Special Moment

Camera: Nikon D200
Lens: Nikon 70 – 300 VR
f/5.6 at 1/250
ISO 400

In the previous post I said I had stopped to take pictures of some Black Tailed Deer on our way up Hurricane Ridge Road. This is a picture of one of the young deer that formed part of the group. They didn’t like our presence but they tolerated us enough to get a few decent shots.

For this shot my camera was set to ISO 400. Unfortunately there is a large amount of noise visible in the dark areas of the background. Noise aside, I think I captured a special moment with this fawn.

Roots in Rock

Camera: Nikon D200
Lens: Nikon 70 – 300 VR
f/4.5 at 1/250
ISO 200

I just realized I needed one more post today to be up-to-date. This picture was taken in Olympic National Park. We were driving up hurricane ridge road and had stopped to take pictures of some Black Tailed Deer that were grazing at the side of the road.

It was cloudy and dark. I had to up my ISO setting to 200 just to be able to get a shot. Even at that low an ISO setting I was not happy with the noise in the images. After shooting some pictures of the deer I turned my camera towards this little tree trying to take root in the rock wall of the mountain.

I am always fascinated with things that grow in difficult environments. This little tree has rooted in solid rock. It is a testament to the will of Mother Nature.

A Web of Branches

Camera: Nikon D200
Lens: Nikon 70 – 300 VR
f/16 at 1/30
ISO 100
Manfrotto 055 tripod

Here is another shot with similar circumstances as the last one. It was late afternoon in February 2008 and the sun was falling fast. I was on the roof of the Office Depot on Broadway trying to get a shot of the downtown area of Vancouver.

I turned and saw this section of trees backlit by the orange sun. I pointed my camera at the scene and set the f-stop to achieve some decent depth-of-field. I decided to use my long lens zoomed to 155 mm to compress the scene a little.

This is the resulting image. I really like the detail in the branches. I think there might even be a bird nest in the upper left side.

Evening Sky

Camera: Nikon D200
Lens: Nikon 18-70
f/16 at 1/40
ISO 100

Some moments are fleeting. Sunrise and sunset are particularly short-lived events. Clouds come and go. Sometimes an interesting sky presents itself but you find yourself nowhere near anything that can take advantage of it photographically.

This was one such moment. The skyline of trees was all I could find to add some interest to the shot. The light disappeared pretty quickly after this shot was taken. Not my best photo but I still like it.

Garden Visitor

Camera: Nikon D200
Lens: Tamron SP90 Macro
f/8 at 1/320
ISO 100

Ooops! I forgot to post something yesterday. Today I will post 2 images to make up for it.

This is another shot from Mexico. This butterfly came to visit us by the pool everyday. It was quite patient with me as I poked around with my macro lens only a couple inches away.

I like the detail I managed to capture but I am not that happy with the background. I find it a little distracting. There was not much I could do to change it while taking the photo but I might be able to alter it using Photoshop.

I don’t like to do that usually. When taking pictures I never think about what I can do in post. Perhaps I should. Generally I like the challenge of try to produce a near final image in-camera.

A Game of Patience

Camera: Nikon D200
Lens: Nikon 70 – 300 VR
f/9.5 at 1/250
ISO 100

This little guy loved the flowers around the small resort where we stayed in Mexico. He would arrive, feed on the flowers for a few minutes and then disappear. I decided to try to get a photograph so I kept my camera with me and set with what I hoped was a fast enough shutter speed to freeze the action of the bird and with a small enough aperture to give me some depth-of-field.

I failed miserably at first. He would land on a flower that was nowhere near and if I approached it would fly away. After some observation I realized there were several flowers it liked best and always stopped at. So I sat myself in a chair pre-focused on one of those flowers and waited. It was a game of patience.

Finally some success! This strategy allowed me to get at least a few decent shots of this and one other hummingbird. This is probably my favourite. I like the fact that the shutter was fast enough to freeze the action of the bird but slow enough to allow the wings to blur.

Spreading the News - 2

Camera: Nikon D200
Lens: Nikon 18-70
f/8 at 1/350
ISO 100

While in Mexico, we spent two weeks in a small private resort located about 5 kms down a dirt road near the small town of Troncones. Several times a day this Volkswagon Beetle passed by with someone speaking Spanish through the loudspeaker attached to the top of the car.

