There once was a photographer from Nantucket...

For my final project, I'll be doing some of my shooting Wednesday-Saturday in Nantucket.  It's a nature photographer's dream, teeming with seabirds, natural, unspoiled habitats, the peaceful sound of silence during the Thanksgiving season, and beautiful sunsets.

I checked out Nantucket Red in preparation for my trip.  Bill Hoenk, a professional photographer who is based in Nantucket during summers and Pittsburgh during the off-season, does some nifty things with infrared photography on the island.  He started off as a waiter at the Chanticleer (a fine-dining establishment that brings in quite the clientele) one summer, and like so many others, fell in love with the place.  He received his photography training at the Art Institute of Pittsburgh, where he was introduced to the technology of infrared photography.

His stuff is pretty good.  It feels almost as if it has a gothic touch to it, which decidedly isn't my thing, but nonetheless gets me thinking about ideas I can shoot on the island.  The windmill is a famous marker on Nantucket and oft-photographed, but I've rarely seen it look like this.

Brant Point Light is also a familiar marker for those who have spent time on the island.  The delineations between sea and sky show up very well in this infrared shot, but in some ways, the lack of blue makes an island purist like myself cringe a little.

As  I mentioned in a previous blog, I'll also have the privilege of getting to shoot some aerial stuff (as long as the weather holds, knock on wood).  Let's just hope that it all works out and I can have some different material on presentation day in photography class than the rest of my classmates.

Wish I had that Rebel

It wasn't as fun taking these without them.  I still can't complain, having Riverside Park within a short driving distance.


First, we can see the color red:

Nature provides a better mirror than man, no doubt:

 The Rule of Thirds:

A detailed close-up:

 Panning captured these ridiculously quick little guy:

Tried to blur it a little more but hey, it takes some practice, I guess:

 Just for fun:

Hyperfocal setting in the waning daylight near the Billings LDS Temple:

It is one of the more impressive buildings in Billings:

Oh yeah.  This was one of the best weekday afternoons I've had in a while, and I love taking pictures, even if I'm not that good.

Aerial Angles and Wild Flora

Reading in National Audubon Society Guide to Nature Photography, I was instantly drawn to the section on aerial angles.  For me, everything looks better when viewed from above.  Probably a natural disposition I have as a pilot.  According to Fitzharris, all the "arresting studies in line, form, and pattern that are the hallmarks of Cessna-snapping" can be created simply from a well-positioned tripod and a zoom lens with macro capabilities.

From directly above the subject (where this would have to take place), finite limits to the composition (such as top and bottom) simply don't exist.  Any angle can be achieved after the proper zoom magnification is correctly identified.

The photo on page 186 of the orange sneezeweeds is a good example of something I'd like to achieve.  I'm hoping I can incorporate some of these tips when I plan to shoot a week from this Sunday in a Chesapeake Bay marsh not far from my home.

The how-to of my favorite brand of photography

Aerial photography primer

Downtown Chicago from the air.  A tragedy that Meigs Field was destroyed, as images such as these could be seen on approach once upon a time.

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Oh, how I love aerial photography.  It is my full intention to get a few shots from a Cessna 172 this Thanksgiving break in preparation for my final project.  With a family full of pilots and Thanksgiving spent on Nantucket, I fully intend to capture as much of the island's stunning natural beauty from above as my limited skills will allow.  This article gave me some tips as I prepare to shoot from above.

The author suggested the best platform for aerial photography is a helicopter, and that's plain to see.  With the ability to get down to lower altitudes, fly without a door, hover, and go slower without stalling make it simply the best aerial platform that exists.  However, they can be more difficult to obtain, and often times more expensive.  As far as fixed wing aircraft go, the Cessna 177RG Cardinal (RG designating that it is the retractable gear model) is recommended because of its lack of a wing strut and the fact that the landing gear won't be in the way of shots.

All the typical rules apply, perhaps some even more so.  Because of where the sun sits at midday, the terrain looks horribly flat when pictures are taken from the air at this time.  The magic hour produces the shadows necessary to truly appreciate the shape of the hills and rolling terrain of the island.

Vibration is the major obstacle to overcome when shooting from the air.  Perhaps if there is some way I can rent a gyro mount, which is the only way to properly capture video from above, I will try--but it seems like something that one would have a hard time getting their hands on unless they buy.  I have also been thinking about keeping my D40 that I recently purchased in the box (as my parents have said I could upgrade to a Canon Rebel as a possible birthday present if I needed something a little slicker) and getting a Rebel, which has better image stabilization qualities.