Outdoor Photographer - November 2016

10 Creative Ways To Use Changing Weather | Night Photography Tips 

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NOVEMBER2016 

VOL.32 NO.10 

® 

T 

•FEATURES• 

32 STAR STRUCK 

How Shane Black got hooked 

on bringing still images to life 

through time-lapse photography 

By Mark Edward Harris / Photography By Shane Black 

32 

38 SHOOTING METEOR SHOWERS 

Techniques to create a single image that 

captures the experience of this celestial phenomenon 

Text & Photography By Glenn Randall 

42 THE MAGIC OF LIGHT’S EDGES 

Use stormy weather and atmospheric 

conditions to your creative advantage 

Text & Photography By Dave Welling 

56 BEHIND THE SHOT: 

LOST LAKE MILKY WAY 

Mount Hood, Oregon 

Text & Photography By Kevin Shearer 

38 42 

58 THE EASTERN SIERRA 

Explore the many opportunities for dramatic 

landscape photography on the sunrise side 

of California’s Sierra Nevada mountains 

Text & Photography By Gary Hart 

66 GEAR FOR NIGHT PHOTOGRAPHY 

Essential equipment for shooting stars 

and landscapes after dark 

By The Editors 

•HOW-TO• 

58 

50 RAW WORKFLOW IN 

LIGHTROOM: PART THREE 

Developing a creative worklow 

Text & Photography By Jason Bradley 

2 Outdoor Photographer outdoorphotographer.com 

More On Next Page ▸

The Bluetooth® word mark and logos are registered trademarks owned by Bluetooth SIG, Inc. and any use of such marks by Nikon Corporation and its Affiliates is under license. 

When you’re a bird Lover, just thinking about the open sky inspires you to 

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® 

•EQUIPMENT• 

26 

68 NIKON D500 

Hands-on with Nikon’s top DX-format DSLR 

Text & Photography By Tony Rowell 

COLUMNS 

24 Tech Tips 

Equipment 

Considerations 

By George D. Lepp 

& Kathryn Vincent Lepp 

26 The Big Picture 

Scorched Beauty 

By Amy Gulick 

28 Photo Adventure 

The Creative Road 

By Bill Hatcher 

DEPARTMENTS 

7 Cover Shot 

10 In This Issue 

12 Showcase 

16 In Focus 

30 Favorite Places: 

Schwabacher’s Landing, 

Grand Teton National Park, 

Wyoming 

71 Classes, Tours & Workshops 

80 Last Frame 

20 

TheAll-NewOutdoorPhotographer.com! 

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Weekly Photo Assignments 

Submit photos to our challenges for 

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On Location 

Discover your next photo destination 

with our feature articles that highlight 

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Pro Perspectives 

Get advice and insights from OP 

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EDITORIAL 

Wes Pitts 

Editorial Director, Creative Division 

Kristan Ashworth 

Associate Editor 

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Field Editor 

David Schloss 

Contributing Technical Editor 

COLUMNISTS 

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Amy Gulick, Bill Hatcher, 

Dewitt Jones, Frans Lanting, 

George D. Lepp, David Muench, 

William Neill 

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cover shot 

QUALITY THAT LASTS 

Photographer: Shane Black 

Location: Near the summit of Mauna 

Kea on the Big Island of Hawaii. 

Equipment: Canon EOS 5D Mark 

III, Canon EF 24mm ƒ/1.4L II 

USM, Vanguard carbon fiber tripod 

and ballhead. 

Situation: You can ind some of the 

darkest skies you’ll ever see on the Big 

Island of Hawaii. Adding in the factor of 

being on a dormant volcano and nearly 

14,000 feet closer to space just makes 

it even better. I was hoping to shoot the 

night sky from the summit with some of 

the telescopes, but unfortunately rangers 

came around after sunset asking people 

to start making their way down so that 

no headlights would interfere with the 

telescopes or the telescope operators 

once it got dark. 

While driving down from the summit, 

I could see that we were getting 

close to driving into the layer of fog. 

I had the urge to pull over and snap 

some photos so I didn’t leave empty-handed. 

A faint moon had just set, 

letting the Milky Way really start to 

shine in the cold, clear light-pollution-free 

air. Luckily enough, it just 

so happened to be lined up perfectly 

over Mauna Loa, another volcano on 

the Big Island. I decided to step into a 

frame to help add a sense of scale and 

wonder to the photo. 

–Shane Black 

5 

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in this issue 

I made a rookie mistake 

my irst time trying night 

photography and forgot 

to remove my polarizer, 

which cut the light and 

required a higher ISO 

setting. Despite that, I still 

captured several images 

in Joshua Tree National 

Park that I like a lot. This 

one was taken about 

an hour after sunset. 

Nikon D750, AF-S NIKKOR 

24-120mm ƒ/4G ED VR, 

B+W Kaesemann Circular 

Polarizer, Gitzo Traveler 

tripod. Exposure: 29 secs., 

ƒ/4, ISO 4000. 

Interest in night photography has exploded in recent years, 

in part because of the increasing ability of cameras like the 

Nikon D500 (which Tony Rowell reviewed for us in this issue) 

to capture low-noise images during long exposures. Photographers 

are discovering the opportunities to keep shooting 

after the sun goes down, exploring moonlit landscapes with 

starry backdrops. 

Shane Black left his job to spend a summer traveling across 

32 states with two friends, covering more than 13,000 miles 

along the way. His time-lapse video from the trip, “Adventure 

Is Calling,” which featured extensive nighttime sequences went 

viral with more than 1.2 million views and counting. Mark 

Edward Harris interviewed Black for this issue, and their conversation 

in “Star Struck” touches on his time-lapse and night 

photography techniques, as well as the career opportunities that 

this work has brought him, including creating time-lapse jump 

scenes for the Fox reality show “True Grit.” 

Capturing and expressing the spectacle of meteor showers 

like the Perseids and Geminids in a single image requires an 

exposure stacking technique, which Glenn Randall explains in 

“Shooting Meteor Showers.” Randall notes that the Geminids will 

peak this year around December 13 to 14, so there’s still time to 

plan a shoot somewhere away from the light pollution of a city. 

Though it may seem intimidating until you’ve tried it, you 

don’t need a lot of technical experience or specialized gear to get 

started taking photos of starry skies. A basic starting exposure 

is 15-30 seconds, ƒ/4 at ISO 1500 for sharp stars (any longer 

than 30 seconds and you’ll start to see trails). If trails are what 

you’re after, then exposures of 30 minutes or longer are needed. 

In terms of gear, you probably already own the most important 

piece of gear: a tripod. Add to that a remote shutter release and 

you have the basic kit. There are additional accessories that can 

help you be more creative if night photography appeals to you, 

which we feature in “Gear For Night Photography.” 

This time of year is a season of changing weather, where 

stormy skies give way to dramatic lighting on the landscape. 

Dave Welling considers multiple ways to use these conditions 

to capture “The Magic Of Light’s Edges,” which Welling 

describes as “Those amazing lighting effects created by weather 

or atmospheric conditions that give you the ability to create 

truly magniicent images of the landscape.” 

Also in this issue is Part Three of Jason Bradley’s series, 

“RAW Worklow In Lightroom.” In this installment, Bradley 

presents his approach to developing a personal, creative worklow 

in Lightroom, and suggests 10 questions we should ask ourselves 

before processing an image. Though he walks us through some 

of the key tools and adjustments to know, Bradley emphasizes, 

“Your knowledge of the tools in the Lightroom Develop Module 

isn’t nearly as important as having clarity on your image’s 

subject, what your image is about, what feeling you want to 

convey or what mood you want to project … Just duplicating a 

technique you saw in an online video won’t be enough.” 

In our Travel feature, Gary Hart takes us on a tour of California’s 

Eastern Sierra. “It would be dificult to ind any place 

in the world with a more diverse selection of natural beauty,” 

says Hart. Though this region is beautiful year-round, the transition 

from fall to early winter is an ideal time to make a visit. 

Hart provides a turn-by-turn guide to many of the area’s most 

picturesque destinations. 

–Wes Pitts, Editor 

Questions, comments? Email us at editors@outdoorphotographer.com. 


Kerik Kouklis 

Photo By Kerik Kouklis 

This photograph was made during a night photography trip to Joshua Tree National Park. I was wearing a headlamp with a red LED and 

carrying a green handheld laser. I strolled through the scene from the right to the left, pointing the laser at the ground. It took several 

tries before I got what I wanted. 

Sony a7R II, Tamron SP 24-70mm F/2.8 Di VC USD. Exposure: 30 sec., ƒ/4, ISO 4000. 


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Jason Bradley 

Photo By Jason Bradley 

A nighttime scenic at Hidden Valley in Joshua Tree National Park, taken at the annual Bradley Photographic Joshua Tree Workshop. This 

effect was created by painting light onto the rocks and the back of the Joshua tree with a small snooted Maglite. 

Nikon D800E, AF-S NIKKOR 14-24mm F2.8G ED. Exposure: 24 sec., ƒ/4, ISO 1600. 


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Protect your drone (and its camera) from 

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GoPro’s irst drone, the Karma, might 

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shots. The Karma weighs just 

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List Price: $799 (Karma only); $1,099 

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SUPPORT FOR 

SMARTPHONES 

With innovations like the new 

dual camera in the iPhone 7 Plus, 

smartphones are becoming a more 

attractive option for high-quality 

images. Accessories like the Really 

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enhance your ability to get creative. 

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Holiday Gift Guide 

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Give the gift of your best images professionally 

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EXTREME NEUTRAL 

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Shoot longer exposures midday in the 

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When you want to travel light, lens 

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up to a 24-70mm. List Price: $12-$22. 

Contact: Tamrac, tamrac.com. 

ALL-WEATHER 

CAMERA COVER 

A waterproof camera cover is a smart 

accessory to have on hand year-round, 

but especially in the wetter, colder 

months. Peak Design’s Shell Camera 

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Both ends of the cover have drawstring 

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Price: From $39. Contact: Peak 

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PHOTOKINA 

The world’s largest photo expo, Photokina is a biennial event 

in Cologne, Germany, and major product announcements are 

often timed around it. Here are some of the most exciting new 

cameras and lenses showcased at this year’s Photokina. 

BEST CANON MIRRORLESS YET 

Canon’s APS-C mirrorless system, EOS M, took a big 

step forward with the new EOS M5, which is capable of 

recording up to seven frames per second (or nine fps with 

focus locked) at the full resolution of its 24.2MP APC-C 

sensor. It also features Canon’s Dual Pixel CMOS AF, 

which provides sensor-based phase-detection autofocus, 

a technology also found in Canon’s recent DSLRs like the 

lagship EOS-1D X Mark II. The EOS M5 is also the irst M 

system camera with a built-in eye-level EVF, a feature that 

greatly enhances a camera’s usability in bright outdoor 

environments. Another interesting development is the 

addition of Combination IS image stabilization in-camera, 

which provides 5-axis stabilization when shooting video 

and can augment the beneits of lens-based IS systems. 

Canon also introduced a new lens for the M system, the 

EF-M 18-150mm ƒ/3.5-6.3 IS STM, offering a versatile 

wide-to-tele range. List prices: $979 (EOS M5); $499 

(EF-M 18-150mm). Contact: Canon, usa.canon.com. 

IMPRESSIVELY PRICED 

SIGMA 500MM PRIME 

Sigma has three new lenses: the 85mm F1.4 DG HSM 

Art, 12-24mm F4 DG HSM Art, and the 500mm F4 DG 

OS HSM Sport. All three lenses will be available in Canon, 

Nikon and Sigma mounts. The Nikon mount versions 

of these lenses also incorporate a new electromagnetic 

diaphragm. Arguably the most exciting of the three— 

especially for wildlife and sports photographers—is the 

500mm F4 DG OS HSM Sport. Retailing for $5,999, it’s not 

inexpensive, but its price compares very favorably to the 

Canon EF 500mm ƒ/4L IS II USM at $8,999 and the Nikon 

AF-S NIKKOR 400mm ƒ/2.8E FL ED VR at $11,199, with 

the same ƒ/4 maximum aperture as the Canon. The lens 

is compatible with Sigma TC-1401 1.4x and TC-2001 2x 

teleconverters, for a telephoto reach of up to 1000mm with 

full-frame cameras or approximately 1500mm with APS-C 

sensor models. Contact: Sigma, sigmaphoto.com. 

FUTURE OF THE LUMIX G SERIES 

Panasonic had two new LUMIX G cameras to talk about 

at Photokina. The LUMIX G85 is positioned for outdoor 

photography, promoting its splash- and dust-proof design. It 

features 5-axis Dual I.S. image stabilization and the ability to 

capture images at the full 16MP resolution of the sensor at up 

to 9 fps with focus locked, or 6 fps with continuous AF. If you 

need even faster continuous shooting, the camera also offers 

the ability to capture 8-megapixel still images from 4K video 

at 30 fps, a feature Panasonic calls “4K Photo.” This stillimage-from-video 

technology will be further enhanced in a 

new camera currently under development, the LUMIX GH5. 

