Grand Teton Photo Workshop :: September 28 – October 2

Click on this link to purchase prints and cards from a growing library of my favorite landscape images:

Category: Landscape Photography Tagged: 2014, Grand Teton NAtional Park, Grand Teton Range, photo workshop, Wyoming

5th Annual Arches/Canyonlands National Parks – Full Moon Over Red Rock, Arches and Canyons – October 15-19, 2013 (WORKSHOP SOLD OUT :: WAITING LIST ONLY)

To Find Your Image – First Find The Light

Posted on October 10, 2013

Mountain Light, Alta, Wyoming
Canon 5DMKIII, 135mm, f/16, 2 1/2 seconds, 100 ISO, Singh-Ray CC Polarizer, Singh-Ray 2 stop soft-edge GND

One of my favorite color landscape photographers of all-time was the late-Galen Rowell. I joke that I have read his classic book Mountain Light 11 times (true story)! I highly recommend his book to any of you who are really serious about your craft.

Rowell taught me a lot (though I never took a workshop) via his writings. I had the opportunity to meet him once in his gallery in Bishop, California. He and his wife’s passing was tragic – a great talent lost.

Personally, I’ve tried to incorporate many of Galen’s teachings into my own work. One concept he continually taught was to first find the light. One of his famous quotes was, my first thought is always of light.

On a recent location shoot with my second Grand Teton Workshop group, we drove above Alta, Wyoming (below Grand Targhee Ski Resort) for a late-afternoon fall color shoot, then ended-up about two miles below the ski resort for our sunset shoot.

I saw these clouds hanging around Grand Teton Peak. Scott Schilling and Pierre Steenberg had scouted this location earlier in the day as Grand Teton National Park was closed to our group due to the government shutdown. Both were bemoaning the fact that the peak(s) was not in view as they had been earlier in the day.

As the old saying goes, when life throws you a lemon… Well, life has been throwing me quite a few lemons these days, but we had driven over an hour to get here, and the Lemonade was going to be this incredible light.

As best I could, I alerted everyone in the group to anticipate this light. We could see a clearing to the west. Almost on cue, the sun slipped down below the last cloud bank behind us and the show began. The color palette ranged from warm sunlight painting the scene to deep orange and finally these vibrant warm pinks/reds illuminating just the cloud and the top section of the snow-covered hill. In fact, this was my last frame of the evening before the light fell off the cloud. You can see the shadow not only working up the snow-covered evergreens, but also coming down from the top of the frame.

From a technical standpoint, the wind was blowing, and because I had chose to shoot this scene at 100 ISO, I neglected the fact that the wind would buffet my rather large 70-200mmL Series II f/2.8 lens as well as the usually staid rabbit brush. The resulting image was a bit soft. In retrospect, I should have bumped the ISO and went with a faster shutter speed. But for this image, I let technology come to the rescue!

In the past, I would have bypassed this image due to the motion softness; however, I am now processing with Photoshop CC and I decided to use the new Shake Reduction filter (Sharpen > Shake Reduction). It is an easy filter to use and I simply applied 5 Blur Estimation regions and the algorithms did the rest!

As you can see, this image amazingly sharpened. I simply applied a layer mask and deleted the sharpening affect from the cloud (clouds should be soft).

Under different light or minus the clouds, this scene would look completely different. Yet, by waiting and anticipating the light, my group was rewarded with a clearing storm image and beautiful Mountain Light.

This location (and the previous one) will stay permanently in the rotation for next year’s workshop. I only have 7 spots left. If you are interested in joining us, please click here: 2014 Fall Color and Mountain Grandeur, Grand Teton Workshop.

