Photography and Photo Tours: Specializing in Alaska's Wild Lands & Wild Life
It has been a little while since my last post. The last two weekends I’ve spent a day each shooting with Scott Slone. Scott is the owner, videographer, host and producer of Alaska HDTV. He’s done fantastic work filming and producing in every corner, nook and cranny of Alaska. It’s always revealing to photograph along side another cameraman (or woman), you always learn something. If your eyes and mind are open, of course. It is even more revealing to shoot next to a videographer. I wasn’t fully aware of this, because of my fixation with still photography, but the world is actually “moving”. And that video thing? Well, it’s bound to catch on here sometime. One of these days, people will have picture frames in their homes that actually play moving pictures.
Huh, whats that? Oh.
My assistant just told me that is already the case. My mind is sufficiently blown. I really must investigate this thing he calls a “tee vee”.
Anyway. The way a videographer/producer works is very enlightening. The amount of work put in is very similar to what we as photographers struggle with. Scott was telling me that he typically shoots something like 2 hours worth of video, that will be edited down into a 10 minute piece. I learned a lot about holding a viewers attention. With video, it is literally measured in seconds. In photography, it is not uncommon for me (on a wildlife shoot) to shoot over 1000 frames in a day. Out of those frames, perhaps 100 will be good enough to keep. Of those 100, I might be proud of 20… if it was a good shoot. If 3 make a “Portfolio Grade”, I’ve had a good day. Other wildlife photogs I’ve spoken to echo similar stats.
Now that I own two cameras that shoot full HD video, I’ve been having a blast experimenting with the medium. It’s a great bonus to have a good friend that is a video pro. Scott shoots high end HD cameras for tv/film production. His workflow and style is very different from mine, it’s absolutely fascinating. And his product shows it. It’s personal, inspiring and passionate work. So, if you ever need professional video work done here in Alaska – make sure you get ahold of Scott.
This first shot is of a small cove left exposed by the low tide at Bird Point, along the Turnagain Arm. I liked the soft curved line of the drainage set against the rocky beach and imposing mountains beyond.
Bird Point B&W, Turnagain Arm, Alaska. ©2010 Dave Taylor/Sixtyone North (Canon 5D mk 2, 24-105 @ 24mm, 1/1000" @ f/8, ISO 200. B+W CPL. B&W conversion done in Lightroom 2.7)
The other shot I’m posting today is a bit of a “misdirection”. This was taken maybe 40 yards from the wide angle frame above. It looks like an aerial shot of a great sand dune, like you might find in Namibia or the Sahara. But in reality, this “dune” is roughly 1 inch tall. From the bottom of the frame to the top, perhaps 6-8 inches of total coverage. I used a macro lens with a very shallow depth of field (f/4) to simulate a reverse tilt-shift effect. I’ve been wanting to shoot these sand ripples in the tidal zones along the Turnagain Arm for quite a while, but Saturday the light was simply too bright, with too much contrast. I tried a reflector panel to bounce the light onto the back (unlit) side of the “dune”, but the light simply didn’t look natural. It wasn’t the soft lighting I was going for. So I decided to embrace the contrast and push it a bit. I hope you like it as much as I enjoyed laying in the mud. I like my office.
"Ripple in Time", Bird Point, Turnagain Arm, Alaska ©2010 Dave Taylor/Sixtyone North (Canon 5D mk 2, 70-200 f4 IS @ 192mm, 1/1250" @ f/4, ISO 100. Canon 500D Macro Diopter)
Stay tuned.
All images are available for purchase. Please contact me if you are interested in ordering a print or purchasing image rights for reproduction. All images & text are protected under international copyright law. Any unauthorized use of copyrighted material will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.
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Again, beautifully done and well written! Amazing to see how one small area can give you incredible photo ops – I cannot wait to explore the beauty of this area with you, it will be awesome! I look forward to seeing more .. as well learning more from one amazing person, you! Keep up the good work, and I’ll talk to you soon!
So dramatic – black & white continues to amaze me – the eye sees things missed in color. Good job!
M & D