When Where & How

10
Aug
2013

DOUBLE TREE, ZION NP

DOUBLE TREE, ZION NP

A lot of time is spent just scouting an area or a place searching out something of interest to photograph.   In 2011 we found a very interesting area in Zion National Park.  We spent several days along this little trail that followed a small stream.  This area yielded a wealth of subject matter.  We were in a deep canyon where the light was soft and subdued all day.  There was a very brief time toward late afternoon when the sun came blasting in, but the vast majority of the day we were in very soft, wrapping light.  This wrapping light was accentuated by the  1,200 foot high sandstone walls that acted as a gentle reflector above where we were working.

The gentle little stream continually ran a steady flow of water and there were rocks, trees, moss and cascading water everywhere.  I had been working in this area for several days and had noticed this double tree several times.  I knew there was something there, but I had a really hard time with the composition.  I just couldn’t find the ‘spot’ that I wanted.  I know I walked past this double tree every day and there was something that kept calling me back.  I knew what I wanted.  Yet, I also knew that because of the placement of the elements as I envisioned them made for a depth of field dilemma.  I knew what I wanted. . . just didn’t think I could pull it off.
 
The thing you have to keep in mind is, if you do not try, you are certain to fail.  I finally decided to take a stab at the double tree with the cascade in the background.  I chose a moderately wider than normal lens for the 8×10, hoping I would be able to get the depth of field I needed.  The Schneider 305mm G-Claron is one of my usual lenses that I carry with my 8×10. The light was incredibly beautiful.  I can’t describe how it made things look, other than it was coming from behind the camera, created by the sun reflecting off the high canyon wall that faced basically southwest.  I knew I had to expose the film once I got the camera in place.  What I saw on the ground glass was exactly what I wanted. . .  there are those times you just know.   I metered and exposed. . . with fingers crossed.
 
When I processed the negative I felt really good.  When I made a proper proof, I was even more pleased.  This was a pretty easy print to make.  It printed very well on #2 Azo and only required a little selective bleaching on the cascade in the background to bring up their value a little.  I also did a little bleaching on the tree trunks to bring up their contrast and make them glow even more.
 
All in all, I am very pleased with this photograph.  I was able to capture what I felt at the time I exposed the negative, and that is what it is all about.  There are times you have to really push your equipment and your capabilities.  Keep in mind; if you don’t try there is only one outcome!  One other thing, we were in the same place a year later.  We wanted to get back into the area and look at some more possibilities, but due to the spring rain the trail was washed out.  It was impossible to access the place we were working the year before without wading deep water.  Another lesson. . . if you want something, go for it.  There is no guarantee it will be there next time.
 
JB 

Click on the thumbnail images to see a larger view and the captions.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Posted by Administrator in Where When & How
08
Aug
2013

CANYONLANDS, 2005

CANYONLANDS, 2005

There are those times when you happen upon a situation that you know, without hesitation, will be something worthy of your attention.  A photographer, especially a landscape photographer, is continually chasing the light.  We spend a very disproportionate amount of time searching for something worthy of pointing a camera toward and exposing a sheet of film.   A good day shooting LF or ULF may yield, on a good day, six exposures.  A really good day might lead to clicking the shutter over ten times!  Other days, the camera is never even mounted to the tripod.

Canyonlands 2005 AThis photograph was a surprise.  We had been driving the park road just looking for something to stop and explore.  This was one of our first trips to this area and we were still scouting the locale.  It was about noon, the time of day that color photographers head to the gift shop or lunch.  We shoot B&W and any light is good light, especially if it is an unusual light.

I have photographed in a strange lighting phenomenon several times before.  At higher altitudes the air is thinner and sunlight seems to behave differently.  Especially if you add a modifier, like thin layers of very high clouds.  This day was partly cloudy with a lot of high, wispy clouds drifting to across the sky.  A large area of very high cirrus clouds were drifting slowly over the sun.  I recognized the light almost immediately, even before looking up to see what was causing this wonder.

Something happens when the sun is behind a thin cloud layer and the majority of the rest of the sky is clear.  The light takes on a quality that is not easily describable.  Objects take on a more rounded look and tend to glow.  I knew this was something special.

I immediately found a wide pullout, jumped out of the van and ran across the road.  I had a great view of these interestingly shaped rock towers in the distance with a nice blue sky with a few high clouds since I was looking upward on the gentle slope.  A quick look through my viewing filter/framing device which showed me that the light on the foreground was exceptional and the blue sky separated well from the red rock towers.Canyonlands 2005 B

I remembered Ansel Adams talking about how once he found some grand view that was worthy of photographing, he would immediately start looking for something of interest to put in the foreground.  This is the play on the near/far principle of making the illusion of depth in a two dimensional image.  All I needed was something interesting in the foreground.  Very quickly I found a nice weathered cedar which lined up just right.  I quickly found a camera position using the filter/framing device, that I always carry, and quickly ascertained the focal length of the lens needed.  All I needed now was the camera.

Fortunately we had already stopped to shoot earlier in the day and my 8×10 pack was loaded and ready to go.  I ran back to the van, grabbed the pack, dark cloth and tripod then dashed back to my chosen spot.  I made a mark in the sand with the heel of my boot I could find the spot again.  I remember I kept looking at the cloud that was slowly drifting south east across the sun.  I knew I had very little time to capture what was happening before me.   Fortunately I have worked with my camera rig long enough that I can set it up without little thought.  By using my framing device I already knew the position and lens I needed.  I quickly set up the tripod, hung the pack on it, slipped the camera out and had it pre-focused and ready to go as quickly as possible.  A quick look under the dark cloth and a quick tweak of the focus and a little back tilt and the camera was ready.