Expected to be available early next year, the GH5 will offer 

“6K Photo,” delivering 18-megapixel stills from video. The 

G85 will retail for $899, body only; pricing of the GH5 hasn’t 

yet been disclosed. Contact: Panasonic, panasonic.com. 


TOKINA DEBUTS 

MIRRORLESS LENS LINE 

Considering the popularity of Sony’s 

mirrorless cameras, Tokina is expanding 

its lens development to include a new 

line designed for use with the E-mount 

system. The irst lens in the new series, 

dubbed FiRIN, is a 20mm F/2.0 FE 

MF. While this lens will be manual 

focus and manual aperture control, it 

will be able to pass focus distance and 

aperture information to the camera, 

enabling it to take advantage of features 

like in-camera image stabilization and 

Sony’s Manual Focus Assist. Price 

and availability are to be announced. 

Contact: Tokina, kenkotokinausa.com. 

NEW A-MOUNT 

FLAGSHIP FROM SONY 

Sony’s lagship SLT camera, the a99, was 

introduced four years ago, and in the time 

since, most of the big news from Sony 

has been around its E-mount mirrorless 

systems, especially the full-frame a7 

series. Now the A-mount line is getting a 

signiicant update in the form of the a99 

II, which nearly doubles its predecessor’s 

resolution: 42.4MP versus 24.3MP 

with the a99. Even more impressive, 

the a99 II manages to double the a99’s 

capture rate—capable of shooting at 12 

fps—despite all of that extra resolution 

to record. The a99 II can also record 

4K video in XAVC S format with stereo 

sound via a built-in microphone or with 

select external Sony mics. Other new 

features include 5-axis image stabilization 

in-camera and a hybrid AF system, which 

combines a 79-point phase detection AF 

sensor and a 399-point focal-plane phase 

detection sensor. List price: $3,200. 

Contact: Sony, sony.com.

INCREDIBLY FAST OLYMPUS 

When the Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark II becomes 

available, it’s poised to be the fastest still camera, capable 

of capturing 20.4MP images at 15 fps with its mechanical 

shutter, 18 fps with its electronic shutter and continuous 

AF or up to a remarkable 60 fps with its electronic shutter 

with AF and AE locked. Paired with a telephoto lens like 

the M.Zuiko 300mm f4.0 IS PRO (600mm equivalent), 

you have a formidable system for wildlife photography. 

The camera also features an advanced Olympus Dual 

FAST AF system that will automatically select on-chip 

phase detection AF, contrast detection AF or employ both 

systems simultaneously. The OM-D E-M1 Mark II will be 

weatherproofed and capable of shooting in temperatures 

down to 14-degrees Fahrenheit. Price and availability was 

not yet announced. Contact: Olympus, getolympus.com. 

FUJIFILM MIRRORLESS 

MEDIUM FORMAT 

Mirrorless medium format may be the next “big” thing in 

digital photography. Earlier this year, Hasselblad introduced 

the X1D, the irst mirrorless camera with a medium format 

sensor. Now Fujiilm, maker of the popular X-series APS-C 

mirrorless cameras, is entering the nascent category 

with the development of a new camera system, Fujiilm 

GFX, and a new Fujinon GF lens line. The irst camera in 

the system, expected in “early 2017,” is the GFX 50S, a 

51.4MP camera with a unique EVF that can be removed 

or repositioned in a variety of angles. The irst six Fujinon 

GF lenses will also be released in 2017—though not all at 

once—and will include wide-angle to moderate-telephoto 

primes, plus a wide zoom. Pricing is to be determined. 

Contact: Fujiilm, fujiilmusa.com. 

UPDATED TAMRON SUPER-TELE 

ZOOM, PLUS TELECONVERTERS 

Tamron showed the second generation—denoted 

“G2”—of its versatile ultra-telephoto zoom, the SP 

150-600mm Di VC USD G2. An ideal range for 

wildlife and sports photography, and compatible 

with both full-frame and APS-C sensor cameras, 

when paired with the latter the lens provides an 

incredible 233-930mm focal range. In addition 

to a reined exterior design that brings this lens 

in line with Tamron’s latest prime lenses, Tamron 

notes that the new lens includes improvements to 

both AF speed and accuracy, as well as Vibration 

Compensation (VC), which now provides up to 4.5 

stops of correction. Also new are a 1.4x and a 2x 

teleconverter designed speciically for use with 

the new SP 150-600mm G2. List prices: $1,399 

(150-600mm G2); $419 (1.4x); $439 (2x). Contact: 

Tamron, tamron-usa.com. 


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tech tips 

Equipment 

Considerations 

Carry It Off • 

Micro Four Thirds (4:3) Vs. 3:2 

By George D. Lepp and Kathryn Vincent Lepp 

Carry It Off 

How do ou transport your camera with 

a large t lephoto attached and mounted 

onatri 

od when hiking/re-position- 

ing in the ield? I typically just put the 

assembly over my shoulder and carry it 

in whatever position I ind comfortable. 

But I have had people tell me that I can 

damage the mounting connections with 

that approach, as well as risk having the 

camera come off the ballhead. 

R. Zahren 

Via the Internet 

It’s 

a generally accepted notion that 

carryin 

a camera/telephoto on a tripod 

over on 

e’s shoulder isn’t a good idea, 

all do it. First off, it looks kind 

of cool, doesn’t it? The intrepid nature 

photographer, trekking through the brush, 

heavy tripod, camera and big lens slung 

over the shoulder. But frankly, what’s 

the alternative? Pack it all up in your bag 

every time you move? Get it all out, put it 

back together and be ready to photograph 

that wolf chasing a caribou? 

Safe transport is just another quality 

factor you need to consider when choosing 

your ield equipment. The irst thing you 

need to know is how good the connection 

is between the lens and the tripod 

head. There are a lot of quick-releases out 

there to make your life easier, but they can 

self-initiate at inopportune times, releasing 

the camera/lens from the tripod with 

disastrous results. I use Really Right Stuff 

ballheads with a quick release and have 

never had them let go unintentionally. The 

lever system is pretty much foolproof. But 

you need to pay attention to the ballhead/ 

tripod connection as well, because it can 

loosen up while you’re working—we 

think we’re rotating the camera on the 

tripod while we pan, and we’re sometimes 


actually unscrewing the head from the 

tripod base. So check the connection 

between the ballhead and the tripod before 

you place it over your shoulder. 

As extra insurance, I usually grab the 

camera strap in my hand when moving a 

camera/lens. I still remember one longago 

instance in Baja California where I 

was walking through a lava ield with the 

camera setup slung over my shoulder; the 

pre-RRS quick release somehow disengaged 

and the 600mm with camera body 

headed toward the rocks. I had wrapped 

the camera strap around my hand, and 

that stopped the potential destruction of 

some very pricey gear. 

Carrying the camera over the shoulder 

doesn’t affect the mounting connections 

on any of the tripods that I’ve used, but 

going through a little checklist can save 

the day: controls on the head tightened up; 

ballhead tightly screwed to the tripod; lens 

properly mounted to the camera body; 

tele-extenders and extension tubes irmly 

connected (“click”). It only takes a second 

to check, but it’s worth it. Think of how 

uncool it would look to lose your gear 

and how hard it would be to replace it. 

Micro 

Four Thirds (4:3) Vs. 3:2 

Outdoo Photographer recently pubarticle 

on mirrorless Micro 

lished 

a 

Four Thirds digital camera systems. 

Although 

h I have been an avid Canon user 

for many years and I have a considerable 

investment in Canon gear, I recently purchased 

an Olympus OM-D E-M5 Mark 

II camera body and a few lenses. I love 

the electronic viewinder, the stabilization 

system and the freedom that comes with 

carrying much less weight. I am avidly 

exploring the Micro Four Thirds system 

and now ind myself drawn to mirrorless 

technology in general, and wonder 

if one day soon I may be letting go of my 

DSLRs. What are your thoughts on this? 

K. Graff 

Via the Internet 

While 

the advent of mirrorless cam- 

era tec 

nology isn’t as signiicant an 

event as, 

say, the advent of digital, 

ss cameras do expand our photographic 

options. There are several 

reasons serious photographers might 

choose them instead of, or in addition 

to, DSLR systems. 

As you note, Micro Four Thirds mirrorless 

systems offer a compelling advantage 

in terms of size and weight. Traveling 

with a lot of heavy equipment can 

be daunting these days, and the weight 

of DSLR camera and lens combinations 

can be a problem for many of us. 

The prices of Micro Four Thirds cameras 

and lenses tend to be less weighty 

as well. As an example, the crop magniication 

of a Micro Four Thirds versus 

a full-frame DSLR is 2x, so a lightweight 

300mm ƒ/4 lens for the MFT 

format priced at $2,500 has the reach 

of a 600mm ƒ/4 lens that costs four to 

ive times as much. Another factor some 

photographers like is that the Micro Four 

Thirds 4:3 format relates to the standard 

8x10-inch print and frame, while 

DSLRs have a 3:2 format that relates to 

an 8.5x11-inch print. Some of the mirrorless 

cameras are capable of 4K video 

capture and even yield 8MP frame grabs 

for stop-action stills. 

The results from Micro Four Thirds 

systems are great for web posting and 

prints up to 17x20-inches. The quality 

of the output is limited by the small 

sensor (13x17.3mm), as compared to 

a full-frame DSLR (24x36 mm); to 

(Cont’d on page 70)

Photographing wildlife across the 

tundra in Denali National Park 

requires a heavy load of equipment: 

500mm lens, 1.4X tele-extender 

(700mm) and camera body attached 

to a sturdy tripod. Before you toss 

that rig over your shoulder, check all 

the controls and connections to 

prevent an unscheduled decoupling. 

Caribou captured at 1/125 sec. at f/8, 

ISO 200. 

outdoorphotographer.com November 2016 25

the big picture 

Scorched 

Beauty 

Rebirth made 

possible by ire 

By Amy Gulick 

The word “wildire” tends to 

be associated with destruction. 

Forests are burned, 

property is damaged and 

human lives are lost ighting 

wildland blazes. A wildire is viewed as 

the enemy, something to be conquered, 

and understandably so when lives and 

homes are at risk. But historically, ire 

also has been used as a tool to beneit 

people. Burning areas of vegetation to 

improve hunting success and to stimulate 

new growth of edible plants was 

common practice by many groups of 

Native Americans. And today, ire may 

be used to control invasive plant species. 

If we take people out of the equation 

and look at ire as a natural phenomenon, 

we see that it’s a regular part of many 

landscapes around the world. When lightning 

strikes ignite dry vegetation and there 

is suficient oxygen in the ambient air, a 

ire is born. Throw in things like wind and 

prolonged drought, and the duration and 

severity of a ire is intensiied. 

How does nature adapt to ire? Some 

tree species that survive ire well have 

dense bark, shed their lower branches, 

and retain high water content in their 

external structures. Others such as species 

of the genus Eucalyptus contain 

lammable oils that encourage ire and 


yet have hard leaves that resist heat and 

drought, ensuring their likelihood of survival 

over less-ire-tolerant species. And 

still others contain ire-resistant seeds 

that sprout after a ire to ensure species 

preservation. It’s this last adaptation that 

I set out to photograph in Yellowstone 

National Park. 

I arrived in winter, 15 years after the 

largest ires in the park’s history burned 

more than one-third of its forests, mainly 

lodgepole pine trees. Most lodgepole 

pines are ire-dependent, producing 

cones that open up only when subjected 

to the high temperatures of ire. The 

cones release their seeds onto a charred 

forest loor. With fresh ashes and newly 

exposed to light, the post-ire area is 

fertile ground for young seedlings. But 

how to make a photograph that conveys

a message other than one of destruction? 

Looking at the scene before me, 

the criss-cross weave of ire-blackened 

trunks set against a canvas of snow created 

a stark abstract beauty. But there 

was a hidden beauty, too. In the gaps 

between the tall trunks, young trees were 

visible. Like the mythological phoenix 

rising from the ashes, the lodgepole pine 

trees grew from a burnt beginning. 

By drawing viewers into this image 

with an interesting abstract, an opportunity 

presents itself to engage people to 

explore their perceptions of wildire. At 

irst glance, beauty trumps the scene. 

Looking closer, one sees that the forest 

has been destroyed by ire. Or has 

it? The forest has transformed into a 

different state, one of rebirth. Made 

possible by ire. 

