I’m just about to burst…

September 20, 2016 by The PHOTOROGR Project in Uncategorized and tagged CA 120, Close up photography, fall colors, Ford Ranger, Genoa NV, Genoa State Park, landscape photography, Macro photography, Mormon Station State Park, Mt. Patterson, photo editing and composition, photography techniques, Pine Nut Mountains, Porsche Club of America, Scenery, Sierra Nevada Mountains, Sonora Pass, sports photography, sunsets, Treffen Lake Tahoe | 1 Comment

I’m so excited about my photography right now that I’m just about to burst! I know, it’s been 3 weeks since my last post and I’m sure you’re all asking, ‘if he’s so excited, why so long since his last post?” The answer is simple – I’m having too much fun to make a post! The problem with that, however, is the backlog of images to share. I still have two posts worth of images from my trip home last month – stay tuned for them!

We’ll get to current pictures in a minute because there are fun things I want to share. First, I’m waiting for my new lens, the Generation 2 Tamron 150-600, to arrive. I’ve been shooting with the first generation 150-600 since it came out almost 3 years ago and have always loved the results. The new lens has better optics, faster autofocus, and a shorter minimum focusing distance (by almost a foot!). I found a nice home for my old lens (the new owner has already made some great images, and has nicknamed the lens ‘Godzilla’), so I’m without a super telezoom for the short term. My withdrawal is almost as bad as when my camera body fried a circuit board last June and I was without my 7D for a time. I’ll get through it – I promise. With the raptors returning to the Carson Valley, I’m excited to try out the new lens!

Second, I’m launching my exploration into Shutter Priority (Tv) mode. For the last couple years, I have shot primarily in Aperture Priority (Av) mode, which controls light using the aperture opening. Aperture size impacts depth of field, or how much the image is in focus from the foreground to the background (large openings = shallow depth of field, small openings = deeper depth of field). For wildlife shots, especially birds, I shoot wide open. Large aperture openings also allow fast shutter speeds, capturing detail and freezing motion. I don’t worry about the background being in focus because I want to highlight the bird or animal in the image. For landscapes, I use smaller aperture openings to have more of the scene in focus. I shoot my landscapes from a tripod, so shutter speed is not really a concern. I use Manual mode for my landscapes, allowing me to control exposure with either shutter or aperture priority, looking for the best settings for the particular subject and conditions.

What prompted me to explore Tv mode? Sports photography! One of my son’s friends has two little boys who play flag football. I took pictures at a game last Saturday (they won – it was very exciting), and asked a friend/mentor to critique my work. His comments were very helpful, pushing me to explore the wild world of Shutter Priority. Here’s a couple pictures from Saturday.

He had just intercepted a pass and was running into the end zone for a touchdown!

These little guys take the game seriously – look at the intensity (or maybe fear of getting hit) on their faces!

As you can see, the focus is just a little soft. I shot these in Av mode, so a shift to Tv mode will give me a faster shutter speed to freeze the action better. I’m excited to give it a try!

A couple weeks ago, I went to Mormon Station State Park in Genoa to take pictures of Treffen Lake Tahoe, the Porsche Club of America’s cruise around the Lake Tahoe area. The tour made a lunch stop in Genoa. Go to my Treffen Lake Tahoe page (https://photorogr.com/treffen-lake-tahoe-2016/) to see my pictures from the day.

My retired guy ATV group made the ride up Mt. Patterson the other day. Here’s a few images from the trip!

I took this on the drive up, with my mobile phone. Note the smoke low on the horizon.

This is the view looking west from the top of Mt. Patterson. It was mid-day when we arrived and I wasn’t happy with the light. I made the image anyway and am pleased with the result.

The view to the north. Lots of smoke low on the horizon. The signage going up the hill described Mt. Patterson as ‘Mars with vegetation.’ I love the colors in this mountain.

On the way to Mt. Patterson, we passed the turnoff to CA 120, the Sonora Pass Road, and I just had to go back and drive Sonora Pass. The leaves are starting to turn, and the PHOTORANGER loved the drive.

The PHOTORANGER at the summit of Sonora Pass.

Fall colors, on the east side of the Pass.

Hopefully a sign of a good fall color year. I found a great book on fall color in the Sierras, with excellent information on where to go. Fall color exploration, here I come!

I was amazed at the amount of water still flowing.

