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January/February 2010

Faster And Easier Image Processing

Software plug-ins make computer work more efficient for nature photographers

By Rob Sheppard
Gimbal Heads

Giving you both solid support and freedom to move the lens, a gimbal head is a good tool for wildlife and sports-action photography

By Mike Stensvold
Bird photographers and other action shooters frequently have to use really long lenses to get close-ups of often-distant subjects.
Go B&W In Winter

More than just a solution for bleak scenery, converting your images to black-and-white can give winter landscapes and sports action tremendous impact

Winter is a wondrous season for photographers, with its own unique challenges and triumphs. For many of us, the landscape changes shape and character entirely, covered in a blanket of Mother Nature’s finest frozen concoction.
High Dynamic Range Done Naturally

Explore the basics of HDR to get details in shadows, highlights and everywhere in between

If you want to spark up a heated debate amongst a group of nature photographers these days, all you need to do is mention HDR.
Nature & Nurture

Unique perspectives on outdoor photography and the importance of preserving our environment

By Jim Clark
Nature photographers not only are major contributors to the profession of photography, but also to our growing understanding of the natural world.

Choose Your Perfect Zoom

The modern zoom lens is a marvel of technology, and it’s the nature photographer’s best friend

By Mike Stensvold
There was a time when most landscape photographers used prime (single-focal-length) wide-angle and normal lenses, while wildlife photographers relied on prime super-telephoto lenses.
Gadget Bag: Field Storage

Multimedia storage viewers, MSVs for short, are much more than just a place to dump image files before reformatting a memory card while in the field

By Jon Sienkiewicz
Today’s sophisticated multimedia storage viewers (MSVs) offer large, bright LCD screens to browse images, making it possible to zoom in to check sharpness or delete the bad shots as necessary.
In Focus: January/February 2010

The Pentax K-x is an entry-level DSLR that packs in plenty of advanced features such as Live View, HD video capability and a high-dynamic-range mode. The loaded and ready 1.3-pound camera has a 12.4-megapixel CMOS sensor with Shake Reduction.

McNeil River State Game Sanctuary, Alaska

Located to the southwest of Anchorage and Denali National Park & Preserve on the Alaskan peninsula, the McNeil River State Game Sanctuary is home to the world’s largest gathering of brown bears each summer.
Photography In The Sunshine State

Florida offers the nature photographer incredible variety in landscapes and wildlife. Renowned professional John Moran takes us on a tour of some of the hot spots.

So you’re coming to Florida this winter! It has been nearly 500 years since Ponce de León began the Florida tourist rush when he stepped ashore a beach near present-day St. Augustine.
Salmon In The Trees

Documenting the circle of life in Alaska’s Tongass rain forest

By Amy Gulick
Crouched on a rock near a churning waterfall, I’m entranced by thousands of salmon thronging in a pool. Fin to fin, tail to tail, they sway against the current as one giant mob, like concert groupies in a mosh pit.

Capturing Time

By Frans Lanting
Not much is known about the ancient people who lived around 5,000 years ago in the American Southwest, but they left haunting expressions of themselves and their spirit world as rock paintings scattered throughout the secluded canyons of the Colorado Plateau.
Glacier Trekking

Iceland’s other worldly landscape is constantly evolving

By Bill Hatcher
Stepping onto a glacier brings you to one of the more surreal landscapes one can visit on this planet.
Mauna Loa View

“Presence” to the land goes far beyond a statement of location

By David Muench
As photographers, I think we reach others not just by building a sterile inventory of detail, but by seeking pristine and primal light and using it to the landscape’s advantage.
Tame Your Dynamic Range

HDR Au Naturel • Hybrid Lenses • Pros And Point-And-Shoots

By George D. Lepp With Kathryn Vincent Lepp
A neutral-density filter is used to darken an image to allow increased exposure time.