I Keep Going Back!

Over the last three years, I've gone numerous times to the Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge just outside of Brigham City. I have gone at least twice each of the last few years to observe the fall and spring migrations that stop along the wetlands that surround the Great Salt Lake. It has a tremendous diversity of birds. Sparrows, Water fowl, raptors... it's an amazing and peaceful trip. Well, of course my camera is ALWAYS co-pilot on trips to the refuge. I do have to say that it has gotten easier to shoot and I better understand the surroundings, the wildlife and even my camera.

I used my Nikon D300 (which I hope to replace with newly-announced D600) and also used my Sigma 120-400mm f/4.5-5.6 zoom lens. I've written about it before, but I think it's worth mentioning again. It does have an image stabilizer in it, but I feel that it performs a lot better with it off. I feel like I get a higher number of sharper images, which is what I want when I'm investing a lot of time and effort into such an endeavor.

My tips for getting good photos here? Drive along the tour route slowly. Keep your eyes peeled! Get out and walk around quietly. Talk to the rangers at the visitor center and on the refuge. Sit and wait, let the birds come to you. Additionally, use the Web site, and call ahead. Find out when the birds are active... when they're moving around and looking for food. This is usually going to be early morning, but you get dramatic lighting and a lot movement. Nothing new... but it does work.

Panorama with my 50mm

For the last several years, I have been delving into the world of panorama photography. The main lens I have used has been the Tokina 11-16mm f/2.8 . This is an amazing lens, and you can get broad-sweeping panoramas with it at 14mm. However, lately, I have been using my 50mm f/1.8 . While I have been very unhappy with this lens' performance in a studio setting, it has served me well in landscape photography.

Below are a couple of the panoramas that I recently shot with my 50mm lens. Immediately below is a petroglyph that can be found on the McConkie Ranch outside of Vernal, Utah. I was just several feet away when I snapped this panorama. It's a 60-photo, 49-degree (FOV) HDR panorama. Just a side note: It's a quick trip to the ranch from Vernal, and it's a great place to see ancient rock art, if you're into the natural history gambit. I am.

The next pano I shot was of Independence Monument, located in Colorado National Monument. This gem of park can be found just outside of Grand Junction, Colo. While I was a few feet away from the rock art, I was several hundred feet back from the rock monuement. Both are panoramas but the distance from camera to subject make for a dramatic difference in the photo composition.

To see what I use to shoot my panoramas, go... here!

Ghost Town: Scranton, Utah

From time to time, I go ghost town hunting... to satisfy all of my photography, outdoors and hiking joys all at once. I'll post about my escapades, in hopes that it will help other ghost town hunters/photographers.

Last weekend, I went to Scranton, Utah which is a short-lived mining town in what I believe is in the Tintic Mountain range. From what I found, it was settled in 1908 and grew to about 100 people. It mined zinc and lead, and it pretty much dried up by 1918. So the structure in the photo is at most 100-years-old!

It's exact GPS location is on the Wikipedia page, or on the last link, that takes you to the Google Maps page.

I had read several different accounts of what was left. There were housing structures still standing in several accounts, like the old one here on ghosttowns.com. However, rest assured, those aren't there anymore. It seems a fire may have laid waste to any of the actual residential portion of the old town.

However, what remains are one structure (which seemed to be a part of the mining production), several open mines (which were covered with rebar), some old mining equipment and a lot of tailings.

While there isn't a whole lot left of this town... it's a gorgeous area. It's a steep, narrow canyon that opens up to a nice prairie where Scranton used to be. It was a nice a drive and fun hike!

The rest of my photos from Scranton are in my set on flickr. Feel free to check them out!

Back from the Dead... Maybe? (PART 3)

And the last of my winter trials and tribulations (of note) would have been my trip to photograph the SuperFly Open out in Eastern Utah.

I shot the event two years ago, and you can see those photos here.

However, attempts to shoot it in 2010 and 2011 failed. In 2010 it was at the top of Powder Mountain, and it was canceled because of a white-out snow storm. Last year's event was snubbed because there was no wind at the reservoir that was the event's new home.

However, one of the snowboarders took me out on the course and he and some friends practiced their moves. I shot mostly wide angle, using my Tokina 11-16mm f/2.8.

My lens selection was based on the fact that it was a blue-sky day, we were in a mountain valley... and I thought that I would risk life and limb to get up close to the stunts while still picturing the beautiful mountainous backdrop.

Here were the results:



This one is probably my favorite because it's backlit, and you can still make out the foreground and the subject.

Others of note:



and



For the whole series, click here!