtle photo like this one – taken on top of a beautiful, curving dune! When the light isn’t what you’d hoped for, get creative! Heavily overcast skies cast a bluish light. Work with it to create minimalistic compositions, detail shots, or black and white conversions!
The grasses between the dunes cut circles in the sand as they moved in the breeze. It’s another subtle shot, with an interesting twist.
We also spent some time photographing birds at the Bosque del Apache Wildlife Preserve. We drove the roads through the park, looking for the best spot to shoot. We pulled up near a flock of cranes that were feeding and dancing at the edge of a field. As the sun sank lower in the sky, the birds began to lift off – a few at a time. They flew directly over our head! We spent about 45 minutes tracking the birds through our lenses and firing off a series of images every time a group flew by. We don’t claim to be very good wildlife photographers – but it’s hard to miss when you have so many chances to get it right! Here is just one of the many shots of the beautiful cranes of Bosque del Apache.
By Jay, on January 26th, 2011
Our workshop in Florida was a great success – we spent a lot of time shooting wildlife during this trip. In the winter, the birds in the Everglades gather where there is standing water. They gather by the thousands, and photographers line up to photograph them in their natural habitat within the park. Our goal is to capture dynamic images… something beyond the standard “bird on branch” shot. Here are a few of our photos…
The stork in the image below was sitting on the bank – a shot of the bird itself would have been pretty dull. The reeds and grasses behind the bird made an unappealing and busy background, and the bird’s pose was nothing special. The reflection was more interesting. In the still water, the blue sky seemed to surround the bird. The upside-down composition grabs the viewer’s attention, and the portrait becomes much more interesting.
 This pretty Great Egret stood on a railing and posed for quite a while. Varina took several ordinary shots before the bird twisted its head into this more interesting position. From the three high-speed frames she captured before the Egret abandoned this pose, Varina chose the image where the birds eye reflected the light of the sun.
Jay’s shot of a Cormorant preparing for take-off is incredibly dynamic. Once again, the glow of the sun brings out the details in all those feathers – and in the brilliant turquoise eye. This shot was taken with a Canon 500mm F4 lens (thanks to Shawn for bringing it along, and for letting us all try it out!). The lens was perfect for capturing wildlife, but the camera – a Canon 5D MkII wasn’t ideal… it’s slow frame rate and focus acquisition made it seem clumsy, especially with such a heavy lens attached.
And finally, a simple shot from Nine Mile Pond. Jay took the shot at sunrise. He chose to shoot at f16 to create a small flare – once again, adding a dynamic touch to a subtle composition.
We want to thank all our students for joining us in Florida. We had a great time, and we hope you all learned a lot! We can’t wait to see some more images from all of you! And for those who might be interested in seeing some of the photos our students captured – please head on over to our forums and take a look!
By Jay Patel, on January 6th, 2011
Here are some images taken during our workshop in Nov 2010 in Southern Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument. Unique geology in t his region provides inspiration – and with a little bit of creativity, we produced some images that make us happy. 
This photograph was taken in the Wahweep region. The numerous craters seen in this image were created by recent rain in the region.
This next photograph taken just as the sun was coming up over the horizon. The first rays of the sun lit up the small cacti from one side, but had yet the reach the ground underneath it.
This beautiful sandstone curve is streaked with colorful lines, and makes an interesting abstract image because of the depth of light. The lines seem to curve outward and then back toward the viewer in this composition, which adds an interesting twist. The first three images give you just a taste of the incredible diversity of detail in the Grand Staircase region. This last image gives you a broader view – but even a wide-angle shot can’t do this location justice. Turn a corner, and you’ll find something completely unexpected! This shot shows the rich golden light on the colored sandstone, and the sky is already colorful as well.
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Beyond Exposure Workshop
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After drying everything thoroughly, Varina set up her camera for a second shot. This time, she wanted to show more of the gorge surrounding the falls. Since she was further back, the mist was no longer a real problem – but she still needed to wipe the lens before shooting. This was a quick and easy shot – camera settings were already just right, and the sun stayed hidden long enough for her to snap a quick image. Notice that both compositions avoid the sky. Without the sky, the waterfall is the brightest element – and it can claim the full attention of the viewer. The image is less complicated in terms of composition, and is much easier to process as well.
Jay decided to climb right into the creek to shoot the falls. Luckily, he’d remembered to bring along his neoprene water shoes! He wanted to hide the human element – the bridge – and he found that he could do that be placing it behind the large rocks in front of the falls. Notice that Jay’s image is a bit darker overall. Because he was lower in the gorge, the shadows are more obvious. He also waited until the sun went behind a cloud. That meant that the camera could capture the entire dynamic range of the image – from the dark shadows under the rocks, to the bright water of the falls. He needed to process the image twice – once for the water, and once for the rest of the scene – but he was able to get all the detail from a single exposure.
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