Ocean Beach and Seal Rock

When photographing the coastline in San Francisco, one never knows what type of weather mother nature will bring.  I planned another outing to the San Francisco coastline to capture the sunrise incorporating the seascape into the images.  The tide was going to be relatively low so had hope to have an opportunity to used Seal Rocks as points of interest.  As it often turns out, the weather wasn't going to cooperate to allow me to make the images I had planned on.  Not to be deterred, I made the most of the situation and decided to make images showing how changing shutter speeds captures the movement of water in photographs.  I have always enjoyed long exposures in the 3 plus minute mark so that was definitely I wanted to take.  But I also wanted to make shots with varied shorter shutter speed lengths such as 30 seconds and lower.  These shutter speeds will capture the water as something like brush strokes.  

Below are some of the images made.  Below each image is the length of exposure.

Seal Rock at San Francisco Ocean Beach.  Exposure length of 3 minutes and 25 seconds.

Ocean Beach shoreline and incoming tide.  Exposure length was 1/3 second.  Notice the paint brush stroke impression.

Seal Rocks at Ocean Beach San Francisco.  Exposure length was 20 secs.  Although the water appears much smoother, you can still see some wave action.

The exposure length for this image was 1.3 seconds.  You can see the movement of the tide going back out.

Tamron 100-400mm Lens Test

I have primarily used the Nikon 200-500mm lens when photographing wildlife and birds.  I found it to be a more than adequate lens especially considering the price.  There is a regional park close to where I live.  This park has quite a diverse bird population throughout the year so I go there often to not only practice bird photography but also to study their behaviors.  I don't usually take a tripod but usually have a monopod attached.  This gives me more freedom of movement which I like.  The problem with this set up is that the lens and camera together are quite a bit of weight to carry while walking around the park.  I noticed my images weren't as sharp as they should be because I wasn't able to keep everything as steady as needed.  I needed to try something else.  After a lot of research and realizing what my budget limitations were, I decided on the new Tamron 100-400mm lens.  The price was about half the price of the Nikon 80-400mm and the comparison was favorable.

For the past few days I have been putting the lens through a workout.  I wanted to see if I could improve my shots as well as not feel as though I was carrying the weight of the world on my shoulders.  I was very pleasantly surprised by how much less weight I was carrying around.  I was also pleasantly surprise by how easy it was to handhold without the shaking.  The percentage of my shots in focus improved dramatically.  I still need to improve on my in flight bird pictures but with time, I believe that will come.

Below are a few of the photos made with this lens.

Loggerhead Shrike

Red-tailed Hawk

Juvenile Green Heron 

Mallard Drake in Non-Breeding Plumage

Smoke, Diffusing Light, and Using it to Your Advantage

I have recently taken a class by Frans Lanting through Creative Live.  Great class and great instructor.  I took many things from the class but one key items was to pick a spot close and learn that area.  Go back often because the landscape is always different and wildlife is seasonal so you will always see something new.  My spot has become Contra Loma Regional Park.  I really started to spend time there a couple of years back because it was a great place for me to begin to learn how to photograph birds.  Since that time, I go back at least three times a week.  It is so close.  Each time I go, I see something new or learn something new about the park.

We have major wildfires throughout the state of California.  Most areas north of San Francisco are suffering from very smokey skies.  Although the wildfires are doing so much damage, the smoke from those fires have the effect of a sky wide light diffuser.  I decided to head out to the park to see if there were any pictures to be made.  I arrived at the park early so the temperature was mild and there was no wind.  That is quite the rarity for this time of the year.  Because of that, there was actually quite a lot of critter activity.  I must have seen at least 20 Green Herons in various states of maturity alone.  There was the usual Mallards, Canada Geese, and park ducks but I also saw a Sora, Great Blue Heron, Caspian Tern, Snowy Egret, and a Black-crowned Night Heron.  There were also at least 30 Turkey Vultures perched in the trees.  So there were plenty of photographing opportunities.  I would encourage anyone interested in photography to find your "spot".  Learn all you can about it.  And take lots of pictures.  You never know what you will get.

Below are a few of my favorite shots from today's outing.

