Tag: photography

Full Moon Rise – First of 2 this Month

August 2, 2012
Great Lakes ProjectLake MichiganLake MichiganLighthouse BeachLighthouse Beach PierMoonriseRichard Mack
1 Comment

This August we have two full moons we can all shoot. I went on down to my favorite location which is about a mile from my house and shot the full moon coming up. I have been trying to get the perfect shot of the moon rise over this old pier. So far to no avail the way I first envisioned it. And because the rock wall blocks how far away you can get it is not possible to back off and use a long lens the way I want to. So you adjust.

There was another person who has read this blog who showed up and recognized me. I gave her some tips on equipment she might want to purchase. For me a key ingredient is the polarizing filter. And for shots like these more important are the graduated neutral density filters. A most worthy thing to have in your bag. It will bring down the exposure in the sky to make images without a blown out sky. I use the .9 neutral density filter which takes off 3 stops of light. And the later you shoot – and I go way past most folks – you really need it in order to try and keep the moon without having it just burn out. You also have to keep your exposures to less than 1 second or the moon will move during the exposure and therefore not be sharp. Some of the last images from last night were 8 seconds, and I knew the moon would just be a small white circle – well a bit oblong though but also blown out. Acceptable since I wanted the glow on the water.

Now in all honesty I was not really into making images on this night. And there was a cloud layer, as usual, out over the lake, so once I got there I had to wait. A photographer doesn’t like just sitting so I made a few images before the moon popped out of the clouds. I tried to do something a bit different than anything done before. Sometimes you have to reach back and look at things in a very different perspective especially when the location is very familiar.

Not sure how successful these were, I will need to ruminate on them a while longer before deciding whether they might be worthy for inclusion in the book I am currently working on Twenty / Ninety-Five: The Great Lakes Landscapes. It covers all five of the Great Lakes. You can see more about it at Quiet Light Publishing. www.quietlightpublishing.com/GLP.php

You can also see more of the images from this shoot here: Moon Rise

The second full moon is on August 29 – known as the Blue Moon – a semi rare occurrence. And where the phrase “Once in a blue moon” came from. Wonder if I shoot that one as well. And where?

Cheers,

Richard

 

Two Friends, their cameras and the Full Moon…

December 11, 2011
Great Lakes ProjectLake MichiganLighthouse BeachLighthouse Beach PierMoonriseRichard Mack Photographyseeing

Last night we had another full moonrise, and in addition there was a total lunar eclipse, which unfortunately wasn’t visible here in Chicago. But I still made my way down to my favorite beach here in Evanston and the old pier at the north end of Lighthouse Beach. This time I was prodded by a friend of mine to make the journey. Jill Buckner is a photographer who has been working in Atlanta for 20 years and is now splitting her time between Atlanta and Chicago. She wanted to visit the beach with me for a moonrise. I thought why not. It’s cold which will help condition me for the upcoming winter shoots around the Great Lakes and I will have the pleasure of shooting with another photographer who I have never shot with.

It is always interesting to me when you shoot with another photographer, because they may bring fresh eyes to something you look at the same way each time. This can be especially true in the case of a location you have shot repeatedly. As luck would have it the moon came up right on time, yet we were not. So we arrived about 15-20 minutes after it had cleared the horizon. We thought we had more time from looking at the cloud layer out over the lake, which magically disappeared at the time of the rise of the moon. Clearly we should have been on time, especially because the moon was positioned far enough north of east in the sky that it came up right down the pier’s path.

Maybe because of our late arrival we both just went to work rather than looking at the scene and talking about what we would be trying to get in our shots. So you had two photographer’s plying away quietly for the next 70+ minutes through to the darkness if night.

Interestingly we never really crossed paths with each other. She went to one view I another. For me the immediate goal was to get the moon rising over the end of the pier with the posts pointing towards the moon. As the evening went on and darkness fell it was the moon’s glow on the water which came to life and became a stronger element than the moon itself. At this point you are shooting in the dark, with a high ASA – in my case 1600 – but then have noise to deal with in the dark areas of the image. My guess is that if I moved up from the Canon 1Ds III to one of the newer Canon’s like the 5D Mark III which has a much higher ASA scale topping our near 128,000 I would solve this problem.

I look forward to seeing what Jill shot – I’m guessing they are different even though we shot the same place at the same time with similar cameras and equipment. Each of us has their own unique perspective and that is what makes art an individual creative form.


To see more from this evening’s shoot use this link: Moonrise

And to see even more full moon images just search the blog for moon

Cheers,

Richard

 

Getting on with your Intentions – in my case Birds at the Pond.

October 18, 2011
Expectationsnew projectsRichard Mack Photography

This morning I had my coffee by my pond – affectionately known as Big Thoughts Pond – as I usually do on a nice morning. All summer I have sat and watched the goldfish and birds as they move around and each time I think – I should get the camera. Well, this morning I had read a post by photographer consultant Carolynn Potts about jotting down notes on what you see each day. I thought why not just shoot it since it had been my intention all summer. I did shoot some of the flowers around the pond this summer, but never took the time to sit and wait for the birds to make their way down the trees to take their drinks or a quick bath. So this morning I sat and watched and clicked the shutter. The morning was overcast and rain was in the air eventually. This gave me the perfect light to shoot in with no shadows.

We should all do this more often, what we intend to do and haven’t found the time for. It clears your head. And for me making photographs is what I love doing and it seems this year have not been able to find as much time as I would like to make images. So I sat and watched the first one come in – a nice big Robin – and watched him look around and scope out whether the dog would bother him before he proceeded on into the water. They always move cautiously and seemingly in the same pattern. From high on the trees around the pond to the lower branches and finally the rocks by the water. Then it’s time for a drink or a bath or both. On some days they wait in the trees circling down like planes bound for an airport – waiting in the pattern for their turn to land.

Next came a Common Grackle, or so I think it is after looking it up. Might be a Brewers Blackbird I really don’t know. I am not a birder who can say for sure. This guy was a bit more stand offish and waited longer and spent less time in the water. Finally a tiny male House Sparrow entered the area and decided it was his turn. He was the only one I semi caught in flight.

I enjoyed spending the time shooting. Catching different looks from each bird. When shooting wildlife of any kind I somehow feel an attachment to them and when as close as I was it seems as though they are looking back at me and giving tacit approval for my shooting them. Clearly not, but it seems like it. By shooting things you find close to home you can test some things you aren’t comfortable with – for me it was Live View in my Canon 1Ds III. I just hadn’t played with it much. And I think I prefer to look through the view finder instead at a screen on the back but I can see why some folks prefer Live View. Once I started to review the 300 or so images in Lightroom I could also see very subtle differences in their bodies as they moved around. One shot their necks might be straighter and the next you can see some slight change in the feathers from the movements.

And near the end I just for fun I shot a few of the pond itself and some of the goldfish below. I was just playing with what came to me in the shapes and forms from where I sat by the pond. How the fish shapes below the surface played with the surface plants, the water fall streaking through the frame, whatever came to mind. To see some underwater shots done last summer search the blog for Underwater Shots.

You can see 75 of the images online at: Birds of Big Thoughts Pond. Enjoy.

If you have any comments or questions – whether about this post or pond building just post them here!

Peace,
Richard

For those interested here are the technical specs:
Camera: Canon 1Ds III
Tripod: Manfroto Carbon Fibre
Lens: Canon 28-300 f5.6 USM with a Canon 2X Convertor making most images shot at 600mm
Predominate Exposure: f.56 1/60 ISO 1600
Color temp: 5500K

Putting together a Portfolio of Images…

May 24, 2011
Black & White PhotographsNew WorkRichard MackRichard Mack PhotographyRichard Mack's Blog

 

I was asked by an art consultant if I had Black & White images she might be able to use for some of her clients, which are both private collectors and corporate collections. I am known for my color work, but I have been shooting Black & White images since I first held a camera when I was 18. I think every landscape photographer wants to shoot those grand B&W images and delicate close-ups in B&W. There is often more emotion in a B&W image, I believe because of the tonality of a great print and the lack of color which takes it to a different, unseen level, from real life.

 

 

So, I went to the files, now all in Lightroom, and selected a few of my favorite images. I also converted a few of my color images I had always thought would be great in B&W as well, even though I love there color versions. I am honestly not sure which way I like them in some cases. Each has a different feel.

 

 

  In going through a series of images shot a few years, or in some cases, many years ago, it is always kind of fun as the memories of each trip come flooding back. This of course can be a hindrance when you are editing as your emotions of the shoot come through and you may include a shot you might not have chosen without such memories. Hence it is sometimes a good idea to have a friend who is either another photographer or designer, or even a curator, to look over your selections. I opted for none of the above this time since time was of the essence. There were some I thought might make my first cut which on closer inspection just didn’t cut it. Other images came to the forefront when I didn’t expect them. Going back over your work also gives you a perspective of your abilities over the years. Both the times you excelled and those when you didn’t. It also gives you a broader look at your style and how you work. I think this is something every photographer should do occasionally, for going back through your work to put together a collection of images is always eye-opening and gives you that broader look at where you have been and where you are headed. This provides several options from which you can springboard forward in your new work.

 

I realize this is just a small sample of my collection of Black and White images. But it is fun to share these for now… to see the select I have made for now use this link: B&W Work  

Enjoy!

Richard