Everything in nature has an essence, an unmistakable core that makes it what it is, and not something else. Many photographers (including myself) often speak of simplifying a subject, of “reducing it to its essence.” I think that most confuse this process of reducing a subject to its essence with simplicity of composition. A simple composition, however, does not necessarily reveal anything of the truth of its subject—nor, for that [...]
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My latest post to the Outdoor Photographer blog, Lost and Found, recounts the finding of an epic shot in the backcountry wilds of Patagonia, and then losing it forever. The image below, which illustrates the post, was my failed attempt to recreate the lost photo. I say “failed” because I was hoping for a sunrise shot, but was only able to get good light at sunset. I’ve shot sunset from [...]
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One of the worst things people can do is to make something into something it is not. Whether it is a politician telling lies to get elected, a marketing executive trying to make a product sound far more exciting than it really is, or a cover band turning a rockin’ song into a horrible slow jazz remix, when you turn something into something it is not, you end up with something that [...]
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I’m sitting watching sheets of rain gust past me at 50-60 miles per hour over Lago Pehoe in Torres del Paine National Park, Chile. Of course, I am safely ensconced in my hotel, protected from the raging gale outside. The majestic old building creaks with each blast, however, and I can hear and feel each rolling breaker of white-tipped storm-borne fury crash upon the shore. Just another day in Patagonia. I love [...]
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Out along the edges Always where I burn to be The further on the edge The hotter the intensity Highway to the Danger Zone Gonna take you right into the Danger Zone —Kenny Loggins, “Danger Zone,” Top Gun Soundtrack (1986) I bet most of you are wondering what one of the worst songs ever written for one of the worst movies ever made has to do with nature photography. And now I bet some of you are [...]
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Good photographs use light, composition, and mood to trigger an emotional response in viewers. Great photographs also tell a story about their subject, or at least provide enough tantalizing bits to spark the imagination of viewers, letting them create the story on their own. With wildlife subjects, the ”story” you might wish to tell is often associated with an interesting or characteristic behavior that is unique to the animal, and that offers clues [...]
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I’m pleased to announce details for my extremely popular Chesapeake Bay Experience photo workshop, which I will hold this July 27-29. This workshop travels to famous Smith Island in the middle of the Chesapeake Bay for the quintessential Chesapeake photography experience. Only accessible by boat, the small waterman communities on Smith Island retain the spirit and charm of days long past. During this tour, we will take several boat trips to [...]
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After flying into Belize, I grabbed my gear and immediately beelined for the coast. When I arrived, I spent a week living on the beach, carefully hollowing out a palm tree trunk with my multi-tool blade, sculpting the pliant wood until a sleek sea kayak emerged. I used sand—coarse from broken coral—to smooth away any splinters, and lashed several dried palm fronds together to fashion a crude yet effective paddle. A bottle of champagne, a permanent [...]
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I’m pleased to offer for sale two gorgeous new eBooks by my good friends and fellow photographers Richard Bernabe and Joseph Rossbach: South Carolina Wonder and Light by Richard Bernabe takes you on a dazzling visual tour of the Palmetto State. Photographer Richard Bernabe has made his home in South Carolina since 1993 and has covered every corner of the state in pursuit of its wild landscapes and wildlife. From the [...]
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My latest post to the Outdoor Photographer blog, Business vs. Creativity, discusses the pressures of field work and the insatiable Internet demand for epic photographs. The image I use to illustrate the post, featured below, was taken at a place called Stud Horse Point, a few miles outside of Page, Arizona. To me, this bizarre hoodoo looks like a giant alien probe, transmitting back to the home planet: “Earth populated by [...]
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Sometimes I ask myself: why am I a nature photographer? Many of you might think this is an odd question; I know more than a few of you would gladly saw off your own left hand for the chance of being a full-time nature pro (gotta keep your right hand for pressing the shutter button). With the challenges of doing this professionally, however—the busy travel schedule, the pressures of running a business, being constantly in an “eat what I [...]
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6 Comments My latest post to the Outdoor Photographer blog, Entice the Eye, discusses strategies for engaging the viewer’s interest and leading their eye into the image. The image I use to illustrate the post, below, is a variation of an image I previously posted called Light’s Echo. I’m honestly on the fence as to which variation I prefer—both have strong and weak points. I made the image in Zion National Park. I [...]
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Here’s another shot from my Alaska Bears Workshop from last year. I love using back lighting, especially when working with wildlife. Back lighting adds a magical feel to photos, and a bit of mystery as well, especially when back lit subjects are rendered mostly in silhouette. Working in directional lighting can be tricky, as exposure becomes a challenge. Most modern digital cameras have sufficient dynamic range to handle many back [...]
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My fellow Creative Vision instructor Richard Bernabe and I will be returning to Alaska this August to lead a photo tour to photograph coastal brown bears in Katmai National Park. During last year’s bear workshop, we got many great “up close and personal” photos of massive grizzly bears feeding on salmon. This year, we are taking the group to the world-famous Brooks Falls, as well as a few other nearby [...]
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