The mountains had a fresh dusting of snow.

This panorama was stitched from 8 images, then processed using a couple Nik Color Efex Pro filters. Some of my mentors/friends think it’s a little overdone. I like it!

The scenery was stunning, everywhere I looked.

I made several images of this mountain. I like this one for the trees in the foreground.

I didn’t forget to make images of the yard. Here are a few.

Remember the discussion of Aperture Priority above? This flower was shot with a wide open aperture and close up filters. The foliage in the background becomes a pleasing blur, while preserving the detail in the petals, stamens, and pistils. When I master focus stacking, the petal at the top will also be in focus.

I finally found a Daisy bloom that hadn’t been molested by the rabbits.

I love these Roses, but they are proving very challenging for me. I am constantly fighting the monochrome of the petals and work to introduce meaningful shadows to separate the petals. I was drawn to this composition by the dead bloom at the bottom of the image, in contrast with the vibrant blooms above.

The last image of this post. I took a quick trip into the Pine Nut Mountains, just a couple miles east of our house, one evening last week. The sun was going down and was shining through some clouds. I’ve never made an image like this, so I thought I’d give it a try. I’m not totally happy with the result, so I’ll be working to improve my image capture processes in these lighting conditions.

That’s a lot of fun for me. I promise that I’ll get the images from my trip done and posted. They’re worth the wait – I promise.

Thanks for reading my blog. Enjoy – PHOTOROGR

February is a very busy time!

February 18, 2016 by The PHOTOROGR Project in Uncategorized and tagged Carson Valley, CV Chamber of Commerce, Eagles & Agriculture, Hawks, photo editing and composition, photography techniques, Photoshop, Pine Nut Mountains, Shooting the West, Wild Horses, Wildlife photography | 2 Comments

When I started this Journey in Creative Photography, I knew I would be spending lots of time learning how to make images (in camera and on the computer) and that some of my learning curve would be about the business side of photography. In my post ‘Order and Chaos’ (last December), I discussed the challenges of storing and retrieving images on the computer. I described how I installed additional memory in my computer and further refined my storage/retrieval system in my last post. I have been reaping the benefits of those changes in the last couple weeks, as I tackle another big challenge – what do I share, print, and show?

February in the Carson Valley is prime time for nature photographers. The calves are dropping and the Eagles migrate through to feed on the nutrient rich afterbirth and the occasional carcass. Long lens mounted, I go hunting for these regal subjects. Then, after downloading the RAW images on the computer, I review the images and decide which are worthy of processing and possibly sharing or printing. Believe me, you only see a small fraction of the images I make in camera. Why is this on my mind? Read on!

Many years ago, the local Chamber of Commerce (http://www.carsonvalleynv.org) teamed up with area ranchers and conservationists to create a wonderful event called Eagles and Agriculture. The opening reception and photography exhibit is tomorrow at the Senior Center, and the tours start Friday! The Eagles & Agriculture Banquet is Friday night, and I will have a table to sell my pictures and note cards. I’ll also be there Saturday morning – if you’re nearby, stop in, say hi, and buy a picture or note card! I’ve been printing, matting, and framing new images for a week or so (I love Amazon’s 2 day delivery on ink for my printer!). The image retrieval system was critical to my printing activities, and the modifications to my process made it soooo much easier. This will also help as I prepare for my presentation at Shooting the West (http://shootingthewest.org).

I’ve also been making time to get out and make new images. The Eagles have been a little difficult to capture, so other subjects have endured my intrusion – most notably, the wild horses in the Pine Nut Mountains. The foals have been coming a little early this year – we now have 3. I shared pictures of Skye in my post ‘Inspiration – the Key Ingredient’ although we didn’t know that she was a she, and she hadn’t been named when I posted.

Skye with her Mom, Suzie Q (in back), and Dad, Shorty (facing).

Here are the other foals!

This is Sassy with her Mom, Bossy Betty. Sassy got her name by exhibiting an ‘independent’ behavior.

The family portrait (l to r): Sassy, Bossy Betty, Skye, Suzie Q, Shorty (looking right). Shorty is the proud Papa, but he plays it cool.

This is Hardy with Mom, Lady. Dad is Blue – the undisputed King of the Pine Nut bands. Hardy is named after my father-in-law, who celebrated his 90th birthday last week!

