Bruce McCammon Photography

Can I get a little support here?

bmccammon — Sun, 29 Jan 2012 00:37:58 +0000

When we first approached the bald eagle my game plan was to get some shots on the card as quickly as I could. That meant stopping the car before the tree and accepting that we’d be shooting at the shaded side of the bird. Anyone who has photographed birds knows that time wasted easily translates into watching a bird fly away. We stopped.

The photo is not the quality of the ones that came after we moved the car to see the sunny side of the bird but I thought it was a bit humorous to see the bird with its tail feathers propped up by the branch. Maybe that is another characteristic of perching material that they look for as they land. I know I would.

Hooded Mergansers and Lightroom 4 beta

bmccammon — Sat, 28 Jan 2012 20:26:59 +0000

This is not a great picture but it was nice to actually get some images of hooded mergansers on my hard disk the other day. I shot this in bright near-noon sun at Ridgefield NWR. The birds were moving fast and the opening in which they were located was pretty small. I jumped to the other side of the car and shot as they traveled across the opening. When I loaded the files into LR3 (my normal practice) I was disappointed to find that the white breast on the male was blown out and that it could not be recovered with the recovery slider. Bye bye whites! Drat.

I have downloaded the beta version of LR4 and am running it on a laptop with Windows 7. In order to upgrade to LR4 once it is available I’m going to have to look at replacing the operating system on my PC – move from XP to Win7 – or move to another machine totally. Time for a 27″ iMac? Hmmmm.

Anyway, I brought one image into LR4 to see how it did with the whites. I’ve heard great things about the LR4 beta and it represents a total redo of the RAW conversion we know now in LR3 or ACR. With a small decrease in exposure and a small tweak of the Highlights slider, the blownout whites disappeared from the histogram. Now, the breast of the bird still looks absolutely blown out to me but the histogram says that the whites are now less than 255. Frankly, I was amazed at how little adjustment it took to recover the bright part of the histogram and look forward to experimenting more with LR4. I won’t do too much in the beta except play around but it sure looks like a promising upgrade so far.

Good luck charm?

bmccammon — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 23:50:38 +0000

Today I took my friend Carol and her Mom out to Ridgefield. It was Mom’s first time to the place and I always enjoy introducing a person to the variety and wonders of the refuge. We saw that the sky was clearing and felt fortunate – it’s been awhile since I’ve seen sun at Ridgefield. My spirits picked up almost immediately.

We headed around our first loop and I was surprised when we saw some hooded mergansers in the slough just before the remote “comfort station”. They were being elusive and I hoped that other cars in the area would spook them into reversing their path and coming back into a clearing where we were set up. It worked. A female came by first and it was the first time I’ve ever been able to photograph a hooded merganser. Bingo. Then the male and another female swam past. I’ve looked at the images and will find a couple to post in another blog entry but they need some work. The white breast of the male is blown out and probably will not be recoverable… did I say it was sunny? Anyway, those will come (probably) soon.

We went almost an entire loop before we saw a heron. Mom sure enjoyed seeing the bigger birds. A red tail hawk, a harrier, a couple of buffle heads, lots of geese, swans, a distant kestrel and a few red-winged blackbirds entertained us as we drove slowly around and enjoyed the day.

As we approached the blind/bathroom area on our second lap I saw what I thought was another hawk in the trees on the right side of the road. It was low in the tree and I was trying to figure out if it was worth trying to get positioned to get a shot. I knew it would be against a blue sky or maybe against some light clouds to the north. There were a few cars behind us to think about as well. Then I saw that it wasn’t a hawk at all. It was a mature Bald Eagle. Holy cow… great light on a mature bald eagle. I couldn’t get into position quickly enough. After I few (dozen) shots I moved the car to allow others to pass. One old couple kind of gave us a glare… so sorry Chap. I re-positioned the car and we set about taking more photos. One more move to allow another car by and then a third session with the eagle. What a magnificent bird. I’ve always wanted a shot of an eagle that was (a) sharp and (b) exposed properly so the white feathers in the neck and cap were detailed. I now have about 50 of those files and I’m thrilled. Here are three of my favorites.

