Post 17

Post 17: Paul Nicklen

https://paulnicklen.com/about/

Canadian Photographer, Paul Nicklen, is an assignment photographer for National Geographic. He focuses on the arctic world, and conservation issues that concern the poles. He has been photographing it for over twenty years, using his marine biology background.

In addition, he is a filmmaker and a lecturer who has done TED Talks. He is the co-founder for SeaLegacy, a nonprofit organization that raises awareness for climate change and pollution within the oceans. Because of his accomplished works, he has won numerous awards throughout his career, and has been given an honorary PHD at Victoria University for his marine biology work and photography.




Morning Kings
South Georgia, 2008

Orca Ballet
Lofoten, Norway, 2014

Post 18: Final Presentation

Final 25

Camera Used: Canon EOS Rebel T3

This class has vastly improved my skills as a photographer over these past few months. One of the biggest skills I have been working on is balancing the ISO and Aperture with the Shutter speed. I knew how they worked individually before joining the class, but using them together is something new. Another big skill I have acquired is the use of Lightroom. I have never edited photos on this scale before, and learning how to turn an average picture into a great one by simply adjusting a few things such as exposure or saturation can take a picture very far. The last, most important skill I have learned, is how to help prevent my camera from getting dust in it. By switching the lens only in clean environments and using a special cleaning kit, I can prevent dust spots fro ending up in my pictures. This class has been extremely helpful.

ISO: 200

Lens: 18-55mm

55mm

AV: f/6.3

Exposure: 1/80 sec

ISO: 1600

Lens: 18-55

18mm

AV: f/14

Exposure: 30 sec

ISO: 1600

Lens: 18-55

18mm

AV: f/14

Exposure: 30 sec

ISO: 100

Lens: 18-55

28mm

AV: f/11

Exposure: 1/320 sec

ISO: 100

Lens: 18-55mm

20mm

AV: f/8.0

Exposure: 1/200 sec

ISO: 1600

Lens: 18-55mm with Macro

50mm

AV: Macro Lens

Exposure: 1/50 sec

ISO: 400

Lens: 75-300mm 

180mm

AV: f/5.6

Exposure: 1/1000 sec

ISO: 400

Lens: 75-300mm 

170mm

AV: f/5.6

Exposure: 1/160 sec

ISO: 1600

Lens: 75-300mm

110mm

AV: f/13

Exposure: 1/200 sec

ISO: 400

Lens:75-300mm 

300mm

AV: f/5.6

Exposure: 1/640 sec

ISO: 400

Lens: 75-300mm

75mm

AV: f/13

Exposure: 1/125 sec

ISO: 800

Lens:75-300mm 

190mm

AV: f/13

Exposure: 1/60 sec

ISO: 400

Lens: 75-300mm

75mm

AV: f/8.0

Exposure: 1/400 sec

ISO: 1600

Lens:75-300mm 

300mm

AV: f/5.6

Exposure: 1/60 sec

ISO: 1600

Lens: 18-55mm with Macro

50mm

AV: Macro Lens

Exposure: 1/60 sec

ISO: 1600

Lens: 18-55mm with Macro

50mm

AV: Macro Lens

Exposure: 1/60 sec

ISO: 1600

Lens: 18-55mm with Macro

50mm

AV: Macro Lens

Exposure: 1/60 sec

ISO: 400

Lens: 18-55mm with Macro

50mm

AV: Macro Lens

Exposure: 1/80 sec

ISO: 400

Lens: 18-55mm with Macro

50mm

AV: Macro Lens

Exposure: 1/80 sec

ISO: 1600

Lens: 18-55mm with Macro

50mm

AV: Macro Lens

Exposure: 1/80 sec

ISO: 1600

Lens: 18-55mm with Macro

50mm

AV: Macro Lens

Exposure: 1/80 sec

ISO: 1600

Lens: 18-55mm with Macro

50mm

AV: Macro Lens

Exposure: 1/80 sec

ISO: 1600

Lens:18-55mm with Macro 

50mm

AV: Macro Lens

Exposure: 1/60 sec

ISO: 800

Lens: 18-55mm 

37mm

AV: f/5.6

Exposure: 1/125 sec

ISO: 800

Lens: 18-55mm with Macro

50mm

AV: Macro Lens

Exposure: 1/60 sec

Post 16

Post 16: Tom Murphy

https://www.tmurphywild.com/

Tom Murphy is a wildlife photographer based out of Livingston, Montana. His photography focus is in Yellowstone National park, where he will also lead photography trips and expeditions for others with his company, Wilderness Photography Expeditions. He has donated his work to conservation groups and efforts, as well as the park, were most of it can be see in the Old Faithful Visitors Center. He has been featured in a PBS documentary, Christmas in Yellowstone, which is broadcast every Christmas. He has published seven books on the seasons of Yellowstone that focus on the life within the park.

