Archives For landscape photography

Is it Time to Quit your Day Job?

Jay Patel —  May 13, 2013

Punch Bowl Falls, Columbia River Gorge, Oregon (OR), USA

Should I quit my job and become a full-time photographer?

If you have ever asked yourself this question, you are not alone. Photography usually starts out as a hobby, but after a while, lots of passionate photographers start wondering if they could make it as full-time professionals. So, here are some questions to help you decide whether or not a full-time photography job is for you.

Are you good enough?

One of the first things you should do to a look at your portfolio. Are you good enough to a make a living doing this? That’s not an easy questions at answer, but it’s important. Facebook and other social networking sites make it easy to get lots of accolades. That’s great motivation and it makes you feel good – but positive comments from people who care about your feelings aren’t enough. They aren’t a true indication of your talent. Real critiques and evaluations are hard to come by on social media. Do you think your friends and family would feel comfortable telling you the truth – even if if meant they might risk damaging their relationship with you? And beyond that – are they qualified to know the difference between a good photograph and a mediocre one?

One way to find out if you have the necessary talent is to compare your work with other professional photographers in the field. Be honest with yourself. How does your work match up with theirs? You don’t have to be the best out there, but your work should be competitive enough to provide an attractive option to your customers.

Business or Pleasure?

Varina and I are both Wilderness and Landscape photographers. When other photographers look at our images, they are convinced that we have a dream job… and for all practical purposes we do. But, photographs alone don’t tell the whole story. The graphic below shows an estimate of our business needs – and the perception of others who think photography is all about traveling to exotic locations.

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In reality, taking photographs is a small part of our business. Other business activities dominate day-to-day activities. As a photographer, you will probably have to do these activities yourself… at least until you are making enough money to hire someone else to do them for you.

Just as in any other profession, there is often a difference between what you really like to do, and what you can get paid to do. You might hope to be a landscape photographer, only to find that you can’t make enough money unless you shoot weddings, senior portraits, or products as well. There are going to be some tough decisions as you make a transition into full-time photography, so prepared to face the facts of running a business.

Will it kill my passion?

So, let’s say you really are good enough to become a full time photographer – and you have the skills and patience required to run your own business. In that case, there’s one more thing you should consider. Will turning photography isn’t a money-making venture kill your passion for it? Aside from the physical work, being a full-time photographer may take an emotional toll as well. It will take time to establish yourself, and you might not be as successful as you’d hoped. It is very possible that selling prints, or filling workshops, or dealing with unruly wedding parties may make photography  feel like a chore. If you are struggling to keep a business running, will you be as excited about picking up your camera and heading outdoors when the weekend comes around? Or will you be relieved to put the camera down?

For Varina and I, photography is a dream job… but it sure as heck isn’t easy. We have successfully navigated the turbulent waters of growing our business, and we’ve settled into a fairly comfortable routine that works well for us. There are still days when photography feels more like a chore than a dream job, but we still grab our cameras and head out into the wilderness every chance we get.

Are you ready to let go of the security of your day job and take the plunge? Or have you done it already? We’d love to hear your stories and advice!

To learn more about photography check out our eBooks below:

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Interview with TWIP – Episode #302

Jay Patel —  May 6, 2013

Punch Bowl Falls, Columbia River Gorge, Oregon (OR), USAhawaii_8981_4828

Recently we had pleasure to sit down with Frederick Van Johnson the host of This Week in Photo for a brief interview.  We talked about how we got started in photography, what defines our photographic style and what it takes to balance family life and photography. We love TWIP’s casual interview style and plan to appear on future episodes.

You can listen to the complete interview on TWIP at: http://www.thisweekinphoto.com/2013/twip-302/

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Focus as a Creative Choice

Jay Patel —  April 22, 2013

When I shoot, I pay particular attention to where I am setting my focus. When I’m shooting with a wide angle lens, I use the principles of Hyperfocal Distance to get everything in focus. When I’m shooting with a macro lens, I often use focus-stacking to get around the limitations of a narrow Depth of Field.

