100,000 Followers- WOW!

I saw that this Collection has passed the 100,000 Follower mark. I wanted to say a big Thank You to y'all!! This is kind of a bit different Collection and I hope you like the type of posts about gear and scenes from behind the camera.

One of the things I hope this Collection does is inspire people to get outside, interact with our natural world and see some of the wonders of the planet.

This image is one from a Nightscape Photography trip ( I actually have a whole Collection of Nightscape images) to a location only an hour from where I live. Very few people know about it and I have never met other photographers here. I think it shows that if you explore around where you live you can find beautiful locations for landscape photos and even places with dark enough sky to see the Milky Way, even if you are less than 60 miles from a city with 8 million people.

I waded down the river in the dark and set up my camera on this rock to photograph the Milky Way and its reflection in the water. The setup you see here is my Gitzo 1348 Tripod with Sony A7S and Samyang 12mm fisheye. This is my favorite night photography combo.

So thank you again and I hope to continue to bring you images from the field!!

#wildernessphotographer #texas #texasnightsky #landscape #landscapephotography #nightscape #nightscapephotography #nolanriver #milkyway #gitzo #tripod #100000 #sonya7s #samyang #explore #gear

Travel Light

As a photographer I like to always have a camera with me as you ever know when you will get a good shot. As a landscape photographer I am also out at twilight or times of low light. So I want a lightweight kit that can get the shot. For me it's my Sony NEX 6 kit and little Sirui 025X tripod.

The NEX 6 is six years and four models old. Yet it is so small and capable, I still use it a lot. Even this year it was the only camera I took for a week in Arizona in January and a week in Florida in May. I take it with me when I walk my dogs or ride my bike.

Add in the little Sirui and I can get a nice long exposure. This tripod is about a foot long and extends to 36" tall which is decently tall to get most shots.

Here it is in action last weekend. I was out on a bike ride and stopped to grab this shot. By using the tripod I was able to get a much better shot than just holding the camera. It's also easy to pack on the bike or back.

#wildernessphotographer #texas #gear #sirui #tripod #sony

The Lost Mesa

A view of my large format camera set up photographing the Lost Mesa. This is lonely place far from civilization and one I can have to myself. A place far from things like gas stations, cell phone service and paved roads. There are no road signs pointing the way and it is not even marked on the map.

Very few people know how to get her and even fewer actually go. I like it. Most probably wouldn't. Too dry, too dusty, too empty.

For me with a camera, it is a secret paradise. You may see me post some images from it on occasion here. It is places like this why I encourage people to get out and explore.

#wildernessphotographer #lostmesa #landscape #arcaswiss

Moto G6 vs Sony NEX 6

How much camera do you need? Be sure to click the image to make it bigger! Here is a test of two hand held images. One taken with a Moto G6 smartphone camera and the other with the Sony NEX 6 and 16-50 kit lens.

The Moto G6 is a new modestly priced (they call it budget) phone. The reviews will say its camera is "not as good as...." but in testing it I find it ok. So I did this test in a hand held situation of low light. The sun was not even up yet and the ISO had to rise in each camera. For both I let auto focus and auto exposure work.

Now if you zoom into 100% pixel levels in Photoshop, yes you will see the difference. But if you reduce the image size down for a phone, tablet, email, social media or even to full HD sized- they look pretty similar.

Here I tried to line up the images as best I could and I cropped the NEX6 image as it shoots a 2x3 vs 4x5 format size.

Can you tell which is which? Which is better?

To give you an idea of data here:
Sony Image was f/3.5 for 1/60 second at ISO 2500
Moto image was f/1.8 at 1/20 second at ISO 914

#wildernessphotographer #landscape #gear #moto #motog6 #motorola #texas #clearfork

Polarizer Filter in action

Using a polarizer to cut glare off of leave and foliage. Here is a shot where the only difference is simply the turn of a polarizer filter. Note, there is no sun in the image, this is all in the shade. Even then there is still glare on leaves. Top image is polarized and the bottom is not. You can see the effect through the lens before taking the image. Here the filter cuts glare and lets more natural color through.

This is the only filter software cannot duplicate.

#wildernessphotographer #polarizer #gear #cameragear #landscape

Shooting Long

My Sony A7R3 with my sole remaining Canon lens, the excellent 70-200 f/4 IS lens. Using the Sigma MC-11 adapter allows this lens to function as a native lens with IS as well as great auto focus. Here it is set up on my Gitzo 1348 tripod and Arca-Swiss Z-1 ballhead. I do most of my photography with wide angle lenses but for when I want some reach-this is a very nice combo.

#wildernessphotographer #sonya7r3 #gitzo #mirrorless #arcaswiss #gitzo1348

Going Monochrome to Improve a Photo

On a clear sky day with nothing but summer green it can be difficult to get a good Image in color. But black and white can be the trick. See the shot here. I was in Yosemite on a clear sky summer day. Everything is green. A color image lacks any kind d of character. However, using Snapseed on my phone, I am able to convert to Monochrome and get an image that suddenly is much better. I hope Ansel Adams would approve.

Taken with my LG G3. See the full image in my American West Landscapes Collection

#wildernessphotographer #yosemite #landscape #android #lgg3 #snapsees

Grand Tetons- Schwabacher Landing

My camera and tripod set up at one of the beaver ponds at Schwabacher Landing in Grand Teton National Park. This is a very famous and popular sunrise spot in the park. Most people go farther to a larger pond with a framed view of the peaks. I actually prefer this spot. Here you can see my Gitzo 1348 tripod with Sony A7R camera set up.

This was from the fall of 2016 and I was scouting for the 2017 eclipse. This was where I wanted to be. I made it here for the eclipse but ended up moving up to the next pond for better water level. It was an experience like few others. You can see the longer story and the photo I took of the eclipse on my blog:

http://wildernessphotographer.blogspot.com/2017/08/eclipse-over-tetons.html

#wildernessphotographer #wyoming #grandteton #nationalpark #schwabacherlanding #landscape #tripod #gitzo

Camping on Haleakala

My tent set up at tree line on the ancient volcano Haleakala on the island of Maui in Hawaii. This extinct volcano rises to 10,000 feet (3,300M) above the ocean beaches below. I hd to be in Maui for a conference, took my tent and spent the night up on the volcano. I spent most of the night on the summit alone. It was below freezing up there but the dark and clear skies made for a memorable night on the volcano.

This was making the most of an opportunity. Get there a couple of days early, pack a tent, down jacket (seriously-who brings a down jacket to Maui?- answer-those who camp on the summit of a 10,000 ft volcano) and camera and explore! Carpe Diem!

Sony A7S with Samyang 12mm fisheye of my one man North Face Stormbreak 1 tent.

#wildernessphotographer #maui #haleakala #nationalpark #landscape #milkyway #nightscape #northface #tent #carpediem

Photographing a Coastal Dune Lake

A view of my camera set up last week in Florida. I took my little Sony NEX6 kit as it is great for travel. I had my Feisol 3401 tripod with me as that is my ocean tripod. It's a little sturdier in the surf than my one series tripod. Yet still travels well.

This was a sunrise along a dune lake. The Gulf of Mexico is only a few yards away but the lake is currently not connected to the ocean.

I like getting to see and photograph sights like this.

#wildernessphotographer #Florida #landscape #gear #sony #nex6 #feisol #tripod