ARIZONA - DAY ONE

Day one is over. Technically it was day two, but yesterday was spent traveling from Washington, D.C., and visiting with friends in Phoenix.

Today I traveled 350 miles making my first stop at the North Rim at Glen Canyon, but only made a few images. It was a chance to break out the gear though and also start wrapping my mind around what I wanted to capture on this trip. Everywhere you look around here the colors are spectacular, very warm, yet also subtle. For me the tendacy was to keep the 14-24mm on and just take everything in. I think I will struggle on this trip and have to force myself to use other lenes.

About a mile after you reach the Page city limits there is a turn off for Horseshoe Bend. The parking lot is right there and then after a three quarter mile hike, you arrive and are greeted with a really nice view. I grabbed the wide angle and inched as close to the edge as I dared. Even though it was just after noon, the sun was low enough to provide contrast in the scene, yet high enough to light all the way down to the Colorado River.

I spent about 2 hours shooting and came away with a few images that I liked, even shooting a few verticals. My plan is to return tomorrow for sunrise before I have to meet my tour guide for Antelope Canyon mid morning.

Next I continued north on route 89 and passed through Page to the Glen Canyon Dam at Lake Powell. Spent a little bit of time playing with shadows created by the bridge and transformer towers. I also realized that the sun would cast some nice light on Lake Powell during sunset. The park ranger gave me some advice on a good scenic overlook and that is where I spent the final hours of the day as the sun went down.

The light was very nice, but not much of a sky. And from that vantage point there are some marinas that stick out in the lake making shooting around them tricky. Normally I wouldn't mind included the boats as an element, but in this case I thought it really was a distraction.

It was a decent first day. Shook out all the gear and managed to get a few images that I like and as I suspected I did meet other photographers and even received some good tips on what to look for tomorrow. Time to finish posting, get to bed early, and prepare for tomorrow.

ARIZONA - THE GEAR

I've just finished packing for the Arizona trip and wanted to share what gear I'm taking along and some of my thoughts behind it. I'll break this down into three sections, camera, computer, and accessory.

CAMERA EQUIPMENT:

Nikon D3S, Nikon D700, Fuji X10, 10.5mm, 14-24mm, 24-70mm, 80-200mm, 2x teleconverter, GoPro, SB900, SU800. 

I'm taking three cameras, the Nikon D3s and D700, and my new Fuji X10. I thought about not taking the D700 as a second body on this trip since I will primarily be shooting landscapes and didn't think I would need a second body affixed with another lens for quick reaction. In the end however, I thought if something happened to the D3s, the only backup would be the X10 and while I'm learning to really like that camera, it just does not compare to a full frame DSLR in quality.

I'm also bringing an Nikon SB900 in case I need fill flash especially if I'm shooting during the middle of the day.

COMPUTER GEAR:

Apple 15" Powerbook, iPad, LaCie Rugged Mini 1TB hard drive, SanDisk Firewire 800 card reader, Photo Mechanic, Adobe Lightroom 4.0, Photoshop CS4, Verizon MiFi.

The plan of course is to process images during the trip, as well as continue to update this blog, so I'm bringing my 15" Powerbook. Simple work flow will be to offload camera cards each day, copying contents to desktop then backing up to a portable hard drive. I will use Photo Mechanic to rename and caption images, then import into LightRoom 4.0, and finish off in Photoshop CS4.

Other than the laptop, I am also bringing my iPad, along with a camera connection kit, on this trip. And it is not just for entertainment, but for practical purposes. Other than the photo apps that may see some use, I rely on the Sun Seeker app which provides you with sunrise and sunset times, shows a map view of sun direction for each daylight hour and 3D views of the solar path. In fact I've already studied the direction of light during the time and day when I will be in certain locations. Two other non-photo apps I will use on this trip are The Weather Channel app and SkySafari 3.

