Elizabeth Carmel's Landscape Photography Blog

Ansel Adams Gallery Blog / Flickr

There was an article on the Ansel Adams gallery on the front page of the New York Times a few days ago. I also discovered the new blog from the gallery staff, which is a great way for photographers to stay in touch with what is happening in Yosemite.

I also finally started uploading images to my Flickr account. If blog readers are interested in being a contact on Flickr, you can access my images & info via the Flickr bar to the left. I have just uploaded some of my poppy images, but will be adding more later. There is a great plug in for Aperture that makes it easy to upload any image via the Export menu.

Traveling Heavy

I have given up on traveling light. I am used to being ridiculed for all my luggage and carry ons, so I don't really care anymore. The Europeans are particularly amused by all the stuff Olof and I lug around. The only restraints we worry about are the 2 checked bag limit of 50 lbs each, and the carry on size restrictions (but not the weight). I have read that some airlines are going to start charging for the 2nd check bag, which is not good news. One of our blog readers recently asked:

Elizabeth, I'm curious -- how do you carry that much expensive gear to a location which is only accessible by air? I don't imagine you can take it all as carry-on. I'd sure hate to get to my destination only to find an empty camera case sliding down the luggage chute. :^( -- Roger

Well, one thing that helps is traveling with our 8 year old daughter, since she comes with an allowance for 2 extra 50 lb checked bags and 2 extra carry ons, which we use up while only including a few pounds of her stuff. I have found that I usually can take all my photo gear when I use the following:

1. Large tripod and ball head packed in a checked suitcase.
2. Carry-on Camera backpack (Lowe Vertex or Tamrac Expedition 8, which is long but not too thick). In the camera backpack I put the H3D body and 2 lenses, and the D3 body and 1 lens. Long but not too thick makes it easier to fit in overhead bins. It will always fit under the seat in a pinch, but will encroach into the adjacent under seat space.
3. Rolling Pelican case Exec Series wheeled camera attache - carries remaining camera lenses, chargers, etc. This comes with a zip off laptop case, so if I get busted for having 3 carry ons I can always zip the laptop bag to the case as I get on the plane, then unzip it to fit in the overhead bin. It fits better in the bin when unzipped & removed from main case, and I usually put it under my seat so I can work on my laptop during a flight.
We also always try to board the plane as soon as possible so all the overhead bin space does not get taken. I would never put my lenses or cameras in checked luggage, even though they are all insured through NANPA. You do not want to get behind us in the security checkpoint line, it is quite a production. I am rarely hassled about the contents of the camera bags, although Mexican authorities have been known to give us extra scrutiny when we come through.

This system works well for domestic air travel. I do run into problems in international flights where they weigh your carry ons. I had to check some lenses once in a hard sided case so I could get on a flight to Italy, and they arrived safely but I was not happy about it. I am not sure what I will do next time I have to fly overseas, I will probably wear a camera vest and stuff alot in there while they are weighing my carry ons.

New Maui Images / Apple Aperture

I have completed a series of 6 images from our recent trip to Maui and have posted those as the first six images in my Hawaii Portfolio.

I used both the H3D and the Nikon D3 on this trip - The Nikon allowed me to capture the very wide angle shots of the Banyan Trees along with some fast shutter speed wave action, so I was pleased I had it along. The Hasselblad worked great for the sunsets and the Rainbow Eucalyptus shots where I could use a tripod and capture alot of detail and color range. I also experimented with some high key imagery in the Eucalyptus forest, and liked the blown out background on one of my images (Rainbow Forest) that gives it a more minimalist / zen feel.

Thanks to the suggestion of my friend Tom Deyerle I decided to try out Apple's Aperture 2.1 - the main reason being that it can read Hasselblad H3D raw files (Lightroom and ACR cannot unless they are converted to DNG files). I really enjoy the Aperture workflow and the file processing tools. I think it does a great job processing H3D raw files, I was able to pull alot of color range out of the H3D files using aperture's tools. There is a bit of a learning curve with such a robust program, but it has a wonderful elegance to it that will appeal to any artist. It also supports plug ins, including one that I am using now to upload a batch of images to Photoshelter.

Back from the Islands / Earth Day Throughts

We had a great trip to Maui and enjoyed meeting up with Randy Braun, Photographer Extraordinaire, a local who showed us some wonderful locations along the Hana Highway. Randy has a great gallery in Makawao, a must see if you visit Maui. I hope to have some new pictures from the trip posted in the next few weeks. We did not do as much snorkeling this trip since the surf was high and made the water a little cloudy, but I did get some nice sunsets and some interesting shots of the "rainbow eucalyptus."

Since Earth Day is tomorrow I added a page to our Carmel Gallery website which outlines some of our "green business" practices. I think two issues of particular interest to photographers are the need to recycle used ink cartridges ( I have been told they contain trace amounts of cyanide and are often disposed of improperly in landfills), and the need to be aware of the woods used in picture frame moulding. I will be posting some information soon on a major new non-profit organization being formed to bring awareness to the problem of printer cartridge disposal and the need for better cartridge recycling programs. My previous posts have highlighted the issue of the use of endangered woods for picture frame moulding. Everyone who buys frames and bulk moulding should be aware of the type of wood used and pressure suppliers to provide non-endangered woods.