Besides photography, Tom serves on the Yellowstone Park Foundation board, Park City Environmental Council, and does lectures and talks to promote conservation and raise awareness on environmental issues.

He has three categories of photos on his website: Abstract, Landscape, and Wildlife. There is a sample from each category in order below.

Filaments of Red Bacteria
https://www.tmurphywild.com/product/filaments-of-red-bacteria/

Full Moon Setting Over Ridge and Clouds
https://www.tmurphywild.com/product/full-moon-setting-over-ridge-and-clouds/

Druid Pack Wolf Yearling
https://www.tmurphywild.com/product/druid-pack-wolf-yearling/

Post 15

Post 15: Ray Collins

https://raycollinsphoto.com

Australian photographer, Ray Collins, has spent the past decade photographing the surf, focusing on the form of the waves and the effect that water can have. He began photography after he injured his knee in a mining accident. During his recovery time, he dove into the waves and began practicing. Since then, he has made a significant name for himself, photographing surfers, and working with the aviation and automotive industries, and many more. He has been featured in National Geographic, and works to show environmental impact within the ocean.

His pictures use a low exposure and a fast shutter speed to capture the movement of the waves. All of his pieces depict the ocean as powerful, and constantly in motion. His work differs form that of Clark Little, in that the depiction of the waves give a different presentation. These waves are powerful and dangerous, while Clark Little shows them as powerful as well, but in a warmer tone. It is amazing to see different styles of the same subject.

Post 14: Share 2 and Critique

For these pictures, the settings are:
ISO: 800
AV: F6
Shutter Speed: 1/60

I sharpened both pictures and put the dehaze filter on them. The first one, I darkened the background and blurred it, and took the ice, sharpened it, and lighted the exposure, enhanced the shadows, and highlights.

The second one, I enhanced the shadows and highlights to expose the patterns in the ice. I also saturated the color a bit to show the green in the leaves.

Post 13

Post 13: Xavi Bou

http://www.xavibou.com/index.php/project/about-xavi-bou/

Xavi Bou lives in Barcelona where he grew up and studied photography throughout his whole life. He graduated from the University of Barcelona with a degree in Geology in 2003. Later, he followed his passion for photography and in 2004, studied photography at Grisart International School of Photography. He worked in photography for advertisements and the fashion industry between then and 2012. 

Xavi wanted to peruse his love of the natural world and began focusing on  Ornitographies - bird flight pictures. He has since been published in National Geographic, Sonntag, The Guardian, and many more. “My intention is to capture the beauty of the bird’s flight in a single moment, making the invisible visible. Ornitographies moves away from the purely scientific practice of Chronophotography that 19th century photographers Eadward Muybridge and Étienne Julies Marey developed. It is the balance between art and science, a project of naturalist discovery, and, at the same time, an exercise of visual poetry.”

Post 12

Post 12: Ronan Donovan

https://www.nationalgeographic.com/magazine/2016/05/yellowstone-photographer-donovan/

This week, I'm featuring National Geographic photographer, Ronan Donovan who photographs the wolf packs in Yellowstone National Park. He started his career in biology and began his photography in Uganda when he went to study chimpanzees. In 2015, he lived in Yellowstone to document the packs.
He has photographed the Junction Butte, Mollie's, and 8-Mile packs - as well as the researchers who monitor them. Often, Donovan will join researchers when they need to dart the wolves for immunizations and radio collars. Donovan now lives in Montana.

This one is one of his well known photographs of a Grey Wolf (Canis lupus).
Please visit National Geographic and his website to see more of his awesome photos. I have included the links below.

http://www.ronandonovan.com/
https://www.nationalgeographic.com/magazine/2016/05/yellowstone-photographer-donovan/

Post 11

Post 11: Share 2 and Critique: 2

For my two pictures this week, I took advantage of the cold weather the past few weeks, and got some good snowflake pictures. I was able to use my macro lens to get some good detail. The settings on it were ISO: 800, and shutter speed: 1/60. Aperture cannot be changed with my macro lens.

For the shoot, I used black printer paper as my base. I kept it outside for a few minutes so that it could adjust to the outside temperature. This way, the snowflakes would not melt. Black fabric or wool also works, and is sometimes better, because it is softer; it will absorb some impact and more snowflakes are less likely to shatter. The colder the temperature, and the drier the air - the better snowflakes will form.

