We drove into Moab on Monday, October 6. Jane needed to restock the cupboard and the truck was on empty. What a place – Moab is purely tourism. You can find outfitters and tour guides for nearly any adventure imaginable. Four-wheel drive, overland adventures into the outback areas of Canyonlands or Arches National Parks, four-day float trips down the Colorado River, hikes into the wildest of areas, and the snow-covered peaks hovering over Moab had local businesses yearning for ski season. Mountain biking and dirt bike adventures are also quite popular in this vast area of Public Lands. The BLM has some restrictions on the use of land managed by them but nothing nearly as stringent as the National Park Service.

We found a grocery store, filled the truck with diesel and visited the Moab Visitor Center. It was there that we learned of a nearby wetland preserve. Who would have guessed it? Here we are in the highest and driest areas of the US and we come across wetlands. Jane got directions to the Scott M. Matheson Wetland Preserve. We managed to miss the turnoff and ventured even further into the unknown. We were on a paved road leading through BLM property. We stopped at a trailhead/picnic area that had some of the best petroglyphs we have seen.

A few campers came by and, being the curious type, we followed their backtrack to see if we were missing a hidden campsite. That led us to some of the most “alternative” living styles you can imagine. People were living in caves dug back into the limestone cliffs. There were two homes that were almost exact replicas of Anasazi ruins. The masonry was a little more modern but the design was directly from ancient cliff dwellings, no roof other than the overhanging cliff. One odd feature – they were connected to commercial power lines. Even the cave dwellers had electricity.

We found the wetlands preserve on our second attempt. It was nice. We followed a one-mile, handicap-accessible path through the preserve, stopping at a nice viewing blind, but saw very little in the way of wetlands wildlife. We had been told that water was scarce. It was just too dry for the critters we had hoped to see.

We left there and drove back to Arches National Park, which is less than ten miles from Moab. The roads were being paved with fresh tar and white gravel. Only one lane was open and traffic was backed up waiting for an escort. It was a little annoying but no big deal. We’re always complaining about road conditions. It seems silly to complain about repairing those conditions. 

Arches has a nice Visitor Center and Museum. We walked through the museum and watched the orientation movie. The steep climb from the Visitor Center to the first view point is a scenic drive but too narrow to pulloff.

Balanced Rock, Arches National Park

We didn’t make our first stop until we reached Balanced Rock. There is a picnic area just across from this very popular viewpoint. We stopped for lunch and I tried using my polarizing filter to cut thru the haze for an image of the snow-capped peaks of the La Sal Mountains behind Balanced Rock. Back lighting made the haze even more evident. It took some Photoshop adjustments to make this image acceptable.

The history and legends of the area interest me more than geology and lectures on how millions of years of upheaval and erosion formed the canyons and arches. Delicate Arch, however, is a must-see site. It is the unofficial symbol of Utah.

Delicate Arch, Arches National Park

This image was made from the most accessible and easy to reach viewpoint I could find. It is just a short walk from the historic Wolfe Ranch site. Unlike most images of the arch, I made no attempt at an artistic representation. This is what it is – a popular site that is always difficult to photograph because of the throngs trying to get close. You can just make out dozens of people walking along a trail that leads to the “best view” of the arch. This shot is with my 18~135mm lens set to 135mm. I got closer and used my 300mm for a tight shot. I like this one better.

I probably spent more time reading about and photographing the old buildings and corral at Wolfe Ranch than I did at Delicate Arch.

Historic Wolfe Ranch in Arches National Park

It is the typical story of how this area was settled by ranchers and pioneers. They were the rugged sort, not expectant of any luxuries. Every element of their lives was functional, practical, and only what they could make with their own two hands. The house shown here is much nicer than the original home of Wolfe and his son. This was built to please his daughter who joined Wolfe after he and his son established the ranch. The original home was a hole in the ground with a thatch, mud and rock roof. This house has a window, hinged door and roughly hewn furniture.

We had hoped to make it to the end of the road and hike the trail to Landscape Arch from the Devil’s Garden turnaround. We did but the sun was on the wrong side of Landscape Arch and had dropped behind some tall cliffs. The images were disappointing. This arch needs to be photographed much earlier.  Sunrise would be best; no later than noon, I think.

It was well after dark when we got back to the trailer. It had been a long but interesting day. We went to bed wondering what a new dawn would bring.
l8r

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I finally made the enormous effort necessary to match morning light and photography. I was at the East Gate of Zion National Park before sunrise. It was cold. And I was not feeling very creative. I sat my tripod and camera in the general area to photograph Checkerboard Mesa when the sun came over the ridge to the east, then jumped back into the truck to stay warm. The sun didn’t cooperate. Somebody moved East!  

