This is where I will write about the how and why of my photography.   It is mostly about my pictures but will often reference the experts from whom I learn or point to websites of special interest.  I don’t want to confine myself to any specific subject.  I will wander around the world and into any area dealing with travel and photography. 

I have also copied several posts from my previous blog.  One, for instance, is my first impression of my new Nikon D80, Nikon D80 — WOW!.  It was written in March 2007, but seemed fitting for this blog.  Any article that seems confusing in relation to time or date was probably copied from the earlier blog.  They will be toward the bottom of this blog.  The more recent posts will be near the top.   I will try to include only those that I think will interest most readers/photographers.  Check the sidebar for subjects.  If you find it interesting … great.  If not … check back tomorrow. 

If action is your photographic passion, you have to try motocross.  Dirt flying, bars banging, engines screaming!  It’s hard to keep your cool and concentrate on photography when there is so much action ——- really F A S T action ——– all around you.  Fortunately, my professional background includes loads of motorcycle racing.  That experience was enough to convince the editors of a major magazine that I would be an asset at the AMA Toyota Motocross Championship Presented by FMF on June 7 and 8 at the Freestone County Raceway in Wortham, Texas.  I had a blast.  Currently there are a few of my pictures from that event scrolling across the home page of this site.

This motocross action was the highest level of motocross in the world, including the FIM World Championship in Europe.  Names like James Stewart, Ryan Villopoto, Mike and Jeff Alessi, Tim Ferry, Davi Millsaps, Andrew Short, Austin Stroupe, Ryan Dungey.  They are all at the top of their profession and very well paid for what they do.  I am so fortunate to have been allowed such up close and personal access.  It did make taking these pictures much easier … but.  Motocross is a sport that allows its audience to get very close to the action.  It is a weekend event.  For the price of a ticket, usually about $40, you will enjoy an entire weekend of unrivaled action, within reach of a short zoom lens.  It is hard to express how much fun you can have at a motocross race.

But, it is hot and dusty.  During the Sunday afternoon races, the temperature was well over 100 degrees.  You have to be prepared and you have to stay hydrated.  Many of the riders were affected by the heat.  Of the 40 riders who started the last moto, only 24 finished the race.  Each heat , or moto, is thirty minutes plus two laps.  Motocross is often said to require the most endurance of any sport in the world.  I believe it.  It can also be exhaustive for a photographer. 

I won’t go into camping and heat preparations.  I’m sure you know how to prepare for a day in the sun.  What I will suggest is ways to get the best action shots of a motocross race.  If you are a fan of motocross then you probably know what you are looking for.  Jumping seems to be the action of choice.  There are numerous jumps around a mile to two mile motocross track.  Unlike Supercross, however, motocross is more about navigating natural terrain obstacles than hamming it up over the man-made doubles and triples of a stadium-restricted supercross track.  I’m not so sure that jumps convey action.  The resulting image is simply a stop-action of a bike in the air.  I much prefer the action indicators of dirt clods flying as a rider brakes hard into a turn, drags the bars through a turn, or accelerates out of the turn.  Bike and body position are everything.  Take a look at the image of Andrew Short (29), Tim Ferry (15) and Ivan Tedesco (9) throwing “roost” as they exit a turn a go full-throttle into a straight away.  Their body positions and the spray of dirt scream ACTION!!!

Body position is the indicator in the picture of Davi Millsaps (118) and James Stewart (7) racing through a wide sweeper.  They are in an aggressive position, leading with their heads out over the handlebars.  Also, the front wheel is off the ground, indicating acceleration.  They were riding very fast.  The shot may have been better had I slowed the shutter speed for a panning action.  Maybe next time. 

I like panning but it is more difficult to do than one might think.  If there is no sharp focal point, the image will be nothing more than a blurred picture.  A successful pan will have a point of very sharp focus.  That is why it is so important to take a firm position and rotate your camera at exactly the same speed of the rider.  The panned image of Andrew Short (29) is an example of what I mean.  The bike and rider are easily identifiable and the front number plate is quite sharp.  It is obvious that this is Andrew Short on a Honda.

