Yellowstone, February 8-10, 2013

A Coyote (Canis latrans) makes his way through deep snow along Pebble Creek in Yellowstone National Park. Captured with a Canon 7D and 400/2.8L IS II in aperture priority mode with an exposure bias of + 4/3 at ISO400, f/4.5, and 1/320 of a second. The camera was resting on a beanbag.

PHOTOS ONLINE

This winter was a warm and less snowy one, it was a winter with fewer wolves, thanks to hunts outside of the park. With the given situations I made less trips to the park than past years, but I could not stay away forever.

I made a quick little three day trip with plenty of time hiking/snowshoeing/skiing. It was a change of pace to not have much to photograph, but it made for a pleasant, restful, trip to the park.


Make the jump to go through the online gallery, I ask that you leave comments/criticism or at least give your favorites a thumbs up...Thanks!

If you have questions, ask. I published the camera information with each image and have added full keywords to share just about anything you would want to know about the images.

Happy shooting

Pictograph (Petroglyph) Canyon, March 23-25, 2012

Stars trail through the night sky above an unnamed slot side canyon off of Pictograph (Petroglyph) Canyon on the Montana and Wyoming boarder. Captured with a Canon 5D III and 17-40/4.0L in bulb mode at ISO100, f/7.1, and 7,254 seconds. The camera was mounted on a Gitzo 3540XLS and Arca-Swiss Z1sp ball head, a Calumet Pro Series Intervalometer.

PHOTOS ONLINE

Two students accompanied me on a trip to Pictograph (Petroglyph) Canyon, a remote canyon located down a poor two track road. We had attempted this trip once before, but uncooperative weather forced us to make a second trip. The weather was significantly dryer and warmer this go around and the sky was clear enough to see and photograph the stars each night.

We lugged seven tripods, a six foot motorized timelapse dolly and roughly one hundred pounds of other camera and lighting gear in and out of the canyon multiple times, so that we could capture the beautiful scenes that we found before us. With the remote location of the canyon we chose to camp on the rim of the canyon, the better weather made for a significantly more pleasant camping experience for the students.

The fun toy for tis trip was my brand new 5DIII, I literally unboxed it moments before leaving for the trip. Oh I also had just picked up my new Ford F150. My main goal for the trip was to test out the internal HDR functions of the 5DIII as well as to take the opportunity to test out the new camera on some long exposures.

The internal HDR of the Canon 5DIII paired with my 6' Dynamic Perception Timelapse Dolly all but forced me to test out a +-3 stop HDR sunset timelapse in the canyon. The attempt showed that the internal HDR is good, but not perfect...take a look, the issues are very evident. I also placed a GoPro timelapse of the shooting process online, so you can watch that too.

Make the jump to go through the online gallery, I ask that you leave comments/criticism or at least give your favorites a thumbs up...Thanks!

If you have questions, ask. I published the camera information with each image and have added full keywords to share just about anything you would want to know about the images.

p.s. I'll be sure to share the video if/when it is all finished.

p.p.s. The old BLM map I have calls the canyon "Pictograph Canyon" although it is filled with petroglyphs.

Pictograph (petroglyph) Canyon, Feb. 29 - March 2, 2012

Captured with a Canon 5D II and 17-40/4.0L in aperture priority mode with an exposure bias of - 1/3 at ISO200, f/13, and 1/80 of a second. The camera was handheld.

PHOTOS ONLINE

Three students accompanied me to Pictograph (petroglyph) Canyon, a remote canyon located on BLM land that requires visitors to drive in on very poor roads. We planned to spend three days shooting timelapse footage in and around the canyon, unfortunately the weather did not cooperate with our plans. I had a special lens sent in to help us get the shots we envisioned, and I only used it to take one photograph. We lugged seven tripods, a six foot motorized timelapse dolly and roughly one hundred pounds of other camera and lighting gear in and out of the canyon multiple times each day, as we were dancing with the weather.

With the remote location of the canyon we were forced to camp on the rim of the canyon; winter camping is nothing new for me, but none of the students had ever been winter camping. (They were all Montana boys...I guess we found out that Chicago boys are more "hard core")

I have edited very little of the video and timelapse footage that I shot on the trip, but I am pleased with the still photographs that I captured and have online. We intended to shoot no stills, but when unforecasted clouds and snow filled most of the three days we switched over to stills, so we would not come home empty handed. The moral of the story is...when mother nature does not cooperate, just keep shooting, and start planning your next trip.

