Camping at Patrick's Point - Wildlife in and around the park

Patrick's Point State Park is now known for the abundance of wildlife, but they have their fair share of critters in the area. In the many times that we have visited the park in the past, we have never seen rabbits in the park. Well...this time we saw hundreds of them. You know what they say, if you see 2 rabbits, there are probably a lot more nearby.

 This little guy was nice enough to pose for me right by some yellow flowers. Very nice indeed.

This black crow was a frequent visitor to our camp site and he really liked this particular moss covered perch.

Speaking of frequent visitors to our campsite, there were 3 or 4 of these guys that would visit every afternoon at approximately 3pm.My sister-in-law was trying to identify them, so I shot some pictures to help her figure out the correct species. This little guy came down out of the trees and landed on one of our camping chairs, in perfect range for my Canon 100-400 lens.

Just 20 miles North of Patrick's Point, you can find the largest herd of Roosevelt Elk in North America. I have photographed them before, but never seen them in the water, until this trip. We were getting ready to take a hike into Fern Canyon and I saw this big buck from the parking lot. I could not resist the temptation to photograph this big guy, so I asked my very patient family to wait for 15 minutes while I hiked into a better position and shot this photo.

Then...after our Fern Canyon hike, we returned back to the parking lot area and I made my way out to photograph a couple more of the Roosevelt Elk who were still grazing in the area.

All of these wildlife images were taken with my Canon 5D Mark II and 100-400 L Series lens, using Lexar 600x Professional CF cards of course!

The next blog (last from this trip) has some of my favorite images of sunsets and star-filled night skies. I guess I was saving the best for last. Stay tuned. :)

Camping at Patrick's Point - Seeing this area from a different perspective

In the last blog post, I showed up-close images taken with my macro lens. In this blog post I am highlighting some images that were taken from a unique perspective, or taken with using a foreground or background to support the rest of the image.

I saw this photo opportunity right after arriving at our camp site. We had bright blue skies and the sun was lighting this great bloom of Queen Anne's Lace, and I just had to shoot some images of this. I wanted to shoot this from a unique perspective, so I got down low and shot straight up into the flower. 

Later that evening, as the sun departed from Northern California, I grabbed this shot. I could have just shot a picture of just the sun going down into the ocean, but thought that I would frame the image with some of the local foliage and fallen tree branches.

The next day, we traveled into Ferndale, CA to have some lunch and see some old friends. I took a walk and saw this lone flower growing in front of these pretty purple flowers. I positioned myself so that the flower was towards the bottom of the image (using the rule of thirds) and shot at an aperture (f4) that would make it the only flower that was perfectly in focus.

When hiking through the giant redwood forest, I wanted to capture the majesty of these old growth trees. Pointing the camera straight up, I shot this image at f16 to create the star burst effect from the sun, which was barely visible through the canopy of trees. (Photographers note: Whenever you are taking pictures, especially in an area like this, it is always a good idea to look up, down and all around you to see what might be interesting. It never ceases to amaze me how many different images can be achieved from one spot, just by looking in all directions.)

As my wife was scouring the beach for agates, I took this photo of the seagulls on the edge of the water line. I really like the complete calm of the gulls with the rough sea directly behind them. Again, the foreground and background work together to tell a story and create the image.

Just after shooting the seagull image, I thought that it would be cool to lay the 5D Mark II down on the rocks to get a totally different perspective of the beach. This placement of the camera really magnifies the rocks and helps the viewer understand that this is not your usual sandy beach. I shot this image at f13 because I wanted most everything to be in focus, with just a hint of blur in the foreground and background.

I also though that this would make a cool video from this spot, so I put the 5D Mark II into video mode, waited for a family to get into the frame, and shot this. Pretty cool stuff.

Look for wildlife photos and cool night shots in the next 2 blog posts.

Camping at Patrick's Point (very North in CA) - Macro photography

We just returned from 5 days of camping in Patrick's Point State Park and had a great time. While my wife and kids were searching for agates on Agate Beach, I was searching for cool pictures along the trails of the state park. Having been to the park many times in the past, this time I decided to focus on macro photography for a portion of the trip. (Photographers note: There is nothing better than putting yourself on assignment. Think of an interesting topic and spend some time searching out those shots. Since I had photographed here before and already taken many of the "standard images", I wanted to try something different. This also forced me to walk much slower and look at details which I would never have seen in the past.)

