[Alan Bauer]

Mod note: this topic was split from Alan's Chiwaukum / Larch / Cup Lakes Trip Report.

[Larry]

I totally agree with the "slow down" factor being of particular importance in getting acceptable images. In fact, I have changed my "philosophy" over the years, and I now plan trips that might be only a few miles per day, especially in scenic country (which covers just about everywhere). I did all the "muscle trips" and peak-oriented trips, and had fun doing it. In fact, it was my whole life for many years to do hard trips and to challenge my endurance and will power. The one thing I missed on those trips -- the rewards of seeing all the beauty during the journey. I just "blew through" the pretty landscape to reach my "goal". Now, I just basically stroll, at least relatively speaking, and tend to stop often and for long periods, fiddling with the camera, or just dropping the pack and cruising out a ridge. Congruent with this "slowdown", has been a reciprocal slowdown in taking pictures. I've found that I tended to come to a wonderful spot and just put the camera up and fire away. And, as Alan indicated above...you really can't miss when you are in the middle of beautiful landscapes. But I now will certainly take that "first impression" photo, but then I'll start moving around with the viewfinder, and seeing a lot more different angles to the same general scene (also mentioned by Alan above). That usually results in a "keeper" here and there. Most important of all, however, is that I get to immerse myself into the whole schism of the landscape to a much higher degree.

[Alan Bauer]

Jim--that "vibrant larch" type of shot really tells the story of the day up there...seeing such color OVERLOAD in a small isolated scene. It was the only way to really capture the feel of it--to isolate a chunk of the whole--as any image that was wide angle landscape of that type of stuff just lost the feel I had. BPJ--you are like me then in that I had never been to any of the trails in this huge area of the Alpine Lakes Wilderness. I sense this will change in the future for me after seeing this area and now wanting to stomp a lot of the areas accessed up Whitepine Creek, Wildhorse, Frosty Pass, and all those high lakes by Grindstone Mountain and so on. I've done so much central cascades, Teanaways, and MRNP with the easy access from Fall City...this will be a fun new area to me! The images were all shot with my standard 35mm gear. What I had with me that day for those include: Nikon F5 body 24-120mm lens 80-400mm lens 17mm lens Gitzo Mountaineer 1228 tripod I was using a lot of Kodak 100VS slide film...but I believe I shot two rolls of Provia 100F or Velvia in there too. Only other data tidbits would be use of a warming polarizer to cut through some of the smoke/haze in the area. Non polarized images were often with a 81a warming filter on. Those that know me know that I shoot almost 99% of my nature images with this on all my lenses. Years of trial and error have brought me to this point. The GREEN and BROWNS of photos are simply much more true and real to the color I see with my eye than without it...without messing up the blue/white/black colors. If I am shoot a scene in more snow and less green I won't use it. But as long as the greens/browns/reds/yellows dominate a scene I will. It is a GREAT tool for wildflower, wildlife, and most macro photography so it suits me very well. Many photographers I have talked with do this as well, especially wildlife photographers. Moose Peterson, David Cardinal, George Lepp sometimes, etc.... The one downside? The darn F5 weighs about 512 pounds on a day when I'm tired! That all said, YOU can get these same quality of images from that G3 of yours---keep trying and the most important thing: get behind your camera and take photos as much as possible and learn what works for you and what doesn't! You have abilities for filter use and everything with that puppy...so go for it.

[Backpacker Joe]

Army tanks for the info Sir Alan. How about I go with you up there NEXT late summer? I'd like to watch you select your depth of field and shutter. Ive been playing with the idea of buying a mamiya 645 for some time now. I doubt that i could ever be SUPER KERRY and his 4x5 M1 Abrahms field camera! TB

[Alan Bauer]

Say, you'd have to knock me into a coma to not want to go back up there again next October...I can't believe I won't do that area almost annually now. Keep it in mind and we'll roam up in there! You'll like Cup Lake a ton, I just know it. It usually has ice in it until end of August--good swimming lake for you. I've long thought of the medium format world and that Mamiya stuff is so nice. Only reason I haven't is that I'm still limited on time in the field as the two kids are still fairly young...and what time I am shooting is for projects I need to work on. So I feel I wouldn't utilize it enough yet. But I bet that changes in a few years. I get to borrow a friends from time to time to keep my interest in it high.

