If Things Aren’t Going Well, Keep Shooting!
My first stand up paddling shoot last summer seemed like it was circling the drain before it even started. I arrived at the Great Salt Lake about an hour before the talent (a family of 3) did. Forest fire smoke and thick high clouds delivered flat lifeless light and the mountain vistas that I was [...]
WEATHER, LIGHT and PHOTOGRAPHY Series: Photographing Snow
Intro: Outdoor photographers all know that weather determines the quality, quantity, color, feel and mood of light, and light is the language of our art and craft. Former weather forecaster Michael DeYoung shares his knowledge on weather, atmospheric phenomena and their effects on light and photography. Photographing on and in Snow. Snow and ice environments [...]
WEATHER, LIGHT and PHOTOGRAPHY Series: Photographing Fog
Intro: Outdoor photographers all know that weather determines the quality, quantity, color, feel and mood of light, and light is the language of our art and craft. Former weather forecaster Michael DeYoung shares his knowledge on weather, atmospheric phenomena and their effects on light and photography. Photographing Fog. Don’t get bummed out if you wake [...]
Favorite Locations Revisited: Great Sand Dunes National Park, Colorado
Introduction to Favorite Locations. “If it is worth shooting once, it is worth shooting multiple times.” I’ve abided by this principle since I started photography 25 years ago and it is something I stress in my workshops. I shake my head in disbelief when I see photographers shooting out the window of a moving car! [...]
Stay Out A Little Longer And Break Out The Strobe
On a recent mountain biking shoot we stopped at one of my favorite overlooks of the Rio Grande Gorge. The sun was below a nearby ridge so all my foreground and most of the canyon was in deep shadow. The low angle sun about 10 minutes from sunset was basking the west slopes of the [...]
Handy Cold Weather Photography Tips
I love winter light, especially fresh snow clinging to trees on a crisp winter morning! The hardest thing about winter shooting for me has always been keeping my hands warm while operating the camera system, including the tripod. Even with the big pro bodies I just don’t have the dexterity to operate the camera/lens the [...]
Sometimes Adventure Photography Begins at Home
This week is a short one. The routine is familiar. We frantically pack for another 10-day adventure 500 miles from home while tying up loose business ends prior to our departure. It is stressful but I’m excited about our upcoming Zion shoot. It is early May and we are thinking spring. Can’t wait to see [...]
Adventure Photography While Backpacking – Grand Canyon Style
Recently I wrote a post about bare bones photo outfits for adventure photography. Since I just completed another multi-day backpack adventure in the Grand Canyon, I thought I would expand upon backpacking photography gear and share some images from the trip. THE HIKE was 5 days starting from Lipan Point, down the Tanner Trail, following [...]
Technical Canyon Hike in Zion National Park’s “The Subway”
by New Mexico adventure photographer Michael DeYoung I’m also always searching for the ultimate lightweight adventure photographer outfit that gets me into hard to reach places without sacrificing professional results. I haven’t found it yet but I’ll keep trying. An all day hike in Zion National Park’s Subway from the top down put my “bare [...]
What is The Best Way To Carry 10 Essential Photo Accessories?
On every shoot, whether it is landscapes for a personal project or a high pressure adventure assignment, there is a group of small “essential photo accessories” that you need to have regardless of what bodies and lenses you’re using. I think the best “carrying case” for my “essential accessories” is a vest. But I never [...]
Creative Outdoor Photography Workshop in Girdwood Alaska, July 15-17, 2011
This summer I will be teaching another workshop for the Alaska Society of Outdoor and Nature Photographers. Thanks to our good friend and fellow photographer Cathy Hart, this will be my third workshop for the club. The workshop is July 15-17 and will be based out of Girdwood. You can get all the details when [...]
How Following Three Basic Photography Principles led to a Successful Assignment
As a working professional who has taught a few workshops with plans to teach more, I try to do is make sure that I practice what I preach. Some of the things I try to emphasize in a workshop aren’t just things that sound profound but are fundamentals that are used regularly, work well and [...]
Capturing a Fleeting Moment at 32,000 Feet…Always Keep Your Camera Ready.
The last time this happened it was 1988. I was on a flight from Great Falls, Montana to Seattle. Shortly into the flight I was stunned by a commanding view of the Chinese Wall of the continental divide in the Bob Marshall Wilderness. Being a budding photographer back then with my Pentax K1000 and 50mm [...]
How to Create Fall Photography in Zion National Park
My favorite autumn location is usually “the last place I shot” which for fall colors is Zion National Park. Shooting here in early November evokes feelings of having saved the best for last as the peak of autumn colors occurs after the aspens have fully shed and snow is flying in the high country. Fall [...]