 

This park is known for the abundance of banana slugs, much to my kids entertainment and disgust. Most people take images of these creatures from afar and avoid getting too close to these slimy guys. I used my Sigma 70mm macro lens (sometimes with an extension tube) to get right into their world up close and personal. (You can click on the images to see them larger.)

 

Our camp site was surrounded by flowering plants, which meant that I did not have to go far to key in on the bees which were hard at work collecting pollen. (Photographers note: When using a macro lens and shooting up close like this, you will want to choose an aperture of at least f11 to give you some wiggle room in your depth of field. This is especially true if you are using an extension tube with your macro lens. I find it easier to turn off auto focus and instead focus manually and slowly lean in and out of the shot to try and nail the focus.)

 

This macro shot captures the bumble bee with his tongue deep into the flower. It also looks like he is looking right into the lens of the camera.

I found this little guy hanging out on a leaf and was captivated by the iridescent colors showing on his wings.

As with any good photography, composition is very important. I saw this sprout which extended above the others and was perfectly framed by some green ferns in the background. I used the macro lens and set the aperture to blur the ferns while keeping the forground plant in perfect focus.

As I walked slowly along the hiking trail, I came across a banana slug on a tree trunk. I looked at it and determined that it was not photo worthy. But, then I looked up and saw this tiny little mushroom growing out of the trunk. Even though this mushroom was probably no more than one inch wide, the macro lens helps to get us up close to show the details that we might not ever see otherwise.

 

I saw these beautiful yellow flowers and thought that they might make a nice picture, but it needed a little more. Then I came across this fly who was hanging out, obviously waiting for a portrait session, so I obliged. The large red eyes and the colors in the wings really worked well against the bright yellow pedals of the flower.

This last macro shot is probably my favorite of the collection. Honestly, it was not my intention to get this insect in the shot. I was leaning down to take an image of the purple flower and then this little guy flew into the frame. I quickly repositioned and fired off some shots to try and get the insect in perfect focus. (Photographers note: Not all photos can be perfectly planned, and that is OK. Learn to adapt quickly to any situation and you will capture some really nice shots to add to your portfolio.)

Look for more images from this trip in the coming weeks. I gave myself some other assignements which included:

1. Capturing images from a different perspective
2. Wildlife in and around the park
3. Night shots (sunsets, the moon and star trails)

Having fun taking portraits on a rainy day

It was a couple of weeks ago, on a Friday evening, when Maddie (a family friend) joined my son and I on a photo journey. Maddie is such a beautiful girl and I asked her if we could shoot some portrait shots of her around our town. She readily agreed, so off we went to find some cool locations. Before we took off from the house, we grabbed a couple of umbrellas. We did this for two reasons. First, the clouds were rolling in and it looked like rain was only minutes away, and secondly I thought that it would make for a cool prop.

We started out at the train tracks. If you have been reading the blog for the last couple of months, you know that I have shot here a couple of times in the last 3 months. Maddie had seen the other portraits that we took here and she really liked this locale. The rain had not started yet, but I liked the umbrella in the shot.

Upon returning to my home studio, and editing the images, we wondered if the red umbrella clashed with her purple shirt. So, using the "replace color" command in Photoshop CS5, I changed the color of the umbrella and also removed the text.

After shooting the images above, I asked Maddie to take a walk along the tracks and photographed her walking in both directions. I really like this shot, because unlike so many of the other shots, she is looking away from the camera. (Photographer's note: This image is made stronger by the fact that she is in perfect position on the train tracks - not too close and not too far - and right in mid stride.  The fact that she is not looking directly at the camera, gives the impression that we caught her in the middle of a walk, and not part of a photo shoot. On this shot, instead of changing the color of the umbrella, I changed the color of her sweater to a deep shade of blue.)
 

And then the rain really did start coming down. If you look closely at this image (you can click on it to see it a bit larger), you can see the rain drops in the background.

To avoid the rain, we hopped into the car and decided to drive into new areas of Saratoga to see if we could find any new areas to shoot portraits. We came across this tiny little park, and since the rain had stopped, we hopped out to try some shots on a small bridge.

For this image, I edited the RAW file and then used NIK Color Efex Pro 3.0 to add a "glamour glow" to the final piece.

As I was shooting these images of Maddie on the bridge, my son walked along the nearby dry creek bed and found some cool mossy trees. After grabbing numerous shots on the bridge, we followed him to check it out. I came across this one area where the tree trunks came together and I asked Maddie to go behind the tree and rest on the mossy trunk.  There was perfect light coming from behind Maddie, lighting her hair, and I added a hint of light from my flash.