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While it may be technically feasible to get everything sharply in focus, is it always necessary? Or artistically pleasing? Take a look at the image above. For this shot of barnacles, I used focus stacking in an unconventional way. Rather than blending the sharpest parts of a series of images to get everything in focus, I chose to use the out-of-focus parts of each image – creating a soft focus effect around a single sharp barnacle. I also used a lens blur filter and the simple mask show below to further soften the area around that one sharply focused barnacle. As a result, the main subject stands out among other similar subjects.

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Here’s what a traditionally focus-stacked shot would look like. This image is more about texture and repetition than it is about showcasing a single barnacle.

California, USA

Do you use focus creatively at times? Feel free to share a link!

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Am I An Effective Landscape Photographer?

Jay Patel —  February 25, 2013

Tom McCall Nature Preserve, Oregon (OR), USA

So – you’ve got the brand new Canon 5D MKIII or the Nikon D800, and you’ve stocked up on the most expensive lenses money can buy. And maybe now you think you are all set to conquer the world of landscape photography. Right? Well… we’re guessing you know it’s not that easy. Buying the gear is the easy part. Now it’s time to head out into the field.

Some photographers spend hours reading every single review of the latest cameras. They study the MTF curves for each lens in their collection, and indulge in countless debates about the best gear for pursuing their landscape photography passion. But sometime they forget to consider something more important – what to photograph, and how to get a good shot.

I’m not talking about improving your technical or processing skills. No. This is about your effectiveness as a photographer in the field. Ask yourself – can I consistently capture effective images when I am on location?

Tom McCall Nature Preserve, Oregon (OR), USA

Pony Tail Falls, Columbia River Gorge, Oregon (OR), USA

During interviews, we are often asked, “How much time do you spend on location?” To answer this question, let’s take a look at a typical year for us. We traveled to Florida, California, Utah, Oregon, Nicaragua, Denver, and Hawaii. For an example of a typical photography trip, consider our trip to Oregon. We spent 3 full days hiking, exploring, and shooting in the Columbia River Gorge and the surrounding area. To date, I have processed 14 unique images (photos with completely different compositions) that will make it to my portfolio. Sometimes we’ll shoot more, and sometimes less… but 14 shots is a nice average for a short photography trip.

Punch Bowl Falls, Columbia River Gorge, Oregon (OR), USA

So how can I produce a few good images per day on a consistent basis?  It comes down to research and field techniques that allow us to shoot in a variety of different light conditions. Before we go out, we research weather patterns, tides, seasonal colors, phases of the moon, climate, flora, fauna, and locations. We often contact local photographers and pick their brains about the local landscapes. Based upon this research, we try to choose the locations that will allow us to maximize the probability of getting a good photograph at the time we plan to travel to the location. When we arrive at the location, our plans will always be fluid. They will change based upon weather patterns as necessary.

How much time do you devote to research and field techniques vs developing your technical and processing skills? Does the time spent researching locations help you make the most of your time on location?

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Landscape Photography

Jay Patel —  February 14, 2013

 

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Toadstools, Grand Staircase-Escalante, Utah (UT), USA

Once a Mighty King

Jay Patel —  January 9, 2013

I could spend all day photographing the Toadstools and never get tired of them. The variety of hoodoos and formations in the region is awesome. On this day, we arrived early to photograph this location and the light show did not disappoint.

I used a manual blend (iHDR workflow) to balance out the light between the sky and the foreground. Why didn’t I use a GND filter? Because it would have darkened the top of the mountains and hoodoos. I chose this composition so that the large red hoodoo stands out.

Is the composition effective? I’d love to hear your thoughts.

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Extraordinary Vision

What Sells: Electronic Content

Jay Patel —  December 20, 2012

In the past, Varina and I spent large amounts of time sending our images out to print magazines like Popular Photography, National Parks Magazine, and others. In the last few years, the exploding popularity of tablets and smart phones has had a dramatic impact on how content is created and how it is consumed.

