Author: karenulvestad

I am a published professional artist/photographer and writer. I received my Bachlors of Art degree from the University of Washington in English Composition. My background in Art and Photography stems from my youth, and various intensive workshops through the years.

Finding Vision in Your Photography

by karenulvestad, posted in Instruction

Finding a consistent vision in your photography takes one on a journey of self-discovery. It’s hard to create unique and breathe taking photographic images without delving into one’s self. If fear reigns, our photographs will convey this in the imagery. Our views of ourselves and the world are visibly shown in our photos.

This process is ongoing throughout the process of making photographic images. A well known photographer (that I had the privilege of meeting and taking workshops from) believed that our emotional state showed directly in our photographs. From experience, I would agree with this philosophy. I would add that on a bad emotional day, photography helps me find my way to a calmer emotional place. It becomes a meditative conduit.

Photography is art. It’s an immediate representation of ourselves in the moment that we press the shutter button. So, here are some questions to ask yourself about your photography. . .

Do I love what I see in front of my camera?

Does the subject bring an emotion to me? Or, is it just okay?

Do you feel rushed or pressured to take a photo quickly? Is this because of yourself? Or, another person?

Something to consider is simply that photography is an artform we can do with our phones, compact digital camera, DSLR camera, mirrorless camera, or film camera. We get to choose our medium as well as our subject. I think that it’s important to note that all of these mediums have the capability to create amazing and dynamic photographic images.

copyright Karen Ulvestad

I do find that creating a project of series of photographs helps hone one’s vision. It can challenge you to improve or modify your photos. The macro flower photo above started a project. I took most of the photos with my cell phone, then invested in a compact digital camera. This new camera can focus closer and the photos have less artifacts. Also, I can enlarge them to larger sizes.

So, that’s all for now. Happy Shooting. . .Karen

A Look Back to 2025

by karenulvestad, posted in Best Of

It’s been a long 5 or so years since life as seemed semi-normal. It’s time to grieve for all the losses and get back into life. I hope you enjoy these photos from 2025. This year is just beginning, and looks so bright. . .

The Season of Birding Festivals

by karenulvestad, posted in Bird Festivals, Location, Workshops
Sandhill Cranes in a field outside Othello, WA

Spring is coming quickly, and it’s time for birding festivals. It is a wonderful time to connect with like-minded people, learn new things, and explore birding areas with knowledgeable people.

This year, I’ll be speaking, teaching, and leading a workshop at the Othello Sandhill Crane Festival. The festival runs Friday March 20th thru Sunday March 22nd. Registration for the events start on February 1st.

Sandhill cranes, Canada geese, and ducks around a pond.

One of the best events is the Crane View Trips. These are led by a knowledgeable individual, and participants are allowed to get out of the bus, when it’s safe to do so. It’s amazing to see the sky or fields filled with these amazing birds. Other birds that might be seen are Canada geese, and other migratory birds.

Overall, it’s worth the trip. Hope to see you there. . .

Sandhill cranes landing in a farm field.

Photographing the Aurora Borealis

Featured by karenulvestad, posted in Featured, light
Canon 5D Mk II with Sigma 24-105 Art Lens; ISO 200, f22,1/100 sec. Copyright Karen Ulvestad. All Rights Reserved.

It was interesting photographing the Aurora Borealis for the first time. We arrived around 8:30 pm and left a little before 1 am. I always find it a balance between pure excitement of creating amazing photographs and life commitments. So, I did my research, but quickly realized that it was only a starting point to get a picture. The results of my experience unfolds below. . .

The photo above is the sunset before the show. I thought is was interesting to see the halos around the sun as it was setting. I took this like any sunset. I noticed the halo and soft appearance of the sun once I got home and looked at it on the computer. Truly, it was the perfect beginning of an evening photographing the Aurora Borealis.

Canon 5D Mk II with Sigma 24-105 Art Lens; ISO 1250, f4,8 sec. Copyright Karen Ulvestad. All Rights Reserved.

This is my very first attempt at photographing the Aurora Borealis. I followed the instructions from online, and this was the result. I placed my Canon 5D Mk II with Sigma 24-105 Art Lens on my tripod. I adjusted it so the horizon was straight. I used the following exposure: ISO 1250, f4, 8 sec. I set my focus manually to infinity. Afterwards, I did some exposure adjustments in the digital darkroom, and this was the end result. I think it’s pretty good for the first time.

