Planning Shoots

When it comes to doing photo shoots, it doesn't hurt to do some planning in advance if you can. One of the things to think about is the time of day to do the shoot. Think about where the sun is going to be compared to the subject you are shooting. Try to plan to take the pictures so you are not shooting with the sun directly behind your subject. Another thing to think about is weather. If it is cloudy you won't get as bad of shadows do to the light being more diffused and spread out by the clouds compared to the harshness of the direct sunlight. Also later evenings can give nice golden tones to the picture. So next time you are planning to go out and take some planned pictures with the family or friends keep this in mind and plan ahead for the best lighting and take great looking pictures.

So go ahead and go out and take some great pictures and have fun while doing it, don't forget as always be safe in everything that you do.

Here is a few more pictures from the trip I took to Yellowstone.

Lake Store 

located along the shore of Lake Yellowstone in Lake Village

Hamilton Store

located lower portion of Old Faithful basin near Old Faithful Inn

Old Faithful Inn

Still learning

There come times where people like me still have to learn. Yes, even I do not know everything yet. With programs like photoshop continuing to evolve and cameras continuing to become more complex, you have to continue to learn the operations to make the best image possible. One way to learn is by going to your local library to check out books. One that I got recently is on working with photoshop lightroom. 

I also like to get books that give tips on how to photograph other types of things. You can find books that give tips about how to photograph different things. An example is this book, How to photograph everything. 

So if you are looking for something to read that can help you develop your photography skills head over to your local library and see what you can find. The above book would be a great one to look for. So on your way out to take those pictures, go to your library and check out a book on photography. 

4th of July Photos

With the 4th of July coming up I thought sharing a couple of tips on photographing fireworks displays could be fun. The biggest thing that can make photographing fireworks complicated is that you are shooting in a low light situation with a extremely slow shutter speed which means the least little movement to the camera will show up. if you have a basic camera, you should check your presets and see if there is a fireworks setting. This is becoming a regular feature on basic camera presets. It is also showing up on a few DSLR cameras.

If you have a DSLR camera shooting in manual mode is the best way to photograph fireworks.

Here are the settings that you would want to use to get the photos

ISO 100 or 200

Apature f/11 or f/16

Shutter - This one is a little more tricky. If you set it to a bulb, manual release and use a remote you would hold the shutter for 2-5 seconds. The camera has to be on a  tripod for this. you could also set it for a 2-3 sec shutter speed. This is a long exposure but it should work well.

Do not use Auto Focus. Set your focus at infinity

Set Daylight White Balance

Turn off Noise Reduction

NO FLASH

Needed Equipment

Camera, Charged Battery, Tripod, Remote Shutter release, Memory Card

If you have a program at home to edit RAW photos this is the best format to shoot since it gives you the most flexibility for editing and manipulating your photos.

Hopefully you are able to take your camera out and get some photos of the celebrations near you using these tips. After the 4th I will show you what I come up with. This will be my first time using these tips so it will be fun for me to experience this myself as well.

So grab your camera, head out have fun and take some photos. Remember to be safe in all your activities as we begin to approach the 4th of July weekend.

The image below is not mine, it is used from freeimages.com

Yellowstone Water and Thermal Features

Other then animals another great feature of Yellowstone is the thermal features. As you may or may not know, Yellowstone is situated on top of a large super volcano that provides the heat for all the thermal features located throughout the park. One thing that makes a difference when you attend the park regarding thermal features is water level. In the spring some of the features will have a higher water flow for springs and fountains or longer displays for some geysers.

There are also some other water formations that are not geothermal that are worth looking at as well. The Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone is carved out of sandstone making a long canyon with a couple of large waterfalls with in it with view posts to be able to see them from. This is one of those sights you just have to take the time to see when you are there. Like with other water features this to is affected by water levels and in the spring the winter runoff brings the flow of the Yellowstone river up making the falls a spectacular display.

Here is a few pictures of a couple of geysers and the "brink of the upper falls"

Here is a shot of Tower Falls. This is located on the north east end of the park on the grand loop road. It is worth stopping for a look.

This is what the boardwalk around Old Faithful Looks like about 20 min prior to an eruption in late spring. Come mid July that will look empty as peak visitation season really starts to hit.

Beehive Geyser, Not as predictable as others. Erupts about once a day with 15-20 min warning located in the upper geyser basin near Old Faithful Geyser. Easily visible from the boardwalk

 

Old Faithful Geyser, Located in the Upper Geyser Basin. Viewed from boardwalk along the geyser Most building bordering the boardwalk has estimated time of next eruption. Lots of seating, but go out as early as possible for best viewing area.

