The Intimate Lanscape

Image: 5D2, 70-200 f4 L IS, CPL. 1/5 sec, f11
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Image: The Painted Hills, 40D, 70-200 f2.8 L IS
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A lot of times we tend to look at the big picture, some times it helps to see less.
The intimate landscape is something I have been exploring for a while, inspired by some of Art Wolfe's work in this area. I often look beyond the total scene set out before me and try to find what makes the scene from a smaller perspective, details are what make up the whole scene and some of those details make very interesting compositions.

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Eagle Creek Columbia River Gorge

Image: 5D Mk II, 24-105 f4 L IS, CPL, 3 Stop GND, 1 sec at f11
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Image: 5D Mk II, 70-200 f4 IS L, CPL, 3 Stop GND, 1/2 sec at f11
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Image: 5D Mk II, 70-200 f4 IS L, CPL, 3 Stop GND, .8 sec at f11
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What has become one of my favorite places to shoot over the past few years, with its lush greenery, waterfalls and streams, wildflowers and Mt Hood, there are hundreds of places to choose from. One of my favorites is Eagle creek and in particular the Punchbowl falls area.
Above are three images from a recent trip, the same scene, three different focal length's 24mm, 70mm and 105mm, with the back light its a sight to see and I love to shoot here mid day.

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North Cascades and Olympic National Parks

Image: Unknown Falls, North Cascades National Park,5d Mk II, 17-40 f4 L, 3 stop GND filter
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Image: Lower Murhut Falls Olympic National Park,5d Mk II, 17-40 f4 L, 2 stop GND filter
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More to these parks than towering mountains, while I wait for the snow to melt I can pull details like these small and relatively unknown water falls, almost time to start the long hikes up in to the higher passes.

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Shooting Waterfalls

Image: Punchbowl Falls, 40D, 24-105 f4 L IS, f22, 2.5 sec, 65 mm.
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Image: Marymere Falls 40D, 17-40 f4 L, f11 1/5 sec, 25 mm.
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One of my favorite things to shoot, especially in the Columbia river Gorge, on the Oregon side.
Shooting waterfalls can be quit difficult, the contrast between the water and the surrounding landscape can be extreme to say the least and if sun light is landing on the water it becomes most times impossible to get a good shot. I prefer to shoot falls that are shaded when the contrast is closer between the falls and the surrounding area, this makes those over cast wet days great for getting out and exploring nearby waterfalls. Depending on conditions I may use a CPL or even a GND filter, I like to shoot them under one second to avoid to much of the misty water look, however some times when shooting in the canopy of the forest you may have to up the ISO to get the speed you want. Be creative and experiment, some time's a longer exposure works. A CPL or GND can help you get the longer exposure and by metering on the water (use exposure lock) and then recompose and focus on a foreground subject to add interest, you can get a nice even exposure, by metering on the brighter water the longer exposure will bring enough light to the surrounding area, remember if your foreground is not in focus the shot is ruined.

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5D Mk II, Second Thoughts.

Image: Seattle, 5D Mk II, 24-105 f4 L IS, 111mm, f11, 15 s, ISO 200.
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No, no second thoughts, this camera still impresses me. However I think its biggest down fall is its lack of Pro-Auto focus or at least Semi-Pro auto focus and full weather sealing. Canon should have improved the auto focus in this camera to at the very least the level of the 50D. I know they couldn't put the top of the line focus module in it, that would have killed 1Ds3 sales and a lot of people advocate focus and recompose, which works some of the time, but not when using AI servo on fast moving subjects like hummingbirds or other animals. The outer focus points are almost worthless in low light and you are left with a very fine center focus point. Guess I need a 1DMKIII, just don't have $7000.00 to spare on a camera though.

I now compare ISO 1600 on the Mk II to ISO 400 on the MK I so from what I have seen in the first 5000 or so shots, I see a 2 stop improvement in noise, that's pretty big going from 12.8 mp to 21.1 mp. ISO 3200 can be very usable depending on the how you use it, for web use most ISO 6400 shots are acceptable, for print use that will take a little more time to evaluate, but ISO 400 is very usable for large prints. The 100-200 range there is no noise, period. The live view, appears to work very well and I use it more than I thought I would, especially for those shots where it is hard to see in the view finder. Another great feature is being able to see all your settings and adjust them from the rear LCD screen, one press of the set button and then you can scroll through your settings. So far I am happy with the upgrade and the larger files, well, get a 1TB external drive for $200, problem solved.

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Aperture Priority and Landscapes

Image: 5D, 17-40 f4 L, ISO 100, F11 at 17 mm, inlet stream Moraine Lake. Larger Image

Image: 50D, 300 mm f4 L IS, f 7.1. Grand Teton NP Larger Image

How do I shoot a landscape, I start with aperture priority, ISO 100, f5.6 to f11 depending on the depth of field or the distance from near to far objects in the scene, evaluative metering 80% of the time, between 17mm and 300mm, the above examples show both extremes, I will almost always use a GND filter and or a CPL, I always use mirror lock up and a tripod with a remote shutter device. There is no one lens for landscape, landscapes have there own individuality, typically a wide angle lens is used for those big panoramic scenes, but I love to isolate individual elements like a tree or a mountain peak and that can mean using a 300 mm lens or a 70-200 mm lens. When shooting wide I will reach for my 17-40 f4 L.

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