Tripod: The Nature Photography Show

Introduction where can people find the campaign and see your work. What is the scope of the project How many places How many cameras Over how much time What is long format time lapse What gear are you using, and how do you maintain it How do you stitch it all together, what software are you using How can people get involved   Charles’s Website   –    You can find the Campaign Here  

Why shoot in extreme cold?   * Why not stay at home by the fireplace Preparation   * Vehicle * Hand Warmers * Forecast * Preparing for worst-case scenario Gear   * Crampons * Wipes Challenges of cold   * Water freezing on lens * Drained Batteries * Moisture/malfunctioning equipment * Bringing bag from warmth to extreme cold too quickly Best time to shoot in the cold   * Right after a snow storm  when the powder is fresh * Long period of freeze when ice builds up * Inversion warnings mean low clouds and fog (great time to shoot high vistas over valleys. Snowshoes Safety consideration   * Always shoot with someone * Prepare for the worst * Hypothermia * Injury Tips for shooting in the cold   * Extra batteries * Have more layers available to put on * WARM clothing * Wool, it breathes and keeps you warm    

  @Nickpagephotography

Behind the Scenes as a photo Editor With Benjamin Williamson A quick intro to ben Where you from What landscapes do you shoot Where can people find your work Behind the scenes of photo editing What exactly does a photo editor do What are some things to help photographers get their work noticed A few Do’s and Don'ts of submitting images Areas to shoot in New England Acadia nat park Good fall color locations The Off-season – Winter

Standing out from the crowd With Alex Noriega In this episode we talk about ways to stand out from the plethora of other photographers out there, and ways to approach iconic locations without just re creating the same images over and over. Congratulations for being selected as the USA Landscape photographer of the year Photographing Icons and Finding something new The catch 22 of photographing icons aka, horseshoe bend, Mt. Rainier, Delicate Arch, etc Millions have photographs have been made there by everyone with a cell phone They are iconic for a reason, they are either abnormally photogenic, or an amazing natural phenomenon that doesn’t happen just anywhere How do you approach Iconic spots to make you photographs stand out from the rest Going beyond the obvious shot The difference between copying and drawing inspiration from others Drawing inspiration from more than one source   There is more to light, than crazy sunsets and sunrises Lots of photographers get hung up on only photographing sunrise and sunset, what other light conditions should people be looking out for to still make striking images 1. When its clear, shoot Twighlight or night You can find alex’s work at www.alexnoriega.com as well as workshops and instructional videos.

In this episode we take a look back at Our trips to Iceland, and talk about some of the challenges, lessons learned, and some of the technical details of shooting some of the subjects we saw in Iceland. The gear What photographic gear did we each take with us.. And was there any gear that was more important than others.  Flying with gear is always stressful, especially when the lose your luggage like happend to two of our participants. What special clothing did we take for wintertime in Iceland, and what weather did we encounter there. The Weather: People often ask, how cold was it.  Its not so much that it is so cold, its the wind and the humidity that really add bite to the air. The wet stormy conditions can make for some really challenging shooting conditions.  When you combine this with Wind and Waterfalls you end up with a recipe for sad cameras. Trip highlights: Ice Cave tour,   The experience itself was maybe the coolest part of the trip.  Hiking on a glacier using special gear added a sense of adventure to the trip. Photographing the Ice cave proved both challenging and rushed.  Sadly we didn’t have the place to ourselves nearly as long as we would have liked.   Getting around in the caves was pretty rough as well, huge boulders, cold water, and multiple bodies made it pretty challenging. Photographing and planning for non ideal weather Lots of checking weather apps, and trying to put yourselves in a position to be in the right place at the right time Choosing your location based on what is light dependent and what is not Choosing your staging hotel or location based on access to multiple types of locations. Photographing Aurora Borealis Keeping a close eye on cloud cover predictions to be in the right place It doesn’t take huge KP numbers when your that far north Being setup and ready for it to happen is key. (Live view in A7R2 Shutterspeed suggestions for shooting aurora Take away’s and things we learned in Iceland this go around Hold on to your door when its windy You can never have too many lens cloths and towels Big aurora is amazing Have a plan for keeping stuff dry Silica packets Remain flexible

