Landscape Photography at Twilight |  |
- Landscape Photography at Twilight
- Interesting Photo of the Day: Young Cheetah Photographed in Mid-Sprint
- On the Job with Race Day Photographers (Video)
- Photographer Rigs Remote Car Camera to Get Very Up Close and Personal with Lions (Video)
| Landscape Photography at Twilight Posted: 25 Nov 2013 04:50 PM PST There are various phases of sunrise and sunset, however each phase repeats itself twice a day – once during sunrise and once again at sunset. All phases during sunrise are the same for sunset phases – the only difference is chronological order i.e. when each phase begins and ends. Therefore, sunrise and sunset are exactly the same, except that sunset reverses the order of phases seen at sunrise.  “Head-On” captured by Mark Broughton (Click Image to See More From Mark Broughton) Twilight phases at Sunrise:
The phases of twilight at sunset are the same just in the opposite order. Let’s begin with sunrise and discuss each phase separately. The length of twilight before sunrise and after sunset is heavily influenced by the latitude of the observer; therefore I will not discuss the length of each twilight phase since it is highly variable. The first phase of morning twilight is known as astronomical twilight. This period of twilight occurs when the center of the sun is between 12° and 18° degrees below the horizon and slowly increases before day time officially begins. Most casual observers would consider the entire sky already fully dark even when astronomical twilight is just ending in the morning. Atmospheric colors consist of deep dark blue toward the horizon, and completely black when facing west. Astronomical twilight really brings cityscape photos to life. The deep blue mixed with warm artificial lights from city buildings, streets, and cars produce nice contrasts. Arguably, this is the best time to photograph cityscapes, but this clearly depends what you’re attempting to capture. Images during all twilight phases and during sunrise require a tripod. The photo will be blurry, regardless if your lens has vibration reduction or image stabilization. Nautical twilight is when the center of the sun is between 6° and 12° below the horizon. The primary color cast across the atmosphere is usually a deep blue hue with noticeable orange and yellow tones at the horizon due to the rising sun. Light will begin appearing quickly throughout this phase, and the blue sky will get begin to get brighter and paler. Details will become easier to distinguish but will lack most edge definition. Again, cityscape photographs are nicely produced during this phase. Most landscape photographs will be uninteresting during this phase because there is not enough available light. Silhouettes begin to look interesting, and get better in the next twilight phase.  “Winter Solstice in Reykjavik” captured by Ævar Guðmundsson (Click Image to See More From Ævar Guðmundsson) Civil twilight is the brightest phase of twilight and begins when the geometric center of the sun is 6° below the horizon and ends at 0° sunrise/sunset. The horizon is clearly visible and shadows are easily discernable. Objects are clearly defined and no additional light is needed in most cases. The light cast during this phase can be anywhere from warm golden tones to cool pink tones. During civil twilight, the colors of the sky are going to change quickly. Colors of pale yellow, neon red, and bright orange will dominate the sky. If clouds are present they begin changing colors, first from soft pink then to deep ruby red. When looking westward you can see the twilight wedge, which is a mixture of Earth’s shadow and scattered light. The pink and blue hues of the twilight wedge are separated by multiple layers. Most landscape photos begin coming to life as available light increases and details become obvious. When the sun finally rises, deep ruby red and dark pink colors splash all over the terrain. Shadows come alive and retain purple and blue hues due to scattered light. The contrasts of red and blue are at a pinnacle, and will arguably provide for the best landscape pictures. The mixture of colors and shadows helps distinguish form, shape, and texture, and these compositional elements should be utilized. The color of light is quickly changing from red to yellow, and you must react very fast if you decide to change composition or frame. As the sun continues to rise in the sky, colors shift from yellow to white. This is why the first hour of sunrise and sunset is called the “golden hour“, because red light shifts to gold. After the first hour of sunrise the color of light begins turning whiter and is not conducive to most landscape photography. The only circumstances that could create gorgeous photos in midday are during storms when the sun breaks through high clouds illuminating spots of land. Otherwise, forget about taking good landscape pictures – they will not be compelling.  Photo captured by Denis Krivoy (Click Image to See More From Denis Krivoy) The best time of day to create evocative landscape imagery is during twilight and sunrise/sunset. There are rare exceptions when these “rules” do not apply, which is why if you are seriously considering landscape photography you must be out in the wilderness during these hours. Yes you will miss breakfast and dinner, yes it will be hard waking up very early in the morning, and yes you will be frustrated many times when the photo opportunities are just not there because it’s too cloudy, or no clouds, etc. But who ever said photography was easy? This stuff is not meant for the meek. As with anything in life you have to really want it. You have to be passionate about taking away a beautiful photo, even though it took many visits to the same spot to get your photo. This stuff can be grueling at times, but for me, the rewards far outweigh the repeated disappointments. I hope this article has helped those seeking to become landscape photographers. About the Author Go to full article: Landscape Photography at Twilight |