2013 Photo Workshops

3rd Annual Bryce/Zion National Parks – Hoodoos and Fall Color – November 4-8, 2013 (WORKSHOP SOLD OUT :: WAITING LIST ONLY)

2014 Photo Workshops

5th Annual Magic Light, Moonlight, and Pfeiffer Arch Workshop – Winter in Big Sur and the Monterey Peninsula – January 15-18, 2014 (Only 6 spots remaining)

6th Annual Northern Arizona Workshop – Grand Canyon (full moon), Page (Horseshoe Bend and Upper Antelope Canyon) and Sedona – March 14-18, 2014 (Hurry – Only 1 Spot Left)

7th Annual Springtime in Big Sur and the Monterey Peninsula – Wildflowers, Misty Fog and Headland Color – April 14-17, 2014 (5 spots remaining)

5th Annual Kauai Workshop – Garden Isle and Tropical Paradise – June 20-24, 2014 (early-bird signup discount – contact me for details!) (6 spots remaining)

2nd Annual Monsoon Photo Workshop – Grand Canyon National Park – August 9-13, 2014 (co-taught by Don Smith and Gary Hart – filling fast)

3rd Annual Fall Color in Grand Teton National Park – September 23 – 27, 2014 (9 spots remaining)

Software Discounts

Photomatix Pro 4.2 type in code at checkout: donsmithphotography 15% discount

Topaz Software type in code at checkout: SMITHPHOTO 10% discount

Helicon Focus click on link to receive 15% discount

Hardware Discounts

Special September Offer From Think Tank Photo NOTE: (Use Promo Code WS-643)

Gura Gear – 5% Discount – Use Promo Code DSMITHPHOTO

Click on this link to purchase prints and cards from a growing library of my favorite landscape images:

Category: Landscape Photography Tagged: alta, cloud, Grand Targhee, mountain light, snow, sunset, Wyoming

Join Us Next Year for Our Third Annual Grand Tetons Fall Color In Grand Teton National Park – September 23-27, 2014

For Best Light – Arrive Early And Stay Late!

Posted on October 7, 2013

Dusk, National Elk Refuge, Jackson, Wyoming
Canon 5DMKIII, 130mm, f/16, 4 second timed-exposure, ISO 200, Singh-Ray Color Combo Polarizer

Having spent my entire life living in “sunny” California, I learned a long time ago about the importance of getting up early to be on location – sometimes as much as an hour ahead of time on clear days. Yes, that means very early wake-up calls and drives in the dark, but dawn light is simply amazing.

On the other end of the spectrum, I will not leave a location simply because the sun has set. Some of the best light, especially at higher elevations, can come and last well after sunset. My most recent blog post even talks about Capturing Alpenglow Light that happens early and late when the sun is not visible to the naked eye.

During my recently completed Grand Teton Workshops in Jackson, Wyoming, the government shutdown meant I could no longer take my groups into the park for location shoots. I heard reports of other groups violating that rule and getting away with it, but I plan on holding many more workshops there in upcoming years and abided by their rules. Besides that, there are legal and liability issues to deal with, and once the park closed, I sent my co-instructors (Scott Schilling and Pierre Steenberg) out to scout locations that included as much of the Teton Range, but from outside the park boundaries.

To say the least, they did a fantastic job and found locations every bit worthy as those we had lined-up for our group inside the park. Having not actually photographed these locations at sunrise/sunset times, I made sure we arrived at morning locations a minimum 45 minutes prior to sunrise. On the other side of the day, I made sure we stayed out well after sunset, until, the last ounce of color had flickered out.

On our last sunset shoot with Workshop group #2, we got a good lesson as to why we do just what I explained. We were shooting a sunset over the Teton Range on a very chilly evening. Long after the sun had set behind the mountains to the west, we turned around and were greeted with this incredible scene looking east. The sky was filled with purple and pink hues and the wind had died down enough to allow for a long shutter speed to capture the foreground cottonwoods.

Dawn Skies Over Grand Teton Range
Canon 5DMKIII, 95mm, f/16 (focus set with hyperfocal focus), 15 second timed-exposure, 200 ISO, Singh-Ray CC Polarizer

The next morning, we arrived in the dark at this location high above the valley floor. This allowed our participants to choose a foreground that would work with the Teton Range and add a sense of depth to the scene. Though headlamps were initially required, our eyes soon adjusted. I used my 70-200mmL lens to compress my foreground with the mountain range. Careful focus had to be applied to ensure sharpness throughout the scene. I used Essence Computing’s Focal – Depth of Field Calc app that I had on my iPhone to help set my hyperfocal focus point. As you can see, the focus did indeed hold from foreground to infinity (the mountains), and all I did was wait for the dawn light to warm the cirrus clouds with this beautiful pink color.

One of the other positive benefits of working under dawn and dusk light is that the contrast range is well within your sensor’s dynamic capture range – both of these images were captured in one frame, requiring no graduated neutral density filters or bracketed exposures.

