– Click on any of the images below for larger versions –
Sometimes you’ll have conditions where clouds are thick, inactive and impenetrable, with everything below cast in grays and softly defused light.
Then there are cloudy conditions, as we experienced on our trip to Alaska, where the clouds seemed to be thin and highly active, clouds often breaking apart or separating letting light work an interesting pattern of contrast upon the landscape below. Even clouds mingling with the landscape.
These were conditions where the lighting was often constantly changing, conditions where no two shots would be exactly the same.
It was as if a great painter was working upon a masterpiece with a giant brush of light, add a little yellow here and a bit of red there, no, perhaps more deep purple and shadows there…
It was exciting watching and trying, in vain I’m afraid, to capture with photographs the magic and depth of what being presented.
It was also a great learning experience.
All this images is very beatiful
I love those types of conditions. They are both exciting and challenging! Sometimes, though, it is very hard to get the shot right because you don’t even have time for bracketing, which I will use a lot when lighting conditions are tough.
Looks like you’ve done a great job of capitalizing on such conditions … add to the fact that, for the most part, you were on a moving boat and bracketing was not possible!
How did you find the experience of shooting from a moving boat.
Paul, Thanks!
I really love those conditions as well..
The boat moving was certainly an opportunity. This and the constantly changing lighting meant there were often literally only seconds to get a shot so most of my photos from this trip are handheld with me braced against a bulkhead or railing. :-)
I’d also purchased Nikon’s 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6 “VR” lens just prior to going. The vibration reduction (my main reason in buying this lens) was essential in this case and the focal range of the lens made it suitable for most of my shooting so I didn’t have to often stop and change lens. I found it to be a sharp and versatile lens, I’m very pleased with it.
I shot much of the time in Constant Low (CL) mode while keeping a fairly fast shutter speed. I got good at squeezing off 2-3 shots at at a time (now you understand the 5100 photo count). ;-)
Even shooting this way every photo is very unique.
If my subject wasn’t moving I was, or both of us were. I came to see much of it as if shooting an action event, so that’s how I shot.
I learned much and had a great time doing it. :-)