After watching the sun strike formations farther down the canyon, I snapped a few pictures of the famous mesa and loaded everything back into the truck. The light was not special. I missed that pink, rosy effect of morning light. I guess the mountain air is just too clear.  Even morning light was harsh.

We have been here for three days. Every day has been marvelous for site seeing but none of my pictures have been thrilling. I thought it was from doing most of our site seeing in midday light. Obviously, that is not the entire problem. Zion is just too vast to project in two dimensions. As a matter of fact, the entire Southwest trip has been like that – Monument Valley, Canyon de Chelly, and Grand Canyon. The vastness of the American Southwest overwhelms most photographers. I’m no exception. Everything looks like a common snapshot. I don’t want snapshots. I have tried panoramas but that format is clumsy to display and hard to edit. And, it still doesn’t display the immensity or the feel of grandeur.

I watched a show last night on the Red Desert, the high desert of Wyoming. You can span the horizon for hours and see nothing. Of course, the desert is teeming with life. Throughout the deserts, plains, mesas, buttes, plateaus, peaks, canyons, mountains and valleys of this great southwest, life is watching us see nothingness. It is that perception of nothingness or the vastness that is so difficult to represent on film – or in digits. I’m thinking I need to get closer, concentrate on detail – contradict the perception of nothingness.

I was concentrating on the texture of some huge boulders with steep cliffs as a background when movement distracted me. Big Horn Sheep!

Young Desert Big Horn in Zion National Park

They were just a few yards away but I was working with my 12~24 lens. I watched for a few minutes, hoping they would not notice me. That was no big deal. Cars began stopping and the big ram and a slightly smaller one bounded up the slope but the females stayed right by the edge of the road, eating leaves off a favorite bush. The rams stood higher on the hill, watching.

Note: The ram shown in the picture is the smaller of the two. I had already inserted the photo before noticing the difference.

I crossed the road to get my 300mm lens out of the truck. The herd remained near the edge of the road for at least fifteen minutes. I took dozens of photos — up close with detail. Again, my pictures are not thrilling. These are wild things; a part of the grandeur, the nothingness, the vastness. I don’t get that feeling from my photographs. They seem to have learned to accept tourism as a part of their daily life. It’s almost like going to the zoo. I don’t know if it is sad or if I should be glad that they are so adaptive. I guess that is part of my enigma.

This time, however, light really is part of the problem. I have some sharply focused and well-composed images but the light is dull. They were in a dark, shaded area the entire time. Maybe I need to learn to adapt.

We may try again tomorrow. My wife was very envious when she found that she had missed the Big Horn. They are not nearly as elusive as the park literature reported.
l8r

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We’re here. It’s awesome: Simply indescribable. Defies expression or description. I’m not sure a picture is going to be a thousand words. It’s hard to determine which way to point a camera.We pulled in a few minutes before we were supposed to arrive. After a chat with the nice lady at the registration desk, we pulled into camping spot number 14. We had been a bit anxious about being preempted by a Rockefeller, Roosevelt, or Kennedy but the reservations office was true to its word. We had what Jane had been led to believe was the best camping spot on the North Rim. It is right on the rim of the canyon.

There was a young couple still in the spot when we arrived. They were still packing their equipment from a night of tent camping. I pulled in and parked while they finished packing. We couldn’t resist a walk along the rim. What a fantastic site. Our door faced the South Rim. That gave us beautiful light both for sunrise and for sunset. For those planning a visit to North Rim Campground, the campground layout can be viewed online. There are several sites much like number 14, at least four. Reservations must be made far in advance.

We completed camp setup, had lunch and selected a driving tour to Cape Royal Point and Hiking Trail. The drive is about 20 miles and the hike less than a mile. Every turn in the twisting road brought more ooohs and ahs. The drive was made much longer because we stopped at nearly every overlook and viewpoint.

One negative to the majestic scenery was a soft haze over the canyon. It eliminated the color from distant objects. I had remembered to pack a polarizing filter. It did reduce the haze but there was little that could be done to eliminate it. We’re not sure what was causing the haze, or if it is permanent. There were no burns in progress. It could be left from recent burns. I suspect it was coming from a coal-burning power generating station in Page. That wasn’t confirmed, however, and is a bit controversial for the intent of this post.

I later learned to use the Auto Levels function of Photoshop to make the haze more acceptable.

Grand Canyon Haze

What that did is cause a blue monochromatic effect behind the bright red sandstone cliffs and ridges in the foreground. It seemed to push the color forward, sort of “in your face.” Maybe not a perfect solution but I found the effect pleasing. It’ll have to do.

I imagined the canyon to be a model; a beautiful, very professional model, a super model. The canyon helped me make photographs. It seemed to say, “Look! I put that dead tree there for you. Use it as a foreground.” Or, “Hey, wait for the clouds. They cause a beautiful dappled effect.” Taking a bad image is difficult but I did manage to delete about half of the hundreds I was taking each day. I’ll have to eliminate a few more. I’m running out of disk space.  