Hardy running with other members of the band. The horse on the left is Copper and we’re waiting to see her foal. Lady is keeping Hardy in line.

While shooting Blue’s band the other day, Blue decided we had been there long enough and came over to tell us. When we didn’t leave immediately, he took a couple steps as if to say, ‘Didn’t you get the message?’

I found Mystery again – we started with a game of hide and seek, and then it got interesting!

Mystery hiding in the trees.

Mystery posing for me.

Mystery deciding he wanted to check me out! He walked to within about 25′ of me before I convinced him it wasn’t a good idea.

I saw several horses who were having lots of fun!

This is Hope. She’s a yearling and Blue’s daughter. Apparently, mud bath was the day’s fun activity.

Another of Blue’s yearlings played in the mud.

This little fella’ is The Rogue’s son. I found him in a different area, but he had been playing in the mud, too.

This is Little Jo, one of Blue’s yearlings. She’s quite a camera tease, and apparently doesn’t play in the mud.

I can’t post without a bird picture…

This Sharp-Shinned Hawk was in my neighbor’s tree. I got some good pictures…

…but obviously overstayed my welcome. It’s a problem I have on occasion (just ask Blue).

One more shot of Hardy – a guy just has to scratch sometimes, even when he’s only a couple days old.

Thanks for reading all the way to the bottom. I know I shared a lot of pictures, but you see my dilemma! Like the convenience store, I just have ‘too much good stuff!’

Enjoy – PHOTOROGR

Inspiration – the Key Ingredient!

January 30, 2016 by The PHOTOROGR Project in Uncategorized and tagged Carson Valley, CV Chamber of Commerce, Eagles, Eagles & Agriculture, Geese, Hawks, Owls, photo editing and composition, photography techniques, Photoshop, Pine Nut Mountains, Raptors, Sierra Nevada Mountains, Turkeys, Wild Horses, Wildlife photography | 4 Comments

In my last post, I talked about luck (right place, right time, right settings) and the importance of being prepared. In the last month, I’ve discovered another ingredient that I feel is key to the creative photography process – inspiration!

Inspiration comes in many forms and governs everything. For example, I have to be inspired to go out with a camera, inspired to stop and make an image, inspired to spend time processing an image, and then be inspired to share the image. In the last month, my inspiration (and sometimes lack of inspiration) has been all over the map. I’ve been excited to fire up the PHOTORANGER and go looking for subjects. I’ve just stayed home because I just wasn’t ‘feeling it’ that day. I’ve pulled over for something I liked, and often driven on and sometimes missed a shot. When I’m back home and downloading images from the day, I’ve said ‘yuck’ to everything (you don’t see those!) and resolved to correct technical errors or find better subjects, and resolved to get out there again. And then a whole month passes between posts (I really need to work on that). You know how the inspiration roller coaster works.

In the last week, the inspiration peaks and valleys have become less extreme – returning to almost normal, in fact. Subjects have been plentiful and my settings have been good, improving my images and increasing my inspiration. Here’s some images from the last few weeks. I hope you enjoy and are inspired by them!

Enjoy – PHOTOROGR

Every winter, the eagles visit the Carson Valley for calving season. I found this Bald Eagle along US 395 a couple days ago. Eagles & Agriculture is only 3 weeks away!

This Bald Eagle was hunting along Foothill Road, on the west side of the Carson Valley. Not sure he knew about his ‘shadow.’

This juvenile Bald Eagle was in the southwest part of the Carson Valley.

I’m not sure what these two were discussing, but they sat for pictures for quite a while.

I found the Carson River Road turkeys in the trees a few weeks ago.

Remember that ‘right place right time’ discussion.

These two are part of another turkey flock, generally found just over the California line.

I’ve seen this nest many times, but didn’t see an occupant until the last couple days. I’ll watch and see what develops.

This little fella’ flew from fence post to sign to sign while I followed and took pictures. I’m not sure if he’s sending a message here…

Remember that ‘right place right time’ discussion? I forgot the ‘right settings’ piece, as I was zoomed in too close when this Hawk took flight…

…but I got this Red-Tailed Hawk just fine.

This Blue Heron was focused on his next meal and didn’t worry about me as I got closer and closer…

While he looks unconcerned, he never took his eyes off me.

I don’t normally take pictures of geese, but I was inspired when their flight path brought them close to me. Jake’s Wetlands, Minden NV.

