Pixel Wrangler

O.K. Here's a quick post of how light can change the mood of a photograph. While at Arches National Park the wind picked up and it changed from a nice sunny day into thunder showers. Then after standing in the wind and rain for hours I left.

As I turned out of the parking lot the light began to peek through the clouds and I drove right back and jumped out. I had been standing with a fellow photographer Robert Curtis who kept telling me that the clouds would break. Of course he had also left. As the sun poured onto the rocks, and the dark storm clouds remained in the background, Robert pulled up. He hadn't gone very far either.

The Sunset put on quite a show and I kept shooting right into twilight. I had plenty of time to make a couple of panoramas. It's amazing to see the dramatic change from photo to photo. It's the same subject only the light is changing. Ah the life of a Pixel Wrangler on the open range.

For more photos see my gallery.










A special thanks goes out to Robert Curtis for encouraging me to stay.

Photographing Mesa Arch

After an hour drive from Moab and a short hike I arrived at the famed Mesa Arch. It was 45 minutes before Sunrise and I wasn't alone. At least 8 other photographers were already in place. In what was likely the very best spot was a Italian photographer with a 4x5 and to his left were 2 other pro photographers. By the time the sun came up the total had doubled (mostly Germans), but everyone was polite and I was able to get a good spot. Thanks to one and all.


I had seen many photos from this very spot. When sailors finally cross the equator they get a tattoo of Neptune. I believe with this shot you earn your right of passage, but instead of Neptune it'll be Ansel Adams. (Lovely thought huh.) Anyway, I thought that the sweet light would be right at Sunrise and last but for a few minutes. The light was good at that time, providing a red glow underneath, but the rest of the Arch was very dark, so I zoomed in a little to capture the under glow and valley below. I stopped down f22 and focused on the far lip of the arch which gave me enough depth of field to reach from the front face of the arch to valley below. I just let the sun peek through in order to get a sun star. (Make sure you use a small f-stop. I used f22.) I shot a few more and then I waited for the sun to really come up. About 15 minutes later the Arch had enough ambient light to show detail and the glow was just as bright. I angled my shot to show more of the Arch and a little sky.


About 40 minutes after Sunrise the glow was just starting to fade. Most of the photographers had left but a few die hards were still up front. (Including me.) I wanted to get the entire arch in so I did a quick pano group. I set my camera up in the portrait position (Vertical - an L-Bracket really helps here). I made sure that my focus, aperture and shutter were all on manual. I wasn't using a polarizer, but if I had I would have taken it off to ensure a even sky. Then I loosened the base of my ballhead and took about 8 shots with plenty of overlap. (That's not what hangs over my belt, but about a 50 percent overlap of each frame.) I just rotate the camera using the base. The tripod was fairly level, but not prefect.

Back at the ranch I stitched the frames together with ArcSoft's Panorama Maker 4. I thought the perspective would be off since I was so close, but it was fine. Not bad for one morning's work. As for the tattoo well...

Tech Info: Canon 1Ds Mark II, Tamron 28-75mm Lens, Gitzo Tripod, No Filters.
For more on Panoramas see my previous article A Stitch In Time
More more photos see my gallery - Latest Additions

A Stitch In Time

After reading Don Gale's Blog on stitching I decided to try it myself. I pulled out some old images from 2004 at Oxbow Bend, WY. I downloaded the trial version of Arcsoft Panorama Maker 4. Now I had tried this same sequence of photos before both in Photoshop and Canon's software without success.


I popped the photos in and within seconds the image appeared. It was perfect. Flawless! Wow! I know that I shot this with too wide a lens, and although I had used a tripod, it was anything but straight. I brought it back into Lightroom and tweaked the levels. This is what I love about digital. As time goes by the software keeps improving. Not only are the images I'm shooting now effected, but so are my images from the past.

Of course you don't have to use Panorama Maker just for panoramics. You can use it just to get more resolution for those extra big prints. I knew I had a shot a sequence of Multnomah Falls just for this purpose. I loaded the images, changed the direction to vertical, and let 'er rip. Presto. Success at last.

Arcsoft Panorama Maker is going to change the way I shoot in the field. After all these were worst case examples. I'll be shooting many more panoramics now that it's so easy.

If you'd like to try it yourself just follow the directions on Don Gale's Blog or join him on a workshop. Now as for that bigger printer...



For a more detailed review and panoramic tips see Don Gale's Blog
For a trial copy or to buy visit Arcsoft Panorama Maker