photography

Get Out There!

Happy Friday everyone!  Get outside this weekend and enjoy nature…. no matter where you live…

ARS_OPSA_20131019_2413   

___________________________________________________________________________________________________
 
If you are interested in learning more about photography, taking your art to a new level please check out my new workshop dates:
 
Big Bend Photographic Tour/ Workshops 2014
More Destination Photo Tours/ Workshops 2014
 
If you are interested in licensing any of the images/ video from this post, please visit my stock agency:
 
Tandem Stills + Motion // andrew r. slaton
 
If you are interested in purchasing prints from this post, please check my prints for sale, or email me directly for a custom request:
 
andrew r. slaton // photographer // printsFor assignment work requests, please email me: andrew@andrewslatonphoto.com

Thanks for visiting AndrewSlatonBlog.com!

all images and content © ARS Media, LLC 2014
Standard
landscape, nature, photography, workshop

The Great BIG Bend Giveaway

How would you like to join me on my new Big Bend Workshop in April…. FOR FREE??

Well, you could be the lucky one to win The Great BIG Bend Giveaway, and receive free tuition for our April 24-27, 2014 workshop!

Simply fill out the short form below.  A random drawing will be held and the winner announced on February 15.

You are also welcome to simply email us directly at workshops@andrewslatonphoto.com to enter yourself, or to confirm your entry… we would love to hear from you, so drop us a line!

AND DON’T WORRY, WE NEVER EVER SHARE YOUR INFORMATION WITH ANYONE ELSE!

So hurry and sign up… and don’t forget to SHARE with all your photo-phile friends!!  Oh yeah, P.S… once you’ve signed up, if you share on Facebook, your name gets entered again!  Twice the chance to WIN!! :)

BBNP_0713_0075PROMO

Go back

Your message has been sent

Warning
Warning
Warning

Warning.

What’s Included if you win – Four days/ three nights packed with photography, instruction, and adventure in Big Bend National Park, plus more!

  • Pre-workshop Personal Skype Session – Before all of our destination workshops, you can benefit from a personal Q&A Skype session at your convenience with Andrew, to ask any questions you might have about your upcoming trip.  This is immensely helpful to gat to know your instructor, and to making sure you feel prepared for the great adventure ahead!
  • Welcome Packet – You will receive your personalized welcome packet 2-6 weeks before the workshop with maps, helpful local info, nature facts, FAQ’s, technical photography information on what we will be discussing, a comprehensive list of what to bring, and more.
  • Park Related Fees – We believe in and support our National Parks system, so we are proud Commercial Use Authorization Permit holders with Big Bend National Park!  This provides us good standing with the Park and the rangers, and it helps to fund fantastic conservation projects that would not be possible without special use educators and their students!  So a portion of your tuition goes right back to help protect the park you love!
  • Numerous Guided Hikes – We will embark on at least one hike per day through the intensely beautiful landscape of the Chihuahuan Desert and the Chisos Mountains.  We will explore the myriad flora and fauna of both ecosystems, shooting anything and everything in nature, discussing a wide range of photographic tips and techniques.
  • Night Photography – You’ll get very used to your siestas on this trip, as we will spend the first hour or two before sunrise and after sundown navigating the exciting night sky with our cameras.  We will discuss and execute several techniques including night landscapes, star trails, painting with light, and more!
  • 3 Nights Camping, water, and snacks – Other lodging is available at the expense of the student.  But If camping is your thing, then you will enjoy all three nights of group camping in the park with Andrew, giving you extra time to talk about photography!  All you need is to bring your own camping gear!  Regardless of if you choose to camp or stay at a nearby hotel, plenty of bottled water and snacks throughout the day will be provided.

Transportation to and from Big Bend National Park, lodging (other than group camping), meals, and anything else not listed above is the responsibility of the student.  If winner opts out of the April 24-27, 2014 trip, winner forfeits his or her prize, unless otherwise agreed upon by Slaton.