[Backpacker Joe]

Ok then, its a plan. This time (or earlier) next year. How about 4-6 days up there? I'll have a M-format set up by then. It'll be a good experience. TB

[Kerry]

[MooseAndSquirrel]

Kerry & all, you brought up one of the most thought-about things in photography with the "dilema" of taking yet another photo of a well-photographed object. That can be narrowed even further to a photo taken from the same spot, angle, etc. as an often-shot image. Sometimes because of few choices you almost do have to take the picture in the same spot as everyone before you. You're absolutely right though that a subject's popularity/ over-exposure shouldn't stop someone from taking THEIR stab at it. There are so many variables involved- lighting, clouds, people in the picture, animals, etc. that you might just capture that definitive moment. I just look at this "problem" of taking yet another picture of Half Dome, Mt. Rainier, etc. as a challenge and practice if nothing else! Someone just might be standing there with a camera when The Mountain decides to reawake after its long slumber and all of a sudden that oft-taken view becomes pretty special.

[Backpacker Joe]

I'd like to see some of Kerry's Enchantments photos. About here are two of the most "well-photographed objects" in the Enchantments. What about it Kerry. Show us some stuff. TB

[Alan Bauer]

Hi Kerry-- thanks for stepping in and yep, you're correct on all accounts as well. The one thing I like to remind people who really are jealous of the quality of photography that "is produced by certain people" is that the spectacular images that are most often showcased are NOT the norm for photographs taken. They are the gem in the gravel pile of images...each trip will yield a good number of keepers...but it can take many trips to get an image that truly will blow away even other high caliber photographers. It isn't the equiptment like you said...it isn't my F5 nor your large format that choose what to put in the frame. Getting to the remarkable places is 90% of the work. More of us than you might think could take images like Art Wolfe, Moose Peterson, etc... if we had the resource of TIME and PATIENCE to get to the locations these people strive for. All of these photographers will tell you that about any image they see they could come back with something at least as good...but you need to get there first. I had a wonderful in-depth discussion about this very thing with Art Wolfe when I interviewed him this past July for a story. Now I'll go look at my crappy set of spider images I took today...spectacular, AWESOME light and web design with rain droplets...but I didn't take the TIME to go get the tripod from the house to do it right with patience...hand held quickies since I had to head to school in 3 minutes to go stomp in the woods with 70 3rd graders on a field trip...but that's a different story.

[Larry]

[Bob K]

Art Wolfe might be the hardest working photographer ever, but it's more than just time and patience. He does have a level of natural artistic talent that you see in very few nature photographers. You can go to the exact same locations at the exact same time and he will 'see' the better pictures and know how to get them with (the little) equipment he carries. The last few years, because he needs to sustain his business, he has produced so much so fast, that it has become a matter of putting in the time for him. Most of his pictures now follow the same formulas that he knows will automatically sell, and don't show the creativity and thought of his earlier work. But I guess that's also what makes him great. Along with being fit, working hard and having artistic talent, he also has the business and people skills that afford him the opportunity to travel to all the remote places in the world.

[Backpacker Joe]

Thanks Lare. I think I might move up to a 645AF Mamiya. Get a couple backs (one color one B&W) and a good wide angle (35mm) lens. THEN it's off to a damn class! TB

[Newt]

There have been many times where I have been in a place where the scenery is really cool. But no matter how hard I try I can't get a photo that represents what I had seen. It's like everything around me, and not in the photo, makes it far less than the actual visual experience. Know what I mean? Awesome being there but just plain jane crap in the photo? What do you do? Thanks, NN

[MooseAndSquirrel]

Newbie, keep pluggin' away and read up on photo how-do books, websites, talk with photographers like the excellent ones who frequent our board. I'm slooowly learning to eliminate the same mistakes I make when taking pictures, like expecting this electro-mechanical contraption to "see" the world as I see it. This is a very common assumption and unfortunately it just doesn't work that way all the time. Even the best photographers "hedge" their bets by taking rolls and rolls of shots at different exposure settings, etc. so that maybe a few images will be those "keepers". Also with experience you automatically follow certain methods of photography that lesson your chances of having disappointing results. Example: shooting into the sun and not expecting "flare" to appear (unless that's something you are after creatively- another story!), or expecting images to be sharp when hand-holding the camera at slow shutter speeds. There are a zillion more of course... Here's a few instructional book titles that are frequently recommended and which I have: These were all written primarily for the novice and 35mm SLR user but digital users can benefit just as well from them: The Nature Photographer's Complete Guide to Professional Field Techniques by John Shaw The Sierra Club Guide to 35mm Landscape Photography by Tim Fitzharris Photography Outdoors by Art Wolfe & Mark Gardner Mountain Light by Galen Rowell (not a normal instructional guide as such but interesting & instructional as he describes and breaks down some of his photos.) I took the Mountaineers Photo Course years ago and found that worthwhile and really a good value. Lectures & field trips. Good luck and have fun. M&S