This is KC. His mares are known as the Sunshine Band.

One of the Sunshine Band. I like this composition.

Peeking through the trees…

Next to an eagle shot, new foals are great inspiration. This little one is about a week old, but has not been named as the Pine Nut Wild Horse Advocates are waiting for confirmation of the sex. That’s Mom on the left.

New foal staying close to Mom, Suzie Q!

And Suzie Q making sure I wasn’t too close.

This family portrait shows Shorty, the sire, keeping a close eye on me while the foal nuzzles Mom. This picture has gone viral on Facebook! Thanks everyone!

It’s hard to top the ‘family portrait,’ but I wanted to share this panorama of Jobs Peak (second peak in from right). It’s a little different view of the Sierras.

Right Place! Right Time!! Right Settings!!!

December 31, 2015 by The PHOTOROGR Project in Uncategorized and tagged Carson Valley, Ducks, Eagles, Hawks, Owls, photo editing and composition, photography techniques, Pine Nut Mountains, Raptors, Sierra Nevada Mountains, Wild Horses, Wildlife photography | 6 Comments

I have long recognized that much of my success as a nature photographer is due to being ‘at the right place at the right time,’ better known as luck! In a recent article in Outdoor Photographer magazine, Andy Long tells us that luck “… is when preparedness meets opportunity.”

I have tremendous opportunity, by virtue of where I live. The Carson Valley is teeming with beautiful scenery, a wide variety and abundance of wildlife, and, most importantly, great friends who share their knowledge of photography and where the wildlife are hanging out at any given time. In fact, one of my photo buddies, Jackie Gorton, recently added a third leg to my thoughts on luck – right settings! How wise she is, for one can be at the right place and time but if one misses the correct camera settings, one misses the shot! Of course, this is where the preparedness piece comes into play.

I started this blog to share my photographic journey – learning photography and developing my skill set, experiments in photo processes, successes, failures, and as a showcase for my work. Apparently I’m doing something right, because many of you have shared that my pictures are getting better (thank you for the feedback!). Of course, the more I learn – the more I realize how little I know, so there is lots of room for improvement!

I’m closing out 2015 with a tribute to luck! Please find below a series of pictures that are the result of ‘being in the right place at the right time with the right settings!’

I’m also expanding my outreach! I share my blog on Facebook, and will try to include my friends on LinkedIn. If this reaches you, then I was successful – and Welcome! If you wish to get an email notice when I make a post, then consider following my blog.

I’m not one for new year’s resolutions, so I won’t make one here. I will continue this marvelous journey and share with you, hopefully making better images for your enjoyment.

Enjoy and Happy New Year! PHOTOROGR

Ultimate luck! My lovely bride and I were running errands and saw this Bald Eagle on a utility pole beside the road heading into town. He had just caught a rabbit and was enjoying his meal. In some of my pictures, you can see fur in the air and meat in his mouth.

A little less gruesome shot of our friend.

I saw this Red-Tailed Hawk in a snowy field, but didn’t realize I had interrupted his meal until he took off.

Sometimes I find one Great Horned Owl in this pole barn, but this day I got lucky and found two!

I was at Jake’s Wetlands in Minden looking for the Wood Ducks that some of my very lucky friends had seen there. Of course, the Wood Ducks were hiding from me, but these Mallard Ducks put on a parade in the snow!

Contrary to what you might think, this female Mallard Duck is not conducting an orchestra – she was preparing to dive. This image made a very nice note card!

As stated, no Wood Ducks for me. This Bufflehead posed nicely for me, though.

I was cruising Foothill Road just south of Genoa last week, and this Hawk tried to hide from me.

Yes, it was as cold as he looks. He watched me, but didn’t move away.

This Hawk was just stretching his wings.

I don’t know why, but I really like the shots where the bird is looking straight at me.

I have no idea what these two were up to, but they had a great time for several minutes while I clicked away, safe in my warm truck.

Not a very timely update, but this is Mystery just before Christmas. He was closer to where the Pine Nut bands wander. I haven’t been out to check on him in a while.

Honored and humbled and excited and intimidated…all at the same time!