My message for all of you is simple: get on location early and stay on location late. Your digital camera’s ability to capture photons that your eyes cannot see is simply amazing!

2013 Photo Workshops

5th Annual Arches/Canyonlands National Parks – Full Moon Over Red Rock, Arches and Canyons – October 15-19, 2013 (WORKSHOP SOLD OUT :: WAITING LIST ONLY)

3rd Annual Bryce/Zion National Parks – Hoodoos and Fall Color – November 4-8, 2013 (WORKSHOP SOLD OUT :: WAITING LIST ONLY)

2014 Photo Workshops

5th Annual Magic Light, Moonlight, and Pfeiffer Arch Workshop – Winter in Big Sur and the Monterey Peninsula – January 15-18, 2014 (Only 6 spots remaining)

6th Annual Northern Arizona Workshop – Grand Canyon (full moon), Page (Horseshoe Bend and Upper Antelope Canyon) and Sedona – March 14-18, 2014 (Only 2 spots remaining)

7th Annual Springtime in Big Sur and the Monterey Peninsula – Wildflowers, Misty Fog and Headland Color – April 14-17, 2014 (5 spots remaining)

5th Annual Kauai Workshop – Garden Isle and Tropical Paradise – June 20-24, 2014 (early-bird signup discount – contact me for details!) (6 spots remaining)

2nd Annual Monsoon Photo Workshop – Grand Canyon National Park – August 9-13, 2014 (co-taught by Don Smith and Gary Hart – filling fast)

3rd Annual Fall Color in Grand Teton National Park – September 23 – 27, 2014 (9 spots remaining)

Software Discounts

Photomatix Pro 4.2 type in code at checkout: donsmithphotography 15% discount

Topaz Software type in code at checkout: SMITHPHOTO 10% discount

Helicon Focus click on link to receive 15% discount

Hardware Discounts

Special September Offer From Think Tank Photo NOTE: (Use Promo Code WS-643)

Gura Gear – 5% Discount – Use Promo Code DSMITHPHOTO

Click on this link to purchase prints and cards from a growing library of my favorite landscape images:

Category: Landscape Photography Tagged: color, cottonwoods, dusk, evergreens, fall, Jackson Hole, National Elk Reserve, sky, snow peaks, Wyoming

2nd Annual Fall Color in Grand Teton National Park – September 28 – October 2, 2013 (WORKSHOP SOLD OUT :: WAITING LIST ONLY)

Capturing Alpenglow Light

Posted on October 5, 2013

Early Morning Alpenglow on Grand Teton Range
Canon 5DMKII, 125mm, f,16, 4 second timed-exposure, ISO 200, Singh-Ray LB Polarizer, Singh-Ray 2 stop GND

We are in the midst of fall color in Wyoming and elsewhere in the country. Fall color photo workshops were scheduled at many National Parks. Then, at 12:01am Tuesday morning, the government effectively shut-down along with all 59 National Parks.

I’ve heard many stories from various blogs and other photographers about how various parks are handling the shutdown. Some are allowing groups to shoot, and some, like Grand Teton National Park, are not. I’m a Commercial Use Authorization (CUA) holder with the park and have abided by their rules to stay out. But I continuously hear stories of workshop groups entering the park and setting their groups up for sunrise and sunset shoots with no consequences. Granted, their are only a handful of rangers left on duty and they can’t be everywhere at once, but it seems this is still happening.

I was fortunate in that I had two awesome assistants with me, Scott Schilling and Pierre Steenberg. They scoured every square inch of the surrounding Jackson Hole area and came through with some amazing locations (we even drove into Idaho to get on the back side of the Teton Range one late afternoon/evening).

This image was from a very early morning shoot (temperature was a chilly 19 degrees) where we got alpenglow light on the peaks from the National Elk Refuge east of Jackson. Grand Teton Peak, the tallest in this scene, is just a shade under 14,000 feet. Alpenglow (from German: Alpenglühen) is an optical phenomenon in which a horizontal red glowing band is observed on the horizon opposite to the sun – in this case, the Teton Range.

Due to a phenomenon called light-scatter, all the cooler colors of the light spectrum are scattered as the sun’s rays bend up and over the horizon.