OP 

Amy Gulick is a founding fellow of 

the International League of Conservation 

Photographers and the author 

of Salmon in the Trees: Life in Alaska’s 

Tongass Rain Forest. Her image 

“Scorched Beauty” was a inalist in 

the 2015 Wildlife Photographer of the 

Year competition of the Natural History 

Museum of London. To learn more 

about her work, visit amygulick.com. 


photo adventure 

The Creative 

Road 

Not as straight or narrow 

as you would think 

By Bill Hatcher 

Reviewing images from my 

photo shoots and assignments 

over the past couple of months, 

I noticed an interesting trend: 

My photography continues to 

improve and evolve. The change in my 

photography has always been an integral 

part of my creative process, which 

feeds on pushing new boundaries and 

new worlds to explore. This dynamism 

is opposed to the concept of creativity as 

(to use the well-worn metaphor) a golden 

ticket, where one is working toward a 

ixed objective. 

The pursuit of photographic creativity 

is different for everyone, but I believe 

the basis for each of us is the same, to 

grow and improve our photography. The 

foundation for my creativity is a desire 

to explore new places and people, but 

also rediscovering locations and subjects 

I’ve photographed many times before 

with new eyes. 

The other major stimulus is spending 

time with other creatives, hearing their 

stories and watching them photograph. 

It’s in my network of photo friends 

where I ind my most positive creative 

interactions. I work and encourage these 

photo interactions on a daily basis. These 

could be as simple as a text, a comment in 

social media, attending or giving a talk, 

getting out with another photographer 

to shoot or gathering with a professional 

group like the local Tucson chapter of 

ASMP (American Society of Media 

Photographers), a group that meets regularly 

to catch up on the photo industry 

and share images and assignments in a 

show and tell. I’m always open for these 

gatherings, to share, collaborate, shoot 

and be inspired. 

I’m more engaged and excited about 


photography now than I was 30 years 

ago when I started my photographic 

career. You know your creative game is 

in a good place when you can make that 

claim, and I’m not alone. I hear similar 

comments from other photographers who 

continue to shoot and push their photography 

far past the requirements of a mere 

profession or hobby. That’s what it is to 

be passionately creative—when nearly 

every moment in your life is routed 

and processed through the ilter of your 

creative process. 

The image accompanying this column, 

a quiet sunrise landscape image from the 

Painted Desert on the Navajo Nation, 

gives no hint of the other accomplished 

creatives, photographers and videographers 

also shooting at the time I made 

this photo. 

What brought me to shoot in this 

particular place on this morning started 

with a conversation months before with 

National Geographic photographers 

and ilmmakers Andy Mann and Keith 

Ladzinski. When we attended the annual 

photographers’ gathering at the National 

Geographic headquarters in Washington, 

D.C., Andy and Keith told me about a 

ilm they were going to shoot exploring 

the creative process. They wanted to follow 

artists to amazing outdoor locations 

and, through ilm and interviews, pursue 

their connection to the outdoors and how 

it inluences their art and creativity. 

Originally the two envisioned shooting 

the ilm, which had been given a working 

title “Convergence,” in Patagonia near 

the southern tip of South America. The 

location is insanely beautiful but dificult 

to reach. They changed the location to the 

American Southwest so that more artists 

could take part in the project. 

Andy and Keith wanted me in their 

ilm and asked for my suggestion of 

places to shoot. They knew I had shot 

stories for Geographic and that I was 

familiar with the Southwest. As Keith 

said about the ilm, “The premise is simple, 

a rendezvous with artists of various 

genres and walks: musicians, painters, 

photographers, illustrators and ilmmakers 

converging on a road trip to create, 

talk about the process and that point 

where clarity kicks in and art is born.” 

In the true collaborative spirit of the 

project, I wanted to share with them a 

place that would be mutually gratifying. 

I knew Keith had an eye for landscapes 

with intense and saturated colors, so I

suggested going to the canyons in the 

Painted Desert. Andy Googled images 

of that location and was amazed by what 

he saw. I confessed that I hadn’t been 

to the place for several years, but to go 

there with other creatives would be the 

perfect excuse to return. Before parting 

ways, the three of us made plans to meet 

in the Painted Desert. 

Fast forward two months and, with the 

required Navajo permits in hand, seven of 

us arrived at our camp above Coalmine 

Canyon on the Navajo lands. Keith, Andy 

and myself were joined by photographer 

Andy Best, cameraman Chris Alstrin, 

ilm editor Josh Povec and photo assistant 

Ian Glass. During the best light, all of us 

took an active role in shooting photography 

and video. Keith would man the 

controls of a DJI Inspire drone for aerial 

stills and video, Andy would lay track for 

time-lapse footage, and I would share my 

1959 Polaroid Pathinder camera. It’s no 

exaggeration that when the photo wheels 

really got spinning, our crew might have 

as many as 15 still and motion cameras 

in use. I got to try lying the DJI—fortunately 

not when it smashed into a wall 

(goodbye $5,000 drone). 

After the sun was long set, we would 

gather around a ire to talk and share the 

day’s experience. The upshot of this gathering 

of talent, besides some incredible 

still and video footage, were personal 

insights about our creative process. It 

was an afirmation of our shared passion 

to create and explore the outdoors—our 

prime motivation and catalyst. 

I left the crew to shoot an assignment, 

and the “Convergence” team continued 

its quest for another week, meeting photographers, 

painters and musicians in 

Monument Valley, Valley of the Gods, 

Antelope Canyon, Horseshoe Bend 

and other creative hotspots around the 

Southwest. My advice to you: Surround 

yourself with passionate people to keep 

your photography creative. OP 

To see more of Bill Hatcher’s photography, 

visit billhatcher.com. 


FAVORITE PLACES 

TEXT & PHOTOGRAPHY 

BY MICHAEL DALBERTI 

WYOMING 

SCHWABACHER’S LANDING 

Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming 

LOCATION 

Grand Teton National Park is 

located north of the town of 

Jackson in northwestern Wyoming 

and is only 10 miles away 

from Yellowstone National Park. 

Lodging options in the park 

include hotel/motel rooms, 

rustic cabins and tent cabins, 

and ive campgrounds are open 

during the summer months on 

a irst-come, irst-serve basis. 

Grand Teton is so wildlife-diverse 

that it makes you feel like 

you’re entering a different world. 

The breathtaking mountain range 

is straight out of a fairy tale. The 

closer you get to it the more surreal 

it seems—like spires from 

another world. Contrast this with 

the beautiful river, ponds, grassland 

and animals, and it makes 

for an unbelievable experience. 

One of the most popular landscape 

photography spots in the 

park is Schwabacher’s Landing. 

Located on the Snake River, this 

location is easily accessible from 

a dirt road off Highway 89. A fourmile 

hiking trail along lat terrain 

offers numerous photo opportunities, 

and otter, deer, coyote, 

antelope and eagle sightings are 

common, just to name a few. 

WEATHER 

The weather in the Tetons is just 

as diverse as the wildlife. You 

certainly have all four seasons. 

My favorite experiences in the 

park are during the fall, when 

the trees are a bright yellow and 

the weather is just cool enough 

to be enjoyable without it being 

too hot. You get just about everything 

you would ever want during 

the fall in the Tetons. Snow is 

expected in the valley and mountains 

through the winter months 

and into May, and roads may 

be closed during severe storms. 

The summer months offer warm 

days and cool nights with the 

occasional thunderstorm, so rain 

gear is recommended. 

PHOTO EXPERIENCE 

The best part for me about 

exploring the Teton Valley is 

navigating the areas that can 

potentially have big animals. I 

was hiking down the path near 

Schwabacher’s Landing when I 

noticed a female moose walking 

down the same path I was taking, 

except walking directly toward 

me. I had enough time to back 

away and keep a safe distance 

as to not seem like a threat. 

She then went into the water, 

and that’s when I noticed two of 

her calves following behind her. 

She stayed in the water while her 

calves were on the riverbank on 

the other side. The most unique 

thing about this picture is that I 

used my widest angle—not very 

typical in wildlife photography! 

BEST TIMES 

The best times I have in Teton 

Valley are when I wake up to a 

cool fall morning, slip out of my 

tent, grab some coffee and hit 

my favorite spots for morning 

sunrise pictures. There aren’t 

many things more beautiful than 

watching the sun rise over Teton 

Valley during a crisp autumn 

morning. Even if you don’t get 

that once-in-a-lifetime picture, 

it’s certainly worth it for the 

experience alone. OP 

Contact: Grand Teton National 

Park, nps.gov/grte. 

To see more of Michael Dalberti’s 

photography, visit 

michaeldalberti.com. 


Badlands National Park in South 

Dakota at night, as a crescent 

moon sets to the right of the frame. 

How Shane Black got hooked 

on bringing still images to life 

through time-lapse photography 

By Mark Edward Harris / Photography By Shane Black

While I was attempting to contact 

Shane Black for this 

interview, Emmy Award-winning 

producer Jon Kroll suggested 

that I try smoke signals 

or engage a carrier pigeon. Fortunately, 

neither were necessary to locate the (occasionally) 

Ohio-based photographer. 

Kroll and his producing partner, Rupert 

Thompson, “discovered” Black as more 

than a million others did, coming across 

his breathtaking “Adventure is Calling” 

time-lapse video. They tracked him down 

in a remote area of Death Valley and hired 

the young photographer to create similar 

imagery for their Fox reality show, 

“American Grit.” 

Whether creating time-lapse or stills, 

the landscape and astrophotographer and 

his cameras thrive in a world without artiicial 

lights—except for the occasional 

lashlight and headlamp. 

Outdoor Photographer: Let’s talk about 

your recent work for “American Grit.” 

Shane Black: The producers brought me 

out to Washington state to shoot timelapse 

for transitions between scenes. We 

focused on cloud movement during the 

day and transitions from day to night 

and night to day. Movie and TV companies 

really like time-lapse to help 

convey the passage of time so they can 

jump between scenes without having 

their viewers ask, “What happened to 

the rest of that day?” 

OP: How did you shoot the time-lapses? 

SB: I had three camera bodies with me the 

whole time with a variety of lenses to get 

plenty of content and a variety of shots. 

I also brought out a Dynamic Perception 

Stage Zero 6-foot time-lapse dolly for 

one of the cameras to slide a fraction of 

an inch between shots. 

Ancient Bristlecone Pine Forest, in 

the White Mountains just outside 

of Bishop, California. Lit briely 

with a lashlight to show detail of 

these several-thousand-year-old 

trees under the Milky Way. 

The durations were very dependent 

on the situation I was shooting. If I’m 

going for sunrise or sunset, I’ll usually 

run the camera for about an hour. Night 

shots take a lot more time because you 

need longer exposures, meaning it takes 

longer to take more photos. Those usually 

run three to six hours. If I’m doing 

a transitional day to night or night to 

day shot, that’s going to take normally 

four to ive hours. 

OP: What’s the frequency of your shots for 

time-lapses? 

SB: That’s also situational. I try and shoot 

with clouds whenever I can because they 


help show the passage of time more 

than just about anything. If they’re moving 

pretty quickly, I usually do about 

three-second intervals, that way you get 

a really nice playback. If I’m shooting 

on a cloudless day and I just want to get 

the shadows moving and show the transition 

of time that way, then I’ll go with 

much longer intervals, maybe 10, 15 or 

20 seconds. That way I’m not just getting 

a whole load of photos with not much 

change happening between them. 

OP: Much of your time-lapse and still photography 

focuses on astrophotography. 

What draws you to it? 

SB: It’s my favorite subject to shoot. The 

camera with long exposures can pick up 

so much more of what’s out there than 

the naked eye. I let the camera do a 20- 

or 30-second exposure with my ISO up 

and my aperture wide open, and when 

the results pop up on the LCD, they’re 

astonishing, especially if I’m in a place 

that lends itself to it. Really dark, remote 

places away from big city lights work best. 

OP: What range of ISOs are you usually 

working with? 

SB: It depends on what the camera can handle. 

You can’t crank up the ISOs too high 

without getting some noise with entrylevel 

DSLRs. I’m using mainly a Canon 

5D Mark III and I recently got a Sony a7s 

because of its high ISO capabilities. When 

I’m shooting the Milky Way, it’s usually 

around 2500 ISO on the Mark III. I don’t 

like to go much past that, otherwise I start 

to see noise. With the Sony, I can shoot 

at ISO 6400 or 12,500 and it looks great. 

High ISOs allows you to do shorter 

exposures, which means shorter intervals 

if you’re doing time-lapse so you can get 

slower playback. For stills, if I’m trying 

to get the foreground I’ll probably do two 

separate exposures, one for the sky and 

one for the foreground. The foreground 

will have a longer exposure with a lower 

ISO, so I won’t get as much noise there. 

OP: What’s your post-production timelapse 

worklow? 

SB: Adobe Lightroom and LRTimelapse 

for color grading and ramping. Adobe 

After Effects for turning the photos into 

video and applying more ixes such as 

delicker. I normally output the work at 

24 fps. 

OP: Are you lighting some of the foregrounds? 

SB: For some of the stills I’ve done 

light-painting with a lashlight or a headlamp. 

I’ll run to one side of the object and 

paint it with light to create more drama, 

it brings in more shadows and highlights. 