December 16, 2015 by The PHOTOROGR Project in Uncategorized and tagged American Kestrels, Blue Herons, Carson Valley, CV Chamber of Commerce, Eagles, Eagles & Agriculture, Hawks, Owls, photo editing and composition, photography techniques, Pine Nut Mountains, Raptors, Shooting the West, Sierra Nevada Mountains, Wild Horses, Wildlife photography, Winnemucca NV | 4 Comments

A year ago, my good friend and photography mentor, Craig Moore, introduced me to Shooting the West, a photography symposium in Winnemucca, Nevada. I ventured to Winnemucca last March and had a great time, made new friends and improved my photo skills. Any of you who attend events such as this know that the promoters solicit feedback from the attendees. In my evaluation, I noted that the program did not include a nature photographer and I suggested they include nature photography in future programs. One should always be careful for what one wishes because last August I got a call asking if I would be interested in making a presentation on nature photography at the 2016 Shooting the West symposium (honored and humbled). I thought about it for about 3 seconds and quickly assembled a brief outline with a few examples of pictures (excited), and submitted my proposal for a nature photography tour of the Carson Valley. A couple weeks later, I got an email advising that they accepted my proposal and I would be on the program (more excited).

As the initial excitement subsided, reality set in – I would be showing my pictures to a room full of photographers from around the country (intimidated). Thinking back to last year’s program, I realized that, in addition to the amateur and hobby photographers in attendance, there would be people who have been shooting for decades, travel the world and get published in National Geographic, Sports Illustrated, and other international publications, and write books and teach classes about photography and photo editing. Oh my God!!! (More intimidated!!!!!) And I just said yes to showcasing my work on a really big screen for all to see (even more intimidated). I’m not afraid of public speaking – as many of you know all too well – but I’ve only been shooting seriously for a short time. Then I said to myself, “Self – get it together, put your best foot forward, and see what happens.” Finally, the voice of reason (but I’m still intimidated).

Shooting the West XXVIII will be held April 26 – May 1, 2016. Registration opens January 18. For more information, go to shootingthewest.org, call 877-623-3501, or email info@shootingthewest.org. I’m back to being excited, by the way (and still honored and humbled)!

It’s winter – prime raptor season – I’m out almost every day trying to get new and good images for my STW presentation and to market at Eagles and Agriculture (February 18-20, 2016, go to http://www.carsonvalleynv.org/pages/EAGLESAG1/ for information). Don’t worry, I’m not limiting my presentation to raptors only. I hope to include a good representation of game animals, non-raptor birds, and the Valley’s predators – at least the ones of which I have pictures.

Here’s a few images from the last couple weeks. I think you’ll like them.

I was out checking an area for a Golden Eagle aerie, and I found this stud wandering in the Pine Nuts all alone. He let me make lots of images. I’m trying to decide which one to submit to the Pine Nut Wild Horse Association for their 2017 calendar featuring studs.

He and I watched each other closely while I shot. He’s not from the area, that we know of anyway. We’ll see if he makes it all the way down to the other bands. We named him Mystery. Oh yeah, I haven’t found that aerie yet.

I’ve seen lots of Kestrels in the last few weeks. I’m not sure if they are more plentiful, or if I am better at seeing them.

This one looks like he’s giving me ‘the bird’ as he flies away.

My lovely bride commented that I get a lot of ‘butt pictures’ when I’m shooting birds, but I love seeing the frozen motion of their wings and feet as they take flight.

I saw this Blue Heron on a very windy day…must have stopped blowing for a second or two while I made the image.

I found this immature White-crowned Sparrow near the Nevada-California state line. This is my favorite composition for birds – tack sharp with a blurry background…

It was a snowy day outside this pole barn, but this Great Horned Owl didn’t seem to mind.

I saw this Golden Eagle probably 600 feet away.

This was the scene outside the pole barn…this guy was trying hard to stay warm and paid me no attention.

Same bird – different angle and background…maybe next year’s Christmas card???

Did you see that? Yeah, but I don’t believe what I saw…

Coming in for a landing…er, going up for a landing…

I drove by this Red-tailed Hawk, and went back for the picture. At first, he tried to sell me a watch…

…and then he took a spin around me…

I think this is my favorite. I was checking a location for Owls and saw this guy. Again – my favorite composition – tack sharp subject with a blurred background.

That’s all for this post. Between the raptors returning to the Valley and the wonderful weather, I’ve had a great couple weeks of shooting. I look forward to more fun, finding that aerie, and a visit from Santa! Have a very Merry Christmas! PHOTOROGR

Order and Chaos!