As with all photography, the axiom “if your pictures are not good, get closer” is always appropriate.  Try to fill your viewfinder with exactly what you want in your picture.  I’ve found that an 80~200 zoom lens works in most situations.  The tight shot of Andrew Short, however, was shot with my 300mm f4.  I was able to stand right next to the track in a turn to make that picture.  He was hard on the brakes and going very slow at that point.  Getting this close is where press credentials are a godsend.  But, you can come very close to that if you find just the right place around the track or have the resolution to crop intensely.

The shot of Austin Stroupe (51) from the back and jumping into the tree was taken with my 80~200 zoom lens.  I had it wide open and was pretty close to the rider.  Again, that advantage of having press credentials and unhampered access.  Body position is interesting here as well.  You can see that motocross riders move around a lot on their motorcycles.  Knowing where to be on the bike and when to get there is some of what separates the best riders from good riders — that and the incredible condition their bodies are in.

Another point to make is about photographing an event vs photographing a rider.  An editor, and mentor, once told me, “One bike is riding, two bikes is racing, three bikes is a race.”  He was more of an auto racing enthusiast but the advice has always stuck with me.  The more riders included in a photograph the more action you will convey.  Photographing a friend is fine but, if you want to picture excitement, include more than one rider.  Also, you are much more likely to sell an image with multiple riders.

That brings us to what is probably the most photographed happening on a motocross track.  The Start!!!  I can’t think of anything more exciting than the start of a motocross race.  There are many “almost” great pictures of the start of a motocross race.  You have to plan your shot and there is no way to be sure of what will happen.  It is so fast, so loud, so intense that it is very difficult to choose just what to capture and when to click that shutter release.  I suggest either a high point or a very low point.  You can compress the action with a long telephoto or get most of the cluster of riders with something shorter.  The start that focuses on Ryan Sipes (57) is from all the way down at the second turn with a 300mm.  I caught that very well.  Thank God for autofocus. 

The shot of Number One with the red plate is from atop a jump looking down on the first turn.  It is with my 18~135 zoom.  I prefer the dirt-flying action of the Ryan Sipes photo but the slight panning blur of this one is interesting.  The number one red plate, by the way, belongs to last year’s champion, Ryan Villopoto.

I think I have rambled enough.  I can hardly wait until the next chance to photograph an AMA Motocross National.  Until then, I will continue to sharpen my skill by attending a few local amateur events.  I’d suggest you check out some motocross racing in your area.  You may be surprised at how close you can get.  And, how welcome photographers are at these events.

Sharing information is educational.  There is a plethora of photography information online but there is nothing like a face-to-face discussion.  I have hundreds of links to special techniques and photography information in general.  I’ve learned a lot from those links and continuously refer to them, especially when my attempts at creating art are leaving me frustrated.  I won’t abandon those links.  What I am suggesting is sharing those links with other photographers and receiving new references and approaches in return.  We never stop learning.  Joining a photography club enhances the experience.

I feel my photography has improved since joining a photography club.  Viewing and discussing the photography of others has me seeing in different ways and offers inspiration for new approaches to old subjects.  Post processing is a large part of the meeting agenda.  With member help, I am digging deeper and deeper into the complexities of Photo Shop.  It also helps to have fellow photographers offer constructive criticism.  Criticism is a sometime stinging but necessary evil for the continued development of an artist. 

My latest photography exhibit was at a local library.  There was a lot of enthusiasm.  The interest in fine art prints was encouraging.  I was asked by the librarian to include a photography discussion as a wrapup to the exhibition.  It was a very informal format, primarily answering questions about photography in general with a lot of questions about which camera to buy.     But the most often asked question was “How can we start a photography club?”   Of course, it was assumed that I would be the organizer.  I have never done that.  I queried the organizers of the two clubs to which I belong.  Their suggestion was “Don’t!  It is way too much work.”  It is a lot of work.  I think, however, that it will be worth the effort.  A labor of love it will be.