ACCESSORIES:

Gitzo Series 00 Carbon tripod, Zacuto Z-Finder Pro, PocketWizard Plus, Blackrapid camera strap, battery chargers, mouse, Belkin surge protector,  Lexar professional 600x 32GB card, Lexar professional 400x 16GB card (2), SanDisk Extreme 16GB, SanDisk Extreme 2GB,  Tenba sandbag, 

So far it's been pretty straight forward, but the details are in the accessories. I have two tripods, a Bogen Model #3033 that I've owned since 1986. It is a sturdy, dependable tripod, however it is very heavy and not very compact. The other is a Gitzo Series 00 Carbon 6X with a Arca-Swiss Monoball Z1 ballhead. This is a great tripod for travel and backpacking because it is so light, but my concern is that it may be too lightweight, especially for star photography, so I'm bringing a sandbag to help steady along with hanging my backpack should help.

In order to assist with focus at night and to make sure everything is sharp during the day, I'm bringing a Zacuto Z-Finder Pro 2.5x eyepiece which should give some piece of mind as I shoot. For triggering the camera, I'm going to use a PocketWizard Plus. Perhaps a bit of overkill, but without a cable release, this is the next best thing.

To transport most of the gear, I'm using a Kelty Redwing backpack. Not a photo backpack you say? That's right. I was at REI and looking at backpacks when the Kelty caught my attention. Plenty of room, good support and the right size to also be used on a two to three backpacking trip. As I've mentioned previously, I use Think Tank test drive bags (now called Lens Changers) and pouches to protect my cameras and lens in the bag. The main compartment has a place to hold my laptop and the front portion has room for my iPad, pens, notebook, phone, etc. This pack also has side pouches to stow additional items plus they have a pass through that will allow me to carry a tripod. The final bag will be a Think Tank Change Up Belt Pack. I've mentioned this bag before in my GOING LIGHT(er) post.

I'll carry on most of the camera gear in the Kelty and the Change Up. Things like chargers, cables and of course clothing will all go in my checked bag.

ARIZONA - THE PLAN

In my last post I mentioned an upcoming self-assignment trip to Arizona. Back in October of 2011 when I relaunched this blog I made the conscious decision to start taking photographs for myself. With that in mind, I began researching various photography workshops and came to some realizations.

First, they fill up quickly which means you have to book early and with my current or potential assignment schedule, that is not always possible. Secondly, they can be expensive, usually somewhere in the $1000.00 to $2,000 price range. I'm not saying the price isn't worth it, in fact sometimes I wonder how they get the workshop leaders they do for that price. Remember, with some exceptions, the workshop price does not include transportation, meals or lodging.

Taking all that into consideration, I decided that I would put together my own photographic adventure. So next week I'm headed to Arizona with plans to visit the Grand Canyon, Antelope Canyon, Monument Valley, The Painted Desert, and whatever else I come across in a week's time.

Why Arizona? Sometimes things just come together and that is the case here. I was on Google + and saw a post from R.C. Concepcion about a Red Rock Adventure trip he was on as part of Bill Fortney's His Light Workshops. This was actually one of the workshops I had considered after having talked with Bill during PhotoPlus in 2011 and really admiring his art and passion. However, as I mentioned above, timing was not on my side, but at $499, the price was incredibly reasonable.

RCs post started me thinking, but then I saw a Google + post from Matt Kloskowski, another Photoshop Guy, talking about the same trip and that led me to his blog post titled What I Learned on My First Star Photo Shoot about his experience shooting at night in Monument Valley.

Now I really started thinking. Next step of course was to open Google Maps and figure out the relationships between these locations in terms of distance. And didn't I have friends in Phoenix that I've been promising to visit for years?


I thought about all this for a night and the next day started to run the numbers for hotels, flights, rental car, access (some of these locations are on Navajo land which require guides), etc., and realized that I could do this at a reasonable cost, probably the whole trip for around $1000. I also had enough frequent flier miles to cover airfare and because of the time of year, many hotel rates are lower.

