Digital Nature Photography Final

ISO 400, 53mm, f/36, 1/30 sec, no flash

ISO400, 55mm, f/20, 1/25sec, no flash

ISO400, 55mm, f/18, 1/80sec, no flash

ISO400, 21mm, f/18, 1/200sec, no flash

ISO400, 45mm, f/22, 1/25sec, no flash

ISO400, 55mm, f/18, 1/80sec, no flash

ISO400, 49mm, f/5.6, 1/100sec, no flash

ISO400, 39mm, f/22, 1/200sec, no flash

ISO100, 28mm, f/10, 1/200sec, no flash

ISO400, 100mm, f/4.5, .8sec, no flash

 ISO200, 75mm, f/4, 1/30sec, no flash

ISO200, 80mm, f/4, 1/25sec, no flash

ISO400, 75mm, f/4, 1/250sec, no flash

ISO400, 75mm, f/4, 1/13sec, no flash

ISO400, 75mm, f/6.3, 1/4sec, no flash

ISO400, 75mm, f/4, 1/25sec, no flash

ISO200, 55mm, f/5.6, 1/80sec, no flash

ISO200, 28mm, f/5.6, 1/80sec, no flash

ISO200, 28mm, f/4, 1/500sec, no flash

ISO400, 55mm, f/5.6, 1/1600sec, no flash

ISO200, 38mm, f/8, .8sec, no flash

ISO400, 24mm, f/7.1, 1/10sec, no flash

ISO200, 37mm, f/9, 1/13sec, no flash

ISO200, 51mm, f/6.3, 1/30sec, no flash

ISO200, 28mm, f/5.6, 1/250sec, no flash

ISO200, 75mm, f/7.1, 1/50sec, no flash

ISO200, 28mm, f/16, 1/80sec, no flash

ISO400, 28mm, f/22, 1/200sec, no flash

ISO200, 55mm, f/5.6, 1/50sec, no flash

ISO400, 55mm, f/29, 1/40sec, no flash

All photos were taken with a Canon EOS Digital Rebel XT and edited in Lightroom.

Northern Lights

The northern lights one of the natural beauties I hope to one day see! And hopefully, when the day comes, I'll be prepared to capture some incredible pictures.  So, with this in mind, I've gathered some information, facts, and tips on photographing the Aurora Borealis 

• The best time of the year:  March, April, September, October.
• Where: Latitudes 65-72 degrees; regions close to the Arctic (Norway, Sweden, Finland, Iceland); light-pollution free area
• A camera with high ISO capabilities are critical.
• Take off the lens filter. 
• And much more at this link: http://www.alaskaphotographyblog.com/how-to-photograph-the-northern-lights-with-a-digital-camera/#gear

Here are some of my favorite northern lights photos that I found:

I really like the green northern lights against the different shades of the sky, and the reflection on the lake.

 This one may be photoshopped, but if it's not, it is incredible.  I love the silhouetted trees and dear.

The moon in this photo is what really caught my eye.  It is placed very nicely in the photo.  And the nice shades of green and the trees and snow-covered ground.  I think this would be stunning to see. 

National Geographic

Photo Contest 2012

National Geographic has been setting the standard for years for photographic excellence.  They host an annual photography contest featuring three categories: people, places, and nature.  Each week during the competition the editors select some of their favorites to post in the gallery.  I spent some time looking through the picks from each week.  Here are some of my favorites of the favorites:

Going Home by Chris Minihane

Taken in Lake Nakuru National Park.  I love the sky in this photo.  The streams of gold poring from the clouds in the distance all the way to the spotty clouds is gorgeous and adds so much depth.  Also, rhinos are awesome.

Pacific Northwest Black Wolf by Sander Jain

I really like the silhouetted wolf on the rocks and the different layers in this photo.  It is a nice composition.

Silence Voice by chaoying zhao

This was taken in Yellowstone.  I think the photographer did a great job making this forest of burnt trees into something beautiful.  The sun setting gives the trees a nice rich color.  And the moon is just the right touch in the sky.

Mount Rundle by Kevin Stanwood

This is located in Banff National Park, Canada.  I think this photo looks really nice in black and white.  And the reflection on the water is perfect.

Shades of the Oregon Coast Range by Ben Leshchinsky

I think the different shakes of the blue and grey leading up to the golden coastline are perfect.  It adds so much depth to the photo. 

Lightning Storm by Anna Ross

This was taken in the midst of a storm in Hilton Head, South Carolina.  This photo is very visually appealing.  I think the colors work really nicely together, and the rule of thirds is applied nicely in the line of land and sky and in the placement of the tree.

All of the photos posted are really stunning.  Here is a link: 

http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/ngm/photo-contest/2012/

Winter in Red Lodge

I spend a lot of weekends during the winter months trying to escape Billings by heading to Red Lodge.  I'm hoping I'll be able to put some of these photography lessons to use this winter in RL.

These are some shots that I'm hoping to capture:

Rock Creek, Red Lodge, Photo by Gerry Khatchikian

I really like the contrast of the white snow against the dark river in the above photo.  Hopefully I'll be packing my camera when there's a fresh snowfall in Red Lodge!

Hopefully my skiing and snowboarding adventures this winter will be more thoroughly documented and maybe I'll even end up with a few gems like the ones above!!

Phipps Park

Last Week I headed to Phipps park to try to catch the sunset.  The trip turned into a little bit of a flop as we got there a tad too late... But I'm hoping to still use some of them.  

Here are the best of what I captured:

I like the silhouetted tree line, however I wish it was displayed against a more colorful sky! Maybe with a little Lightroom help they'll be more appealing.  

Edits

Editing - First Attempt

My first attempt in Lightroom...

Big Sky, Montana

My first edit was a lengthy process.  I am not thrilled with the end product, but pleased to be getting the tools in Lightroom down.  It would be nice if the mountain were in better focus, which, of course, is a photography issue, not so much an editing issue.  One of the characteristics of the edited photo that I'm excited about is the contrast of the dark distant part of the landscape to the sunny foreground.  

Here is the original: 

Fall Break

Below I've posted some photos I took while in Bozeman, Big Sky, and Yellowstone during Midterm break.

 

This is on the drive to Hylite Canyon in Bozeman.  You'll notice a small fence post in the lower right-hand corner that I will need edit.

This is in Hylite Canyon.  An attempt at some macro(ish) shots.

This is in Big Sky.  The mountain is Lone Peak.  This shot has some sun spots that I'm hoping I can take care of in Lightroom.

Big Sky.  This photo is not as sharp as I would have liked.  In Lightroom I'll need to do some editing using a split neutral density filter.