_______________________________________________________________________________________
 
If you are interested in learning more about photography, taking your art to a new level please check out my new workshop dates:Big Bend Photographic Tour/ Workshops 2014More Destination Photo Tours/ Workshops 2014If you are interested in licensing any of the images/ video from this post, please visit my stock agency:Tandem Stills + Motion // andrew r. slaton

If you are interested in purchasing prints from this post, please check my prints for sale, or email me directly for a custom request:

andrew r. slaton // photographer // prints

For assignment work requests, please email me: andrew@andrewslatonphoto.com

Thanks for visiting AndrewSlatonBlog.com!

all images and content (except otherwise attributed) © andrew r. slaton | photographer 2014
Standard
landscape, nature, photography, random thought

A New Day Dawns

As the year 2014 is just dawning… and the dew is still wet and sweet beneath our toes… I am struck with thankfulness.  Today is a new day, and this year is quite the new year.  I am excited for what it will bring, as I renew my passion of photography, and aim to see, yet again in new ways.  And to let the Light change us.

A Credo for Mountain Photographers

The mountain photographer is interpreting the face of nature – that mysterious infinity, eternally a refuge, a reservoir, an amplifier of spirit; a mother of dreams; a positive though elusive voice in whose depth lies its subtlety. They will interpret best who are never so content as when under the influence of situations where silence is rich in the mute assurance and beauty of mountain surroundings. The quality of emotional knowing has a finer integration with our spirit than anything that comes from barren intellectual processes. This point of view only accumulates slowly, out of long experience and contact with wordless influences. Under the spell of solitude and of natural beauty the root system of this kind of awareness establishes itself.

Great art is usually created under some such saturation of awareness. The work is then permeated with an inner perception of beauty and an inner personal philosophy. The hope for our photography is that it shall retain these high lights of more than beauty, that through it symbols shall be preserved of response to our mountains, keeping them to a flow, a golden thread, in our experience.

— Cedric Wright, 1941

grand_teton_photography_01

Cedric Wright’s words are resonating deeply with me today, and I feel refreshed and free to pursue my passion for mountain light.  I am hopeful for you and me in 2014…

Keep close to Nature’s heart…
and break clear away, once in awhile, 
and climb a mountain or spend a week in the woods.
Wash your spirit clean.
— John Muir
 
________________________________________________________________________________________If you are interested in learning more about photography, taking your art to a new level please check out my new workshop dates:

Big Bend Photographic Tour/ Workshops 2014

More Destination Photo Tours/ Workshops 2014

If you are interested in licensing any of the images/ video from this post, please visit my stock agency:

Tandem Stills + Motion // andrew r. slaton

If you are interested in purchasing prints from this post, please check my prints for sale, or email me directly for a custom request:

andrew r. slaton // photographer // prints

For assignment work requests, please email me: andrew@andrewslatonphoto.com

Thanks for visiting AndrewSlatonBlog.com!

all images and content (except otherwise attributed) © andrew r. slaton | photographer 2014
Standard
city, composition, photography

san francisco // from every angle

How creative do you get with the same subject?

It can be challenging, but I always try to push myself to see all the angles, different qualities of light, and unending compositions that I can create with my camera.

Last week, my subject was the city of San Francisco… and here are a few of my favorites.

San Francisco, California

San Francisco, California

San Francisco, California

San Francisco, California

San Francisco, California

San Francisco, California

San Francisco, California

San Francisco, California

San Francisco, California

San Francisco, California

San Francisco, California

San Francisco, California

San Francisco, California

I hope this gets you thinking about your next subject and how to explore it photographically.

And  wish you all a Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!!  Hope to see you all in 2014!

all images and content © andrew r. slaton | photographer 2013

Standard
equipment review, photography

5D MK III // Field Review / Everglades

Before the Canon 5D MK III came out, I remember talking shop with a few other photographers about whether the change would be significant enough to justify purchasing a new camera body.  I thought not.

Wrongly.

Canon sent me new MK III a few weeks ago for my Everglades adventure, and from moment one, I was impressed.

It would seem impossible to improve on the color, clarity, and ease of use from the MK II, but they did.

And it is very quiet.  So, immensely helpful with wildlife.  I never realized how loud my MK II’s shutter is until I shot with the MK III.

roseate spoonbill

roseate spoonbill

a pair of burrowing owls on marco island

ARS_ENP_0913_0172_blog

brown anole on the anhinga trail in everglades national park

ARS_ENP_0913_0298_blog

lubber grasshopper

The color and the contrast straight out of the camera in RAW is incredible.  I would actually liken it to some of the more advanced Nikon bodies I’ve tested before.