At first we thought it was someone trying to spread some sort of political propaganda. I was curious and decided a photo album would not be complete without a shot of this car. I was sitting by the pool one day when I heard him pass by. I grabbed my camera and ran to the road to wait for him to return.

When he did I pointed my camera at him as he approached. He noticed me and stopped to ask why I was taking his picture. I responded by telling him I liked his car (which was not a lie because the first car I ever drove was a Beetle). With that comment I made a connection. He was quite proud of his car and started showing me all the work he had done to it.

Through our conversation I learned that the so-called political propaganda coming out of the loud speaker was simply the headlines from the daily newspaper. Rather than work in a hotel serving tourists, he said he makes more money selling newspapers to the locals. He buys them in town for 5 pesos and drives around reselling them for 7 pesos. We had a nice conversation and then he said goodbye and continued on his way.

4 on 4 by 4

Camera: Nikon D200
Lens: Nikon 18-70
f/4.2 at 1/160
ISO 100

I was walking down the road and saw these kids approaching me. I pointed my camera at them as they passed by and they responded. The interaction was over in a brief moment and they were gone without a word spoken. I really like this picture. It is spontaneous and it shows cultural differences.

Based on Canadian law, if I was a reporter doing a story on those cultural differences then I could probably publish this image without any worries. However, I am just a photographer and this is just a blog on photography. Am I doing something wrong by publishing these last three images on the Internet? I probably am.

Everyone has rights and those rights are different from country to country. Does a photographer obey the laws of his/her own country or the country where the pictures are being taken or both. Worrying about things like this can stifle the creativity of photographers and other visual artists. It probably means there are many amazing pictures out there that no one or few will ever see.

At the Bus Stop

Camera: Nikon D200
Lens: Nikon 18-70
f/4.8 at 1/180
ISO 100

With this shot the boy’s parents were present and saw me point my camera at their son. They did not object and the boy put on this great expression as I snapped one shot. I showed him and his parents the picture and they thanked me. Then the bus arrived and the interaction was over.

This vacation was the first one where I forced myself to break out of my comfort zone and try to shoot pictures of people not just inanimate objects. I was nervous every time I pointed my camera at someone about the reaction I might get.

Most were quite happy to have their picture taken. The question of what I can do with images of people I don’t know and who have not given me permission to do anything with the images now becomes my dilemma. Should I be posting them here on the Internet? I’ll continue this discussion next post with another shot from Mexico.

Boy and Bird

Camera: Nikon D200
Lens: Nikon 70 – 300 VR
f/8 at 1/250
ISO 100

I have not yet posted any pictures of people so I thought one was in order today. This is an example of a spontaneous shot that I only got because I had my camera with me and ready.

We were in Mexico sitting by a pool near the beach. I had my camera ready because I was trying to get a shot of a humming bird that would show itself periodically each day. As I looked out at the beach I saw a couple of young boys approaching and one was carrying a live bird.

Because I already had my camera set the shot was easy. I grabbed my camera and ran to the beach just as the boys arrived. I asked if I could take a picture and they obliged. I got two pictures and this is the one that tells the story.

Water Necklace

Camera: Nikon D200
Lens: Tamron SP90 Macro
f/16 at 1/250
ISO 100
Nikon SB600
Manfrotto 055 Tripod

A cobweb can be transformed with a small amount of dew. This shot was taken in the early morning. There wasn’t much light. I decided to use a portable flash as the key light. This allowed me to completely underexpose the background and turn it almost black.

It also allowed for a faster shutter speed to help freeze the action. Although it was a calm morning the web was moving enough to ruin a photo using only the ambient light. I wish a spider had appeared. That would have made this shot even more interesting.

Butterfly and Moped

Camera: Nikon D200
Lens: Nikon 18-70
f/22 at 1.0
ISO 100
Manfrotto 055 Tripod

I went to a real estate developer’s web site this weekend that announced they are having photo contest. The pictures are supposed to be from a certain area of East Vancouver around Main Street and Broadway close to their latest development.

