It’s Sunrise Time

It’s approaching the time of year where in Arizona the sun rises due east. Last fall I shot some pictures at Wesley Bolin Memorial Plaza near the Arizona State Capital in Phoenix and I plan to try some again this spring.

The plaza is centered on Washington Street which runs east-west through downtown Phoenix. Washington Street literally splits at the east end of the park, providing a vantage point looking down the middle of Washington Street. Twice each year the sun rises at the end of the street, providing an opportunity for a shot with a rising sun and sun stars between the city buildings.

Sunrise on Washington Street

My shots last fall weren’t great and I want to try it again. I’ve been waiting for this time of year. The previous shots had some traffic cones in them and I actually waited too long to get the shot (I was a day late). According to The Photographer’s Ephemeris (http://photoephemeris.com/), it looks like March 19th is the day to start trying to shoot. The 20th has the sun rising a bit north of the street and it is likely going to be the better shot.

I believe that the 20th will be the better shot because of my experience last fall. Even though the angle of the sun looks like it’s coming up due east and at the end of Washington Street, the Ephemeris doesn’t take in to consideration that the Superstition Mountains are visible at the end of the street and that the elevation of the mountains means that even though the angle of the sun is correct, the sunrise is BELOW the level of the mountains.

The sun actually rose above the level of the mountains when it was partially hidden by the buildings. What that means is that I should have been there a day or two earlier so that the sun would be as low as possible, but still above the level of the mountains when it is centered between the buildings. In fall, the sunrise location is moving south each morning and I didn’t have another good shot.
In spring the sunrise location is moving north each morning so if I go early and don’t get a good shot because the sun is too far south when it breaches the mountains, I know the next day will be better.

Lesson learned.

It also looks like I may be able to get a shot of the sun coming through the main arch at Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument on March 22nd. This shot offers up a lesson – when I took pictures of the arch in February I wish that I’d noted the bearing to the arch from where I took the picture. When I look at the satellite image on the Ephemeris I can’t tell for sure where the arch is. If I had noted the direction from where I took the shot I might be able to tell for sure where the arch is located.

I Think I have GAS

As much as I am spending on this foto stuff I am wondering if I suffer from GAS. That is:

Gear Acquisition Syndrome

With my latest lens purchase I've officially spent over $8,000 ($8,303.31 to be exact) on photography equipment and related items. And that's NOT counting some things I've picked up that I wouldn't have if I wasn't doing photography, such as a Casio watch with compass, altimeter, thermometer (about $100), a Garmin GPS (about another $130 including the mounts), camping gear (dunno, maybe another $400 - 2 cots, 2 tents because the cots wouldn't fit in the first tent, other stuff to cook with, etc.), park fees and memberships, and I'm sure there's more.

I'm just glad I don't ever plan to retire. I'll enjoy working in my 80's as long as I can remember what I spent potential retirement funds for! And as long as the photography equipment doesn't get ignored like the thousands of dollars I've spent on music equipment (10 guitars, full Marshall amplifier stack, recording gear and microphones, drum set, on and on) or wood working equipment (2 table saws, drill press, router table, jointer, planer, on and on again).

I know my wife hates it when I tell her lately that I want a new hobby. It makes her go spend time with her horse!

I keep thinking there's nothing more I need. And I keep telling my wife that too, partially in hopes of convincing myself. That's why today I've only ordered a new camera bag from Amazon - the LowePro Inverse 200 AW. I only put the new filters I am sure I need (Tiffen 77mm circular polarizer, ND set, and 67mm to 77mm step up ring) on my wish list on B&H and Adorama. The additional 8-pack of Eneloop AA batteries will have to wait but I'll probably get them before replacing my 50mm f/1.8D with a 50mm f/1.8G.

I feel the GAS coming again. Gotta go...

My AF-S NIKKOR 70-200mm f/4G ED VR Has Arrived

Nikkor 70-200 f/4G on Nikon D610

My newest lens arrived and after taking pictures of the un-boxing, once I held it in my hands I realized just what a beast this thing is. The lens is 3.1 inches (78mm) in diameter and 7.0 inches (178.5mm) long. It weighs about 30 ounces (850g), just shy of 2 pounds. The weight is due, in part, to the 20 lens elements it contains along with the auto-focus motor, vibration reduction assembly, and everything else.

I thought my AF-S NIKKOR 16-35mm f/4G ED VR was big, and it is, a bit wider at 3.2 inches (82.5mm) by 4.9 inches (125mm), and weighing in at 24.0 ounces (680g) – a pound and a half.

Too Big for My Own Bag

 

Nikkor 50mm f/1.8D, 70-210mm f/4-5.6, 16-35mm f/4,
70-200 f/4 on Nikon D610

Between the two of the f/4  lenses I can no longer use my LowePro Inverse 100 waist bag. And I like that bag and haven’t seen any I think I’d like better. I think I can use the larger version (Inverse 200) and have ordered one to find out with the intent that if it doesn’t fit I’ll return it.

