Grant Nakamura’s Photography Blog

Rocky Mountain School of Photography Location Workshop

Lessons Learned

As I was sitting on the plane to Montana, I set down some goals for me at the workshop:  explore Glacier, expand my portfolio both “horizontally” and “vertically”, develop my eye, better understand the Zone System so that it becomes more instinctual, and to be open to all the possibilities during the workshop.

Let’s take a look at how I did…

Explore Glacier National Park

Well, the first goal was easy.  I really wanted to see more of the Park.  Previously, I had been up the Going to the Sun Road once and had hiked to Hidden Lake.  We had also camped at Kintla Lake and hiked about half way up the lake’s northern shore along the Boulder Pass Trail.

During the workshop, we hiked to Red Rock Falls on the Swiftcurrent Pass Trail and hiked the Grinnell Glacier Trail.  We explored the Siyeh Creek at the Bend and caught the sunrise at Wild Goose Island on St. Mary Lake as well as at Swiftcurrent Creek and Lake.  I took a side trip to the Two Medicine Lake area in the southeast corner of the Park and visited Running Eagle Falls.  The hike along the Trail of the Cedars was fabulous and will most likely be the first stop on my next visit to the Park.  The whole MacDonald Creek watershed is just waiting to be photographed.  I now have a much broader perspective of the Park as a whole and can’t wait to return.

Expand My Portfolio

Expanding my portfolio both horizontally (more broadly as in more different subjects) and vertically (more different perspectives of subjects) seemed to be both easy and hard.  The wildflowers that were blooming brought many new subjects to see and photograph and the new vistas around almost every corner begged to be photographed.  But how was I going to deepen my portfolio?  Thankfully, Doug’s first assignment for the class help create an environment for me to think and see a subject in different ways.

Develop My Eye

I’m not sure what I was after when I wrote down “develop my eye,” but as the workshop unfolded it came to mean to me:  “understand the fundamentals of composition and use those principles to ground my intuitive sense of the scene.”  When I came to the workshop I had a rudimentary knowledge of the fundamentals of composition, but a very poor working understanding.

Doug’s lecture on composition and the feedback given during the critique sessions were so valuable in helping me understand these principles.  His discussion on layering of the components in a landscape scene was so enlightening.  It totally changed the way I looked at scene.  Coupled with the sidebar on hyperfocal focusing, I began to see how some of my favorite images in magazines and books were created.

Other principles that were clearly explained to us showed me several blind spots in my visualization of the scene.  Dominant shapes and the balancing of shape as well as how color draws the eye in and out of the composition was new to me and caused me to think more how to look at a scene.

A Better Understanding of the Zone System

Although Doug never gave a formal lecture on the Zone System, his talk on Camera Controls and Exposure did address many of my questions.  I’ve read Ansel Adams’ The Negative and his chapter on the Zone System many times and am hoping to begin to develop an intuitive sense of exposure based on the Zone System.

Although I understood and had used the Manual mode of my camera occasionally, I had relied on Apeture priority mode in almost all other situations.  Following Doug’s lecture I “jumped in with both feet” with manual operation.  It now made total sense.  Spot metering and tone recognition seemed so much easier and intuitive.  There is no need for exposure locking since it is always locked.  I was hitting the exposure without as many trial and error shots as I had before.  This is very exciting for me.

Open to the Possibilities

Being open to all the possibilities has been my mantra for many years (thanks, Dan).  Even though I came to the workshop with many questions to answer and things to see and do, I wanted to make sure I didn’t miss anything that I came across.  Well, that didn’t happen as was plainly evident during our critique sessions.  It was amazing how we photographed at the same spots each day, but saw so many different things and in so many different ways.  It certainly made me reflect on how I look at scenes and subjects.

One of the possibilities that opened up to me was how I am capturing scenes for eventual High Dynamic Range (HDR) photographs.  I have been taking series of exposures using the auto bracketing feature of my Nikon D200 after first determining the exposure for the mid tones.   That is to say, getting as even a histogram as possible.  Using HDRsoft’s Photomatix Pro to generate an HDR file and then tone mapping it, I have had good results, but also many failures.  Doug gave us some good advice to exposure for the highlights (duh!) and then open up in one stop steps (via shutter speed) to expose the midtones and, finally, the shadows.