With the decision made, I began to line things up. I picked the dates and secured the time off from work. Called Phoenix friends and asked if I could spend first night in with them. Next step was to book two nights at the Monument Valley Inn where all the rooms have balconies with a view of the valley and based on recommendations from Matt, I secured a top floor room with no overhang. Finished off my hotel bookings with one night in Page, Ariz., and the final night in Payson, Ariz., leaving me close to Phoenix the night before I return. Sent email and made the arrangements with Antelope Canyon Tours to take me to Antelope Canyon.

With the itinerary complete, the only thing left for me to do is find the motivation to get up early and stay up late. This is one downside to not participating in a workshop; the other is missing out on the camaraderie. But I don't think I will be alone in these spots and I'm sure I'll meet other photographers. Besides, being on my own will give me some flexibility in schedule and the option to explore or discover other things along the way.

Next post will be about packing for this trip, then I plan to update this blog each day of the trip, with a final post about the whole experience.

Additionally, I will be posting some photos and other updates to my Google Plus, Flickr, Facebook and 500px accounts.

INTRODUCING MY FUJI X10

Camera photos from Fujifilm.com

I just purchased a Fujifilm X10 compact (X10) camera. I've owned numerous point-and-shoot (P&S) cameras over the years, most recently the Canon G10, before that a Canon G7. And I've never considered the smartphone as a walk-around camera or camera replacement.

But let's face it, carrying a DSLR around all the time takes some effort, so having a compact camera that takes quality images and has many of the same capabilities is something I've been searching for. In 2011 at PhotoPlus in New York I thought I had finally found it in the new micro four thirds cameras, mostly the Nikon 1 series. I still think these cameras are very good and again at this year's PhotoPlus I found myself looking at the 2 series and thought again this might be it.

So to back up a bit. In March of 2011 Fuji released the X100 and it caused a real buzz among photographers and much was written on blogs, both good and bad. The good mostly revolved around the styling and retro look. The bad, according to some, was focusing issues. I did love the styling and look of the camera and somewhere in the back of my mind pictured myself carrying this camera around and as Fuji continued the X series of cameras, those thoughts didn't diminish. Seeing the images produced by photographers, like Zach Arias only made me more curious about what I could produce with this camera. And not just what this camera was capable of technically, but having a camera that I really wanted to carry around was just as important. Can't make photos if you don't have a camera.

Problem was that both the Nikon micro four thirds series and Fuji X series were a little expensive. And the idea of spending around $1200 and up made holding onto the Canon G10 as my compact camera seem practical.

Still, every time I was in a retail or electronics store, I found myself looking over all the P&S cameras, mostly out of curiosity. So it was on a recent pre Black Friday shopping trip that I once again found myself looking at all the P&S cameras when the X10 caught my attention. From the moment I picked it up, it felt right in my hands. Also at under $600 the price tag seemed right. It was solidly built and had the same great classic look as the rest of the X series cameras, but what really caught my attention was that you turned in on and zoomed in and out by twisting the lens. That simple feature, combined with a viewfinder, made holding the camera feel right and set it apart from all the other P&S cameras there.

I ended up spending about 20 minutes playing with the camera. Walked away and came back. The rest of the day I thought about the camera and as soon as I could, I logged onto the computer and read the reviews at Digital Photography Review and also at Dan Bailey's Blog along with others. As I said before, I was aware of and read about the Fuji X series cameras, so I'm not sure how I missed this addition to the line which was released in November of 2011. After looking at sample images, I made the decision that I wanted this camera. So the next day I purchased my used, in like new condition, X10 for $150 under the $599 retail price through Amazon from Roberts photo in Indianapolis and had it three days later.

Reflection of the United States Lightship Chesapeake in Baltimore.

1/500, f2.2, ISO 400

I spent Friday photographing around Baltimore and my first impressions are good. The controls easy to use, intuitive and taking full control of this camera didn't require diving into complex menus. Most functions can be changed quickly using buttons which seem to be in just the right location. Even when shooting in manual mode, using the sub command dial makes setting f-stops and shutter speeds quick and natural.

