Outdoor Photographer March 2020

Big Moon Landscapes How to add a looming lunar accent to your scenic photography. 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. Improve Your Landscape Photography William Neill’s “On Landscape” column explores nature photography from an artistic, contemplative perspective. Get insights from Neill for thoughtful approaches to creating compelling scenic images. Assignments Share your best shots in our weekly “Assignments” photo challenges. Submit your images that fit the week’s theme—you may be our next Assignment winner. 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. http://outdoorphotographer.com/newsletter/…

Photographer: James Kay Location: Moraine Lake, Banff National Park, Alberta, Canada Equipment: Pentax 67, Pentax 105mm F/2.4, Fujichrome Velvia Situation: How often do we show up at a new location hoping for dramatic sky conditions and actually have it happen? I can only remember three locations in all my years of photography where my first visit provided the best photographic conditions that I’ve ever witnessed there, regardless of how many times I’ve returned. Moraine Lake is one of those locations. There was a sliver of clear sky on the eastern horizon, perfect cotton-candy clouds floating above the peaks and little wind. I began planning this composition more than one year before I drove 900 miles to set up my tripod here and then watch as this amazing scene unfolded before my eyes. We all…

For many photographers, tripods are the photo tool you love to hate,” wrote George Lepp in a recent Tech Tips column (see “Choosing A Tripod For Your Style Of Photography” on our website). It’s a theme we’ve heard over and over again, especially in recent years as photographers have sought to reduce the weight they carry in the field with smaller, lighter cameras, a minimalist mindset and a growing dependence on image stabilization technology. The first image stabilization systems for still photography were lens-based, limited in the types of movements for which they could compensate, and added a not-insignificant cost to the relatively limited selection of lenses that offered the benefit. Sensor-based stabilization made the feature available much more widely, as these systems work with any lens. Today’s technology is even…

James Kay’s photography has been used to support land conservation and has been displayed in the Utah Museum of Art & History and the U.S. Capitol Rotunda in an exhibit advocating wilderness protection for Utah’s Colorado Plateau region. See more of his work at jameskay.com. Glenn Randall’s most recent book is Dusk to Dawn: A Guide to Landscape Photography at Night, published by Rocky Nook, a handbook for creating images of the Milky Way, meteor showers, lunar eclipses and more. See more of his work at glennrandall.com. Will Dickey is photojournalist at the Florida Times-Union and a nature photographer since he first picked up a camera. Based in Jacksonville, Florida, he counts his favorite nature locations as the Timucuan Preserve, the St. Johns River and area beaches. See more of his work…

Our annual THE AMERICAN LANDSCAPE PHOTO CONTEST is now accepting submissions. Enter your best images of our country’s wild places for a chance to win at outdoorphotographer.com/photo-contests/the-american-landscape. Featured here are two finalists from last year’s competition. Though the subjects are quite different, the lesson is the same—in landscape photography, patience often pays off. Keyhole Arch By Ian Frazier “Pfeiffer Beach is one of those ‘must-visit’ locations for photographers traveling through California’s Big Sur. The dramatic coastline, colorful sand and impressive Keyhole Arch usually draw a large crowd, especially around sunset. “This particular evening was no different. As we stood behind our cameras, the sunset seemed to fizzle behind a distant cloud bank. I lingered as everyone packed up and left. Surprised, I watched as the dimming sky began to pick up color. I had a…

NIKON D780, TELE ZOOMS & “SUPERZOOM” COOLPIX Nikon recently introduced the D780 DSLR, successor to its popular D750. The 24.5-megapixel full-frame (FX-format) D780 promises to be an excellent choice for nature photographers, with features from upper-tier D850 and D5 DSLRs as well as technology found in Nikon’s Z series mirrorless cameras. The D780 is capable of shooting at speeds up to 7 fps with its mechanical shutter or up to 12 fps in Silent Shooting mode using Live View with the mirror up, ideal for wildlife photography. Also noteworthy when shooting in Live View, Nikon replaced the contrast-detect AF system used in earlier cameras with the 273-point sensor-based Hybrid AF system employed in the Z 6. In addition to faster and more precise AF when shooting in Live View, the system allows…