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This blog is designed to give lessons in photography, kayak photography, and as a platform to share kayak videography experiments. There is a lot of good information here, so feel free to browse through archives and enjoy-
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- In today’s NYTimes Spelling Bee, I could have spelled Boromir, Bilbo and Gimli, except none of them were acceptable #LOTR #Nytimes 1 year ago
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Recent Posts
- My spot on the local NBC show OpenRoad
- Once in a lifetime experience
- Remembering old friends: A virtual visit to some of my favorite National Parks
- Translating between photography and video: shutter speed and more
- How to photograph fireworks
- Anatomy of a photo #86: Coyote tongue
- Kayak photography video
- The ethics of disclosing where photographs were taken
- Why I don’t use Photoshop
Blogroll
- eBirder Birding and Photography Blog based in Scotland
- Galen's "other" kayak photography blogsite Galen’s earliest blog, showcasing his insights on photography, kayaking, and more
- PhotoComment Photography Blog and Magazine Small photography magazine with big ideas. Fresh writing, fresh views
- The Coastodian: Caring for our beaches Photographer dedicated to cleaning the trash off our beaches and creating art from it
- The Wild Beat Lovely blog filled with images of wildlife, much of it encountered in or near urban settings
Videography
- Galen's Video Projects Different videos I am working on, both in and out of the kayak.
Category Archives: How To
How to photograph fireworks
It’s actually pretty easy to get the technical parts right, when taking pictures of fireworks, which means the important part is to think ahead and decide where you want to be in relation to the firework display, and what else … Continue reading
Posted in documentary, How To, photography, SLR
Tagged 4th of July, boat, digital camera, dslr, firework displays, firework photography, Fireworks, fourth of July, night photography, outdoor, outdoors, reflection, sailboat, slr, Tomales Bay, water
4 Comments
The Tomales Racing Sheep: Anatomy of a photo #32
I was driving through the coastal countryside of northern California one drear grey day, when I saw something that added a little color to my day. I came across the Tomales Racing Sheep during a practice session. They were running … Continue reading
Disclosing where photographs were taken
There are times when I am loath to announce where I have taken a photograph. Some of the reasons are ethical, some a sense of preservation, and some… a little more selfish. Wildlife I won’t disclose the location of bird … Continue reading
Anatomy of a photo #30: Silhouette on Hot Water Beach, NZ
I made this image on a recent trip to New Zealand. Where the silhouetted woman is standing is a hot spring that is only exposed at low tide. We were the only ones on the beach at a very early … Continue reading
Posted in Anatomy of a photo, How To, landscapes, nature photography, New Zealand, photography, portraits, SLR
Tagged beach, camera, coramandel peninsula, geothermal, hot springs, hot water beach, new zealand, nz, ocean, pacific, photography
3 Comments
Anatomy of a photo #28: Great Blue Heron, boats and mist Part II
When photographing wildlife, the situation is constantly changing. The “wild” in wildlife is not there by accident. These animals and birds are not trained, they act and react according to their own needs and instincts. There is no studio, no … Continue reading
Posted in Anatomy of a photo, birds, California, documentary, How To, How To, How to, landscapes, Location, road side, SLR, underwater, video
Tagged Ardea herodius, bay, birding, birds, boat, camera, camera tips, dslr, early sun, fog, great blue heron, heron, marshall, mist, nature photography, nature photography, photo, photography, roadside photography, slr, tomales, Tomales Bay, wildlife photography, wildlife photography
2 Comments
Anatomy of a photo #27: Great blue heron, boats and mist Part I
As I drive my local roads I am usually on the look out for interesting animals in interesting places, that are fairly accessible- i.e. safe place to park, I can get good views and angles without spooking the subject away, … Continue reading
Posted in birds, How To, nature photography, photography, portraits, road side, SLR, wildlife photography
Tagged bay, bird, bird photography, birding, birds, boat, dslr, fog, how to, image, mist, photo, photo of the day, photographing, photography, portrait, roadside photography, sailboat, slr, Tomales Bay, water, wildlife photography
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Anatomy of a photo #24: Dog’s Eye
One of my favorite ways to take a picture of an animal (as long as I am close enough) is to zoom in on a particular characteristic, and them take the photograph with a shallow depth of field. That is … Continue reading
Posted in Anatomy of a photo, How To, photography, portraits, SLR
Tagged animal, camera, close up, Dog, dslr, eye, isolate, macro, natural light, pet, photo, photograph, photography, slr
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Anatomy of a photo #21: Great Blue Heron
I noticed I somehow missed entry #21, so I am heading back in my posting numbers a little. I was hiking in one of my local state parks (I won’t name which one, as it is nearly undiscovered, and I … Continue reading
Posted in Anatomy of a photo, birds, California, How To, How To, nature photography, photography, portraits, SLR, wildlife photography
Tagged anatomy of a photo, Ardea herodius, bird, birding, camera, dslr, great blue heron, heron, how to, nature photography, outdoors, park, slr, state park, wildlife photography
2 Comments
Anatomy of a photo #17: Horizontal and vertical landscapes I
This one is a double photo. The lesson is simple. Sometimes it can be good to rotate your camera 90 degrees, because it can give the image a very different feel. Also, when doing landscapes, especially of valleys and such … Continue reading
Posted in Anatomy of a photo, California, How To, How To, landscapes, nature photography, photography, portraits, road side, SLR
Tagged camera, digital camera, dslr, ferns, hills, horizontal, landscape, landscapes, photograph, photographing, photography, portrait, roadside, scenic, slr, vertical, view, vista
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Anatomy of a photo #13: Sunlit waves
This image highlights the importance of being willing to head out for pictures no matter what the weather… or even because of bad weather. I took this picture during a break in a storm at a nearby beach. The day … Continue reading
Posted in Anatomy of a photo, California, How To, How To, landscapes, nature photography, photography, SLR, weather
Tagged beach, california, camera, clouds, cloudy sky, digital camera, Dillon Beach, dslr, how to, landscape, marin county, nature photography, ocean, outdoors, photo, photographing, photography, rocks, rocky, slr, storm, sunlight, sunlit waves, surf, waves, West Marin
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Anatomy of a photo #10: Freezing the flow of water in an image: Gull and crab claw
This post relates to the importance of shutter speed. A fast shutter speed can freeze action, making something like water appear solid- almost like crystal or an ice sculpture. The picture above for example was taken with a shutterspeed of … Continue reading