Both of the clubs that I have joined are organized around Yahoo Groups.  Since membership is wide-spread, it is an effective communication vehicle; a way to share information and plan meetings and social gatherings.  That’s where I chose to start.  I have the Yahoo Group in place.  Now, spreading the word is top priority.  You can access our Llano Photography Club by clicking this link.  I have asked the librarian to help.   She can post information in the library.  She also has contacts at the local newspapers.  I am putting this information here because the attendees at the photography exhibition took my business card.  Maybe they will browse this website and share their enthusiasm with others; inspiring them to join our club.  Meeting in the library conference room will begin as soon as our online membership reaches a reasonable level of interest; say ten members. 

I thoroughly enjoyed the photography discussion at the library and look forward to meeting a socializing with other photographers in our area.  While we are waiting for that to happen, I hope you will share your desires for club activities — photography walks, safaris, art shows.  We will be learning together frin each other.

I’ve sold photographs.  I’ve been taking and selling pictures since the mid-70s.  The Stars & Stripes and the European edition of TV Guide published nice articles on my photography after I won first place in several categories of the annual HQ USEUCOM (Military Forces, Europe) Photography Contest.  I was nearly overwhelmed with requests for portrait photography. 

I continued to sell photographs and articles to newspapers, magazines and advertising agencies as a motorsports photojournalist through the mid-80s.  It wasn’t until recently, however, that I considered selling photographs as fine art.   It has taken some convincing to transform myself from photographer to artist.  I have some really beautiful images of beautiful things and beautiful places. But, to call my work fine art seems a bit pompous. I certainly did not create the beauty.  Was photographing that beauty creative?  I painted a photograph of Venice in Photoshop Elements.  Does that make it art?

I did a Google search on fine art photography.  Here is what I found in Wikipedia:

Fine art photography refers to photographs that are created to fulfill the creative vision of the artist. Fine art photography stands in contrast to photojournalism and commercial photography. Photojournalism is to promote an editorial point of view. Commercial photography’s main focus being to sell a product or service.
The final creative reason for a fine art photograph is the photograph itself. It is not a means to another end except perhaps to please those besides the photographer who beholds it.

Wikipedia is my most authoratative source of information. I may not be an Ansel Adams but, according to Wikipedia,  I am a fine art photographer.  

I have done a lot of thinking on the subject since taking steps to promote my name in the fine art field. An acquaintance, former editor of Dirt Rider Magazine, sells his images of Motocross Legends as fine art. I have since learned that calendars and fine art prints of these legends sell quite well. And, they are expressly presented as fine art prints. Somehow, that seems to be an oxymoron, calling a calendar fine art.   This classic image of motocross legend David Bailey at the Unadilla MX Track, New Berlin, NY was taken in 1983. When printed on fine art paper using the giclée printing process it is fine art.  Many people have enjoyed them.  It seems the only answer to the question is … beauty is in the mind of the beholder.  I enjoy my art.  Hope you will too.

I spent the weekend honing my action photography skills. The Llano Crawfish Festival is a local event. One of the highlights is a three-day team roping competition. I’ve long wanted access to a rodeo or any event featuring horses in action. I learned of the roping competition from my barber on Thursday and immediately went into planning mode. After searching the internet and studying the schedule in our weekly local, I awoke Friday morning and was in the Cowboy Camping Area before daylight. The first thing I learned was that cowboys are NOT the early risers I had assumed.They ARE big partiers.

In my professional past, I have had easy access to the events that I covered and to the competitors.My Press Pass or race credentials got me inside the action. This was different. I was just another citizen. I needed a way to get into that arena. The least I could settle for was a position by the fence.

