High Dynamic Range Photograph

In photography, “dynamic range” is the difference between the darkest and lightest tones in an image, generally pure black and pure white being the extremes.

Cameras have a narrower dynamic range than the human eye, although the gap is closing. The challenge photographing a wide dynamic range image like this one is to maintain details in the highlights (the sunset) without losing details in the shadows (the flowers), and vise versa. So, if I take a photo that is exposed to show details in the flowers, the sky would be virtually white. If I expose for the sky, the flowers are virtually black.

The solution is to use exposure blending, a post-processing technique used by photographers to combine multiple images into one using image editing software such as Adobe Photoshop. In this case, I took three photographs - the first to expose details in the flowers, the second to expose details in the trees, and the third to expose details in the sunset, and then blended the three images into one.

No thunderstorms, yet.

The forecast says 60% chance of showers and perhaps a thunderstorm. The lake is warming up so I took this while standing in the water in my rubber boots.

The camera was about two feet above the water and I used a polarizing filter to remove the reflection from the water surface to reveal the stones.

Don't Forget to Look Behind You

It’s easy to only focus on the sunset and not look behind you. This image was taken with the sunset behind me.

Beautiful Sunsets Just Keep Appearing

We experienced another spectacular sunset last evening. There’s not much to say except enjoy one of nature’s greatest gifts.

Lonely Midtown Toronto Sunset

Saturday evening was quiet in the city and the sunset seemed a bit lonely, marking the end of another day with people isolated in their homes, hoping that life will return to normal soon. Humans are social beings and despite all of today’s technologies that help us stay in touch, they do not replace spending real time with our family and friends and being free to simply live life.

Winter in May

When I awoke yesterday morning, there was about 6” of fresh snow on the ground and it still snowing hard. It looked more like March than May.

When I saw a break, I grabbed my camera and stepped outside to get this shot. I love the contrast of the red bushes against the blue and white of the sky, clouds and snow. I never imagined I would take one of my nicer winter shots this year in the middle of May.

Clear Skies

Lately the sunsets have been extraordinary. They seem more vibrant and saturated. It was explained to me that it’s a result of lower levels of air pollution due to the economic slowdown associated with Covid-19. This was shot this evening in Toronto.

Peaceful

Tuesday evening was so peaceful and quiet. This photo was taken just a few minutes walk from my home.

WHEN IT ALL COMES TOGETHER

Sometimes the “stars align” and the result is a spectacular sunset.

Sometimes its Worth the Chance

I have planned to shoot this for a while. This is Minets Point Park, a five minute walk from my home. I wasn’t sure whether or not to go out. It was cold and the sky appeared clear. Epic sunsets typically require some clouds. I decided to go anyways and I set up my tripod and composed the scene. As the sun set, some clouds moved in and I took the photo.

Sometimes You Just Get Lucky

The thing about landscape photography is that you can go to the same location many times before the light and conditions are right to capture that memorable image. The trick is to just keep going.

It was cold and windy last night and I had to talk myself into going out with my camera. Although the sunset was okay, it was not memorable until the sun, which was below the horizon, suddenly lit up the clouds. The scene lasted only a few minutes and I had to rush to change lenses and make adjustments to my camera to capture this image.

Last Evening's Wild Sky

Peaceful Sunset

During this crisis, I make a point of getting out for a walk every day and I bring along my camera. Fortunately, I live on the waterfront within steps of the Waterfront Trail where there are many photo opportunities. Last night’s sunset was not epic, but it was still beautiful and peaceful.

Photos From Home

During the Covid-19 pandemic, I have taken my camera with me on my daily walks along Barrie’s waterfront. Here are a few images I’ve captured.

The Spirit Catcher - Barrie, Ontario

I worked well into the evening on Tuesday, and like many of us I'm sure, experienced some cabin fever and had to get out for a walk. I rarely go without taking my camera and a few lenses, plus it was foggy which can make for some interesting photos.

What Do I Use

I am asked often what photography equipment I use.  Probably the best way to answer that question is with a picture. You might think I suffer from GAS - Gear Acquisition Syndrome, but I use everything in the picture.

Photography requires using both the left side (technical and analytical), and right side (creative and artistic) sides of the brain. When it comes to photography, it is your skills and creativity that matter the most. However, there is no denying that your choice of camera equipment is very important as well.

My cameras are professional level full frame Nikons, as are all but one of my fourteen lenses. It is better to invest more money in good lenses than in a camera. An average camera body and great lens will win over a great camera with an average lens any day.  In addition, where the camera is replaced every 5 years or so, a good lens will last 20 years or more and retain its value much better than a camera.

My four tripods include one made of carbon fiber, which is light, but sturdy. The Pelican case on the far left holds my astrophotography equatorial mount. Other equipment includes speedlights, remote shutter releases, intervalometers, lens hoods, batteries and chargers, filters, L-brackets, and camera bags, including three camera backpacks of varying sizes.

What I take with me depends on what I am shooting and where.  It’s not unusual that I carry between 15 – 25 pounds of equipment on a typical shoot, and that includes a tripod, several lenses, an intervalometer, some tools, extra batteries, and a lens cleaning kit.

When I shoot the stars, the total weight increases to over 40 pounds and includes the equatorial mount and a heavier tripod. A high quality and comfortable camera backpack is essential, especially when I hike for a couple of hours in the middle of nowhere over some pretty rugged terrain to capture an astrophotography image.

I also carry bear spray and a knife while in the wilderness since my encounter with a large aggressive black bear in Algonquin Park several years ago. I am quite comfortable being alone in the wilderness, even at night, but that incident scared me and now I won’t hike in the wild without being armed.

Kempenfelt Bay Sunset

Photography is not only a form of art; it is also a means of expression and a way of communicating thoughts and feelings. There are times when expressing emotions in words can be difficult; this is when photographs can help.

For me, it’s not about the photos per se; it is more about the process of shooting the images. Carrying the camera, feeling it in your hands; looking through the lens and hearing the click, and even the process of walking around to look for scenes or situations to shoot – all these make photography therapeutic.

I will be posting some of my photographs on my social media sites every day during this crisis. It does not come close to the efforts of our health care providers and others on the front line, but hopefully it will help make everyone’s day a little bit brighter.

Walking Man and Orion Nebulae

I decided to delve into photographing deep space objects, so I acquired a higher quality equatorial mount (star tracker) that is easier to align with the celestial north pole and more accurately tracks the night skies. Having an accurate alignment is absolutely critical when using the very long focal length lenses or telescopes required to photograph deep space targets

This is the Running Man and the Orion Nebulae captured last night at the Torrence Barrens Dark Sky Preserve near Bala, Ontario. Orion is situated about 1,400 light years from earth, and consists of luminous clouds of dust and ionized gas and an association of stars, and is the nearest region to Earth where new stars are being born. To get a sense of just how far away it is, the light in this photo took 1,400 years to reach earth travelling at 300,000 kilometers per second.

Deep space photography is very challenging with a steep learning curve, and I did a lot of research learning how to capture these incredible objects. It requires a great deal of patience and is by far the most technically difficult form of photography I have done. The results, however, are simply awesome.

I recall seeing similar photos as a kid taken by astronomers using very large and very expensive telescopes.  I never thought that one day I would be able to capture comparable images using my own equipment, and at a fraction of the cost.

Toronto Skyline Sunset

Sunset photography is one of my favorites, but catching the rich colors, dramatic lighting and strong shapes they offer can be challenging requiring composing your shots properly and adjusting your camera settings to make the most of the colors.

Scarborough Bluffs Black and White

I don’t do a lot of black and white photography, unless the scene calls for it. This image of the Scarborough Bluffs did and was created using a neutral density filter, a polarizing filter, and a 15 second exposure to calm the water.