It’s with great pleasure the we introduce you to the photography of Jock Voelzke. Jock is the latest Master Light Program mentee to complete the program. It was a great pleasure to get to know Jock and watch his photography grow.
We have one opening for 2006 and a couple for 2007. If you’re interested in participating in our MLP, please head to the webpage and send us some images.
Using the power of the biggest rumor mill, the web, smart marketing. The web is a buzz today with guesses for what this (click here) is all about. Nikon it appears will be announcing a new camera soon.
Howdy folks! I just got word that there is an opening in my Sundance Wildlife Workshop next month. The dates are 28 August to 1 Sept. Sharon & I will be there for an amazing and very unique teaching opportunity. There will be just 15 students and us with lots of images & stories to share, equipment to explore and techniques to cover. Click on the link and register! Cya! Moose
Wow, things just keep getting better and better for macro photography. I just received the new Really Right Stuff TP-243 Super Robust Ground ‘Pod yesterday and it’s sweet! It can easily hold a 600f4 rock solid at its maximum height (which you can’t see here, photo sweep too small to extend legs fully) of 16.9″. Or it can go flat, and I mean flat on the ground. Easily and quickly with just a couple of clicks the legs kick out and your flat to the ground. The Ground ‘pod is so small and easy to take along and with its versatility, it’s a must for the working wildlife photographer. You get a sense of scale by the 200f2VR attached to the TP-243 in the photo. I took a number of test shots with this rig using at a shutter speed of 2sec and the images were tack sharp-the Ground ‘pod is a rock!
The leg ends can be switched out to the points you see here or to rubber feet for working on softer surfaces. You can head to the RRS TP-243 page where you can see both leg feet (along with all of its impressive specs). The TP-243 of course works perfectly with the BH-55 or BH-40 heads (but the case that comes with the TP-243 doesn’t accomodate any head) but it also works perfectly with the Wimberley for the 600mm. While the TP-243 goes flat to the ground, these heads of course bring your camera gear above ground level. And while I keep talking about using it for long lenses, it is really ideal for macro work where you need to get in tight, not effect the subject and have rock solid support with awkward gear attached on awkward slopes. The TP-243’s small size makes it a natural to always have along with you!
Man…micro heavy lately…can you tell what my current project involves? 
Really Right Stuff is now shipping their new B150-B Focusing Rail and man, it’s sweet! 
All Arca Swiss style dove & tail for easy on/off. Quick slide button on the side of the clamp, lockable stage, 150mm of ruled rail that can be accessed with smooth geared percesion, it’s a work of art that’s a killer tool! 
I recommend getting the B150-B Package which permits you to attach either a body to the B150-B or a collared lens like the 70-80 or 200micro via their LMT system.
I really appreciate having the ability to set the magnification I require on the lens and then with a simple turn of the knob on the B150-B, “zoom” right in on the subject for percise focus. The geared action is not only smooth, but very precise for critical focus. Coupled with the BH-55, this is a great rig for macro photography.
Now, if RRS could only do something about the wind when I’m doing macro work!
Hey…I was just interviewed for a podcast which I was told would be posted on the 15th. You can check it out here. I talk about my favorite topic, wildlife photography.
Capture NX has been released for public trial. You can download it here for Windows and here for Mac . You need to head to your local Nikon site for purchase information. Being one of the original Beta testers, I can tell you firsthand that NX has changed the way I process my images in post (and influenced my photography). This is a program for photographers who get it right, right from the start and want the ulitmate in finishing software (which includes scans saved as Nefs)! You don’t have to be a Nikon shooter to use the power of NX, it works its magic on Tiffs from any camera.
I’m pretty sure I’m not the only kid who was told this by their mom’s growing up. I’ve always thought though of this phrase in a totally different way other then arguments between siblings. It’s a phrase that holds a different meaning for me now. Basically that we’re not alone in our pursuits, that’s a good thing. But it goes beyond even that.
It takes two, photographic tools, a camera body and lens. Without the perfect marriage of camera body and lens, what it we see is not what we’ll be able to capture and more importantly communicate to others. Like so many elements in photography, this very obvious necessity is still one not always obtained by most photographers. They’re out there waiting for each and everyone of us, we just have to find the right combo for ourselves.
It takes two, film and vision to bring full color to our communication. Whether you’re shooting conventional or digital, color is a critical part of our vision and communication. Our use of color is greatly influenced by the film we select of the white balance we dial in. Without the right combination of film and vision, we aren’t successful in our pursuits. This seemingly insequential part of photography is the cornerstone of how we grab the viewers attention to our image. The combination is a mighty powerful tool to communicate!
It takes two, shutter speed and aperture to bring light to our vision. The one curse many feel them have in photography, exposure which is controlled by the combination of shutter speed and aperture is actually one of our greatest blessing! Hardly thought of as a tool for communicating, exposure and how we choose to use it brings drama to our images! The slightest change to the plus or minus of either shutter speed or aperture can completely change what we say photographically. Yeah, it can also mess you up so you don’t get the image at all, but that’s not their fault. Exposure is the mortar that holds together all the rest of the bricks in our constructing of an image. Exposure is not a four letter word but rather the union of science and art into a single moment of time!
