SAFARI!
My wife and I were recently privileged to go on not one safari, but two! The first was mid-September in Kruger NP, South Africa; the second was two weeks later in Chobe NP, Botswana. Both were "bucket list" type events.
One does not necessarily need a guide to go on safari but I would certainly recommend such, especially when one is on a strict time schedule. To say these guys know their business is an understatement. They find game that one might spend days finding, or never at all. And they are adept at putting one in the right position to capture that once in a lifetime photo.
Our day in Kruger was one such day. We not only saw a lot of wildlife but found ourselves unexpectedly in the midst of a hunt by a pride of lions. We had just seen a lone Cape Buffalo bull on a river bank perhaps 200 yards from our vehicle when suddenly we found ourselves flanked by five female lions casually strolling down the road; except they were'nt casually strolling down the road. They had spotted this bull before we had and were positioning themselves to take him down...which is exactly what happened right before our eyes. Before we even realized what was going down those cats were on that buffalo; he never had a chance. Our guide explained he was an old bull that had been separated from the herd. I can still hear that buff bellowing as those lions pulled him down. A flock of buzzards had already gathered awaiting their turn. A vivid example of life in the wild.
The second day of safari, in Chobe NP, came in combination with a visit to Victoria Falls (see separate blog entry) and was fully as productive as Kruger in terms of animals seen. We "hunted" by land rover in the morning, by boat on the Chobe River (which empties into the Zambezi) in the afternoon. Again, our guide spotted hard to see wildlife we would never have otherwise seen, especially birds. Here too, we came upon a fresh lion kill (this time a baby elephant) with the lions still present sleeping off full stomachs.
Viewing and photographing wildlife in their natural habitat is exciting. These animals are used to seeing humans so they go about their business as if we were'nt even there. But one needs to remember that this isn't the zoo. These animals are wild and not in a cage. That thought was foremost in my mind as we were flanked by the five hunting lion at Kruger. They were more interested in the buffalo than us, but still they were almost within touching distance from us in the land rover. It's been less than two months since a woman was killed by a lion while on safari in Africa. I kept a close eye on those cats. Exciting yes...without risk? Absolutely not.
With this posting I am beginning to put new photographs on my website. See them in the "Portraits in the Wild" portfolio.
SPAIN IS COMPLETE!!!
After three long months of editing I think my Spain portfolio is complete...or as complete as it will be. It is a huge portfolio, consisting of over 700 images, and taken together is a virtual tour of Spain. In fact as I edited these photos I felt I was seeing everything again for the first time. As we moved from place to place we had guides to interpret what we were seeing, but I am so compelled to photograph that I often miss what's being said. I don't hear that well anyway, so my focus is on what I am seeing then later read about those things that interest me. In the end I bet I wind up with more of an insight than anyone on the tour. My reading thus far has included a brief overall history of Spain, a history of the Moors in Spain, a history of the Spanish Civil War, and currently a history of Spain's "golden age" from 1519-1682.
These fifteen portfolios visit much of this spectacular country. We began in Madrid, the Capitol. Flying in to this modern city I was struck by how green the landscape was...from horizon to horizon. I guess I expected much the same ground coloring as coastal California, golden yellow. Not so. My wife and I spent the first afternoon in Madrid's RETIRO park, a large and beautiful reserve within this city where one can escape the traffic and noise of the city.
We travelled the country by coach in a clockwise direction heading north to Santander and the Bay of Biscay. Enroute we stopped at the charming village of Lerma before crossing the Catabrica Cordillera (mountains) finally reaching the sea in late afternoon. We then proceeded east to Bilbao, San Sebastián, Pamplona (of San Fermin fame) and Zaragosa before driving along the foothills of the Pyrenees and a relative "breather" in Barcelona. We continued southwest to Valencia and Granada, a stop on the Costa Del Sol (including visits to Malaga and Mijas), thence to Gibraltar, Seville and Cordoba before proceeding north to Toledo, and finally back to Madrid. In other words we circled Spain, enroute seeing and experiencing a great deal, like flamenco in Andalucia, the Alhambra in Granada, unbelievable architecture in Bilbao, and the Prado in Madrid. Besides green in the central and northern sectors we saw far more mountains than expected, olive orchards as far as the eye can see, acres and acres of artichokes, almond and orange orchards, bull raising ranches, and miles of scenic coastline. And, oh yes, did I mention architecture? If not there's plenty to see in my portfolios. Would I go back? Oh yes! We left plenty to see and do. I'm too old now, but I should have walked the Camino de Santiago years ago. If not familiar with that check it out.
So, if you want to experience what we did spend some time with my portfolios. You will virtually retrace our steps. If you know little about Spain now you will now quite a bit by the time you finish.
VIEW OF TOLEDO
VIEW OF TOLEDO: No, not El Greco's view but one similar I think. The city still sits atop the same hill. The Alcazar and cathedral, still dominate the scene; the river Tagus still flows at the foot of the hill. But what I wouldn't give to have El Greco's sky!