Off to Maui

We are off to Maui for a week, so I hope to have some new Hawaii images to share when I return. We hope to have a chance to visit with our friend Randy Braun while we are there.

A recent interview has been posted at the website Photography Sites, so you can check that out for some additional info on my work.

Aloha!

New Wildflower Images

I have completed a selection of 9 images from my recent photo shoot in the Sierra Foothills using the new Nikon D3 and the 14-24 zoom. It was mildly windy so I used the D3 at iso 400 to 600 and shot with a small aperture to maximize depth of field. Using the high iso I was able to get shutter speeds of over 1/200 second, enough to stop the blur of wind movement and still maintain depth of field. I love the wide angle 14mm - all of the close up shots were taken at the widest angle possible. I was able to get very close to the poppies and still get a large range of view to make dramatic images. I am very pleased with the image quality from this system. While it cannot even begin to compare with the detail of the H3D, I was able to get shots that would not have been possible with the H3D due to the wide angle and need for fast shutter speeds with small aperture.
Here is a link to the images on my web site: http://www.elizabethcarmel.com/#a=0&at=0&mi=2&pt=1&pi=10000&s=0&p=7

I only spotted one rattlesnake, laying across the trail on my way back. I'm glad one did not surprise me while I was crawling around in the poppies! I almost stepped on one a few years back in a similar area, so I keep an eye and ear out for them when I am in areas like this in the Sierra foothills.

Nikon D3

I have had an opportunity this week to try both the Nikon D300 and the D3, and I have decided that the D3 will work best for me since it has a full frame sensor to allow very wide angle work, and I think the AF system is a little quicker and more foolproof for action / wildlife shots. I also really like to double CF card slots for in camera back ups, and the weather proof seals. I have "lost" a number of good shots over the years due to wind blur and lack of ability to hand hold the H3D in low light, so I think this will help be broaden my creative opportunities. It will not be a replacement for the H3D but will be a tool for uses the H3D is not suited for - low light handheld, action / wildlife, windy conditions, super wide angle, super telephoto. I do think a full frame sensor has an edge over the smaller sensors in regards image quality and noise, especially when I need to make a 100" long blow up (which I have had to do a few times this last month) . I will be photographing wildflowers in the Sierra foothills this coming week and will post some shots with the D3 after that trip. I am then off to Hawaii, where I will try it out underwater in an Ewa Marine Bag (yes I'm Crazy, but I insure all my gear in case of the worst.....). The underwater housings for the D3 run $6K, so that is out of my range unless I get a sweet photo assignment from a dive magazine...highly unlikely given all the great underwater photogs out there. The live view feature should be a good tool for underwater shots of turtles and colorful fish.

I think the D300 is a great second body to have in addition to a D3 - it is a good backup and nice to have a different lens on when doing a photo shoot. I found some good info on the D3 on Moose Peterson's site. Alot of his info also applies to the D300.

As far as lenses, I am going with the awesome new 14-24 (one of the main reasons for getting the full frame D3), and the 24-70 f2.8. I also got a lower priced 70-300 VR lens, which would need to be upgraded prior to any serious wildlife photography to the 200-400 VR.

Nikon D300

I am going to be checking out the Nikon D300 this week. I need a digital slr that I can use for handheld / low light shots for an upcoming project. This camera seems to have great high iso performance and some nice features such as live view with autofocus on the lcd screen (good for underwater I would think). I have always had an affinity for Nikons - I used to have one of the early Nikon D1x cameras, but sold that to pay for the higher res Canon 1ds that I used until I got the Hasselblad system. I also think the Nikon D3 is very interesting, and it has a full frame sensor so it would be possible to get some nice wide angle shots with the new nikon 14-24 mm zoom. The problem with the D3 cameras is that they are hard to get and about $3.5k more than the D300. Once Nikon introduces a higher resolution sensor in a D3 style camera, and retains the extreme high iso quality, it could give a big boost to the possibilities of handheld landscape photography. I think that Nikon is finally back in the Dslr game after getting dusted by Canon over the last few years. I will report my impressions of the D300 later this week.

Picture Frames and Endangered Rainforests

I have been researching picture frame mouldings and stretcher bars that do not result in environmental damage. The plot thickens the more I learn about the framing / moulding industry. There is an excellent resource I found that discussed woods to avoid: http://www.rainforestrelief.org/documents/Guidelines.pdf

One company I have found is very in tune with this issue: Framerica moulding seems to be one of the most eco-friendly moulding companies. Here is an excerpt from the Decor Article on Green Framing Products:
Framerica’s products have earned Environmentally Preferred Product (EPP) certification from the Composite Panel Association of wood manufacturers, and BonanzaWood saves deforestation from solid wood and the oil consumption attributed to plastics. Framerica has used BonanzaWood as the primary core for its mouldings for more than 10 years. BonanzaWood contributes to absolutely zero deforestation, in many instances utilizing wood waste from post-consumer products that would otherwise be destined for landfills.

I must also point out that Omega moulding has been very helpful with my inquiries about moulding wood, and referred me to this website: UNEP.
I am still doing research on some of their mouldings I have been using to see if they are FSC certified.

Pro Digital Imaging Article

There is an online version of my article in Pro Digital Imaging Magazine now available. It can be accessed at the following link: Profile: Elizabeth Carmel