I know, I know, sacrilege, right?  Well, I have always been a Canon guy… literally from day one (AE-1, 35mm).  But I have played around with Nikons as well, and I’m not afraid to criticize my brand and give credit where credit is due.  Often times the color and contrast that came out standard on raw files from Nikon seemed to have more punch to me.  Finally, Canon has an answer.  It is partly due to the lateral color fringe correction (that most newer Nikons have).

brown anole on the anhinga trail in everglades national park

ARS_ENP_0913_0346_blog

american crocodile at flamingo bay

american crocodile at flamingo bay

ARS_ENP_0913_0500-20_blog

road through pineland forest

I’m not much of an HDR fan, though I am asked all the time whether my work is processed as such.  The MK III has an in camera HDR function that I found fascinating and tastefully done.

And the internal processing is incredibly fast.

sunset at long pine key

sunset over the pines at long pine key

night sky and stars with palm at flamingo bay campground

The high ISO noise reduction is of course, phenomenal.  And truly, it would be difficult to see much of a noticeable difference from its predecessor, but you absolutely can.  It’s that much better!

night sky lightning storm through palms at flamingo bay campground

night sky and stars with palm at flamingo bay campground

morning at flamingo bay

green treefrog in dwarf palmetto

green treefrog in dwarf palmetto

american alligator

tricolored heron

ARS_ENP_0913_0649-713_blog

burns lake at dusk with passing storm

morning at flamingo bay

green treefrog

green treefrog

green treefrog

green treefrog

green treefrog

ARS_ENP_0913_0792-96_blog

centipede in dwarf palmetto

brown anole mating

white tailed deer doe at dawn near bear island campground

white tailed deer doe at dawn near bear island campground

nightfall over burns lake

sunrise over burns lake

green treefrog near big cypress bend boardwalk trail

green treefrog near big cypress bend boardwalk trail

stormy chokoloskee bay

men on a tour boat in chokoloskee bay

green treefrog

river of grass with pineland forest in the distance

orb weaver spider

great white egret

american alligator at long pine key

great blue heron in flight at flamingo bay

red shouldered hawk with kill

great blue heron

american crocodile at flamingo bay

red shouldered hawk drying off after rain

barred owl at dawn

cypress forest swamp landscape

boardwalk trail in big cypress national preserve

tricolored heron hunting

great white egret

mosquito on human hand

lingus tree snail

green treefrog on dwarf palmetto

giant swallowtail butterfly

sunset over the river of grass and pine forests near bear island campground

 

I’ve never been one of those guys who just buys the new thing right when it comes out… I’m a little bit more cautious than that.  But to all those who did with the Canon 5D MK III… kudos.

Canon really changed the game with the 5D MK II, but after spending a week in the Everglades with the MK III, I’m reassured that they continued the game changing camera bodies with this one!

There are so many improvements made with the MK III like color fringe correction, copyright and shooter info embed (not to mention you can finally customize file name in camera!), and dual memory card slots.  I highly recommend it as a huge improvement over its predecessor…

The two main improvements though that I would like to see, and my only criticisms would be the lack of built in WiFi or GPS.  I would assume that the MKIV will incorporate these (now) necessities.  But I don’t see myself waiting until Fall 2015…

For further tech specs, please visit: CANON 5D MK III

– andrew

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

If you are interested in learning more about photography, taking your art to a new level please check out my new workshop dates:

Big Bend Photographic Tour/ Workshops 2013-2014

More Destination Photo Tours/ Workshops 2013-2014

If you are interested in licensing any of the images/ video from this post, please visit my stock agency:

Tandem Stills + Motion // andrew r. slaton

If you are interested in purchasing prints from this post, please check my prints for sale, or email me directly for a custom request:

andrew r. slaton // photographer // prints

For assignment work requests, please email me: andrew@andrewslatonphoto.com

Thanks for visiting AndrewSlatonBlog.com!

all images and content © andrew r. slaton | photographer 2013

Standard