ASSATEAGUE, CHINCOTEAGUE - HORSES OR PONIES?

Chincoteague Ponies. 1/1600 @ f5.6, ISO 400. Nikon D4S, 300mm 2.8 with 2x teleconvertor.

For a couple of years, I've had Assateague and Chincoteague on my photographic trip list and with a few days off I finally decided to make it a reality. But first, I was a little confused about the difference between the two locations.

I'll try and break it down. The whole island is Assateague and is located in both Virginia and Maryland. The Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge is on Assateague Island but located in Virginia. Assateague Island National Seashore is located in Maryland and is a U.S. National Park. 

Well, are they horses or ponies? Apparently they are referred to as Assateague Horses and Chincoteague Ponies, although they really are all ponies due to their size. At the Assateague National Seashore, the horses are free to roam while on the Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge they are penned in and not free to roam Assateague Island. Confused?

It really doesn't matter because both locations should be on your trip list and I saw plenty of horses, or should I say ponies, in both locations as well as plenty of other wildlife and many great locations to photograph during a day and a half visit.

Assateague sunset. 1/10 @ f20, ISO 200. Nikon D4S, 14-24mm at 14mm.

I arrived at Assateague National Seashore around noon and spent the remainder of the day taking short hikes, scouting locations, and of course stalking horses. One thing I noticed after crossing the bridge to the island and before I arrived at the park entrance was how close the marsh was to Bayberry Drive and that in several spots there was room to pull over. I knew then that it would be a great place to photograph the sunset.

And it was at one of these spots that I took the photograph above. Setting my tripod low in order to emphasize the foreground I was drawn to the green plant life in the water as well as the interesting pattern created by the marsh itself. This all came together and It actually makes this a much better photo despite what turned out to be a mediocre sunset.

Assateague Horses. 1/2000 @ f5.6, ISO 400. Nikon D4S with a 300mm 2.8 and 2x teleconverter.

I spotted these horses while on the Life of the Marsh trail which is a short loop boardwalk trail located off of Bayside Drive. And it's a good thing it was short because initially I only had the 80-400mm lens with me when I first spotted them so I returned to my car and retrieved a 300mm lens and 2x teleconverter to get this shot.

I like the two pools of water in the foreground marsh which adds some depth and helps bring you into the frame. These horses and ponies spend a lot of time with their heads in the grass eating, so patience and timing are needed in order to catch even one of them looking up. 

Chincoteague sunrise. 1/640 @ f5.3, ISO 200. Nikon D4S, 80-400mm at 195mm.

Chincoteague is about one and a half hours drive from Assateague so it is possible to photograph them both in a single day, at least during this time of year. Or, as I found out if you "camp" in Walmart parking lots, spending half the night in Fruitland, Maryland, and half the night in Ocean City, Maryland, it is a much longer trip than it should be and because of that, I almost missed the sunrise. Next time I'm camping on the beach in the National Park or staying in a hotel on Chincoteague Island, both better alternatives.

One tip I read prior to the trip is that if you wanted to see the ponies on Chincoteague you should drive along Beach Road until you come to a section where marsh is on each side and there is ample room to pull over. Ponies will be to the right, but I found it to be a great spot to catch the sun rising over Swans Cove Pool on the left. This tip saved the day and my sunrise shots.

Swans Cove Pool, Chincoteague. 1/800 @ f5.6, ISO 400. Nikon D4S with a 300mm 2.8 and 2x teleconvertor.

After the sun cleared the horizon, I began to focus on the various birds that were gathering in the foreground. There was still some great warm light coming from behind the birds, so I just waited for them to take flight and used that strong backlight to ensure separation from the background.

Assateague Lighthouse. 1/340 @ f5.6, ISO 200, exposure compensation +0.7. Fujifilm X-Pro2 with a 35mm (50mm equivalent).

One thing I always consider after choosing a photo destination is how I will spend the middle of the day. It could be a nap, long lunch, exploring the visitor center, or scouting locations, but on Chincoteague, it was the Assateague Lighthouse that captured my attention.