The last time I went to Ridgefield with Carol we got to see a mature Bald Eagle take a duck home for dinner. Today I get to see and photograph this majestic bird like never before. I have to think that Carol is a good luck charm for eagles. Whatever or who ever is behind this, thanks. T’was another great trip to Ridgefield.

After the storm

bmccammon — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 04:03:18 +0000

I knew it would be sloppy. I thought it might be fun. I set out on a 5 mile hike/jog in Forest Park today as the day grew old and the sun was on the decline. I really just wanted to get out and move some so I hit a trail that Di and I have walked many times. Right away I knew that the last storm with snow, rain and high winds had had its way with the landscape. A large maple spanned the trail about a quarter mile in. Up and over. No big deal. Lots of puddles and mud and slick surface. I’d walk and then jog for a bit. I’m not a jogger but it felt like the thing to do. Tomorrow will tell me if that was a big mistake or not. About 2 miles in I saw a guy standing on the far side of a mud slide that covered the trail. It was about 30-40 feet wide. The guy’s Husky dog was trying to figure out how to get across. The guy, with mud marks up to mid-shin, yells at me “it’s pretty deep”. The dog is all confused. While it wasn’t what I’d planned I figured that the last thing I needed was to dive into a flow of mud, twist a knee, ankle, joint or just wallow around helpless. Age does that to you I guess. That and a dog that seemed to know a lot more than his owner. I just turned around and began a slow jog out the way I came. No loss. I still got about 3.5 miles and an hour of being “out there”. I stopped several times on the way out to snap photos with the phone. Home, safe, new images and a bit of exercise. Not a bad way to end a Monday.

Sitting in high cotton

bmccammon — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 00:11:20 +0000

I stopped by the office of my insurance agent today to thank Katherine for saving us some money by suggesting that we request a re-rate. This suggestion came to me out of the blue and ended up saving us money. Talk about good customer service! As I was leaving she told me to look at the cottoneaster bush across the parking lot. She knows I have a thing for birds. The hedge was swarmed with robins. OK, robins aren’t exactly the most exotic bird but I did not have any shots of merit in my catalog so I decided to see about filling that void. Of course, the birds are feasting on red berries right now and are probably a bit tipsy from the vast quantity they ingest. The light was too bright I think… can you ever please me? Anyway, I set up in the parking lot and spent about 45 minutes watching and shooting these birds. Trying to catch them with a berry in the mouth was harder than it might look. Fun to try though.

It pays to get up

bmccammon — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 18:01:40 +0000

Yesterday’s sunrise was sent to me by my daughter-in-law (I think) Heidi using her iPhone camera. A simple message … “Good morning” … was attached. There were some great and unusual clouds in the shot and I regretted not being somewhere to capture the event myself. By the time I got her photo and got to my front porch the colors were mostly gone and the clouds were not to be seen.As we headed for bed last night Dianne and I checked the moon but was thinking about the morning’s sunrise. The sky was clear and cold. I thought about going to Pittock Mansion for the next sunrise.

When I got up I looked outside to see a bank of clouds to the west and some light cirrus-like clouds to the east. I grabbed the camera, some filters and the tripod and headed out. I was the first one at Pittock and had my choice of places to plant the tripod. I got set up, pulled the zipper up on my outer layer, caught focus, framed and waited for the light. As usual, I start shooting as soon as I think I see color… not my strongest suit BTW. Another young man joined me and set up after casual greetings. After about 20 minutes my hands were absolutely freezing.. gloves and all. It was still about 10 minutes prior to technical sunrise but I’d had enough. I headed to the car.

Once back at the car I saw another guy unpacking a video camera and tripod. I wanted to tell him he was too late but I looked at the sky and the show was really just beginning. I remounted the camera to the tripod and headed back out to the overlook. After shooting about 20 HDR sets I really had had enough. My fingers were so cold they hurt all the way to my armpits.

Was it worth it? I think so.

Click on the image to see a larger version. Thanks for stopping by.

It was HOWLING…

bmccammon — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 05:56:28 +0000

We had 30 mph wind gusts at our house this morning and I knew it would be screaming in east county. I found I had some time while waiting for comments to finish a project so I headed to the Gorge. I have a photo in mind and one of these days I will find the location and light to make it happen. I hope it doesn’t take as long as the yet-to-be moonrise over Portland from Pittock Mansion.

I went out with no expectations…. just wanted to see if I could find a location that would give me the scene I am looking for. There are limited opportunities due to my desire to have some specific things in the foreground so my hunt began in Cascade Locks and moved west and toward home.

In general, I want a shot with the river, a set of bald cottonwoods and contrasty darkness behind the trees. So, I went looking for this without any houses or buildings or infrastructure on the far bank. Good luck Bruce.

Picture this. It is blowing a gale as I set up my tripod. I turn around to get the camera and hear a “clink” as the tripod blew over and the head hit the pavement. YIKES. I put the camera on and held the whole thing down as best I could. Here’s the result.

Did I mention that it was windy? I’ve seen a number of articles where this effect is purposeful.. photog moving the camera/lens or zooming a bit during the exposure. Not me, I was trying to hold the thing as steady as I could. I didn’t want to let go and hear a heavier “clink” as the camera hit the ground. So, I tried to hunker in behind the guard rail and get low. No love there. Oh yeah, it was bitter cold too. By the time I got convinced that I was not going to win this one I headed for the car. Picture this if you will. Front seats of the CR-V folded forward. Gitzo tripod and camera with 70-200 lens mounted firmly. Tripod splayed out to rest one leg on the dashboard, one on the floor and the other on the armrest behind me. Me? I’m contorted inside the whole thing. The back passenger window is open and I’m ready to shoot. Thing is, I want a long exposure to blur the water. OK, I know that the same time with the wind will blur the trees on the far side. Then I realize that the car is bouncing around. Well, at least I was warmer. I waited for a moment of calm and shot. What ever.

It is not what I strive for in terms of clarity. It is not what I want for “the picture” but it was sure fun to tinker around and have a laugh or two at myself as I tried to solve one problem after another.

But the fun wan’t over. As I headed back to town I pullled in at one more exit to see if I could find the scene I was hunting for. There was a UPS truck parked there as I pulled in. I parked and got out to greet the driver who was standing by the guard rail. He was a bit animated and told me to look at the river. I did. Here comes a boat through the whitecaps and it’s throwing a rooster tail. What? I grab the camera as the boat screams by us heading upriver. I get about 5 shots as it passes and then turn to the driver and ask “what the heck was that?”. Neither of us really know exactly what it was or who owns it. Strange boat. My friend Deigh hit it with his comment about the photo… “looks kind of Delorean”.

I kept expecting a gal in a bikini to come outside with a gun and a guy chasing her yelling “Bond, James Bond”

Here’s looking at you

bmccammon — Thu, 05 Jan 2012 21:18:47 +0000

T’was kind of quiet at the refuge this morning but the light came up more than it has on recent visits. It seems that every where I went the birds were looking at me.

“Victory”…. in so many ways

bmccammon — Tue, 03 Jan 2012 17:20:07 +0000

This may be a bit of a challenge to read through since I know it is going to be a challenge to compose. There are a few themes in my head, many photos to share and several punchlines. But it all starts with family relationships and pride. There is no question around this house that we look at Dianne’s brother Jim with pride. I’ve known Jim since he was about 7 or 8 and have watched as he moved through life and challenges to become a man who is committed to family, wrestling and helping others. Wrestling is a huge passion of Jim’s and we got to spend some time with the Anacortes, WA wrestling team last week. They were here for a big tournament and Jim asked if I/we could come shoot some photos of the matches. I’ve enjoyed doing that in the past and looked forward to this tournament and the inevitable photography learning experience.

We met up with Jim the night before it all started and got some of the back stories on the boys. We learned enough to know that many of the wrestlers faced numerous challenges in life…not an uncommon story but helpful in forming what I wanted to do photographically. Each of the wrestlers presents a different character and personality. Some are quiet. Some are vocal. Some step into the light more easily than others. First and foremost, they are high school guys… young and full of youthful energy. They know their job on the mat and who they represent while “on the road”. It’s a chance to let loose a bit but with a watchful eye from the Coach and a few parents in the area.