December 2, 2015 by The PHOTOROGR Project in Uncategorized and tagged Adobe Bridge, Carson Valley, Deer, Eagles, Hawks, Kestrels, photo editing and composition, photography techniques, Photoshop, Pine Nut Mountains, Raptors, Sierra Nevada Mountains, Wildlife photography | Leave a comment

As an old crusty engineer and military officer, I enjoy order in my life. I like having ‘a place for everything and everything in its place.’ Those of you who know me well also know that I also have a somewhat chaotic side, and my ‘everything in its place’ side isn’t always dominant. When it comes to certain aspects of photography, I am very ‘orderly.’ For example, I have developed a filing system for my images that works well for me. I have file folders for certain subjects and geographic areas with subfolders for subjects, all arranged by date (year – month – day). I maintain shooting logs that show when and where I’ve been, and sometimes contain notes for future shoots.

My workflow for downloading images to the computer (within the proper subject/geographical area folder and date subfolder) is well established. Recently, I watched a great tutorial about Adobe Bridge, a photo management software linked to Photoshop and Lightroom, and learned how to use Bridge more effectively to download my images and identify those worthy of additional processing. Let’s face it, that little bitty screen on the back of your camera body can only tell you so much (good exposure and maybe if you’re in focus). You have to get the image on the big screen to see if it’s really good. After the tutorial, I made changes to my workflow that I hope will make my filing system better for subsequent retrieval. Time will tell.

Another of my very orderly processes is backing up my images. I used to use a triple redundancy system using the SD card from the camera, the computer’s internal hard drive, and an external hard drive. When I changed my shooting routine to RAW format (see my post ‘All RAW – All the Time’ on June 8, 2015), I began to fill up SD cards like mad, with the resulting problem of devising a means of labeling and storing them. Have you ever tried to put a label on an SD card? They are less than an inch wide, just over an inch long, and usually have a dark label! More importantly, even though they are coming down in price, they are still expensive! I changed my storage system to the computer’s internal hard drive and two separate external hard drives. I still have triple redundancy, and a more effective means of storing my larger images, such as panoramas stitched together from multiple images – they are downright huge! I will admit that eventually the long term storage goes to double redundancy as I haven’t installed additional hard drive capacity on my computer and I’ve almost filled the hard drive with this year’s images. I am removing older images from my computer to conserve space. I back up everything on a monthly basis.

So, we move on to the chaotic side. My computer desk is a mess, with magazines and notes and – well – accumulated crap. I will clean my desk on a cold day this winter – or not! Probably not (ha ha). But there’s also the chaos that results from exploring my creative side. As you’ve seen in previous posts, I’ve been exploring panoramas and monochrome images. I think I’m getting better – the phone calls to my wonderful Photoshop mentors are fewer and I’m not repeating my questions to them as often. I think they’re thankful for that. And I’m becoming more daring in my editing. I try new things more and more frequently, and am becoming more comfortable with the ‘undo’ button when I do something badly or that I don’t like.

Maybe chaos isn’t the right word after all, but to a regimented and very process-oriented engineer type, this new creative side is very chaotic. I just hope the results are worth it! Let’s look at this week’s images.

I have been very lucky to find Kestrels, and the ones I’ve found are very cooperative.

I was in the Pine Nuts looking for the wild horses and caught this little fella’ sitting on this tree. I like it!

I was cruising Foothill Road last week and saw this Kestrel having a bite of lunch.

When he noticed me, he took off to eat in peace somewhere else.

I took this image last January, but used my newly developed Photoshop skills to make this image.

Another from January. Must have been a cold day!

A few weeks ago, I got my first Bald Eagle of the season. Just yesterday, I got my first Golden Eagle. Actually, I drove by a pair of them sitting on a utility pole, but one flew off as I parked and got out of the car.

Goldens are majestic, too.

This one gave me a couple images and then took off. I’m still working on getting focus on birds in flight.

I was checking out Carson River Road last week, and this doe casually walked by.

Check her belly – still wet from crossing the adjacent river.

This image is not cropped. She was so close I couldn’t make my lens short enough and get more background.

The Hawks are returning to the Carson Valley. I was getting out of the car to shoot a fence with several Hawks in line. As I got ready to shoot, a Hawk flew in and forced the one sitting to take off. I was lucky to get this shot!