This effect occurs when the sun is just below the horizon. Alpenglow is easiest to observe when mountains are illuminated but can also be observed when the sky is illuminated through backscattering.

Since the sun is below the horizon, there is no direct path for the light to reach the mountain. Instead, light reflects off airborne snow, water, or ice particles low in the atmosphere. These conditions differentiate between a normal sunrise or sunset and alpenglow.

Although the term may be loosely applied to any sunrise or sunset light seen on the mountains, true alpenglow is not direct sunlight and is only observed after sunset or before sunrise.

The alpenglow light you see on this image arrived 6 minutes prior to posted sunrise (sunrise from our position was 7:29am and I captured this image at 7:23am). The look is this intense red painting the mountain peaks and snow. It comes and goes quickly and one must ready. To balance the foreground cottonwoods with the light on the peaks required the help of a Singh-Ray 2-stop hard edge graduated neutral density filter (which I jigged during the 4 second exposure to blur the transition line).

Once direct sunlight hit the peaks, the warm alpenglow light disappeared and was replaced by a more neutral light. To ensure one captures alpenglow light means arriving on location at least 30 minutes prior to posted sunrise time. Our group was on location for this scene 45 minutes prior.

Alpenglow is most pronounced in the high mountains. It requires getting out of bed early to capture it in the morning; and conversely, staying our past sunset. It’s just a little extra time but the results are amazing. Give it a try the next time you are in the mountains.

2013 Photo Workshops

2nd Annual Fall Color in Grand Teton National Park – October 2 – October 6, 2013 (WORKSHOP SOLD OUT :: WAITING LIST ONLY)

5th Annual Arches/Canyonlands National Parks – Full Moon Over Red Rock, Arches and Canyons – October 15-19, 2013 (WORKSHOP SOLD OUT :: WAITING LIST ONLY)

3rd Annual Bryce/Zion National Parks – Hoodoos and Fall Color – November 4-8, 2013 (WORKSHOP SOLD OUT :: WAITING LIST ONLY)

2014 Photo Workshops

5th Annual Magic Light, Moonlight, and Pfeiffer Arch Workshop – Winter in Big Sur and the Monterey Peninsula – January 15-18, 2014 (Only 6 spots remaining)

6th Annual Northern Arizona Workshop – Grand Canyon (full moon), Page (Horseshoe Bend and Upper Antelope Canyon) and Sedona – March 14-18, 2014 (Only 2 spots remaining)

7th Annual Springtime in Big Sur and the Monterey Peninsula – Wildflowers, Misty Fog and Headland Color – April 14-17, 2014 (5 spots remaining)

5th Annual Kauai Workshop – Garden Isle and Tropical Paradise – June 20-24, 2014 (early-bird signup discount – contact me for details!) (6 spots remaining)

2nd Annual Monsoon Photo Workshop – Grand Canyon National Park – August 9-13, 2014 (co-taught by Don Smith and Gary Hart)

Software Discounts

Photomatix Pro 4.2 type in code at checkout: donsmithphotography 15% discount

Topaz Software type in code at checkout: SMITHPHOTO 10% discount

Helicon Focus click on link to receive 15% discount

Hardware Discounts

Special September Offer From Think Tank Photo NOTE: (Use Promo Code WS-643)

Gura Gear – 5% Discount – Use Promo Code DSMITHPHOTO

Purchase Prints and Cards

Click on this link to purchase prints and cards from a growing library of my favorite landscape images:

Category: Landscape Photography Tagged: alpenglow, clouds, cottonwoods, fall color, fog, Grant Teton Range, Jackson, National Elk Reserve, Wyoming

2nd Annual Fall Color in Grand Teton National Park – September 28 – October 2, 2013 (WORKSHOP SOLD OUT :: WAITING LIST ONLY)

Dealing With A National Park Shutdown

Posted on October 2, 2013

Aspen Glow, South Park Wildlife Habitat Management Area, Jackson, Wyoming
Canon 5DMKIII, 168mm, f/16, 1/50th, ISO 800, Singh-Ray LB Polarizer

I am in the middle of two Grand Teton National Park fall workshops. One small problem – I no longer am allowed to teach in the park due to the government shutdown. Essentially, all 59 National Parks in our country have fallen victim to the idiocy that is happening in Washington D.C.

