"Flying Goose"

This photograph of these geese were taken on a clear and crisp Saturday morning at Riverfront park in Billings,MT. I took this photo with a Canon Rebel XSi camera with the dimensions of;

(TV) Shutter Speed:1/640

(AV)Aperture Value:F8

Exposure Composition:0

ISO Speed:1600

Focal Length:400mm

Long Exposure

Narrow depth of field

Shooting Mode: Aperture priority AE

Photographer: Amanda Strong

"Motionless Tress"

I took this photograph with a Canon Rebel XSi at Riverfront park in Billings,MT. This picture was taken on a clear and crisp Saturday morning. Some of the dimensions of this particular photo are;

Shooting Mode:Shutter priority AE

(TV)Shutter Speed:1/500

(AV)Aperture Value:F5.6

Exposure Composition:0

ISO Speed:800

Focal Length:55mm

Short Exposure

Wide depth of field

Photographer: Amanda Strong

"Motion of Water"

This photograph was taken with a Canon Rebel XSi camera at Riverfront Park in Billings,MT. I used these dimensions for this picture;

Shooting Mode: Shutter priority AE

(TV)Shutter Speed: 1/800

(AV)Aperture value:F5.6

Exposure composition:0

ISO Speed:1600

Focal length:187mm

Short Exposure

Wide depth of field

I took this picture in the early morning when the air was crisp and on the banks of the Yellowstone river at Riverfront park.

Photographer: Amanda Strong

"Narrow Depth of Field"

This photograph was taken with a Canon Rebel XSi at Riverfront park early in the morning on Saturday. The morning was crisp with calm water.

Some of the dimensions of the picture are; shooting mode: aperture priority AE

(AV)Aperture value: F5.6

(TV)Shutter speed: 1/80

Exposure composition: 0

ISO Speed: 1600

Focal length: 400mm

Long Exposure/Narrow depth of field

Photographer: Amanda Strong

"Photographing this weekend"

Photo #1: Birds in flight

- 1/500 seconds

-Short exposure

-F8

-Wide depth of field

Photo #2: Movement of water

-1/2000 seconds

-Short exposure

-F4

-Narrow depth of field

Photo#3:Movement of water

-1 second

-Long exposure

-F16

-Narrow depth of field

Photo#4: Photographing Trees

-1/8 second

-Long exposure

-F4

-Narrow depth of field

Amanda Strong

"Beautiful Flowers at Mt. Rainier"

This photograph was taken at Mt. Rainier National Park in August 2009. The picture was taken in the afternoon on a clear sunny day. I used a Olympus digital underwater camera to take this photograph.

"Depths of fields and Exposure Time"

The depth of field in photography consists of four basic steps;

Step 1: correct your lens aperture

Step 2: your lenses focal length

Step 3: the subject distance

Step 4: the film size

After playing with your camera you can choose if you want your photo to be of a narrow depth or wide depth of field. There is one main difference in these two depths, to capture a photograph in narrow depth of field the picture should be out of focus of blurry. On the other hand, to capture a wide depth of field photograph the picture should be in focus and be clear.

Being a photographer means that you should know the difference between short exposures and long exposures. A short exposure means a fast, rapid moving picture is taken with a short timing period. This allows for the picture to be in focus and less blur. A longer exposure or a longer timing period means that the picture should be pretty blurry.

For more information on "Depths of field and Exposure Time" I would highly recommend going to these websites:

And the other website:

Amanda Strong

"Rule of Thirds"

The "Rule of Thirds" is a very popular rule to memorize when you are taking photographs or even drawing. This rule is pretty basic to understand and it will help you to take pictures that are easy on the eyes. When taking a picture you should have the topic in the third of the way up from the top, third of the way down, or one third of the way from either side of the photo.

Having this rule in mind your photographs should come out easy to read for the viewer!

For more information on the "Rule of Thirds" I would highly recommend reading the book," Nature Photography" written by, Tim Fitzharris.

I would also recommend looking at the article "The Rule Of Thirds"at, http://www.silverlight.co.uk/tutorials/compose_expose/thirds.html

"Exposure"

I found some interesting material while reading the book, "Nature Photography" written by, Tim Fitzharris.

First of all, in order to be a great photographer you have to make sure you know how to use your cameras exposure. Exposure is depicted by the the aperture size and shutter speed of the camera. The exposure can also be controlled manually or automatically. Another way to get the right exposure is to check the histogram on your camera. The histogram will tell you if the lighting in the picture is balanced. You usually would want a bell curve. On the other hand, if you are going out and taking photos of wild buffalo that are constantly moving you have to make sure you get the right exposure on the first photograph. Otherwise, you won't get the perfect photo you were hoping for because, the lighting in the background is moving just as fast as the buffalo. You should do the same thing if you are going to take pictures of landscapes so, you can capture the right photo.

A light meter can be very useful to capture that perfect photo. If you are taking a picture of a scene that has snow or lava than you would use a light meter. Without a light meter the picture would turn out to be neutral gray. However, in order to get the light meter working right you should set the metering pattern on your camera.

In another situation you might be taking a picture of a scene with unusual brightness or darkness which means that you will have to mess around with the meter lighting. However, the meter lighting only measures light not snow covering because that picture would only turn out gray.

For more information on "Exposure" I would highly recommend reading the book, "Nature Photography" written by, Tim Fitzharris.

"Glistening Redwoods"

This photograph was taken this summer at the Redwood National Park in northern California. I took this picture with my Olympus digital underwater camera. The picture was taken on a warm summer morning near San Franciso.

Photograph taken by, Amanda Strong

Winter time in Washington

This photograph was taken over the winter season in Washington state. I took this picture at Crystal Mountain Ski Resort. This photo was taken with a digital camera.

