My wife runs a fine art dance studio called Starlet Dance Works. In the latter years one of the parents have taken the pictures of the dancers on the photodays. This year his daughter doesn’t dance anymore and my wife was looking for a different photographer. Well she looked at me and said “You should do it”

So here we are.

Studio Photography is something I haven’t done to much of. I have done some now and then but then in other places where I could rent studio space and have all this professional grade lighting equipment at hand. Now I don’t have that where we live and I didn’t own anything of that sorts.  So as many others I went to Amazon to look what was there – I already knew that real equipment is far outside my budget to acquire for one shoot.

Amazon has a lot of things both really high quality and not so much. Low end complete studio packages are not the best, you get what you pay for so to say.

I found my package that had lights, light stands, umbrellas, backdrop and backdrop holder for $94.  It allowed me to get a decent result, but it is also a good showcase why quality tools and products cost more.

For dance positions the backdrop was rather narrow – I should have looked for a wider one.  I should have brought an extension cord, the light cables are very short, thanks to the neighbor of the studio this was solved. The lamps are not powerful enough to really cast enough light to light up the person in the shoot. The backdrop, it comes in two colors, I chose the white one, it was a little wrinkled and I thought I straighten it out in Photoshop – was a dumb assumption, gave me tons of extra work – next time I’ll iron it or choose a paper backdrop.

In 2010 I had the pleasure of being in Varanger, in Northern Norway. My brother was living up in Vadsø and I was there visiting him. The peninsula description from Wikipedia:

Varanger Peninsula is a peninsula in Finnmark county, Norway. It is located in the northeasternmost part of Norway, along the Barents Sea. The peninsula has the Tanafjorden to the west, the Varangerfjorden to the south, and the Barents Sea to the north and east. The municipalities of Vadsø, Båtsfjord, Berlevåg, Vardø, Tana, and Nesseby share the 2,069-square-kilometre (799 sq mi) peninsula. Nesseby and Tana are only partially on the peninsula, with the rest being entirely on the peninsula.
The peninsula gave the name to the Varangian glaciation episode. A large part of this peninsula, including the town of Vardø (located on an island just off the coast of the peninsula), has an Arctic tundra climate. However, on the south coast, including the town of Vadsø, there is sufficient summer heat for birch trees to grow. The area has rugged mountain terrain with altitudes up to 633 metres (2,077 ft).

So far north the landscape is very different then south in the country, there are more high mountain vegetation close to the shore. the area is naturally rather sparse populated. And since all houses were burned by the German occupying force during World War II to avoid the Russian army having any houses, all the houses are built after 1945.

I captured the experience of this place in this black and white photos.

I wanted to go to the shore and take some nice exposures of the light that is during the so called «blue hour», which is the time right before it gets dark after sunset.

I chose to go to the peninsula Bygdøy that is in the south of Oslo. Here I had good sight towards the light industrialised area Fornebu, with the headquarter of among Telenor.

It was clear weather and almost not wind. There were just a few waves on the fjord. If it had been more waves the water would have ended up being more diffuse. I placed the camera on a tripod in the shore of the water, as I wanted the rocks there in the foreground. I used the widest angle of my Canon EF 24-70mm F2.8L lens, 24mm, and set the aperture for f22. This ensured that I required a lot of light to make the exposure work. As the manual exposure settings on my Canon 1D Mark IV does not support more than 30 seconds shutter, I needed to use the bulb menu. I already had to use a remote. I now also have to time the shutter speed. I needed a shutter speed of about 60-80 seconds. The camera has a timer on its upper display, but it has no light (for that long) and I do not want to light the camera with a flashlight adding unnatural light to the shot. Therefor I use my cell phone.

I took a few different shots in different angles and soon discovered that taking photos in the opposite direction of the sun required far longer exposure times, obvious. I did some experiment with 4+ minutes and lighted the foreground with a flashlight. A project for another time.

I am happy with how the photos came out. After a little touchup in Adobe Lightroom they were ready to go. I always shoot in RAW, so some editing is always needed.

The last two days it has been raining here. rather heavy after almost two weeks with sun. Sun is nice, but sun often entail no clouds. Clouds give pictures more life.

As the rain stopped I wanted to capture some of the beauty and drama that was out there.  I put my camera on the tripod and took the shot. The photo under was shot at 24mm @ 4s, f18, ISO 50

This is a great landscape with amazing contrasts and colors. I wanted to take it further. So I put on a Lee Big Stopper to see if I was able to really draw movement direction of the water and clouds together. I first tried to do it with the same aperture, this however required an exposure time of around 20-30 minutes, closer to 30, if the light had been constant. However as it got fast darker it would have to be something for another time. I readjusted the aperture to 3,5 and shot a photo at on 125 seconds instead. This would also ensure that the moon that was up wouldn’t drift to much in the frame. I am pleased with the end results.