Speaking on planning our next trip...three of us will be heading back to the canyon this weekend, assuming the weather and roads allow.

Make the jump to go through the online gallery, I ask that you leave comments/criticism or at least give your favorites a thumbs up...Thanks!

If you have questions, ask. I published the camera information with each image and have added full keywords to share just about anything you would want to know about the images.

p.s. I'll be sure to share the video if/when it is finished.

p.p.s. The old BLM map I have calls the canyon "Pictograph Canyon" although it is filled with petroglyphs.

Yellowstone, February 26-28, 2012

Light plays across drifting snow above the Blacktail Lakes in Yellowstone National Park. Captured with a Canon 5D II and 70-200/2.8L IS II in aperture priority mode with an exposure bias of + 1/3 at ISO200, f/11, and 1/640th of a second. The camera was handheld.

PHOTOS ONLINE

On my way to the park clouds were heavy, but small beams of light were breaking through and illuminating the snow covered peaks to the North of Yellowstone National Park. I had to stop and shoot for a while, even if I got strange looks from everyone driving past. The drive in to/through the park was uneventful, so when I got to the far end of the park I decided that it was time for a midday ski trip. I decided that I should cruse along the water and try to take some photos of the ice/rock/snow/water. The snow pack this year is incredibly dangerous, so anywhere that there is some steep terrain you need to really check out for avalanche danger. I kicked off a few cornices that brought down slides with them, always intentionally, and always to clear it for the trail that I wanted to continue on, safely.

The clouds continued to play around the sky and as the light broke through to the right scene it was incredible. Levels of dark and light on snow covered mountains and tree.

The park was full of Coyotes, but only a few of them really wanted to pose.

The recent snow fall and strong winds made some great scenes and I had no choice but to take my camera in hand and play with the light on perfectly clean slate.

The next morning I made it to Lamar in time to wait for the "Wolf Project" to reopen the road so we could see the the Lamar Canyon Pack celebrate sunrise on a snowy morning. As the pack made their way up the hill, away from us, I decided to head back the other way where the Blacktail Pack had just crossed the road, leaving a five year old male behind. The lone black male started to howl at the rest of his family as snow continued to fall.

When the crowds (about 15 people) showed up I decided to head to a place where I had seen a few Bighorn Rams the day before. I found the largest ram resting well above the river. We spent a half hour relaxing shaded from the snow and wind, until a group of Bison moved through scaring him a bit. He decided it was time to graze and I went back to taking pictures as he fed above the Yellowstone River.

I got a call from my students who decided that we should head out on our time-lapse trip a day early, so I needed to start my drive home. On my way out of the park I stopped to photograph a Coyote who was darting back and forth before across the road, directly in front of cars.

The next day I was off to Pictograph Canyon for a time-lapse project with three students, and while I was there I learned that the Canyon Pack made a kill right in Gardiner Canyon (as I had predicted the day before).

Make the jump to go through the online gallery, I ask that you leave comments/criticism or at least give your favorites a thumbs up...Thanks!

If you have questions, ask. I published the camera information with each image and have added full keywords to share just about anything you would want to know about the images.

Happy shooting

30 Days of Bikram Hot Yoga

When a new hot yoga studio opened in Billings, and I found out about it, I had to give it a try. I am not one to try something half way: if I am going to try, I am going to give 100 percent. I decided that I would try 30 days of 30 classes, but that meant that I needed to find 30 days with as few trips as possible, so that I could actually make it to a 90-minute class each day.

Most of you know that over the past few years I have begun to eat much healthier than the average American; I make my own juice for one or two meals each day, I typically have gluten at only one or two meals each week (one of them is always PIZZA), and I stick to organic foods as much as possible. Most of you also know that I am a pretty active person.

In March of 2010, I weighed just over 180lbs, but that is old news. I cut my weight down to 155lbs by eating right and riding plenty of miles on my bike, but I always fall short of my healthy ideals when I visit "home," Chicago, for Christmas. I returned to Montana around 160lbs with a resting heart rate into the 60's and a 96-97% SpO2, not that great. After 30 days of Bikram Hot Yoga, I cut my weight down to 152lbs, my resting heart rate is back to 52 b/m and my SpO2 is back at 99-100%. Those results are great, but I did not do Bikram to get in shape. Actually, I spent much less time skiing, hiking and cycling while on my 30 day challenge, that I got more fit was a great side benefit.