Since there was no one present, I took a camera and several lenses with me as I circled the arena just to see what I would need and where I should be. With a bright sun starting its ascent to a high point in the southern hemisphere, I knew to expect very contrasty lighting. The roping wasn’t scheduled to start until ten o’clock. I chose a place with the sun behind me, putting most of the heavy shadows on the opposite side of the subject. My trusty 80~200mm zoom lens would get me close enough while keeping me at a safe distance. The spot was inside the arena.

I strolled through the cowboy camping area, killing time and looking for interesting pictures in the morning light. There were some beautiful horses but backgrounds were terribly distracting. Cowboys have lost a lot of their mystique. They’ve gotten “citified.”The area was like an RV park with motor homes and expensive self-contained horse trailers parked bumper to bumper.

When I returned to my parked truck the activity had picked up. Vendors were setting up their areas and officials were preparing for the ropers to register. I still had no idea how I would gain access to a primo spot in the arena but found someone who looked important and asked the question. “Where can I get to take pictures?” I was directed to an important person and told that I was welcome to take pictures and “where did I want to get.”She first said that I would not be allowed inside the arena. I told her about the light problem and requested a place at the far end of the arena, a long way from where the steers were released and the cowboys started their timed runs. She agreed. I was allowed in the arena and practically had the run of the place. They made me feel important and quite welcome.

The moral of this story is “Just Ask.” If you are serious about photography and want access you can probably get it. Most promoters or event officials are pleased to have your interest and might even ask to buy some of your pictures. The worst that can happen is they say “NO.” Even if they say no, they will likely offer alternative locations. So, gather your gear, choose an event, plan an approach and practice … practice you photography skills and your negotiating skills. You may surprise yourself.

I’ve selected several images from the Llano Crawfish Open to scroll the HomePage. I will allow them to scroll until the next blog post — or until I get tired of seeing them.

With the current price of fuel I can hardly afford unnecessary road trips.  After the previous photo safari produced so little in the way of wildflowers, I’m hesitant to go exploring again.  There are a few bluebonnets but they are sparse and spindly.  Bluebonnets usually predict the quality of other wildflowers, Indian paintbrush, black-eyed susan, Indian blanket, winecups, etc.  Unless we get a lot of rain soon there will be little to photograph along our highways, byways and meadows in coming months. 

I have a few wildflower pictures scrolling across the homepage.  They are from previous years and even from places other than the Texas Hill Country.  I enjoy my Big Bend Bluebonnets and the Lake Buchanan Lighthouse but would much rather be photographing huge fields of well saturated local bluebonnets to scroll across a computer screen.   It’s not just the photographers being disappointed.  The lack of wildflowers in the area is a bust for tourism, photographers and the local business people.  The weekend is due to be a large infusion of money into the Texas Hill Country and the Highland Lakes Area especially.  Even the Burnet Bluebonnet Festival is likely to suffer.   Maybe the nice weather will attract crowds to the local air show.

We had some rain this week.  Hopefully, a little more will give us something to look forward to as the wildflowers change from blue to red to yellow.  Perhaps the cactus and yucca will produce some photogenic blossoms.  I hope we don’t have to wait all the way into June for sunflowers.  Keep your fingers crossed.

I spent this past Friday with my friend and colleague who just happens to be the designer of my website. It was a cold, dank day. Despite the weather we persisted in our planned photo safari. The wind restricted access to our primary subject, wildflowers, so we searched out and photographed structures, animals and flowing water. The flowing water was Bob’s idea. He has a new Nikon D80 and wanted to experiment with slow shutter speeds. Overall, the day was a success and I thoroughly enjoyed our visit.

Experimenting with slow shutter speeds and avoiding the motion created by the wind had me thinking of my background — motor sports photography. It is all about stopping or controlling motion. Also, Bob had asked me about photographing an indoor action event. I thought I would post a few tips on photographing action.

You need two things to get good action photos: some basic action-shooting skills, and some knowledge of the activity you’re photographing. The skills include panning, peak action, follow-focusing, prefocusing and developing a sense of timing. The knowledge helps you anticipate those perfect peak moments that make for great action photos. It does take some practice to perfect the techniques, so once you read about how to do it, go out and practice, and practice some more. Soon you’ll become proficient, and you’ll have some great action photos to show for it.

