kritterspaw

May Day Snow

Posted on May 6, 2016May 6, 2016 by kritterspaw

When I wrote about Snow showers in my kritterspaw blog (here), I thought it was our last snow storm of the year. Phoenix, 2 hours south has already seen 90F days. Well, in the week since then Phoenix has seen 100F days, the calendar has rolled over to May, and we got another snow storm. Much to the delight of our visiting San Diego friends, we were treated with a magical day on the rim of light snow, fog, and cool weather conditions. The weather made for interesting photos and a great day.

We managed to grab an opening in the snow fall to stop for a glorious picnic as we watched the snow melt off the trees like pouring rain.

As the fog rolled in, the weather just got more mysterious, and along with it the photographic opportunities.

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While you couldn’t see the rim well, it brought an otherworldly eeriness to our outing.

It truly was a magical day. So glad we were able to enjoy it, and share it with friends.

Tufted Red Squirrel

Posted on April 26, 2016April 26, 2016 by kritterspaw

redleapPS cropi.jpg We get a lot of squirrels and chipmunks. There are not unusual around here. But we get these tufted eared squirrel occasionally that are very striking looking. I originally thought that they are Kaibab squirrel, but Kaibab squirrels are known for being primarily in conifer forests in North Grand Canyon. So either these little guys are lost… or they are just garden variety tufted ear squirrels. Our visiting squirrel is likely a Abert’s Squirrel which is the variety found in South Grand Canyon.

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Either way, this little guy has gotten pretty comfortable here, and comes to visit occasionally. Whatever family they belong to, we’re happy to have them visit and pose for my photos. Smile, you’re on Kathy’s camera. :)

The Pano

Posted on April 14, 2016 by kritterspaw

I often take Panorama’s, but seldom actually stitch them together.

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So let me step back a minute. Panorama’s are a wide span photo, either vertical or horizontal. These days you can do them with your camera or point & shoot, where in some ways they are easier. Just press the button to go… and again to stop. Wa-la.

To do them with DSLR is a little more complicated. In Photoshop, you do a Photomerge, which is hidden under the obscure tree File – Automate – Photomerge. Select the photos you want to merge and it will whir and wiz until it comes up with a compilation of your photos stitched together. You’ll have to do some cropping or Content Aware patching to fill in any holes… but wa-la… the Pano.

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A good tip when you do the Pano in camera is to stick up one finger to designate that you are beginning a pano… then take your series, trying to remain level to the horizon and constant focus & exposure as you sweep your photos across, then stick up 2 fingers to designate that you are done.

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This way when you are going through you digital negatives you know you have done a pano and can stitch it together using Photomerge in Photoshop.

Admittedly, I will take them, but rarely get around to or bother to stitch them together. Maybe it’s because they just don’t inspire me as great photos, they are difficult to print, and hard to email. Some subject matters do lend themselves to the pano format however. So don’t necessarily blow them off. Give them a try to enhance the story telling of your trip.

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Whether to Weather

Posted on April 7, 2016April 7, 2016 by kritterspaw

My friend, Maureen, recently asked me which is better – gray skies or blue.

Hmmm. As in all things… it depends.

I love the dark clouds of an oncoming storm. It adds such great interest to a photo. Gray clouds are an entire different matter. They can create a washed out dull photo. In those situations it may be best to just cut the sky out of the photo altogether and enjoy the absence of a gray washed out sky.

Blue sky on the other hand can be very harsh and lend no interst to the sky… no drama or interest.

It’s as they always say … dawn & dusk are the best.

Those times yield the best low lighting on your subject casting a nice soft glow.

Weather can yield the best photos. Dark, bloomy clouds add depth. But if it’s just gray and overcast it can create a bad photo day. Watch for the weather. Embrace it, and take advantage of the weather… it often adds more than less.

Arches National Park

Posted on April 6, 2016April 6, 2016 by kritterspaw

Arches, while aptly named with memorable arches to view and walk amongst, is so much more. It is multiple spires, hoodoos if you will, large canyons and seas of rock formations jutting out of the valley floor… and arches.

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Arches true colors shine at sunset when the colors turn a brilliant unreal orange-red.

The rock pillars radiate as if they were on fire, taking on an other worldly glow. It makes you stop dead in your feet just to take it in. It comes like a storm, lights up the world, then without pause or hesitation it disappears behind the horizon until it comes back tomorrow.

For me, I’m just happy to be witness to it’s grandeur and share in it’s awesome beauty.

Slot Canyons

Posted on April 6, 2016April 7, 2016 by kritterspaw

Slots canyons are a landscape that is reminiscent of the desert southwest. They are completely unique to Arizona / Utah area. It’s not like they are common in Florida or Maine. They are canyonesque shapes and textures that are unique unto themselves.

Here in Arizona they are common through the Indian Reservations… which unfortunately makes them expensive. But there are other less accessible places to enjoy them, though they do require knowledge, agility, and a hike to get there.

