Assignments: June 2015

1) Getting Ready For Spring Assignment Winner Photographer: Lorenzo Cassina Equipment: Nikon D80, Sigma 70-300mm ƒ/4-5.6 APO DG, monopod In September 2012, at Constitution Park in Deerfield Beach, Florida, this beautiful swallowtail butterfly landed on a flower just before my eyes, giving me limited time for the shot. This confirms what photography is all about—capturing the moment by being in the right place at the right time. I only made regular enhancements, such as crop, contrast, saturation, gamma, sharpness and maybe a slight touch with curves.

Congratulations to Lorenzo Cassina and Alena Nichols. Theirs were the winning images from the recent Getting Ready For Spring and Last Gasp Of Winter Assignments on outdoorphotographer.com, sponsored by Kenko Tokina USA. There’s a new Assignment posted each week. To get your photos into the running, all you need to do is enter.

2) Last Gasp Of Winter Assignment Winner
Photographer: Alena Nichols
Equipment: Canon EOS 5D Mark II, Canon EF 24-105mm ƒ/4L, tripod, cable release

Living in California, and enjoying time photographing the national parks, I try to spend as much time as I can in Yosemite. This image was taken during the winter of 2013-2014. I had been watching the storm patterns closely and decided to spend a week in Yosemite when the weather report called for a large snowstorm. The first couple of days were with heavy snowfall, so the shooting was limited. After about day three, however, the storm started to break and created a wonderful opportunity for the photographers there in the park. I was watching the waterfalls for the best light and noticed the contrast that this area offered. I photographed from the same location most of the morning for the best lighting. I worked in postproduction for a bit more detail and to bring a bit more light to the image. It was a special time, photographing the Yosemite waterfalls in winter!