I did keep up with my traditional yoga practice during the 30 day challenge, and I am glad that I did.

Bikram has a 90 minute class in a room of, at least, 105° and 40% humidity. I cheated a number of times and monitored the temperature myself and all of the readings came back between 108° and 113° -- THAT IS HOT FOR ME. The classes do not change, the narrative is the same each class and the same 26 postures are repeated with virtually no variation between classes. Below is the list of postures and breathing exercises, I have listed the posture as well as my own progression in the posture over the 30 days:

• Pranayama Series ~ Standing Deep Breathing…I found deep breathing in the room was challenging at first, but after a few classes I was used to the heat and humidity.
• Ardha-Chandrasana ~ Half Moon Pose…This is a pose that I have never been overly strong in, and I still won't claim to be good at it, but now I find it easy to breath in the posture.
• Pada-Hastasana ~ Hands To Feet Pose…I can't touch my toes, but after about 10 classes I found that I could really work deep into this posture and I can lock my face to my legs :)
• Utkatasana ~ Awkward Pose…Okay, I am a skier, so I work this pose often and because of that I had little issue with this posture at all, but my second part of the posture looks great now (or I think so ;)
• Garurasana ~ Eagle Pose…I have a solid Eagle pose, on the right side, but the left side still hangs up a bit on the left. (only because I seem to lose my balance when tucking my left leg behind the right)
• Dandayamana-Janushirasana ~ Standing Head to Knee Pose…Tightest hamstrings in the world, but I found my standing leg strength improved as did my balance and concentration during the 30 days.
• Dandayamana-Dhanurasana ~ Standing Bow Pulling Pose…This pose can be slacked on, but I charge into it, and therefore find it hard to "charge" and balance, but I keep getting better.
• Tuladandasana ~ Balancing Stick…This is a pose that, in my head, I thought would be much harder than it is. After a few days I found that I could balance well, stretch both ways and make my body a "T."
• Dandayamana-Bibhaktapada-Paschimotthanasana ~ Standing Separate Leg Stretching Pose…Yet again, tightest hamstrings in the world, but around day 20, I could touch my toes, and each day I can get deeper into the posture.
• Trikanasana ~ Triangle Pose…I thought I had a good Triangle pose, until I was forced to not use my mat, and with extremely sweaty feet. The first 10-15 days I struggled with Triangle, but with time I found that I could work hard enough to bring back a good pose, and Bikram says we should be able to to that on ice.
• Dandayamana-Bibhaktapada-Janushirasana ~ Standing Separate Leg Head to Knee Pose…Yet again tightest hamstrings in the world, but every few days I noticed my knees being bent less and less.
• Tadasana ~ Tree Pose…I have been told that I have a perfect tree pose, I don't believe it, but I do have a very nice tree pose and I don't think that my tree pose changed much during the 30 days.
• Padangustasana ~ Toe Stand Pose…Like tree pose, my open hips allow me to find success in this pose relatively easily, if my balance is on :)
• Savasana ~ Corpse Pose…I found that after about 15 days I was able to truly relax during this first Savasana as I was in good enough shape to not have a racing heart for the two minute break, but the first few days I was desperately in need of the rest :)
• Pavanamuktasana ~ Wind Removing Pose…Like tree pose, my open hips allow me to find success in this pose relatively easily.
• Bhujangasana ~ Cobra Pose…For a man, my back is relatively loose, and I have always found Cobra pose to be easy.
• Salabhasana ~ Locust Pose…Oh my elbows. Over the 30 days I found that I could get deep into Locust pose and that my elbows are starting to accept to pose.
• Poorna-Salabhasana ~ Full Locust Pose…For a man my back is relatively flexible and strong, and I have always found Full Locust pose to be easy, but I found that I could get deeper into the pose than ever before.
• Dhanurasana ~ Bow Pose…For a man my back is relatively flexible and strong, and I have always found Full Locust pose to be "easy," but I found that I could get deeper into the pose than ever before.
• Supta-Vajrasana ~ Fixed Firm Pose…Guess what, after 25 days I found out that I can make it all the way back, but my knees are not completely together (yet).
• Ardha-Kurmasana ~ Half Tortoise Pose…Another classic that I have found quite easy all along.
• Ustrasana ~ Camel Pose…This is a pose that somedays your body loves, and others a flood of feelings overtakes you, and other than more stamina in the "hot room" I found little change.
• Sasangasana ~ Rabbit Pose…This is a pose that I still feel I am doing wrong, even after asking about it in the posture clinic, but maybe it is just say for my body and I am trying to over think it.
• Janushirasana ~ Head to Knee Pose…Yet again tightest hamstrings in the world, but every few days I noticed my knees being bent less and less.
• Paschimotthanasana ~ Stretching Pose…Yet again tightest hamstrings in the world, but every few days I noticed my knees being bent less and less.
• Ardha-Matsyendrasana ~ Spine Twisting Pose…This is a pose that I have noticed many do wrong, but I have been doing this pose for about 10 years, and find it incredibly powerful, thus I noticed little change in this pose over the 30 days.
• Kapalbhati in Vajrasana ~ Blowing in Firm Pose…After 30 days, this is a breeze ;) (pun intended)

