October 23, 2010

Click To Listen>> Photography Podcast. PPS #72
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Today’s Host... Gavin Seim. This week Gavin gets in depth about his month and a half photo trip spanning various areas of the USA. He looks at things he saw and learned and ways to improve it all going forward.

Sunsets hidden falls. Gavin's favorite from an evening Yosemite. Did some experimenting with blacks on this. Image links to f164 post. More info in that post soon.

Podcast #72 forum discussion:

Notable Time Indexes:

  • 00:00 Introductions trip info.
  • 07:27 Verizon MiFi Pick
  • 12:03 Yellowstone
  • 17:34 Moving on and seeing things
  • 24:57 Zion area
  • 34:29 More resolution
  • 38:00 Details artifacts and light
  • 56:53 Mediums
  • 59:38 Closing

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October 19, 2010

Firehole Spring sparkles like a sky of deep blue turquoise, it’s inviting crystal clear water set flush to the earth like a giant hot tub. But beware, this is no swimming pool. The docile looking waters are nearly boiling, so enjoy it’s unearthly beauty, but let it bathe alone.

Firehole has nearly constant activity roiling under it’s surface, as  thermal bursts appear like small white explosions. Sometimes it’s subtle while at other times water may spit into the air as thermal bubbles reach the surface. On this day in early September it seems unusually calm affording me this unique crystal like view into it’s depths.

Set amid a rather barren patch of land, backed by shrill trees and sparse grasses, The pool sits just off Firehole Lake Drive, nearly unmarked and easily passed by. It seems plain, but when you get out and stand near, it’s impossibly clear water mesmerizes the eyes.

I took this in the early morning as bold clouds drifted overhead and I gave it some time, carefully planning the composition and working to use the land and the light as best I could.

For photographers. How it was made…

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October 14, 2010

The morning air is fresh and the dew moistened earth speaks of the night gone by. Water tumbles down the Split Rock river and past the bank on which I stand as the treetops gently toss their heads into the breeze of morning, whispering of what lies beyond on the far banks.

This may not be my most astounding image, but there’s something tranquil about it that keeps me coming back. We had camped at Spit Rock Park in Garretson SD the night before. I got up after sunrise and took some time planning what I felt would be the best of this scene. The result is this silky long exposure with the blurred treetops giving a further sense of motion. I’ve given a lot of thought to how this could be it’s best before posting, but in the end I like it simple and refined.

For Photographers. How it was made…

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October 13, 2010

This one was made a few weeks back. It was a drippy day during this years HDR workshop in Minnesota. We stopped by Taylor Falls during our excursion and took a photo walk through the park along the St. Croix River. Light was not at it’s best, but we did our best as we discussed with each other how we might work certain scenes to fit our style and get something worth printing.

We were about ready to move on, when someone found this viewpoint. There was the Queen, resting majestically along the riverbank and waiting for the sun. I’m was told it’s not stopped here often. It immediately struck a chord with me. There was something here to photograph. I setup the gear for a long exposure, taking the time to carefully plan and get it right. It payed off with this photo as the result. It’s going to look great on a metal or canvas and will appear in the signature collection soon. I’m stoked.

For photographers. How it was made…

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October 11, 2010

Update: Gavin has released this piece as a 30in limited canvas original. More details here.

I’m not a wildlife photographer. At least not in the sense of crouching down in wet weeds for six hours, to get that view that shows the hair in their ears. Having wildlife in a landscape on the other hand. That’s something that gets me exited. This one’s from back in West Yellowstone. I had gone out at Sunrise on the morning of the 6th. I had stopped to watch some elk out in the plain along the road. The scene was neat, but not amazing.

As I was leaving, someone pulling in said they had seen a big bull the next pullout. Off I went and when I got there this gentlemen was wading the river. Very gracefully I might add. Elk are not rare in Yellowstone, but getting a mood like this with surreal mists rising from the water into the cool morning air. That’s something I wont see every day.

The problem about wildlife in landscapes is they don’t usually stay there. With no time to get out and setup a tripod, I was stumbling to capture the moment. I leaned across to the passenger window and worked fast. Just as he emerged from the water, he looks up river for just a moment and I took it. There’s one frame of this pose, but it worked and I love it.

For photographers. How it was made…

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