The Last Shootout

Photograph by Rick Sammon

Yesterday was the last day of my "In The Footsteps of Ansel Adams" workshop. During the last week we shot in Yosemite, Mono Lake, Bodie State Historical Park and finally in Alabama Hills.

It was a fun, productive and rewarding experience for the group.

Dozens of cowboy movies were made in these hills. So I thought it would be a good idea to hire a real-life cowboy for my workshops participants.

Here are a few of my favorite shots from that shoot. All were enhanced with Nik Color Efex Pro, which I recommend to all my students. You'll find more examples of creative plug-ins on my plug-ins page.

Photograph by Rick Sammon

Action shots and portraits are nice, but so are detail shots. They help to tell the story. Moral of the story: Don't forget the details.

Also: When you remove some of the true color from the scene, you remove some of the reality; when you remove some of the reality, your picture can look more creative and artistic.

Photograph by Rick Sammon

I took these photographs with my Canon 5D Mark III and Canon 70-200mm f/4 lens. See all my gear on my gear page.

If you mostly shoot outdoors in bright light, the 70-200mm f/4 lens is a practical choice. It will save you more than a few bucks over the 70-200mm f/2.8 lens, which is great for indoors, low-light shooting.

Photography by Scott Prokov

Above: Workshop participant  Scott Prokop took this behind-the-scenes shot of me directing the students during our last shoot. Thanks Scott for the fun shot.

I hope to see you on one of my workshops. We photographing running horses at the California Photo Fest and on my Florida Photo Caravan. Shoot me an email to get on my mailing list.

Ride 'em cowboy.
Rick

P.S. On our way out of Lone Pine we made a final swing through Alabama Hills.

Photograph by Rick Sammon

Photograph by Susan Sammon

Susan and I took a few fun iPhone shots. I used the wide-angle lens in the iPro Lens System mentioned on my Apps page.

Rick's List: Nature and Landscape Photography Gear

© Rick Sammon

My "In the Footsteps of Ansel Adams Photo Caravan" is coming up next month. I can't wait to return to some of the most picturesque locations in the country: Yosemite, Mono Lake, Bodie State Historical Park, and Alabama Hills. The workshop is full, but I have other workshops planned for this year.

© Rick Sammon

For those of you who are coming on the workshop, and for all landscape photographers, I put together a list of the accessories that I recommend - and why I make the recommendation. Here goes.

14mm lens - for extremely wide views with everything in the scene in focus

17- 40mm lens - to capture wide views

70-200mm lens - for isolating subjects in a sweeping landscape

Sturdy tripod - to steady your camera for HDR and low-light photography

Polarizing filter - to darken a blue sky

Variable neutral density filter - please make sure you have the right filter diameter!

Lens cleaning cloth - to remove dust from the front element of your lens

Promote Control - for time lapse and HDR shooting

Nik's HDR Efex Pro or Photomatix Pro. Info on my Plug-ins page

Backpack-style bag - for trekking up and down hills

Knee-high rubber boots - for walking in the lake. You'll also need these on my Oregon Coast Photo Caravan, which is also full

Wide-brim hat - to shade your face from the sun

Powerful flashlight - to paint landscapes with light

Head-mounted flashlight - so you can see what you are doing in the dark - before sunrise

© Rick Sammon

Explore the light,
Rick

P.S. My 24/7 Photo Buffet, iHDR and Life Lessons app are loaded with outdoor photography tips. Info on my app page.

"In the Footsteps of Ansel Adams" 2012 Photo Caravan

Mono Lake

I like to plan ahead :-)

I am setting up my "In the Footsteps of Ansel Adams" June 2012 Photo Caravan. It's basically a traveling photo workshop.

We'll be photographing in some of the most picturesque places in California. I have photographed in these places before, so I will be your photo guide and tour guide, getting you to the best places to shoot.

Yosemite

Bodie State Park

Alabama Hills

Ancient Bristlecone Pine Forest

Mono Lake

If you'd like to get on the mailing list, shoot me an email at ricksammon@mac.com. Space is limited to 10 - but I may do two workshops back to back.

For those new to my Photo Caravans, you drive yourself, make your own hotel reservations (we have a group hotel), etc. We shoot as a group and download as a group. We also have a ton of fun as a group.

You must be in good physical condition for this workshop.

For some quick tips for landscape photography, click here. It's a nice slide show.

Explore the light,

Rick