 

LowePro claims you can fit the camera with a medium zoom attached along with two additional lenses in the bag. By a medium lens they use the AF-S Nikkor 24-85mm f/3.5-4.5G ED VR which is 3.1 inches (78mm) wide by 3.2 inches (82mm) long. That’s probably close enough to the 16-35mm so I should be able to have it attached to the camera in the bag and still fit the new lens plus my Nikkor 50mm f/1.8D in there as well. I hope so…

Note that the D610 by itself weighs in at about 26.8 ounces (760g), about 1-2/3 pounds. Add the new lens and you’re at 56.8 ounces (1,610g) or 3.6 pounds! My Gibson Les Paul weighs about 5 pounds so the camera is still less than that.

Nice and Blurry

Bokeh example from the Nikkor 70-200mm f/4



Besides the size and weight, I haven’t shot much through it yet, it being less than 24 hours in my possession. I shot a couple of pics in the dim garage and what I already like is the bokeh. I think it’s the best of any lens I’ve got.

The black object on the right side of the image is my Nikon D3200 on a tripod. I looks like it just melts into fuzziness!
 



Finally - The Cure for Bad Pictures

More Gear!

My last two posts were rants about my pictures not being what I want them to be. I was complaining about how flat or boring my pictures of the Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument were. Sure, I made up reasons to pacify myself but they didn't change the bottom line.

But now I've got the solution to my woes, possibly every photographers woes.

Buy another lens!

Nikkor 70-200mm f/4G ED AF-S VR

For some time I'll be able to complain about how I'm still learning the ins and outs of the lens. I'll be learning how to use the settings or controls. I'll be learning about how to compose with it. I'll be learning how to blame it for my poor pictures! Woo hoo - how cool is that? An excuse that doesn't blame me!

Okay, perhaps I'm being facetious.

But I really did order a new lens just in case this plan works!

Nikon is having their annual instant rebate program and this year I took advantage of it. I ordered the Nikkor 70-200mm f/4G ED AF-S VR lens from Adorama.

I checked out Adorama, B&H, and Amazon. The prices were all about the same but Adorama includes an additional warranty and a filter package. Since this lens uses 67mm and I don't have any of that size I figure they'll get me going. By the way, that was one of the only complaints I saw many  of - the filter size. Why couldn't it take the 77mm filters? Like others, when I decide to buy better filters I'll get a step up ring and get 77mm filters. Or, like I did for my 16-35mm wide angle, I'll get the Cokin ring and just get the Cokin filters.

I already have an old 70-210mm f/4-5.6 non-D lens. So why spend the money on a replacement that is even 10mm shorter at the long end? Well, there are a few reasons...

1. It is a newer lens. I have read a few places that for new cameras with higher pixel count sensors you need lenses made within the last 5 years or so to provide enough resolution for the sensor. If you look at DxO Labs reports you can find that information, at least if you read between the lines.

2. I wanted VR. My old lens doesn't have VR at all.

3. I wanted the improved communication between the lens and camera. My older non-D lens doesn't transmit distance information to the camera.

4. My old lens has a push-pull zoom and although it isn't horrible, I've had it creep when shooting a picture where the lens is pointed down. That is, if you put the zoom at half way, for example, and have the camera on a tripod, the lens will slowly extend the zoom. It's minor and manageable but at the same time I don't like it. And, any zoom that expands and collapses has to inhale and exhale to do it, and when inhaling it can cause dust to enter the lens.

5. The front element turns on my old lens when you focus it. That makes using a circular polarizer filter (CPF) less fun. Yeah, you just have to make sure you compose and then adjust the CPF but often I'll take a number of shots and adjust the zoom for each one. That means you have to adjust the CPF for each shot and they will likely have slightly different settings for the CPF.

So, the new lens address all of these issues and more. It is an "IF" lens meaning all of the zooming in and out causes elements to move internally - the size of the lens never changes. The front element doesn't turn while focusing. It has a constant aperture at all zoom levels (the old lens is f/4 at 70mm but only f/5.6 at 210mm). This new lens has ED and N element coatings which reduce flare. Most of all, the new lens has the GOLD BAND!

The new lens has great reviews, along with test results that it is sharper than my 16-35mm lens. I'm stoked! I can't find measurements for my old lens, but I will say that while it seems sharp it seems like the pictures don't have enough contrast. But, that could just be due to what I've shot with it.

So now I'll have two thirds of one of the Nikon lens trinities! I am excited! And, as Ken Rockwell suggests, I'm going to stick with these two and my 50mm prime for my kit. I do plan to upgrade my 50mm to the "G" version though - DxO Labs rates it a bit sharper.

