Category : Uncategorized

 

For years I’ve taught a lot about lens selections, yet on every major trip I take, mostly the same lenses, almost all zooms. On this last trip to the Badlands and Black Hills, by the end of the trip I realized I had used only two lenses, the Fujifilm 18-135 and the 100-400.  I took the 10-24, never used it, took the 60mm Macro, never used it, the 90mm f2, nope stayed in the bag!  I used two zooms instead!

 

I fear I’m getting lazy, and zooms help me stay that way.  The thing about zooms is they allow you stand in one spot and zoom to compose, and sometimes that is great because you can’t really move in or back up, but it keeps you from exploring other angles!  I think that generally, in the Fujifilm system, the single focal length lenses are sharper and have faster wide open apertures, allowing more shallow depth-of-field affects.

 

So you ask yourself, “What if I go on a two week trip to the UP of Michigan and on to Acadia N.P. and you don’t take zooms and find you hate working with only the single focal lengths, what do you do???!!!  I really want to limit myself and force myself to make it work, but how???

 

Here is the plan;  I have filled a Think Tank back pack with most of my single focal length lenses:

 

14mm f 2.8

 

16mm f 1.4

 

23mm f 2

 

35mm f 2

 

50mm f 2

 

90mm f 2

 

One body:  the Fujifilm X-H1

 

In a second “LOCKED” bag, I mean it actually has a lock on it that has to be opened with a key is the 18-135 and the 100-400, and and extra body the X-T2.

 

I plan to shoot with only single focal lengths and make myself compose and move to get the shot and taking advantage of the faster lenses.  ONLY in the event of my feeling it is not working at all, do I UNLOCK the other bag and admit I really am a zoom freak!!!!  Trust me I ‘m commited to making this work and I’m excited to ee how differently iI work whenI limit myself to single focal length lenses!

 

I will post images and share my findings!  I leave Sunday a.m. and will start really shooting over the first days of next week, stay tuned!!!

 

Blessings,

 

the pilgrim

 

 

I just finished almost two weeks in the Badlands, Black Hills and Spearfish Canyon!  we had a great group (below), and we had wonderful light and conditions!

 

 

We’v already considering another run at it next year, you ought to join us!

 

 

Spearfish Canyon was in great color!

 

 

..and lastly snow in the Black Hills!

 

 

This is just a small sampling of the shooting locations!  Mark your calendar for last week of September 2019!

 

Blessings,

 

he pilgrim

 

I have been a fan of National Geographic almost my entire life, but my real interest started in 1968 when I fell in love with the craft of photography!  I went to the local Toyota dealer this morning to have a bulb repalced in one of my fog lights and while waiting, I found this old copy of National Geographic from 2013,  their 125th Anniversary.  I was engrossed with the articles and images and it re-sparked my love for this wonderful craft and hobby!  When I was a young photographer I admired the shooters for this magazine immensely!  Later in my career I got to know a number of them personally and I benefited greatly from their friendship and knowledge!  Now that I have been a student and teacher of photography for over 50 years, looking through an issue devoted to some of the great images that have appeared in this magazine, I saw them with different eyes!  So much of what I’ve learned and taught through the years are in full exhibition in these pages!  Armed with only the most important basic principles of photography,  these images jump out as sterling examples of doing the craft extremely well!

 

This  magazine articles are broken into catagories of what they believe their images do:

 

WITNESS

 

PROVE

 

RELATE

 

REVEAL

 

CELEBRATE

 

PROTECT

 

I believe their images and countless stories have accomplished those goals through the years.  It gave me the opportunity to see if my work, that is not photojournalism, which theirs are, have any other attributes?

 

I hope my work has:

 

INSPRIRED

 

DOCUMENTED

 

SHARED / TAUGHT

 

GIVEN INSIGHT

 

ENCOURAGED HOPE

 

Now, while I acknowldege that Natuonal Geographic has more than met their goals in their catagories, it is not for me to say whether or not I have.  I can only continue to see, capture and hope my goals are being met!  I do thank God for the great example of excellence they have set before all of us, and I continue to learn from them, and share that learning with you!

 

What a privilege it is to go through life holding a camera!

 

Blessings,

 

the pilgrim

 

 

 

After a great summer with Sherelene and my family, Tuesday it’s back out on the road.  I will pickup Jim Haverstock in Bloomington and we will head to the Badlands to start our scouting for the tour in about a week from now. We have 7 great people and I expect to have a great time in a  fantastic place to shoot!  I will try to post some images each evening, or two, for you guys!

 

This has been a great summer of spiritual inspiration, wonderful teaching from my pastor, good reading and lots of prayer.  I feel energized to get back in the field and spread His love!  I really am looking forward to getting back out there, and….I hate to leave home!  Does that make sense?  It does to me!  I love my family and I love being home, my own bed, my own kitchen and my own TV for football games!  No matter how nice the scenery, all that, out there, is just not home.  In spite of how much I miss home when I’m away, I do love the time I get with my photography friends, and all my students that want to be friends, become friends, even if for just a short time, it’s still a sweet, good time!

 

So, the rest of September it’s the Badlands, Black Hills, and Spaerfish.  Most of October it’s the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, and Acada National Park.  Finally the first two weeks of November it’s the Great Smoky Mountains!  Then…..Home sweet home for the winter, until March and Route 66.  Lots of time with Sherelene, family and of course Chester, who should arrive in early December!  It’s a good life.  I wouldn’t change a thing!

 

Blessings,

 

the pilgrim