As a gift to her, I made a 13"x19" print of this image on my new Epson R2000 printer. I printed this on Epson's Velvet Fine Art paper and it looked awesome. She now has this hanging in her room. (Photographer's note: Shooting images like this is a win/win for you and the "model". She gets some nice images for her Facebook page, her parents get some nice shots to print and use at home, and you get the satisfaction of capturing photos for friends. Oh, and we had a fun time during the process!) 

A chance to photograph a very special event

Over the last 6 years, I have photographed many Bar and Bat Mitzvahs, but yesterday was the first time photographing two sisters of different ages. Michelle is 13 and her older sister Nicole, who has down syndrome, is 16. I was honored to be able to capture images of the two of them as they celebrated their big day.

Last month, in preparation of the B'not Mitzvah (not called a Bat Mitzvah when there are two girls - yep, I just learned this too), I took portraits shots of the girls at their home.

Taking these portraits was a lot of fun for all of us and also allowed me to get to know the kids (and the parents), so that yesterday we all knew each other and everyone was at ease in front of the camera.

These images were taken at Temple Beth Am in Los Altos Hills, CA. It is an amazing Temple for photography since the synagogue is surrounded by clear windows and the colors are amazing! As you can tell from this shot, we were having some fun while taking the Torah pictures.

Whenever I photograph these types of events, I am always looking for those moments where the kids (or other participants) show true emotion. This is one of those moments. I am not exactly sure what happened, but Michelle broke into a big smile when her parents were reading a Hebrew passage. Did they make a mistake? We will have to ask Michelle.

This is another one of those moments when the family was all having a good time. Capturing a big smile on one person is really nice, but getting a shot like this, with everyone showing that emotion, is just awesome! (Photographers note: It is very important to be at your camera, ready to shoot images, at all times during a mitzvah, wedding or whatever event you are shooting. You never know when a special moment will present itself, and it is your job to be there to capture that for the family. For this shot, I used a Canon 5D Mark II with a 100-400mm L Series lens mounted onto a Gitzo tripod. This was in the back of the synagogue at approximately 200 feet from the subjects. Settings: ISO 3200, Shutter speed of 1/80, and aperture of f5.6)

At almost every Mitzvah I get a picture of the person lifting the Torah, but I like this one because it was taken mid-way through the lift, and you can see the reflection of the Torah in his glasses.

This is another favorite of the day, because it shows both sisters having a good time. It was so touching to see the bond between these two, and I think that comes out in the photos.

The DJ (Alan Waltz Entertainment) was amazing as always, and had the kids all decked out in paraphernalia. I asked the girls if they wanted to take a fun shot with them all around me and it was their idea to don the glasses for the shot. (Photographer note: In order to get a shot like this, you need to use a wide lens, like a 16-35mm on a full frame camera, and an external flash with a diffuser. Then you lay down on the ground and shoot straight up, focusing on one of the kids faces, making sure that you light everyone evening. This is a great way to set yourself apart from all the other photographers, trying something new and fun.)

This last shot is special, because Nicole spent a lot of time hanging with friends but not dancing too often. Then, towards the end of the day, she got up and joined the fun. This was the perfect time to key in on her and get pictures of her breaking loose. Love that!

When I got home from this long day and started going through the 2234 images, I realized why I love doing this job. For one day I get to become a part of another family and experience the day along side them. I am there to help calm them in the morning, to share the relief and excitement when they have completed the service, and to celebrate with them afterwards. And celebrate they did. Congratualtions to Michelle and Nicole for being great sisters and now great adults.

Photographing a swim meet

If you have been reading my blog for many years, you know that I have photographed many swim meets (and swimming at the Olympics in Beijing). Well...it is swim season again, so it was time to break out the camera and head to the club for some shots at the first swim meet. I wanted to post this blog at the beginning of the swim season to give some tips to those other parents and future photographers.

My favorite swim stroke to photograph is the butterfly. You can get some great wide shots of the kids with their arms outstretched, but more importantly, you can see their faces when they come out of the water to take a breath. I usually photograph the kids from the far side of the pool, straight on. (Photographer tip: To get the best images, set your camera to continuous shooting mode, set your camera to shutter priority and select a shutter speed of at least 1/500 to freeze the action. You also want to set the focus mode of your camera to "servo focus" which will follow the swimmer and keep them focused as they come towards you.)
 