Bikram Yoga, like all other variations of Hatha Yoga that I have experienced, leaves you feeling more energized than when you began. When you add in that a typical person in a typical class will burn between 500-1000 calories it make for a great way to shed the pounds while you strengthen and detoxify your body.

If you are thinking about trying a 30 day juice fast, consider a thirty day Bikram challenge at the same time. If you are looking to loose weight, reduce stress, improve balance, improve stamina, improve mental clarity, improve focus, improve strength…the list really goes on and on...give Bikram Yoga a try.

What might be the best part of a 30 day challenge is that you, to be successful, must schedule and prioritize those 90 minutes each day to step on the mat. When you finish your thirty days I believe that you will have created two hours each day that you can make about you, your body and your health. I, being young and single, have few "responsibilities," so I might not "understand" the pressures of being a parent or spouse, but I do understand the need of our body to find time to care for itself, and I believe that making the time for yoga can make a huge impact on your life.

My future plans...I would love to be able to continue to practice Bikram Yoga regularly, but as I spend around 120 days each year away from home it is not possible to practice continually. It looks like I will do a few 30 day challenges each year, and continue my current traditional yoga practice with plenty of cycling, hiking and climbing mixed in. Maybe it is my frugality, but I can't see spending $130/month to only be able to attend class half of the days. (Most of you know that I am gone most of May, all of June, all of July, half of August, half of November, most of December, and a mixture of other "short" trips the other six months of the year)

Lastly I want to say on a big THANKS to Lea and Julie who are great people and ever encouraging instructors of Bikram Yoga. I suggest that anyone, regardless of age/shape/health, give Bikram Yoga a try at a studio near you; if you are in Billings go spend some time at Bikram Yoga Billings.

Namaste

p.s. Remember you can hurt yourself practicing yoga...go at your own pace, listen to your body and leave your ego at the door.

p.p.s. For those that don't know me...I have a very bad case of tall straight white guy syndrome (TSWGS), so when I use words like "open," "easy," and "deeper" that is within the range of a normal guy who suffers from TSWGS.

Climbing...

This is the ever updating list of my current climbing gear:

