|
Little Susitna River. Flowing water and saturated fall colors photograph well in overcast conditions and rain as was the case with this image.
Canon 5D Mark IV 70-200f/4 at 97mm
ISO 100, 6 seconds @ f11
Breakthrough Photography polarizer with 6 stop ND filter
|
|
|
Sharon fully immersed in tundra fall colors along the Denali Highway.
|
|
|
FALL ... MY FAVORITE TIME OF YEAR
The fall newsletter is perhaps the most difficult to write since fall is my favorite time of year and we are out shooting so much!
Fall in Southcentral Alaska was just stunning this year and we had a very busy photo workshop and guiding season while adding many great new landscapes into our image collection. Alaska still remains a world class and photographically uncrowded, mountain and forest fall color destination. Can’t wait to return next season for more!
This year, we had three groups really score on stunning fall colors, stellar views of Denali. the rugged north face of the Chugach Mountains, and aurora displays with reflections. Check out the gallery from this fall’s Alaska shoots.
|
|
|
Where are the colors now?
As of this writing on October 11, we still saw large stands of aspens blazing in color in the San Juan Mountains of Colorado but many places are well past peak. Colors seem to be holding on in the Eastern Sierra. Cottonwoods and maples will be ramping up in the high deserts of the Colorado Plateau where fall colors will last well into November so autumn is still far from over. The unseasonably warm and dry weather in much of the Southwest is prolonging the fall season. One big wind and freeze event and it’s over where colors are at or past peak.
|
|
|
When the weather turns cold, don’t slow down!
If you are lucky enough to live where it snows, winter storms, especially in the desert, bring dramatic and memorable photo ops that don’t last long. Remember, winter light is in many ways. There are fewer hours of total daylight but more hours of good light since the sun stays lower in the sky. Some national parks that are crazy-busy most of the year can be quiet and relaxing in winter. Many desert parks can be equally photogenic, especially with winter conditions.
This winter you will find me at my favorite haunts, like Zion National Park and White Sands National Park. In both places I will be leading workshops for Arizona Highways PhotoScapes. ( See courses Michael leads with AHPS.) And, of course, I will be leaving time to discover new places to explore and photograph in winter as well.
And as always, we look forward to visiting our feathered friends at the Bosque del Apache NWR, in Socorro, NM - a great place to practice action and fast moving bird photography.
|
|
|
Alaska can present many magical moments right off the highway like in this scene of first light on Denali from Denali View South pullout with fog over the upper Chulitna. For the vast majority of my landscape images, my Metering mode is in pattern, multi-zone, or matrix mode, My Exposure Mode is on aperture priority (AV) at f11 or f16, my Focus Mode is in manual focus (learn to trust the focus verification green light) (the only other Focus Mode I use is Servo focus tracking) and my Drive Mode is on 2-second delay to eliminate any camera shake from my hand tripping the shutter. The only other Drive Mode I use is continuous high.
Canon 5D Mark IV 70-200f/4 at 78mm
ISO 100, 1 second @ f11
Breakthrough Photography polarizer and 3 stop grad ND filter
|
|
|
SIMPLIFYING CAMERA OPERATION TO THE ESSENTIAL BASICS
I’ve seen and handled quite a few camera models this year from Canon, Nikon, Sony and Fuji. For emerging and part-time shooters I can see how camera operation with literally hundreds of menu options can seem daunting and overwhelming. My priority for emerging shooters is to keep folks motivated to develop their photography skills on the creative side first and to link photography with some other passion they might have. I still love to combine adventure or a fitness activity (like hiking) with image creation and I still believe there is great joy in learning light and design and discovering the joy of seeing the world in a new and expanded way through your camera’s eyes.
Photography is a great way for aging shooters to keep their minds busy and remain engaged with the natural world and abundant beauty of wild places. I try my best to distill and simplify the technical side so that the joy in outdoor photography continues to grow and folks don’t get discouraged by complex camera operation and the seemingly endless menu functions of today’s cameras. The latest crop of digital cameras still do essentially the same thing that the first cameras of the 1850’s did - focus and expose a light sensitive medium so let's simplify modern digital camera operation by understanding and mastering just a few choices in four basic camera modes:
- Metering mode
- Exposure mode
- Focusing mode
- Drive mode
To keep my camera operation simple and efficient, I only use 1 or 2 options in each of the 4 main operating modes. Too many choices can be paralyzing. Spend the rest of your time focusing on creativity!
|
|
ON-LINE LEARNING OPPORTUNITIES
|
|
Last light and fall tundra colors along the Denali Highway.
Canon 5D Mark IV 70-200f/4 at 44mm
ISO 100, 1.7 seconds @ f11
Breakthrough Photography polarizer with 6 stop ND filter
|
|
|
"LET THE LIGHT BE YOUR GUIDE" WEBINAR SERIES
FIND AND CAPTURE THE BEST LIGHT USING FORECAST DATA
FROM WINDY.COM AND THE WINDY APP
a 4-session webinar series via Zoom
Photographers can now make forecasts for our own needs. Learn to time your shoots to capture the most dramatic and colorful light. Learning this informative app can dramatically increase your lighting skills.
Go beyond simple weather graphics and plain language forecasts.
This first series will emphasize Alaska weather and weather patterns.
COST: $99
WHEN: 10/26, 10/29, 11/02, 11/05, Monday and Thursday
TIME: 7PM Alaska Time (8PM Pacific Time, 9PM Mountain Time)
|
|
|
DENALI COUNTRY TUNDRA FALL COLORS AND NORTHERN LIGHTS
Jump start your fall color photography season on this unique and intimate photo tour created and led by one of Alaska’s most experienced travel and adventure photography teams.
Our tour is timed to capture a narrow window where the nights are long enough for aurora displays and the air is warm enough to allow for aurora and mountain reflections on small bodies of open water.
When the auroras are not dancing across the night sky we will focus our cameras on a pure visual delight of reds, oranges and golds that make up the fall tundra.
Learn to capture inspirational images in this unique location.
WHEN: AUG 30 - SEP 4, 2021
WHERE: Starts/ends in Fairbanks, Alaska
FEE: $2,895
MAXIMUM: 5 participants
Register by 12/31/20 for an early bird rate of $2,595 with promo code DENALI21 on bottom of registration form.
LEARN MORE AND REGISTER >>
|
|
|
Long-time commercial photographer, photo guide, workshop leader and former meteorologist,
Michael DeYoung, enjoying time in Alaska
© Cathy Hart
|
|
|
Have a suggestion for a future newsletter? Have a question about this newsletter?
We welcome your feedback!
|
|
|
|