It is always fun to shoot images of the older kids, because their strokes are more pefected and they provide better action shots. But, don't forget about the little kids. They can provide a whole bunch of fun moments for you to capture. In the shot above, you can see that this little girl makes the mistake that almost every young swimmer makes, she spends a lot of time looking to see where the other swimmers are, as opposed to swimming faster and beating her best time. I love that in the younger kids!

Here is another picture of the young swimmer who is just taking off from the wall to swim backstroke across the pool. For this shot, I stood on the starting block, right above her, and shot this photo right as she pushed off. Notice the way that the water envelopes her, and looks really cool. (Photographer tip: Try to find new and interesting views of the swimmers. Most every other parent will stand at the side of the pool and shoot images from their height. Try moving to unique vantage points and try getting images both from a low and high position.) 

This is one of my favorite images from the day. Partly because I am a sucker for cute little kids, but also because it was this little 4 year-olds first time swimming in a meet and she gave everything she had to get across the pool (and she did). I got down to the water level and shot this image of her. This vantage point really brings the viewer right into this little girl's world.

The nice thing about the newer DSLR cameras is that they can take 3 or more pictures per second, thus making it easier to capture your subject at the height of the action. But, even with this advantage, it is still difficult to capture the exact moment that you might be looking for. I still find that the best way to get the peak of action is to hit the shutter at the exact point where you want the image. For this shot above, I purposely waited and shot this image to get the swimmer right before she came up for a breath. I like the fact that you can see her eyes (goggles) through the water.

Here is another favorite shot from the day. I shot this image of this boy doing the breast stroke  and grabbed a couple of shots where his face is masked with water. What makes this so cool, is that, most people would never see this during the meet. Because the camera can freeze the action in a fraction of a second, you can expose the unseen moments. I love that! (Photographer note: This was shot at1/2000 sec on an overcast day, which is ideal weather for shooting outdoor swim meets. Overcast skies help you avoid the deep shadows, while still giving you ample light for fast action shots.)

As I mentioned before, I normally photograph the breast stroke from the end of the pool, straight on to the swimmer, but since I practice what I preach, I went for a different angle this time, and really liked it. Not only does this show my daughter from a nice perspective, but it also shows that she is ahead of another swimmer in the race, helping to tell the story.

One more tip. Don't just photograph the swimmers. There is a lot action happening around the pool deck. Keep your head up and look for the unexpected moments. In this picture, taken during the final relay, you see this girl's teammates encouraging her to finish strong. This shows real emotion and shows the team spirit. I hope that these tips will help someone out there get better pictures of their kids and their friends. Happy shooting

Goodbye to our dog Bailey - another sad day in the Cable family

I will be the first to admit that back in 2005, I was not in favor of getting a dog. But my wife and kids convinced me that we needed a canine in the family. Reluctantly, I agreed, thinking about all of the added responsibilities, costs and chores that the kids would most likely not perform.  And then...we found our little puppy, Bailey.

 

At the time, he was a cute little thing (but not little for long).

This is one of our all-time favorite images. Ali holding Bailey for the first time. Both of them were so small at the time.

Bailey quickly grew to a whopping 107 pounds. Yep - My wife wanted a medium sized dog that did not shed, and we got this big guy! He was our gentle giant. My friend came over to the house and said "Wow!  That isn't a dog, he should have his own zip code!" That made us laugh. This is a picture of Bailey up in Mammoth, CA where he used to love burying his head in the snow. Photographing a big black dog is not very easy, since it is so hard to see his eyes. But, photographing a big black dog in the snow is ideal since all the white reflects in their eyes and makes them more visible.

Here is another family favorite image, with our three "kids" having fun with their eye glasses. Yep, Bailey would let us dress him up in all kinds of outfits, and he really didn't care. 

 

Another outfit for Bailey. Guess what time of year this was? :)

 

Bailey was the subject of many of my images. Almost everyone who knew him would comment about there being something very human in his eyes. He was a cross between a Golden Retriever and a Standard Poodle, otherwise known as a Golden Doodle or Golden Poo (although I always refused to call him by those terms since they sounds too weird).

My wife taught Bailey all kinds of tricks. This was his "so embarrassed" posed where he would lay down and put his head on the ground and hide his eyes. This always made us laugh.

Now that Bailey has "crossed the fence" and gone to another yard somewhere in the sky, we hope that he is making other people as happy as he made us. Bailey had many other people who loved him, who are no longer with us today, and we hope that he is playing tug-o-war with them now. Bye buddy - we miss you a ton!