Tag Archives: road trip

instructional, photography, travel

Neutral Density Filter Basics

— andrew

 
Take your photography to the next level… check out my exciting, NEW workshop dates:
 
Isle of Skye // S C O T L A N D // 2016
Highlands // S C O T L A N D // 2016
Big Bend NP // Night/ Landscape // 2016
 
 
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 © ARS Media, LLC 2015
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photography, travel

#scotlove

Well, it happened again.

I kind of expected it, but still it hit me like a ton of bricks.

I went and fell in love with another place…

Sorry Wyoming, South Sudan, Beirut, Big Bend, Everglades, Mexico, etc.

Please help me welcome Scotland to the list!

These are just a few of my favorites…

Melvich Bay and the Halladale River

Melvich Bay and the Halladale River

A lone sheep trots across the landscape at Clair-loch mor

A lone sheep trots across the landscape at Clair-Loch Mor

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Loch Scaven in the rain

 

A855 and the totternish range on the Isle of Skye

A855 and the Totternish range on the Isle of Skye

Dramatic light and clouds and the Isles of Rona and Raasay from the Isle of Skye

Dramatic light and clouds and the Isles of Rona and Raasay from the Isle of Skye

Loch Leathan and the Totternish Range

Loch Leathan and the Totternish Range

The Northern edge of the Totternish Range on skye

The Northern edge of the Totternish Range on Skye

A ship passes through the dramatic light of Duntulm Bay

A ship passes through the dramatic light of Duntulm Bay

Ellen Slaton gazes out at the view of the Sunset, North Sea, and Isle of Harris

Ellen gazes out at the view of the sunset, North Sea, and Isle of Harris from Lookout Bothy

A long day time exposure of the Totternish range with clouds

A long day time exposure of the Totternish range with clouds

Dramatic light and clouds and the Isles of Rona and Raasay

Dramatic light and clouds and the Isles of Rona and Raasay

Dramatic light and clouds and the Isles of Rona and Raasay with Sheep grazing

Dramatic light and clouds and the Isles of Rona and Raasay with Sheep grazing

A855 leading up to Storr and the dramatic Totternish Range on the Isle of Skye

A855 leading up to Storr and the dramatic Totternish Range on the Isle of Skye

Sheep at pature, gesto bay, and Loch Harport, with Cuillin Hills, Isle of Skye

Sheep at pasture, Gesto Bay, and Loch Harport, with Cuillin Hills, Isle of Skye

The hills of Ardmore with red deer

The hills of Ardmore with red deer

Lagavulin Bay and Distillery

Lagavulin Bay and Distillery

Tent camping in Ardcastle Wood

Tent camping in Ardcastle Wood

The banks of Loch Lomond

Loch Lomond

Falls of Falloch

Falls of Falloch

A woman in motion hiking on the Falls of Falloch trail

Ellen in motion hiking on the Falls of Falloch trail

Highland cattle in spring

Highland cattle in spring

Highland cattle in spring

Highland cattle in spring

Buachaille Etive Mòr at night

Buachaille Etive Mòr at night

Buachaille Etive Mòr and reflection in the morning

Buachaille Etive Mòr and reflection in the morning

Stay tuned for new photos, stories, and more….

— andrew

 
Take your photography to the next level… check out my exciting, NEW workshop dates:
 
Isle of Skye // S C O T L A N D // 2016
Highlands // S C O T L A N D // 2016
Big Bend NP // Night/ Landscape // 2016
 
 
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 © ARS Media, LLC 2015
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nature, photography, workshop

Welcome To The New

I had a new design concept for my workshops and the new site last week… and on a wild hair, I completely redid my slatonworkshops.com website in just a few days.  And I absolutely love it.  I hope you do too.

My goal with this new site is to try to give back more than I’m asking of people.  It’s a new way of approaching things, but I feel really good about it.

colorful dawn over the chihuahuan desert in big bend national park, texas

For each exciting destination, the viewer is greeted with an iconic shot that sets the scene for the workshop.

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Come on… don’t be shy.  Check them out… you know you want to!

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And just so it’s worth everyone’s time, I added a few limited time discounts to celebrate the launch!

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I’ve even created a customizable Private Destination Workshop adventure.  An affordable, one-on-one dream workshop… anywhere in the world!

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There’s  a really cool “Resources” section that I’m very excited about.  I give a ton of great info on it already, and plan to keep posting more and more.

I hope to continue to build a marketplace of ideas for like minded people who love nature and photography, and desire to get out and do!

Will you join me?

— andrew

___________________________________________________________________________________________________
 
If you are interested in learning more about photography, taking your art to a new level please check out my new workshop dates:
 
Grand Teton 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 © ARS Media, LLC 2014
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nature, photography

Hurry Up And Wait

I remember this old adage being used frequently when I was an assistant to several commercial photographers in Dallas and Austin in my younger days.

“Today will be a lot of ‘hurry up and wait'”, they’d say.  Stylists, make-up artists, talent, creatives, account execs, clients, big wigs, etc.  Everyone has their part to play in a commercial shoot, and the bureaucracy at times, made for really long days.

I still shoot some commercial work, but the transition back to my first love, nature photography has reminded me that this old saying still rings true.

You can’t rush the elements.  And sometimes, they just never come together the way you visualized.

This image below is from my most recent trip to several northern Arizona/ southern Utah National Parks.  I drove over 1500 miles each way, hiked 20+ miles round trip with 60-75 lbs of gear, woke up at 3:30 AM, and waited for an image that was in my head of stars over the incomparably beautiful Havasu Falls.  I waited in vain, in the dark, for two hours until the sun rose.  But the clouds never broke long enough to capture the nighttime star picture I wanted.

I still came away with a few images I liked, but not what I truly wanted and envisioned.

Sometimes it’s really hard work to capture images such as these… and when dealing with nature, there are no guarantees.

But sometimes, it all comes together, with little work on your part other than being there… and being prepared.

When we arrived at Grand Canyon National Park, all the elements came together.  No long hikes through deep canyons and sand with all my gear.  Just amazing drive-up vistas, dramatic clouds, and phenomenal light.

However, there was still the need for patience.

Then there are the opportunities that occur when you least expect them… as can happen often with wildlife.  We were driving to a trailhead when my wife spotted a group of desert bighorn sheep scrambling up the slick rock of Zion National Park.  Thankfully, I stay prepared for even these chance encounters.

When traveling, I always have a camera body ready for wildlife.  70-200mm lens with a 2x teleconverter, fast shutter speed and wide aperture set.  Because you never know.

Waiting.  Prepared.  They are the ever present realities of the nature photographer.

Often we’re waiting on the individual elements; the light, the animals, the weather, etc.

But much more profound than just these, it is the moment we seek to capture.  The culmination of all the elements in space and time, artfully composed in our frame.  We are dutifully ready and able to use whatever tools are necessary or at our disposal to lock the “paint onto the canvas”.

We’re fortunate as photographers if this happens perfectly even a few dozen times in our our career.  It is elusive, truthful, and beautiful.  It’s addicting too.

And it’s why I still desire to continue learning and growing… and venturing out into the wild.

Hurry up and wait my friends!

— andrew

___________________________________________________________________________________________________
 
If you are interested in learning more about photography, taking your art to a new level please check out my new workshop dates:
 
Grand Teton 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 © ARS Media, LLC 2014
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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

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brown anole on the anhinga trail in everglades national park

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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

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american crocodile at flamingo bay

american crocodile at flamingo bay

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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

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burns lake at dusk with passing storm

morning at flamingo bay

green treefrog

green treefrog

green treefrog

green treefrog

green treefrog

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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

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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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