• La Sportiva - TC PRO
• Scarpa - Veloce 
• Patagonia - Men's Cragmaster
• Arc'teryx - C50p chalk bag [3.3oz]
• Arc'teryx - C80p chalk bag [3.6oz]
• Metolius - Super Chalk
• Bison Designs - Competition Chalk
• Arc'teryx - R·320 climbing harness [11.5oz]
• Black Diamond - Lotus Harness [14oz]
• Mammut - 8.7mm Serenity, 60m rope [108oz][51g/m] - (1) (1/2) (∞)
• Mammut - 7.5mm Twilight, 60m rope [80oz][38g/m] - (1/2) (∞)
• Edelrid - Eagle DRY 9.8mm, 60m rope [131oz][62g/m] - (1)
• Edelrid - Condor DRY 10.3mm, 60m rope [144oz][68g/m] - (1)
• Mammut 4mm Cord (30') [11g/m]
• Mammut 6mm Cord (20') [22g/m]
• Black Diamond - Half Dome Helmet [11oz]
• Black Diamond - Super Chute Rope Bag [17oz]
• Black Diamond - SuperSlacker Rope Bag [15.7oz]
• Edelrid - Liner Rope Bag [13.4oz]
• Black Diamond - Dynex 10mm Runner - 240cm (X1) [2.5oz]
• Black Diamond - Dynex 10mm Runner - 120cm (X2) [2.4oz]
• Black Diamond - Dynex 10mm Runner - 60cm (X3) [1.3oz]
• Mammut - Dyneema Sling 8mm - 60cm [0.8oz]
• Camp - Express Dyneema Sling 8mm - 60cm (X3) [0.7oz]
• Camp - Express Dyneema Sling 8mm - 120cm [0.7oz]
• Black Diamond - Nylon 18mm Runner - 60cm (X3) [0.7oz]
• Black Diamond - Nylon 18mm Runner - 120cm (X3) [1.4oz]
• Black Diamond - Dynex Daisy Chain - 140cm, 55in [1.52oz]
• Black Diamond - Etrier (6 step) [8.5oz]
• Trango Alpine Equalizer [3.9oz]
• Metolius Anchor Chain [4.6oz]
• Sterling - Hollow Block / Prusik (Long) 
• Petzl - GriGri2 [6 oz]
• Petzl - Reverso 3 [2.8 oz]
• Black Diamond - ATC-Guide [3.5 oz]
• Black Diamond - ATC-XP [3.2 oz]
• Black Diamond - nForce Ascenders (R&L) [8.6oz]
• Black Diamond - Magnetron RockLock Carabiner (X2) [3.1oz]
• Black Diamond - Magnetron GridLock Carabiner [3oz]
• Black Diamond - Mini Pearabiner Screwgate Carabiner (X2) [2.4oz]
• Black Diamond - RockLock Carabiner Screwgate Carabiner [3.1oz]
• Black Diamond - Nitron Screwgate Carabiner (X5) [1.8oz]
• Black Diamond - Positron Screwgate Carabiner (X4) [2oz]
• Black Diamond - VaporLock Screwgate Carabiner (X2) [1.8oz]
• Black Diamond - HoodWire Quickdraw (X7) [2.9oz]
• Omega Pacific - Omegalite 4.0 Quickdraw - Wire/Wire Gate (X6) [4oz]
• Omega Pacific - Omegalite 4.0 Quickdraw - Straight/Bent Gate [4.4oz]
• Black Diamond - Hotwire Carabiner (X18) [1.5oz]
• Black Diamond - HoodWire Carabiner (X17) [1.3oz]
• Black Diamond - Neutrino Carabiner (X13)  [1.3oz]
• Black Diamond - Oz Carabiner (X7) [1oz]
• Black Diamond - Positron Straight Gate Carabiner (X6) [1.7oz]
• Black Diamond - OvalWire carabiner [1.6oz]
• Metolius  - FS Mini Wiregate Carabiner [.88oz]
• Mammut - Element carabiner (X2 straight - X1 bent)
• Petzl - Spatha Small Serrated Knife [1.8oz]
• Trango - Shark Nut Tool w/knife [2.9oz]
• Metolius - Adjustable Gear Sling [4.2oz]
• Black Diamond - Impact Crash Pad (X2) [9 lbs 8oz]
• Gibbon Slacklines - Classic Slackline - 25m [4 lb. 10oz]

Current Pro: (in order of size, smallest to largest)

