Studio in the Garden

This praying mantis was hanging around the garden of my little bungalow in Bali. It was late evening so I decided to get out some flashes and get a few "portraits".

I had picked up a Nikon D300 a few months ago so I could start using the iTTL Creative Lighting System. (CLS). For the non-photo-geek, that means I can shoot with multiple wireless (infrared) Nikon flashes which I can control individually from the camera itself.

I've often used off camera flash but I have always used them manually, meaning that I physically set the power on each flash and make adjustments to eventually get it right. For each power adjustment, I had to walk over to the flash and make the change.

More shots and the lighting setup below.

TED talk: David Griffin of Nat Geo talks about photography. (video)

I'm a huge fan of TED.com. I just watched this presentation by David Griffin, photo director of National Geographic. Good stuff.



If you can't see the entire frame, click HERE to go directly to it on the TED website.

If you don't know about TED.com already. Check it out. Interesting, intelligent, successful people discussing something that matters. Beats the hell out of facebook, twitter and the other mindless banter polluting the bandwidth. This blog included. Peace, TR

Time-Lapse video, Building a Yacht

I’ve always been fascinated by the time-lapse movies of huge construction projects like what you see on the Discovery Channel. This was an opportunity to make my own miniature version.

The movie is made up of 2400 photographs taken at intervals ranging from one every 30 seconds to one every minute. Although this project took several months, the movie only shows a few decks of the yacht coming together over a period of 10 days.

Watch the movie then read the story.

The video includes audio; you may want to adjust your volume before beginning.

Here’s the story

Obama, the Future President

There’s a saying: “It’s the journey, not the destination.” I normally subscribe to this little nugget of wisdom, but this was not the case in my effort to photograph the future president. For me, the journey sucked but the destination was great.

I was based in Virginia for about six months in 2008 on a yacht project. The presidential campaign in was in full swing and I heard that Barack Obama would be at the Virginia Beach convention center for a campaign rally on the weekend. It would be a great opportunity to see him speak and be apart of something exciting.

More shots below

Extreme Airport + Video

There is a place in St. Martin, Dutch West Indies where you can stand on a picture perfect Caribbean beach and get jet blasted into the water. Not your standard postcard moment.

You would never be able to get this close to a huge passenger airliner anywhere else in the world. In this day and age, it’s hard to believe they still allow it. But they do and it makes for some really interesting photographs if you can avoid having a heart attack.

More shots and a video below

Rainy Season Blues

“Don’t go in the rainy season.” That’s what the guidebooks say, but for photography, rain is not always a bad thing. If you only have a few weeks, you probably don’t want to go in the rainy season. (Especially if you’re headed to tropical Southeast Asia.) Understood.

I’ve traveled to Angkor Wat in Cambodia two dozen times. Sometimes shooting for assignments and other times on personal projects. It’s one of my favorite places to visit and photograph. I also prefer the rainy season in Angkor because the daily showers keep the jungle green and the moats full.

More shots below.

Zoo Portraits

Animal portraits can be hard to come by. Wildlife photography is a very specialized and challenging art. Not only do you have to be able to survive “out in the wild” you‘ve got to know your subjects very well and wait for them to appear.

You could easily spend months waiting for a shot to come together and you rarely get a second chance. Hats off to the wildlife photographers who spend their lives getting the shots, they are truly dedicated.

Most of my wildlife photography has been done underwater. Dolphins, Sharks, reef fish etc. I’m pretty happy underwater

Tanah Lot Temple, Bali

Tanah Lot sea temple is one of the most sacred Hindu sites in Bali. Balinese temples aren’t generally known for their size or extravagance but rather their spectacular locations.

Tanah Lot is perched on a natural lava island that lies just offshore above the pounding waves. It’s joined to the shore by a lava bridge that appears at low tide. After winding your way through the maze of tourist stalls you find this beautiful little temple and most likely a ceremony taking place.

Tropical Waterfall and Blurred Motion

Waterfalls just beg to be photographed. I can’t pass by one without getting a few shots. It’s never a quick process though. You see, I’m fascinated by moving water and I feel the need, especially in the case of a waterfall, to show that motion.

That means setting up the tripod and a cable release,

Petronas Towers-a New Look at an Old Favorite

No matter where you go in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia you can see the Petronas Twin Towers. At one time, they were the tallest buildings in the world but were quickly outdone in 2004 by Taipei 101 in Taiwan and this year the Burj Dubai will take the crown. At 88 stories, the Petronas Towers are still the tallest "twin towers" in the world.

More shots below.

Angkor Wat and the Fountain of Sorrow

One of my most memorable moments traveling and taking photographs was on my first trip to see the 1100 year-old Buddhist temples of Angkor in Cambodia. It was in October 2001 and I arrived at Angkor Wat at 5am to photograph the temples at sunrise.

It was still very dark so I stumbled around the temple grounds looking for a place to set up my camera and watch as Angkor appeared before my eyes.

A Home in the Hills. Colorado

Having a blog is a great place to show some nice shots that don’t necessarily belong in my portfolio. This is one of those.

It’s a quick shot I grabbed while in Colorado a few years ago. I was up in the mountains to see the aspens changing color but I was a few weeks late to see the real show.

F22 Raptor at the Miramar Airshow

Ever since the movie Top Gun came out I’ve been fascinated with fighter jets. As a kid, I went through a phase where I built model airplanes like crazy. It was a bit of an obsession. At times, I would build 2 or 3 models a week. More than 20 model planes and helicopters hung from the ceiling of my bedroom and I knew all the specs for each aircraft. (Girls were discovered later.)

More shots below.

Tripod on a boat?

I always get a funny look when pull a tripod out on a moving boat. I understand. I mean, where can I set it up so my camera won’t move? Believe it or not, there are ways to use a tripod on a moving boat.

How to Photograph: Stage Lighting

This is a shot of a Balinese dancer during a traditional Barong dance performance. Photographing shows in stage lighting is challenging. In bad stage light, it can be a nightmare.

With stage lighting, I normally shoot in Manual mode. Spot lit performers against dark backgrounds will fool a camera’s meter every time.

The subject will end up overexposed. Stage lighting is usually very uneven around the stage particularly in small third-world venues where I tend to hang out. This means it’s tough to shoot all over the stage. So I look for the best lit spot on the stage, which is often the center but not always. This is the zone where I want my subjects to be.

Beach Cottage and Small Flash

There are some really interesting little hotels in Indonesia. I was staying in this cool little A-frame cottage just a few steps away from turquoise waters of the Gili Islands. It was a great little room with a beautiful outdoor bathroom (Bali style).