When traveling to see other places of the world there are several things that are important to consider:

• Equipment, what should I bring
• What do I plan on photographing. This dictates or is being dictated by the equipment I bring.
• Bring a good rucksack for equipment, that also enables you to carry water, food and some clothing.

As I was going to visit the love of my life and she knows I enjoy being out in nature, hiking and taking landscapes I decided to specialise on that. For camera I brought my Canon 1D Mark IV with only Canon EF 24-70mm F2.8L lens. I brought the tripod in the suitcase, as well as some filters. Lee Big Stopper, Little Stopper, a pack of gradient ND filters as well as a coloured sunset filter pack. In other words a light little package, that is specialised towards taking landscapes, but offers the versatility to take other photos, like generally holiday photos as well.

She took me to a Summit called the Sleeping Beauty. Not sure where the name comes from. It is at the foothills of the Adirondack Mountains. The Adirondacks is a massive mountain range north in NY state.

We had a great walk trough forrest terrain first at a dirt road, later on steep single track. I carried everything in a durable Norrøna 45L rucksack. I like this as it provides both good carry comfort and enough space to have with whatever needed. It has been a travel companion of me since I bought it in 96.

After close to two hour walk upwards being much alone in the forrest, seeing chip-monks and some different birds we came out on a clearing that was the summit. The view here was both surprising as well as fantastic. A tight layer of forrest in many different green colors, and hills upon hills as long as the eye could see.

As there where a few clouds I decided to go for a long time exposure both with the Lee Big Stopper and the Lee Graduate ND filter, chose the 0.9 version and took this shot at ISO 50 with aperture of f16 for 25 seconds.

Took a panorama with my iPhone to get the feel of the landscape as well.

In Norway we are into the “Outdoor recreation year”. In whole 2015 it will be marked with different arrangements to point out how amazing it is to be outdoors. His Majesty Crown Prince Haakon is the high protector of this year long happening. He had chosen a few activities he wanted to visit and one of them where The Norwegian Guide and Scout Association.

This beautiful autumn day in early september, the 7th, the weather was good and temperature around  18-19 degrees Celsius. 30 scouts where there to teach the the Crown Prince and his daughter about scout activities. They where to make a meal on a camp fire.

I was here to take pictures for the Scout Association to be used for magazine later this autumn, the website and for other publications. It was a well arranged photo session. In addition to us from the Scouts, me and a journalist, there were TV teams from NRK and TV2. NTB had one who filmed and a photographer and the local newspaper budstikka had a journalist and a photographer. The communications office of the castle had arranged for us to be transported up in a car, have 30 minutes to take pictures and then be transported down again. Giving a different perspective to work with.

How does one prepare for a job like this?

As I didn’t really know what to expect of access to the scouts and the royals I thought I had to prepare for everything. I packed two camera bodies. My main, Canon 1D Mark IV, and my backup Canon 40D. Ideally I think the backup camera should have been upgraded, the 40D lacks buffer. It is always irritating to have to wait for the photos to be saved when your out shooting at a job. I had with me three lenses. Canon EF 24-70mm F2.8L, Canon 70-200mm F4L and Canon 300mm F2.8L IS. The Canon 24-70mm is my workhorse, suitable for a vide range of subjects and situations. The 300mm is very good at isolating a face in a crowd, due to the shallow depth the 2.8 aperture gives, as well as the superb bookeh this lens creates. The 70-200mm F4L lens I have never really fallen in love with. I do not use this range much really, although the lens is a great one. I keep bringing it with me on travels and assignments without really using it.

In addition I brought with me two Canon Speedlite 580 EX II flashes, as well as a tripod. I see now I could have let the tripod be home. Didn’t use the flashes either, however I should have used it when I shot som close up portraits to remove shade from eyes as the lighting was a bit hard.

Photos

Isolating from the crowd done with the Canon 300mm F2.8L IS USM lens. The subject stand out and even if the photo is chaotic it looks less crowded then it is. This is perhaps not the best example, will find better examples for later blog posts.

Here are some photos of the activities. Scouts trowing lifeline, to save someone on the ice.

Publications

Photos from this shoot have been published the following places:

• Norwegian Guides and Scout Association website
• Norwegian Guides and Scout Association members magazine
  

Today I am going on a travel for an organisation I am the Chairman of to Iceland.  There is a official program where some guiding is part of it. I will of course not pass on this opportunity and will bring some of my camera equipment to be able to take some landscape photos there.

Both on the guiding. Hope the others won’t hate me when I set up my rig and used 15-20 minutes each place I want to get a good shot. I am also hoping that there will be a hill or open area close to Reykjavik where I will be able to get some night shots of Northern Lights. I saw some really nice Northern Lights when I was in the army 18 years ago, but then I didn’t have camera with me.

