Mary Weiland Photography - A Lighter Side

Tuesday, August 10, 2010

Lightning!

After dinner at the lodge on the North Rim of the Grand Canyon, we went outside to catch the views under the light of a full moon. We could see storms off in the distance, and with tripod and camera in hand, I was ready to shoot. This was my first time shooting lightning...

I left the shutter open for 25 seconds, took repeated pictures, and crossed my fingers. The moonlight was coming from the upper left portion of the frame, and cast a lot of light. I didn't try to shoot longer than 25 seconds - I think excitement, nerves, etc. took over and I didn't leave room for experimentation. If I left the shutter open to 30 seconds, the blues in the sky may have been more vibrant...but I also had to compensate for the full moon light.

I did not have my zoom lens with me (80 - 200 mm f/2.8) because I did not want to carry the weight of an extra lens on the hike from North to South Rim, so these shots were taken with an 18 - 70 mm lens at 60 - 70mm lengths. Maybe they would have been stronger shots with a longer zoom, but I am happy with the turnout. I like the fact that you can see the cloud cover and the rain coming down.

Next time I have the opportunity to shoot lightning, I will experiment more with timing/shutter speed, and focal length. I did learn, though, that it is all luck. As soon as the shutter closed, sure enough, the best lightning strikes occurred.

Wednesday, August 4, 2010

Back from the Grand Canyon

I got back from an unbelievable trip to the Grand Canyon on Sunday. Went with a remarkable group of people, hiked North rim to South rim, with a bunch of additional day hikes sprinkled throughout my 5 days there. Took lots of pictures - in both color and infrared, but they can't touch the beauty and size of the Canyon. Had a photo buddy on the trip, which made it so fun to shoot, talk "shop", share ideas, and push each other to try new things.

One new thing I tried was to create panoramic shots by taking several overlapping pictures with the intention of merging them using photo editing software. Not sure why I never tried this before - always wanted to, but had that extra push on this trip to experiment. Keep in mind the following shots were purely experimental and not my best work - just attempting something new.

I used a tripod in all of my attempts so as to keep the camera at the same level while shooting. I also used the same camera settings (shutter speed, f/stop, etc.) so as to not change the exposure between shots. I overlapped images about 25% to ensure the software would be able to recognize similarities/prominent features and merge the photos at those points.

I need to learn my photo software better to sew the pictures together...either that, or readjust how to shoot the individual frames. I had trouble aligning the pictures just right and had to use the perspective feature to merge the pictures. I also noticed that I lost some edges of the outer pictures after the merge, and am not quite sure why (e.g., in the river picture, I had more information on the leftmost frame but it was cut off). I had a lot of fun experimenting, but clearly I have a lot to learn! More Grand Canyon pics to come, including experimentation with lightning shots and the night-time sky.

Friday, June 25, 2010

A few more from Argentina

I found my heaven on Earth in Argentina at Estancia Nibepo. Estancia Nibepo is located just inside of Parque Nacional Los Glaciares. I never felt more happy and at peace than during the time I spent there. The ranch was my idea of perfection - undescribable beauty set admist snow-capped mountains, glacial lakes, and wild flowers. The people were incredible, as was the wonderful meal they served.

I am hopeful I'll be back someday...especially given the fact that Noreen and I ate El Calafate berries while we were there. It's a similar tradition as tossing a coin in the Trevi Fountain - you eat a berry and it guarantees your return to Patagonia.

Wednesday, June 16, 2010

Bailamos!

The tango is such a beautiful dance...and so beautifully complicated. Noreen and I didn't take Tango lessons while in Argentina, but we did wander into a few milongas, ordered plenty of wine, and watched the locals dance.

I took the above picture at La Ideal, a milonga/dance hall in Buenos Aires. This picture especially struck me because of the elegance of the couple in the foreground, with their stance echoed by the younger couple in the background.

The following picture was taken at a small cafe in the San Telmo neighborhood of BA. I love the intensity of the couple, and feel that the panning effects of the camera highlight this intensity - in their faces and their frame/arms. They were such a pleasure to watch.

