Outdoor Photographer April 2022

Wildflower Photography Tips How to create bold, vibrant images of wildflower scenes. By Kevin McNeal On Landscape William Neill’s column on the fine art of landscape photography explores thoughtful approaches to composition and creativity. Assignments Share your best shots in our weekly “Assignments” photo challenges. Submit images that fit the week’s theme—you may be our next Assignment winner. Tip Of The Week Available on our website—or delivered directly to your inbox—our “Tip of the Week” provides shooting and processing techniques to sharpen your photography skills. Sign up today. Connect With Us Get the latest news and be inspired by great photos from the Outdoor Photographer community. Newsletter Subscribe today for updates on the latest features, how-to articles and photography news. outdoorphotographer.com/newsletter…

Photographer: George D. Lepp Location: Canby, Oregon Equipment: Canon EOS R, Canon EF 11-24mm f/4L USM with Mount Adapter EF-EOS R, Canon Speedlite 600EX-RT Situation: Each September, my wife, Kathy, and I cross the Cascades to visit the Swan Island Dahlias farm and demonstration garden. The site is photographer-friendly and beautifully arrayed with acres of bushy plants covered with magnificent blooms of every conceivable color and exquisite design. Nonetheless, photographing the same subject every year means you need to come up with new creative ideas or you’re just repeating yourself. I tried a new perspective with my Canon EF 11-24mm extreme wide-angle zoom lens. The lens focuses to 11 inches at 11mm, with unlimited depth of field at ƒ/22, thus capturing a close-up subject within its sharply focused environment and all the way to…

Let’s spring into the details of closeup nature photography. As we were planning this issue, George Lepp, a master macro photographer himself, told us we had to include the work of Don Komarechka. His new book, Macro Photography: The Universe at our Feet, is a definitive guide to the subject, Lepp said, and in its nearly 400 pages, Komarechka covers everything from technical basics to virtually every type of macro imaging imaginable, like stereoscopic 3D and ultraviolet lighting. In his feature story, he curated fundamental tips to prompt you to investigate the genre. “The natural world has unending beauty to explore through photography,” Komarechka observes. “As near as your backyard, an unexpectedly vast collection of otherworldly subjects is right at your feet.” Discovering these new worlds develops an appreciation for the…

Swirling Vortex By David Swindler “Lake Powell has been a magnet for outdoor enthusiasts for decades with its vibrant blue water juxtaposed against flaming red cliffs, monoliths and swirling sandstone. In fact, I would say it is a quintessential view of the great American Southwest. “This particular evening, we hiked up some steep sandstone inclines to reach this ridge. It was very windy, and we ended up having an incredible sunset at last light. However, I liked this shot the best, taken just before the light disappeared as it illuminated the interesting vortex and the background cliffs. Definitely a memorable night with some great friends.” ➤ Sony a7R IV, Sony FE 16-35mm F2.8 GM at 24mm, polarizing filter, Fotopro tripod. Exposure: 1/4 sec., ƒ/14, ISO 100. Swamp Thing By Don Pelliccia “Each of these old cypress trees…

OM SYSTEM DEBUTS OM-1 FLAGSHIP OM Digital Solutions, formerly known as Olympus, has introduced its first camera under the new OM SYSTEM brand. Though the Olympus name remains on the OM-1, the company states that this is a nod to the company’s history and that future OM SYSTEM cameras will not include Olympus branding. The OM-1 is an advancement of the Olympus OM-D E-M1 series cameras, similar to the E-M1 Mark III and E-M1X in design but with enhanced capabilities. The 20-megapixel Micro Four Thirds sensor is a new Stacked BSI (backside-illuminated) type and is paired with the latest TruePix X image processor that’s three times faster than its predecessor. The combination enables an increase in maximum ISO to 102,400 and improved dynamic range compared to previous models. Sensor-shift image stabilization is…

In photography, the term macro is defined as a “life-size, 1x, 1:1 or larger” rendering of a subject on film or sensor. Any magnification less than 1:1 is considered “close-up” photography. A 100mm macro lens that captures images at 1x without accessories has been available to Canon users since 1979, beginning with the Macro FD 100mm f/4. A faster ƒ/2.8 upgrade designed for the EF mount came in 1990, a version with the ultrasonic motor (USM) was released in 2000, and image stabilization was added in 2009 with the EF 100mm f/2.8L Macro IS USM. Canon’s 2021 version, a part of the mirrorless revolution, is itself revolutionary: The RF100mm F2.8L Macro IS USM offers capabilities that have never before been available to macro photographers. The 100mm macro may be an old…