Sometimes a scene just presents itself and as entered the small clearing following a very short hike, I was immediately struck by the geometric patterns of the buildings and tower, the contrast between the white trim and red body and the light and shadows created by the surrounding trees. I also knew that this would look great in black and white.

Assateague beach. 1/250 @ f2.8, ISO 200. Fujifilm X-Pro2 with a 35mm (50mm equivalent).

The other thing I did during the middle of the day was to explore the beaches, or more accurately, set up a chair and just enjoyed the sounds and smells of the ocean. You could probably spend most of the day photographing the sand dunes and the birds along the coast. I only took a few photos along the beach but liked the subtle texture and slight warmth of this image.

Do yourself a favor and visit Assateague Island, enjoy the beaches, wildlife, and the beautiful sunsets and sunrises, but I would suggest you do it during the off-season.

PHOTOGRAPHING SUNRISE IN BIG MEADOWS

1/15 @ f18, ISO 200. Nikon D4S, 24-70mm at 70mm.

This is the fourth time I've photographed "Big Meadows", located at mile marker 51 on Skyline Drive in Shenandoah National Park, and each time it produces something different from what I expected. This time I was expecting wildflowers; what I encountered was something more dead than alive.

In order to prevent the meadow from becoming a forest, the park mows a portion, leaves a portion fallow and then burns a portion. Apparently they burned a portion on April 5th, which became apparent as the sky began to light up the field; and also when I looked down at my pants. 

As I worked my way along some of the many paths located in the meadow, I passed many of those burned out spots and I knew that they would provide some interesting photographs, but the sun was rising quickly so I made my way further into the meadow searching for something to put in the foreground. The tree in the above photo caught my eye for two reasons; it was the tallest thing in that part of the meadow and it was the only thing that wasn't brown. I knew the white bark would give me separation from the background and then I moved around looking to place the sun in different parts of the frame. It didn't take long before the sun was up and it was time to move on.

1/15 @ f18, ISO 200. Nikon D4S, 14-24mm at 16mm.

Stripped of ground cover, the patches created by the prescribed burn provided a unique look at what the meadow floor looks like stripped of its cover and with the light low in the sky it created deep shadows which emphasized the roughness of the bare ground.

The other thing I noticed was a difference in color temperature between the warm yellow grass and the cool blue of the bare patches. So I decided to use that as one element to add depth to my photos. The other thing I did was include these little trees that seemed more like someone had just placed sticks in mud. It was just so different from the field of wildflowers I was expecting. Using a wide angle lens and getting close, it made these sticks appear more prominent in the scene and helps to draw you in.

1/20 @ f20, ISO 200. Nikon D4S, 14-24mm at 14mm.

I moved on to another bare patch where a stick on the ground caught my eye. I lowered my tripod in order to emphasize the foreground and then used that stick as an element to lead you into the scene. Again, I also relied on the various color temps to add depth and interest.

1/800 @ f7.1, ISO 200. Nikon D4S, 24-70mm at 62mm.

For the final shot, I switched back to a longer lens and used the trees as a graphic element in the foreground. I like how my attention switches between foreground and background. One moment I'm focused on the trees, the next I'm trying look through them. Those layers provide the depth that draws you into the frame.

I don't know what photos I expect to get at Big Meadows, but I know that I haven't made them yet. In fact even as I look at the photos above, I can't help thinking that I could have done more, embraced the scene and accepted it for what it was and forget that it was not what I expected. I will return and keep an open mind. 

ONE DAY PHOTOGRAPHING THE OREGON COAST

Haystack Rock. Nikon D4S, 14-24mm @ 15mm. 1/800 @ 3.5, ISO 200.

As soon as I found out I would be headed to Portland, Oregon, to photograph a ship's christening, I knew that if I could make it happen, I would be headed to the coast.

I've never been to Oregon and a chance to spend even one day on the coast taking photographs was something that I wasn't going to pass up. The only plan I had was to get to the coast before the sun came up and that I would start at Ecola State Park, about 80 miles from Portland and work my way south and see what I could.

Ecola Point Rock. Nikon D4S, 14-24mm @ 14mm. 1/60 @ f9, ISO 200.

The weather was great, something many locals told me was unusual, as I left for the coast and when I saw the first sign for Ecola State Park off Rte 101, I took it. The problem with arriving someplace entirely new while it's still dark, is you don't really have any reference as to where you are going or what you will see once the sun comes up. And with nine miles of coastline within the park, you have to take a chance. Also, while making my way down to what turned out to be a closed-off trail, I found myself about 30 feet from 15 or so grazing elk. That's kind of a surprise in the semi-darkness; for both of us. 

I spent around one hour at the state park, finally finding a path which led to a nice view of Ecola Point Rocks. Never made it all the way down to the beach, only because I was alone and did not want to take a chance with the unfamiliar terrain.

Ecola Point Rock. Fujifilm X-Pro2, 35mm (50mm equivalent), 1/40 @ f11, ISO 640.

After leaving Ecola in search for coffee and a bite to eat, I found myself at Cannon Beach which I explored a bit. But as I was leaving town I saw this giant sea stack to my right and almost drove off the road. It turned out to be Haystack Rock Marine Garden, so I did a u-turn and lucked out on some parking right across from an access point to the beach. 

After spending about an hour on Cannon Beach, I continued to head south stopping only to make a few photos from scenic overlooks and make mental notes of where I might explore on the way back. I made it as far as Tillamook, where I didn't take many photos but did enjoy some cheese at the Tillamook cheese factory.

Bird Rocks off of Chapman Point in Ecola State Park. Nikon D4S, 20-70mm @ 55mm. 1/18 @ f18, ISO 400.

On the way back North, I stopped at one of the locations I noted on the way down, Oswald West State Park. Prior to the trip to Oregon, I had noticed this park on the map and thought it would be a good option because there were some short hikes that looked interesting. 

I entered the park using the Short Sand Beach Trail and hiked on the Old Growth Forest Trail, Cedar Crossing Trail, and Sitka Spruce Trail, before arriving at Short Sand Beach via the South Beach Access Trail. And while this sounds like I did a lot of hiking, trust me it was only about one and a half miles total, out and back.

Short Sand Beack, Oswald West State Park. Fujifilm X-Pro2, 35mm (50mm equivalent), 1/680 @ f8, ISO 200, +1 exposure compensation.

Short Sand Beach is a popular surfing destination, so for the second time in three weeks, I found myself photographing surfers.

Besides the surfers and the beach, there is old growth forest to photograph at Oswald West State Park. In fact, I've been to where parts of Jurassic Park was filmed, and this location easily conjures up thoughts of dinosaurs and other bigger than life images.

Oswald State Park. Fujifilm X-Pro2, 35mm (50mm equivalent), 1/140 @ f5.6, ISO 200, -1 exposure compensation.

Overall, if you get the chance to visit the Oregon coast, do it, you won't be disappointed. If I had to do it again, I would probably start the day at Cannon Beach and the Haystack Rock Marine Sanctuary, spend the middle of the day hiking and exploring Oswald State Park, then end the day at Ecola State Park.

HAWAII WITH THE FUJIFILM X-PRO2

On the first day as I wandered around Waikiki Beach trying to overcome some jet lag, I came across these kids being kids. I watched for a little bit before taking any photos and while they were aware I was there, they soon just went back to timing the surf and leaping from the pier. I liked this photo best because while most of these kids jumped feet first, this girl just went for it.  1/680 @ f5.6, ISO 200.

During a recent trip to Honolulu, Hawaii, I had my first chance to spend some time walking around with my new Fujifilm X-Pro2. In the previous post, I explained my initial camera setup and my thoughts behind those choices. In this post, I'll discuss whether I stuck with those choices and share a few things I learned.

The camera handled great, felt good to carry and performed up to my expectations. That really isn't a surprise, however, I was surprised by how much I liked it more than the X-Pro1. Granted, I only spent a week with the X-Pro1, but Fuji really did take the time to improve this camera versus the original. Little things, but well thought out.

As the sun dipped below the horizon, it didn't take long for it to get dark. I was photographing surfers and paddle boarders coming ashore when I noticed a hotel's flood light illuminating a patch of sand, so I positioned myself hoping that some action would take place in or near the light. I like the warm yellow light contrasting with the blue ocean and sky and that last hint of pink. I think that just enough light reaches the subjects and ensures that they weren't in silhouette. 1/35 @ f2.0, ISO 3200. 

I stuck to shooting Auto ISO with my max ISO set to 3200. I was happy with the results, but I may up that to 6400. During this trip, I was working during the day (video project) so most of my personal shooting with the Fuji was during the evening hours where 3200 was fine, however on one occasion, I was shooting after the sun had set and in that case I could have used the faster shutter speed provided by setting the upper limit to 6400. 

I was around the fifth person to reach the top of Diamond Head just as the sun was coming up. In this photo, several visitors defied the off-limits signs and ventured about 50 yards to another peak. I didn't pay much attention until this gentleman climbed atop the metal frame. I like the contrast between the grass, concrete and the performance of this man balancing atop some old metal. With Honolulu in the background, he's on top of the world. 1/75 @ f6.4, ISO 200.

I'm really glad I choose the 35mm f2.0 R WR lens. Unlike the 35mm f1.4, which I previously used with the X-Pro1, It is smaller, quieter and weather resistant, all things that came into play during this trip. Another thing that I appreciated about this lens is the focal length. At a 50mm equivalent, it has a nice reach, yet still works in close situations. I will probably still purchase something wider, but I'm not in any hurry.

Something else I realized was that within a half hour of me reaching the summit of Diamond Head, I was joined by the entire country of Japan. Seriously, it did get really crowded and most of the visitors continued to take photos of the rising sun, probably long after it made sense. But as I made my way back down, I wanted to take a photo that would give a sense of the crowd, when I spotted this woman taking a picture of the sunrise. I turned, made three frames and keep moving. 1/120 @ f6.4, ISO 200.

The autofocus was really quick and the added ability to move the focus area around quickly using the joystick was a welcome addition. In a few instances when shooting on the street, I reacted quickly and the focus was locked on without me having to think about it. Like all the previous mirrorless cameras I've used, you do have to make sure the camera "awake" or you could experience an initial delay.

On Oahu's North Shore, there are hundreds of spots to pull over and explore the coast with your camera. The weather was not great and most of the morning I was dealing with volcanic fog, or VOG, as the locals call it. Eventually, as I continued to drive along the coast, this tidal pool caught my attention and I focused on the lone snorkeler and the range of subtle color changes throughout the scene. 1/680 @ f5.6, ISO 200.

I loaded the dual card slots with San Disk 32mb SDHC cards, capturing monochrome jpegs to one and raw files to the other. Not sold on this. I still really like seeing the results in monochrome as I shoot, but I also utilized the built-in WiFi a lot with this camera. It's how I transferred my photos to my phone and iPad then shared on social media during the trip. However, since I was caputing in monochrome, if I wanted to use a color version, I had to first do an in-camera raw conversion. Again, this is something I'm going to have to work on.

On my last night in Hawaii, I was walking back from dinner along Waikiki Beach watching all the tourists line up to photograph the sunset. It was a nice sunset, however with nothing spectacular to put in the foreground, I was drawn to the color reflected in the receding waves. A different view of the setting sun. 1/40 @ f3.2, ISO 200.

There is no doubt the X-Pro2 is now my everyday carry-around camera. It handled well in all the shooting situations I found myself in and the 24 megapixels images are just beautiful. Off to Portland, Oregon, next week, so more to follow.