As a workshop leader, I am required to have a Commercial Use Authorization permit for the parks I teach in. I have no trouble with this; in fact, I support paying for these permits. It helps keep legitimate workshop leaders above board.

Two days ago I was told by the ranger who oversees the CUA’s, that if the government did indeed shut down, that the main highway through the park (Highway 89), would remain open, and she thought that all the overlooks along with the famous Moulton Barns on Mormon Row would also be available for our group. Yesterday I was part of a conference call where park officials told use we had to immediately cease operating anywhere in the park.

I was extremely fortunate to have my assistant instructor, Scott Schilling, and long-time friend, Pierre Steenberg, begin an all-out scouting search of the greater Jackson area while I taught our workshop classes. The two of them worked tirelessly and came up with 11 locations that will assist me and my students in having some wonderful areas to photograph. We have already photographed with the group at three of them.

Mountain Light, National Elk Refuge. Grand Teton Range.
Canon 5DMKIII, 70-200mmL @ f/22, 13 seconds, 100 ISO, Singh-Ray LB Polarizer, Singh-Ray 2 stop GND

On top of dealing with no park access, we now have two winter storms bearing down on us. We photographed fall color in light rain today until heavy rain finally arrived. Outside my window, it is starting to turn to snow. Four to six inches of the white stuff is forecast to arrive tomorrow. I told my students that if we can’t shoot, we will have class training. Skies are supposed to clear on Friday. If the snow is manageable, we will be smack in the middle of it tomorrow – sadly, just not inside Grand Teton National Park.

We held out hope that something would happen with the shutdown late this afternoon as the President met with both House and Senate leaders, but as you all know, the shutdown is still in effect.

Because we have scouted endlessly for three straight days (Pierre and Scott will be out again tomorrow), we can confidently run our workshop and provide quality locations once the nasty weather breaks.

Grand Teton National Park ranks right up there with the best and most scenic of all our National Parks. It’s a shame, especially in the height of the fall color season with fresh snow now falling, that we cannot access it – even though we have paid for the permit.

Washington’s stubbornness is frustrating but we have worked hard to overcome it. I just hope for all the citizens of our country, this insanity ends soon. As for my workshop students, we have some stunning locations in store for you!

2013 Photo Workshops

2nd Annual Fall Color in Grand Teton National Park – October 2 – October 6, 2013 (WORKSHOP SOLD OUT :: WAITING LIST ONLY)

5th Annual Arches/Canyonlands National Parks – Full Moon Over Red Rock, Arches and Canyons – October 15-19, 2013 (WORKSHOP SOLD OUT :: WAITING LIST ONLY)

3rd Annual Bryce/Zion National Parks – Hoodoos and Fall Color – November 4-8, 2013 (WORKSHOP SOLD OUT :: WAITING LIST ONLY)

2014 Photo Workshops

5th Annual Magic Light, Moonlight, and Pfeiffer Arch Workshop – Winter in Big Sur and the Monterey Peninsula – January 15-18, 2014 (Only 6 spots remaining)

6th Annual Northern Arizona Workshop – Grand Canyon (full moon), Page (Horseshoe Bend and Upper Antelope Canyon) and Sedona – March 14-18, 2014 (Only 2 spots remaining)

7th Annual Springtime in Big Sur and the Monterey Peninsula – Wildflowers, Misty Fog and Headland Color – April 14-17, 2014 (5 spots remaining)

5th Annual Kauai Workshop – Garden Isle and Tropical Paradise – June 20-24, 2014 (early-bird signup discount – contact me for details!) (6 spots remaining)

2nd Annual Monsoon Photo Workshop – Grand Canyon National Park – August 9-13, 2014 (co-taught by Don Smith and Gary Hart)

Software Discounts

Photomatix Pro 4.2 type in code at checkout: donsmithphotography 15% discount

Topaz Software type in code at checkout: SMITHPHOTO 10% discount

Helicon Focus click on link to receive 15% discount

Hardware Discounts

Special September Offer From Think Tank Photo NOTE: (Use Promo Code WS-643)

Gura Gear – 5% Discount – Use Promo Code DSMITHPHOTO

Purchase Prints and Cards

Click on this link to purchase prints and cards from a growing library of my favorite landscape images:

