The End of Color

It's about gone, only tiny pockets of color remain. I've often thought November is the toughest month to reveal in a photograph. The difference between March and November can be subtle. Crisp leaves and intact puffballs are one of the few indications of the end of autumn. If you can find some color to photograph, go for it. You won't see it again for a few months.

Technical: recorded a couple weeks ago. Off camera lighting, converted to black and white in Silver Efex Pro

Prairie Watch Dogs

These guys are alert for anything unusual, perhaps I accidentally got their attention when the camera bumped the door frame. In any event they soon settled back to their normal behavior of nonstop eating. Black and white seems appropriate for the monochromatic color of real life. I like the difference between the texture of their fur and the hard ground. Sitting in my car photographing prairie dogs was a way to spend a sunny November afternoon with a bitter northwest wind blowing.

Country Road

This country road is more than an element of composition, it tells a story.  The overhead storm clouds are ominous and the road leads up a small hill.  What is your story in this image?  Are you optimistic or pessimistic?

Passing storm

Watching clouds change reminds me of my size and position on this big Earth.

Two cameras are set up for time-lapse and the iPhone was used while waiting for sequence to be captured.  This is a grab shot from a sequence that has been converted to B & W in Lightroom. The sky is so much more foreboding in black and white.

Artist's Paint Pots

I have not been below the northern tier in Yellowstone for several years but made a short trip to Norris Geyser Basin area one afternoon in October. Short should be quantified becasuse of the 30 minute delay due to road construction. The Artist Paint Pots have subtle colors but what I saw when I approached them was the heat, light, and steam. Note the distant fence to get a sense of scale.

Stormy Skies

Not everyday is a blue sky day in Yellowstone, in fact, it would be interesting to know just how few there are. The character of the sky adds to the mystery and excitement of the Park and I prefer the cloudy days which usually bring a little wind with them. Recorded at the top of the S curves.

Migration in B & W

During a walk yesterday we were under a million blackbirds, not necessarily an exaggeration, and took some time to photograph and film them. Sometimes you just can't fight the light. The stark trees and blackbirds with an overcast sky are a case in point so I converted to black and white. 

Exploring Water & Rock

Same waterfall, same day. I could (and have) spend an hour at a waterfall. Moving back, moving in, changing lenses, changing point of view, the list of possibilities goes on and on. Conversion to B &W to eliminate the browns in the rock and water.

End of the Season

The colors are changing and the seed pods have opened. Who would think this was once a vibrant lupine surrounded by butterflies and bees.

Big Dipper in the clouds

I was processing this and noticed the big dipper in the sky. The image was taken during nautical twilight which explains the light on the western horizon. Technical: 4 minute exposure, f8, ISO 100. 

Star Trails

I learned a new technique for night photography. If you expose with a fixed aperture at ISO 6400 then change the ISO to 100 at the same aperture just convey the number of seconds at 6400 to minutes at 100, i.e. 5 seconds at ISO 6400 = 5 minutes at ISO 100. This was a 7 minute exposure. The fine line is a jet passing through the image.  More information, including this technique, can be found at the B & H YouTube channel.

Peeper on fern

I've been out the last couple mornings concentrating on a short section of roadside. Black and White does not work very often in macro, usually only when I have overstayed the light.

Swollen Lamar River

Three dozen people were watching the drama between two grizzly bears on a bison carcass. My binoculars could almost make out the bears so I turned my attention to a more nearby subject.  There is something very relaxing sitting along the Lamar at dusk. 

Prairie Sunset

Yes, this is a Minnesota prairie. I made a trip to Cottonwood Prairie SNA yesterday afternoon. While returning to the truck I was rewarded with a sunset with character but not much color. Technical: Lightroom used to converted to B & W and lighten the foreground

Winter Color

Today is starting gray and windy which reminded me of this shot from a few years ago.  Most of my black and white shots are taken during the winter, making the most of the contrast range.  I'm not getting many new images this month, the shutter finger is getting twitchy.

Gardiner River

The Gardiner River water is warm, fed by a hot springs a couple miles upstream. It's one of the few warm water areas that don't smell of sulfur. Technical: Converted to B&W, I didn't like any of the WB settings that I tried. 

Kestrel in the Storm

This guy was waiting out the snow while still looking for lunch. I was impressed by its delicate nature and small size. The gray sky and the kestrel's subtle color made this a perfect shot to convert to black and white.

Technical: converted to b & w in Lightroom

Palisade Head

I was at Palisade Head for sunrise last week hoping to get the warm light on the cliff face. The color was not as dramatic as expected but the rock texture in contrast to the lake caught my eye. 

Technical: captured using an iPhone. Conversion to B & W with a new app called ProCamera which, in my opinion, is the ultimate iPhone camera app. I have tried 5-6 different camera apps and each has had significant limitations. ProCamera clearly separates focus from exposure and has adjustable white balance. In addition in has image enhancements that are more realistic than most apps.

The air is alive

The autumn air is alive with action and sound. I haven't developed an affinity for Canada geese and rarely photograph them but I couldn't resist this group as it lifted off.  

Woodland Textures

Today was dark, wet, and windy.  Does that sound familiar? A hike in the woods was filled with texture, therefore black and white.  Technical: dodging in Lightroom to darken the background and tree trunk. A trick borrowed from Ansel Adams.