Monthly Archives: October 2013

Peter and Paul fortress

This shot was taken on our trip to St. Petersburg, Russia this summer. This is the heart of the city, the “Peter and Paul fortress.” This is where the city have started and grew outwards ever since. it never served as intended since the enemy never gotten close to its walls. The Russian Imperial family is berried inside the cathedral. If you’ve never been inside the fortress, you could easily spend the entire day there with your friends or family and will not be disappointed.

Peter and Paul fortress

We wanted to take some long night shots with our Sony Nex 5N, but finding an ND (neutral density) filter was a major task. We finally found one in a photo shop near a metro. Apparently not many shops carry the 49mm size. So, keep that in mind if you’re heading that way, and bring your filters if that is something you might want to use.

The photo above is one of our test shots with the new filter. See how smooth the water is? The ND filter helps extend your exposure time, and this particular shot was a 30 sec. exposure which turned the water fairly smooth. I could have pushed it farther, to a minute or so, but I was pleased with the result.

We took 1000’s of pictures on this trip and we will be posting them here over the winter. So, stay tuned!

Early morning in Badlands

One thing I learned about photography is to get up early to catch that beautiful low angle light, also known as the golden hour. If you’re new to photography or looking to improve your photos, resist the temptation to sleep in and get out there bright and early. I guarantee that you will find something interesting to shoot, and your shots will look much better than if you were shooting during the day. Just make sure the sky is not completely cloudy before you leave, or you will not get the same effect.

OK, on to the picture at hand. While my wife and I were staying near the Badlands National Park in SD, we woke up early to beat the crowds and capture some images for the time lapse video we were working on. I couldn’t resist taking a moment to capture this shot while my wife was soaking up the warm morning sun along with a grand view of the surreal landscape. There wasn’t much color in the original photograph since I was shooting in to the sun, so I opted for the black and white and I think it works very well.

IMG_2352

Almost a tornado

So I decided to try my hand at time lapse photography and ordered a intervalometer on ebay to fit my camera. The day it arrives we have this scary yet awesome storm move right over our town. I had to quickly set up my camera, and since it was my first day with the new gear, I was not too sure if I set it up right or not. But the storm was moving quick and it was raining outside, so I pointed my camera out of the window and let it do its thing.

This was my first ever time lapse, and to my surprise and delight it did turn out OK, though a bit short as it became dark outside rather quickly due to the huge storm. Luckily, no tornadoes were reported but it sure looked awfully close.

Heavy storm clowds

Welcome!

Welcome, I plan on sharing my photography work on this site, so if you like what you see, don’t forget to book mark it!

Without farther ado, lets get right to it. Here is a shot I took last year while we were visiting the Badlands National Park in my home state of South Dakota. It’s located in the western side of the state, and is a must stop if you are traveling through this area. While it may not be that big, it is very unique and will not disappoint you if you stop by. Some wildlife can also be seen such as American buffalo, bighorn sheep and plenty of prairie dogs.

badlands

Canon 60D, Darktable