They also require, if you’re so inclined, finesse in capturing them photographically. Slot canyons are an illusive subject matter with their sandstone form and varying light. They represent an abstract challenge to capture visually.

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For me, they are difficult to capture. Maybe because I tend to photograph tangible subjects like wildlife and landscape. Photographing something abstract takes imagination. You must see the shapes, contours and contrasts without washing out the colors. It’s also technically difficult because the poor (dark) lighting conditions require a tripod … and a cloudy white balance setting promotes the orangey hue. Pity I don’t have more opportunity to practice.

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Lake Powell – Alstrom Point

Posted on April 4, 2016 by kritterspaw

Have you been to… or heard of Alstrom Point? It’s on the back side of Lake Powell, north of Page. We have seen photos of this amazing place and wanted to check it out for ourselves. If you go to Page, continue west to Big Water. Stop at Big Water Visitor Center for a fascinating education in this dinosaur rich area, with over 4000 dinosaur’s being discovered just in the last 10 years, many newly discovered species. They’ll give you a detailed map on how to get to Alstrom Point. But essentially it’s behind Big Water along a long 2 hour dirt road.

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The overlook was nothing short of stunning.

We camped out so we could get sunset, sunrise, and star photos. We enjoyed it so much, we stayed 2 nights. It was one of those magical moments that you remember for a life time. Watching the full moon rise over the lake was fantastic. This orange ball rose just behind Gunsight Butte, lighting up the sky like it burst into flames.

Because we were there 2 nights we got to do sunrise and sunset, as well as night stars.

Pictures don’t do it justice. It was a fabulous couple days.

From the Archives: Amalfi Coast, ITALY

Posted on March 18, 2016March 18, 2017 by kritterspaw

I’ve said it before… but I feel very fortunate to have had the opportunity to travel the world. There are far more places that I haven’t been, than I have. Yet having been to around 40 countries, I’ve seen enough to ‘get the bug’. To some, 40 countries may be a lot… to others, not very many. It depends on your perspective. If you live in Europe, it’s nothing. If you live in the USA, it’s more than most.

Either way, I love the beauty and culture of new places. I find that Europe in particular has so much history, architecture, and scenery, which gives it a great depth of character.

We do love Italy… I’m not sure I’ve been anywhere in Italy I haven’t liked. The food is amazing, the people gregarious, and the atmosphere eclectically wonderful. If you’ve been to Venice, you know exactly what I mean.

I pulled these photos out of a trip my husband and I took in 2008 to the Amalfi Coast. With houses hanging on the sides of mountains, colorful rooftops and city domes as they jut right into the sea… it’s fantastically picturesque.

While in Amalfi Coast we spent time in many of the small cities along the coast, including Sorrento, Amalfi, Positano, and Cefula. Each has it’s own charm.

The mix of sea, land, food, culture, and picturesque landscape is absolutely intoxicating. Just looking at the photos makes me want to go back. Thanks for reminiscing with me.

Campground Glow

Posted on March 6, 2016March 6, 2016 by kritterspaw

We went camping the other day, and to be perfectly honest, I’m a bit embarrassed by how FEW photos I took. The advantage to night camping (particularly at my age) is I can get night shots – stars, milky way, etc. But I took only a handful of photos… and didn’t stray far from the fire.

This time of year, there is still some snow on the ground, and the overnight temps can be chilly. So I didn’t even get out the tripod. I handheld my camera and took a couple pix of my favorite model – my faithful and patient love-of-my-life husband, John.

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It stuns me the quality of photo one can get in our digital cameras these days. With ISO’s that can go up to 200,000, one can make a pitch dark photo look like daylight. In the old days of film, you could buy high ISO film, but you paid for it in graininess and noise in your photos. Forget about using your zoom or stopping down your aperture, it was just grainy.

The photo above was taken at an aperture of f/9.0 at 4000 ISO. Amazing right?

Above was taken at f/4.0, 10,000 ISO. By shooting with a large aperture I could not only draw in as much light as possible, my depth of field is shallow, and I grab the cast glow from the fire. It’s just amazing to see what modern digital cameras are capable of.

The Study of Elk

Posted on February 12, 2016February 12, 2016 by kritterspaw

As with anything we are passionate about, and aspire to do better, we must practice and study. Learning from masters in the trade that have come before us is a good way of learning. As such, I have been studying from my photography masters and reading their advice and wisdom. Joe McNally, as a photo journalist, cites the key is to capture ‘gestures’. Whether it’s in the expressions, the actions of the individuals, or the drama as it unfolds. No doubt, Joe didn’t have elk in mind when he offers this advice. But the same is true.

Just as ‘a picture tells a story’, so do the movements and expressions of my subject… and in this case, our elk. Their territorial nudges, tender nose kisses, or ‘banter’ between themselves all convey emotion and interest.

I’ve been fortunate enough to get a lot of elk photos… but with the astute advice of a photography master… my photos can become better, more poignant, and tell a better story.

kritterspix

K. Ritter's photographs and photo musings from northern arizona

Author: kritterspaw