Bonnie Rannald's Photo-Explorations in focus with nature. : Venus Transit

Monday, February 11, 2013

Composition and Technique in the Photograph

Getting it Right

I saw a post on Facebook from an aspiring photographer that went something like this: "I don't need to get it right with the camera, I'd rather spend time in Photoshop". At the same time, I am reminded of a quote from professional photographer Andrew S. Gibson, "A good photo is comprised of one-third the composition, one-third the lighting and one-third the technical ability of the photographer." I do agree with Gibson, and I had rather spend time in getting the photo, which I find both relaxing and exhilarating than sitting at the computer working out the tedious details.

Please don't get me wrong, I do enjoy the post-processing and love to play with my images in Photoshop or Lightroom. However, when I was learning the basics of photography, it was demanded that you get it right before the shutter was pressed. Furthermore, in the darkroom days before the enlightened digital era there was only so much that could be done with a negative compared to today's Photoshop.

Going back to the comment on not getting it right, I am reminded of several occasions where I was trying to get a particular photograph and had only that one chance to get the scene as it appeared in nature.

"The Challenge" has become one of my best selling photographs. I was tracking the sorrel stallion with my manual focus Nikon 500mm 4.0 lens as he was walking away after drinking from a pond. Suddenly the black stallion came out from the bushes, they reared up and it was over so fast that I hardly had time to focus. Since I wanted to have the natural terrain as sharp as possible in the photo, I pre-selected an aperture of f/8, which also gave me a faster shutter speed to catch the action.

The waterfall at Lost Creek Canyon only flows during times of adequate rainfall or snowmelt. One January, a winter storm brought heavy snow to Red Rock Canyon. Over night, the storm passed through and I was heading out early the next morning for photos. I saw the waterfall flowing from a distance and knew that I had to get these rare photos. After reaching the pool at the base of the waterfall, I selected my widest lens--a Nikon 24mm 2.8, and dropped my tripod all the way down in the water, as low as it would go. I chose an aperture of f/22 to slow the water, and then bracketed the exposure. My goal was to keep the detail in the features of the canyon without burning out the highlights on the top portion. No sooner than I had gotten off several exposures, the canyon began to fill with other people crowding in to enjoy the scenery.

"Summer Storm" has become another of my most popular images. Back in my film days, I had been waiting to catch lightning striking over the Spring Mountains near Las Vegas, Nevada. Early one evening, I watched the clouds build and began to notice streaks of lightning. After driving into the desert over a dirt road to get closer to the action, I used my Nikon 80-200mm 2.8 lens to focus on the area where the lightning was really striking. With camera secured to tripod, I held the shutter open with a cable release for two minute intervals at f/ 5.6. I was allowed four exposures before the wind and rain forced me to pack up and leave.

On June 5, 2012, Venus made a historical transit across our Sun. This was one event that I really wanted to photograph, so I did my research on solar photography and hoped for a clear day with no cloud cover. To photograph the sun, I made a lightproof box with a Baader solar filter and attached it to my Nikon 500mm lens with a 2X teleconverter. I selected an aperture of f/4 and bracketed the shutter speed from 1/125 seconds.

Venus just beginning to transit across the sun with faint cloud cover.

The sun setting over the Wassuk Mountains with Venus slowly making its transit.

I guess it’s an ego thing because I love being out getting the photos, but I also love the thrill of seeing the scene as it appeared in nature load in on my computer monitor. If I choose to alter the photo, I can always go back to my original which was shot as close to natural as possible.

For more on Venus Transit:

http://bonnierannald.blogspot.com/2012/06/transit-of-venus-from-walker-lake.html

What an exciting and interesting photo-adventure this day has been. I love it when I am drawn to an area and not knowing what to expect I get treated to new experiences.

Photography places me in the moment where I can share that moment in time. It becomes a life story as represented by my interaction with the scene. The happiness and beauty or the sorrow and strife; how I focus leaves a lasting impression that might touch the viewer on a spiritual level.

"Reflecting Nature's Artistry"

Many of these images are available on my website:

http://www.bonnierannald.com/

For custom matted and framed images:
Off The Wall

No images on this blog are within Public Domain or are available for free download.

All rights reserved, world-wide and images protected by Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA). All photography, graphics, text, design, and content is copyrighted by Bonnie Rannald and should not be copied, down-loaded, transferred and re-created in any way without the express consent, in writing to Bonnie Rannald. For information on Bonnie Rannald licensed, right-managed images, please submit a written request.

Wednesday, June 6, 2012

Transit of Venus from Walker Lake, Nevada

Venus's Voyage Across the Sun

After attempting to photograph the annular solar eclipse last month which was obstructed by cloud cover, I decided to prepare for the Venus Transit across the Sun on June 5, 2012 in hopes that the weather would be clear.

Upon gathering as much information as possible about the safety precautions for solar viewing and photography, I determined that the Baader AstroSolar™filter material from the Baader Planeatrium was the wisest choice. The filter produced by Baader is not inexpensive with a 3.5 inch (9cm) sheet costing $15.00; however the double coated material is guaranteed free of pinholes and approved for eye safety by the National Bureau of Standards in Germany. And when I am focusing on the sun through a long telephoto lens, the safety of my eyesight is of up most importance. The other advantage for selecting the Baader AstroSolar™filter is that the sun appears in its true color which is neutral white.

Along with the filter material are directions on how to mount and create a light proof box for attachment to the camera lens. Initially, I was going to use a poster mailer for mounting the filter to the lens.

After the poster mailer was cut down to the recommended 2 inch (5cm) size, a decision was made instead to use a card board box because the opening could be cut to fit snugly on to the Nikon 500mm camera lens. Then a 3.5 inch (9cm) circle was cut on both sides of a thick folded paper to sandwich the Baader AstroSolar™filter before it was taped to the lightproof box. Extra care must be taken with the filter to prevent scratches and finger prints that can cause damage.

Using my lens hoods, I adapted two additional boxes for the filter to be used with my other Nikon lenses, the 35-70mm and the 80-200mm.

To reach as much distance as possible, I used my Nikon 500mm 4.0 lens and a 2Xteleconverter with the Baader AstroSolar™filter secured to the light proof box. By taking some trial exposures of the sun, I determined that I would need a slower shutter speed of 1/125 second due to the filter and teleconverter cutting down on the amount of light reaching the camera sensor.

First contact--the dark disk of Venus appears to touch the Sun's outer edge on the ingress.

Second contact--Venus travels inside the Sun’s disk.

Venus travels almost midway across the Sun; the dark spots in the center of the Sun are sunspots. Orange hue has been added in Lightroom for a more dramatic effect.

Venus is barely visible as the Sun drops behind the Wassuk Mountain at Walker Lake, Nevada.

For additional information:

http://www.alpineastro.com/Solar_Observation/Solar_Observation.htm

http://www.optcorp.com/Manufacturer.aspx?mid=225&gclid=CIfd6t36ubACFQF6hwod2QMX8g