My photography essentials, part 1

A couple of weeks ago the editors at “Outdoor Photographer” magazine asked me (and a few other pros) to contribute to an upcoming article on photography essentials, and it occurs to me that my blog readers might be interested to read my answers. Here’s my answer to the first of their three questions: 1. What are the top three most important pieces of photo…

It’s Greek to me

Photograph: “Photo” comes from phos, the Greek word for light; “graph” is from graphos, the Greek word for write. And that’s pretty much what we photographers do: Write with light. Because we have no control over the sun, nature photographers spend a lot of time hoping for “good” light and cursing “bad” light. There’s no universal definition of good and bad light; it’s usually more…

Four sunsets, part four: Saving the best for last

Read the first in the series here: Four sunsets, part one: A Horsetail of a different color Read the second in the series here: Four sunsets, part two: Classic Horsetail Read the third in the series here: Four sunsets, part three: A marvelous night for a moondance What I love most about photography is its ability to surprise me. Case in point: the final sunset of…

Four sunsets, part three: A marvelous night for a moondance

How many Yosemite moonrise images are too many? I have no idea, but I’ll let you know as soon as I find out. Read the first in the series here: Four sunsets, part one: A Horsetail of a different color Read the second in the series here: Four sunsets, part two: Classic Horsetail 5:10 p.m. I stand on the bank of the Merced River,…

Four sunsets, part two: Classic Horsetail

Read the first in the series here: Four sunsets, part one: A Horsetail of a different color While we’d been incredibly fortunate with our Monday night Horsetail Fall shoot, we didn’t get the molten glow everyone covets (though I’d argue, and several agreed, we got something better). Nevertheless, based on the relatively clear skies, I decided to take everyone back for one more try on…

Four sunsets, part one: A Horsetail of a different color

If the National Weather Service website were human, it would have long ago slapped me with a restraining order. You see, California is in the throes of an unprecedented drought that has shriveled lakes, rivers, creeks, and reduced even the most robust waterfalls to a trickle. With my Yosemite Horsetail Fall (which on a good day is rarely more than a thin white stripe…

Some assembly required

Putting together material for the Grand Canyon Monsoon workshop that Don Smith and I do each August, I came across this image from the  first shoot of our first workshop. With so many pictures in the two weeks we were there (for two workshops), and given the incredible events that followed, it’s amazing to me how well I remember the specifics of this early…

These are a few of my favorite things

Maria von Trapp had them, you have them, I have them. They’re the favorite places, moments, and subjects that provide comfort or coax a smile no matter what life has dealt. Not only do these “favorite things” improve our mood, they’re the muse that drives our best photography. Mine include the translucent glow of a California poppy, a black sky sprinkled with stars, a breathtaking sunrise…

If you’re following the rules, you’re not being creative

What do you think would happen if I submitted this image a camera club photo competition? It might elicit a few oohs and ahhs at first, but I’m pretty sure it wouldn’t be long before somebody dismisses it because the primary subject is centered. And while “never center your subject” is standard camera-club advice for a beginner who automatically bullseyes every subject, reflexively reciting “Rules*” is…

Returning to the scene of the crime

Clueless. That’s one word that would describe my state the first time I attempted moonlight photography. It was about eight years ago, right here in the Alabama Hills. Though exposure and focus were more guesses than decisions, I ended up with a lucky shot of the Big Dipper suspended above moonlit granite boulders and an obsession was born. The other thing I remember about…