And what would a trip to BA be without a pic of the famous sidewalk-dancing couple in San Telmo? Sure, it's a tourist trap, but being the tourist that I am, was happy to endulge. These dance partners are found on many a post card in the city. We got to see them do their thing at the Sunday markets.

Sunday, June 13, 2010

Back again...

Life has been incredibly busy, and once again, photography has taken a back seat. Hopefully things have calmed down enough that I can refocus on taking pics. In the meantime, here is one from wine country in Mendoza, Argentina.

Monday, February 8, 2010

Mini-trek on the Perito Moreno Glacier

I haven't meant to neglect my blog for this long. I'm still sorting through pictures from Argentina (daunting task!), as well as catching up with family and friends. I think I will be able to slow myself down this week, and get back to some posts! So for now, here are several shots from a mini-trek on the Perito Moreno Glacier.

The weather conditions were not ideal for picture taking, but I was lucky the rain stopped long enough to snap the pictures that I did. [I can't imagine what the glacier would look like under a sunny, blue sky.] After strapping on crampons, we were off to explore this magnificent place...with the only outfitting group in all of El Calafate who did trekking tours on the glacier.

In addition to the weather, the other thing that proved difficult was being part of a tour group. I was bound to their timing and rushing along so as to not hold up the others. Trying to be cognizant of the members in my group, I positioned myself last in the line while on the glacier - I figured it would give me a few extra seconds to snap some pics without getting in the way of others. I could take a little more time and then hurry to catch up with the group. I got yelled at once, but by the end of the trek, everyone was okay with me taking pictures and no one seemed too bothered...not even our outfitters. I think they realized I was going to shoot. Period. Plus, I had both cameras on me, so they new this was my passion. Maybe that was selfish of me, but at the same token, I may not ever get back here again.

The hour and a half we had on the glacier flew by in a heartbeat. We could have spent hours wandering around and just being in awe of the glacier itself and the magnificent colors of blue it produced - from the deepest royal blue to the most crystal clear blue.

It's very difficult to love photography but not have free reign or time over the subject matter you like to shoot. I didn't have any other choice on the glacier, and need to learn how to shoot more creative/exciting shots while under someone else's clock. This is not how I work, so I know I need to improve on this. Suggestions welcome!

At the end of our trek, we were treated to a shot of whiskey on the rocks...rocks chipped right off the glacier. It was fantastic!

Saturday, January 23, 2010

Back from Argentina!

I've been back in the country for 6 full days now, and looking through what feels like endless photos is exhausting! I had to buy another 20 GB worth of memory while in Argentina!...thanks to the glaciers in Patagonia. It will take me a while to weed through the pictures and figure out what to post on the blog, but for now, here are a few pictures from Parque Nacional Los Glaciares.

These were taken during a boat ride through Parque Nacional Los Glaciares. We were on a full day excursion, so a lot of elements for taking pictures were out of my control - timing and vantage point. I also had to try to work around the lighting and weather conditions. I guess when you are on vacation and not a photo job (not that I would know what that is like!), you don't have multiple days to go back and try again, so this was a one-time chance for me. The mountains certainly create their own weather patterns, so the closer we got to the glaciars, the more clouds and rain drops we experienced.

I will write more about the trip and post additional photos in the next couple of weeks. It just feels overwhelming now! I will say this - I absolutely fell in love with Argentina. The people were so friendly and welcoming. The landscapes were beautiful. The wine and meat were super tasty! The pace of life was easy-going. Being from a big city where everyone is rushed to get to their destinations and hurried to get the check and get out of a restaurant, Argentina taught me how to relax a little bit - don't rush, take your time. What's the big hurry afterall?! Photography-wise, I was so happy with the new Nikon 10-24mm lens I bought for the trip. I had so much fun shooting with it and with the digital infrared camera as well. Stay tuned for more! I will also post to Facebook and Flickr - will send you the links personally if interested.