EAST MEETS WEST
Anyone spending time in my Europe galleries will know that I favor churches in my subject matter, and for good reason. In Europe, and in many places in North America, the architecture presented is compelling. One is going to see everything from classical to art nouveau styles. But in Spain there is something else, that is Moorish (Mudejar) architecture. Spain, except for the north, was ruled by the Moors from ~711 a.d. until the Reconquista in 1236 when Ferdinand III of Castile reconquered Spain for Christianity and expelled the Moors. But the evidence of their art and architecture remains. There are at least three notable examples where Islamic architecture at its finest can be seen, the Alhambra in Granada (built in 889 a.d. as a fortress), the Alcazar (Royal Palace) in Seville, and the Grand Mosque of Córdoba, now the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Assumption, all World Heritage sites. Basilica El Pilar in ZARAGOSA might also be included with this group as it has definite elements chararistic of Mudejar architecture, for instance, its pillars. Indeed, remnants of Islamic architecture are to be seen elsewhere but these in particular are must see places in Spain.
I know very little about architecture but I do know what is appealing through the lens of my camera and these places were so different from the usual fare of the Classical, Romanesque, Gothic, & Baroque I was used to seeing that I was immediately impressed that here was something very different. Where I found most European ecclesiastical and secular architecture bold and masculine, embellished with iconic art, this was almost feminine in quality, delicate and highly decorative with floral and geometric designs to be sure, but totally devoid of iconic images of any kind. This lack of iconic art is of course consistent with the mandates of the Qur'an which specifically forbids statues and icons. Much use is made of arches in Islamic architecture just as in western architecture but their's is in the shape of a horseshoe as opposed to an inverted U. In the case of the Grand Mosque double arches are utilized; I haven't seen those anywhere else. Gardens and water are also important elements incorporated into Islamic architecture, and this is especially true at the Alhambra (and the Seville Alcazar) where a sophisticated irrigation system carries water directly from the Sierra Nevada to the Alhambra and operates to this day. The gardens, fountains, and pools in the Alhambra and the Alcazar are exquisite. In addition much use is made of decorative tile in pools, flooring, and wall wainscoatings. Taken together the experience is far different than visiting say a gothic cathedral such as that at Seville.
The history of the Grand Mosque of Córdoba reflects the push and pull throughout history between Christianity and Islam. The church was originally built by the Visigoths who first occupied Spain. It came under control of the Moors in 711 a.d. and was shared by both religions for a time (784 a.d.) until demolished in toto by 'Abd al-Rahman I and rebuilt as the Grand Mosque. It reverted to the Catholic Church after Reconquista and converted back to a Christian Church when a Renaissance style cathedral nave was incorporated in the 16th century. Today it reflects artistic elements of both religions, each beautiful in its unique way. But the "push and pull" between the two religions continues. Spanish Muslims have petitioned the Catholic Church to allow them to pray in the cathedral, a campaign rejected on multiple occasions by both church authorities in Spain and the Vatican.
I was so taken by the beauty of these places that I'm devoting dedicated galleries to the Alhambra and the Grand Mosque of Córdoba, what is now the cathedral church of the Diocese of Córdoba. Photographing in both places was very challenging and demanding due to bad lighting and crowds. Tripods were of course out of the question. In Córdoba especially I needed to increase the ISO to >1000 at times to get acceptable shutter speed to avoid blurring. This introduced predictable "noise" which in most cases I was able to deal with in post production. Of more consequence was the crowds of people. The only thing one can do is use them as props and try to wait until they were positioned in some kind of compositional sense. This was somewhat successful but is secondary to the beauty of the architecture itself. These are truly incredible places well worth visiting.
LIGHTING IN CHALLENGING CONDITIONS
Lighting is a key element of composition at all times, but in the travel, street, and the architectural photography I do while traveling it is a real challenge. So much so that if one is not prepared to quickly deal with lighting problems as they present themselves images can be utterly ruined. Many of the images being posted in my Spain series present real difficulty in execution, but by utilizing certain techniques the situation was manageable. Here is a brief summary of strategies I use.
1. I always shoot in RAW format. Why is this important? Because it is only in this format that the maximum potential of your camera can be realized. When one shoots JPEGs the images are compressed in your camera with a resulting loss of something on the order of 70% of the information contained in the pixels. My camera, for instance yields a 12.3mp image. If I shoot JPEGs I wind up with roughly 3.5mp, a huge reduction in image size. This has a direct influence on the quality of the image and what can be done with it in post production and output. If you are not shooting RAW you are "going to bat" with two strikes against you at the outset.
2. Do as much pre-trip research as possible before leaving home. With copious information available on the internet these days there is no excuse for going on a photo trip unprepared about the subject matter that will be encountered. This takes a bit of time and effort but I at least know what type of photos I will be taking, equipment I will need, and some idea of how I will approach it.