My other thought, and one I almost followed through with last December, was to get the Tamron 150-600mm lens. However, a friend who has a friend that has the lens said it wasn't producing very well for his friend. Now I know that can be due to technique but I'd read reviews like that from others too. However, with Adorama's (or whoever I got it from) return policy I wasn't worried. If I didn't like it I'd return it.

The more I thought about it, though, the more I realized a lens like that is really made for wildlife shooting. I don't do much of that and am not really interested in it (at this point) so having a sharper lens that would work great for what I DO shoot ended up swaying me to this lens.

That desire, coupled with the $200 instant rebate, led me to placing my order. I can't wait until it's in my hands! I'll write some opinions about it when I get some use out of it...

I missed the Golden Hours

My last post touched on this but I had more to get off my chest about my picture quality...

I got out for an overnight picture taking trip on the Valentine’s Day weekend, the first overnighter in quite a while. I have a couple of ways that I make my overnighters, and this one was the simple version. Take a sleeping bag, some clothes, camera gear, my dog Elmer, and plan to sleep in the back of my Ford Explorer. I like this version when I don’t plan to stay in one campground for a couple of nights – it’s pretty quick and easy to get up and get going in the morning.

I pulled out of the driveway at home at about 4:30 AM on Saturday. We, my dog Elmer and I, fueled up and I got some gas station groceries including a case of bottled water. My plan was to hit the Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument in south west Arizona. We headed that direction – and got to some little turn off a bit north of Ajo as the sunrise was happening.

I’m a sucker for sunrises but after shooting a number of them I usually only bother with them if there are good cloud formations or when I have a good foreground subject to shoot. Otherwise, while each day that dawns is something to be thankful for, they’re not all as photogenic as the special ones are.

Such was the case that morning. There were a few clouds, and a small section of the sky turned some nice reds and purples, but I’ve taken better shots at other times. Still, I enjoyed stopping, getting the camera out, and being prepared for an amazing sight. I enjoy the process of taking pictures almost as much as having an image.

It’s like when I used to fish – I enjoyed being outdoors and fishing whether I caught a fish or not. And that’s a big reason why I started photography. I wanted an excuse to get outdoors. I wanted something to do if or when I went camping.

On the downside, I didn’t get to the Organ Pipe Cactus Park during the morning Golden Hour. When I did arrive at about noon and took some pictures and processed them, they seem somewhat less than spectacular. I really wanted to get some pictures of cactus silhouetted against the rising sun or at least with the purple skies behind them or with the warm sidelight from the sun hitting them. But I got none of that.

I got some pictures with compositions that I like, but due to the lighting they look like quick vacation snapshots. I could have bought a cheap point and shoot, or used a cell phone to take the pictures instead of my expensive rig. I am really getting picky about my pictures and it’s causing me to shoot fewer of them. I haven’t decided if that’s a good thing or a bad thing – being choosy about the pictures. 

On the one hand, taking a lot of pictures leads to more familiarity with the equipment, helps train your eye as to what to look for in a composition, basically provides an education that can’t be replicated by reading books or watching a video. On the hand opposite, I may be over-estimating myself but I feel like I know what types of pictures I like to take and if I know they’re not going to be that great I pass them by. 

I recently finished reading Photographically Speaking: A Deeper Look at Creating Stronger Images (Voices That Matter) by David duChemin, the second of his books that I read. His books resonate with me regarding composition and I like his example photographs. I work to try to get the same aesthetic qualities in my pictures. One of his points is that we have choices in our photographs, including whether to take a shot at all. My paraphrasing is that if the picture isn’t likely to be very good why take it at all; why do something if you know it’s only going to be half butted?

My answer is that I have started taking fewer pictures. But, because I also use photography as a reason to get outdoors, and because I don’t do it for a living and consequently don’t have a schedule to keep or clients to please, I still take pictures that won’t ever make it into Outdoor Photography magazine. But they have perhaps even more value to me, they serve as reminders for places I’ve been.

I often look at my pictures and I can remember if it was cool or warm when I took the picture, what Elmer had been doing, whether it was a day trip or an overnighter, where I slept if it was an overnighter, how the air smelled, etc. The pictures remind me of my life.

Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument

The Wild West

Organ Pipe Cactus

I've lived in Arizona for almost 14 years and have had a visit to the Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument on my list of things to do for almost that entire time. I finally headed down there on 2/14/2015 with my dog Elmer and my cameras, expecting to get some wonderful pictures.

The park is located in south west Arizona, along the border with Mexico. It is in the northern part of the Sonoran Desert. The park is the only place in the United States where Organ Pipe Cactus grow naturally in the wild.
The park offers two scenic routes that you can drive, a 40 mile and a 21 mile route. I drove the 21 mile route; the long route requires 4 wheel drive which I don't have.

Not to fear, though, there are plenty of Organ Pipe Cactus along the short route.

