A Single Photo is Just a Split Second in Time

This article is the another in a series of articles that I’ve called “About this photo” to draw attention to a few of those memorable photos that may be hiding in a shoebox or on your hard drive.

A few weeks ago I traveled to Yellowstone to view the wildlife and scenery before the cold and snow arrived. Unfortunately, I chose to visit at the same time that our government decided to shutdown the National Parks.

The scene went something like this: As I passed through the north gate at Gardiner, MT at 7:30am on October 1st, the park ranger informed me that Yellowstone would be closing at 8:00am, just about 30 minutes from now. Having just entered the park, I was temporarily elated to think I’d have the entire place to myself.

 

My plan was to drive southward to Norris for some hiking in this amazing geyser basin. As I approached Nymph Lake, I was awed by a lone bison foraging near a mountainside of steaming fumaroles. I immediately pulled off the road onto the shoulder and grabbed my camera. Here’s the shot. But my stop off here didn’t quite end after taking this photo as you’ll soon see.	Bison at the Fumaroles

 

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In the above photo, the bison was standing about 150 yards away across the main highway. As I stood next to my car, the bison slowly troded towards the area in which I was standing. You can see the asphalt in the foreground. The bison didn’t stop there, he kept coming towards me. I always adhere to the “wildlife ethic” of not approaching animals, but this was the reverse situation.

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From the above photograph you can’t tell that there were already six or seven other autos parked on the shoulder. These visitors had already spotted the bison and were admiring the dramatic view. Little did we all know that the bison wanted to admire our autos. She strode right over while all of us wisely gave her plenty of room to wander.

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She remained just feet from me for several minutes. So as not to disturb her, I stood very still and captured her portrait. I shot over the hood of my auto to keep some distance between the two of us.

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As it turns out, this bison was the mother waiting for her calf. The calf was also across the road, but out of sight. He came hobbling over to mom a few minutes later. When they were reunited, they walked off along the tree lined path. The calf had a very visible injury to its rear leg. Here’s hoping that he’ll make it through the winter.

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After I lost sight of the pair of bisons, I hopped back in the car and continued driving southward. Little did I know that most of the viewing areas and parking in Yellowstone would be barricaded with orange cones including the Norris Geyser Basin due to the government shutdown. There went my hiking plans.

Was I disappointed? Yes, but not depressed. Having stopped at this and several other roadside areas in the park was still exciting and exhilarating both emotionally and visually.

The single photograph “Bison at the Fumaroles” is but a split second during my visit to Yellowstone. Along with the other photos, these five split seconds actually add up to much more than the fifteen actual minutes that I spent near Nymph Lake.

I don’t think I can put a number on the amount of enjoyment this stop off brought me during this visit to one of my favorite places.

 

 
Written by: Arnie Lee

 

 

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Hand Grip and Shoulder Strap Combo

For much of my shooting, I’m out in the field exploring and enjoying the outdoors, nature and landscapes: you get the picture. I like to travel light so I rarely use a camera bag or backpack. As I’m walking, hiking, climbing, bending, kneeling and at times crawling, my cameras get a mighty good workout from jostling around on my shoulder and banging against my side.

Occasionally, I’ve used various camera shoulder straps. While these provide ample padding to cushion the weight on my shoulder, they do little to prevent the camera from swinging back and forth as I’m moving. As I was wandering through PhotoPlus Expo recently, I stopped by the Joby booth where their rep Kate showed me a new hand grip/shoulder strap combo. The UltraFit Hand Strap lets you comfortably hold the camera without having to use any finger pressure. You can carry a heavy DSLR with minimal effort and without the fear of dropping it.

You can also see the shoulder strap that’s hanging below the hand grip that Kate is holding. Flip the camera over and you’ll see that the hand grip attaches to the camera body with a Swiss-Arca style flat plate. For times when you want a hands-off way of carrying the camera you can screw Joby’s Pro Sling Strap to the plate. A short but strong tethering line minimizes the swing of the camera as it hangs from your shoulder.

 

The UltraFit Hand Strap with Plate sells for about $35. The Pro Sling Strap sells for about $30.

After talking to Joby and seeing it in action, I’ve already placed a set of these on order.

 

 
Written by: Arnie Lee

 

 

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Sports Camera with Interchangeable Lens

I’ve owned three or four different sports cameras in the past 10 years. These were all point-and-shoot varieties built well enough to survive if they were dropped, withstand the inclement weather and capture photos underwater.

My main reason for buying a sports camera was to use it at the sandy beach, in and around the swimming pool and at the ocean for underwater photography. All of the cameras produce decent photos above water but picture quality underwater is just passible from the earlier cameras and average from the more recent models.

For highest quality, serious picture takers usually rely on an underwater housing matched to a specific DSLR. The best housing often costs more than the camera itself. Add an underwater flash and you’re talking real money.

It’s with this high cost in mind that my ears perked up a few weeks ago after hearing an announcement about an interchangeable lens sports camera from Nikon. I made it a point that the Nikon 1 AW1 was a “must-see” at PhotoPlus Expo.

The AW1 is based on Nikon’s mirrorless interchangeable lens “1” series. It has a 14 MP sensor, fast hybrid autofocus and also takes HD video. In addition to the waterproof body, there are two lenses specifically for underwater use: 10mm f/2.8 and 11-27.5mm f/3.5-5.6

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Accessories include a rubberized jacket for the camera body and the lens. These make the AW1 easier to handle underwater.	With the lens removed and with no mirror, you can see the sensor and the light blue O-ring which keeps the water out at depths to 50 feet.
As the Nikon rep Brian is demonstrating the the use of the AW1, you can’t help but notice the compact size of the equipment. In addition to its underwater performance, the AW1 is shockproof to withstand a 6 ft. drop and operates at temperature as low as 14 degrees. The built-in flash is also waterproof. The AW1 with 11-27.5mm lens sells for $795. The AW1 with both a 11-27.5mm and 10mm lens sells for $995. It’s available in black, white and silver. Brian mentioned that there are 7 other Series 1 lenses that are compatible with the AW1, although they are not for underwater use.

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To be honest, I’m quite interested in this innovative camera. Currently, it’s available only with the 11-27.5mm lens. But when the dual lens kit (with 10mm f/2.8) is available, I think I’m going to jump in to buy one. If so, I’ll have a review in an upcoming article.

 

 

Written by Arnie Lee

 

 

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