• BD-Camalot X4 8.4-13.8 mm .33-.54 in (BD size 0.1)
• BD-Camalot X4 8.4-13.8 mm .33-.54 in (BD size 0.1)
• Metolius Ultralight TCU 10.0-15.0 mm, 0.39 - 0.59 in (BD size 0.2)
• BD-Camalot X4 9.9-16.5 mm .39-.65 in (BD size 0.2)
• BD-Camalot X4 12.4-21.2 mm .49-.83 in (BD size 0.3)
• BD-Camalot X4 15.5-26.6 mm .61-1.05 in (BD size 0.4)
• BD-Camalot C4 15.5-26.7 mm, 0.61-1.05 in (BD size 0.4)
• BD-Camalot X4 19.8-33.7 mm .78-1.33 in (BD size 0.5)
• BD-Camalot C4 19.6-33.5 mm, 0.77-1.32 in (BD size 0.5)
• BD-Camalot C4 23.9-41.2 mm, 0.94-1.62 in (BD size 0.75)
• BD-Camalot C4 23.9-41.2 mm, 0.94-1.62 in (BD size 0.75)
• BD-Camalot C4 30.2-52.1 mm, 1.19-2.05 in (BD size 1)
• BD-Camalot C4 37.2-64.9 mm, 1.46-2.55 in (BD size 2)
• DMM Dragon Cam 38-64mm, 1.49-2.52 in (BD size 2)
• BD-Camalot C4 50.7-87.9 mm, 2.00-3.46 in (BD size 3)
• DMM Dragon Cam 68-114 mm, 2.66-4.49 in (BD size 4)
• BD-Camalot C4 114.1-195.0 mm, 4.50-7.68 in (BD size 6)
• Camp of Italy Dyneema® Tricam 16 - 28mm (size 0.5)
• Camp of Italy Dyneema® Tricam 20 - 30mm (size 1.0)
• Camp of Italy Dyneema® Tricam 26 - 38mm (size 1.5)
• Camp of Italy Dyneema® Tricam 29 - 41mm (size 2.0)
• BD Off-set Micro Nut 3.7/5.1 mm, 0.147/0.200 in (size 1)
• BD Off-set Micro Nut 5.1/7.5 mm, 0.202/0.330 in (size 3)
• BD Off-set Micro Nut 5.9/8.4 mm, 0.233/0.330 in (size 4)
• BD Off-set Micro Nut 7.4/9.4 mm, 0.290/0.370 in (size 5)
• BD-Nut 6.1/11.4 mm, 0.24/0.45 in (size 3)
• BD-Nut 6.9/12.4 mm, 0.27/0.49 in (size 4)
• CAMP-Nut 7/13 mm (size 1)
• CAMP-Nut 7/13 mm (size 1)
• BD-Nut 8.4/13.5 mm, 0.33/0.53 in (size 5)
• BD-Nut 10.2/15.5 mm, 0.40/0.61 in (size 6)
• CAMP-Nut 10/16 mm (size 2)
• CAMP-Nut 10/16 mm (size 2)
• BD-Nut 11.7/16.3 mm, 0.46/0.64 in (size 7)
• BD-Nut 13.5/18.3 mm, 0.53/0.72 in (size 8)
• CAMP-Nut 13/20 mm (size 3)
• CAMP-Nut 13/20 mm (size 3)
• BD-Nut 15.2/20.8 mm, 0.60/0.82 in (size 9)
• CAMP-Nut 15/23 mm (size 4)
• CAMP-Nut 15/23 mm (size 4)
• BD-Nut 17.3/23.4 mm, 0.68/0.92 in (size 10)
• BD-Nut 20.1/26.7 mm, 0.79/1.05 in (size 11)
• CAMP-Nut 18/27 mm (size 5)
• CAMP-Nut 18/27 mm (size 5)
• CAMP-Nut 20/29 mm (size 6)
• CAMP-Nut 20/29 mm (size 6)
• BD-Nut 22.9/30.5 mm, 0.90/1.20 in (size 12)
• CAMP-Nut 23/33 mm (size 7)
• CAMP-Nut 23/33 mm (size 7)
• BD-Nut 26.4/35.1 mm, 1.04/1.38 in (size 13)
• BD-Hex 33/45.7 mm, 1.30/1.80 in (size 7)
• BD-Hex 39.1/54.1 mm, 1.54/2.13 in (size 8)
• BD-Hex 47/63.7 mm, 1.85/2.51 in (size 9)
• BD-Hex 55.6/75.2 mm, 2.19/2.96 in (size 10)
• BD-Hex 65/89.2 mm, 2.56/3.51 in (size 11)

I'll be buying plenty more, but that is what I have now. Feel free to leave me gear suggestions.

Yellowstone, February 11th & 12th

A lone tree battles high winds on a snow covered hillside in Yellowstone National Park. Created with a Canon 7D and a 500/4.0L IS set in aperture priority mode with an exposure bias of +2/3 to f/9, ISO 200, and 1/800th of a second. Shot from a beanbag.