That’s much more interesting than dulling 

out the subject with frontal light. 

OP: What’s the idea behind adding a human 

element such as a tent or a person on occasion 

to a spectacular nighttime landscape? 

SB: It helps to show scale, of course, but it 

also lets the viewer imagine that they could 

be there. “This is a place I could be as well.” 

OP: What’s your background and how did 

your career evolve? 

SB: I was born and raised in Central 

Ohio and am still here when I’m not on 

the road. I got into photography in 2011 

while I was at Columbus State Community 

College. I had been playing 

around with my friends’ cameras and 

really enjoyed it so I picked one up and 

played with it all summer. I did some 

senior portraits here and there to make a 

little money. When I started photography, 

I didn’t have anything in particular in 

mind, I was just enjoying photography 

and seeing where it went. 

I have a friend out in Los Angeles, Sheldon 

Neill, who kept encouraging me to try 

time-lapse. He’s an amazing time-lapse 

photographer himself. He’s one of the 

guys behind Project Yosemite (projectyose.com). 

Time-lapse was tough for me 

at irst. At sunset, I would be taking photos 

this way then that way; for time-lapse you 

have to set it up, start it, then you can’t 

touch it. It wasn’t easy to let the camera 

sit there while all these really cool things 

Near the summit of Mauna Kea on the Big 

Island of Hawaii. This photo turned into 

way more than what I thought it would be 

when I was shooting. It took a 23-image 

panorama, shot with a 24mm lens, to capture 

the grandness of the scene I was in. 

It captured zodiacal light, a moonlit layer 

of fog, a bright Milky Way directly over 

Mauna Loa, green airglow and even glow 

in the distance from the Kilauea Caldera. 


Goblin Valley State Park, Utah. It was eerily quiet, and I 

was the only other human out exploring the goblins at 

night under a pitch-black sky. It was a little creepy. But 

it was a pleasant surprise to see a good amount of airglow 

in the sky to add to the otherworldly landscape. 

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were happening in front of me. This is in 

the days when I had only one camera. 

OP: Starting out shooting things like senior 

portraits makes sense in a smaller market 

where you have to wear more hats. How did 

you start building your time-lapse “reel”? 

SB: I took a trip up to Oregon and Canada 

dedicated to strictly shooting time-lapse. 

I got to see some really cool stuff and 

even got my irst awesome display of 

an aurora up in Canada. After that I was 

hooked. Seeing still photos come to life 


with movement through time-lapse blew 

my mind. I fell in love with it. 

OP: Another road trip resulted in your timelapse 

video “Adventure is Calling,” which 

went viral. 

SB: Two friends and I had spent two 

months on the road, traveling the country, 

seeing the sights, and teaching some 

photography workshops along the way. 

We probably went to 20 state and national 

parks.As a photographer, I was in heaven. 

I compiled the time-lapse and put it online. 

National Geographic contacted me a few 

days after “Adventure is Calling” went up, 

did an interview and licensed it for a month. 

OP: One of the many spectacular moments 

in it is a tracking shot with a dead tree in 

the foreground. 

SB: That was in Zion. With a dolly, you 

want to show movement as well as you 

can, so having a really nice object in the 

foreground that the camera can move by 

really gives a great sense of depth. 

OP: Because of the rotation of the earth, it 

feels like we’re on a spaceship, which, after 

all, the earth is in a sense. When you shoot 

stills for both time-lapse and stand-alone 

images, what’s your cut off shutter speed 

if you want to freeze the stars? 

SB: Exposure time in part depends on 

the focal length of the lens. I like to keep 

the stars as sharp as possible unless I go 

the other direction and want to get long 

star trails. If I’m shooting with a really 

wide angle, let’s say 14mm or 16mm, 

everything in the background gets pushed 

back further so I can do a longer exposure 

without seeing star trails. With something 

that wide, you can go 30-35 seconds. But 

if I put the 50mm on and bring the sky 

closer, I can get only about a 10-second 

exposure before seeing movement. I use 

a 24mm ƒ/1.4 a lot at ƒ/2 or ƒ/1.8, and 

I’m capped off around 20 seconds. I use 

both zoom and prime lenses. 

I’m always shooting in full manual 

mode, so I have complete control of everything. 

It’s a bit tricky when you’re doing a 

time-lapse sunrise or sunset, or day to night 

or night to day, because the light’s changing 

really quickly. I’m keeping an eye on 

the exposure meter and if it’s getting too 

light or too dark I’ll quickly adjust the shutter. 

I’ll try not to adjust too much as long 

as the exposures don’t get too crazy. There 

are camera remotes that do the ramping for 

you, you just put in your parameters such 

as the beginning and ending exposures. 

The Sony a7S has a built in time-lapse 

app in the camera.You put the camera in 

the Av mode and ine-tune your exposure. 

The technology we have these days to 

achieve our visions is incredible. OP 

See more of Shane Black’s photography 

and time-lapse work at shaneblackphoto.com.

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Shooting 

METEOR 

SHOWERS 

Techniques to create a single image that 

captures the experience of this celestial phenomenon 

Text & Photography By Glenn Randall 

Standing under a dark sky and 

watching a meteor shower is a 

breathtaking experience. Creating 

a compelling photograph of 

that experience, however, is dificult. 

Even the most active meteor showers, 

the Perseids and Geminids, produce 

only 50 to 100 meteors per hour, or just 

one or two per minute. Those numbers 

refer to meteors visible anywhere in the 

sky. Even an ultra-wide 16mm lens on a 

full-frame camera can only see roughly 

one-ifth of the sky. The longest exposure 

you can use with a 16mm lens before the 

stars begin to make obvious streaks is 

about 30 seconds. Put all those igures 

together, and it’s clear you’re unlikely to 

capture more than one meteor in a single 

exposure—if you even capture one. 

So how do you make a photograph that 

captures the feeling of watching an active 

meteor shower? The answer, in brief, is 

to shoot back-to-back 30-second exposures 

all night with the widest lens you 

own. Once you get home, comb through 

your images to locate those containing 

meteors, then stack all of those frames as 

layers in a single Photoshop ile. Choose 

one image as the background star and 

land layer, then mask out everything but 

Perseid meteor shower over Snowmass 

Mountain and Hagerman Peak relected in 

Snowield Lake, Maroon Bells-Snowmass 

Wilderness, Colorado. Composite of 40 

photographs shot from one camera position 

over a ive-hour period on Aug. 13, 2015. 

the meteor streak from all the remaining 

layers. The result will be a composite 

image containing all the meteors that fell 

within your lens’ ield of view during the 

entire night. 

The most photogenic meteor showers 

of the year are the Perseids, which peak 

every year around Aug. 12 to 13, and 

the Geminids, which peak around Dec. 

13 to 14. The Perseids rain down most 

frequently between midnight and dawn; 

Geminid meteors start streaking across 

the sky around 9 or 10 p.m. and continue 

all night. 

You’ll capture a lot more meteors if 

you can ind a dark location well away 

from city lights. For help locating a darksky 

location near you, check out jshine. 

net/astronomy/dark_sky. You’ll also see 

more meteors when the moon is below 

the horizon. The 2016 Geminids coincide 

with a full moon, which will signiicantly 

reduce the number of meteors you see but 

will also make it easier to hold detail in 

the land. The moon will rise at about 11 

p.m. during the peak night of the 2017 

Perseids and will be about 70 percent 

illuminated. You’ll enjoy moon-free skies 

nearly all night during the peak of the 

2017 Geminids. Clouds, of course, will 

shut down the show. Check out cleardarksky.com/csk 

for a forecast of cloud cover 

at your chosen location. 

Meteor showers have radiants, a point 

in the sky from which the meteors appear 

to originate. Meteor showers are named 

for the constellations containing their 

radiants. Most meteors travel roughly 30 

degrees from their radiant before becoming 

bright enough to see. You don’t have 

to ind the radiant to see meteors. During 

an active shower, meteors will appear in 

all parts of the sky, which means you can 

point your camera in any direction and 

capture meteors. To capture images like 

my shots of the Perseids and Geminids, 

however, you’ll need to compose so that 

the radiant is within the frame some time 

during the night. 

Like all celestial objects, radiants 

appear to move across the sky as the 

earth rotates. The radiant for the Perseids, 

which is near the star Al Fakhbir, is 

in the northeast sky during the peak of 

the shower. The radiant for the Geminids, 

which is near the star Castor, rises to the 

northeast, is nearly straight overhead at 

2 a.m. and is setting to the west at astronomical 

dawn. 

I shot both the Perseids and Geminids 

with a Canon EF 16-35mm ƒ/2.8L 

II USM lens set to 16mm. Even better 

would have been a 14mm, which can 

cover about 30 percent more sky than a 

16mm. My exposure for each frame was 

30 seconds, ƒ/2.8, ISO 6400. 

For the Perseids, I positioned the camera 

to look northeast, started shooting 

at midnight and shot about 540 frames 

before astronomical dawn. Only 39 

frames contained bright meteors. 

For the Geminids, I set up looking 

south, so the radiant would be near the 

top of the frame during the peak of the 

shower. Out of 900 frames, only 51 contained 

a bright meteor. 

For both images, I also shot several 

frames at two minutes, ƒ/2.8, ISO 6400 

to get better detail in the land. 

After locating the meteor-containing 

images in Lightroom, I selected all of 

them and opened them as layers in a single 

Photoshop document (Photo > Edit 

In > Open as Layers in Photoshop). I 

chose one two-minute exposure with 

good detail in the land and dragged it 

to the bottom of the layer stack. Then I 

chose a layer containing the radiant to be 

the background star layer and dragged it 

to just above the good-land layer. Then 

I selected each meteor on all the other 

layers with the Pen tool, added a layer 

mask, illed the path with black (which 

hid the meteor), then inverted the mask 

(Control+I) to reveal the meteor and hide 


everything else. In a inal step, I masked 

out the dark land from the background 

star layer to reveal the properly exposed 

land underneath. 

When you irst composite your meteor 

shower image, the meteors will appear 

to be crisscrossing the sky at random. 

Almost all of the meteors in both images 

actually originated at the radiant (a few 

were strays), but that pattern is hidden 

because the radiant appears at a different 

place in each meteor-containing 

layer, since I shot the images over a 

period of hours. To reveal that pattern, 

I used two different methods to rotate 

each meteor-containing layer so that the 

meteor streaks appeared to originate at 

the radiant. 

The radiant for the Perseids is circumpolar, 

which means it makes a giant circle 

around Polaris. That makes it possible to 

use Polaris as the center of rotation while 

using Free Transform to rotate each meteor-containing 

layer to align its stars with 

the stars in the background layer. Target 

the meteor-containing layer, invoke Free 

Transform, then drag the point of rotation 

to Polaris. To identify Polaris, use a 

star-stacking program like StarStaX to 

create a temporary star-trails image. The 

star trails will form concentric circles 

around Polaris. In the inal image, each 

Perseid meteor will appear to originate 

at the radiant, as if all the meteors had 

been captured in one exposure. 

This technique is impractical for the 

Geminid meteor shower in mid-December, 

since the radiant crosses almost the 

entire sky. Trying to align the stars in each 

meteor-containing layer with those in the 

background star layer would push many 

meteor streaks entirely out of the frame. 

To create my Geminid image, I used Free 

Transform to rotate each meteor streak 

around its center so it would appear to 

originate at the radiant. 

I certainly didn’t see all of the meteors 

in either image fall simultaneously, but 

I did watch them fall one-by-one as I 

stood under the moonless sky, awed by 

the celestial ireworks display. The techniques 

I described in this article are the 

best way I know to make single images 

that capture that experience. OP 

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Glenn Randall’s most recent book is The 

Art, Science, and Craft of Great Landscape 

Photography, published by Rocky 

Nook. You can see more of his work, sign 

up for his monthly newsletter, read his 

blog and learn about upcoming workshops 

at his website, glennrandall.com. 

Geminid meteor shower over Longs Peak and 

Bear Lake, Rocky Mountain National Park, 

Colorado. This image is a composite of 54 

images, shot over an eight-hour period on 

Dec. 12-13, 2015. I rotated all of the Geminid 

meteors so they appeared to be radiating 

from the radiant, which is near the star Castor 

in the constellation Gemini. Three meteors 

were strays that didn’t originate in Gemini. 

 

 

 

 


Rainbow over the Paunsaugunt Plateau in Bryce Canyon National Park. 

The Magic

Of Light’s Edges 

Use stormy weather and atmospheric 

conditions to your creative advantage 

Text & Photography By Dave Welling 

The monsoon storm struck Bryce 

Canyon at amazing speed with 

ominous skies, lightning, violent 

winds and pelting rain. Sitting in 

my car, I waited for the storm to begin 

lifting. I knew amazing light would ilter 

through the cloud cover during this 

transition from storm light to sunlight, 

creating magic on the land. By waiting, 

I was rewarded with a spectacular rainbow 

that seemed to rise out of the distant 

formations of the Paunsaugunt Plateau. 