View of the upper falls from "Brink of the Upper Falls" viewing platform. Just follow signs off the grand loop road on the east side of the park for viewing area. Easy 1/8 mile hike, it has really pretty stone stairs leading down to the viewing area.













If you have the opportunity to go to Yellowstone remember to keep in mind safety is the most important thing to make a memorable trip. Stay on boardwalks and marked trails because danger lurks just beyond and just under the earth crust in the geyser basins and hillsides are not always stable beyond the trail near the canyon. So go out, have fun, be safe and bring back some great memories.

Bears in Yellowstone

If you are lucky when you have an opportunity to go to Yellowstone you will get to see a bear. On my trip I got to see two bears both with cubs. The first was a black bear. These are the smaller of the two I saw, but can be just as mean especially when protecting cubs. The second bear I got better pictures of  and is a grizzly with two cubs.

The most important thing to remember when photographing bears wheather or not they have cubs is stay a safe distance. While bears look big and slow, they are a really fast animal. I've personally seen them charge across a field and was amazed by the speed the produce. With the black bears, I aplologize that the pictures of the cubs didn't turn out. It was disappointing when I got home, but that's part of photography, especially shooting manual and not auto. But for me the pictures are worth the risk in the end with the good pictures, and I'm still learning too.

If you make it to Yellowstone, to see a bear, if you see a late group of people stoped on the side of the road, find yourself a safe place to get off the road and go check what everyone is looking at. The is a chance that they are looking at a bear. There is also a chance it could be another animal but it is always worth looking. You never know what you might find.

So if you manage to find bears be sure to shoot from a long safe distance, 100 yds is suggested minimum. So whenever you have the chance, grab your camera head out and take some pictures. Just remember to always be safe in your adventures. 

The are the black bear, the cubs where in the tree. They are a little blurrier because I was shooting in low light with a slow shutter speed. This causes the possibility that the images are not as focused as you would like. The very last picture is one of the cubs coming out of the tree.

Yellowstone Wildlife

One of the many great things about Yellowstone National Park is the wildlife that lives in it. When you have an opportunity to visit you are guaranteed to see some wildlife though maybe not all you may want to see. Elk and bison are some of the most common animals living in the park. There are also wolves, which I had a chance to see, but I had to use my spotting scope to view them, and I do not have a lens in my bag big enough to shoot that distance due to cost. There are also bears, but again you have to either have to know where they hang out and go look for them or be at the right place at the right time. On my visit I was lucky enough to see to sets of bears, a black bear, and a grizzly bear both with cubs. I will put there pictures in the next blog. In this blog I am putting up some of the pictures of elk and bison that I took as well as an antelope. The other fun thing about this time of year is that there are all the baby animals. This trip there was baby bison and baby bears.

As a reminder if you have an opportunity to get out to photograph wildlife be sure to stay a safe distance. A mother protecting its baby can be dangerous and unpredictable. So grab your camera go out and take some great pictures and be safe while doing it.

Stay tuned for bears in a couple days.

Enterance to Yellowstone

Now that I have been able to make my first trip of the year Yellowstone National Park I have my first opportunity to share new pictures with you of the beauty of the park during the early summer late spring season. Right now is a great time at the park since with all the moisture the water tables are still high keeping thermal features still flowing well, some of these start to slow down by the end of summer to a mere trickle. To start you off today the pictures are taken from the north entrance, the original entrance to Yellowstone National Park.

The arch in the picture called the Roosevelt Arch was built as part of the original entrance in Gardner, Montana to greet park guests as they arrive.

This is Located at Mammoth Hotsprings, this is the first town that you will come upon when coming in to the park from the north. This is a hot spring terrace that is grown with minerals over time. This is known as a travertine terrace. during the spring the colors and whites are brighter with the higher water tables, by the end of the summer some of the water flows begin to slow a bit and some of the bright areas will begin to dull a bit.

In the town of Mammoth through out the year elk will hang around. During the fall, it is a great sight to see the bull elk laying around in the grass with the huge antlers.

This is Floating Island lake located about 10 miles east of Mammoth. This is a place that I have seen bears in the past. Bison and water fowl and elk are not uncommon to find here at any time though.

This is taken in the Lamar valley in the north end of Yellowstone Park. At the far end of the field is a heard of bison. Up the road about 12 miles there was a mom wolf with cubs the we were able to stop and watch for a few minutes. Unfortunately  I don't own a lens that I can use to photograph at that great a distance, I do own a spotting scope I could use to just watch. I'm not sure how far they were, but if I had to guess I would say maybe a couple miles. One day hopefully I will have a lens that can do that, but it  cost about $16,899, so it won't be any time soon.

So be sure to grab your camera and if you have any type of park to get out and enjoy it and take pictures while you do. Have fun and be safe till next time.