I had also been taking as many exposures as possible while doing the bracketing, usually seven.  In most situations, I don’t think I ever needed that many exposures.  I think I should look at the tonal range of the scene and estimate how that range “overpowers” my camera’s sensor.  If the range is overpowered only by one Zone, then two exposures with blending is probably all I would need.  If it’s overpowered by five Zones, then five or six exposures with HDR generation and tone mapping would be more appropriate.

Of course, knowing the sensitivity of my camera’s sensor and the range of tones that it is capable of capturing is very important.  I have created a chart of my D200 based on Adams’ technique in the chapter on the Zone System, so I have an idea what the range of tones I can get with it.   I am currently doing the same with my newly acquired D700.

At this time, this is all theory to me and I will have to test these techniques as soon as I get a chance.

Exposure blending in Photoshop was also something that I had tried, but not very seriously.  I knew about using single RAW images and adjusting the exposure in Adobe Camera Raw (ACR) and then combining those separate exposures in Photoshop.  I really have had a hard time with the masks especially with complicated borders, such as trees.  The guidelines given by Doug and Moe about how much to adjust the exposure in ACR are very helpful.

The epiphany, or as Smee would say, “apostrophe”, has been that Photomatix Pro does a very good job of exposure blending without the need for masking.  What I’ve been trying is saving the RAW images that I’ve exposure adjusted in ACR as TIFF files and then blending with Photomatix Pro.  I think the results have been quite good.

Other tips/ideas that I thought were very important:

• Reflections in water should be one-stop darker than the real subject;
• Use the zoom capability of my camera’s LCD instead of the depth-of-field preview button (duh!  This is the digital age, stupid!!!);
• There is a way to predict where the sun will rise or set on the horizon, so that you can determine when and where to set up a shot ahead of time;
• Memorize the “Big Four” for my cameras and widest lens for hyperfocal focusing, i.e. f/11 & f/16 at 14 mm and 24 mm focal length;
• Look for merges.  This defect in my compositions was (is) a huge blind spot;
• Get closer with my wide angle lens and use the 45 degree rule on the foreground subject;

Again, an incredibly valuable workshop from the instructors at RMSP!!!

I can’t wait to continue my development at another workshop.

Grant

Sorry for not keeping you up to date on my adventures during the workshop in Glacier National Park, but there’s no internet access in the Park.  Anyway…

From my perspective, the workshop was a huge success.  We covered multiple topics in lecture form as well as taking multiple field trips throughout the Park.  So let’s get down to business…

I drove to Many Glacier Hotel from Whitefish after spending a wonderful couple of days back up in the northwest corner of the Park at Kintla Lake campground we spent Friday paddling canoes to the head of the lake and then hiking to Upper Kinta Lake.  It was a beautiful day.  Check out the gallery for some photos.

I arrived late Saturday evening after traversing the Park via the Going to the Sun Road.  It is in the midst of a renovation project, so there were some delays on the trip.  The vistas are spectacular from the road, but also a bit scary, especially when there’s no one in the car to distract me.

Sunday morning I slept in and arrived in our “lecture hall” to meet our instructors, Doug Johnson and Moe Witschard.  I had met Doug before in Missoula, but this was my first meeting with Moe.  There were 14 students in the workshop.

Lectures covered Basic Camera Controls, Hyperfocal Focusing, and Composition.  There was a short lecture on understanding when and where on the horizon the sun will rise and set.  Unfortunately, we never got a formal lecture on the Zone System.  I’ll cover the lectures in more detail in a later blog.

Our field shoots on the east side of the Park included a hike to Red Rock Falls up the Swiftcurrent Pass Trail,  sunrise at Swiftcurrent Lake and Creek, a boat ride across Swiftcurrent Lake and Lake Josephine to a hike up Grinnell Glacier Trail, sunrise at Wild Goose Island on St. Mary’s Lake, and Siyeh Bend.

