photography
Tried out a new camera/lens combo on the south side of LAX yesterday. It was super foggy most of the day so there were only brief windows of opportunity to catch any traffic. It also made for pretty dull light but I wasn't going to go all the way down there and NOT take any pictures. Plus is was a good test for the equipment (and me). All Images © Craig Durling
Canon R5 / Sigma 60-600mm
Here's a quick edit on a few of the images I made at the Manhattan Beach Pier the other day. The cloud cover made for dramatic skies but also prevented the "picture-perfect" sunset I was hoping to capture. Using a brand new camera (Canon R5) with seemingly endless customized options and editing in a program which has changed quite a bit since I last used it (Adobe Lightroom) it was a great re-entry into the art I love and enjoy. This was my goal. To make photography fun again. Between the pandemic and nagging injuries I've been sidelined from photography for way too long.
I took many lessons from this brief outing, including remembering to turn off the IBIS (In Body Image Stabilization) on the camera when it's mounted on a tripod, among many others. The images I took with my iPhone had me thinking "What's the point of having this really expensive camera equipment if I can take these awesome - and easy - pictures with my phone?" I wouldn't fall into this trap. The journey, the struggle, the process is why I love photography. Especially in a time when EVERYONE is a "photographer" because everyone has a camera with them (like calling yourself an astronaut because you're rich enough to launch yourself into space for 10 minutes). That's where the art and skill live. The process. And the enjoyment of this process is what I missed. And what I'm trying my darnedest to find again.
I’ve recently been inspired to go into my digital archives and revisit some of my “oldies but goodies”. With newer, more responsive photo editing software now available is a re-do of some of my favs in order? Can I now make images work that maybe didn’t make the cut two, five, ten years ago? Let me know your thoughts in the comments. I’m going in…wish me luck!
Coastal Brown Bear eyeballing me while fishing in Chilkoot Lake near Skagway, Alaska. © Craig Durling
I'm sharing an experiment that I thought you might find interesting. Using a variety of portable HD video cameras I documented a portion of day one of the Springs Wildfire in Ventura County, CA on May 2, 2013. The point was to not only test out the cameras but to share "a day in the life" of a Fire Photographer with you...from my perspective. It's a rough video with no bells or whistles. It's meant to just be a taste of my experience on the fireground.
On a side note for those unfamiliar with Fire Photographers, we are all credentialed members of the media and/or official fire department photographers on scene documenting the events and efforts for the public. We communicate via two-way radio, as you can hear in the video.
On this episode of Fireground Action Photography Craig Durling returns to base camp with Ross Benson, Ted Pendergast and Joe Brown and tries to remember how to do this "podcast" thing. Well, it hasn't been THAT long! Anyway, the panel with catch you up on what they've been up to and will answer listener questions.
Check out our friend Andy Thomas as he talks about Fire Photography on the August episode of "Burning Issues".
Join our "Fireground" Flickr community, upload your images to the comment/critique forum and join in any of the ongoing conversations. As always, you can find out more about your hosts Craig Durling and Ross A. Benson by visiting their websites. Follow Craig Durling, Ross Benson, Ted Pendergast, Joe Brown and FAP on Twitter. Don't forget to become a fan of FAP on Facebook!
Subscribe to and/or download the FAP podcast for free on our download page or via iTunes.
(Duration 01:33)
Late last month I joined up with fellow photographer Ed Sherman and headed to southern Arizona for some storm chasing with another pal, and extremely talented photog in his own right, Paul Freeman. The monsoons were rolling in and brought with them some angry clouds which dropped some pretty impressive lightning. On one evening we headed down to the Mexican border and shot some lightning. A really friendly Border Patrol agent stopped by and we all chatted for a while as bolts were lighting up all around us. He shared some cool stories about his three years working the border so far. We ultimately had to get outta there because the lighting had surrounded us without us realizing it. (It's bad when you hear the thunder at the same time you see the flash right?) And, believe it or not, the "unfriendlies" were closing in from the border as well. It's like the wild west down there, no kidding.
We also chased some storms to the Grand Canyon but by the time we got there we decided conditions were better for photographing the sunset at the South Rim. I'd never been to the Grand Canyon so now I can say I stopped by and shot a sunset there. I had grown up hearing about the GC and thought I was burned out on the place thanks to the Travel Channel, Discovery Channel, etc. Not so much. Once I stepped foot on the rim my breath was taken away. Badda-bing, badda-boom - we spent about an hour photographing one of the most dramatic sunsets I'd every seen and headed back to base camp in Phoenix.
Paul brought us to a great old ranch, the Empire Ranch in Sonoita. That old place made for some cool pics too which you can see in the gallery!
It was a great three days of chasing, photographing, eating, drinking, chatting and driving. Good times indeed.
One discovery we made along the way was definitley a sign of the times. We spent quite a bit of time shooting pictures with our iPhones! Taking full advantage of the arrary of cool photo apps available, we shot panos, HDRs, etc. with our phones and got great results (for phone cams). Perhaps we saved our "real" cameras for the bigger scenes but even the quick phone images inspired us to really work a scene with the DSLRs. I've posted some of the iPhone images HERE. To view my entire gallery from the trip (sans iPhone images), including the lightning images, click one the images or HERE.
On this episode of Fireground Action Photography the gang's all here. We're joined by our infamous "East Coast Crew" - Joe Brown, Ted Pendergast, Rick Nohl and our old buddy Damian "Jug" Drella. Rick debriefs a large structure fire which occurred in Hampton, NH and we discuss the challenges he faced with not only the cold temperatures and high wind conditions but the seaside environment.
Join our "Fireground" Flickr community, upload your images to the comment/critique forum and join in any of the ongoing conversations.
As always, you can find out more about your hosts Craig Durling and Ross A. Benson by visiting their websites. Follow Craig Durling, Ross Benson, FAP, Joe Brown, Rick Nohl, Ted Pendergast and Damian Drella on Twitter. Become a fan of FAP on Facebook!
Subscribe to the podcast via iTunes here.
(Duration 01:05:59 )
On this episode of Fireground Action Photography Ross Benson and Craig Durling debrief a major water main break they covered in downtown Burbank. They'll also recap some other recent incidents and discuss the different ways YOU can participate in the podcast.
Join our "Fireground" Flickr community, upload your images to the comment/critique forum and join in any of the ongoing conversations. Use the forum to post your own Lightroom-related comments or questions and we'll be sure to address them on Part 2 of our Lightroom Roundtable series.
As always, you can find out more about your hosts Craig Durling and Ross A. Benson by visiting their websites. Follow Craig Durling, Ross Bensonand FAP on Twitter. Become a fan of FAP on Facebook!
Subscribe to the podcast via iTunes here.
(Duration 01:16 )
