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Rick Sammon shares some focusing tips for landscape photographers.

Rick gives away the idea here that you can shoot an HDR panoramic – and he briefly tells you how.

Here’s another teaching video from the Aperture Nature Photography Workshops #4

We’re going to post a few video tips we made at the Mt. Rainier ANPW here on the blog and over at Photofocus.com. Enjoy. The first tips is on making sunsets with people in the shot.

by Juan A. Pons
http://wildnaturetours.com
http://twitter.com/jpons

EDITOR’S NOTE: Juan has also created a video about the Lensbaby you might want to check out.

I am a realist, at least I used to be.

By realist, I mean that I like to portray my subjects as they are in real life, with as little embellishment and alteration as possible. I think this changed when Scott sent me a Lensbaby for testing.

I have to be honest and say that at first I was a little skeptical. Yes I have seen examples of images taken with Lensbabies in the past and I always thought that they were interesting, but not really my thing.

As soon as I received the Lensbaby composer this past friday, I put it on my Canon 5D MarkII and decided to use it exclusively for the entire weekend. No matter how entrenched my thought processes are and how safe I may feel inside my photographic comfort zone, I am always interested in trying new things, experimenting and challenging myself to see things differently. I figured that the best way for me to really get to know this new tool was to immerse myself in it.

I first started shooting some mundane items around the house, like some of my sons stuffed animals, while I got the hang of manipulating the tilt-shift like movements of this lens. I created some interesting images, but nothing that really struck my fancy. In an attempt at creating some more interesting images. I proceeded to chase my son around and make some images of him, and while he is used to having a camera pointed at him, he just did not feel like it this time.

So far my experience had been very unrewarding, so I decided to go and shoot what I shoot best, the outdoors, nature, wildlife. I decided to pack light, very light and just took my camera with the Lensbaby Composer, a small tripod, a remote shutter release and a microphone, and headed down to one of my favorite locations just steps from my house; the Haw River.

With it’s seldom travelled foot paths, plenty of rock formations and scores of wildlife, I knew the Haw River would provide plenty of opportunities to put the Composer thru its paces within my specialty.

For someone like me, who enjoys nature in an unadulterated and undistorted fashion, it took a bit to start “envisioning” the world thru the lens of a Lensbaby; pun intended. Undaunted, I kept at it and experimented as much as I could, I tried all the different aperture rings, which essentially, control the size of the “sweet spot.” I also played with shifting the center of this “sweet spot” by “swinging” the lens, which isolates and brings attention and focus to a specific area of the image. The more I experimented the more I started to get it as I slowly began to “see” like the Lensbaby.

Very soon I started to get excited and try all sorts of different subjects, from the very primitive path I was walking on, to some of the rock and water features on the river. I quickly then turned my thoughts to video. As the new Canon 5D MarkII takes spectacular HD video alongside stills, it proved to be an excellent way to test the look the Lensbaby offered on some video footage. I have to admit that I really liked the selective focus effect the Lensbaby offers on the video. Not something to be used every day, but very effective when trying to convey a moody or dreamy effect.

A few more technical observations: I am not sure why, but found my camera meter to read a little too hot when shooting stills, so I had to dial down the exposure compensation a bit. This Lensbaby Composer features a 37mm thread, which can be used with the myriad of accessories available or with any other standard filters in this size. I myself may need to try their Super Wide Angle Conversion Lens as well as a few neutral density filters for better exposure control on sunny days.

I have to confess that I am really enjoying this Lensbaby and consider myself a convert, and as difficult as it may be to find the room, it will find a permanent space in my camera bag.

Interview by Nicole Young

Jarek Szymanski, originally from Poland, moved to Portland, Oregon in 2004. He currently works with computers and software but has a knack for photography as well. His photograph, “Where Winter Meets Summer”, won him the opportunity to attend the workshop in Mt. Rainier.

What type of photography do you enjoy the most?

It really depends on how the mood strikes me. I try to be versatile and to move between different types of photography: landscape, macro, a little bit of studio work, and sometimes I like to play with off camera strobes.

