Tag Archives: photography

education, instructional, photography, wildlife

One Shot Monday // A Primal Fear

If I had just one shot today to hold your attention, would this do it?

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This image can illicit a great deal of fear for a great many people.  The Eastern Diamondback Rattlesnake is a fierce creature, and the largest venomous snake in North America.

Poised and ready to strike, this snake tastes the air with a forked tongue and collects heat signature data through its pits, just below the eyes.

Though frightening to most that cross it’s path, the pit viper is a very important part of the Everglades ecosystem.

Snakes help control the rodent and invertebrate population, as well as providing a great food source for other animals, like birds and alligators.

They are fantastically beautiful and amazing creatures!  And believe it or not, I’m thankful for this chance encounter…

– andrew

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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

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landscape, photography

A Dusk at the Beach

Near the end of my trip, I needed a little beach time.

I found Bonita Beach in Bonita Springs, and it was perfect… just what I needed.

I spent the afternoon and evening enjoying the beautiful Gulf of Mexico.

tree lined path to the beach

stars over bonita springs beach

stars over bonita springs beach

stars over bonita springs beach

stars over bonita springs beach

stars over bonita springs beach

stars over bonita springs beach

 

All of these images (plus many more) were captured with Canon’s 5D MK III.  Equipment review to follow!

– andrew

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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

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art, landscape, nature, photography, random thought, travel, wildlife, writing

the river of grass

They call the Everglades “the river of grass”, and a few weeks ago, I witnessed why.

Now just to clarify, the Everglades is not just limited to Everglades National Park.  The area is truly huge.

Much of South Florida is considered “glades” country.  It includes, but is not limited to, Big Cypress National Preserve, Collier Seminole State Park, and Picayun Strand State Forest.

All of which I had the pleasure to photograph over my 11 day, 4000 mile journey.

river of grass and hardwood hammocks near bear island campground

a white swamp lily in the river of grass in everglades national park

Mahogany Hammock trail boardwalk

barred owl at dawn

crows on a wire in pineland forest

The Everglades is a truly stunning landscape.  Very different from what my main focus has been for the last decade, the Rocky Mountains of the American West.

sunset at long pine key

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vegetation variety on the gumbo limbo trail

pineland forest of everglades national park

dead brown watersnake on the main road in everglades national park

morning at flamingo bay

air plants

air plants

anhinga

lily flowers

cattle egret near burns lake in big cypress national preserve

cattle egret near burns lake in big cypress national preserve

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

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

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

coastal plain lobelia

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

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

As I mentioned before, Canon sent me the 5D MK III to test on this trip, and these are just a few of my favorites from my old 5D MK II.

The MK III images will be posted separately, and I’m so excited to share those with you.  I was absolutely blown away with the improvements made on the new 5D.

But next, I want to share an Everglades wrap-up video.  I plan to create episodic videos of all of my adventures from here on out…  “webisodes”, if you will.

I will release the Everglades episode first thing tomorrow morning, so be on the lookout!

Thanks for visiting!

— 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

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landscape, nature, photography, travel, wildlife

PINS selects

Elle and I traveled to Padre Island National Seashore this weekend to enjoy the ocean.

Beach camping proved a bit more difficult than our usual locations… but it was great prep for the Everglades.

Too much sun, sand, and wind were the low points, for sure.  However, the good certainly outweighed the bad.

And as I prepare to leave today for my trip, I am very glad we had the time together.

Here are a few of my favorites from the long weekend….

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–andrew

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

If you are interested in learning more about photography, taking your art to a new level, and/ or Big Bend photography tours and workshops, 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

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equipment review, instructional, photography, travel, writing

planning an epic road trip // equipped

“The single most important component of a camera is the twelve inches behind it.”
Ansel Adams
 

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Equipment

It cannot be said enough… the equipment is only as good as the photographer using it.  With that said, I am a lover of gadgetry and get really excited when I have the opportunity to learn a new tool that will help me achieve better, more consistent results with my imagery.

So for this trip, Canon is sending me the 5D MK III, TS-E 17mm, and the new Speedlite 600EX-RT to evaluate and review here on the blog…

I know the MK III is not very new anymore, but I’m excited to put it to the test in one of North America’s most extreme environments.  And I am really looking forward to spending some quality time  with Canon’s widest and highest rated tilt-shift lens, and the newest Speedlite technology.  

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But regarding other equipment, and being prepared for a trip such as this, I have had to plan accordingly, with weather as the biggest “x” factor.

From dry bags and applying scotch guard to as much as possible, to purchasing mosquito netting for my head, I have tried my best to think it all through.  I will be bringing multiple rain covers no doubt.

Check out this video that explains a bit more, and see some of the gear that will (hopefully) get me through the extreme conditions…

“Never forget that all the great photographs in history were made with more primitive camera equipment than you currently own.”
Brooks Jensen

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To know what equipment to bring and what to leave behind, I think carefully through my shot list.  What tools will I need to give myself the best chance to achieve each image?  Only experience helps me determine that with any accuracy.  And the more you shoot, the more confident you’ll be when practicing this.

It’s a very obvious, yet important part of the planning process.  There’s nothing worse than arriving on location after days of driving, only to realize you so wish you had brought that second tripod, or the 2x extender.

Don’t rush through this step, or chances are, you’ll be frustrated later…

— andrew

“There is nothing worse than a sharp image of a fuzzy concept.”
Ansel Adams

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

If you are interested in learning more about photography, taking your art to a new level, and/ or Big Bend photography tours and workshops, 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

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