Finding  your voice with Art Wolfe In a world with so many other photographers out there, being original and finding a voice of your own can be a huge challenge.  People can teach you the technical aspects, but they can't teach you how to be creative, how to be original, or how to find your way.  In this episode we talk to Art about the “next” steps of being a photographer.  Finding your voice, your calling, and direction. The difference between looking and seeing I would like to go down a rat hole of talking composition, a very difficult thing to talk about on an audio podcast, but lets give it a try. Moving beyond the “rules of thumb”  does it stay formulaic? or does it begin to happen by feel and instinct. What are you looking for before making an image.  Describe the pre-photograph thoughts when your creating an image. The importance of story telling  (insert group rant here)  

Post Processing Tricks With Ryan Dyar One of the most powerful, and most underused techniques by newer landscape photographers has to be dodging and burning.   When done right it can take a photo that is flat, confusing and busy, do a dynamic photo with clear eye movement and dimension in its subjects.  Dodging and burning really unlocks the full potential of a photo and in this episode Ryan is going to take us through some of his favorite techniques. A quick refresh of the terms  Dodging and Burning Dodge = to lighten Burn = To darken Creating Dodge/Burn Layer 50% grey layer Different blend modes (soft light, overlay) Dodging and Burning with Color Why? How to choose color How and where to dodge The light bleed effect Three Rules of light bleed Creating atmosphere When and where to do it Darks luminosity selection Dodge the darks to flatten and decrease contrast Fixing Blend issues Manual blending issues Fixing reverse halos with dodging Fixing bright halo’s around areas of contrast Star Glow How and where Not overdoing it

Social Media for Nature Photographers With Michael Shainblum Introductions: Michael’s work can be found on his website, Instagram, and Facebook. I highly encourage you to check out his work and follow along as you listen to this episode Briefly talk about when you got serious about landscape photography, the gear you currently are using, and preferred subjects and scenes. Astrophotography and Nightscapes. Michael is arguably best known for his stunning Nightscape photography.  We should save this for a entire future interview but let's go over some of your best tips shooting night scenes. Tips for better Nightscapes Common mistakes made by photographers when shooting astrophotography Michael also had an excellent tutorial on post processing night photography that can be found here Social Media for photographers What social media platforms are the most relevant right now * 500px? * Flicker? * Facebook? * Instagram? What are some of the most important factors when not only growing your audience, but keeping it. Are paid or boosted posts worth the money.

        Outdoor Clothing for photographers With Mason Marsh         In this episode Nick hangs out with Mason Marsh to talk about dressing for various weather conditions and how it is far more important than some people realize.   The importance of dressing in Layers Suggested Layers for the different seasons Summer Nick  learned the hard way in China that quick drying clothing is a necessity when you're hiking and shooting in a hot humid environment.  Cotton is terrible when you're in a place where you sweat and your clothes won't dry.  Smelliest week of my life. While cotton is supremely comfortable in a dry, warm climate, it simply will not dry in a humid one. I suggest synthetic materials such as silkweight capiline (Patagonia) or thin Marino Wool for extended use in hot, humid conditions. Modern synthetics are usually impregnated with silver, which will help mitigate the nastiness. They also wash and dry very fast in a sink. Wool is great too, but more expensive. Fall / spring Nick used to think that a hoodie counted as a winter Jacket… then he started photographing waterfalls, and rainy coastlines and discovered otherwise.  A good Rain resistant layer is now a must for any photo trip.  Nick’s lightweight rain Jacket is the Columbia Omni Tech jacket.  Waterproof and breathable.. Oh Nick… the cotton hoodie. A Pacific Northwest Staple. The hoodie with a pair of jeans is all you need for a screaming case of hypothermia. Here are my choices for wet weather layers: Underwear – synthetic. I like Under Armor boxer briefs or Outdoor Research boxer briefs. Wicking, lightweight and snug. On top I use a capiline t-shirt to wick moisture from my skin and send it outward toward the shell. Socks are always Marino wool. Midlayer – Again, no cotton. Synthetic all the way. It can be a light to heavy fleece or a breathable puffy layer (not down as that will wet out in most cases). I like Patagonia’s Nano line of synthetic puffy jackets. On the bottom I prefer wool. I use SmartWool or Icebreaker tights that end mid-calf so they don’t get in the way of my socks. Shell – Up top I use a hard shell jacket that vents well. Gore-Tex style coats are fine if I am moving a lot (hiking), but if I am standing around taking photos the best bet is a non-porous jacket like Columbia’s awesome OutDry line. Down below I like breathable shell pants like Patagonia’s Torrentshell pants. If it isn’t too rainy, I go with water resistant soft shell pants. I like my legs to be cooler. For a hat, I use a Marino wool beanie or a lightweight mesh ball cap. I like Oakley’s tactical cap because it breathes very well and dries fast. Winter Winter conditions really is all about layers.  My outer winter coat is a Columbia “thermal coil” coat.  Most times its enough by itself, but when I am in really windy, or just super cold conditions I add layers underneath. Namely a thermal undershirt, a shirt, and a Fleece jacket if its really cold.  You can always take a layer off, but if your cold, your cold. A good hat that covers your ears can help as much as anything for staying warm.  One of those super stylish hats that trappers wear,  they are amazing for keeping your head and ears warm in cold windy conditions.  As well as a winter face mask or scarf like this one when its very very cold