3. Try to shoot at optimum times, e.g., early morning and evening. I am often ridiculed when I talk of civil twilight. Then the laughter increases when I explain what that means. That means I'm "out there" (pun intended) and ready to shoot roughly a half hour before sunrise and a half hour after sunset. That being said, when one is part of a tour that is not going to happen. More likely one is going to be photographing at the worst possible times, challenged for time, surrounded by crowds, and more than likely under equipped. On only one occasion on my recent Spain trip was I able to sneak out early in the morning to catch a sunrise. So one must do the best he can to find compositions, or position one's self where the lighting is at least decent. This is a real challenge perhaps best met by doing good subject research so one knows what angles might be available or having some idea of what can be done in post production (more about this later). In any case the trick is to try to find the best composition while not losing your group. Understand you're probably not going to get the "iconic" shot the National Geographic photographer is going to get.
4. Don't be afraid to dial up the ISO. I generally try to shoot with an ISO as low as possible, say 100-200. The ISO is the sensitivity of your camera sensor; for those still shooting film, the film speed. Low sensitivity generally translates to low "noise "in your images. It is also a factor when images are "blown up" to large sizes. The more noise the more it becomes evident as image size increases. This becomes an issue in low light conditions, like inside churches and other buildings. Ideally one should use a tripod to hold the camera steady in long exposure situations. Unfortunately that is not practical in most situations. Tripods are often not allowed, and even if they were not practical because of time involved to set one up and crowds to trip over them. In such situations one should not hesitate to '"crank up" the ISO. I would rather do that than risk, or indeed, assure myself of blurred images. Modern sensors are capable of high ISOs without producing excessive noise. I have routinely gone up to 800 ISO and even 1600 ISO with acceptable results. That gives me 3, maybe 4 stops of extra speed, huge in difficult conditions. It's the difference in getting the shot and getting nothing. Many people try to overcome low light with built-in flash. Unless your subject is very close to the camera that will be ineffective as built in flash just isn't poweful enough to reach very far. I'm often reminded of people trying to shoot photos in a darkened stadium with a point and shoot and built-in flash. They think they are illuminating the scene but all they're really lighting is the back of the head of the guy in front of them. Additionally I find flash in a darkened interior very unsatisfactory lighting. It's harsh and uneven.
5. Another technique which I find few know about is HDR (even though it's been around awhile), High Dyamic Range photography. In order to utilize this one needs to have a camera that can be set to produce bursts of at least three images at a high rate of speed. It is best to do this using a tripod, but again we are assuming such is not available. The idea is to produce at least three identical images at the same f-stop but using three different shutter speeds 1-stop apart. To do this in low light the ISO must be set so that the camera can be hand held steadily throughout the three bursts. I find three bursts sufficient to produce an acceptable image; I doubt if I could hold the camera steady for more. The resulting images are then combined in HDR software in post production to produce one image. The idea here is to increase the range of light captured which is then translated into the final image. It does tend to "flatten" out the lighting but with practice the final image can be quite acceptable. I not only use this technique in low light but in situations where the contrast, or range of light present in the scene, is beyond that which the camera can capture without blowing out highlights or blocking up shadows, roughly say five f-stops of range. I don't actually measure the dynamic range because I'm generally on the move, but with experience one will know instantly when HDR is appropriate. This is generally not a good technique when there are moving people in the scene unless blurring their movement is not a big issue. I find it a very efficacious technique and use it often.
6. If your camera has a built-in flash it can be useful as a fill flash technique or where the subject is close to the camera; otherwise forget it.
7. I always photograph with an eye to post production, what I intend to do with the image once it's uploaded to my computer. I have a very specific workflow procedure that employs a number of software programs. Everything starts in my basic program, LIGHTROOM. I do primary RAW editing there and depending on the type image (for instance, most all architectural images) correct for lens aberration. I then move into Photoshop through which I access various special effect filters in plug-in software to finish the image to my taste. These might include contrast, graduated, polarizing, softening , etc., filters depending on the "look" I am trying to achieve. Some of the filters I formerly used on camera, e.g., graduated neutral density filters, I now wait until post production (at least for travel photos) because I haven't the time to mess with them or room to pack them around. This may rub purists who think everything has to be done in camera the wrong way, but my results are the same with less hassle in the field. The point is in travel and street photography to get the job done without a lot of gear and quickly. One just doesn't have time to stand around and analyze a scene then reach into a deep bag of gear for the proper tool. With this type of photography less is usually more.
8. One last note with regard to gear, my bag usually consists of one camera body, a single lens (Nikkor 18-300 zoom), a polarizing filter, perhaps a fisheye lens if I have something specific in mind for it, an extra battery for the camera, and usually a light weight travel tripod with a ball head. I also often carry a Lensbaby lens and a couple optics in case I want to do something a bit more artistic. I have been using a Lensbaby system for two or three years and find it gives me an extra dimension although there is a learning curve to use it effectively. That's it.
So, those used to lugging around a lot of gear will see this as a pretty sparse setup, but after a lot of trial and error I find this effective in these days of strict baggage limitations where I for one do not want my camera gear out of my sight, and where time and efficiency is critical. Even more importantly, these lighting tips will solve most challenging situations you're liable to encounter.