Great Blue Heron

Green Heron in flight

Juvenile Green Heron and reflection

Foster's Tern in Flight

Sora

Macro and Close Up Photography-Practice with the Sigma 150mm Macro Lens

I decided to photograph images that would allow me to practice macro techniques and employ some of what I recently learned in the classes I have taken.  I am working on trying to find new and interesting ways to photograph flowers.  Flowers are so interesting with all the shapes and lines that they are made up of but trying to capture that interest can sometimes be a challenge for me.  I will continue to study and practice shooting with a more discerning eye.  Some of the techniques I utilized for this round were "filling the frame" technique, selective focus, the multiple exposure technique, and the compressed background technique.  

The first image is of a daisy.  I wanted to make an image that show the lines shooting out from the yellow center of the flower.  I used the fill the frame technique.  It felt so dramatic to me.  The second image of the daisy was similar but the yellow center wasn't centered.

I made a third image of the daisy.  This time I used the selective focus technique.  The yellow center was the focus with the white petal softly out of focus.  

The image of the rose was made using the multiple exposure setting in my camera.  I selected two exposures to be combined.  The first image was shot at f20 to get the greatest depth of focus.  The second image was made completely out of focus.  Once combined, I was able to get the soft, painterly look.

Finally, the final image wasn't made at my home but was made at the Ruth Bancroft Garden.  I made image with the compressed background technique in mind.  I love how that technique (and a more wide open aperture) can soften and blur an otherwise unattractive background.  

All of the images below were made with the Sigma 150mm macro lens.  It is a new lens for me and so far, I have been impressed with the lens.

Studying a Wildlife Subject

One of the things I have started to do is learn a little more about the subjects I am photographing.  It is not enough anymore to just make photos of the subjects I am seeing.  I have started to be a lot more deliberate, especially with birds since I have an easier time studying them given my close proximity to a park.  There currently is a family of burrowing owls in the park near where I live near.  I have photographed them several times already in the process of me doing a walk around the park over the course of a little over a month.  So already had plenty of images of them.  Last night, I spent the majority of my time there trying to better understand these adorable birds.  It was so fascinating to watch them.  They were pretty tolerant of my being there.  I moved very slowly or just sat in the grass hoping they would know I wasn't a threat.  I made about 200 images of the owls last night. 200!  I just kept shooting.  I tried not to be indiscriminate.  After all, I was going to have to go through all of them.  What I learned about these owls, they are willing to stay near burrowing hole even if someone is relatively close as long as they don't feel threatened.  They blend in well with their surroundings providing a natural camouflage.  Below are a few of my favorite shots made last night.

Practicing using the Right Light

I have been taking a lot of on-line photography classes from photographers that inspire me.  One of the central themes in the most recent classes has been the use of light.  I know, as photographers we should always be looking for the best light.  The classes just gave me gentle reminders as well as ways to creatively use it.  Last night I went out and shot images with front lighting in mind.  I spotted a bunch of different Mallards and park ducks along the water and decided they would be great subjects with the water as a back drop.  Front lighting really does enhance the detail of an image.  I was really happy with how the images turned out.  Below are these of my favorite.

Staying Motivated

We are in the dog days of summer.  The heat saps most motivation to get out and about to take photos.  I find myself having withdrawals from being able to get out and photograph everyday.  In order to feel creative and to inspire myself, I have been working on re-editing some of my images with a few new iPhone photo applications.  Below are some of the results.  Although I don't think I would use these regularly, I do feel a bit better and am re-inspired.

Dahlia using the Brushstroke application.

Moon is the original image.  Used Distressed FX to create the background.

This image was achieved through at creative blur technique.  No additional application.  This technique is fun to play around with.

This image was achieved using the Formula Application.  Truth be told, I prefer the original.

Forced to Practice Creative Blur

Today I went out to Hastings Island in Rio Vista, CA with the intent of trying to make some images of the lovely wild Black-eyed Susan flowers that seem to be everywhere with a particular focus on macro.  I had noticed they were particularly prevalent at a specific part of the island.  So I headed out with the dogs and camera gear ready to walk and shoot.

Once we arrived, it became apparent that any macro photography would be extremely challenging today.  Even with the slight breeze,  a macro shot will not be as sharp as it needs to be.  Today the wind were blowing at 10mph with gusts up to 15mph.  Macro was going to be out of the question.  Not to be deterred, I decided that it was the perfect opportunity to practice creative blur techniques.  So that is what I did.