I set the programmable function (fn) button to allow me to easily adjust ISO during various shooting conditions. I upgraded to Firmware version 2.0 which changed the functionality of the RAW button so it brings up a quick or "Q" menu giving me access to the most commonly used features on one detailed screen. Easy auto focus and auto exposure lock buttons allow you to recompose shots. This is the first P&S that I've used that I can operate all the buttons easily even when holding the camera to my eye.

Robert Israel's "School of Puffer Fish" sculpture located at Johns Hopkins Hospital.

1/170, f2.2, ISO 200.

Calling the X10 a P&S is really a disservice. Just one day shooting with this compact camera felt like I was carrying much more. This isn't a DSLR replacement, but I am considering taking this as my second camera during an upcoming self-assignment project to Arizona.

I've only scratched the surface here and I look forward to writing more about this camera and sharing my thoughts and experiences while using it in future posts. I've already begun to add X10 photos to a Flickr set and cross posting to the Flickr Fuji X10 group.

Some specs that caught my attention :

Number of effective pixels: 12 million

Image Size: 2/3 inch EXR CMOS

Storage Media: 26MB internal, SD memory card

Lens: 28mm to 112mm equivalent   

Aperture: 2.0 (wide), 2.8 (telephoto)

Format: JPG, RAW, or RAW plus JPG

Get full specs at the FUJIFILM web site or watch the promotional video on YouTube.

Read Zach Arias' reviews and experiences with both the X100 and X-Pro 1.

Dan Bailey writes about the X10 on his Adventure Photography blog.

UPDATE: (4/24/2012) The X10 has been replaced by the Fujifilm X20 12 MP Digital Camera with 2.8-Inch LCD (Black)

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(NO) WATERMARKS ON PHOTOGRAPHS

Over the top, YES, but I've seen worse.

I hope this post doesn't come off as a rant, however, I will state right up front that I am not a fan of placing watermarks on photographs.

A watermark is an image, logo, or text that is placed directly on the photograph, most often to brand the photo, discourage reuse or to somehow imply copyright. In the past we might have stamped PROOF over the photograph, thus preventing copies being made. This was effective and that's not really what I'm talking about in this case, because I do understand the argument for continuing this practice when you have wedding, event photos or portraits that you're sharing with a client with the intent to sell.

What I'm talking about is selected images that you post to the web as examples of your work, or post to sites like 500px or Flickr were you are hoping for feedback. In these cases it is my opinion that the watermark comes off as a distraction and that's only if it is a tasteful muted watermark of appropriate size. In many cases the watermark is just plain ugly, too big and demonstrates poor post production skills.

To be fair, I've struggled with watermarks over the years and even created a few and tried them out on my images. It just never looked right to me, which maybe says something about my post production skills.

However, for me it's gotten so bad that when I'm browsing through sites like 500px, Flickr or Google+, I won't favorite or like a photo that has a watermark. In fact, I get really disappointed when an image I like has a watermark on it. I don't even know when this started, but it did, and now I can't get past it.

Some  photographers, such as Trey Ratcliff over at Stuck in Customs, provide large images on the web, available for anyone to download for personal use. The key is personal use.

My feeling is that whether an image contains a watermark or not, it can still be downloaded and used by someone as a background on their iPad for example. And that's assuming that whoever right clicks and downloads doesn't just eliminate the watermark by cropping or even using the content aware tool in Photoshop. Sounds pretty easy doesn't it.

So do I worry about my images being stolen? First, all the photos I shoot as part of my job are publicly released, so it isn't an issue. Second, when it comes to my personal images shared on sites like Flickr and 500px, I make them available as creative commons, non-commercial, attribute required. In the end, I'm not worried if a blogger uses the image as long as they provide photo credit in the form of a link because that potentially drives more traffic to my site. If they don't, then I'm not going to lose sleep.

So how do you truly protect your images. One word, copyright. That is the only real protection you have if one of your images ends up being used without permission, watermark or not. Copyrighting your photographs also provides you with additional protections. I'm planning a future post on the process and work flow I use to copyright my work, and why this is important. In the meantime, check out eCO FAQs, or visit Ed Greenberg and Jack Reznicki's thecopyrightzone.com blog.