Playing with Photoshop

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Playing with Photoshop Polar Coordinates

Today I played with a technique I learned on Lynda.com to turn a panoramic image into a circular composition using the distort polar coordinates filter. The original panoramic image looked like this.

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Original Panoramic Image Taken in the Atchafalaya Basin

Not a realistic representation of what I saw, but at least it was a fun project.

Photographing Stunning Louisiana Landscapes in the Fog.

There are many foggy mornings in Southern Louisiana. This is very fortunate! I love to photograph Foggy Cypress Scenes over the water. The limited vision afforded by the fog enables the trees to be seen against a stark white background. Even better, mornings with low lying fog allow the photographer to create stunning images of the fog appearing to be on fire.

Louisiana and Fog

Due to the humid conditions, Fog is not unusual in Southern Louisiana. Fog forms when the air temperature falls below the dew point. Over the water, in the Atchafalaya Basin, it is not unusual to have very dense fog that covers all. Less frequently, the fog forms in a thin layer over the water. Both situations lend themselves to stunning photographs.

Photographic Characteristics

1.  The light is very “soft”. No distinct shadows are visible and very little detail is discernible. 
2.  There is very little contrast, 
3.  The scene becomes blurrier with distance, the further the object the less sharp it appears.
4.  Shooting into a light source causes the fog to “glow”
5.  The scene is often much brighter than a camera meter will measure.

Techniques

1.  Choose your position to the scene prior to picking a focal length, judge the degree of blur desired, then choose the lens focal length to make the composition.
2.  Focus the lens on Close Objects rather than distant ones. The image appears sharper closest to the photographer, A sharp foreground with a blurred background will look natural.
3.  Largely ignore the depth of field as distant objects will appear blurred in fog anyway. A moderate Telephoto Lens is often a good choice in dense fog even with its shallow depth of field.
4.  Assume the scene is white, which often requires 2 stops of light beyond mid-tone. In an automated mode such as Aperture Priority try 1.7 to 2.0 stops of positive compensation. Check your histogram after shooting and adjust to the conditions.
5.  With Low lying fog, look for opportunities to shoot into the sun to achieve a fiery appearance.

Examples

Taken with a Nikkor 70-200 with a 1.4 Teleconverter at 310mm 100 ft from trees. Focused on the front stump.

Taken with a Nikkor 28-70 @ 70mm @ f22. Focus was on foreground branches.

Taken with a Nikkor 28-70 @ 70mm @ f11, Focus on Foreground Grasses.

Boat positioned with rising Sun Behind Cypress Tree.Taken with Nikkor 28-70 @ 70mm f5.6.

Photographing from a Boat

​Photographing from a Boat

Living in Southern Louisiana, we are surrounded by water. Over 40 percent of the wetlands in the lower 48 states are within Louisiana. The crown jewel of Louisiana Wetlands is the Atchafalaya Basin. The Atchafalaya Basin is North America's largest swamp and has an abundance of wildlife. With all this water, a nature photographer in Southern Louisiana will at some point spend time photographing from a boat.

On my photo tours, we spend a lot of time on boats and to get the most out my tours it is important to know how to shoot from boats.

Besides the fact that many of the best photo locations are only accessible by boat, when photographing wildlife, it is often possible to get much closer in a boat without invoking the fright or flight response. In a boat we are typically much lower and don't look as large or frightening as when standing. We also frequently camouflage the boats to further disguise the human form.

However there disadvantages as well. The largest disadvantage is the lack of a stable platform. Motion caused by wave action makes making sharp images challenging. Closely related to this is the fact that due to rocking motion of a boat it is often difficult to maintain a straight horizon.

Another disadvantage is space limitations. Many of the locations we photograph in are only accessible by skiffs powered by outboards or betting yet air cooled "mud boat" motors. The Gatortail "mud boats" used by the folks at Atchafalaya Experience, can only comfortably accomodate three photographers with limited space for camera equipment.

Finally one must not overlook the risk of getting your equipment wet, either from rain you can not escape, or water splashing into the boat.

Getting sharp images

While it's possible to use a tripod on a boat, I rarely do, setting a tripod on the deck of a boat transmits all the movement directly from the deck to the camera through the tripod. When hand holding the camera your body acts as a shock absorber and is able to correct somewhat for the motion of the boat. Here are some tips to help get the sharpest images:

1. Use your body like a tripod. Cradle the lens under your left hand, grip it with your right. Keep your arms to your side and if possible rest your elbows on your knees.