You wouldn't think that creative blur would be difficult.  I mean, heck, I see blurry pictures taken by people all the time.  Well, in order for a blurry picture to be creative and interesting, it takes a certain amount of practice.  One also has to understand what the best shutter speeds are to get the right effect.  So practice is key,  

So today was not what I planned but just what I needed.  The dogs ran their legs off, I got in a good 4 1/2 mile walk, and I had an opportunity to practice, practice, practice with the camera.  Below are a few of the images made during the walk.

Thanks for looking and leave a comment if you are so inclined.

Berkeley Botanical Gardens Visit

I have been looking for opportunities to practice my macro photography skills.  I had been buying  flower as subjects, walking around my neighborhood, or shooting anything that would stay still long enough for me to get.  After doing some searching for ideas, botanical gardens kept coming up.  I have no idea why that never occurred to me in the past but it didn't.  My initial thought was to go to the San Francisco Botanical Gardens in Golden Gate Park.  A jaunt for me but was going to go anyway until a friend suggested the Berkeley Botanical Garden.  I didn't even know there was one in Berkeley!  Great for me.  Much closer allowing me to spend more time in the garden than traveling.

I set out with the idea of macro photography practice but once I arrived I realized there was so much more to photograph.  It was like idea overload. I did manage to focus on macro initially by keeping my macro lens on the camera.  One of my first images is below.

I am not sure what type of flower this is (I need to be better about taking notes) but I was please with the image.  As I looked closer at these flowers, I also found this Spotted Cucumber Beetle within one of these flowers.

I tried to keep moving on but found myself in a nicely shaded area with running rivulets.  I love using longer exposures to soften the water so ended up spending about 45 minutes making images of the falling water.

Before I realized it, I had spent 3 1/2 hours at the botanical garden and barely scratched the surface of the available photo opportunities.  This trip also made me realize I need to have a plan when going to a photographing location but I also need to be flexible.

I am now a member of the Berkeley Botanical Garden and will plan on many other visits.

Outdoor Macro-Patience is Key

I recently took a few macro photography classes.  One was on how to make pictures of flowers using macro techniques and one was insect macro photography.  As you may have notice from previous posts, I frequently go to my local regional park "Contra Loma Regional Park".  Normally I am looking for opportunities to take pictures of the seasonal birds.  Well, after taking the classes I decided my focus on this particular walk would be completely macro.  I am a creature of habit and always bring my wildlife lens with me.  It is what is my comfort zone in that park.  In order not to be able to fall back on that, I only brought my 105mm macro lens and my Lensbaby Velvet 56. I didn't want to even have that crutch.  I am glad I went this route.  It forced me to look at and appreciate different aspects of the park, things I wouldn't have even noticed before because I would look for bigger and better things.  Below are a few of the initial images made.

In the past I would have not even paid any attention to these.  They are merely weeds.  But for me, looking closely with the macro lens made me look at them in a whole new way.

Then of course, I started looking for insects.  I really wanted to capture things I haven't captured before.  I still have some work to do in that area but more trips are planned.  There were plenty of dragonflies and damselflies to make images of.  I have taken pictures of these critters before but always with the 200-500mm.  That was ok but using the macro lens allowed me to get closer and I could actually capture them head on with tremendous detail.

I was happy with the results.  But I also wanted to try and capture other types of bugs.  Things I never even realized were in the park.  I saw several different critters but wasn't able to capture them, yet, except this one.  I have no idea what it is but it is colorful.

I realize with these critters I should have been more parallel with them so both would have been tack sharp.  But that is where the patience comes in.  It was quite windy out and I was challenged to keep them in focus.  Ultimately though, I am happy with my new found adventure opportunities at that park.

Oh, aside from the insects, I found this lizard happily sunning himself.  :-)

Light Matters

A few days ago I was fortunate to photograph a family of Burrowing Owls.  These little birds are so expressive and cute.  I don't see them often so when I do, I want to make the shot. During the last time of photographing, the light was less than ideal.  The light was coming from slightly above and behind the owls.  This caused the image light to be somewhat harsh. Still, I made it work.  Fast-forward a few days. A friend and I went out to catch the golden hour light.  We were lucky to find the family of owl out AND in a location that allowed the light to fall on them perfectly.  There were no harsh shadows and the light gave them a nice, soft color.  Below are a few images from the most recent trip.  Compare them to the previous images and I think you will see what I mean.

