Outdoor Photographer May 2022

Wide Angle Wildlife Telephoto isn’t the only option—reach for your wide-angle lens to capture more of your subject’s story. The Big Picture Amy Gulick’s regular column explores our connections to the natural world and the power of photography in support of conservation efforts. 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: Chris Rainier Location: Coast of Washington State Equipment: Canon EOS 5DS R, Canon EF 16-35mm f/2.8L III USM Situation: As with every environmental portrait, I must understand who I am photographing and what I am photographing. I have spent the last 40 years wandering the planet documenting traditional cultures and their remarkable and sacred rituals. We live in a severe time where many of these ancient traditions and rituals are under threat from the tsunami of modernity. I am in a race against time. I had reached out to Gene Tagaban, a Tlingit and Cherokee performer who dances the Ravin Dance. We agreed to meet on the beach near his home in the state of Washington. With every portrait I take, it is important for me to try to create a sense of…

Photographing cultures can take many forms,” Chris Rainier observes, “but, always with an eye to the most visual impacts, I have focused on the rich and diverse beauty of traditional regalia, tattooing and, most recently, masks.” Through the COVID pandemic, the word “mask” has conjured images of the respiratory variety, and so it is a pleasant departure to recall the ancient type, the ceremonial mask. The world’s oldest known masks of this kind were made of stone near present-day Jerusalem and date back 9,000 years. Throughout the centuries and around the globe, ceremonial masks have been used as an essential visual element of storytelling in traditional cultures. As a documentary photographer and filmmaker, Rainier has dedicated a significant part of his attention for more than 20 years to exploring the role…

Grand Prize Bare Beauty By Sapna Reddy “As a physician, it was difficult to witness firsthand the suffering thrust upon us by the pandemic. From February through the summer months of 2020, the workdays remained long and exhausting. When I got the opportunity to take a vacation in October, I decided to head to Utah to be alone in the Badlands. I figured that the spectacular fall colors would have a therapeutic effect on me. “Our state of mind is reflected in the art we choose to create. Of all the scenes I photographed, the one that appealed to me the most was this bare tree. Amongst trees decked out in autumn splendor, this minimalistic tree stole the show. Devoid of any foliage, its white bark glistened in the sunlight, testimony to grace in…

SUPER TELE PRIMES FOR CANON EOS R Canon introduced two new super telephoto primes ideal for wildlife and sports photographers, the RF800mm F5.6 L IS USM and RF1200mm F8 L IS USM. The latter is the longest lens yet for Canon’s EOS R mirrorless system, and both lenses are compatible with Canon’s RF1.4x and RF2x extenders for extreme telephoto reach up to an incredible 2400mm with the RF1200mm F8 L IS USM and RF2x extender. The RF800mm F5.6 L IS USM has a minimum focusing distance of 8.53 feet. Built-in image stabilization provides up to 4.5 stops of correction. The lens is 6.4 inches in diameter, 17 inches in length and weighs 6.9 pounds. Slightly heavier at 7.4 pounds—but remarkably light for a lens of this focal length—the RF1200mm F8 L IS USM…

Whether you’re strolling through villages on the Amalfi Coast or hiking Skyline Trail at Mt. Rainier National Park, reducing the weight and complexity of your camera gear without sacrificing photo flexibility can free your attention to enjoy the experience more fully. Here are a few key items to consider for your travel kit. BIG ZOOM POCKET CAMERA The Sony RX100 VII is an excellent option if you want to travel light and leave your larger camera system behind. The camera’s zoom lens offers an equivalent focal length range of 24-200mm, ample for most travel photo opportunities from grand vistas to telephoto details. Though it’s just slightly larger than a pack of standard playing cards, it can shoot 20-megapixel images at up to 20 fps continuously or in a burst of seven frames…