Photography and Video

Over the years I have used 35mm, medium and large format film and digital gear to express my vision. Upon returning from an adventure, I spent days in the darkroom, developing and printing in color and black and while. And as the digital revolution began I scanned negatives, large format transparencies and slides. I now work with digital files in the lightroom, my studio.

My goal is to create images that speak to the moments I experience.  I like the slow process of becoming familiar with the subject, letting it speak to me, and then capturing the photograph, or a series of photographs.

Reflections along the Fremont RiverThe wide view of this image shows a bit more detail of the location.

Reflections along the Fremont RiverUsing my Nikon D5300 and a 55-300mm lens, I was able to isolate the color and movement of this reflection on the Fremont River in Capitol Reef National Park

Expressing my vision with video

On locations, I often find that I want to capture a sense of place beyond the single still image.  Today's smart phones and digital cameras include the function to record video clips. I use my smart phone (iPhone 5s) and my Nikon gear (D5300, D5200 and varied Nikon lenses) to record short video clips when the muse speaks to me. I record a series of 30-45 second clips, essential gear is a tripod to hold the camera steady, but a monopod will do too.  There are really small tripods available for smart phones and they work quite well when set up on a rock or boulder.

Reflections, Fremont River

Fremont River Moments

I usually collect about 10-20 video clips at the scene, and although I also record audio, I edit the clips and decide during post-production whether to keep the sound for the final video presentation.  In National Parks, it's rare to have a location to yourself, so I often explore out of the way places to make my video recordings.  The audio can be edited if folks nearby are chatting. 

Here's a completed sequence of video clips taken at Capitol Reef National Park.  Edited and shared using iMovie.  I  use iMovie to organize the time line, add audio, titles, music, and dissolves between clips.  I'll share a step-by-step lesson soon.

Fremont River Song: Capitol Reef National Park