It takes two, time and money to give life to our passions. This is the one fact of wildlife photography I wish I could change as it is such a limiting factor for us all. But this is one fact of life that’s carved in granite when it comes to wildlife photography. But it’s not one you can let get you down! Being resourceful is an important attribute of a wildlife photographer. Shooting in your own backyard, borrowing the lens of a friend, there are ways to make photography happen when either one or both of these two realities gets in your way!
It takes two, the most important of all, it takes you and the wildlife! We are a very fortunate and blessed group of individuals! We have a unique passion to explore our wild world with our cameras permitting us to discover and communicate what we experience with others. We all too often tend to take for granted this blessing. It is so important that during these times, we don’t forget our subjects, the wildlife and those places they call home. Taking a moment to make sure they are protected so they are present when we want to photograph them is all so important. We inheritated a grandeur that is like no other gift. We owe it to the wildlife photographer who come after us the opportunity to find the same enjoyment and rewards as we’ve been able to treasure.
Never loose site that in wildlife photography, it takes two and to save it for future generations, it takes us all!
This photography thing, it’s quite a mental game. Ever notice that? Whether it was the brain power to earn the money to buy the tools, selecting the right tool out of all the ones purchased or then thinking about the best way to apply that selected lens for the given subject, the whole thing is a mental process. You can go even deeper realizing that selecting the right f/stop and position for the right composition takes even more brain power. Going all the way, you have to take your brain in combination with your eyes and analyze the light to determine not only exposure but if the light itself is worthy of your photographic efforts. Dang, this is one brainy hobby/avocation or occupation!
Ever upload your photos and ask yourself, “What was I thinking about?� Your images are missing something obvious. Perhaps you used the wrong AF sensor so your focus point is off, you used too much DOF or not enough. You simply blew it because, you weren’t thinking fluently enough for the situation at hand. It would be nice to be able to blame Nikon or Canon for the problem, something they goofed up in manufacture. Would be handy if we could blame the subject but as we all know the subject gives us enough excuses for failure that this one just doesn’t fit. It all comes down to us and thinking.
How can we get past this problem? Thinking, practice thinking. Now how do you do that? The best way I know of is simply shooting, shooting and then shooting some more. The more situations you expose your mind to, the more situations become second nature and learned mistakes get corrected. You can take classes that again expose the mind to situations so you have answers to fall back on. I’ve been very fortunate to take Joe McNally’s lighting class a half dozen times now and it’s radically improved my use of flash taking my flash photography to a whole new level. And finally, you can learn a lot by just reading and looking. There’s a great Blog out there, The Strobist who invites you into the creative world of flash with great lessons, assignments and humor.
“Engage the brain before the mouth� is something my dad told me a lot, a lot! These words of wisdom I turned around long ago into “Engage the brain before shooting� and I found it helped me a lot. While this might seem difficult in itself, you have to take one more giant step further by thinking and then connecting that thought with your heart to bring out in your photography the passion that wildlife photography so cries for. I was having a photographic conversation with a good friend lately and I accused him of thinking too much. Perhaps he doesn’t think too much, perhaps I think too little. Perhaps the middle point is where we want to reach but on a subconscious level for the best photographs. I don’t know, I’ll have to think on it. I need to consider for myself just what’s going on in there.
Why do I have all these macro lenses? That’s one darn good question I’ve been flooded with. It’s a real simple answer, working distance and magnification. They all deliver the quality that I & our clients require so the rest is solving problems in the field.
A little background on what I think of as working distance. When I speak of working distance I’m talking specifically of the distance from the front element to the point I’ve focused on at 1:1. I point this out because it’s different than what Nikon speaks of. They measure from the film place to the subject which as measurements go, does me little good in the field with my butt in the air photographing some microscopic bug. Each of the micro lenses (micro because they go to 1:1) have a different working distance. The 60AF is 3″, the 105VR is 6″, the 200AF is 10″, and the 70-180AF is 5.5″ (doesn’t achieve 100% 1:1; this lens is officially discontinued). This working distance is important to me because the vast majority of the time, I’m using flash. The amount of space I have to introduce flash is important to me even when using the R1C1 .
The other important aspect in selecting a particular micro lens for a project is increased magnification beyond 1:1. The rule of thumb is you need to add equal amount of extension to the focal length of the lens to reach 1:1. Nikon’s three prime micros, 60mm, 105mm and 200mm achieve 1:1 by internally “growing” and adding the needed extension to reach the 1:1 magnification (and whether you achieve this magnification internally or with tubes, you loose light). Getting beyond the lens’ 1:1 requires the use of extension tubes, teleconverters or a combination thereof (different depending on the lens in use). Based on the subject I’m to photograph and these lens factors, I select the appropriate lens for the job.
Is there one lens that does it all? Not for my photography but that might not be true for you. Out of the four lenses, there is only two that I use for other than “macro” needs, the 105VR and 70-180 because of their versatility and how that finds into my style of photography. What if you’re looking for a micro lens but don’t know which one to consider? I would suggest looking at these basic considerations and then go rent/borrow the one that seems to naturally fit. I strongly suggest trying before buying. The world of macro photography is very cool, up close and personal and one that can be enjoyed anywhere.
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