Yosemite Trip Day 2

My second day hiking the Yosemite area with guide and photography expert Lloyd Chambers was actually spent just outside the park, near Saddlebag Lake. Despite its name, Saddlebag Lake is really a reservoir, and it's not particularly memorable when compared to the spectacular scenery we saw the day before. However, Lloyd assured me that the area beyond Saddlebag Lake was worth the short slog through the snow-covered rocky trail around the lake.

Hiking Towards 20 Lakes Basin (1/2000 sec at f/2.8, ISO 200, with Zeiss 21mm f/2.8 lens on Nikon D3s)

Lloyd was right. The area beyond Saddlebag Lake, known as the "20 Lakes Basin", was breathtakingly beautiful, yet very different from the Yosemite canyon we'd explored the day before. 20 Lakes Basin is a high-elevation area that seems to have been carved out by an ancient glacier, leaving hundreds of low spots and thousands of rocks and boulders strewn about. Many of the low spots are filled with crystal clear water (many brimming with trout!), creating a gorgeous and varied landscape unlike anything I've seen before.

Colored Basin (1/500 sec at f/5.6, ISO 200, with Zeiss 21mm f/2.8 on Nikon D3s)

20 Lakes Basin sits at an elevation just over 10,000 feet, and the plants found there are different than the ones we saw the day before. During autumn, this brightly colored ground-hugging foliage glows hues of red and yellow, at times creating a dazzling display against the rocky terrain.

Backlit Fall Foliage (1/500 sec at f/8.0, ISO 200 with Zeiss 100mm f/2.0 Makro lens on Nikon D3s)

I don't know if it was the thin air at the high elevation, or the lack of adequate sleep during the previous two nights, but I felt very groggy and had a mild headache the entire day. At one point, I even laid down on a rock and took a brief nap in the sun! Lloyd was very patient and gave me plenty of opportunities to stop and take pictures (or to rest, or both). I was grateful, though, since the frequent stops gave me time to focus on the details of the unique landscape.

Eking Out a Living (1/750 sec at f/2.4, ISO 200 with Zeiss 100mm f/2.0 Makro lens on Nikon D3s)

Despite the fact that I wasn't feeling my best, the day spent exploring the 20 Lakes Basin was fascinating and I enjoyed it a lot. However, it was days 3 and 4 of my Yosemite trip that really blew me away. That's when we found some of the most amazing fall colors I've ever seen. Stay tuned for another update soon, and I'll show you what I'm talking about.

Yosemite Trip Day 1

Earlier this year, during an exercise with a group of my favorite entrepreneur buddies, I made the decision to do something exciting for myself. I committed to go on a photography expedition by the end of 2011. After researching options for a few weeks, I contacted Lloyd Chambers of Diglloyd.com and booked a guided trip to Yosemite and the surrounding areas.

Booking a trip with a guide is not inexpensive, but a good guide provides a lot of value for your money. Lloyd began delivering value weeks before the trip by suggesting helpful travel tips, appropriate clothing, what equipment to bring, what to wear, and what kinds of food to pack. And on the trip itself, of course, Lloyd was able to take me off the beaten path to some of the most scenic and interesting places in the area.

Lloyd and I met just before dawn on our first day together and set out to explore the Tenaya Canyon area, thousands of feet above and far apart from the bustle of the Yosemite valley. I enjoyed walking off-trail as we chatted about everything from the latest and best camera gear to the geologic forces that created the eye-popping scenery around us.

Falls at Tenaya Canyon in Yosemite (1/2000 second at f/2.8, ISO 200 with Zeiss 21mm f/2.8 on Nikon D3s)

We stopped frequently along the way to take pictures and discuss techniques. Lloyd is an expert photographer, and I learned a lot by asking questions and trying the techniques he suggested. I believe that some of his tips on making sharp images will permanently change and improve the way that I shoot.

In the Face of Challenge (1/2000 second at f/4.0, ISO 200 with Zeiss 100mm f/2.0 on Nikon D3s)

We ended the day with a really fun night hike out of the canyon, lit by Lloyd's fancy Lupine Piko headlamp and my 10 year old son's stocking stuffer flashlight. This romp through the darkness even included a barefoot crossing of a small stream and a brief break to shoot the stars.

Mikly Way from Tenaya Canyon (30 seconds at f/2.8, ISO 1600 with Zeiss 21mm f/2.8)

All in all, the first day of the trip was a great success, and one that I'll remember for many years to come. I'll post more pictures from subsequent days of the trip later this week.

Using the Nikon 50mm f/1.2 Manual Focus Lens

The Nikkor 50mm f/1.2 lens is one of my favorite lenses and it spends a lot of time on my D3s. In production since 1981, it’s a top-quality, manual focus lens that can still be purchased - brand new - today. Besides the awesome bokeh that this lens is capable of producing, I love the small size and light weight. It balances well with my camera and actually makes it a pleasure to carry the professional-sized D3s around.

Manual focusing of the Nikkor 50mm lens using my imperfect eyesight and the camera’s focus indicator initially took a little bit of getting used to, but it really isn’t a problem in practice. The poor eyesight issue is easily overcome by focusing on a point using confirmation from the camera’s focus indicator, then changing the diopter adjustment until things look sharp. When switching between several pairs of glasses, contacts, and occasionally my naked eye, the diopter adjustment is a quick and necessary task that makes manual focusing much easier.

Leaf Jam (1/750 second at f/1.4, ISO 400)

One of the nice things about a manual focus lens is that the photographer gets to select the focus point. That’s especially important when shooting reflections, since most cameras have trouble deciding whether to focus on the reflecting surface or the reflection itself. When shooting with manual focus, you’re in control.

A Reflection of Death (1/1000 second at f/1.2, ISO 400)

When wide open, the depth of field of the Nikkor 50mm lens is incredibly short, especially when your subject is nearby. For instance, when shooting a subject 1 meter away, the depth of field is just over one centimeter! With so little room for error, it sometimes makes sense to capture several images, slightly adjusting the focus ring between each shot (just be careful not to move the focus ring during a shot!). You can always pick the best image during post-processing.

Peace (1/90 second at f/4.0, ISO 400)

The Nikkor 50mm f/1.2 lens is dead sharp at f/2.0 and dreamlike at f/1.2 and f/1.4. It’s a unique lens capable of producing beautiful images, and it’s a great addition to any Nikon photographer’s collection.

All three of the photos used in this article were shot in the Pink Beds Loop Trail in the Pisgah National Forest, about 14 miles north of Brevard, NC.

How to Practice Photography From Home

I love the outdoors, but sometimes it's tough to get outside to take pictures. When it's too wet, too dark, or too cold to go outside, it's a good time to practice photography around the house.

"Found objects" make great subjects. For the past year or so, I've kept an eye out for odds and ends that might serve as a photographic subject on a rainy day. This hook was found while running last year, then photographed the next day under the light of a lamp in my living room:

A Questionable Hook

Flea markets, thrift stores, and antique shops are treasure troves of photographic subjects. This brass monkey cost me $2. It kept me entertained for an hour or so, and now it sits happily on my bookshelf.

Brass Monkey Light Study

Even the corner market can bear photographic fruit. It's amazing what you can do with a package of Life Savers and a speedlight.

Sweet Life Saver Operation

So what are you waiting for? Pull your camera out of the bag and start taking pictures. Experiment with light sources, angles of view, and compositions. You never know what you might come up with by practicing with your camera at home.

My First Photo Walk

After thinking about joining a group photo walk for some time, I finally signed up for one of Scott Kelby's world-wide photo walks a couple months ago. The date of the walk finally arrived this morning, so I got up early and joined about 20 other photographers to explore the Fairlie-Poplar historic distric of Atlanta.

It was a brisk and breezy fall morning in Atlanta today, with temps starting out in the mid-40s. That's pretty cold for us southerners, especially when we were having highs in the mid-90s just a few weeks ago. That probably explains why fewer than half of the 50 people that registered actually showed up this morning. Fortunately, it eventually warmed up to almost 70 degrees and most of us were very comfortable for the walk.

Our group seemed to be a mixture of old friends and first-timers like me. Some were chatty, and some were quiet. Some Canon, some Nikon. Most seemed to be fairly experienced photographers, and everyone seemed to have a good time.

I packed light for the walk, carrying just my Nikon D3s with a Nikkor manual-focus 50mm f1.2 lens. Being a bright day, no tripod was necessary. In fact, the biggest problem I had was bumping my ISO to the lowest setting and stopping down my lens to prevent blowing out my exposures.

Overall, I thought the photo walk was a lot of fun, and I definitely plan to go again sometime. If you're interested in signing up for a photo walk, check out MeetUp.com and search for one in your area. If you live near a major metropolitan area, chances are that you'll find several walks planned within a week or two.