Thinking of bringing

Benro Tripod with Ball-head
Canon EOS 1D Mark IV
Canon EF 24-70mm F2.8L
Big Stopper by Leefilters
Gradually ND filters by Leefilters

Considering also brining the lens I always pack but seldom use, Canon EF 70-200mm F4L.

Now I am back home from a weekend on Iceland. My first comment is that it is an amazing place on earth. The landscape is like never seen before; Very much affected of being an Volcanic Island, placed far up north with strong wind, strong currents in the ocean and a place where the weather shifts fast.

There where layers of clouds with the sun behind it, there where mountains and hills, there where flat landscape as long as the eye could see. I have no problem understanding why painters like Odd Nerdrum and others find this place to be inspiring.

One thing is for sure I want to go back, and then I will use time to wander in the wilderness, and be there several days exclusive for photography

This weekend I didn’t get the chances for that, so most of my photos from this weekend are taken trough a bus window, which sadly makes the great moments from landscapes useless for anything else then dreaming of this magnificent place and to remember why I should go here again.

On the first day of the weekend we visited the Bobby Fisher Center and the blue lagoon. The Chess Center was interesting, it is however more coined towards the climate in which he played and why he moved to Iceland instead of his achievement and development as a player. The Blue lagoon was not so great, an expensive tourist trap I would call it. You bath in warm water, that is actually spill water from a geo-thermal power plant. So it is a warm bath in a very salty water.

The experience of this day was the view back and forth with the bus to and from these places. The stop at some springs, these where special as there was a lot of different colours, based on the minerals of the ground. With a strong Sulphur smell in the air.

[wpvideo O3YV30o0]

In regards to my camera equipment I didn’t use the Canon EF 70-200mm F4L lens this weekend either. Perhaps if I stop bringing it I will have use for it ?

I used the some of the filters, and shot many of my photos with the gradient ND filters, as the sky was much brighter then the ground and many of my photos ended up being in the direction of the sun.

We also had a stop at a interesting beach, where I took some photos with Lee Big Stopper and tripod.

Iceland was a great experience. And as stated above I will be back.

Once again I find myself together with my camera out to get the shots I want when the day is going towards an end.

There is something very special with the time when the darkness falls upon us. I like how everything falls to rest and how the light is more crisp. Where I live in Norway the autumn and later the winter brings the darkness rather early in the day. It is a perfect place for photographers loving that time of the day. In the summer it doesn’t get really dark and such photos require you to be up really late, and still it isn’t the same.

With me I had my primary camera, Canon EOS 1D Mark IV, with my most used lens, Canon EF 24-70mm F2.8L. As well as my tripod, from Benro, and the Lee filter Big Stopper.

When I work I first find the motive I want to shoot. I shoot at ISO 100 or 50, and get the lighting correct for the shot.

This is shot with  1/60s f/14 at 24mm

It gives an idea of how the photo should be. I then wanted to freeze the water, or even out the motions of it. So I placed the camera on the tripod. Focused correctly, measured the lighting again, placed my lens on manual focus. When I place the Big Stopper filter on the camera will not be able to focus and autofocus is no use. I also block out the back of the camera to avoid getting lighting trough there.

I use a remote to take the photo, it is important to reduce all the options for unnecessary motions.

As you can see on this photo my tripod has no legs extended. The reason for this is that I want a low angle of approach into the photo. This requires me to sit on the ground when the photo is taken.

Using my cheat sheet I have found here makes it easier to calculate the shutter times.

I calculated this shot to be 8 seconds shutter, but after seeing it and looking at the histogram, I decided to increase the shutter time. I ended at 13 seconds before I was happy. What is also important to remember is that at this time of the day, it gets darker rapidly, which means that shots taken later on will require more light.

I am happy with the turnout of the shot. I experience I captured the essence of the moment and retold it as i wanted to do.

Seeing this photo few will be able to understand that it is taken in an metropolitan area with around 1,5 million people.

This year we have a long and rather mild autumn. Still there has hardly been any days with minus degrees. So there is still ample opportunities to get the nature in autumn colours.

There are some small rivers in the near area that are accessible and that provides good hills with trees that are bright yellow and reddish in colour.

When it comes to water and freezing movement without blurring it, the key is to have just enough exposure time. Usually between 1/2 and 1 seconds.

This is the camera on the tripod ready to take the photo. Here I also have a different challenge. The river is much brighter then the background hill.

This challenge I solve with a filter. I like the Lee filters. I have a gradient set of ND filters, and here I used the 0.9 ND Gradient Filter.

So then I did a photo with the filter on and tested with different exposure times. Ended up with an exposure of 1/8th second, probably because the water runs fast here.

End results: