Local Wildflowers

Lately I have been exploring the "wild" areas nearby in search of flowers. I've been exploring Barker and Addicks reservoirs on foot and on 2 wheels.

I've also been using a new camera - a mirrorless system. More about all this later.

This is also just a test post. I'm still figuring out how to keep my blogs updated from my mobile devices :-)

2013 Workshop News

Thank you to everyone who has inquired about a 2013 workshop. I've received a lot of emails over the past 2-3 months.

Unfortunately, I am not planning on a workshop this year. I have made many plans and commitments for 2013, and I've run out of time. (I'm learning here... many times in the past I have over-committed myself and have made my life difficult. I don't like to be in that situation. So, it was a tough decision, but I will not hold a 2013 workshop.)

2014 Workshops

Based on the feedback from emails received, there seems to be a lot of interest in another spring-time workshop. Therefore I am tentatively planning on a workshop for February-Mar 2014.

A quick check of the moon phases and rise/set times reveals that Feb. 28 - Mar. 4 looks ideal. At that time of year, the Milky Way rises in the east a few hours before dawn.

This is a shot of the Terlingua Ghost Town church at that time of year:

If you would like to be placed on my announcement list, please contact me.

Comet Pan-STARRS

Comet Pan-STARRS



(just a test post from my phone to see if I can post an image)

Site Update & News

I'm sorry for the long absence from posting here. I am still taking photos :-) and enjoying photography.

I'm planning to overhaul my website and update all galleries. This has been a painful process, but I think I have a clear direction now on what I want to do. I just have to execute it. All I need is time! (don't we all)

I have just uploaded a bunch of photos to my photos-only blog. Check it out:
www.thomasjavery.com/photoblog

Also, I have been using Instagram quite a bit lately. If you'd like to see my photos (and follow me, please!) click this link:
http://www.instagram.com/thomasjavery

Fun With Focal Lengths

Here's a fun series of the same scene shot with different lenses.

click to see larger

Top Shot:
Canon 5D mark 3
Canon 24mm f/1.4L II
30 seconds, f/2.5, ISO3200

Middle Shot:
Canon 5D mark 3
Sigma 50mm f/1.4
30 seconds, f/2.5, ISO3200

Bottom Shot:
Canon 5D mark 3
Canon 100mm f/2.8L macro IS
25 seconds, f/2.8, ISO6400

High ISO Noise Comparisons

I had an opportunity earlier this month to shoot along with a Nikon user (Dave Chudnov) that had a D800e. I also was able to put my new 5D mark III to use shooting high ISO scenes.

This is a quick comparison of three cameras at ISO 3200. Both the 5D cameras (mark II and mark III) are mine. All shots were taken at about the same settings using the same lens (A Canon 24mm f/1.4L II on the 5D's, and a Nikon 24mm f/1.4 on the D800e). Dave sent me some of his RAW files so that I could process them along with my files and make a good comparison.

click to see larger

The samples are all 100% crops from about the same area on the photo. The overall photo for each of the samples is basically the Milky Way on a dark clear night in Big Bend National Park.

Each row has a different level of noise reduction. The top row has no noise reduction applied at all. The bottom row has a little noise reduction applied in RAW processing (ACR for the Nikon file and DPP for the Canon files), and then a final run of noise reduction using the Neat Image plugin in Photoshop.

Also, just for comparison, is a reduced, side-by-side comparison of the 5D mark 3 and Nikon D800e:

click to see larger

The Conclusion?

This test attempted to keep the variables the same per shot, but there are some slight differences. And there's the obvious difference in resolution amongst the cameras: 21MP for the 5DII, 22MP for the 5DIII, and 36MP for the D800e.

My take on it is, after considering the final output and real world applications, there's not much difference between any of them regarding high ISO noise performance.

This is a little disappointing considering the two Canon models. I'd hoped that the sensor in the 5D mark 3 would have had better noise performance than the 5D mark 2. What I'm seeing in files between the two cameras is that they're essentially the same at ISO 3200 in a 25 second exposure (ignoring the obvious color balance differences between shots).

I had expected a significant improvement. Canon had about 4 years between models, and they did not increase the pixel count by much. Following the general trend in sensor technology, you could easily assume that the 5D mark 3 would have much better high ISO performance than the 5D mark 2. But this has turned out to be false.

The jump between the original 5D and the 5D mark 2 was a significant improvement. The mark 2 had nearly double the megapixels, and the high ISO noise performance was at least 2 stops better!

I don't know what Canon has done (or NOT done) in sensor technology going from the mark 2 to the mark 3. Perhaps the advancement is mainly with the video side (something I don't do).

I've also had a chance to inspect my other photos from the 5D mark 3- my daylight landscape photos shot mostly at ISO 100. What I expected here was an improvement in dynamic range. It's not that the 5D mark 2 had poor DR. I was pretty happy with it. It's just that the general trend in sensor technology lately has seen increases in the DR capability of sensors at their base ISO settings, and I expected that the mark 3 would have a bit more DR than the mark 2. This is not so. Both cameras seem about the same.

My conclusion is that I'm very disappointed, and if I'd known the mark 3 was going to perform at this level, then I wouldn't have bought the camera. I'm, however, quite impressed with the upgrades to the body, AF system, menus, etc., but it's not worth it to me considering the lack of improvement in sensor performance.

Considering the high megapixel count of the Nikon D800e, I'm very impressed with its performance. The noise is no worse than the 5D 2 or 3, yet it accomplishes this with 60% more pixels.