Any photographer will tell you creating 

stunning images is “all about the 

light.” But what does that really mean, 

especially for landscape and nature 

photographers who are at the mercy 

of, and unable to really control, natural 

light? Natural light is the light, 

sometimes beautiful and sometimes 

harsh, that streams down on us every 

day. Landscape photographers, and to 

some extent wildlife photographers, 

quickly learn about the angle of light 

and opt for those sunrise and sunset 

hours when light rays are iltered 

through the atmosphere, providing a 

golden or warming glow to the landscape 

or wildlife subject. 

But the low-angle rays of morning and 

evening light are only part of the story for 

nature photographers looking to expand 

their photographic opportunities and 

skills. There’s also what I call the “magic 

of light’s edges,” those amazing lighting 

effects created by weather or atmospheric 

conditions that give you the ability to 

create truly magniicent images of the 

landscape. These atmospheric effects are 

most pronounced when weather conditions 

are just forming or clearing, hence 

the “edge of light” aspect. 

Sunrise light on the Snake River and the Teton Range in Grand Tetons National Park. 


While sunrise often produces 

warm golden light on the landscape, 

when a clearing storm 

with striking cloud formations 

is added to the mix the results 

can be spectacular. Point Imperial 

on the North Rim of Grand 

Canyon is a favorite for many 

landscape photographers since 

its location allows uninterrupted 

sunrise light to bathe the canyon 

walls and Mount Hayden in 

that golden light. When sunrise 

monsoon storm clouds over the 

canyon add atmospheric iltering 

to the light—as well as a 

strong element to the composition—you 

have the opportunity 

to create a very unique, longremembered 

image. 

Sunrise storm over Mount Hayden 

on the North Rim of Grand Canyon. 

Clearing storm at sunset with 

lightning, Paunsaugunt Plateau. 

“What I call the 

‘magic of light’s 

edges,’ those 

amazing lighting 

effects created by 

weather ... give 

you the ability to 

create truly 

magnificent images 

of the landscape.” 

“Light edge” landscape photography 

demands patience, perseverance, understanding 

of weather and atmospheric 

conditions and that most critical of 

photographic techniques: luck. Luck 

belongs to the well-prepared. Being in 

the right place at the right time because 

you have knowledge, patience and perseverance 

usually gets you the photographic 

opportunity. 

I wanted to capture the dramatic light of 

summer monsoon storms in the western 


United States and chose Bryce Canyon in 

Utah as my target landscape because signiicant 

storms form in this area and the 

landscape features are surreal. I watched 

weather forecasts for several summers 

and made trips when forecasts looked 

promising but with little success, until 

one summer when I hit the mother lode of 

storms. One week of the strongest storms 

I had ever seen with lightning, ominous 

skies, mammatus clouds and atmospheric 

conditions created the most dramatic 

conditions I had ever seen. I captured 

the Paunsaugunt Plateau rainbow image 

just as the storm began to break, but I 

knew the storm would eventually clear 

and waited patiently (one of the key elements) 

to see how the light and clouds 

evolved. Well, luck “shined” on me. At 

sunset, the air cleared, providing spectacular 

sunset light on the remaining clouds 

over the plateau. I captured an entirely 

different feel for the same location. There 

is even a lightning strike in the image.

Black oak and Half Dome 

on a foggy winter morning. 

Fir trees in winter fog in 

Hayden Valley, Yellowstone 

National Park. 

Fog is another “light edges” atmospheric 

condition that can be exploited by landscape 

photographers. Foggy conditions 

can be tricky from an exposure standpoint. 

Most camera metering systems 

underexpose fog to make it the infamous 

18 percent neutral gray. Fog is actually 

brighter than neutral gray and needs a 

little over-exposure to prevent it from 

looking dark or muddy. Fog can add an 

ethereal or moody feel to an image. 

Fog can be especially effective when 

it’s only part of the scene and doesn’t 

lood the whole image. Look for the transition 

where fog just enters the image or 

low ground fog affects only part of the 

scene. Think of this as a “light edge” condition, 

too. Winter is a wonderful time for 

morning ground fog. I photographed this 

spectacular black oak covered in snow 

with a hint of ground fog that added that 

ethereal feel. 

Fog edges can also be used to create 

isolated subjects that appear loating 

in the image. Look for interesting subjects 

or landscape features that seem 

to grow out of the fog to create that 

sense of wonder in your image. I used 

this technique to photograph a row of 

snow-covered ir trees in Yellowstone 

National Park. The trees appear isolated 

in blue space, making the image much 

more interesting. 


Clearing summer storm, Mt. Whitney 

in the Alabama Hills, California. 

Clearing low-lying clouds can 

also be a source for “light edge” 

images. In this instance, it’s 

more of a transition between 

clear, open sunlight and thick, 

diffusing cloud light. You need 

to be careful with your exposure 

for this condition because, 

again, your camera meter will 

try and make bright clouds 

darker, which can muddy your 

image and make it featureless. 

However, when you ind the 

right subject matter and nail 

the exposure, you can create 

some wonderful images. I used 

this technique to photograph 

Mount Whitney as it rose from 

low-lying, but clearing, storm 

clouds in the Alabama Hills in 

California. I metered off the 

brightest clouds and opened 

up one stop, letting the rest 

of the image appear slightly 

underexposed to bring out the 

color in the mountain, sky and 

surrounding granite boulders. 

Storm surf on sea stacks, 

Bandon Beach, Oregon. 

While clearing conditions can create 

beautiful “light edge” conditions, you 

do not need to wait for storms or fog 

or mist to really clear. Work with the 

storm light, looking for openings in the 

cloud cover that create highlights or spot 

lighting on the landscape. These accentuated 

areas where the bright light edges 

bring out detail and add color can create 

opportunities for really striking images 

like this image of storm light on the sea 

stacks near Bandon Beach in Oregon. 


In addition to spot lighting during storms, 

look for “light edge” features when the 

storm ilters the overall light coming 

through the thick cloud cover. This light 

can create magic in a landscape. Storms 

forming over the Grand Canyon usually 

clear to the south. If you’re on the North 

Rim, as the clouds thin out to the north, 

they often ilter the light on the land, 

creating soft textures and a tranquil feel. 

When this occurs at sunset, the light can 

turn the formations beautiful shades of 

red or gold. 

Wotan’s Throne, Brahma Temple and Zoroaster 

Temple rock formations, Grand Canyon. 

You don’t need storm light to get this 

soft, iltered light. It can also be created 

by misty conditions. In this case, 

look for landscape elements framed 

by or jutting out from the mist. Again, 

you’re looking for the “light edge” 

elements to create your image. When 

I photographed Angel Falls in remote 

Canaima National Park in Venezuela, 

I captured many images of the majesty 

of the 3,200-foot waterfall. But I 

also wanted to capture an image that 

spoke of the “Lost World” element of 

this location, the nickname applied 

to the area. A panoramic view of the 

upper falls, shrouded in mist created 

by the falls themselves, captured the 

feel I wanted. 

Angel Falls and Auyán-tepui 

shrouded in mist, Canaima 

National Park, Venezuela.

Rime ice on Merced River, 

Yosemite National Park. 

When you have this beautiful, soft, iltered light, look for unique elements in the 

landscape to feature in your composition, and use the iltered light to add color and 

contour. I had a situation like this in Yosemite Valley one winter when I stopped at 

my favorite place, Gates of the Valley, but the light wasn’t cooperating. The heavy 

cloud cover made the land featureless, but I had spectacular rime ice formations on 

the rocks in the Merced River right in front of me. So, again, applying a little patience 

I waited (and froze) to see if the cloud cover might ease up. After about 30 minutes, 

the clouds behind me opened slightly, allowing the light to cast beautiful reddish 

highlights on El Capitan and the clouds to the north. I had my unique rime ice and 

my “light edge” color. It all came together. 

Mammatus clouds and rainbow 

over Bryce Canyon. 

Speaking of storm light, this would be 

a good time to mention safety. Storms 

can subject you and your equipment to 

all kinds of weather and even dangerous 

conditions. Don’t wait for the lightning 

to strike your metal tripod, the wind to 

blow it over or the pelting horizontal 

rain to soak into your socks and camera. 

Take shelter when the conditions become 

adverse and, using that key element, 


patience, wait for better conditions. 

Remember, “light edge” effects usually 

become more pronounced as storms and 

weather abate. When I was photographing 

that magniicent storm in Bryce Canyon, 

the weather turned on me and I had 

to retreat to my car until the “tornado” 

and lightning abated. By waiting, I was 

rewarded with spectacular spot lighting 

on the Paunsaugunt Plateau formations 

with the most amazing mammatus cloud 

formations overhead. Had I left, I’d have 

never seen or captured this image. 

Head out and see what kinds of 

“light edge” magic you can ind. OP 

To see more of Dave Welling’s work, 

visit strikingnatureimagesbydavewelling.com.

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PART 

THREE 

Workflow 

In Lightroom 

Developing 

a creative workflow 

Text & Photography By Jason Bradley 

FIGURE 1 

Each development offers a different mood, feel, interpretation or 

narrative. Thus, the tools we use to adjust our iles serve us best if 

viewed as artistic vehicles rather than technical instruments. 


FIGURE 2 

The Crop Overlay Frame is interactive. You can grab 

either its sides or corners to rotate or adjust its size. 

The term “worklow” refers to the 

method by which we approach the 

steps of our work. Whether they 

seek an elaborate solution to working with 

a large archive or a streamlined solution 

for working with a more modestly sized 

library, photographers yearn for the smartest 

and most eficient approach. Of course, 

this can be frustrating for the photographer 

trying to igure out the right way versus 

the wrong way to approach worklow 

because there are as many methods as 

there are photographers. In both instances, 

and whether or not we’re talking about ile 

management, developing or ile-sharing 

worklows, I suggest considering a creative 

approach to worklow instead of 

“what’s right and what’s wrong.” 

To develop creatively means you 

develop with your own ideas in mind. 

There are tons of books available on the 

market and videos online, but duplicating 

the techniques of others will only take 

you so far. In terms of developing, for 

instance, your knowledge of the tools 

in the Lightroom Develop Module isn’t 

nearly as important as having clarity on 

your image’s subject, what your image is 

about, what feeling you want to convey 

or what mood you want to project. You 

know your work and can thus envision 

a development better than anyone, and 

you should trust that. 

In the irst article of this series, I suggested 

typing “images of darkroom printing 

notes” into Google. The results show 

a wide variety of images of prints that 

are covered in scribbles. These scribbles 

are a blueprint or a recipe that darkroom 

photographers use to guide their printing 

worklow. They’re a record of how 

to mask, dodge and burn, and tone an 

image. Printing notes were imperative for 

the creative photographer when making 

prints in the darkroom, and in my opinion, 

not much has changed. 

When I prepare to work on an image 

in Lightroom, I irst study it. I relect on 

whether I should emphasize color, subdue 

color or remove color altogether to bring 

attention more to a pattern, shape, texture 

or tone. I consider what areas I should 

dodge or burn to draw the viewer’s attention 

either toward a subject or away from 

it. I create a plan, or a set of mental “printing 

notes,” in my head before I open a 

panel or touch a slider in the Develop Module 

because my mental notes help dictate 

which tools I should use and how I should 

use them. With all this in mind, the trick 

isn’t in knowing what the tools do technically 

but what they do artistically. Let’s 

go through some of the ways to approach 

RAW ile development creatively. 

The Practice Of Printing Notes 

Being clear on your image’s subject 

and meaning starts before you hit the 

shutter. As I compose the vast majority of 

my images, I make an effort to always ask 

myself: “What is the subject of this image 

and what is it about?” Once I know the 

FIGURE 3 

The two main sections of the Crop & Straighten Panel 

allow us to set and customize aspect ratios or rotate 

and straighten our images. 

FIGURE 4 

Lightroom comes equipped with a list of standard aspect 

ratios to choose from or you can create a custom ratio by 

irst clicking “Enter Custom.” 

Aspect Ratios 

Straightening

FIGURE 5 

Clicking on the small Level icon allows you to click and drag over a 

crooked horizontal line to straighten it. 

FIGURE 6 

At the top of the Basic Panel are the options of treating 

your ile as a color or black-and-white image. I 

suggest making this decision before all others. 

answers,framingthingswithmycamera 

becomesmucheasier.Byknowing,Ican 

critique each element within my frame 

to determine its need or value. If it has 

no supportive value to my narrative, I 

changemypositionorzoommylensand 

cropitoutoftheframethebestIcan. 

InasensethisisexactlywhatIdobefore 

developing. Here’s a list of questions I 

think are helpful to ask yourself as you 

openyourimagesintheDevelopModule: 

•Am I creating a color or black-andwhiteimage? 