That made me look back at some of the pictures I have taken in that area over the last few years. There are lots of old buildings in this neighbourhood. This picture was taken in an alley just off Broadway between Main and Quebec. For me it brightens things up and adds a touch of colour to what could be just a drab dirty alley.

I like this image. Photographically this was a pretty straight forward shot. Nothing for me to explain here.

Riding the Trails

Camera: Nikon D200
Lens: Nikon 18-70
f/13 at 1/20
ISO 100

When panning a shot many factors come into play that affect the final image. The speed of the subject, the shutter speed chosen, and the photographer’s ability to track the subject all combine to determine the extent of blur and sharpness in an image.

In the previous shot of a cable car I used a fairly slow shutter speed and I did not track the subject perfectly. As a result, the subject is blurry although not to the same extent as the background. That does not make it a bad image. It does make it a little more abstract.

In the image of the cyclist presented here, I used a faster shutter speed and I tracked the subject almost perfectly producing a photo where the subject is quite sharp and the background is blurred. This is probably the best shot I have taken where I retained a good deal of sharpness in the subject while using this technique.

Riding the Rails

Camera: Nikon D200
Lens: Nikon 18-70
f/27 at 1/5
ISO 100

A photo spread on San Francisco would not be complete without a few shots of cable cars. My technique of choice for this subject was panning. The image above is one of several shots I took that weekend where I used this technique. The blur produced in the image by both the movement of the subject and the camera give the viewer a better sense as to what was going on.

If a fast shutter speed had been used the subject would have been sharp and therefore appear as though it was sitting still. Also, some of the background elements would be more distracting and draw attention away from the subject.

Snoozers at Pier 39

Camera: Nikon D200
Lens: Nikon 70 – 300 VR
f/5.3 at 1/180
ISO 200

One of the main attractions at San Francisco’s Pier 39 are the sea lions that spend a good deal of time lounging on some rafts next to the pier. Anyone who likes wildlife would enjoy spending some time here.

Photographically there is not much for me to write about on this one. I was hand holding my camera with Nikon’s vibration reduction turned on and with the best shutter speed/f-stop combination I could get out ISO 200.

I like several of the shots I got. In terms of composition, the repetition of the sea lion heads and the imaginary line that joins them together on a diagonal help to give the image a central focus of interest.

Clouds Over Golden Gate

Camera: Nikon D200
Lens: Nikon 70 – 300 VR
f/11 at 9s
ISO 100
Manfrotto 055 Tripod

We were in San Francisco for a weekend. It was the end of a busy day and we were tired from walking around all day. It would have been really easy to have some dinner, a glass of wine, and retire to our hotel room. Instead, with map in hand and some bus tickets we headed out with our gear.

I wanted to try to get a shot of the Golden Gate Bridge at night. After some effort we managed to get ourselves to a spot with a view of the bridge. The waves would wash up on shore and for brief moments the wet sand would reflect the lights from the bridge.

The rest of the time there was no reflection and thus produced a far less interesting picture. I only got a few shots before it got really dark and we felt we better head back. That turned into a long wait loaded with camera gear standing on a dark street waiting for a bus that never seemed to arrive. For a while we were feeling uneasy and wished we had stayed at the hotel.

Looking back now, I am really glad we went out of our comfort zone to get the shot. This is the best shot I got that day.

Plane Over Pender

Camera: Nikon D200
Lens: Nikon 18-70
f/3.5 at 20 minutes
ISO 100
Manfrotto 055

Vancouver is an impossible location for shooting star trails because the city lights interfere with our ability to see the stars. However, on Pender Island that interference is minimal.

As a result, I had to make an attempt at it while I was there on vacation. This photo is the result of my one and only attempt. Keeping the shutter open on new digital SLRs sucks back a lot of battery power so I opted to only do a 20-minute exposure.

When I first viewed the image I was disappointed that a plane had flown through the scene during the exposure. I have since changed my mind and I now think it adds another element to the photo.

In post I adjusted the white balance to produce a warm pleasing tone to the sky albeit somewhat unnatural. I definitely want to try this again when I find myself in an area without light pollution.