As I thought about the location, exposure, and composition elements, I realized that I needed to experiment with the exposure. I usually try to use lower ISO so I do less post-processing to reduce noise and pixelization. If it can be done in the camera, why should I spend time on the computer trying to “fix” it?

Canon 5D Mk II with Canon 8-15; ISO 400, f4,10 sec. Copyright Karen Ulvestad. All Rights Reserved.

Finally, the show revved up! The whole sky filled with color and movement. I wanted to show it all, so I pulled out my Canon 8-15mm lens. The image above is taken at 8mm (fish-eye), and captured the entire scene. I like the people, buildings and lights around the edge. It gives it a sense of place, and shows the life of the event. People cheered as the Aurora shifted and showed its colors. At this point, I changed my exposure and approach to photographing the aurora. My camera was still mounted on my tripod. My exposure was ISO 400, f4, and 10 sec. I worked with fine tuning the exposure and color afterwards in the digital darkroom.

I think the biggest thing I learned about this event is to be open to experimenting with exposure and composition. Often, we are in a place or situation less than ideal for our vision. It is good to be adaptable and open to the opportunities available. What knowledge I can offer is simply. . .you need a tripod to get crisp, clean photos of the aurora or other night photography. The rest is up to your knowledge of your equipment and exposure.

Adobe Camera RAW Processing

by karenulvestad, posted in Uncategorized
RAW file work before opening in Adobe Photoshop

I would love your comments and feedback on this video. It’s a new venture for me, and would appreciate some input. Thank you, and hope you enjoy. . .Karen

copyright Karen Ulvestad

Controlling the narrative

by karenulvestad, posted in Instruction, Tips

Photography is visual communication. What we put into the photograph communicates what we see in the scene or situation. We control the story through subject matter, composition, and exposure. Post processing the digital file enhances our narrative about the subject.

copyright Karen Ulvestad

The narrative portrayed in a photograph is subjective to the photographer and the viewer. It is the culmination of light control, color / black & white, softness or sharpness. It is often defined by the interpretation of the subject by the photographer. In the image above, the tulip is photographed in soft, diffused light with a shallow depth of field. The light creates soft colors that are reminiscent of springtime.

The shallow depth of field is controlled by the aperture setting. The light is softened by clouds and the trees. This photograph was taken indoors by a window with a screen. The screen acted to diffuse the background colors, and the camera was close enough not to detect the pattern of the screen.

Equipment: Canon 5D Mk IV; Sigma Art Lens 24-105; Extension Tubes; Tripod

copyright Karen Ulvestad

Filling the entire frame with color, texture, and shapes directs the attention to the subject. In this image, the viewer only sees the color of the flower and its petal pattern. The brightness of color is reminiscent of summer. This is a dahlia flower, and the light came through the roof of a greenhouse. The light is even due to the position of the light to the flower. The lens of the camera is parallel to the top of the flower. This allows the amount of focus in the photograph.

Equipment: Samsung Galaxy J7 Phone

copyright Karen Ulvestad
copyright Karen Ulvestad
copyright Karen Ulvestad

This last photograph was taken at a very crowded urban area. There were several hundred people under the trees admiring the beautiful cherry blossoms, and tall buildings. This is a time where being selective and creative with the situation needs to happen when choosing the subject. In this scenario, the time of day is crucial for the right lighting of the blossoms and the photograph’s over-all color.

Equipment: Canon 5D Mk II; Canon Lens 17-40 at 17mm

May your Spring be filled with Great Photographs. . .Karen

copyright Karen Ulvestad

Capturing Nature’s Mood

by karenulvestad, posted in light, Tips

Each season brings different moods to our natural landscape. Winter shows us a moody vision with clouds, rain or snow, and lower light. The colors shift from bright summer colors to subdued winter shades. The tonal quality moves towards the middle tones, and contrast is decreased. Clouds in the sky become a giant diffusion filter, diffusing the natural light and letting less light hit the landscape.

The image below shows low lying clouds nestled between hillsides, leafless trees, and rain drops on the water. Less light brings a “darker” feeling to the forest. The aperture is larger to bring sharpness to the entire photograph. So, what mood does it show?

copyright Karen Ulvestad

The composition affects the amount of light that shows in the photograph. Less sky leaves less light in the image. More sky includes more light. Each of these situations changes how the camera “reads” the available light. The exposure with more forest is easier to get a correct exposure, and details in the land features. When more sky is included, the exposure needs to over-expose the scene, if details are wanted in the forest and land features.

In the image below, the exposure allows more light to create the image. The mid-tones (Highlights and Shadows) are worked on through Adobe Camera RAW, which brings out more detail in both the clouds and the trees. A similar exposure can be created in-camera using HDR.

copyright Karen Ulvestad

Drama in the image is created through working on contrast, keeping areas darker/lighter, or desaturating the color (including black & white). The best way to create “moody” images is to shoot RAW files, and refine the photograph on the computer. Sometimes, it is simple like darkening specific areas, and lightening others. The image below is desaturated color. There is still a little bit of color left in the green trees. The clouds contribute to the separation of the darker, tree covered hills. This image shows more contrast in this monochromatic form, than full color.

copyright Karen Ulvestad

As I navigate through the new reality of the pandemic and other challenges, I am teaching more classes and workshops online. If you would like more information on this topic, feel free to contact me directly. Thank you. . .

Happy Shooting. . .Karen

copyright Karen Ulvestad

Looking Forward into 2021

by karenulvestad, posted in Location

When we look at our world, it influences our vision and photographic images. There are times when it’s easier to escape into nature, and express ourselves through the environment. After 4 years of unpredictability, it is nice to see some calm in the world. So, I’ve spent the month of January creating new images, and teaching. It’s been a nice change in the storm that keeps coming into my life.

I chased the King Tides in January, and came away with amazing images of the tenacity of the ocean. One thing that helps with creating a good photograph is having a vision. I envisioned showing the ocean and coastline interacting with an extreme tide (and hopefully big waves). I wasn’t disappointed!

This is the coastline at Kalaloch. This stretch of coastline is part of the Olympic National Park. Normally, more beach is walkable. This day, the ocean came up to the sandstone cliffs. The photo above was taken two to three hours before the high tide.

I went out to the coast the previous day to catch the incoming tide. A rain and wind storm came through the night before, and I spent the night sleeping in the car a 100 yards or so from the ocean. The sunrise case a soft pinkish cast to the clouds and ocean white caps.

copyright Karen Ulvestad

The morning progressed, and the sun lit up the waves. The sound of the surf, along with the amazing amount of sea foam, created a magical scene to photograph. I think I ended up with over a 1000 frames, and several video clips. As a creative person, the challenges of the past year of a Pandemic washed away with the wind, surf, sun, and the photographs.

The image below is looking north from Kalaloch. The intense storm clouds brought rain to the north and south of this area along the coast. The sunlight added to the power of the moment, and allowed faster exposures to capture the immensity of the incoming surf.

copyright Karen Ulvestad

In closing, I encourage all to venture out, and enjoy the beauty of nature. It’s times like this where seeing and feeling nature can move us forward to new visions of future photographic projects.

Happy Shooting. . .Karen

copyright Karen Ulvestad

Looking Back on 2020

by karenulvestad, posted in Best Of

WOW! I made through 2020, but looking back I discovered that I shot less than 10 shoots. Most years, I’ve reached this number of shoots by the end of February. We made through Pandemic lock-downs, travel restrictions, and other limiting factors. I taught only 4 classes, 1 bird festival, and sold a couple prints. With all this, there is visible growth in my photographic vision, and I’m looking forward to 2021. Here, I’m posting my best from 2020.

May the New Year be filled with may photography opportunities. . .Karen

  • copyright Karen Ulvestad
  • copyright Karen Ulvestad

2020 holiday Special

by karenulvestad, posted in Instruction, Workshops

As the year 2020 is coming to an end, it is a great time to learn a new skill or improve an old hobby/passion. I decided that I would offer a special price for an hour of instruction, including answering questions. The topic of instruction will be discussed with the student prior to the session, and will focus on the student’s needs. These sessions will be scheduled between me and the student, and will take place via a ZOOM session. This would make a great Holiday gift for the camera enthusiast, or a child/adult wanting to learn photography. I look forward to working with you in the New Year.

Photographers

One Hour Learning Session

This hour long ZOOM session is designed to help learn a new camera, expand existing knowledge, and/or learn new photography skills. Skills taught could range from camera operation, understanding exposure, composition, the digital darkroom, storing and accessing picture files, and/or subjects/locations to shoot. The subjects taught will be tailored to the student prior to the session. These sessions are great for children or adults. I have taught both age groups in-person and via ZOOM classes. Each session will be scheduled to the availability of the student and instructor. Parents are welcome to be part of a child’s session.

$35.00