Saturday, February 20, 2010

Dreaming of Last Fall







Flagstaff weather is being its typical unsettled, late winter style with sleet and wind today. I got to thinking of our llama trek last October near Bluff, Utah. The autumn colors were fabulous, days warm, nights crisp, and the rock art was spectacular.

I tried a couple of panorama shots, which are quite easy. Set your camera on aperture priority so that the depth of field does not change as the overall exposure might. Take several overlapping pictures of the landscape (using a tripod is handy but the two examples were handheld). Then using Photoshop or another program that has a pano-program, let the computer and software splice them together.

Also, if your camera gear is getting heavier with each passing year, consider having a friendly, fuzzy llama helping you out. E-mail me for more information about these remarkable pack animals, which can carry over 100 pounds. You can take a few camping extras like a bottle of wine!

Thursday, February 11, 2010

2011 Photo Workshop Set

It's not too early if you want to get a reservation for the 2011 Digital Photography Workshop at the Elkhorn Ranch southwest of Tucson. Contact the ranch directly at office@elkhornranch.com for accommodations, horse rides, rates, etc. Or zip me an email at swa@infomagic.net for details about the workshop.

Tuesday, February 9, 2010

Where's Spring?

It just keeps snowing here in Flagstaff, so this morning Simone and I went out to the Kachina Wetlands for a XC ski. The fresh powder on top of who knows how many feet of packed snow was heavenly. As we rounded a stand of ponderosa pines, we saw a half-dozen Canada geese floating in a bit of open water. Of course, when they spied Simone, off they flew. I was able to get a few quick snaps before they disappeared. On the image of the geese, I have applied a little vignetting (using Adobe Lightroom) to draw the viewers eye toward the subjects - a technique often used by Ansel Adams. What do you think? Is it too obvious? Annoying? Or just right?

Tuesday, February 2, 2010

The Thinker


Sometimes a photographer gets his or her best ideas when just...well, you know...wandering around. We were hiking in the Buenos Aires National Wildlife Refuge in southern Arizona when we stumbled upon a throne with a view. Just a few minutes of deep thought, and we came up with some brilliant (at least they seemed brilliant at the time) picture ideas for the Elkhorn Ranch Photo Workshop.

Monday, February 1, 2010

Elkhorn Ranch Photo Workshop







I just returned from a week teaching a photo workshop at Mary and Charlie Miller's Elkhorn Ranch, which is located southwest of Tucson. This was our third season doing a workshop there and the turn out was great. It's a wonderful place to take exciting horseback rides, hike in the canyons or up mountains, and enjoy delicious meals with old friends and make new ones while learning how to use these darn, complicated but totally amazing digital cameras. We are planning on offering the workshop again in 2011 on January 23-30. Contact me for more information.