Cover Shot, April 2020

In our April 2020 issue, Josh Miller talks about high dynamic range (HDR) photography techniques, when to use them and how to do so without overdoing it.

Darell Gulin shares his top techniques for macro photography—a visually exciting genre of nature photography to learn and practice year-round, but especially with spring blooms. Also in this issue is a guide from Howard Arndt to photographing the annual spawning of alewives in Maine, an excellent opportunity to photograph birds-in-flight as ospreys arrive to do some fishing.

On the cover is an HDR image of the Ansel Adams Wilderness in California by Josh Miller. Here’s the story behind the shot.

“Bordering on the south eastern side of Yosemite National Park, the Ansel Adams Wilderness has long been a favorite area for photographers who are willing to carry their gear deep into the backcountry.

“Having first seen the location while working as a backpacking guide years prior, when I became a photographer, I knew it was a location I had to get back to. I have made many trips into the area, including by skis in the winter. The trick with this location is being there at the perfect time for both the wildflowers as well as clouds at sunrise. While backpacking in the Sierra Nevada is truly world-class, one of the downfalls of having such stable summer weather is that photographers often get skunked on clouds when the flowers are peaking in July and August. Often in the middle of the summer, photographers can go days or even weeks without seeing a single cloud at sunrise.

“On this particular morning, we had been camped at the lake for several days hoping for the conditions to come together. After waiting through several cloudless sunrises, when I finally had a morning with clouds before sunrise, I rushed to my chosen location. As often happens in the summer, the clouds started to break up as the sun began to rise. Luckily, a few remnants stuck around just long enough to shoot a few frames before they fully disappeared.”

–Josh Miller

The April 2020 issue is now available in a variety of digital formats including Apple News+ and will be on newsstands beginning Tuesday, March 24.

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