PHOTOS NOW ONLINE

A trip where if things could go wrong they did. I had planned a full 4 day trip to Yellowstone, and heading into Friday morning everything looked great. When I went to leave, in time to arrive at the park before sunrise, I noticed that neither my car's iPod connector not my old iPod charger would charge my new iPhone 4, so I went back to bed to wait for Best Buy to open at 10am, telling myself "it is no big deal, I have 4 full days, a half day lost is not a problem." I found a charger that worked and was off and started to record my journey in the form of a time-lapse with my iPhone. I arrived at the park before 1pm and even had time to stop, hike to, and dig out my favorite winter camping place. Unfortunately my previous stake holes has thawed, filled in, and re-frozen and the ground was too frozen to drive in new stakes at that time; but I had no worries I would enjoy a hotel tonight (I had plenty of work to do and power/high speed internet make it easier) with the plan that with my tent site cleared of snow, sunny and 40° temps forecasted would help me stake down tomorrow. (a note: snow anchors would typically be my solution; but the snow was very dry and not deep enough to trust anchors, also the high winds forecasted would have made me fearful to leave the tent set with only weak snow anchors for the next three days). After all of that it was time to make a full park lap to see what I could see. Not much was going on, I ran into Bill, Peggy, Rene, Helene, and Max checking on the otters; but no luck. I continued on and stopped only to check empty fields of snow for signs of life. On my return I was fortunate to have the sun/clouds work to present an oportunity for the image above. As I left I ran into Bill, Peggy, Rene, Helene, and Max again this time they were trying, without luck, to photograph some Bohemian Waxwings. We, as usual did some chatting and I was surprised that none of them had heard about Canon's forthcoming 200-400/4.0L IS with 1.4 Extender, a new lens of envy for all of us. The sun set with little splendor; though my iPhone and a panorama app were able to make something of it. Off to the Super 8 for some work and a good nights rest.

I awoke early, grabbed a quick shower as it would be my last for a few days, and was on my way to breakfast and an early checkout. I found myself out well before sunrise (and most others), just as planned, because I wanted to shoot a time-lapse of my drive during sunrise. The app I was using for time-lapses has some issues and it delayed the start of my shooting because I could not turn off the flash, the app is also severely limiting on its exporting options of the high resolution video files; but fixes are promised. A fairly common morning ensued; bison in the road, large snow drifts blocking half of the road, a respectable elk resting roadside in the Lamar Canyon, a red fox using the road as the path of least resistance near Buffalo Ranch, coyotes working their way through the snow in pairs, and a relatively dull sunrise. As this was my first morning with two more to follow, and the promise of better lunar phases with them, I did not have much urge to force shots "I am going to let it happen naturally" I told myself. I did shoot a few of the fox (while rolling), and later a few of an injured coyote near Roosevelt Junction; but that was about it, and I was in no hurry. I then stopped for a quick bathroom break and while kicking the snow and ice out of my wheel wells I heard what sounded to be air seeping, no I must be crazy... I got in and drove a bit further when my tire pressure warning came on, I stopped and started to inspect more carefully at this point, that is when I noticed two "somethings" in my driver side rear tire "gosh darn it." I had only lost about a pound of pressure, so I decided I should keep an eye on it; but drive out to Gardiner to really inspect the situation. I got to town and had not lost any more measurable pressure; but the seeping continued, so it was time to weight my options and make a decision. I could put on my spare, not a real snow tire. I could try to plug the tire; but the objects were broken off and presented no real opportunity to remove them to attempt a plug. I could slime the tire and keep at my trip; but LORD only knows how that would go. Lastly I could pump the tire up a bit past full, and drive home slowly with slime and a spare ready to go if the situation worsened. I am not a car guy; but I did know that the objects were in the meat of the tire and did not pose a threat to tearing the tire apart, I also knew that my warrantee on these less than 9 month old tiers would take care of "roadside hazards." I took my time driving to Livingstone, and upon arrival checked everything... no loss of pressure, relative to my other tires, and the objects had not moved. I took my time driving home, and felt a little silly getting passed by every single vehicle on the road, "eyes forward and ignore them" I kept reminding myself. I got back to Billings, as there is no Sam's Club in Bozeman, and upon inspection they decided that the near 20k miles I have put on the tires in the last 8 months required that I replace all 4 tires "crud" I said. Lucky for me the warrantee covered such situations, to some extent, and my $600 tires only cost me $250 to get all 4 replaced with the same "top of the line" tires (for my Subaru), I hope this set lasts me at least a year ;)

It was then Saturday at 4pm, I was home in Billings, my YNP trip was basically over, and I was not really in the mood to drive back down to the park, so I call the trip officially finished.

During the trip I shot time-lapse footage of my drive to the park and of Saturday morning's drive in during sunrise, this is that video with the addition of music from Alexander Blu (via CC):


I only captured 60-70 images in total, and only 10 ended up online, so I hope to make it back to the park this month for a "makeup" trip, if I do, I will camp and be able to give camping each month of 2011 in Yellowstone a college try.

Enjoy, and happy shooting.

Building a Better Online Portfolio

Another great webinar from PhotoShelter was just posted online in video form.