Wednesday we moved to West Glacier and the Belton Chalet.  Most of the group crossed the Park via the Going to the Sun Road, but I decided to check out the Two Medicine region.  I stopped and checked out Duck Lake and made a side trip to Rose Creek before finally setting out for Running Eagle Falls in Two Medicine.

The trip was eventual as a strong front moved in just as I was preparing to leave the Many Glacier Hotel.  If it had been a few degrees colder, I think the rain would have certainly been snow.  On my way out of the Park to Babb, Montana a beautiful rainbow appeared in my rearview mirror and I had to stop to try to capture it.  However, I needed to outrun the rain first since it was spotting my lens quite badly.

The side trip to Duck Lake was disappointing since the wind was blowing about 30 knots and the lake was covered in white caps.  Obviously there were no large trout rising.  A couple of record shots and it was off to Rose Creek near the Rising Sun region to capture a few images for Rose Kromschroeder.

The drive to Two Medicine from St. Mary’s is spectacular (I need to stop writing that).  State Route 49 to the entrance there is almost as scary as the Going to the Sun Road.  Running Eagle Falls was a short hike from the parking lot after I re-entered the Park through the Two Medicine Park Entrance.  The fall are beautiful, but unfortunately the midday light was very harsh and backlit the falls.  I still took several shots and even tried fording the creek to try to get a better camera position, but the water was too cold and the rocks too slippery to wade it barefoot.

The Belton Chalet in the West Glacier area of the Park was our new headquarters for the next couple of days as we had four more scheduled shoots, two more critique sessions, and a grand finale slideshow before the workshop was over.

That evening we went to the foot bridge over MacDonald Creek and then we split up with some of the group going to Logan Pass for the sunset, others staying near the Creek, and two others and I went to the Loop on the Going to the Sun Road.

Another early morning brought us to the shore of Lake MacDonald at Apgar Village for a beautiful sunrise.  That afternoon we headed to Logan Pass and the Hidden Lake Trail.  I reprised my hike to Hidden Lake that Liz and I did last year.  This year’s hike was complicated by two rather large snowfields that made the footing quite slippery especially as we came back downhill.

Hidden Lake was covered in large waves as the wind continued to blow throughout the week.  The midday light was very harsh and contrast control was very difficult, so I did a little exploring around the head of the lake and followed the outlet creek to a very steep cascade and waterfall.  One my return to the lake I found hundreds of spawning Cutthroat Trout.  I spent almost 45 minutes watching them and taking many pictures.

Friday morning dawned with spectacular cloud formations.  I should have gone back to Apgar Village for some more sunrise shots, but I thought that if I continued down Lake MacDonald towards our next location on the Trail of the Cedars I would be able to capture a good sunrise shot.  I never did get a good angle on the sunrise and the mountains.

The Trail of the Cedars and the Avalanche Creek Gorge is absolutely awe inspiring and mystical.  I could spend the rest of my life exploring it and taking photographs there.

Our final critique and slideshow was very melancholy knowing that we would be leaving the Park soon.  The slideshow was inspiring and humorous.

I arrived in Bozeman on Monday afternoon.  My car was waiting for me in the short term lot as usual thanks to the folks at Osterman’s Car Storage in Belgrade.  It was a beautiful day and an easy drive into Missoula.  The Clark Fork River meanders along I-90 from just outside Anaconda through Missoula.  It was very tempting to get off the freeway and look for rising fish, but I had too many errands in Missoula to do.

It was hot in Missoula…over 94 degrees F.  I wasn’t looking forward to a blistering hot day fishing on the river with Chris McAdams (www.kingfisherflyshop.com), but as luck would have it a reprieve was forecast for Tuesday.  There was overcast and rain coming.  Good omens for a productive day on the river.

I stopped at RMSP (www.rmsp.com) and said Hi to a few friends who have been so good to me.  They had good reports about the wildflowers and weather for my upcoming workshop in Glacier National Park.  Now, I’m really excited.