FUJIFILM X-PRO2 INITIAL SETTINGS

Fuji Xpro2 with XF 35 f2.0 lens, two SD cards, extra batteries and a soft shutter release button. Details and links appear at the end of this post*.

I finally got my hands on the new Fujifilm X-Pro2. And like with every new or loaner camera I receive, I downloaded the manual and read it (I highly recommend this). In this case, I read it several times even before the camera arrived.

Then once the camera was in front of me I went through all the menus and adjusted the settings in a way that makes sense to me and will best compliment my shooting style.

Below are the changes to the factory settings I made:

IMAGE QUALITY - FINE+RAW: I prefer to shoot with this set up so that I can take advantage of Fuji's film simulation options with the jpegs while always having the raw file to process anyway I want. Taking advantage of the X-Pro2s two SD card slots means I have the jpegs on one and raw on the other. 

FILM SIMULATION - ACROS-Ye FILTER: ACROS is a new monochrome film simulation option on the X-Pro2, so I'm giving it a try. Additionally, I've added the yellow filter (you can also add a red or green filter) which slightly enhances contrast and darkens the sky.

LONG EXPOSURE NR - OFF: Will activate if needed, but see no reason to leave on until then.

AF ILLUMINATOR - OFF: One of the advantages of mirrorless cameras is the ability to blend in, so the last thing I want when shooting at night or in dark situations is to draw attention myself with light.

AF+MF - ON: This setting allows me to manually adjust focus while the shutter button is pressed halfway. The camera must be in focus mode S for this work.

INSTANT AF SETTING - AF-C: This tells the camera what autofocus setting I want to use when I press the AF-L button while the camera is in manual focus mode.

CORRECTED AF FRAME - ON: This adds a second focus frame to the display in the optical viewfinder for distances of about 1.6. Corrects for parallax inherent in rangefinders. 

SHUTTER TYPE - ES ELECTRONIC SHUTTER: Eliminates shutter noise and used for the same reason I turn off the AF illuminator and turn all other sounds off. The less attention I draw to myself when shooting, the better.

ISO AUTO SETTING - MAX SENSITIVITY 3200 and MIN. SHUTTER SPEED 1/30: I started using auto ISO on my X100S about a year ago and really like not having to worry about making changes when moving from inside to out or in and out of the shadows. Besides, if I change my mind it is easy and quick to change the ISO using the dial located on top of the camera.

SOUND SETTING - ALL OFF: It should be obvious by now.

IMAGE DISPLAY - 1.5 SEC: One of the coolest things about this camera, like others in Fuji lineup is that a preview of the photo you just took appears in the viewfinder of the camera. It gives you instant feedback, especially when using the optical viewfinder.

FOCUS SCALE UNITS - FEET: What, am I in Europe?

FOCUS LEVER SETTING - ON: One of the new features on the Xpro2 is a joystick located on the back of the camera that enables you to move the focus-point around the viewfinder. This setting makes the joystick active.

EDIT FILE NAME - Changed the SRGB name to JFWP and the AdobeRGB name to JFW. No reason other than I can and after all, how boring is DCS.

CARD SLOT SETTING (STILL IMAGE) - RAW/JPG: I really like having two card slots in this camera. The second card slot can be used as overflow or as backup, but as mentioned previously, since I'm shooting both raw and jpegs, this setting allows me to separate them on two different SD cards.

WIRELESS SETTINGS - GENERAL SETTINGS: Changed the wireless name to FUJIFILM-JFWPHOTO.

Once I've had a chance to spend some time shooting with this camera, I'll give you my thoughts and also update you on any changes I've made to the list above.

Fujifilm X-Pro2 Body (Black)

Fujinon Xf35mm F2 R WR - Black

Wasabi Power Batter (2-Pack) and Charger

SanDisk Extreme PRO 32GB SDHC memory card

Neewer 10mm Diameter Red Plan Metal Soft Shutter Release Button