Exposure caused some difficulty. Usually, I set the aperture and let the meter choose the shutter speed. That wasn’t working with the dark, saturated colors in the canyon and high values of the clouds in the sky. Getting the darker colors to match exposures with the clouds and sky required a gradated neutral density filter. Fortunately, I had bought one just before leaving on this trip. It has come in handy. But, the ND filter doesn’t do much for eliminating haze. The polarizing filter got most of the work. I changed to Manual Exposure to handle the over-exposed skies and brought the shadow values up with Photoshop.

Note: It is not possible to recover clipped (over exposed) highlight detail. On my Nikon, I set the review mode to “highlights” to see any clipping. It will blink black. In digital, always expose for the highlights and process for the shadows. Just the reverse of the good old days.

I thought of stacking filters but was shooting a lot of wide angle and stacking caused too much vignetting. Besides, rotating a polarizing filter and keeping a rotating gradated filter in sync is a huge pain.

We were flabbergasted after our drive to Cape Royal Point. We included a three-mile jaunt to Point Imperial, the highest viewpoint in the park. It was a day of great memories. We were exhausted after the drive, more from the excitement than the short hikes we took. I did manage to transfer pictures to the computer before quiet time. You are allowed to run a generator from 7-9 in the morning and 6-8 at night. I may not have mentioned that there are no hookups. We’re boon docking. There is a dump station for dumping the sewage and fresh water to fill the water tank. We’ll dump on the way out. And, I do have access to WiFi at the General Store. The coffee there is pretty good too.

We’ve just returned from another exhausting day of fun. I’ll save more excitement for another post. It is just getting better everyday.

L8r

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I was reminded of that infamous old adage yesterday (Sept 10) as our planned personal guided tour into Canyon de Chelly failed. We were so organized. Jane, my wife, is the organized one. She had a checklist and queried me often on my readiness. I’m the one less likely to have a plan. But, my camera and lenses were clean, all the filters organized, and I was in a great frame of mind for creating art. All the equipment and extra clothing were loaded into the truck. We had checked and rechecked our plan. Then it rained. And rained. And rained.This is what separates “Professional” photographers from all other photographers. My definition of Professional Photographer is someone who depends on photography to feed and clothe the family. I’ve made money with photographs; some years were quite profitable. But, I never gave up the day job.

Keeping a stiff upper lip and hoping for clearing skies, Jane and I drove down to the Holiday Inn to meet Daniel, our Navajo guide. Daniel tried to smile but I could read between the wrinkles. He left the decision to us. It was raining as we discussed the situation. We finally decided to cancel in favor of better weather the next day. I suggested to Daniel that Jane and I would drive the South Rim Trail and try again tomorrow for the trip through the canyon.

We were a bit skeptical but with nothing else to do started out on the South Rim Road in drizzling rain. We pulled into the first overlook, Tunnel Canyon Overlook, and my thoughts were not positive. All I saw was dull, lifeless light. Jane pointed out how much more vibrant the canyon walls are in the rain and low and behold … a waterfall. Water runoffs occur quickly when the rain is falling on solid rock. What was saw was not a river or creek dumping water over the cliff. It was a temporary waterfall made by the dreary conditions. It actually made a pretty photograph.

And, Jane is a real trooper. She held the umbrella over my equipment and us as we slogged along a muddy path to get the right angle for a photograph. She was a bit frightened, I think. She said several times, “Be careful. Be very careful. There is nothing to stop us if we slip.” She was right. It was a sheer cliff below the path – a drop of several hundred feet. We got the picture and had fun together. Jane is a clean freak. We stood in the rain getting soaked, me laughing at Jane, as we cleaned the mud from our shoes to keep from getting the truck interior dirty. 

We drove the length of the South Rim Trail with it raining the entire time. Spider Rock is the last overlook. By then I was so disappointed that we just sat in the truck and talked. It had also gotten cool. We were much higher in elevation and Jane had gotten wet. We turned on the heat and just talked. We left Spider Rock, driving slowly on the return, discussing plans for our next adventure. We were all the way back to Tunnel Canyon Overlook when the skies changed to blue and a huge rainbow appeared over the canyon.

I pulled in to Tunnel Canyon Overlook and snapped a few images of the rainbow. I had lost the creative juices. Nothing was feeling right. We moved back up the trail to Tseyi Overlook. I took a few pictures of the Navajo farm below. The light was nice and the images were better. Remnants of the rainbow mark the passing of a storm as shadows sweep over the Navajo farm in Canyon de Chelly.