What a scene. No fighting over roosting spots kids!

This week, you get several panoramas.

PHOTOROGR - sierra panorama1 - 30 nov 15

The Sierras across the Carson Valley. That’s Jobs Peak on the left and Genoa Peak about a quarter in from the right edge. I shot this in monochrome and then made my adjustments.

The Sierras on a different day. I love the cloud formation in the upper left corner of the image.

The Pine Nut Range. The wild horses roam an area to the left of these mountains. This is part of my monochrome exploration.

The Pine Nuts in color. Yes, it’s hard to live here with all this natural beauty. (I can’t believe I typed that with a straight face!)

Well, that’s all for this post. As always, enjoy! And stay warm!!

PHOTOROGR

PHOTOFUNK…

October 24, 2015 by The PHOTOROGR Project in Uncategorized and tagged Carson Valley, Lake Tahoe, photo editing and composition, photography techniques, Photoshop, Pine Nut Mountains, Sierra Nevada Mountains, Wildlife photography | 2 Comments

Joan Didion, an American author best known for her novels and literary journalism, once described a ‘bankrupt morning’ as “…where you wake up, devoid of inspiration, for your creative projects.” She also said, “Nothing is critic-proof.”

I saw her description of a bankrupt morning several months ago, wrote it down, and placed it in a prominent place on my computer desk. I look at it every time I sit down to work on pictures, and I think about it every time I pick up a camera. When I started this journey, there was so much to learn and I was so excited and I didn’t have a problem motivating myself to get out, find subjects, and take pictures. Every now and then, I’d take a break and step away from my cameras for a day or two. I’d do something else or go visit my photo mentors, and motivation would return. This week was different.

In the early part of the week, I felt good. One morning, I saw the clouds over the Sierras so I drove to my favorite pano spot and made this panorama.

As a self-challenge, I’m going to make a pano from this spot at least once a week for the coming year. I hope that Mother Nature cooperates and gives me variety in the scene.

I headed for Taylor Creek to see if the Kokanee were running and attracting the bears. I found that the Forest Service closed a major portion of Taylor Creek to protect the animals from the stupid people who don’t know how to behave. I wasn’t in the mood to walk the trails by the Visitor’s Center, so I went to the Big Meadow trail head and hiked up the hill. I found a little wildlife and tried some panos with trees in the foreground.

In addition to working on my shooting technique, I am experimenting with different ratios. This one is 5:1. I wasn’t sure how much the trees would impact the view. I think it’s a good balance, but wish there was more fall color.

This is a 3:1 ratio, and I was a little higher, so the trees are not as dominant in the scene. I like it, too.

These guys don’t sit still often, unless they think you don’t see them and they can stay hidden.

I tracked this little fella’ for a couple minutes, and he held still long enough for this image.

And this small Chipmunk scurried a bit, and then stopped in this spot – the worst light in the world (bright background and sunny spot on the rock, with him in full shadow). But I got him anyway.

But then, things changed. I would wake up motivated, but easily talked myself out of going out. I sat at the computer and started to play with some older images – ones I hadn’t made time to edit, but ran out of emotional energy after a short time. I was in a PHOTOFUNK! I stepped away from photography, but found I wasn’t motivated elsewhere, either. I turned to the books. Trying to find a little motivation, I opened those expensive ‘how to take this or that picture’ and ‘learn your camera’ books. I found a new tool in Camera Raw, and tried it out. I’d been wrestling with an image I made a few weeks ago – great sky or great foreground, but not both at the same time. This new tool allowed me to get both. What do you think?

I was in the Pine Nut Mountains, looking northwest. This is a pano made from 10 images, and I shot it for the sky, but I wanted a nice foreground, too. No, I’m never satisfied. But I’m happy I found the tool that allowed me to get the sky and the foreground.

And I got a call from a customer who had ordered some large prints. He was back from hunting and we arranged for delivery – he loved the prints.

In spite of these successes, I still have a little bit of PHOTOFUNK left. I’ll get over it, I know. I have a show in a couple weeks, and need to get some printing done. The creative juices will flow – I know it. And there are those horses and raptors waiting to have a picture taken.

Thanks for listening and ENJOY! PHOTOROGR

The PHOTOROGR Project

A Journey in Creative Photography!

Tag Archives: Pine Nut Mountains