Monday night I spent the evening at the Iron Horse bar with one of the instructors at RMSP, Tim Cooper (www.timcooperphotography.com), and his girl friend Marissa.  I turned into a beautiful evening and it was great to reconnect with Tim and meet Marissa.  The time with Tim makes me look forward to his workshop in October.

Tuesday dawned with promise of rain showers and generally overcast skies.  It looked like it would be a great day fro dry fly fishing on the Bitterroot River.  My luck was not so good.  It was an average day with a couple of good sized Cutt-Bows and a few Rainbows.

Then, it was off to Whitefish to see the Shaws.  It rained almost the entire trip through the Flathead Valley.  It was a very needed drenching, and though it slowed me down I know the valley needed it.  And, even better, there were no fires in the Valley, unlike last year when it seemed the entire Valley was ablaze.

It was great getting in to the Shaws’ Lazy Creek Ranch home, but it was late.  We caught up a little bit and planned the rest of our adventure after Liz and Rose get into Whitefish.

I leave for Montana in 10 days, and as I prepare my gear for the upcoming workshop in Glacier National Park, I can hardly contain my excitement.  It’s been almost a year since I my first trip to Glacier and I still remember it with fondness.  I can hardly wait to see the workshop leader, Doug Johnson, again, and see the park through his eyes and experience.

I’m writing this blog entry on my newest “tool” for my photography passion.  It’s a brand new MacBook Air 1.8 Ghz. I decided to replace my 17″ MacBook Pro (May 2006) with this mostly because I found that most of what I do on the MBP when out of the office is limited to capturing/organizing photo shoots, maintaining my websites, email, and web surfing.  The Air seems to be an adequate tool for these tasks, and, with the airlines making weight and baggage such an issue, its smaller size and weight will definitely help me with my carry-on packing.  While I’ll miss the “real estate” of the 17″ screen, the MBP has found a nice home as a desktop replacement in my studio with a 30″ Samsung monitor.  Also, the MBP was showing it’s age, or, as Dr. Jones said in Raiders of the Lost Ark, “It’s not the years, it’s the mileage.”

I opted for the less expensive 80GB 4200 rpm HDD instead of the recently discounted 64 GB SSD.  I just couldn’t justify the extra cost.  I also didn’t get the Apple external DVD, because of the inability to use it with a USB hub.  I purchased an Apricorn DVD/CD DL LightScribe Burner from newegg.com and so far so good.  It runs from the Air’s USB port without need for the included AC adapter.  It also runs from a USB hub again without the AC adapter.  I chose the LightScribe burner so that I could easily label the disks I burn without need to carry labels, etc.  I also got the USB Ethernet adapter for those occasional times when there’s no wireless.

So far, I’m really impressed with the Air.  Its screen is extremely bright and clear and its keyboard is so much better than the MBP.  I haven’t played with the trackpad’s gesturing capabilities yet.  As I get more screen time with the Air, I’ll post some more comments.

I’m getting my “kit” together for the workshop, and I really can’t wait to put two of my new Nikkor lenses through their paces.  My girlfriend bought me a 12-24mm f2.8 zoom lens for Hanukah and I embarassingly have to say that I haven’t really used it.  With my tax refund, I bought a 24-70mm f2.8 zoom lens last month.  Both lenses will complement my current “quiver” quite well, especially the 70-200mm f2.8 zoom lens.  They do seem to make the my other zoom lens redundant, though.

I’m still trying to decide what other lenses to bring.  The 50mm f1.2 is so small and lightweight that I simply can’t leave it behind.  It’s so handy and quick that it will be good to have for some of the indoor sessions of the workshop.  I think I’ll bring my 60mm macro lens, too.  I’m sure there be opportunities to do some closeup work as well as the spectacular landscapes that I know Glacier has.

Will I need an external flash?  Probably wouldn’t hurt to have one along…  Where I am going to find the space for everything?

