Rick's List: Nature and Landscape Photography Gear

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© 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.

Thursday's Travelogue: Mono Lake, California

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All photographs © Rick Sammon
This is part of a series I run here on my blog: Thursday's Travelogue. This week Mono Lake, California.

Mono lake is one of my favorite places to shoot landscapes. In fact, it will be one of the stops on my 2012 Photo Caravan, In The Footsteps of Ansel Adams.

Photo tips:
• South Tufa is the best place to shoot.
• Sunrise is the best time to shoot - but moonrise could be cool!
• Drive to South Tufa in daylight before your sunrise shoot. The gravel road leading to the parking lot has not lights.
• Get on site early. Very early. Many other photographers show up to shoot the sunrise.
• Plan more than one sunrise shoot. You just never know, as illustrated by the two sunrise pictures in this post.
• You'll need a flashlight for your early morning shoots.
• Work with reflections. Usually, the water is calmer earlier in the day.

 

• Shoot HDR. The opening image for this post is an HDR image. Click here for discounts on Photomatix Pro and Nik HDR Efex Pro.
• Wear waterproof sandals and shorts... as you may be walking through the water, as I did, to get to a good shooting spot.
Teva Men's Toachi 2 Outdoor Performance Sandal,Raven,9 M US
• Waders are another option for keeping dry.
• Tote a tripod, which you may be placing in the water. Rinse it off afterward.
• Pack a polarizing filter to reduce the glare on water.
Tiffen 72mm Circular Polarizer
• Mono lake is mostly wide-angle photography.




Travel Tips:
• Have dinner at the Historic Mono Lake Inn. Call in advance.
• Make your hotel reservations early.
• If you will be driving over the Tioga Pass, check to see that it's not closed due to snow - even in the late spring/early summer.
• You will be relatively close to Bodie State Historical Park, Yosemite and Alabama Hillls. Plan a trip.
• You must eat at the Whoa Nellie Deli at the Tioga Gas Mart. It's fun and fabulous! 


Bodie State Historical Park is a great place for HDR.
For more info on Mono Lake, click here.


Explore the light,
Rick


P.S. See past travelogues below:


Mt. Rainier


St. Augustine


Bosque del Apache

"In the Footsteps of Ansel Adams" 2012 Photo Caravan

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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