2nd Annual Fall Color in Grand Teton National Park – September 28 – October 2, 2013 (WORKSHOP SOLD OUT :: WAITING LIST ONLY)

Category: Landscape Photography Tagged: clouds, dusk, Grand Teton NAtional Park, Jackson Lake, Wyoming

4 Comments

When Seasons Collide :: Beautiful Becomes Spectacular

Posted on September 27, 2013

Fall color and Grand Teton Range after clearing storm.
Canon 5DMKIII, 30mm, f/16, 1/20th, Singh-Ray LB Polarizer, Singh-Ray 2-stop soft edge GND, Lexar Digital Media

It’s hard for me to wrap my mind around the fact that just two weeks ago I was basking in the balmy tropical breezes of Hawaii’s Big Island. Yesterday, I stepped off the plane at Jackson Hole, Wyoming and was immediately thrust into frigid winter conditions. “Where in the heck did fall go,” I thought to myself.

Light snow flurries and a stiff breeze greeted me as I walked towards the terminal. A frozen-looking airport employee told me she was not ready for this type of weather so early in the season. The dismayed look on her face told me that she was not kidding.

I could see the Teton Range slowly emerging from the clouds and knew I may have a window of opportunity to capture two seasons in one. The fall color here in Jackson Hole is at what I would consider nearing peak. Some cottonwoods have already leafed-out while others (along with some aspens) are just now starting to turn.

I am here for the next 11 days teaching two fall color workshops. Our bonus, at least if the temperatures stay relatively cold, it that the Teton Range, spectacular regardless of the season, is covered in snow 2/3rds of the way up.

After I picked-up my rental car and checked in to the hotel, I immediately grabbed my camera gear and headed into the park. Fortunately the clouds were still lifting and the peaks were in full view covered in snow. One of my first stops was near Moose Junction. After composing some grand scenes, I became a bit dismayed as I noticed clouds starting to envelope the range once again.

I decided to wait things our but the snow became heavier. My goal was to stay close to the range in the hopes that the clouds would again break. Soon after entering the south entrance gate along Grand Teton Road, I came across this scene that I have always liked. Much to my surprise, the snow flurries subsided and the clouds did indeed lift, leaving me with this incredible scene of fall color and dramatic peaks of the main portion of the Teton Range.

The soft light made the exposure very easy (I did use a 2-stop soft edge grad to hold down the bright parts of the sky), but other than that, I just worked the scene for various compositions. What was even more incredible was the fact that no other photographer was there – I had this all to myself.

Grand Teton National Park is quickly becoming one of my favorites of all the National Parks. Add some fresh snow and fall color, and it becomes a spectacular site.

It was snowing again this morning when I met up with my long-time neighbor Ali. She has been living in Moose for the past four months and had some out-of-way locations to show me. To say the least, they were incredible and I will use them as part of the workshop – thanks Ali The forecast for the next five days is trending towards more normal conditions with warmer fall-like weather. Conditions couldn’t be more perfect. Workshop #1 begins tomorrow!

2013 Photo Workshops

2nd Annual Fall Color in Grand Teton National Park – October 2 – October 6, 2013 (WORKSHOP SOLD OUT :: WAITING LIST ONLY)

5th Annual Arches/Canyonlands National Parks – Full Moon Over Red Rock, Arches and Canyons – October 15-19, 2013 (WORKSHOP SOLD OUT :: WAITING LIST ONLY)

3rd Annual Bryce/Zion National Parks – Hoodoos and Fall Color – November 4-8, 2013 (WORKSHOP SOLD OUT :: WAITING LIST ONLY)

2014 Photo Workshops

5th Annual Magic Light, Moonlight, and Pfeiffer Arch Workshop – Winter in Big Sur and the Monterey Peninsula – January 15-18, 2014 (Only 6 spots remaining)

6th Annual Northern Arizona Workshop – Grand Canyon (full moon), Page (Horseshoe Bend and Upper Antelope Canyon) and Sedona – March 14-18, 2014 (Only 4 spots remaining)

7th Annual Springtime in Big Sur and the Monterey Peninsula – Wildflowers, Misty Fog and Headland Color – April 14-17, 2014 (5 spots remaining)

5th Annual Kauai Workshop – Garden Isle and Tropical Paradise – June 20-24, 2014 (early-bird signup discount – contact me for details!) (6 spots remaining)

2nd Annual Monsoon Photo Workshop – Grand Canyon National Park – August 9-13, 2014 (co-taught by Don Smith and Gary Hart)

Software Discounts

Photomatix Pro 4.2 type in code at checkout: donsmithphotography 15% discount

Topaz Software type in code at checkout: SMITHPHOTO 10% discount

Helicon Focus click on link to receive 15% discount

Hardware Discounts

Special September Offer From Think Tank Photo NOTE: (Use Promo Code WS-643)

Gura Gear – 5% Discount – Use Promo Code DSMITHPHOTO

Purchase Prints and Cards

Click on this link to purchase prints and cards from a growing library of my favorite landscape images:

4th Annual Kauai Workshop – Garden Isle and Tropical Paradise – June 21-25, 2013 (HURRY – only 1 spot left)

Category: Landscape Photography Tagged: clearing storm, fall, fall color, first snow, Grand Teton NAtional Park, Wyoming

2 Comments

Filters: You’ve Got Questions? We’ve Got Answers!

Posted on June 15, 2013

Moulton Barn and Sunrise Light on Grand Teton Range
Canon 1DsMKIII, 24-70mmL @f/16, 1/6th second, 200 ISO, Singh-Ray LB Polarizer, Singh-Ray 2 Stop soft-edge graduated neutral density filter

In my role as a landscape workshop instructor, I am asked a lot of questions – goes with the territory. In fact, I get on average, 20 emails per day with questions from both past and present workshop students and from many people I’ve never met asking for advice ranging from, what camera should I buy, to, can you explain the Inverse Square Law (kidding – but it could happen)!

Without a doubt, the number one question I get involves filters for landscape photographers. Before I even discuss which filters to use, I look at what brand of filter to use. I am a huge fan of Singh-Ray filters because of their quality and color-neutral construction. Like anything in life, you get what you pay for. Yes, Singh-Ray filters are expensive, but if treated well, they will last you a lifetime. I have also heard good things about Lee Filters but I have no personal experience. I have heard/read that Lee’s grad densities are not as precise as Singh-Ray, but I have no conclusive tests to prove this.

As for the question: What kind of filters should I buy?, there really are two: a good polarizer (which cannot be replicated in post-production) and some grad filters. If you wish to play with motion, think about adding a neutral-density or variable ND filter.

Let’s take a look at some other important questions:

What graduated neutral density filters should I purchase?

When asked this question, my advice for a good starter set is a 3 stop hard-edge and a 2 stop soft-edge. I am an advocate of hand-holding the filter during exposure and keeping a slight movement with the filters to ensure a smooth transition line. If you are using Singh-Ray filters, you can even stack these two filters together to get 5 stops of graduated neutral density!

Should I use a filter holder or handhold?

This is really your call; however, as I mentioned above, I have done away with filter holders for three reasons: a.) I can keep the filter moving a bit during the exposure, b.) I no longer have issues with vignetting caused by the holder, and c.) I can work fast – especially important in the rapidly-changing light found around the fringes of the day.

But I still want to use a filter holder. What one should I use?

The best advice may be to take your camera/lenses to your local camera store and test the various holders available. It’s important to test using small apertures (f/16 and f/22) as these are the f-stops when vignetting rears its ugly head. Take a look at either a Cokin Z-Pro or Lee holder. I used to use a Cokin but had to saw off the front holder slots. Vignetting is most common with focal lengths of 24mm and less. Also, you can try gaffer tape (a non-residue tape available at pro camera stores) and just tape the edges of your grad to the lens barrel.

What are filters made of?

The best grad filters (including Singh-Ray) are made with high-quality optical resin, the same material used in prescription eyeglasses. Ring-mounted filters (polarizers, nuetral density, and variable neutral density filters) are made of glass.

Are filters multi-coated?

Singh-Ray filters are not. According to the company, after careful evaluation of multi-coated filters, and in our opinion, the benefits are negligible, and outweighed by several disadvantages.

What about scratched filters?