The video takes a great look at how to think about your portfolio website. Happily many of the things discussed are things I considered and took into account when I designed my new site; but I bet some of you should think about these same things on your site.


Just like I often ask about peoples images: "What is your subject? What are you trying to communicate? Who are you trying to communicate with?" I would ask the same about your website, as I ask myself the same about my websites often.

For those that freak out about her comments on watermarking here is a decent article about watermarking; but I'll share my personal thoughts quickly:

• I don't think your portfolio site is a place for watermarking.
• Centered watermarks are a huge distraction.
• I think that your stock site is a great place to consider visible; but not overly distracting, watermarks.
• I use watermarks on my stock site, so that those that snag images from google for presentations/mock-ups/etc, and those that view them, know where to go look for the real image later. I drop them at the bottom, so if people want to steal them they can, they are registered with the copyright office so...

Some other things from the video that gel with my personal thoughts, and design:

• Let there be white.
• Simple, clean, and succinct, with no extra distractions, is beautiful.
• A readable site that is easy to navigate, and organized with a logical flow goes a long way.
• Cut the fat and only provide extra information if it is relevant.
• Take your own emotions out of the equation and think about your target audience.
• A portfolio is not your stock site, it is not the place to show all of your images.
• Let the site be about your images, not your images only being a part of the site.
• Let them see the image, and you had better know how they will see it. (think web color/sharpness/resolution)
• Make sure that their impatience does not keep me from seeing your site. (my site is even slower than I want it to be)
• Kill the freaking music, especially if you are not the creator/owner/licensee. (artists, unfortunately, are often the biggest thieves of other artists work)
• KISS = Keep It Simple Stupid (a motto I try to live by)

Take the time to watch the video, and feel free to bounce thoughts and questions around here, on my Facebook, or straight to me at info@DaveShumway.com.

Happy Shooting

p.s. Why on earth do I always type 'often' with two ffs? I know that it is 'often' and write it that way with no issue... odd.

Yellowstone February 26th - March 2nd

PHOTOS NOW ONLINE

I took the day off from skiing so that I could get these photos edited and online.

If you follow my postings on:
https://twitter.com/FragilePlaces
http://www.facebook.com/ShumwayPhotography
then chances are you have had the play by play of this trip, and have had a chance to see the video footage.

I hope you enjoyed being able to follow along during the trip and I really hope you enjoy the photos and video that I have put online.

Feel free to ask questions and leave comments/criticism, and also give your favorite photos a thumbs up on my site.

Enjoy

Home from Yellowstone... with video to share

THE VIDEO IS ONLINE HERE IN HD

I was in Yellowstone from February 26th - March 2nd. The photos will take me a while to edit; but I put together some of the video clips for those who might want to watch. I have removed the audio from the Otters as there was lots of shutter clicking going on while I was recording. The (spoiler alert) Wolf footage has the audio on all except the last clip as the sound is the best part.

The footage of the Otter/s was captured with the 7D and 500/4.0L IS while the Wolf footage was captured with the use of telephoto converters (2X and 1.4X). The Wolf was a long way off and the atmospheric distortion is very obvious. The distance adds a cool element of delay on the audio... you'll see.

Enjoy

Prairie Merlin on Campus, February 25th

PHOTOS ONLINE NOW

I think I photographed a pair of Prairie Merlin (Falco columbarius) this afternoon on the campus of Rocky Mountain College.

The two birds seemed to be putting on a show for each other and appear to have attempted to mate a few times. As I am leaving in the AM for Yellowstone I have not look to verify what the birds are so I can only guess as to what they were doing.

Always look in the trees, as you never know what might fly into your backyard.

A few more from YNP (Feb/March)

PHOTOS ONLINE

Well it has been a while; but I finally found the time to edit a few more landscapes and get them online. I hope you enjoy, the point of these were simply for me to play with tone mapping, detail enhancing, and general merges (for this spring). The landscapes are OK and the edit job is decent practice.

Enjoy

Yellowstone, February 28th - March 2nd

TRIP NOW ONLINE
The sun ruined much of the three days of shooting it did let up enough for me to make some images to share. And they are now online.

My daily reports sum it all up. It was warm and sunny so I did a lot of hiking/snowshoeing. I had my luck turn on me the last morning and got to spend a few minutes with two wolves from the 472 group.

As always please take a few moments to look through all of the photos, leaving comments and giving a thumbs up to your favorites.

I had a great time in the park, and I hope you enjoy viewing the fruits of my labor.