Post 10

Post 10: Alexey Kljatov and the Snowflakes

https://www.rferl.org/a/russian-photographer-uses-soviet-technology-to-photograph-snowflakes/28919831.html


Russian photographer, Alexey Kljatov, works as a printing press operator and learned how to photograph snowflakes using old and inexpensive camera equipment. He uses a ten year old Canon Powershot, a Soviet lens taped to the camera, and a board to angle and steady the camera to create a very powerful device. His pictures are extremely detailed. Kljatov has the snowflakes resting on either black wool, or on a glass sheet. Both bases make each snowflake stand out. As soon as snow starts falling in Moscow, he goes out to capture what he can. 

Here, he has the camera set up to get the flakes. He uses an old black sweater for the background. I have found in my own experience, that wool, or other soft materials will absorb shock well when the snowflakes land, will stay intact instead of breaking or shattering. 

Here is the result. 

Post 9: First Share and Critique

First Share and Critique

I was fortunate to make it to Flathead Lake a few weeks ago where the scenery was breath taking. It was right as the weather was cooling down, and everyone who lived nearby were burning slash piles. This created a smokey veil around the mountains. This, combined with the still water that looked like glass, made breathtaking conditions.

The first photo required a little editing. I realized later in the day it was taken that I had a piece of dirt on my lens. Luckily, I was able to cover it up. Other than that, not much editing was done. The conditions were perfect that day. My AV was at F13 to capture all the details. The second photo was taken here on campus before the winter storm hit several weeks ago. I focused my settings on aperture. My AV settings were at F6.5 for this one. I did not feel the need to edit this one. I try to do minimal editing. However, in the lake picture, it needed it badly. It looked as though someone drew a sharpie marker in the bottom right corner.

Post 8: Underwater Photography

Underwater Photography

https://www.uwphotographyguide.com/underwater-photography-tips

Taking pictures in this completely different setting looks like fun, and I would like to learn more about it. There are different things to consider, and techniques take some getting used to. I am going to include some techniques I found needed to adapt to going underwater.

Light has a hard time traveling through deep depths of water. It is recommended to get as close to a subject as possible to help with light and color vibrancy. Flash can be used, but be careful when shooting a subject, as flash can be harmful to creatures. ISO settings should be at its lowest, and the resolution should be at its highest. Try to shoot in 20ft depths or less when using natural light, using the sun behind you. It is also recommended to shot upward, not downward. To make up for the little light, shutter speed needs to range from 1/30 to 1/125.

Do not use digital zoom,the camera will not be able to focus. Bring a diving light, so that the camera can have a better time focusing on the details without blurring. Use the white balance mode when not using the flash. Most importantly, know your camera before going out to shoot. This way, you are already very familiar with the settings and function of the different components.


What Lies Beneath - Clark Little
https://clarklittlephotography.com/collections/best-seller/products/what-lies-beneath?variant=1315277488

Post 7: Joel Sartore

Joel Sartore
https://www.joelsartore.com/photo-ark/

This week, I will be focusing on a conservation photographer, Joel Sartore. In recent years, he has developed a "Photo Ark" - a collection of portraits of captive animals. Almost all of these animals are either threatened, or endangered. Working with National Geographic, these portraits have made their way around the world and have gathered awareness for conservation. I attached a few samples of his work; these are three out of 9764 pictures taken for this project. Some of the animals he has photographed, have already gone extinct.

White-bellied Pangolin

This animal is extremely endangered. It is hunted for its scales to be used in Chinese pharmaceuticals.








Spotted Jellyfish

Joel does not limit himself to terrestrial animals, but photographs all the animals he can. These jellies are currently in the Monterey Bay Aquarium.









Rajah

Tigers are quickly disappearing due to habitat loss and conflict with humans.







https://www.joelsartore.com/gallery/the-photo-ark

Post 6: Robert Irwin

Robert Irwin Nature Photography

This week, I am featuring a younger photographer, Steve Irwin's son. He has been filling in his father's shoes, advocating for wildlife and helping educate the public. His pictures are world renowned, and  He is featured in many magazines, TV interviews, newspapers, and journals. He works at the Australia Zoo with his mother and sister as he continues to photograph wildlife and advocate for wildlife

His photographs give a close-up view of each animal in their own world. Each one is a portrait, showing the beauty and grace in each of the subjects. Below, I have included a publication with several of his works.

This one is of a crocodile's mouth - a rarely seen perspective of this predator. It is nominated for the Australian Geographic Nature Photographer of The Year award.

Runner Up

Australian Geographic Nature Photographer of The Year