Canyonlands 2005 C

A view camera’s movement are used to manipulate the plane of focus in order to keep everything as sharp as possible.  Using movement on the rear of a view camera will introduce distortion into your subject.  If you are shooting something you do not want distorted, you should use the front movements only.  But for this photo I wanted to use rear tilt to make the foreground loom upward and make it more prominent in the image.  I use rear tilt a lot when making landscapes.  It enhances the near far aspect of the image and allows you to sharply focus on object in the foreground without sacrificing focus in the distant objects.

I also knew I wanted to use a filter to darken the sky and enhance the red rocks.  A color filter when used with B&W film will lighten its own color and darken its complement.   Hence, the sky would darken and the red to orange bands in the rock would be lightened.  One pitfall of using a red filter is that it will not only darken blue skies, it will also darken green foliage.  Fortunately there is very little green in the desert, especially in winter.  Also the weathered cedar had some components of orange that were also lightened, giving the wood more depth and texture.  The effect of the filter coupled with the unusual light make a powerful visual effect when using B&W film.

I quickly took a meter reading through the filter, dialed the exposure into the shutter and was ready to shoot.  I swiftly made two exposures.  The second negative was exposed just as the sun came out from behind the cloud.  Only the fist exposure captured the light at its best, and is the one I printed.

The negative was developed ‘Normal’ in PyroCat HD and prints well, with little manipulation, on grade #2 Azo.  This is one of those photographs that conveys the feel and emotional content as originally envisioned in the field.  The job of the photographer is to look for, and find, those situations where subject and light combine to make something unique.  You sometimes have to be prepared to act on a moment’s notice.  Add a little luck, and every now and then you find a gem.  As someone once said, “Luck is when preparation meets opportunity.”

JB

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Posted by Administrator in Where When & How
08
Aug
2013

HOT CREEK FALL

HOT CREEK FALL

Finding something worthy of pointing your camera toward is the first priority of the serious photographer.  We spend a lot to time just scouting when we visit a new place.  This was our first and only trip to Yellowstone National Park.  Having no idea of what we would find, nor exactly where to start, you just drive and look.

Hot Creek Fall #1This particular day we were exploring along a narrow one way loop road that followed Hot Creek.   There was certainly plenty of rushing water and great photo opportunities everywhere.   We came upon the fall about mid afternoon and I knew immediately this was something very special.  I see images mostly as a flash in my mind.  Sometimes it is just a glimpse in the corner of my eye.  Other times it is obvious there is something that requires further investigation.   This was certainly something to explore in more detail.  Who could pass up a large waterfall beside the road?   

When asked how I choose which camera to use, my normal response is, the largest one I can get into position.  This is especially true for landscapes.  The biggest obstacle is just how far I can carry any one camera.  The 11×14 requires four trips to set up and make a photo.  Since there was plenty of room to park just across the road from the fall, the 11×14 was the camera of choice.  This was my first consideration. Hot Creek Fall #2

Next I had to scout out a suitable position for the camera.  The placement of the tripod is crucial to the framing of the photo.  Everything affects the finished image.  Just moving a few feet, or inches, can make all the difference.  I use an old Zone VI combination viewing filter and framing device to help me locate the camera position and approximate the focal length lens I will need.  For this image the position from the edge of the road was far too high above the fall and too far away.  I made my way down the steep embankment of loose dirt and rock as far as I could get before encountering a sheer vertical drop of twenty five feet or so to the stream bed.  This position was also near thirty feet below the road and gave me the vantage point I wanted.  

Hot Creek Fall #3At this point I was getting very excited about the image possibilities.  There is something about finding subject matter that is visually stimulating.  The possibilities in my mind for the look of a finished print was taking shape.  I carefully studied the possible framing of the photograph and began to realize the light was not right.  We were there too late in the afternoon.  The sun had already gone behind the far bank of the stream below the trees and the fall was in shade.   I wanted the foaming water of the fall in full sun and the far bank of the stream and trees in shade.   I knew that a photo that would capture what I envisioned was not possible that day.

This is a common occurrence, we would have to make some notes as to the place and time of day and return another time.  What I had to hope for was that the next day would not be cloudy.   We would arrive about an hour or more earlier in order to get the camera set up and then wait for the light.Hot Creek Fall #4

Fortunately the next day we had clear skies, prefect for the image of Firehole River Fall I was after.  I heaved the tripod, camera, lens, dark cloth and film holder down the embankment and took up a position just at the edge of the drop off.  The 355mm lens gave me the framing I was looking for, so it was just a matter of focusing, framing and waiting.   As the sun slowly moved westward the shadows from the trees on the far bank of the stream advanced toward the streams far edge.  When things lined up just so, I clicked the shutter.  I made two negatives on Bergger BPF 200 film which were process Normal in PyroCat HD developer.  The resulting negative prints well with some manipulation and gives me the look and feel I had originally envisioned.

One of the biggest challenges is finding a suitable subject and then presenting it in a manner that portrays your vision.  Most of the time this requires patience.   Sometimes there is only one very specific time of day when everything lines up just right.  When it works it is great, if it does not work, you may have to come back over and over till it all happens.

JB

Click on the thumbnail images to see a larger view and the captions.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Posted by Administrator in Where When & How