2. Carefully squeeze the shutter button, think about walking on egg shells when you do it. Minimize any potential movement in the process of firing the camera.

3. Maximize your shutter speed. Think about the least amount of depth of field you can get away with and set your aperture to as wide a setting as possible. Increase your iso sensitivity to the practical limit on your camera. Newer cameras give great results even at iso 1600, this is a time to use the higher sensitivity and use noise reduction in post processing to deal with the higher noise.

4. Use Image Stabilized lenses at slower shutter speeds. However at shutter speeds above about 1/500th it usually won't be of much help.

5. If all else fails, think of creating intentionally motion blurred shots.

Dealing with space issues

When shooting from a boat I like to travel light. Usually I have two bodies, a wide angle lens, a med-range zoom, and a moderate telephoto. Using a long telephoto on a boat is usually unnecessary and very difficult to do. Since you can usually get much closer than shooting on land, it is very seldom you would need one anyway. Dealing with a lot of equipment on a boat simply leads to a high degree of frustration and a lot of missed opportunities.

Keeping organized on the boat and getting to what you need quickly makes the difference in getting the shot.

This is another reason not to use a tripod. Setting up a tripod takes a lot of space and if there are other photographers on the boat it limits what you can shoot, because they're always in the way and usually you're in their way as well.

If you must use a camera support, consider using a monopod instead of a tripod. While you still will be dealing with vibration and movement issues, at least you'll take a smaller footprint wish will be easier for you and the other photographers to deal with.

Dealing with the elements

1. A small waterproof case is a very good idea. Last year I had a couple of cases where water washed over the boat and got onto my equipment, no damage, but a good warning.

2. Carry a couple of very good pancho's. On our tours, the folks at Atchafalaya Experience are equipped with large military pancho's, on several trips we got caught in serious rain and the panchos kept us and our equipment dry.

3. Head for shore at any hint at a thunderstorm. A small boat on the water is quite a target for lightning. Don't chance it.

4. Carry a few black trash bags. I've often shot in the rain with a trash bag keeping the equipment dry.

5. Remember when you're on the water it feels a lot colder, high humidity and wind from the moving boat equals a low wind chill temperature. Even in the fifties dress in layers with a good Gortex shell as the outer garment. For my December tours, thermal underwear is essential on the boats.

Use professionals for running the boats

I use Atchafalaya Experience for my tours for the following reasons:

1. They have the right boats for the job. They have many boats and depending upon the shoot one may have an advantage over another. If we need to get in tight places they have the gator tails that will go almost anywhere, if it's going to be cold or may rain, they have a cabin boat (very good if you need to shoot high by the way). If we need a bit more stability or have a few more people, they have crawfish skiffs.

2. They know the area, they're out there all the time and know the subjects and where to find them. Many of the places we go to are well off the beaten path, knowing the area is essential, you really don't want to get lost.

3. They've worked with me long enough to know where I want the boat in relationship to the light and wind. It's to the point we don't even need to communicate that, they just know where we need to be.

4. They know how to get the boat as stable as possible.

If you're planning to shoot from a boat spend the time to search out the best service you can, it can make all the difference. I don't own a boat and really don't want to, there's a lot to it and I have enough to do with the photography.

So to summarize:

1. Don't use a tripod unless absolutely necessary. If you must use a camera support consider a monopod. Use good telephoto lens techniques and high shutter speeds.

2. Use Image Stabilized or Vibration Reduction equipment if you have it.

3. Prepare for adverse weather, waterproof case, panchos, and plastic trash bags.

4. Use a professional service that knows where you're shooting and how to work with photographers.

5. Don't take a chance with lightning, at any hint of a thunderstorm, go back to the dock as soon as possible.

6. Pack light, take only what you know you will use, not everything you have.

7. Leave your long lens behind, it will just get in the way and you rarely will need it. I've only used my 600 mm lens twice on the boats and was very disappointed with the results. Trying to aim a 600 mm lens with everything moving is an exercise in futility.

8. Remember it feels colder over the water, even with temperatures in the fifties, dress in layers and plan for temperatures at least 10 degrees cooler than air temperature.