The Art of Macro Insect Photography

I recently took a class on macro insect photography.  I love anything macro and think, when doing it correctly, you can really change the perspective of your subject.  Currently the subject I am focusing on are insects, particularly dragonflies.  The detail in this being is fascinating up close.  The eyes and wing are of particular interest because of the detail.  Most flying insects don't stay in one place for too long so you have to have patience.  Additionally, it is helpful if you know a little about the subjects you are trying to photograph.  Knowing your subjects behavior will help you better anticipate what they will do.  This in turn will give you a better rate of success for capturing interesting pictures of your subject.  Below are some of the dragonfly images I have recently made.  I intend to continue practicing the techniques I have recently learned on other insects.

The Lensbaby Velvet 56

I have been taking some online photography classes and the Lensbaby Velvet 56 kept coming up.  I liked the images I was seeing and thought it could be an interesting addition to my bag.   Before doing that though, I did some additional research, looked at 100s of images and ultimately decided it was something I wanted to try out.  The lens is known for its unique bokeh effects and selective focusing.   The first thing you’ll notice about the Velvet 56 is the weight and feel.  The mount is very snug on the camera but is not overly tight. I wasn’t sure that I would be able to get the hang of it but so far I am enjoying the process of learning it.  Focusing the lens takes a bit of practice.  I have heard that the best results are had by using live view while zoomed in to get the focus sharp.  I have not tried that yet.  The Velvet 56 creates a soft focus effect. The more you open up the aperture the more of a dreamy look you will achieve. The lens has a minimum focus distance of 5” allowing you to get up close and personal with your subject.  One downside I found was because there is no chip in the lens, the camera has no clue what the aperture is to store in your meta data. The only macro lens I currently have is the Sigma 105mm.  I think this lens will be great as a dual purpose lens for macro and walking around lens.  I can't wait to really put it through the ringer.  

If you like the soft focus type of images, you can now get much better results than smearing your equipment with petroleum jelly or covering it with nylons.  :-)

Below are a few of the test shots I have taken.

Photographing Birds

I love photographing birds.  This has only been the case for the last couple of years.  Since I have started though, I have learned so much about their behaviors.  And now I find them fascinating.  Each variety has their own behaviors.  Some are gregarious and some are shy.  This isn't meant to be a post about bird behaviors because I am far from an expert.  I only mention this because I have learned that photographing the different birds takes different amounts of patience and understanding to get a decent photograph.  

Burrowing Owls seem to be relatively active during the day compared to other types of owls.  So when I heard there was a burrowing owl in the park, I knew I would have an opportunity to photograph them.  And as it turned out, I was right.  I have been back three different days to make a number of shots.  I always want to be respectful of all wildlife though.  Burrowing owls will let you know when you are getting too close by bobbing up and down.  When I see that behavior, I back off.  I use a 200-500mm lens on a Nikon D500 camera which gives me the 35mm equivalent of 300-750mm lens.  That allows me to not infringe on the bird's territory and still get my shot.  As long as I don't get too close, I can watch these guys for long periods of time giving me plenty of opportunities to watch their comical behavior.

Below are a few of the pictures taken.

Creative Blur

Creative blur is a photographic technique that I have recently learned about. Its appeal to me is the way you can make an ordinary object appear abstract. It isn’t easy at first and I have yet to really master this technique. However, I like the possibilities that it presents and I don’t think I will mind practicing it.

Creative blur can be accomplished in a number of ways. The image below was made using a zoom lens, starting at the longest focal length and then turning the zoom ring to the widest length as the shutter is open. Of course to have the time to turn the zoom ring while the shutter is open you will need about a 1/6th second shutter speed. The speed at which you turn the zoom ring will provide different results. It is worth the effort to try different speeds just to see which results you prefer. There are other creative blur techniques which I will be trying at a later time. I see a lot of opportunities for cool images.

This image was made using a 24-70mm lens starting at 70mm and working back. ISO100, F16, 1/6second.