Here’s the link to my web album of the few pictures from our recent adventure to the BWCAW:

Photo Gallery

And here’s a excerpt of my first e-mail describing the trip to a friend:

“We fished the upper Temperance. The flows were terribly high. Felt like the Beaverhead River in June a couple of years ago. My nephew’s friend caught a 12″ brookie on a jointed Rapala. I didn’t touch a fish.

The winds were very brisk on Brule Lake the next day and my young companions and I thought we could beat the wind. Nope. They swamped in the middle of the big lake in 3-4 foot swells. I was heading for shore to rest when it happened. It was a long paddle out to help them. Fortunately, there was a small, rocky island about 400 yards downwind of them. I was hoping to salvage some of the gear that was afloat and give them a rest as they treaded water. Unfortunately, in the heavy seas, my canoe finally swamped, too. Fortunately, I was only about 20 yards from the island when that happened.

My gear was afloat then. I went into survival mode and saved the pack with the tents and left the pack with my camera and lenses adrift. We were able to get the canoes up on the island and spent the next 5 or so hours on this 6′ x 40′ island trying to dry out and wait out the blow.

We definitely weren’t looking forward to spending the night on the rock with no place to pitch a tent or really even lay down.

Finally, we felt safe enough on the water to go look for my camera pack and a suitable campsite. Running downwind is probably even more scary than going upwind, but we were able to paddle down the 1 1/2 to 2 miles down the lake to the shore where we thought the pack might be. And, yes, there it was in between a few rocks being pummeled by the waves.

The outer pack was largely intact but had taken on water as there were several holes worn into the urethane coated shell and the reinforced bottom. All my clothes and even a Sea-line bag with books in it was soaked. The Pelican case looked intact, but I was too scared to look in it to check the state of the camera gear.

We set out to find a campsite as it was now past 7pm and probably pretty close to 8. Light was getting precious even at that high latitude. PJ’s good eyesight picked out a possible site after a failed attempt at a site that was marked on the map, but no where to be found.

After a long pull against the wind, we reached the site and, yes, it was a vacant site. We set up camp and heated up some chili and finally breathed a sigh of relief and thanks. And then I finally got up the courage to look in the Pelican case and everything was dry and functional!!!

The rest of the trip was spent on that campsite hoping the wind would die enough that we could travel to our intended destination. Wave upon wave of rain showers and thunderstorms came over the island for two days, forcing us to scurry for cover in our tents or under the makeshift tarp shelter I constructed. One evening it calmed enough at about 6pm that we went out a fished, but with no luck.

Our last full day broke with wind AGAIN, but not as gusty and more northerly in direction allowing us to paddle directly into the wind to the closest shoreline and then into a chain of small lakes. We were able to fish in safety from the wind and did well. The boys started first catching several large smallies on worms they had scrounged up on the island. The leeches they brought were “set free” when their canoe swamped the first day.

Once they ran out of worms, they switched to lures and only caught one more fish, but it was a good size. Meanwhile, I was struggling, trying everything in my flybox. There was no action on the surface and my streamers were not working. But then when Jef caught the fish on a artificial brown trout imitation, I tried a streamer that I think we used on the Big Hole last year.

It’s a copper braid body with a white weighted head and a grey rabbit fur body/tail. It was dynamite. First cast, a bump. Second cast a 2 pound smallie. All in all, over a two hour period, I landed three fish and three LDRs and a dozen strikes.

We had a fish feast that last night feeling like it was a successful trip, but not wanting to head home the next day.

Tuesday morning broke clear, finally, with a beautiful sunrise, but guess what? Wind. 10-20 mph from the NNW with gusts into the 30s, I’m sure. We were very reluctant to go back on the water again, especially after we saw a group of canoes struggling out in the lake a mile or so downwind towards our exit point which was about 2.5 miles away.

We struck our tents and started getting ready to depart after looking at the map and planning a very circuitous route back to the landing. First, we would head upwind away from the landing to the closest leeward shore. Then, we tried staying in the wind shadows, but several times had to cross some pretty scary waters, but fortunately short stretches.

We finally made it to the landing and kissed the ground in thanks. What an adventure, but, oh, how scary.”

Grant