Amanda Strong

Super-telephoto Lenses

There are many different kinds of super-telephoto lenses to choose from. And each one has it's specific purpose. Some of the brands of super-telephoto lenses includes; Canon, Nikon, Pentax, Minolta, and Sigma.

For the kind of photography that I would love to do I would prefer the Canon or Nikon super- telephoto lens that is water- resistant. I think the water- resistant super-telephoto lens would be the lens that I enjoy the most. Especially, when I am from Washington state were it does rain a lot. Also, it would be less of a hassel to use a water-resistant lens because, I wouldn't have to bring an umbrella with me. And I strongly believe that I would go out and take pictures more often considering I wouldn't have to worry about the weather.

For more information on super-telephoto lenses I would highly recommend reading the book, " Nature Photography" written by, Tim Fitzharris.

"Nature Photography's Year"

In "Nature Photography's Year" it talks about the perfect locations to go to according to the weather and the wildlife. In January the best place to go to see wildlife would be California's coast that is between Monterey and San Luis Obispo. Some of the wildlife that you might be able to see would be; elephant seals, monarch butterflies, and the majestic redwood trees.

February would be the month to go to South Florida for photography. Some locations that would be a great place to shoot would be the Everglades National Park and Bowman's Beach on the Sanibel Islands is a great place. Some of the wildlife that can be seen there would be turtles, alligators, and herons. During the month of March the perfect place to shoot would be the Grand Canyon. This national park provides a lot for photographers including beautiful sunsets and dramatic skies. For the month of April you should visit Texas. If you love wildflowers than Texas is the place to take pictures. You should take pictures at the Vancouver Islands during the month of May. At the Vancouver Islands you can take pictures of the beaches at Pacific Rim National Park where the sea lions and orcas like to hang out. In the month of June the place to be to photograph would be the Badlands National Park located in South Dakota. There they have many tourists attractions including the Wind Caves and Custer State Park. July is the perfect month to see the San Juan Mountains of southwest Colorado with its colorful granite and sandstone rocks. Mount Rainier National Park is the place to be in August. Because, that is when the wildflowers are coming out and when the creeks, waterfalls, and rivers are really flowing. The month of September is the perfect month to photograph Yellowstone and the Tetons National Parks. At these National Parks you can photograph the geysers and abundant wildlife. The Smoky Mountains is the place to go in October where you can photograph the giant forests. If you ever want to go to New Mexico than Bosque Del Apache is the place to go for photographers especially in November when the birds are migrating. Some of the birds include sandhill cranes and snow geese. Finally, Maui, Hawaii would be the location to be in December especially for the filming of their waterfalls and landscape photography.

For more information I would highly recommend the book, "Nature Photography" written by, Tim Fitzharris.

"Winter Photography"

Many quality photographs are taken during the winter time. However, in order to achieve that quality photograph you might have to think about the way you dress during that winter time. Some things to think about before you leave your house would be; are you going to be comfortable at the shooting location? Well, to make sure you are comfortable you should dress in a way that you can regulate the escape of your body heat. One way is to dress yourself with clothing that has zippers instead of layers. Zippers allows you to change your body heat without having to hassel with equipment in order to get clothes off. A second essential you should wear would be, loose-fitting and wind- breaking breathing parka material. On the other hand, your pants should be water-shedding, sturdy, and a suspendered bib to keep the heat in. It would be a good idea to concentrate on keeping your head warm considering about 70 percent of body heat is let out through the head. Finally, in extreme cold weather conditions a balalava is essential for keeping your head, and face covered.

Some other essentials that can comfort you on those chilly shoots would be; a wool or silk shirt with pockets. Also some hand warmers that you can keep in your gloves would do you some good. To conclude, besides keeping yourself warm you might want to store extra batteries for your camera in case the batteries get to cold and have a failure.

For more information on "Winter Photography" read the book, " Nature Photography" written by, Tim Fitzharris.

Working In The Field

 "Working in the Field" is a great topic to cover for photographers! 

In order to be a great photographer you need to devote most of your time to traveling on the road but, more importantly you need to know how to mange your equipment. For example, when your hiking for no more than a mile you can carry your equipment over your shoulder. However, when your traveling more than a mile you might want to use the tripod full nelson method. This method is more sufficient; allowing the equipment to be balanced on your back letting your arms to get rest. Some other solutions that may help you get the perfect picture would be, using a vest to carry your equipment instead of a backpack. A vest could allow you to worry less about your equipment meaning, the equipment wouldn't get lost or ruined as much. Some examples of vests models would be, the Lowepro Street and the Field model. In fact, the Lowepro Street vest allows you to store your memory cards in the pouch it provides. 

Besides knowing how to mange your equipment you should know what to do in certain situations like, when its raining you might want to bring a friend along to hold an umbrella. Or if your by yourself you could find a covered shelter to prevent from getting your equipment wet. Finally, make sure you always have a way to contact other people in case of an emergancy. 

For more information on "Working in the Field" I would recommend reading the Book, " Nature Photography" written by, Tim Fitzharris. 

Tripods

Basic information about tripods can be found at  

http://www.luminous-landscape.com/essays/tripods_&_heads.shtml

On this website I found out about the two major types of tripods that are used manly by professional and amateur photographers. Some interesting facts that I found on this website was the names of the two different tripods which are; Gitzo and Manfrotto/Bogen. 

Gitzo tripods are made from carbon fibers and seem to be durable for the weather. 

Manfrotto/Bogen tripods are less expensive though.

I would highly recommend this website especially if you have questions on tripods!!

Amanda

Summer time at Yellowstone

This is a photograph of Yellowstone at summer time. It may look like snow but, it's actually a geyser at Mammoth. This picture was taken during the afternoon on a warm summer day in August. I took this photograph with a Olympus digital camera.