Gone Fishing

Camera: Nikon D200
Lens: Nikon 70 – 300 VR
f/8 at 1/750
ISO 100

As with the picture from the previous post, this picture was taken on Pender Island in September of 07. The layering and gradation of colour intensity was what struck me about this scene.

The image had a blue tint in the original shot but not as extreme as it is here. I increased its intensity by changing the white balance to fluorescent in Camera raw. I then increased the contrast and sharpened it slightly.

I really like the final image. It is one of my favourites from that trip.

Na-na-na-na-na

Camera: Nikon D200
Lens: Nikon 70 – 300 VR
f/11 at 1/60
ISO 100

This is a picture of someone else’s art. Can my photo of this sculpture also be considered art? I would argue that it can be based on the lighting and exposure I chose.

I took several pictures of this sculpture and most do not have the direct sun. I love the sculpture but I don’t find any of those pictures to be that interesting. They are just snapshots of a statue.

However, when I was done and ready to move on the sun suddenly broke through the trees and shone directly on the statue. That side lighting suddenly transformed an average scene into something that grabs your attention.

The contrast in the lighting gives the image a dreamy quality I like.

Trying to Blend In

Camera: Nikon D200
Lens: Nikon 70 – 300 VR
f/16 at 1/90
ISO 100

If you like nature you don’t have to go very far to see it, at least not in Vancouver. This picture was taken in my front yard. This butterfly arrived one morning and proceeded to spend a lot of time there over the next couple of days.

As a result, I was able to observe its behaviour and predict where it would land. My point of view was not by choice but I like it just the same. I always feel sightings like this are gifts, special moments to remember and feel lucky to have experienced.

I was fully zoomed for this shot and as a result it probably would not have been as sharp without the vibration reduction feature in this lens.

Spring Flowers

Camera: Nikon D200
Lens: Nikon 28-105
f/4.5 at 1/160
ISO 100

Last week I thought I would buy my wife some flowers for a change. I thought I better get a shot of them before they withered. There are no Photoshop tricks here. The effect was created in-camera. I have already detailed the effect in my “Flower Impression 2” post.

The Hinge

Camera: Nikon D200
Lens: Nikon 18-70
f/16 at 1.5s
ISO 100
Manfrotto 055

Have I said I like old and weathered things? This is a garage door I saw in an alley a block or two from my house in East Vancouver. It was a dark cloudy day so to get a proper exposure at f16 I had to have the shutter open for one and a half seconds.

A better was to get this shot may have been to add some light with a portable flash unit. This also may have added a directional element to the light allowing some of the textures in the wood to be more noticeable.

Reaching for the Sun

Camera: Nikon D200
Lens: Tamron SP90 Macro
f/27 at 1/45
ISO 100

Trees are everywhere and they don’t complain when you take their picture. There are lots of different ways to picture them. One of my favourites is to shoot them as silhouettes against a bright sky.

For the image above I wanted as many of the branches to be in-focus as possible so I used a very small aperture. It was a rather still morning so the slow shutter speed was not a problem.

In this photo the tree almost seems to be reaching out to grab the sun. I positioned the sun where it is in the photo on purpose by adjusting my camera position accordingly.

Chop Sticks

Camera: Nikon D200
Lens: 70 – 300 Nikon VR
f/32 at 1/10
ISO 100

I love reflections in water! You never know exactly what you’re going to get when you press the shutter because water is usually moving. You do however know you will end up with something abstract and usually interesting to look at.

This shot was taken at the Reifel Bird Sanctuary. The sun was shining on some trees by a small body of water which reflected the colours back up to my camera. Sometimes I try to use a fast shutter speed to freeze the moving water. Sometimes I use a slow shutter speed to let water blur.

You can focus on the water surface or on the reflected subject as each produces different results. I tend to focus on the water’s surface and I try to get as much depth-of-field as possible.

Adults Only

Camera: Nikon D200
Lens: Nikon 18-70
f/22 at 9s
ISO 100
Manfrotto 055

I like to wander the streets near where I live looking for interesting subjects. One evening this store caught my eye. I have had an idea for a series of shots using mannequins. Therefore I couldn’t resist taking a few shots.

