Are you ready to take your nature and wildlife photography to the next level? Are you ready to learn the professional secrets that make the difference between good images and great images? Are you ready for a high intensity, action packed, total immersion photography weekend? Come to Park of the Pines on beautiful Lake Charlevoix June 7-10, 2019.
Favorite Photos, January. Click for a larger version.
Here are my favorite photos for the month of January. The story behind this “favorite photos by date” project is here.
These ornaments were a gift, so they are special. We always hang them side-by-side on the Christmas tree. It was January 31 and we were going to take the tree down (yes, we leave the tree up for a long time), so I was taking a few photos of the tree. This is my favorite image for January 31.
For this photo shoot we wanted something different than the usual portrait look. We wanted something more bold and dramatic. So I put the camera right on the floor in order to catch Ivory’s subtle reflection in the floor. This is my favorite image for January 30.
When Selina and I scheduled this shoot, we knew it would be chilly in late January, but we had no idea when they day arrived that it would be bone chillingly cold. But we decided to go ahead anyway. So she made the trip from Kentucky to Columbus Ohio for our photo shoot.
This is our daughter-in-law Catharine and our grandson Terran, so it should be obvious why this is one of my most favorite images for January 28.
This is a very special ornament. It is a gift from my mother-in-law who is no longer with us. This angel stirs up all kinds of memories and emotions. That is why this is my favorite image for January 27.
White Sands National Monument is one of my favorite places on the planet. I highly recommend it as a top priority photo destination. In January you pretty much have the whole place to yourself.
Kate and I were creating images for her model portfolio. This is one of our favorite images from the photo session and my favorite image for January 23.
I was out for a walk with my grandson Terran, and he was about to cross this small, wooden bridge. I grabbed a quick photo with my camera. This is my favorite photo for January 21.
I had high hopes for the January 20-21 lunar eclipse. Unfortunately, January 20 was a cloudy day. A cloudy, overcast sky is not good for seeing, much less photographing a lunar eclipse.
I was teaching a winter term photography class at Graceland University. We met every day and part of each day’s class session was devoted to doing one or more in class assignments.
We were in Michigan visiting our daughter, Janae. We stopped at Bronson Park just like enough for me to do a portrait. This is my favorite image for January 19.
Total Lunar Eclipse, Super Blood Moon, Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado, September 27, 2015
Here in North America, Sunday night and early Monday, January 20-21, you have your last chance to photograph the last total lunar eclipse until 2021. This article will show you how. Continue reading
Our grandson Andrew loves to play soccer. He is number 15 in white in this group of players near the goal. The key to most good sports photos is action and there is a lot going on in this photo. The ball is going behind the goalkeeper in yellow. This is my favorite photo for January 14.
I captured this moment this past Sunday at church. It is my favorite photo for January 13.
I wanted an illustration for an article about making big prints. One of my favorite models was in town, so she came by and held this cougar print while I took a picture.
We were in California visiting “mom” (my mother-in-law) and we were headed out for dinner together. We stopped just long enough to take a group picture.
Last Light on Long’s Peak and the Keyboard of the Winds, Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado.
Thinking about a photography trip to one or more U.S. national parks this winter? You can benefit from the work I have done. Some national parks look better in the winter than others. You will want to make them a priority. After you read this article I recommend you also read the companion article: The Best National Parks to Photograph in Winter.
Originally posted January 17, 2017. Updated and re-posted January 10, 2019.
Bryce Canyon
Winter provides some wonderful photo opportunities in our national parks. But some national parks look much better in the winter than others. So if you haven’t gone into hibernation for the winter, here are the best national parks to go photograph this winter, grouped by state from the west to the east. There are a few bonus locations thrown in too. At the end I give you my “best of the best” list.
Posted January 17, 2017. Updated and re-posted January 10, 2019.
Lyn Marie, Ohio. Windchill 8°F.
It is difficult enough to create a beautiful nude image under normal circumstances, much less in the cold and snow. You need to bring some significant skills and experience to the task. So does your model.
Selina, Downtown Columbus Ohio. Windchill 4°.
You would think a windchill of 4° Fahrenheit (-16°C) would be too cold for a photo shoot, but not with some models. We booked this January shoot weeks in advance so we knew it would be cold, but we had no idea how cold until the day arrived. Here’s the story behind this image and how to work with a model when it is so cold.
Denali Sunrise from Reflection Pond
The Sunny f16 rule is really useful on bright sunny days in the spring, summer, and fall, but you can’t rely on it on bright, snowy winter days. It will often lead you astray and you will have seriously blown out highlights. There are much more accurate ways to meter in the winter.
Cougar
Most wildlife are medium to dark in tone, making them a challenge to meter properly in the bright, white tones of winter. If you trust one of your camera’s automatic exposure modes, the odds are good you won’t get the best exposure. If you switch over to manual exposure and make the right decisions, you can get great exposures and better quality photos (more about that later).
Elk in the Snow, Horseshoe Park, Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado
Metering dark toned wildlife in the snow is a major exposure challenge. It is usually best to avoid large “burned out” areas (washed out, featureless white) in a nature or landscape photograph, but with properly exposed snow, the wildlife can be so dark as to lose all texture. On other hand, metering for the wildlife can burn out the snow. So what do you do?
Kristina in the Snow
The white snow in a winter scene can and often does fool a camera meter into underexposing a portrait, so here are the steps to take to get the right exposure. I throw in a few portrait suggestions too.
Last Light on El Capitan, Yosemite National Park
In addition to all of the usual photographic challenges, winter provides some extra complications, especially in terms of metering. So I began this series of articles on winter photography. Check out the links below. The articles will help you meet the unique challenges of winter photography. So get out there, have fun, and create some great winter images!
Western Scrub-Jay, Don Edwards San Francisco Bay National Wildlife, Fremont California. January 9, 2014.
I was at the Don Edwards San Francisco Bay National Wildlife Refuge in Fremont California. It is one of my favorite photo locations in the Bay Area. Continue reading
Organ Mountains, New Mexico. January 8, 1990.
Ansel Adams is right. There is something wonderful about New Mexico. There is an abundance of great subjects to shoot and the light can be magical.
Southwest Colorado in the Fall.
Come spend four exciting days on a total immersion photo safari in beautiful southwest Colorado. Colorado is magnificent in the fall as the aspen turn gold. The safari is September 27-30, 2019. Registration is limited and this photo safari is filling up. Detail are here.