My Checklist

What is to fear, though, is getting good pictures. I don't mind the picture above but it doesn't make me go "WOW". I think the composition is okay. Rule of thirds somewhat applied - check. Subject isolated as much as possible - check.

But after getting home and post processing these pics I was disappointed. The pictures I took of a place I'd longed to visit for years seem flat to me. I actually increased the saturation quite a bit and futzed with getting the sky more dramatic on these, to the point when I was editing that I thought they were getting overblown. The following day when I re-visited the images I was underwhelmed.

I think the biggest issue left is just the time of day that I took the pictures. I think that if this pic had a purple or red sunrise or sunset behind it (I don't remember which direction the camera was facing for this particular image), or perhaps even if it was being hit with golden hour sunlight from one side or another, it would probably be better. As it is, the sky was fairly overcast as you can see, with almost no shadows.

It's just an even, and from a "stunning" point of view, boring light source. Sure, the cactus is to be appreciated on its own merit, but to result in an image that makes the cover of Arizona Highways magazine, this picture fails, in my opinion. And its disappointing.

I only hope that I'm learning something - but I'm afraid that what I'm learning is to only take pictures with dramatic lighting. It seems like I should be able to make a good picture of this cactus! Here's a few more pics to prove my point:

 

 

Where is the time going? To Old Bridges and Superbowl 49!

Wow - it's been almost a month since I last posted! It's kind of like Outdoor Photographer magazine when they take a month off. Although, when they do create a new issue they get paid for it!
 
So what have I been up to? Well, mostly non-photography stuff. We had Christmas and then were sick with some kind of flu or cold. My wife still has it, about 6 weeks into it now! She's seen our doctor who hasn't been able to diagnose it fully yet, and my wife's taking some kind of drug.
 
I've only been out twice to take some pictures.
 
I learned one thing, again, and hopefully it'll stick this time.
 

Gillespie Dam Bridge

 

Gillespie Dam Bridge

My lesson came from going out to shoot some pictures of a historic bridge near a broken dam in Arizona, the Gillespie Dam Bridge.
 
I'd seen some pictures of it and it looked interesting to me. Here's a color shot of the bridge from the west end looking east. I shot these in the early morning. I'd actually hoped to get there before sun-up so that I could see if the spot was remote enough to shoot stars without the Phoenix city light noise getting in the way.
 
This bridge was the longest in Arizona for some time, at about 1,700 feet long. The Gila river flows under it (yes, there is actually water in the Gila River or at least there was when I visited the bridge). There was a lot of water fowl and not much traffic so you can actually take shots like this from sitting in the middle of the road without much worry of getting run over. It felt good to get out with my Nikon D610 and my dog. And to top it off, I used my 50mm f/1.8D prime the whole day. I actually enjoyed being forced to walk around a bit to compose my pictures.
 
We'd gone down Arizona 85 and then turned off near the Lewis Arizona State Prison and drove north west to the bridge on Old U.S. Highway 80. When we were done, we (and by we I mean my dog Elmer and I) continued along Highway 80. Not too many miles from the bridge I spotted an old abandoned truck on the side of the road. I decided to take some pictures because I thought I could print some and make a nice collage print for the house.
 

Retired Dodge

 

Retired Dodge

This truck was pretty much in the open although there was some shrub on the passenger side. I really liked the rusted body, the overall condition, and that I could get shots from a lot of angles. There were only a few shots where I had to compose such that the background objects were hidden by the truck (a house, some road signs, etc.
 
Overall I liked my shots and I liked the prints EXCEPT for the problem I had, and the lesson I hope I've learned. Looking at the picture on the right you may not notice any problems, and I didn't either. Until I printed it and tried to frame it. The top is cropped so close that I had to really work to get it mounted to the matte so that the top of the trucks frame (behind the passenger side door) wasn't cut off.
 
Lesson: If you plan to print a picture make sure you leave some room for the cropping that will occur when you matte it or even if you get an exact frame size - you probably need at least 3/16" all the way around.
 

Superbowl XLIX

University of Phoenix Stadium - Glendale, AZ

I live about 10 miles from the University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, AZ, where the NFL Superbowl is being held this year (February 1, 2015).

I got the idea to go out to try to take some pictures at night, and went at about 12:00 AM on 1/24/2015, the day before the Pro Bowl.

I got a few pictures but the security chased me off. They weren't horrible and I know they're just doing their job but as you can see, I was quite a ways from the actual building. Oh well.

When that didn't pan out, I ended up driving back out to the Gillespie Dam Bridge to see if it was a good place for shooting stars. I didn't like it and didn't end up taking any. The sky was mostly overcast anyway. There may have been an interesting shot of Orion's Belt but I didn't bother with it at the time. I'll maybe go back for a star shot but the Superstitions are better and are about the same with respect to the Phoenix lights.