This was a bit of a challenge since the lights were quite bright compared to the ambient light. Luckily it wasn’t completely dark out yet and with a bit of Photoshop work I was able to produce this image.

Cultures change rapidly over time. Fifty years ago attitudes towards sex were quite different than they are today. Fifty years from now this image will tell people something about today’s culture.

Slithering Snake

Camera: Nikon D200
Lens: Nikon 28-105
f/5.6 at 1/400
ISO 100

We went for a drive to Pitt Lake yesterday. There were lots of people riding bikes, canoeing, fishing, hiking, etc. We chose to walk a trail away from the water. It was warmer and along much of this trail there were snakes slithering through the grass trying to find a place to sit in the sun.

As we walked they would disappear but if you paused for a moment they would reappear. As long as you didn’t move too much they would come almost right up to your feet. Of course I had to get a few pictures.

I did not have my macro lens with me but my Nikon 28 – 105 lens has a macro setting that works in a pinch. Most of the shots weren’t any good because of pieces of grass covering their faces. This one isn’t too bad. I like the lack of depth-of-field which helps to draw the viewer’s eyes to the in-focus subject.

Inukshuk

Camera: Nikon D200
Lens: Tamron 10 - 24
f/8 at 1/160
ISO 100
Nikon SB600 Speedlight
½ CTO Gel

This image was taken about 3 hours ago just after sunrise. Once again I was using my new wide-angle lens. The sun was just starting to hit the Inukshuk. I supplemented the sunlight with some flash with a half-CTO gel on it.

I am pleased with the resulting image. The light is quite nice and the buildings in the lower right corner help to balance the composition. Also, I like the fact that there was some clouds cover and not just a big blue sky.

This particular piece of art has been here since 1986 but may soon be dismantled as scientists have reported it is leaching acid into Burrard Inlet. This is not good for Vancouver since this sculpture was the inspiration behind the logo for the 2010 winter Olympics.

White Christmas

Camera: Nikon D200
Lens: Nikon 18-70
f/8 at 1.3s
ISO 100
Manfrotto 055

Speaking of snow… Last December I took this shot at Vancouver City Hall. It was snowing and I wanted to capture it in a shot. To capture the building I determined an exposure detailed above. To capture the falling snow popped a flash during the exposure.

The most difficult part was keeping my camera gear dry. I don’t have a camera raincoat so a plastic bag was used to cover it. For extra protection I had taped a gulf umbrella to a monopod which I held between my knees leaving my hands free to operate my tripod mounted camera and my hand-held flash.

I feel I accomplished what I set out to do. However, next time I would like to do a longer time exposure to capture car light trails as well as the falling snow.

Seasonal Conflict

Camera: Nikon D200
Lens: Nikon 18-70
f/4.8 at 1/200
ISO 100
Manfrotto 055

I was working yesterday so was unable to take pictures. However, last year on a day with weather almost exactly as we had yesterday, I took this picture at Vancouver City Hall. The statue is of Captain George Vancouver.

I like the contrast in the image in terms of the weather and the seasons. The blossoms on the tree are an obvious sign of spring yet the snow shows that winter is not giving up just yet.

My original desire was to use a slow shutter speed to show the movement of the snow. The shutter speed was too slow and the snow all but disappeared in most of those shots. I should have bracketed a little. This image used a faster shutter to freeze the action and it was the best of the bunch.

A Block off Main

Camera: Nikon D200
Lens: Nikon 18-70
f/22 at 0.4s
ISO 100
Manfrotto 055

Every city has its picturesque scenes worthy of being in a travel brochure. They also have areas not to be proud of. This photo was taken just one block off of Main Street near the Main and Terminal Skytrain Station.

Just out of sight there was an overturned barrel of used oil filters that were spread all over the street. Not one Vancouver’s best tourist sights. To capture this image I used a tripod and chose a small aperture to try to capture as much detail as possible.

In terms of the point of focus and focal length of the lens, I’m not sure these settings were required. Lenses are not at their best when stopped down and the shutter speed I was forced to use lends itself to camera shake. Probably an aperture of f/11 would have been a better choice?