Start with a fast shutter speed – a fast shutter speed and NONE of the shutter lag usually associated with digital photography. In action photography, there is no place for shutter lag. Neither “prosumer” nor “point-and-shoot” cameras offer the shutter response required for fast action.

When I switched to digital photography my first camera was a Panasonic DMC-LC40. It is a wonderful little 4 MP point-and-shoot with 33~100 (35mm equivalent) Leica lens. I took some excellent action shots of my grandson on his dirt bike but there was a lot of luck involved. It never took a picture of what I was seeing when I pushed the shutter release.

When I returned to professional photography, I bought an 8 MP Panasonic DMC-FZ30, a powerful prosumer digital camera with 12X optical zoom, Leica DC Vario-Elmarit 35~420mm f2.8-f3.7 lens with Macro Focus and Optical Image Stabilizer. It sucked for action photography. The first motorcycle race that I covered was a near disaster. It was good old American flat track. The bikes reach speeds in excess of 80mph. The shutter lag would not allow me to follow focus. The electronic view finder would go black, I’d lose the action, and the camera would record a sharp image of blank dirt track. Prefocus was hit and miss at those speeds. I reverted to what I knew from my past – full manual.

A DSLR is really the only choice. There is no evident shutter lag and the DSLR offers an auto focusing system that is much more sophisticated. It allows tracking a moving target. The “follow focus” capability is discussed in the post about my Nikon D80 . The larger size of the DSLR processor also allows shooting at higher ISO speeds without creating the grainy effect of “digital noise.”

Second is a lens that can get you close to the action without endangering your life. My most treasured photographic possession during my photojournalism days was a zoom-Nikkor 80~200 f4.5. This was before auto focus. Its only auto function was indexing. I still have that lens but mostly as a keepsake.

Today’s lenses offer much more. My AF-S Nikkor 18~135 3.5-5.6G, a “kit lens” that came packaged with my Nikon D80, is equivalent to the old 80~200 in length. The D80 “crop factor” of 1.5 pushes the 135mm to an effective 202mm. It is a bit slow, however.

The AF-S Nikkor 300mm f4 is my latest addition. It cost more than my D80 and the “kit lens” combined. Doubling as a wildlife lens justified the expense. I added a 1.4 teleconverter that gives the lens an effective reach of 630mm at f5.6. At 300mm, this lens is fast and is great for compressing a group of racers in a corner. Compressing emphasizes the bar-to-bar action of a group of racers.

A better choice may be the AF-S Nikkor 80~200 f2.8. A bit more expensive than the 300 f4 but it is much faster and experience has shown that it has enough reach for most situations. It also is the choice of most photographers shooting indoor sports/action. This is what I would recommend for my friend who is shooting poorly lighted indoor action.I’m writing this in Nikonese because that it what I know. Canon, as well as others offers the same choices.

I started writing this from scratch but googled the internet for help. Rather than reinvent the wheel, I will link to one of the most comprehensive articles I have ever seen on the subject. www.steephill.tv/photography/action-photography-tips.html

An all-inclusive article on action photography is overwhelming. Therefore, I am deferring to the referenced article. It is dated August 2003. Equipment and terminology may have changed but the techniques are as relevant as ever.

As this is posted, a few of my action shots are displayed on the Home page. Some are good examples of the techniques referenced in the article. The images will be displayed for only a short period. They may be recalled if requested. I have left this post open for comments. A subject this significant deserves some discussion. Here’s hoping you will join in.

Spring is bursting out all over. It is a very special time of year for photographers. How can you screw up something as beautiful as a flower? Hmmmm…. maybe you can.