Most scratches will not affect the quality of your images whatsoever. When you hold a filter in front of your lens, your focus point is well past the actual filter itself (anywhere form a few feet to a couple hundred yards). According to Singh-Ray, your filter has to have a pretty severe scratch, or a lot of light scratches, before you experience problems with your filter. The only way to know for sure is to test shooting a scene with and without the filter, then evaluating on a good monitor with the image enlarged to at least 100%.

What is the best way to protect my filters?

I used to use the pouches that each filter came in from Singh-Ray. While on a shoot in late 2010, I became overwhelmed with the amount of filters I owned and discussed this with Singh-Ray’s Weir McBride. He in-turn put me in touch with with a Utah company called Kinesis Photo Gear and with my input, the F169 Large Grad Filter Pouch was developed. Here is an article I wrote for Singh-Ray blog.

I’m getting a color cast with my Neutral Density Filter. What’s the problem?

I will defer to the experts at Singh-Ray for this answer: When using a Neutral Density filter (graduate or solid) you are generally causing your camera to make a longer exposure than normal, sometimes much longer. The software in some digital cameras uses response curves that adjust the RGB sensors sensitivity based on the exposure time, which may introduce more red into the image. Sort of a digital form of reciprocity failure. In other instances, blocking visible light and a longer exposure allows infrared light to “build up” on the red sensors leading to a red or purplish cast.

What’s the difference between a ND Grad and a Reverse ND Grad?

Graduated neutral density filters are designed to transition from light to dark in terms of stops of light. For example, a 3 stop soft-edge GND would be reveal the full three stops of ND at the top of the filter and would transition down to neutral (no ND) at the mid-point of the grad. A Reverse ND grad is a specialized version with the darkest area is in the center of the filter and transitions to about 1 stop lighter at the top of the filter. These filters are fantastic to use at sunset times with a flat horizon (I had success with mine at the ocean and Grand Canyon). They are made in both 3 and 4 stops.

I have a 14-24mm f/2.8 Nikkor lens or similar designed lens with a bowed front element. What filters can I use?

I also own this lens (yes I am a Canon shooter but I use a Novaflex adapter). I use a Fotodiox 145mm polarizer and holder. It is large but it does fit into my camera bag and is the best setup that I have found.

Hopefully this answers your filter questions. If you have any questions that I did not address here, send me an email. I do make a point of answering all emails – just have some patience!

2013 Photo Workshops

1st Annual Grand Canyon Monsoon and Lightning Photo Workshop – August 19 – 23, 2013 (co-taught with Gary Hart) (WORKSHOP SOLD OUT :: WAITING LIST ONLY)

2nd Annual Fall Color in Grand Teton National Park – September 28 – October 2, 2013 (WORKSHOP SOLD OUT :: WAITING LIST ONLY)

2nd Annual Fall Color in Grand Teton National Park – October 2 – October 6, 2013 (WORKSHOP SOLD OUT :: WAITING LIST ONLY)

5th Annual Arches/Canyonlands National Parks – Full Moon Over Red Rock, Arches and Canyons – October 15-19, 2013 (Only 3 spots left)

3rd Annual Bryce/Zion National Parks – Hoodoos and Fall Color – November 4-8, 2013 (WORKSHOP SOLD OUT :: WAITING LIST ONLY)

2014 Photo Workshops

5th Annual Magic Light, Moonlight, and Pfeiffer Arch Workshop – Winter in Big Sur and the Monterey Peninsula – January 15-18, 2014

6th Annual Northern Arizona Workshop – Grand Canyon (full moon), Page (Horseshoe Bend and Upper Antelope Canyon) and Sedona – March 14-18, 2014 (Only 7 spots remaining)

7th Annual Springtime in Big Sur and the Monterey Peninsula – Wildflowers, Misty Fog and Headland Color – April 14-17, 2014

Software Discounts

Photomatix Pro 4.2 type in code at checkout: donsmithphotography 15% discount

Nik Software type in code at checkout: DSMITH 15% discount

Topaz Software type in code at checkout: SMITHPHOTO 10% discount

Helicon Focus click on link to receive 15% discount

Hardware Discounts

Think Tank Photo (Receive a free gift for any order over $50 when you order using this link!)

NOTE: Use Promo Code WS-643

Purchase Prints and Cards

Click on this link to purchase prints and cards from a growing library of my favorite landscape images: