landscape photography Archives

Making Artistic Choices. . .

July 2, 2013July 2, 2013 by karenulvestad, posted in Instruction, Tips, Workshops

Photography is the art of taking light waves, controlling their intensity, and creating a visual image. Though this process, there are several decisions or choices make regarding exposure, composition, and subject. During my workshop at Sitka, we spent one day hiking through the forest. I usually spend my time working with students individually, and pointing out areas of interest. I teach by both talking and showing examples.

The image below is from this workshop. We were looking for forest birds, and learning about habitat. Then, we came upon this tree, and the wonderful photographic opportunity. I pointed out the tree with all the fungus growing on its right side. It was a great subject to test out depth-of-field (aperture) and composition.

copyright Karen Ulvestad — Shot Info – 100mm; 400 ISO; 1/60 sec.; F5.6

The entire area covered by fungus was large. It was at least 5 feet in height, and covered the back side of the tree. The trail allowed us to walk near and partially around the tree. The image below is a portion of the whole, and the depth-of-field keeps the fungus in focus, and part of the moss. The background in a series of white circular shapes and dark greens. The white is the over-cast sky, and the green is the forest.

This was shot with my 100-400 mm lens at 200 mm. I selected a section of the fungus that showed the top and bottom textures.

In the image below, I cropped tighter by shooting at 400 mm. I changed the background to the forest, which turn various shades of green. The closer crop allows the details of the subject to show in the frame. . .textures, water drops, and spider webs. I left a small section of the tree to anchor the subject in the frame.

In both this image and the one above, I left space at the bottom of the frame, so the bottom fungus are complete. This gives the eye a completeness of the subject, and avoids looking incomplete. More next time. . .

Happy Shooting. . .Karen

My next workshop is July 27 & 28, 2013 at the Pacific Northwest Art School.

Of the Land, Sea & Air – A Coastal Photographic Adventure

March 25, 2013 by karenulvestad, posted in Instruction, Location, Workshops

“It was perfect for all levels. It was a great combination of technique and artistry.” Susan H.

We will have minus tides during this workshop, which will allow students to view and photograph tide pools, walk closer to bird nesting areas and marine mammal resting areas. It’s a great opportunity to learn the details of bird and marine mammal photography, and shoot at beautiful locations. The coastal waters are filled with harbor seals, gray whales, and sea birds during the late spring season.

The workshop starts in the classroom, with an interactive presentation about exposure, techniques and equipment. Then, students go out into the field and practice what was learned in the classroom, ask questions and learn how to spot wildlife. Composition is discussed through-out the workshop, both in the classroom and in the field. The workshop is about 30% in the classroom and 70% shooting in the field with instruction.

This last photograph is the students photographing harbor seals in the surf. Most of the subjects can be photographed with a 400mm lens or shorter. It is recommended that students bring a tripod. For more information or to sign-up, visit Sitka Center.

Tips for Photographing Waterfalls

February 17, 2013 by karenulvestad, posted in Instruction, Location, Tips

From trickles of water to roaring flood-stage torrents, waterfalls are an ever-changing photographic subject. Their structure changes slowly over time, but the water falls differently every second. If one took 10 photographs in a row of the same waterfall, each would look different.

Below is an image taken of a small creek. This small area is isolated by using a telephoto lens, then cropping top/bottom of the image, to create an expansive feeling to the photograph. The motion of the water is in-focus. To accomplish this, the shutter speed needs to be at 1/60 second or faster. It is dependent on the speed the water is flowing. With an image like this, it is best to use a tripod to stabilize the camera and be selective about composition. This was taken on a sunny day, and this portion of the creek was in the shade.

TIP – When using a tripod, remember to turn-off the image stabilization on the lens.

Waterfalls come in all shapes and sizes. What makes each unique is the way the water has sculpted the rocks surrounding it. The image above was a small section of a creek. The image below is much larger, and the first falls above a gorge that ends in a 50 +/- foot waterfall. This was a foggy and over-cast day in Mount Rainier National Park. The water in this image is not crisp, yet the rocks are sharp. To get this effect, the shutter speed needs to be 1/8 second or slightly slower. With these shutter speeds, the camera needs to be stabilized on a tripod or other method of stabilization. The aperture was F22, which created a larger depth of field, in comparison to the image above.

TIP – When a tripod is unavailable, try using a rock, tree or other object in the environment to stabilize the camera and/or one’s self.

Time of year plays a part in capturing great waterfall images. The photos above were taken during the summer months. The image below was taken in the fall. The leaves have fallen from the trees, and offer a full view of the Whatcom Falls. The ground is covered with autumn colored leaves, adding color to the forest floor. This was taken on an over-cast day in October.

The “milking” effect of the waterfall is due to a slow shutter speed. In this case, it was 1/5 second, and a bridge rail was used for camera stabilization. This was shot with a wide-angle lens, and the aperture was F10.

This last image is Snoqualmie Falls at flood stage. The roads to the waterfall had been open a couple of hours earlier. It was flowing at 78,000 cubic feet of water per second, and it was incredibly loud. This was taken with slide film, and scanned to digital.

These locations are great to photograph waterfalls. It takes some planning to capture the photographic image one is seeking. The things to consider are weather, time of year, equipment, and accessibility to the location. In addition, it is good to factor in the costs associated with travel, food and/or lodging. For more tips and instruction, consider contacting me for workshop information.

Happy Shooting. . .Karen

Photographing Winter

February 6, 2013 by karenulvestad, posted in Instruction, Tips

Winter is a magical time to photograph the natural world. The world is changed with the white of snow or frost. Trees become dormant for the season, and visually become lines in the composition. The temperatures drop below freezing, and it is a different environment for operating a camera. Exposure changes to reflect white.

Below is a photograph of starlings in a tree covered with hoarfrost. The dark tone of the birds is in direct contrast to the white of the sky and tree limbs. For the frost to appear white, it is the time to over-expose the photograph. The dark tone of the birds will yield subtle colors and details. This image was shot at 100 ISO, 1/60 second shutter speed, and F8 aperture. I chose F8 to bring a larger depth of field to the image, yet knew sharpness didn’t matter for the background. The fog had not lifted too far from the ground, and was a mono-chromatic white.

The reason that snow or white subjects need to be over-exposed is due to the nature of the camera’s light meter. The light meter reads the world as 18% gray, when it reads 0 (or the center of the meter). To compensate, the exposure needs to let more light into the camera, so the whites look white.

This second image has foreground, midground and background. I wanted to show the fore and mid ground in focus, and let the fog become the backdrop for the image. This photograph was shot at 200 ISO, 1/60 second shutter speed, and F10 aperture. It gave me the depth of field I was wanting to show in the image. The use of the tree branches at the top helps create a feeling of depth in the image, and help show the subject.

This last image was a long-needle pine tree covered in hoarfrost. The ice crystals still maintained their crispness, and the cones were a nice contrast to the rest of the photo. I used a shallower depth of field to blur the background, and bring the viewer’s focus to the cones, needles and hoarfrost in the front of the image. The exposure for this one is 200 ISO, 1/60 second shutter speed, and F5.6 aperture.

Happy Shooting. . .Karen

Learning Your Digital Camera can be Fun!

January 25, 2013 by karenulvestad, posted in Digital Darkroom, Instruction, Workshops

In the film world, photography was relatively simple for the photographer. We selected our film, shot our photos, developed the film (either ourselves or at a lab), edited the photos, and finished with a final product. We had a choice in film speed, and type of film. For creative affects, we had filters for our lenses, camera mounted flashes and other gadgets.

With digital photography, cameras are programmed with all this information. Film has become a media card (Compact Flash, SD, XD, etc.). Digital Photography is defined by processors and megapixels, instead film brand and speed. Instead of the photo lab developing our pictures, we have computer software (Photoshop, Lightroom, Elements, Picasso, Gimp and others). We can print our photos at home on our printers or send them to a photo lab.

So, where do we begin with our digital cameras?

For some, the transition from Film to Digital is easy. For others, it is a struggle, and can be confusing. I’ve worked with all ages (children, teens, adults & seniors) and levels (beginning & intermediate) photographers with understanding the functions of their Digital cameras. Each person has a different way to learn the complex menus and functions of modern cameras, and need individual attention to learning the information.

The photo above was taken in 1997 with Kodak slide film and scanned to a digital file. It was taken at Arches National Park, and all the elements came together for a wonderful photograph. The photo below was taken in 2005 with a Canon 10D digital camera. It was taken at Arches National Park too. Both of these images were shot in Manual mode.

From the Digital Camera to the Digital Darkroom Intensive is a one day (6 hour) hands-on venture into camera operations and workflow for digital photography. I offer this class once a year at the Pacific Northwest Art School on Whidbey Island. Here is a link to their website and the class.

Join my workshop for a fun-filled day of learning Digital Photography and the Digital Darkroom. The last photo is John Day Fossil Beds, and was taken in 2012 with a Canon 5D Mark II.

Happy Shooting. . .Karen

Fall colors at western Oregon vineyards

November 8, 2012 by karenulvestad, posted in Location

I love the wineries and vineyards in Northwestern Oregon at this time of the year. The vineyards turn beautiful colors, and the old farm houses stand-out against all the color. This is my latest article about northern Oregon. Please check it out. . .hope you enjoy. . .

For the complete article and slide-show, visit Fall colors at western Oregon vineyards.

It’s time for snow in the north Cascade Mountains

November 8, 2012 by karenulvestad, posted in Location

This is a great area to photograph the mountains, bald eagles and other wildlife. Please check out the link to read the rest of the article.

It’s time for snow in the north Cascade Mountains.

Northern California Coast Adventures

October 16, 2012 by karenulvestad, posted in Location

Here is my latest article on the northern California coast. It is part 1 in a series. For the entire article, please visit Northern California Coast Adventures.

Creating a Sense of Depth in a Photograph

October 12, 2012 by karenulvestad, posted in Instruction

Landscape or cityscape photography depends on a sense of depth in the photograph. The idea is to show the details in the landscape, while telling a story about the place. Composition goes “hand-in-hand” with exposure of wild places, or structured cityscapes. This type of photography usually has a fore-ground, mid-ground and background, which leads the viewer through the image.

In this first photograph, the fore-ground is the water. The mid-ground is the small spit of land on the left and what looks like ice on the water. The background is the mountain covered in snow. With the Aperture set at F11, the Depth of Field (DOF) starts in the mid-ground, and continues through the background. The inclusion of the fore-ground and mid-ground gives the viewer information about the location of the photograph. It contributes to the “story” of the place.

This second photograph was taken in a Filbert orchard in Oregon. I used the lines of the trees to create the feeling of depth. Using natural or man-made lines adds to the DOF in the image. The aperture for this photograph is F10, and the tree at the end of the row gives a sense of distance. In this one, I used complimentary colors (red and green) to add to the composition. This was taken in the early spring, before the leaves had come out on the trees.

This last photograph is taken with a wide-angle lens. I shoot with a full-frame sensor camera, which makes 17mm a wide-angle lens. For those shooting with a cropped sensor in their cameras, wide-angle lens size starts at 14mm. I used the fore-ground (rocks) to five a focus point for the photograph, and the ferry docks add a nice line. The lights from the dock spill out across the water, and create nice lines to counter the horizon line. In addition, I shot this one with the lit ferry boat coming into the docks. This was taken about 20 minutes after sunset.

More Later & Happy Shooting. . .Karen

Great fall adventures on the coast

October 10, 2012October 12, 2012 by karenulvestad, posted in Location

The Oregon coast is a great place to visit in the fall. The weather is pleasant, and it offers great opportunities for photography. Please check it out. If you enjoy the articles, please consider subscribing to receive them via email. Hope you enjoy. . .

For the complete article, visit Great fall adventures on the coast.

Tag: landscape photography

Making Artistic Choices. . .

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Of the Land, Sea & Air – A Coastal Photographic Adventure

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Tips for Photographing Waterfalls

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Photographing Winter

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Learning Your Digital Camera can be Fun!

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Fall colors at western Oregon vineyards

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It’s time for snow in the north Cascade Mountains

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Northern California Coast Adventures

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Creating a Sense of Depth in a Photograph

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Great fall adventures on the coast

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