I took this photo of an Amaryllis and was not happy. It was surrounded by distractions. I was so smitten by the beautiful presentation with all those raindrops that I missed a few faded flowers. My wife is very good at seeing those details “before” they show up in a photograph. I’m learning, but am much better at manipulating the distractions with a Photo Shop tool. A lot of the purple delphinium was added by cloning it over the distractions. My wife was unable to detect the photoshopping. That’s good enough for me.

This rose is just naturally beautiful. The raindrop was there. The rose itself was nearly perfect and my Nikon 300mm f4 AFS produced a bokeh that made everything “pop.”

What would spring be without the birds and the bees … and a butterfly? Adding a moving target may make Spring photography a bit more difficult. But, it is hard to think of a more perfect time of year to find photographic subject matter. I probably should add that WIND becomes a factor. It has been ferocious here in Texas. A tripod is recommended for getting closeups of flowers but is of little use in windy conditions. The answer is patience. It may be less frustrating if you will just make yourself leave the camera indoors and work in your garden until the wind settles. Playing in your flowers may be helpful later when you go to compose that masterpiece. Also, you might find early (really early) morning the best time to beat the wind. That would also be the time of the best lighting. Evening light is great too but the wind is likely to be more wicked in the evening.

That’s my offering for the day. I’m waiting for the wind to settle and for my wife to help compose my masterpiece.

l8r

I have just added links to some invaluable information, information that has taken several years of internet browsing to accumulate.  It runs the gamut from general to very specific in nature.  If you are shopping for a camera or trying to decide between a point-and-shoot and that $5000 dSLR, nearly all are covered in the DigitalPhotographyReveiw link.  The art of High Dynamic Range photography is expertly addressed in Trey Ratcliff’s “Stuck in Customs” website.  Click on the HDR Tutorial link and be amazed at the imaginative work of Trey Ratcliff. 

For general information on photography or some casual reviews of equipment, my first stop is always Ken Rockwell’s site. Luminous Landscape is another site for some great articles on a variety of subjects.  The Luminous Landscape link is also home to some extraordinarily beautiful landscape photography.  And, of course, you can access my work directly by clicking on My Flickr Photos or My Imagekind Homepage.

There are many others but rather than overload you with details, I will save a few for another time.  From one avid photographer to another I hope you will find these links as valuable as I have and will pass them on to others. 

My friend Celeste has one of the coolest domain names around — RoadLessTraveled. I know, it’s a poem. But, she got there first.
Today’s adventure reminded me of that poem. I followed a road yesterday that I’ve always wondered about. I got lost in a maze of country roads that finally dumped me back onto State Highway 71. I wasn’t sure that I could retrace my steps but had seen a place that I was sure would make a great photo … if the light was right. By my calculation that had to be really early in the morning. I was on the road before sunrise. As a matter of fact, I found my focal point before sunrise. I was right. This old ranch building is fantastic with the morning sun reflecting off its weathered exterior. The old windmill was nice too. It still pumps water into a tank. I used the tank to capture the windmill reflection in the picture on the right. I was disappointed that the cattle that surrounded the building yesterday were gone. They did, however, leave evidence of their visit in the yard.
It was a fun morning, serving more than one purpose. I’m still breaking in that new diesel engine. The economical 14.7 MPG was from my light foot and some very slow going along a bumpy dirt road.

Wildlife was abundant. Deer were thicker’n fleas on a dog’s back. I saw turkey as well. One old Tom was even strutting for the ladies but I wasn’t close enough for a decent picture. A jack rabbit nearly commited suicide under my new diesel truck. He was just quick enough to escape before I got a picture or assisted in his suicide.
There were far fewer surprises than I had hoped for. I did accomplish the primary mission but really expected more. I finished off the excursion by snapping a few quick pics of the neighbor’s peach tree. Kim, the blooms are fantastic. I’m looking forward to stealing your peaches. Here’s hoping the blooms are still here for your visit.
Now, I have a long list of tasks. Jane is working and I am in charge. I’m in charge of mowing the lawn and getting my office cleaned up before Dillon gets here for Easter.
As usual, click the thumbnail image to see a larger version.

l8r