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DEDICATION
For Barbara, who has shared in most of my adventures—and survived.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Voyageur Press has published a number of my books,
and the folks here—Michael Dregni and Danielle Ibister—have been great to work with.
I’d like to thank a longtime friend, the very talented photographer Jim Griggs,
for his valuable help in some of the technical parts of the book.
And a special thanks to my lovely and patient wife, Barbara, who endured the long days
(and many nights) when I was sequestered in my offi ce writing this and other books.
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CONTENTS
Introduction 8
CHAPTER 1 Digital Basics 20
CHAPTER 2 It’s All About Light 32
CHAPTER 3 Dynamics of Pictures 44
CHAPTER 4 In-the-Field Workfl ow 66
CHAPTER 5 Creative Use of Lenses 76
CHAPTER 6 Expanding Your Creativity 88
CHAPTER 7 Into the Boondocks 100
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CHAPTER 8 Landscape and Scenic Photography 118
CHAPTER 9 After the Shoot 136
CHAPTER 10 Helpful Tips and Tricks 152
CHAPTER 11 Dealing with Mixed Media 184
CHAPTER 12 The Final Image 192
Resources 204
Index 205
About the Author 208
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INTRODUCTION
Back in the early 1990s, when digital cards—also require electricity. As time went This is one of the rarest
photography fi rst came to our atten- on, these problems were alleviated by the animals in the world, the
tion, digital imaging seemed like invention of better, longer-lasting camera Baikal seal called nerpa,
something that was too far off in the future batteries and storage devices. With such great found only at Lake Baikal
to be of much use. Early digital cameras were improvements in such a short period of time, in central Siberia. These,
strictly for studio use, tethered by wire to a it’s obvious that, in the future, things will the world’s only fresh
computer. The sensors weren’t all that good, continue to get better and equipment even water seals, are extremely
and there were predictions that it would be more reliable. shy and diffi cult to get
a very long time before digital photography I’ve been publishing my photos in maga- close to. I had made many
could match the resolution of fi lm. zines and books for more than forty years, trips to Baikal in the past,
We now know that the technology has and until a couple of years ago, all of these shooting fi lm, and this
made some amazing advances. Chief among images were created on fi lm. Old habits die was the fi rst time I used
them are small, high-capacity storage devices— hard. I think fi lm. And I love the emulsions digital—allowing me to
fl ash memory cards—and high-resolution image that I have tested so thoroughly because they check the images soon
sensors. Together, these advances have made match my way of seeing the natural world after shooting. Shot on
digital photography truly portable for use in the around me. a 10-megapixel DSLR
fi eld—in other words, outdoor photography. So it wasn’t easy for me to take the (ISO set at 400) with a
My own transition to digital photography plunge into digital photography. Or, as an 100–400mm IS lens and
was slower and later than most, partly because old fi lm-shooting friend calls it, “going over a 1.4x extender, giving me
I spend so much time in the boondocks of the to the Dark Side.” (He has, by the way, now an eff ective 900mm lens
world. Why was that important? My major switched to digital.) (with the 1.6 multiplier of
concerns had to do with the electronics and A couple of factors made me switch. One the sensor).
electrical needs for digital. It’s not always pos- had to do with the improvements in digital
sible to charge batteries in the rainforests of technology. Today’s cameras are capable of
Borneo or Peru. And storage devices, such as creating images of very high quality—high
portable hard drives and laptop computers— enough to suit the demands of picture books
needed for uploading images from fl ash and magazines. 9
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A second factor that prompted my switch to lot of bracketing of exposures to make sure
digital was the increasing diffi culty of traveling I got it right on. Or when action was moving
overseas carrying lots of fi lm. A lot of my work quickly and I had to shoot lots of pictures in
takes place in faraway places, the boondocks sequence to make sure one of them captured
of the world. Airline restrictions (limiting you the best of the action. Or when an interesting
to one carry-on bag) and increased security new technique occurred to me—something
have made it more and more diffi cult to experimental—and the outcome was uncer-
carry all the necessary camera gear plus the tain. In these situations, the instant feedback
hundreds of rolls of fi lm necessary for in-depth of digital is a blessing.
coverage of a locale. Enough fi lm for a two- I mentioned earlier that I think fi lm; per-
week shoot—say two hundred rolls for 7,200 haps I should have said I thought fi lm.
pictures—weighs about 11 pounds (about Because now I think digital when I’m shoot-
5 kilograms) and takes up a large amount of ing in order to get the best possible image.
your carry-on space. By comparison, to get the Perhaps the most exciting thing about digital
equivalent number of pictures shooting digital photography is the certainty that it will con-
(assuming a 10-megapixel camera), your tinue to get better and better and that storage
carry-on space is occupied by twenty fl ash devices will hold more and more in smaller
memory cards (4 gigabytes each) for a total volumes of space.
of almost 8,000 pictures (about 400 pictures The future of digital photography is very
per card), shooting in RAW mode for highest bright indeed, especially for those of us who
quality; fi ve extra batteries for the camera; one shoot in the out of doors.
battery charger; and a 160-gigabyte portable
hard drive (to store almost 16,000 RAW THE DIGITAL REVOLUTION
images) with AC charger. The total weight of When I was a youngster, our family had a
all that is about 3 pounds (1.36 kilograms)! Kodak folding vest pocket camera. My father
And it all takes up less space than those two was in charge of all picture-taking because the
hundred rolls of fi lm. camera was rather sophisticated. It required
Then there are airport x-ray machines knowledge of focus, f-stops, and shutter
to contend with and environmental condi- speeds. And loading was a tricky operation to
tions (high heat and humidity) that have an be undertaken only by those well practiced in
adverse eff ect on fi lm. As you can see, with such things.
the great improvements in digital storage Two or three times a year, on vacations
technology, it is possible to shoot and store or special occasions, a roll of black-and-white
many more images with far less weight and fi lm was purchased and carefully loaded into
space than fi lm requires . . . and with less con- the camera. The taking of the picture was a
cern over x-rays or heat or humidity aff ecting mysterious process to the rest of us, involv-
the outcome. ing manipulations we couldn’t fathom. I don’t
Finally, there is what I call the “Instant think my father fully fathomed them either, for
Feedback Syndrome.” In the past, I didn’t the resulting pictures were occasionally good,
care about seeing the images immediately; but more often they were not. There were
I had enough experience, derived over years problems with exposure and focus. Any time
of shooting, to know when I had gotten the those technical problems were conquered—
right picture. However, there were times, in by luck or design—the picture was deemed
tricky lighting situations, when I had to do a good, regardless of content.
10
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