Two and half years ago – when we decided to publish our first photography books – we decided to abandon the traditional paper-based publication. We made the careful decision to move directly towards digital eBook technology. Not only did this give us an opportunity to market out product directly to the consumers without dealing with a middle-man, it also allowed us to be creative with our content.

In 2012, all the publication requests we’ve received have been for electronic media. Literally – ALL of them. Most recently, our work appears in the first issue of Extraordinary Vision – an iPad Magazine for Photographers.

In this issue, we discuss tips for making money from outdoor photography – as well as how to create your own Google Currents based Magazine directly from your website. Extraordinary Image also provides a detailed account of Varina’s Icelandic Disasters… including some interesting photographs.

You can view the magazine on your iPad by downloading the app at: https://itunes.apple.com/nz/app/id563485634

The resource page can be found here: http://extraordinary-vision.com/contributor-resources

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Maroon Bells, Snowmass Wilderness, Colorado (CO), USA

Outdoor Photography – Being Flexible

Jay Patel —  December 17, 2012

We plan our landscape photography outings so that we maximize our chances of getting the best weather patterns and the right seasons. But things don’t always go according to the plan. Experience has taught us to be flexible and open to new ideas.

I first visited Maroon Bells in 2007. I used an interesting root structure beneath the surface of the lake as a foreground object in the photo above. Five years later, in 2012, we returned to the lake again. This time, we discovered that the lake had shrunk dramatically because of a long summer drought. It no longer reached the grassy shores we remembered from our previous trip. Instead, the lake was surrounded by mud and rotting wood. The brilliantly colored moss that was growing under water in 2007  had died off. Here’s a shot of the same roots I photographed five years ago. The difference is stark.

Though the banks of the lake were uninspiring, I still felt that there was incredibly beauty to be captured in this place. I focused my attention on the creek and the mountains behind me. I waited until the clouds were lit up by the evening light and captured the photo below less than 50 yards from the roots in the first two shots.

I was able to come away with a photo that I like because I was willing to be flexible and look for alternative shots. So next time you are faced with unexpected conditions, don’t give up.

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Workflow Series Macro

eBook: The Workflow Series – Details and Macro

Jay Patel —  November 19, 2012

Price:  $6.00

Format:  eBook, PDF format, 29 pages

Size:  16.4 MB

Requirement:  Adobe Acrobat Reader 9.0 or greater

Add to Cart

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Sol Duc Falls, Olympic National Park, WA

Mediocre Skills or Being Artistic?

Jay Patel —  November 5, 2012

A while ago, I posted these two images on one of the social networks as an example of how my photography skills have evolved over time.

From a technical perspective, there are many flaws in the second photo. Some of the more obvious – mediocre composition, blown highlights, and lacking shadow details. The overall lighting for the photograph is too harsh. My goal was to capture the beauty of the place, but instead I came away with an image that is almost black and white.  Still, more than one viewer commented that the image was a “moody” and “artistic” representation of the scene.

My first reaction was to dismiss those comments. Maybe they were posted by people who lacked the skills required to produce the photograph I really wanted. But on further reflection, I realized that not all great artists rely on technical perfection to create an impact. Sometimes, artwork lacks “technical correctness”, but still produces a strong emotional impact.

So I found myself contemplating this question: Do photographers try to disguise their mediocre photography skills as “artistic”?

For me, the question comes down to intent. If my intent was to capture the color, light, and details I saw in the forest, then my image is less than mediocre. On the other hand, if my intent was to capture an artistic impression of the forest, then maybe you’d say I succeeded in doing so.

Of course, in this case, my intent was to capture the falls the way I did in the first image (a few years later). Clean colors, rich details, and smooth water. I didn’t know how to do that the first time I photographed these falls. So rather than categorizing my earlier attempt as a failure – I think of it as an opportunity to learn… and learn I did. Now that I know how to capture a scene like this one more effectively, I have so many more options!

Do you evaluate yourself by your artistic ability or by your technical skills?

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