| Interesting Photo of the Day: Young Cheetah Photographed in Mid-Sprint Posted: 25 Nov 2013 03:09 PM PST Famous for their title of fastest land mammal, these spotted cats can run up to 70mph. High speed cameras have helped scientists understand how the cheetah runs and the reasons it can run so fast. The photo below is not one for scientific purposes, but rather one that shows the beauty of the cheetah, even at a young age captured by Marion Vollborn. The look of determination in this little cheetah’s eyes is what really sets the tone for this image:  Baby Cheetah Running (Via Imgur, Click to See Full Size) The main reason this image is so eye-catching is that the photographer has carefully isolated the subject through different means. One is the minimalism provided by the lack of a detailed background and the simple color palette. The other way the subject is isolated is through the narrow depth-of-field. You can see that both the foreground and background are out of focus, leaving the subject nice and sharp. It appears that the photographer has also blurred the left side of the image to put even more emphasis on the cheetah. Go to full article: Interesting Photo of the Day: Young Cheetah Photographed in Mid-Sprint |
| On the Job with Race Day Photographers (Video) Posted: 25 Nov 2013 03:04 PM PST If you’ve been to an auto race or watched one on TV, you’ve surely seen the throng of lucky photographers documenting the action from enviable viewpoints. Have you ever wondered what it’s like to be one of those professionals behind the cameras? In this video, photographers Brian Czobat and Nigel Kinrade of Autostock Images show us what it’s like to photograph NASCAR races: For over twenty years, Czobat and Kinrade have photographed auto races. With this experience, they’ve learned just what it takes to please their clients. They must not only capture the action taking place during the races, but also depict the atmosphere of racing and the personalities of the drivers. Before each event, the photographers get together to discuss a game plan. They work out who will photograph which part of the day and make sure to rotate positions each week so no one gets bored. This keeps photographers fresh and interested. They also discuss their lens choices so that each person is working with a different lens. A fisheye lens might be used for a portrait of a driver signing autographs for his or her fans, or a 300mm lens might be utilized to get some candid shots. This diversity of lens choice ensures a wider variety of shots throughout the day.
Before the race, the photographers set out to photograph the personnel and VIPs on the pit road, behind-the-scenes happenings in the garage, and other images to set the scene. They then move on to action shots of the race and keep following along to the finish line, where they get posed shots of drivers and sponsors. The photographers’ goal is to first get the “bread and butter” traditional shots that clients and magazines are after.
Once the basic shots are saved to their memory cards, Czobat and Kinrade are free to get creative with experimental shots. This might mean looking for unique angles, creative silhouettes, or hunting down interesting reflections. Because the cars are moving at high speeds–sometimes upwards of 200 miles per hour–the photographers push their equipment to its limits to freeze the action into a still photograph. It’s a long day in a thrilling environment, but the photographers have to stay on their toes.
While adrenaline is flowing for the drivers, the photographers are not immune from the dangers of racing. Getting the perfect shot often means putting themselves at risk. Here’s one example of a close call for race day photographers: After the tiring, dangerous day is over and fans clear from the stands, Czobat and Kinrade head inside to process their photos. Clients require a quick turnaround time, so the photographers must work efficiently to select and edit images for delivery by early Monday morning. Photographing stock car auto races is not for the faint of heart. It requires long hours, hazardous working conditions, and a willingness to compete with other photographers for a front and center position. But the photographers of Autostock Images have the job down to an art. Their images make it look easy.
Go to full article: On the Job with Race Day Photographers (Video) |
| Photographer Rigs Remote Car Camera to Get Very Up Close and Personal with Lions (Video) Posted: 25 Nov 2013 11:08 AM PST Most people try to avoid dangerous predators like lions, but photographer Chris McLennan's clever remote camera setup allowed him—or rather, "Car-L"—to get in the faces of a pride of lions in Botswana and capture some otherwise-impossible shots: The setup, designed by McLennan's friend Carl Hansen, consisted of an AquaTech Sound Blimp mounted to a 4×4 remote control buggy. McLennan placed a Nikon D800E camera inside the blimp, equipped with an 18-35mm lens. He set the camera to manual focus mode with high ISO and small aperture for "great depth of field," and he set the lens to a wide 18mm, knowing that he would have crisp focus at 1m.  By the end of his run, Car-L was “dead,” but protected the camera and baited the lions with ease.
At the end of it all, McLennan's "hopefully" turned out to be prophecy. The movement-triggered aggression of lions and other big predatory cats may be frightening, but it guaranteed the success of McLennan's shoot. Not only did McLennan capture crisp, close-up shots in the faces of one or several lions, he received the opportunity of a lifetime when an entire pride of lions began stalking and fighting over Car-L.  McLennan has a penchant for photographing dangerous wildlife Chris McLennan is a New Zealand-based adventure, travel, and wildlife photographer endorsed as both an HP Ambassador and a Nikon Ambassador. Go to full article: Photographer Rigs Remote Car Camera to Get Very Up Close and Personal with Lions (Video) |
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