A few of the wrestlers stopped at our table in the hotel as they left dinner and an idea came into my head. I grabbed my iPad and brought up Joel Grimes’ website. Joel is a photographer I follow and respect. I love his edgy portraits of athletes and I realized that I might have the chance to put these wrestlers in front of some dramatic light and, hopefully, create a portrait of each of them that would make them proud of their hard work to be on McNally’s team. That’s not a given by the way… it’s an earned place. Grades and dedication are required. Nobody is granted a pass just by walking in. It’s workouts in the gym and the library. The guys who saw the examples on Grimes’ site liked what they saw. I approached Jim with the idea of a specific photo shoot on their last night in town to create the base images of the wrestlers. The Hilton Garden hotel graciously gave us access to a conference room for a couple of hours and we were on for the shoot.

Prior to the matches I captured a few images that might serve as a background for the composite photos that were to be created. I tried to get an empty gym with mats but was too late each morning and ended up with people scattered around. I’m not sure that is really a bad thing but would have liked to have the option to choose an empty gym as well.

Dianne, Jim and I set up the background and lights as the guys started wandering in. They’ve learned that it pays to be on time or a bit early when Coach McNally is involved. Tardy is not a good thing it seems. I set up the iPad with shots from the matches the last two days to entertain the guys while we finished the setup and got the lights dialed in. Then we ran each of the guys through a series of 3 poses and made clicks. A quick series of team photos rounded out the night and the guys headed out to their rooms (I think).

The photos below are obviously composites. The guys and their parents have not seen them but the prints will be in the mail to Jim today along with about 1200 photos from the match… guys on their backs and guys on top… we got it all. They’ll celebrate their victories and learn from their defeats. Jim tells me that the guys really had fun at the tournament. They each got experience on the mat and in life. I came away highly impressed with their work ethic and skills. And our pride in Jim grew another notch as well. Watching someone totally and enthusiastically involved in their passion, having access to athletes to create images, bringing light and concept together for dramatic photos.. can it get much better? Thanks Jim. Thanks all you wrestlers. T’was a good experience for this camera clicker.

The Anacoretes Seahawk wrestling team

Julien Collins

Joe Pratt

Eli Varnado

Andrew Toth

Cameron Maddox

Dylan Riordan

Michael Calvert

Alex Davis

Aaron Tisinger

Ross Atterberry

Coach McNally

The Gift

bmccammon — Thu, 22 Dec 2011 17:29:13 +0000

It’s the Holiday Season and having a tendency to be a bit of a curmudgeon I can easily fall into a funk about the commercialization and over-hyped marketing. I tend to forget about the true sense of giving and loving the truly beautiful things that surround me. Well, I got a gift last night that will forever remind me of what a wonderful thing life – new life – is and can be.

Photography is a passport into people’s lives with a responsibility to add value in a way that only a preserved moment can. Readers of this blog have heard of Eric and Traci as friends who we met by happenstance while at Pittock Mansion and enjoying the sunset view of the city of Portland. As we photographed the city Eric and Traci arrived beside us and began to do the same thing. The camera became our entry point for what has matured into a great friendship with a couple who are younger than our kids. Go figure.

We were fortunate to be able to re-photograph some wedding images for Eric and Traci. It was fitting that we selected Pittock Mansion as the venue for these shots.

Since that time Eric and I have spent quite a few hours together in a vehicle at Ridgefield National Wildlife Refuge photographing birds. We’ve branched out with evening shots of the city, night shots of the bridges in Portland and a variety of other settings. Always a camera and always great discussions of things digital and geeky. T’was Eric who salvaged all our personal image files when our hard disk crashed. Yes, friendships are good things and just looking at the smiles on these faces reminds me of the many joys we’ve had as the result of friendships. I could show a number of photos of friends who have all contributed to our quality and diversity of life. You know who you are. Thanks.

But last night Eric and Traci gave us a gift. Arthur James Vogt was born December 16 and we knew that we are on call to take a set of baby pictures when he was ready. Both Eric and Traci are accomplished photographers and Traci is known as “the baby whisperer” around their house. They have taken some wonderful images of babies for friends and could easily have set up and taken their own baby photos. Last night they invited us in once again and we were glad for the chance.

Traci was dead tired and Eric was totally smitten by his son. They both worked with us for a couple of hours as we put Arthur through the paces of his first studio shoot. The little guy did really well. What a gift. Friendship and new life. I’m feeling pretty good about the Holiday Season right now. Thanks Eric and Traci.