Friday, March 12, 2010

6:37 am, log, Bass Lake, Sierra National Forest, California 2010

6:37 am, log, Bass Lake, Sierra National Forest, California  2010

6:37 am, log, Bass Lake,
Sierra National Forest, California 2010


4 sec at f/22, focal length: 26mm, ISO 50, Aperture Priority,
- 27 February 2010 6:37am PST. Photographed with Canon EOS 5D Mark II, EF 17-40mm f/4L, tripod mounted.

5 comments:

  1. Great composition but I have to ask; How in the world do you get up so early when you have 3 kids at home? :-) Do you ever take them with you?

    ReplyDelete
  2. Thanks Tyler. I honestly am rarely able to make it out the door to go photograph this early lately. However, I've had some pretty strong ideas for images at this lake, the atmosphere was right and I was getting anxious. So I went to bed right after the kids, got up at 5am and out the door by 5:15. Peanut butter toast and tea can make for a very quick breakfast!

    My kids aren't usually up till 7am at the earliest (they're lazy bums), so it's easy enough for me to sneak out without waking them. It takes me about 20 min to get to this lake, so proximity definitely helps.

    I don't usually take them with me right now. I have in the past, and do plan on doing so in the near future, especially with my oldest, Haven, who just turned 4. She's been using a nikon p&s that we don't use and has shown quite a bit of interest.

    Any ways, it just takes a bit of determination and patience, since the opportunity doesn't present itself as often as I'd like, as well as a very accommodating partner.

    As a side note - none of the images made that morning were what I originally had in mind. The water level ended up being much higher than I'd anticipated, causing the subjects of my original ideas to be under water. At least I can always go back!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Thanks Tyler. I honestly am rarely able to make it out the door to go photograph this early lately. However, I've had some pretty strong ideas for images at this lake, the atmosphere was right and I was getting anxious. So I went to bed right after the kids, got up at 5am and out the door by 5:15. Peanut butter toast and tea can make for a very quick breakfast!

    My kids aren't usually up till 7am at the earliest (they're lazy bums), so it's easy enough for me to sneak out without waking them. It takes me about 20 min to get to this lake, so proximity definitely helps.

    I don't usually take them with me right now. I have in the past, and do plan on doing so in the near future, especially with my oldest, Haven, who just turned 4. She's been using a nikon p&s that we don't use and has shown quite a bit of interest.

    Any ways, it just takes a bit of determination and patience, since the opportunity doesn't present itself as often as I'd like, as well as a very accommodating partner.

    As a side note - none of the images made that morning were what I originally had in mind. The water level ended up being much higher than I'd anticipated, causing the subjects of my original ideas to be under water. At least I can always go back!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Thanks for the reply John - I appreciate the insight from a fellow father's point-of-view. The reason I ask about taking the kids is because I really want my girls to get involved before they hit the sleep-until-noon-stage of their lives. But, it may be more trouble than it's worth dragging them along with me. We never get out of the door very early either.

    On another note, you mention having "some pretty strong ideas for images" so does that mean you *think* you can get some good images when you show up or do you see something casually that festers in your mind until you go photograph it? My process is definitely the latter but that's not how all of my photographs work.

    Our oldest, Olivia, will be 5 in the fall and she uses our old Lumix p&s and she has a blast when I give her little "missions". And I'm totally envious of your proximity to such awesome landscapes. If we ever make it out there we'll let the kids play together and you can show me around.

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  5. Tyler,

    The ideas that I'd had for that morning came about from a previous session there (with the whole fam, we were bbq'ing but I snuck off for a bit to make some images). While photographing this tree stump I noticed another interesting set of subjects down shore. I didn't have time to get over there that evening but, like you said, it's been festering in my mind since then. That's not the usual process for me though. I tend to head out with no ideas in mind. It's more enjoyable for me that way. No self-imposed pressures or preoccupations.

    ReplyDelete