What is it about photography that got you hooked? Was there something significant that happened in your life that makes you passionate about photography?

What interests me most about photography is the idea of being able to present reality in a very unusual way. With my camera I can freeze a frame, a moment in time, something that is seen as usual and common by others but can be captured by me from a striking angle, with unusual mood. I want people to see my work and say, “Wow, I never saw/thought about it this way before!”

If you could pick one place anywhere in the world to photograph, where would you go and why?

The place on my mind right now is Iceland, for eerie, enigmatic landscapes and natural beauty.

What camera equipment will you be bringing with you to the workshop in Mt. Rainier?

Canon 5D
17-40L F/4
Tamron 28-75mm f/2.8
Tamron Macro 90mm f/2.8
CP, ND gradual and 10-stop filters, remote, tripod
Vivitar strobe
…and maybe a telephoto, 200-300mm.

You can view more of Jarek’s photography here.

Thanks to the nice folks at Nik Software, our winners for the remaining two workshops will receive a free copy of Nik Software, Complete Collection for Aperture. This $299 bundle includes all the powerful tools you need to make Aperture a final destination for all your photos.

The package includes Dfine 2.0 (noise reduction) – Viveza (selective color & other controls) – Color Efex Pro 3.0 (52 very cool photo filters) – Silver Efex Pro (The best B&W photo tool ever!) – and Sharpener Pro 3.0 (Sharpening.)

Thanks Nik!

In case you didn’t read the fine print – and it appears that most of you did not – here is the list of prizes being offered for the winners of the ANPW..

Prizes: Prizes will be awarded to each winning photographer. The prize package is subject to change at the full discretion of the Aperture Nature Photography Workshops.

As of October 1, 2008 the prize package includes but is not limited to:

1 Firewire Drobo – approximate value $500
1 Lensbaby Gift Certificate – approximate value $350
1 Premium subscription to lynda.com value $375
1 set of all current Peachpit Press Photo-related books – approximate value $500
1 ThinkTank 360 Photo Bag – approximate value $350
1 Apple Aperture 2.1 – approximate value $200
1 Lifetime Pro Membership to Photrade – approximate value $500

All food, hotel** and ground transportation at the workshops plus admission to all National Parks and related venues. Free training from the accompanying professional photographers and $275 travel money to cover transportation to and from the venue.

Entrants must be available to attend the workshop. Workshops cannot be rescheduled. In the event that a winner cannot attend, they will forfeit all prizes and an alternate will take their place. There can be no exceptions.

It was a dark and dreary night…Wait! No it wasn’t. As a matter of fact it was a sunny and exceptional day! My big prize came when I was honored to be asked by Scott Bourne to cover the second installment of the Aperture Nature Photography Workshop (ANPW) in Yosemite, California. I humbly follow the talented Lisa Bettany who covered the inaugural workshop in Yellowstone National Park in October.

I am very excited to join the team for this photo safari January 14-17, 2009. I’m making a list of the things I need to shop for – mostly clothing so I don’t freeze myself into the landscape while in Yosemite. While beautiful, I must be prepared so I can concentrate on bringing you behind-the-scenes coverage, photography tutorials, up-close and personal interviews with the pros and contest winners, and help you be there with us.

I’ll be working closely with the team prior to the trip to bring you some informative and fun content as we prepare and, of course, during the 4-day workshop.

In order to help me make our coverage meaningful to you please let me know, via email or follow me on Twitter, any photography-related questions you may have for the contest winners or any of the ANPW crew. As time, relevance and availability permit, I’ll ask as many questions as I am able and include your question and its answer in one of my blog posts, audio interviews, or videos.

Thanks again to the Scott Bourne and ANPW for allowing me to be part of this adventure. Time for outdoor winter wear shopping! Yay!

Be a part of the action by:
1. sending in your questions via email or Twitter;
2. following @fittorrent on Twitter;
3. stay tuned to f64.com to see, hear and experience ANPW first-hand.

I’m looking forward to this journey with you. It’ll be here before you know it!

Contact Liana Lehua
Email: liana@girlsgonegeek.tv
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/fittorrent
Web: http://lianalehua.com