•Doesthecompositionneedcropping 

orrotating? 

• What is the condition of brightness 

throughoutmyimageandlocally? 

•Whatisthestateofcolorthroughout 

myimageandlocally? 

• Should I render vibrant or muted 

colorsthroughouttheimageorlocally? 

• What’s the state of my shadows 

and highlights throughout the image 

andlocally? 

•Howistheoverallcontrast? 

•ShouldIemphasizedepththroughout 

theimageorlocally? 

•ShouldIemphasizetexturesorsoften 

themthroughouttheimageorlocally? 

• Should I dodge some areas or 

burnothers? 

Asyoucanimagine,youneedtohave 

some clarity on subject and meaning to 

know how to answer these questions. 

Just duplicating a technique you saw in 

anonlinevideowon’tbeenough.Ifyou 

don’t know what your subject is, then 

what, through developing and through 

dodging and burning, are you drawing 

yourviewers’attentionto?Whatdoyou 

want their eyes to fall on? If you aren’t 

clearifyourimageisaboutasubtletonality, 

rough or soft textures, warm or cool 

colors, subtle intricate details or hard or 

softedges,thenwhatwillyouemphasize 

andwhatwillyoureduce? 

Crop & Straighten Panel 

Evenwithclarityonsubjectandmeaningintheield,wedon’talwaysendup 

withtheperfectcomposition.Sometime 

our horizons aren’t perfectly straight. 

Sometimes our lens won’t extend for 

enough to crop out unwanted things on 

the edge of our frame, and sometimes 

we want to create a custom aspect ratio 

such as a panoramic or a square. The 

CropOverlayPaneldoesitall. 

ByclickingontheCropOverlayicon 

(quick command key R), the irst thing 

you’ll notice is a crop frame overlaid 

around your image (Figure 2). This 

frame is interactive.You can grab the 

corners or the sides to either shrink the 

frame’s size or rotate it. 

The second thing you might notice 

are all the little things in the Crop & 

StraightenPanel(Figure3).Therearetwo 

mainsectionstothispanel.Thetoprow 

allowsyoutocontroltheaspectratio,and 

thebottomrowallowsyoutostraighten 

(orrotate)yourcroppingframe. 

Forthetoprow,therearethreethings 

toknow.Byclickingontheicononthe 

left,youcanclickanddragaframewith 

a custom aspect ratio over your image. 

To its right is a small dropdown menu 

with prepackaged aspect ratios (Figure 

4),oryoucanclickonEnterCustomto 

make your own. The lock to its right, 

when locked, allows you to move the 

Crop Overlay Frame without changing 

the aspect ratio, or if the lock is open, 

you can maneuver the Crop Frame in 

any way you like. 

Thebottomrowallowsyoutostraighten 

orrotateyourCropFrameinacoupleof 

ways. By clicking on the Level Icon on 

theleft,yourcursorturnsintoacrosshair, 

allowingyoutoclickanddragalineover 

the length of a crooked horizon (Figure 

5).Onceyouletgo,theimagerotatesto 

straightenthelinedrawn.Theslidertoits 

FIGURE 7 

Here are six different color temperature 

renderings of the same image. From cool tones 

to warm, each offers a completely different feel 

from the next. 

Color Temperature: 3250 



Color Temperature: 8750 Color Temperature: 12250 Color Temperature: 25800 


FIGURE 8 

The White Balance Selector tool is an easy auto 

feature that allows to you click on potential 

neutral toned areas of your image for instant 

color balancing.

ight is another way of rotating the image. 

Move the slider to the right, and the Crop 

Overlay moves counterclockwise over 

your image, or move it to the left to move 

the frame clockwise. 

Treatment 

The way I develop a black-and-white 

image versus a color image can be very 

different, so I tend to make this decision 

up front. When you open the Basic Panel, 

the irst things you’ll see are the options 

for Treatment, rendering your image as 

either Color or Black & White (Figure 6). 

Interpretive and Literal Color 

Approaches. Ultimately, color is subjective, 

and the creative photographer 

understands that color can affect the mood 

and feeling of an image and is a powerful 

vehicle for communicating a narrative. 

Figure 7 shows a series of images presented 

with different color temperatures. 

You can render an image with cool tones 

or warm tones, with vibrant colors or 

muted color, or you can shift the hue of a 

color channel or tone of an image to create 

an eclectic affect. 

For a more literal rendering of 

color, it’s all about the white balance. 

Lightroom does offer Presets akin to 

what your camera offers such as Daylight, 

Cloudy, Shade and Tungsten, but I 

prefer to use the White Balance Selector 

(Figure 8). The trick is to ind an area of 

the image that you would like to be neutral 

in tone—some shade of white, gray 

or black. With either path you choose, 

I suggest using a White Balance Preset 

or the White Balance Selector tool as 

ways of getting you in the ballpark. To 

dial in the details, look to the Temp and 

Tint sliders for ine-tuning. 

Black & White. Converting images to 

black-and-white with Lightroom is terribly 

easy. Yes, you can click on Black & White 

at the top of the Basic Panel, but I suggest 

visiting the B&W Panel below it. As you 

click on B&W, the panel opens, revealing 

a series of color sliders. Simply move sliders 

left or right to lighten or darken tonal 

information within a speciic color channel. 

This is an easy and effective way to 

design any black-and-white image before 

ine-tuning it with contrast adjustments or 

dodging and burning. 

Contrast And Clarity 

Technically speaking, increasing or 

decreasing contrast either expands or 

contracts mid-tones. But adding contrast 

can also add the feeling of depth 

or richness within a frame. Adding contrast 

deepens shadows and extends highlights, 

which in turn can saturate color 

images, emphasize shapes and edges, 

and intensify overall tonality throughout 

the frame. Naturally, subtracting contrast 

will mute colors, deemphasize shapes 

and edges, and soften overall tonality. 

The two main tools for working with 

contrast are the Contrast slider in the 

Basic Panel or the Tone Curve Panel. 

Figure 9 shows variations of an image 

with some of each applied. Simply put, 

the difference between the two is that the 

Contrast slider shifts contrast throughout 

the image, while Tone Curves allows you 

to target contrast adjustments to speciic 

areas of your tonal range. 

Lightroom also offers the Clarity slider 

for playing with contrast on a iner scale. 

For example, the Clarity slider is excellent 

at emphasizing or deemphasizing textures. 

In Figure 10, I used it to texturize water by 

moving the slider to the right or softening 

it by moving it to the left. One gives a 

feeling of hardness, the other softness. 


Contrast -75 Contrast +50 

FIGURE9 

Lowcontrasttendstolattenobjects,whileincreasing 

contrastwilladddepthtoasceneandemphasizeshape 

androundnessinsubjectmatter.Contrastwilldeepen 

shadows,expandhighlightsandsaturatecolors. 

Clarity -25 Clarity +75 

High contrast Tone 

Curve Adjustment 

FIGURE10 

Clarity,whichisreallyainely 

tunedcontrastadjustment,isthe 

perfecttooltosmoothoutsurfaces 

oraccentuatetextures. 

Localized Corrections 

In my humble opinion, the true power of 

creative development sits in the hands of 

the localized corrections tools. Just above 

the Basic Panel in the Develop Module, 

next to the Crop tool, you’ll ind the Graduated 

Filter (quick command M), the 

Radial Filter (quick command Shift+M), 

and the Adjustment Brush (quick command 

K). With these tools, you can affect 

small, speciic areas of an image, or perform 

adjustments over large areas. As you 

can see in Figure 11, there is no shortage 

of sliders to play with. As important as 

all the panels are in the Develop Module, 

the localized correction tools allow the 

most lexibility. You can play with Tint and 

Temperature, or make basic tonal adjustments 

like exposure, contrast, highlights 

and shadows, whites and blacks; you can 

adjust Clarity or Dehaze sliders, sharpen, 

add or subtract noise, reduce moiré or 

defringe (which we will talk about in the 

next article in this series), or you can colorize 

as speciic or as broad a section of 

your image as you like. 

Localized correction tools are precisely 

what you should use to answer most of 

those printing notes questions. Figure 12 

shows a series of adjustments I made only 

using localized correction tools. I didn’t 

use the Basic Panel, Tone Curves or any 

other adjustments found outside of what’s 

available with localized corrections. 

No localized 

adjustments applied 

A Graduated Filter 

was applied above and 

below the horizon line 

I lightened and added 

Clarity to the dock with 

the Adjustment Brush 

Using the Radial 

Filter, I created a custom 

vignette adding contrast, 

saturation, and I used 

the Temperature slider to 

warm the scene 


FIGURE11 

Therearethreedifferent 

localizedcorrectiontools 

thatofferarichand 

dynamicvarietyofcontrol, 

allowingyoutoapply 

adjustmentstolargeparts 

ofyourframeortosmall 

andspeciicareasforine 

detailwork. 

FIGURE12 

AlmostallofthecreativeorinterpretiveworkthatIdo,whereIdodge 

orburn,ordrawmyaudience’s 

attentiontowardorawayfroma 

subject,isdonewithlocalizedcorrectiontools.Thisimagewasedited 

exclusivelywithsuchtools. 

Creative Instruments 

From irst conceiving a composition 

to inalizing a development, the tools are 

important, but they are secondary. They 

are vehicles for feelings, moods and states 

of being. You can add depth, texture or 

color, or you can soften tones, edges or 

surfaces. By irst asking yourself the right 

questions, and creating those mental printing 

notes, the tools you subsequently play 

with cease to be technical instruments. 

They instead become paths that support a 

narrative. Being connected to your vision 

for your work is the key. OP 

Jason Bradley is a nature and underwater 

photographer, an expedition leader, 

author of the new book Creative Worklow 

in Lightroom from Focal Press, and 

owner and operator of Bradley Photographic 

Print Services. Visit BradleyPhotographic.com 

to see more of his work or 

to hear about his upcoming adventures.

BEHIND THE SHOT 

Text & Photography By Kevin Shearer 

Lost Lake 

Milky Way 

Mount Hood, Oregon

Sony a7S II, Zeiss Loxia 50mm ƒ/2 Planar T*. Exposure: 10 sec., ƒ/2.5, ISO 20,000. 

Capturing the Milky Way over 

Mount Hood from Lost Lake 

was a bucket list capture for 

me. This shot was taken in 

April 2016. I was feeling the 

itch to get out and capture the galaxy’s core, 

as it hadn’t been visible since October 2015. 

I knew there was a very short window of time 

to get this speciic capture. In addition to 

needing ideal weather conditions and minimal 

moon light, I knew the Milky Way would be off 

to the right of the mountain instead of directly 

above in a short month. 

I made the trip with another photographer 

friend, Nick, to Lost Lake Resort expecting a 

three-mile hike to get to this location. We knew 

the resort would be closed for the winter and 

that the roads weren’t necessarily maintained 

during this time. Thankfully, to our surprise, 

the road had been plowed, and we were able 

to drive right up to the gate of the resort. The 

three-mile hike we were expecting was shortened 

to a leisurely half-mile stroll. 

The short hike wasn’t without obstacles, 

however. A severe storm had recently passed 

through and downed many massive trees, 

blocking the trail completely. We attempted 

to climb over the trees, but there was no surmounting 

those giants without the risk of injury. 

We made the decision to back track to the road 

and happened upon a wooden staircase that led 

us directly to the North Viewpoint. Once there, 

we set up our cameras and waited for the Milky 

Way to start rising. We were pleasantly surprised 

to have the viewpoint all to ourselves. After 

taking some test shots and getting my focus 

correct, I waited until 2 a.m. to take this shot. We 

stayed out until around 4 a.m. taking additional 

shots when we decided to call it a day, or night, 

depending on how you see it. It was an amazing 

night and one that I won’t soon forget. 

The image is an 11-shot pano taken in landscape 

orientation at ISO 20,000. Yes, you read 

that right—20,000. I use a Really Right Stuff 

Pano-Gimbal Head to make sure all my panos 

are level and will stitch together nicely in post. 

This was mounted to an Induro CT203 tripod. 

The images were then edited in Lightroom, 

merged to a pano in Photoshop and further edited 

there. 

OP 

See more of Kevin Shearer’s work at kdsphotography.smugmug.com 

and follow him 

on Instagram @k.d.s.photography.

Explore the many opportunities for dramatic landscape photography 

on the sunrise side of California’s Sierra Nevada mountains 

Text & Photography By Gary Hart 

Skirting the east side of the Sierra Nevada, U.S. Route 395 

enchants travelers with ever-changing views of California’s 

granite backbone. Unlike anything on the Sierra’s 

gently sloped west side, U.S. 395 parallels the range’s 

precipitous east lank in the shadow of jagged peaks that soar 

up to two miles above the blacktop. More than just beautiful, 

these massive mountains form a natural barrier against 

incursion from the Golden State’s major metropolitan areas, 

keeping the eastern Sierra region cleaner and quieter than its 

scenery might suggest. 

It would be dificult to ind any place in the world with a more 

diverse selection of natural beauty than the 120-mile stretch of 

U.S. 395 between Lone Pine and Lee Vining: Mt. Whitney and the 

Alabama Hills, the ancient bristlecones of the White Mountains, 

the granite columns of Devil’s Postpile, Mono Lake and its tufa 

towers, and too many lake-dotted, aspen-lined canyons to count. 

Long a favored escape for hikers, hunters and ishermen, Sierra’s 

sunrise side has in recent years come to be appreciated by photographers 

for its rugged, solitary beauty. 

I prefer photographing most eastern Sierra locations at sunrise, 

when the day’s irst rays paint the mountains with warm light and 

the highest peaks are colored rose by alpenglow. Without clouds, 

eastern Sierra sunset light can be tricky, as you’ll be photographing 

the shady side of the mountains against the brightest part of the 

sky. The eastern Sierra is also home to some of California’s inest 

night photography. 

Regardless of the time of day, the key to photographing the 

eastern Sierra is lexibility—if you don’t like the light in one 

direction, you usually don’t need to travel far to ind a nice scene 

in another direction. 


Sunrise Moonset, Mt. Whitney, Alabama Hills. 

Lone Pine Area 

The southern stretch of U.S. 395 bisects the Owens Valley, a lat, 

arid plane separating the Sierra Nevada to the west from the Inyo 

ranges to the east. Just west of Lone Pine lies the Alabama Hills. 

Named for a Confederate Civil War warship, the Alabama Hills’ 

jumble of weathered granite boulders and proliferation of natural 

arches would be photogenic in any setting. Putting Mt. Whitney 

(the highest point in the 48 contiguous states) and the serrated 

Sierra crest in the background takes the beauty to another level. 

The Alabama Hills are traversed by a network of unpaved but 

generally quite navigable roads. To reach the Alabama Hills, drive 

west on Whitney Portal Road (the only signal in Lone Pine). After 

three miles, turn right onto Movie Road and start exploring. If 

you’re struck by a vague sense of familiarity here, it’s probably 

because for nearly a century the Alabama Hills has attracted 

thousands of movie, television and commercial ilm crews. 

Mobius Arch (also called Whitney Arch and Alabama Hills Arch) 

is the most popular photo spot in the Alabama Hills. It’s a good 

place to start, but settling for this frequently photographed subject 

risks missing numerous opportunities for truly unique images here. 

To get to Mobius Arch, drive 1.6 miles on Movie Road to the dirt 

parking area at the trailhead. Following the marked trail down the 

ravine, the arch is an easy quarter-mile walk. 

Sunrise is primetime for Alabama Hills photography, but good 

stuff can be found here long before the sun arrives. I try to be set 

up 45 minutes before the sun (earlier if I want to ensure the best 

position for Whitney Arch) to avoid missing a second of the Sierra’s 

striking transition from night to day. 

The grand inale from anywhere in the Alabama Hills is the rose 

alpenglow that colors the Sierra crest just before sunrise. Soon after, 

the light will turn amber and slowly slide down the peaks until it 

reaches your location, warming the nearby boulders and casting 

dramatic long shadows. But unless there are clouds to soften the 

light, you’ll ind that the harsh morning light will end your shoot 

pretty quickly after the sunlight arrives on the Alabama Hills. 

Whitney Portal Road (closed in winter) ends about 11 miles 

beyond Movie Road, at Whitney Portal, the trailhead for the hike 

to Mt. Whitney and the John Muir Trail. On this paved but steep 

road, anyone not afraid of heights will enjoy great views looking 

east over the Alabama Hills and Owens Valley far below, and 

up-close views of Mt. Whitney looming in the west. At the back 

of the Whitney Portal parking lot is a nice waterfall that tumbles 

several hundred feet in multiple steps. 

The Alabama Hills are one of my favorite moonlight locations. 

Because the full moon rises in the east right around sunset, on 

full-moon nights the entire area is bathed in moonlight as soon 

as darkness falls. Lit by the moon, the rounded boulders mingle 

with long, eerie shadows and the snow-capped granite of the Sierra 

crest radiates as if lit from within. 

If you ind yourself with extra time, drive about 30 miles east 

of Lone Pine on California State Route 136 until you ascend to a 

plain dotted with photogenic Joshua trees. After you’ve inished 

photographing the Joshua trees, turn around and retrace the drive 

back to Lone Pine on CA 136 to enjoy spectacular panoramic 

views of the Sierra crest. And just north of Lone Pine on U.S. 

395 is Manzanar National Historic Site, a restored World War II 

Japanese relocation camp. Camera or not, this historic location is 

deinitely worth taking an hour or two to explore. 

Bristlecone Pine Forest 

Continuing north from Lone Pine on U.S. 395, on your left 

the Sierra stretch north as far as the eye can see, while the Inyo 

mountains on the right transition seamlessly to the White Mountains. 

Though geologically different from the Sierra, the White 

Mountains’ proximity and Sierra views make it an essential part 

of the eastern Sierra experience. 

Clinging to rocky slopes in the thin air above 10,000 feet, the 

bristlecone pines of the White Mountains are among the oldest 

living things on earth—many show no signs of giving up after 4,000 

years. At least one bristlecone is estimated to be 5,000 years old. 

Abused by centuries of frigid temperatures, relentless wind, 

oxygen deprivation and persistent drought, the bristlecones 

show every year of their age. Their stunted, twisted, gnarled, 


Autumn Relection, North Lake. 

polished wood makes the bristlecones 

suited for intimate macros, mid-range 

portraits or as a striking foreground for a 

distant panorama. 

The two primary destinations in the bristlecone 

pine forest are the Schulman and 

Patriarch Groves. Get to the bristlecone pine 

forest by driving east from Big Pine on California 

State Route 168 and climbing about 

13 car-sickness inducing miles. Turn left on 

White Mountain Road and continue climbing 


another 10 twisting miles to reach the Schulman 

Grove. Despite the incline and curves, 

the road is paved all the way to this point. 

Stop at the Sierra panorama after about eight 

miles for a spectacular view that also makes 

a great excuse to pause and collect yourself. 

At the small visitor center in the Schulman 

Grove, pay the modest use fee, then 

choose between the one-mile Discovery 

Trail and the 4.5-mile Methuselah Trail. 

Both of these loop trails are in good shape, 

but the extreme up and down in very thin 

air will test your itness. Most of the trees 

on the Methuselah Trail get more morning 

light, while the majority of the Discovery 

Trail trees get their light in the afternoon. 

If you’re unsure of your itness or have 

limited time, the Discovery Trail is deinitely 

the choice for you. Because the photogenic 

trees start with the very irst steps, 

on this trail you can turn around at any 

point without feeling cheated of opportunities 

to photograph nice bristlecones. Along 

the way you’ll appreciate the handful of 

benches for enjoying the view and catching 

your breath. Hikers who can make it to 

the top of the switchbacks are rewarded 

with great views of the snow-capped Sierra 

across the Owens Valley. 

The Discovery Trail climbs for a couple 

hundred more yards beyond the switchbacks, 

but just as you’re beginning to wonder 

whether all the effort is worth it, the trail

levels, turns and drops. Soon you’ll round 

a 90-degree bend and be rewarded for your 

hard work with two of the most spectacular 

bristlecones in the entire forest. Spend as 

much time here as you have because the 

rest of the loop back to the parking lot has 

nothing to compete with these two trees. 

The pavement ends at the Schulman Grove, 

but the unpaved 12-mile drive to the Patriarch 

Grove is navigable by all vehicles in dry 

conditions. Home to the Patriarch Tree, the 

world’s largest bristlecone pine, the Patriarch 

Grove is more primitive and much less visited 

than the Schulman Grove. Unlike the Schulman 

Grove, where I rarely stray far from the 

trail, I often ind the most photogenic bristlecones 

here by venturing cross-country, over 

several small ridges east of the Patriarch Tree. 

Even without a trail, the sparse vegetation and 

hilly terrain provides enough vantage points 

that make getting lost dificult. 

Clean air, few clouds and very little light 

pollution make the bristlecone groves a 

premier night photography location. On 

moonless summer and early autumn nights, 

the bright center of the Milky Way is clearly 

visible from the slopes of the bristlecone 

forest. For the best Milky Way images, look 

for trees that can be photographed against 

the southern sky. And no matter how warm 

it is on U.S. 395 below, pack a jacket. 

The bristlecone forest closes in winter. 

Bishop Area 

An hour north of Lone Pine on U.S. 395 

is Bishop. Its central location, combined 

with ample lodging, restaurant and shopping 

options, make Bishop the ideal hub 

for an eastern Sierra trip. If you want to 

anchor in one spot and venture out to the 

other eastern Sierra locations, Bishop is 

probably your best bet. 

West of Bishop are many small but scenic 

lakes nestled in steep, creek-carved 

Sunrise, Mono Lake, South Tufa. 

canyons that are lined with aspen (and 

some cottonwood) that turn brilliant yellow 

each fall. Many of these canyons can 

be accessed on paved roads, others via 

unpaved roads of varying navigability and 

a few solely by foot. 

Of these canyons, Bishop Creek Canyon 

is the best combination of accessible 

and scenic. To get there, drive west on CA 

168 (Line Street in Bishop). After about 

15 miles, you can decide whether to turn 

left on the road to South Lake or continue 

straight to reach North Lake and Lake 

Sabrina (pronounced with a long “i”). 

One of the area’s most popular sunrise 

spots, North Lake is a one-mile signed 

detour on a narrow, steep, unpaved road— 

easily navigated in good conditions by all 

vehicles, but the un-railed, near-vertical 


Sunrise Mirror, Mono Lake. 

drop isn’t for the faint of heart. A mile or 

so beyond the turn to North Lake, the road 

ends at Lake Sabrina, a fairly large reservoir 

in the shadow of rugged peaks and surrounded 

by beautiful aspen (but its bathtub 

ring in low-water months isn’t for me). 

South Lake is another aspen-lined reservoir 

that shrinks in late summer and 

autumn. Highlights on South Lake Road 

are a manmade but photogenic waterfall 

leaping from the mountainside, clearly 

visible on the left as you ascend, and Weir 

Lake just before South Lake. 

Both Bishop Canyon roads are worth 

exploring, especially in autumn, when the 

fall color can be spectacular. Each features 

scenic tarns and dense aspen stands 

accented by views of nearby Sierra peaks. 

About a half hour north of Bishop, detour 

west off U.S. 395 to postcard-perfect Convict 

Lake. And just beyond the road to 

Convict Lake is the upscale resort town of 

Mammoth Lakes, a few miles west of U.S. 

395. The drive on California State Route 

203 through Mammoth Lakes takes you 

past the Mammoth Mountain ski slopes to 


Minaret Vista. This panoramic view of the 

sawtooth Minaret Range, Mt. Ritter and Mt. 

Banner captures the essence of high Sierra 

beauty. From here, follow the road down 

the other side to see the basalt columns of 

Devil’s Postpile and to take the short hike 

to Rainbow Fall. 

While you’re in Bishop, don’t miss 

Galen Rowell’s Mountain Light gallery 

at 106 South Main Street. Not only does 

this beautiful gallery display a fantastic 

assortment of Rowell’s beautiful images 

of the area and beyond, it also includes the 

work of guest photographers, an assortment 

of Rowell’s books and a limited 

selection of ilters. 

Lee Vining Area 

Leaving Bishop, U.S. 395 climbs 

steeply, crests near Crowley Lake, skirts 

the communities of Mammoth Lakes and 

June Lake, inally dropping down into the 

Mono Basin and Lee Vining. Though this 

is an easy, one-hour drive, you’ll feel like 

you’ve landed on a different planet. 

By far the most popular Mono Lake 

location is South Tufa, a garden of limestone 

tufa towers that line the shore and rise from 

the lake. In addition to the striking tufa towers, 

South Tufa is on a point that protrudes 

into the lake, allowing photographers to compose 

with tufa and lake in the frame facing 

west, north or east, depending on the light. 

To visit South Tufa, turn east on California 

State Route 120 about ive miles 

south of Lee Vining. Follow this road for 

another ive miles and turn left at the sign 

for South Tufa. Drive about a mile on an 

unpaved, dusty but easily navigated road 

to the large dirt parking lot. From here, it’s 

an easy quarter-mile walk to the lake, but 

wear your mud shoes if you want to get 

close to the water. Don’t climb on the tufa! 

While South Tufa can be really nice at 

sunset, mirror relections on the frequently 

calm lake surface and warm light skimming 

over the low eastern horizon make 

this one of California’s premier sunrise 

locations. To get the most out of a sunrise 

shoot here, it’s a good idea to photograph 

South Tufa at sunset irst to familiarize 

yourself with the many possibilities.

Big Dipper, Alabama Hills. 

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In the morning, arrive at least 45 minutes 

before sunrise to ensure a good spot at this 

popular location. As the dawn brightens, 

keep your head on a swivel and be prepared 

to shift positions with the changing light. 

In the relative darkness just after arrival, I 

usually concentrate on scenes to the east, 

capturing tufa silhouettes against indigo 

sky and water. 

As the eastern horizon brightens and the 

dynamic range increases in that direction, 

I usually turn to face west. Soon the highest 

Sierra peaks are colored with the day’s 

irst sunlight. With the sun approaching 

the horizon behind me, the light on the 

peaks slowly descends. When it inally 

reaches lake level, for a few minutes the 

tufa towers are awash with warm sidelight, 

creating wonderful opportunities facing 

north. As with the Alabama Hills, without 

clouds to soften the sunlight and make the 

sky more interesting, the sunrise show 

ends quickly in the contrasty light. 

Other options in and near Lee Vining are 

the excellent Mono Lake visitor center on 

the north side of town, lunch or dinner at 

the Whoa Nellie Deli in the Mobil Station 

(trust me on this), and Bodie, an extremely 

photogenic ghost town maintained in a state 

of arrested decay, about an hour’s drive 

north. A sinuous 20-minute drive west, up 

CA 120 (closed in winter) lands you at 

Tioga Pass, Yosemite’s east entrance and 

the gateway to Tuolumne Meadows. OP 

Gary Hart is a Northern California-based 

professional photographer 

and writer who conducts photo workshops 

in Death Valley, the eastern 

Sierra, Grand Canyon, Hawaii and 

Yosemite. Visit his website at garyhartphotography.com.

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Sturdy Tripod 

This one is probably obvious, since night photography requires exposures of up to 30 

seconds for sharp stars and 30 minutes or more to render star trails. Any movement of the 

camera during exposures this long will have a noticeable effect on the image. Be sure the 

tripod you select can adequately support the load of your gear. Carbon fiber tripods like the 

Really Right Stuff TVC-34 have better vibration-dampening characteristics than aluminum 

models. List price: $995. Contact: Really Right Stuff, reallyrightstuff.com. 

Intensifier Filter 

Most experienced night photographers 

will recommend you 

shoot without any filters, and this 

is generally good advice, as filters 

reduce the amount of light that 

reaches your sensor, necessitating 

even longer exposures. One 

exception, though, especially if 

you’re photographing in an area 

with light pollution, is the Hoya 

Red Intensifier. Also known as a 

didymium filter, it’s designed to 

boost reds and oranges of autumn 

colors. The wavelengths it blocks 

just happen to be the same as the 

most common types of light pollution 

from city lights. Estimated 

street price: $67. Contact: Kenko 

Tokina USA, kenkotokinausa.com. 

The most important piece of equipment for night 

photography is a camera that exhibits low-noise with 

long exposures. The larger the sensor, the better a 

camera’s light-gathering ability, so a full-frame camera will 

generally do a better job than an APS-C model. Cameras 

with high ISO capabilities are also an advantage; the 

higher the max ISO of the camera’s sensor, the better 

the image quality you’ll likely get from long exposures. 

Beyond the camera itself, there are a few accessories that 

you’ll want to bring with you—a few of which are necessary. 

Essential equipment 

for shooting stars and 

landscapes after dark 

By The Editors 

Flashlight F r Light Painting 

Ligh echniques are great for adding illumination to 

land ap ents during long exposures and can be used to 

highlight specific objects. Colorful lights add an extra dimension 

of creativity. The Gerber Recon four-color LED flashlight 

has modes designed for specific purposes: white for general 

use, red for preserving night vision, green for reading maps 

and blue for identifying liquids. But you can also use these 

for adding a splash of color in your light painting. Estimated 

street price: $25. Contact: Gerber, gerbergear.com. 


Multi-Mode Headlamp 

A headlamp is important safety equipment for finding 

your way around the landscape at night. We recommend 

multi-mode headlamps like the Black Diamond 

Storm, which provides up to 250 lumens of light from 

the main LEDs and also offers dimmable red and green 

night vision modes that, besides their intended purpose, 

can be used to add colorful light painting effects to your 

long exposures. It also has an IP67 waterproof rating for 

all-weather use. List price: $49. Contact: Black Diamond 

Equipment, blackdiamondequipment.com. 

Extra Batteries 

Long exposures mean your camera’s 

sensor is working overtime, 

draining your batteries faster than 

you might expect. Being prepared 

with an extra battery or two is 

always wise, but especially so for 

night photography. This isn’t a 

place to cut corners—we advise 

that you always purchase batteries 

from your camera manufacturers 

and avoid third-party “bargains.” 

Your camera maker takes care to 

produce high-quality batteries. 

If something goes wrong with a 

third-party battery, it could damage 

your camera and will likely void 

your warranty. 

Smartphone Star Maps 

Apps that provide maps of the night sky 

are especially helpful for astrophotography. 

For example, to get perfectly circular star 

trails, you’ll want to center your composition 

on Polaris (the North Star). One of 

our favorite apps for mapping the stars is 

Sky Guide for iOS. Point your smartphone 

toward the heavens, and Sky Guide displays 

the constellations above and identifies 

them. It even offers encyclopedic 

information about the major planets and 

stars. You can also discover where stars will 

be in the future and track celestial bodies 

through time to pre-plan your compositions. 

List price: $2.99. Contact: Sky Guide 

(Fifth Star Labs), fifthstarlabs.com. 

Camera Remote 

Along with a tripod, a camera remote is absolutely required for night 

photography. It allows you to activate the shutter for long exposures 

without needing to actually touch the camera, causing unwanted vibration. 

Simple remotes are often available from your camera manufacturer, 

but a more sophisticated solution like the Hähnel Captur Module - Pro 

is a better investment, offering a variety of remote-triggering capabilities, 

including an intervalometer for time-lapse photography and the 

ability to set duration of long exposures with your camera in Bulb mode. 

Estimated street price: $119. Contact: Hähnel (RTS, Inc.), rtsphoto.com. 


Hands-on with Nikon’s top DX-format DSLR 

Text & Photography By Tony Rowell 

The Milky Way over the Paciic Ocean, 

Pescadero Coast, California. Exposure: 

20 seconds, ƒ/4.5, ISO 5000. 


In conjunction with the launch of 

the Nikon D5 full-frame lagship 

DSLR earlier this year, Nikon also 

announced the Nikon D500, an APS-C 

sensor camera with remarkable similarities 

to the D5. The camera features a 

20.9-megapixel APS-C CMOS sensor 

and has the same EXPEED 5-image 

processor, 153-point AF system and 

advanced metering system as the new 

top-of-the-line full-frame D5. 

If you’re photographing wildlife or 

sports action, you’ll love the D500, as 

it has continuous shooting at up to 10 

frames per second and, when using an 

XQD memory card (the camera features 

both XQD and SD card slots), it 

can record up to 200 frames in a single 

burst, even when shooting 14-bit lossless 

compressed NEF iles. 

These days I do a lot of night photography, 

so I was pleased that the buttons 

on the left side of the camera light up for 

easy navigation in low light. The large 

3.2-inch 2,359,000-dot LCD touchscreen 

tilts up and down and, like a smartphone, 

you can use your ingers on the screen to 

zoom in on an image or swipe the screen 

to review additional images. The native 

sensitivity range of the D500 is ISO 100 

to 51,200 and expandable to 1,640,000. 

I was a little disappointed that there 

wasn’t a built-in lash like the one on the 

D300s that I still own because an in-camera 

lash can save the day in a backlit or 

shady scene, and can be used to trigger 

more powerful strobes, such as Nikon’s 

new SB-5000 AF Speedlight, which I also 

had the opportunity to test. This high-tech 

lash can handle more than 100 consecutive 

irings at full output without overheating, 

thanks to an innovative built-in 

cooling system and a brilliant heat-shedding 

design. The lash is part of Nikon’s 

Advanced Wireless Lighting system and, 

when used with a D5 or D500 DSLR 

equipped with WR-R10 Wireless Remote 

Controller and WR-A10 Wireless Remote 

Adapter, provides a radio triggering range 

of 98 feet with no line-of-sight requirement 

and with control over six groups of lashes. 

The D500 also shoots cinematic 4K 

UHD video at up to 30 frames per second 

and includes a handy built-in interval 

timer and 4K UHD quality time-lapse 

function, which allows you to easily create 

4K UHD time-lapse movies in-camera. 

The downside is that you don’t get 

the stills. If you want to capture still iles, 

you can shoot hundreds of images with 

a short interval without the need for a 

remote or intervalometer using the camera’s 

Interval-Timer Shooting. 

I currently own a Nikon D300S, 

D700 and a D800E, and I’m incredibly 

impressed with the D500. The 

array of professional-level features 

found in the D500 make it the most 

advanced and most robust APS-C camera 

from Nikon. 

OP 

See more of Tony Rowell’s work at 

tonyrowell.com. 


WEAREGOINGTOTHEPANTANAL 

INBRAZILFORJAGUARS! 

TheNatureWorkshopsbeganofferingphotographyworkshopsover20yearsagowith 

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Alejandro Ronchetti 

tech tips 

(Cont’d from page 24) 

get 16MP on the Micro Four Thirds 

format sensor, the pixels need to be 

very small. As a result, the resolution 

will be less than that of full-frame 

DSLR cameras with 20MP or more, 

and nearly four times the sensor size. 

Smaller sensors with small pixels also 

affect the light-gathering properties 

of the camera, so the MFT cameras 

can’t compete in really low light and 

in dynamic range. 

Electronic viewinders (EVF) are both 

an advantage and a problem. On the one 

hand, the viewinder can relect the exposure 

and doesn’t black out during image 

and video capture. On the other hand, 

electronic viewinders still do not have 

enough resolution to match a throughthe-lens 

view for focusing. 

But that’s just for now. I know several 

pros and many dedicated amateur 

photographers who have committed to 

mirrorless systems, and their interest is 

going to drive the swift development of 

improvements and options. Choices! It 

all just gets better! 

OP 


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outdoorphotographer.com November2016 71


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T 

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01. Olympus Pen F 

• 20MP Live MOS Sensor 

• 50MP High Res Shot Mode 

• 2.36M-dot OLED Electronic Viewfinder 

$ 

1,199.00 SKU: IOMPFB 

03. Canon EOS-1DX Mark II 

• 20.2 Megapixel full-frame CMOS sensor 

• 4K video up to 60 fps, 

• Built-in GPS 

•Optional Wi-Fi Transmitter WFT-E8A 

$ 

5,999.00 SKU: ICA1DXM2 

05. Hasselblad 

X1D-50c 50MP 

• CMOS, 50 megapixels 

• Dual SD card slots 

• Hasselblad Natural Color Solution 

• 3.0 inch TFT type, 24 bit color 

$ 

8,995.00 SKU: HSX1D50C 

02. Leica Q 

• Full-frame 24 MP CMOS Sensor 

• Video recordings in Full HD 

• Integrated Wi-Fi and Leica Q-App 

• Fastest autofocus 

$ 

4,250.00 SKU: ILCQ 

04. Pentax K-1 

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• High Sensitivity 204,800 ISO 

• 33 Point Auto-Focus System 

• Professional H.264 Full HD video 

$ 

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06. Canon EF 11-24mm 

• L-series ultra-wide zoom lens 

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• Subwavelength Coating (SWC) 

• Air Sphere Coating (ASC) 

$ 

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• 20.8MP FX-format CMOS image sensor 

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and AE performance 

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• Mirrorless Digital Camera 

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• 2.4-million dot XGA OLED 

$ 

3,198.00 SKU: ISOA7R2 

12. Panasonic 

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Canon EOS-1D X Mark II DSLR Camera (Body) 

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NISB5000 | $596.95 

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Seewebsitefordetails. NYCDCAElectronicsStoreLic.#0906712; 

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Sony Alpha a7R II Mirrorless (Body) 

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last frame Canon EOS-1D X, Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS II USM. Exposure: 1/1000 sec., ƒ/5.6, ISO 1600. 

Michael Cohen 

Nature Of The Beast 

While on an extensive tour of Namibia, Michael Cohen was waiting out a storm in the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park when he witnessed an incredible sight: two 

male lions in pursuit of a male giraffe. “As the chase approached us,” Cohen recalls, “one lion stopped running and just laid down in the tall grass. The older, darkmaned 

lion shown here continued the pursuit on its own, inally breaking into a full sprint just as he was closest to our position. 

“The lion circled the giraffe, cutting off its escape route, staring up at its much-larger prey as the giraffe raised its hoof in defense. Spoiler: This lion was eventually 

joined by the second lion, and they successfully managed to take the giraffe down, although getting kicked several times in the process.” To see more of 

Michael Cohen’s work, visit mykey.smugmug.com. 


Focal Length: 600mm Exposure: F/7.1 1/1250sec ISO: 1600 

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Outdoor Photographer - November 2016

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