I flirted with the idea of switching to Nikon. However, I don't think the improved performance of the D800 is enough to justify the switch, especially considering the substantial investment that I've made in Canon-mount lenses and the amount of money I'd lose in switching systems.

Openings On My Next Workshop

I still have a few spots open on my Big Bend Oct. 2012 workshop. If you are interested in attending, please contact me.

We are going to be in my favorite place for 5 days, and we will enjoy the amazing landscape and dark skies at night. I'm really looking forward to it!

Last of the Big Bend Photos

I've finally finished posting the last of my Big Bend photos on my other photo blog. These photos were from my trip in late February.

click to view

My Other Blog

Just a quick reminder for those of you who haven't seen it, I maintain another photo blog where I post only photos (and very little text). I've been more active there than here. The purpose of the other blog is simply to feature photos. Hope you enjoy it! :-)

PS#9: Cemetery at Night

This image was taken in the Terlingua Ghost Town Cemetery a few weeks ago and just prior to the start of my workshop. At this time of year, the Milky Way rises about 3:30~4am. Marti and I got up really early to catch this event.

click for larger image

Shooting Specs:
Camera: Canon 5DII
Lens: Canon 24mm f/1.4L II
Filter: none
Shutter Speed: 25 sec.
Aperture: f/2
Focal Length: 24mm
ISO: 3200
Camera mounted on tripod

The skies were clear and the moon had set the evening prior. We started long enough before dawn that the skies were still very dark. Sunrise was at about 7:20am, so we had until about 6:00am before the sky started to lighten up.

The Milky Way was in a different position and orientation than I'm used to seeing. The bands of the galaxy were horizontal and positioned over the eastern horizon. I'm used to shooting in late summer and the fall when the bands are oriented more vertically and towards the southern or southwestern horizon.

This particular orientation (late Feb.) made a great landscape composition with the bands of the galaxy paralleling the horizon. I chose a spot in the cemetery that featured multiple crosses. Since the Milky Way had just risen, it laid nicely right over the crosses.

PS#8: Hoodoos

This image was taken in Big Bend National Park a few weeks ago. This location is about 7 miles north of Panther Junction and about 3/4 of a mile west of the road (hiking off-trail). You can easily see these rock formations from the main road as you drive through that part of the park.

click for larger image

Shooting Specs:
Camera: Canon 5DII
Lens: Canon 24-105mm f/4L IS
Filter: circular polarizer
Shutter Speed: 1/8 sec.
Aperture: f/11
Focal Length: 105mm
ISO: 100
Camera mounted on tripod

I've seen photos of these hoodoos before, and I've always wanted to hike out to them. Wes and I scouted in that general area during our trip to Big Bend in October of last year. We agreed that it would be worth hiking out there early in the morning, but we didn't find the opportunity to do it on that trip.

I woke up very early on the morning prior to the start of the workshop and drove across the park to this spot. I hiked, off trail, to a point just north of the hoodoos where the Chisos mountains could be seen in the background. I'd planned ahead of time that this was the view I wanted to shoot. The skies were completely cloudless, so I decided to minimize the amount of sky in the photo.

This brings up a debate on whether or not it's advantageous to visualize your shots before you begin to photograph a particular location. I won't get into the pros and cons of it, but I believe there is a happy balance between having no plans (and being completely spontaneous) and planning out all of your shots ahead of time. I usually go into my shoots with at least a rough idea of what I want to capture, but I also do not (or rather, try not) to get stuck or frustrated when my plans do not work out.

PS#7 Chasing the Clouds

In late February, I traveled to Big Bend National Park to hold a workshop with my friend, Marti Jeffers. Marti and I arrived in the park a few days before the workshop began, and we set out to explore the park and, of course, take photos.

click for larger

Camera: Canon 5DII
Lens: Canon 24-105mm f/4L IS
Filter: circular polarizer
Shutter Speed: 1/320 sec.
Aperture: f/8
Focal Length: 32mm
ISO: 200

On our first afternoon out, we encountered this huge, beautiful cloud above the desert. It looked as if it was in the process of being sheared apart by the high winds from a cold front that had just blown through.

That began a whole afternoon of chasing the clouds through the park. You can see what this cloud looked like here, taken about 15 minutes later and from a different location.

One thing about Big Bend that always attracts me is the huge sky and the amazing vistas you can experience throughout the park. I try to incorporate that in a lot of my photos. I tend to shoot more of the sky than of the ground, and it is representative of my memories long after my visits to Big Bend. I love the sky there!

You can see how the shoot progressed that afternoon in the following series of images: one, two, and three. It was fun following the clouds and shooting where we could incorporate them into our compositions, and it was great being in the park again. This marked the start of a really great 9-day stretch that we spent there. More photos to come soon...

PS#6: Burned Trees

This image was taken in George Bush Park (Houston, TX) last November.

click for larger image

Shooting Specs:
Camera: Canon 5DII
Lens: Canon 24-105mm f/4L IS
Filter: B+W circular polarizer
Shutter Speed: 1/6 & 0.3 sec. (blend of two exposures)
Aperture: f/11
Focal Length: 45mm
ISO: 100
Camera mounted on tripod

In September of 2011, there was a large wildfire in the park, and hundreds of acres burned. In the months after the fire, I made several trips to explore the burned areas looking for things to photograph.

The interesting thing was that nature was coming back strong and quickly. This field was covered in thick, green grass. The trees were still bare and charred, and the contrast between them and the grass was striking.