Preshoot Checklist

This should be a slow, deliberate ritual that takes place the day before your shoot while you are not rushed, or distracted.  By accomplishing this ahead of time, you can focus on the shoot and not have to worry about forgetting anything, or making a hurried decision.  

• Charge all camera batteries, rechargeable batteries for accessories, and any necessary electronic devices.  Be sure to include extra batteries as well.

• Clean all lenses, filters, and cameras with microfiber cloths.

• Make sure all memory cards have been formatted completely.  

• Adjust all camera settings to default shooting selections.  ie: RAW, lowest ISO, Auto White Balance, Burst Mode, Spot Meter.

• Wipe any sand or grit from tripod and light stands. Open and close to make sure they are operating smoothly.

• Test all accessories including umbrellas, reflectors, clamps, pocket wizards, and flash.

• Prepare any additional materials like gaffer tape, allen keys, rubber bands, pens, sharpie markers, business cards, and a small first aid kit.

• Pack all required gear needed for shoot while double checking that all necessary gear is accounted for.  

If you missed the post about how I carry my gear, you can access it here.

The Most Important Filter in Your Bag

When shooting dramatic landscapes, there is no filter more useful than a graduated ND.  The idea here is to get the shot right "in the camera" without relying on post production tools.  As terrific as these filters are, it's easy to be confused by exactly how they work.  When I was first starting out many years ago, I searched everywhere for a simple explanation, or visual example of how they are used.  Unfortunately, there wasn't much available and I learned by just getting a set of 2, 3, and 4 stop grad NDs, and practicing.  Below, I've prepared a quick layout of how they work. 

In this first photo, no filter was used.  The house is well exposed, but the sky is too bright.  If I opted to expose for the sky and make it darker, the house would be too dark as well.  This is where the grad ND comes into play.  

To the left is a 0.9 soft edge grad ND filter.  This is also known as a three stop ND.  It blocks three stops of light on the darker portion of the filter while letting the normal amount of light pass through the clear bottom portion.  The filter on the right is a 1.2 soft edge, and block four stops of light for a more drmatic look.  Having a few options is recommended as different scenarios call for varying strengths.  

Here you can see where I've placed the 0.9 (3 stop) ND filter over my lens.  It fits in a square mount so you can slide it up and down in order to change the effect.  Notice how much darker the sky becomes while leaving the house and foreground properly exposed.

The final result is the best of both worlds with a dark, ominous sky and a well exposed house.  No post production or HDR was needed.

To see more about how I use these filters in the field, check out the video below.

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How I Plan a Landscape Photo Shoot

It's 6 am and I'm typing with one hand while holding the iPad and puppy leash with the other. Since adopting our new dog Miles, I've learned a whole new level of multitasking. At 8.5 weeks old, he is a cute bundle of nonstop energy.  You can see his first portrait over on Facebook.

In this post, I'd like to talk about photo shoot preparation using the Photo Ephemeris. This is a tool that I've only started using in the last year but have quickly come to rely on. Before that, it was much more difficult to predict the exact location of the sun and moon, especially when planning a shoot months in advance.

As you can see in the photos below from Robert Moses State Park, it is possible to pinpoint the location of the sun and moon with incredible precision.  

In the first image, the sun was setting between the Lighthouse and neighboring building I was able to use a very small aperture to create the long sunbeams.

It was this tool that also allowed me to plan my Super moon shot over the Atlantic Ocean.   

The darker orange line indicates where the sun is setting. This is a screen capture from the iPad app.  For $9, it's a very valuable tool.  There is already a version for the iPhone, with an Android app on the way.

 

Fire Island Lighthouse, Long Island, NY

The light blue line shows where the moon will rise.  This is a screen capture from the free desktop version available for PC and Mac computers.

Super Moon 2011, Robert Moses State Park, NY

The Ephemeris has some other great features for those who like to get very technical.  Here's a video to show a few more of its capabilities.  

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