In this episode Nick sits down with Stanley Harper to talk about Tripods, Ballheads, and general maintenance after shooting around saltwater. One opening left in Nick's Oregon Coast Workshop. E-mail him for more info at Nickpagephotography@gmail.com

Tom Moors Do you guys have any tips for how to stand out as a professional photographer when dealing with publishing (magazines/ travel) customers that we can sell to. Besides great photos how do you wow them to keep them coming back and referring you? Angela Terrill Lavoie Do you guys have personal projects? How do you find time? I am a hobbyist and with my day job and family, I find it so hard to find time to carve out just for my photography. Kevin Jordan What's the craziest thing you've done to get a landscape shot? Follow up question: Was it worth it? Andrew Block I'd like to better understand how to shoot at the sun and have the sun starburst. I try to use trees and the like to block the direct sun, but the bursts aren't coming thru like I think they should. I believe I'm supposed to shoot with a small aperture (i.e., high number F18). Sarah Scully How do you choose the size of your aperture when doing landscapes on a tripod? How small do you push it? F 11, 14, 18, 22… Does it depend on the lens quality? Andrew Zaragoza How do you achieve the photo of a person holding a flash light pointed up where you get the person, stars and the beam of light all in the shot? I would assume composites, but I've never did it before. Brian Horne How do you find locations to shoot in a new area? What features do you look for? Foreground, direction of sunrise/sunset? Accessibility? How to you turn image searches into location to shoot? Duško Pilić Either of you considering the Mavic?

  “Don’t be a Jerk” With Sharky James In this week’s episode Sharky James from the PetaPixel photography podcast comes on to talk about the importance of being a courteous steward of the places we visit and photograph, and not damage destroy and ultimately ruin a location for future photographers and tourists. With the rise of photography’s popularity, also comes the rise in traffic to old structures, delicate rock formations, and historical sites.  With this rise in traffic comes an increase in the damaging, destroying and defacing some of the most beautiful places our world has to offer.   Some is intentional, some just just out of ignorance, but all can be avoided.  Not only should we make sure not to do damage ourselves. But we should also do what we can to insure that those around us don’t as well, by not just quietly turning around and walking away, but by quietly turning around and calling them in to the authorities.  –  Nick’s opinion There are far too many cases of historical landmarks being burnt to the ground by Wool spinning.    http://petapixel.com/2016/05/09/steel-wool-photographer-burns-historic-1920s-building/ http://petapixel.com/2016/02/23/iconic-shipwrecks-fire-likely-caused-light-painting-photographer/ Then there is just the intentional destruction of sites like these http://petapixel.com/2016/09/05/vandals-destroy-iconic-duckbill-rock-oregon-photographers-mourn/ https://www.facebook.com/opalcreekforest/?pnref=story And many more…. The traffic to these places alone causes problems… what can we do to minimize our impact on these areas.   instagram.com/lenshark https://www.instagram.com/lensshark

Tripod EP-31