Then, I decided a rainbow over Spider Rock was the image I wanted. Needless to say, we broke the speed limit getting back to Spider Rock. There was barely any part of the rainbow visible when we got there. Heavy shadows surrounded the tall sphere known as Spider Rock. I took several pictures from several angles but wasn’t thrilled with the result. We closed shop. Evening was upon us. Maybe I should be inspired by evening? How about a moonlight image of Spider Rock? Hmmmmmmmmmmmmm….

Anyway, we are saving the original plan for another day, and I’ve decided that I may not be a Professional Photographer … by my own definition … but I am certainly a Persistent Photographer.   Thanks to Jane. :-)
l8r

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We crossed the Tusas Mountains today, a leisurely drive from Pilar through Taos and following US-64 over the mountains to Chama. We arrived early in order to pick up our tickets for tomorrow’s train ride on the Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad. The Rio Chama, a great trout stream, is right behind our camper. When it is quiet I can hear the water running. Unfortunately, I made a last minute decision to leave my waders and fishing gear at home. Maybe I will get to see someone fly-fishing. I really want a picture.

We stopped at the Chama Visitor and Information Center on our way back from the train station. They have free Internet so Jane sent me back to the RV for my computer. She wanted to watch the episode of Big Brother that she missed Thursday. While she was watching the rerun, I learned that the old steam train would be returning from Antonito (Colorado) and was easily accessible to photographers. 

Antique Narrow Gauge Steam Engine

I jumped in the truck and ran out highway-17 to intercept the train. That was fun, exciting and rewarding. And, I met a few other photographers with the same idea. We followed the train all the way back to Chama, taking pictures then jumping ahead of the train for the next viewing area.

Access to the Internet had closed before I could check email or post to the blog. I’m entertaining myself by editing pictures and running some much-needed backup. I also need to make more space on my hard drive.  JPEG files use a lot of space. Tomorrow may be more of the same. The train ride is an all day excursion. The visit center will be closed before we return. I hope to have some great scenics from the trip and maybe a few train images from an “on board” perspective.

Cumbres - Toltec Narrow Guage Train

Chama Continued:

I was right; the “onboard” perspective is different. We boarded the Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad at 10:00 a.m. in Chama, New Mexico for our 64-mile journey across the San Juan Mountains to Antonito, Colorado. As you may be able to discern from the above picture, it was a quite nostalgic journey. This old narrow gauge railroad and its historic coal-burning steam engines are remnants of a time in the west that many railroad buffs try diligently to preserve. Except for a few full-time engineers, the staff is volunteers, many of whom spend each season “working on the railroad.” One of the Docent, equivalent to a tour guide, was from Georgetown, Texas. Since we are nearly neighbors, she immediately tried recruiting us into the volunteer staff.

The trip across and through the mountains was absolutely breathtaking. I can only imagine how much more magnificent it might be in two weeks when the leaves begin to change. As for pictures, I discovered that the “onboard” perspective was a bit more restrictive than I had hoped. It was either a picture from the left window or a picture from the right window. I’m talking about pictures of the train. Each curve, and there were many of them, would offer another view of the old engine spewing coal dust and steam. The sulphur smell was very strong at times and there was no way to avoid the soot and coal dust that settled on your clothes and your body.

Another “onboard” obstacle was the motion. There was not a still moment. We were rocking and rolling and swaying and jerking. And when we found a smooth straight area the steel wheels on the steel track created such a vibration that it was difficult to get a sharp image. Since the stock agencies reject so many images taken at ISO 400, I chose a very wide-angle lens and shot wide open to obtain the necessary shutter speed to overcome the train’s impact. It seems to have worked on a few images.

A pointer for all you photographers that I have learned from endless rejects: view your images at 100 percent to accurately judge the technical quality. Anything less and you won’t see all the artifacts and graininess. Judging sharpness will also be more accurate. Try sharpening an image at 100 percent and you can see if it is “really” sharp. Also, don’t try editing at any higher than 100 percent. That will only create problems that don’t actually exist.

The train made several stops along the way. It had to stop several times to take on water. We crossed the Cumbres Pass at 10015 feet. That was the highest point. We stopped in Osient for a huge and delicious turkey dinner for lunch. Staying awake for the rest of the trip was difficult.

The last five or six miles heading into Antonito was high desert plains. It was a steep descent with many switchbacks but the scenery was much less spectacular than the Cumbres Pass and Toltec Gorge. The return trip was on a large bus. The scenery again was spectacular but most of the passengers were either tired of taking pictures of sleeping from the overabundant lunch.

That night we made preparations for our departure. Our next stop would be less hospitable; no showers, no laundry facility; no Internet. We showered for the last time for several days and Jane did all the laundry. Arizona, here we come.
L8r

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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. 

Short (29), Ferry (15), Tedesco (9)

 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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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

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