Photographing both the forest... and the tree

Steve Kossack sends these two images from his recent Great Smoky Mountains fall-color workshop along with an instructive article just posted on his website. We're picking up parts of that article here to provide a glimpse into how thoughtfully and carefully Steve approaches all his landscape photography.

"Blinded by the light? It happens to all of us at times. I'm always looking for light, color and texture to help me tell the story of every landscape and how I feel about the scene. While with our Smoky mountains workshop in October, we entered Cades Cove on a warm but stormy dawn as the light danced across the vast expanse before us. The weather was moving very quickly and the light was fleeting at best. With so much great color, I now became worried about being overwhelmed and not seeing the forest for the trees!

"In a small section of the cove we were presented with both muted light, strong directional light and beautiful color, but not all at once. In the top image, using the muted light, I saw the wide array of color as the focal point and used a telephoto lens to capture detail.

"The second image of the single tree took more time, however. As the storm drifted by in the distance, the cove before us became dark. The tree had lost most of its leaves and color but I saw it as a strong focal point, isolated as it was. One of the first questions I ask myself when setting up a composition is, 'What brought me here?' In this case it was the tree. Without any filtration the image seemed flat and lifeless. However, foreseeing the possibility that the light in the distance might soon bathe the tree as well, I placed the Singh-Ray LB Color Intensifier on my lens and waited. As the light hit the tree the need to darken the sky behind it became apparent, and that was accomplished by using a 4x6-inch Singh-Ray 4-stop, hard-step Graduated ND filter which I moved quickly through the composition during the exposure."

We thank Steve for these two equally fine -- but very different -- color compositions made within minutes of each other in the same thoughtful manner... by seeing and distinguishing the forest from the tree. To read Steve's complete description of this process and explore his Great Smoky gallery, you can visit his website.

F 2.8/300mm tele plus drop-in Gold-N-Blue work a little magic in the rain

Photographer Steve Kossack sent this story to us from his Arizona home following his latest Fall Workshop in Great Smoky Mountain National Park.

"During the six days our group spent in the park," says Steve, "we had two days of rain. That's not too bad, but on this day -- our last chance at a Smoky Mountain sunset -- it never quit raining, at least not for long! At this point, as we all sat waiting impatiently in our vehicles, we agreed our workshop's success was already assured -- even if we did not fire another frame. Before this trip began, I was concerned that the severe drought in that area would cause the leaves to drop from the trees before they turned color. During our first several days in the park, however, we were nearly blinded by dramatic fall colors.

"As we sat gazing out at this rain, we saw virtually no color at all. We thought we were more likely to witness this sunset on our wrist watches than through our viewfinders. So what else could we do?

Each time I got out to make an image, I was attracted to a constantly moving cloud study in my viewfinder. With little prevailing light to work with, I went to my beloved Canon 300mm 2.8L IS lens to frame what seemed to be a nice composition. Using this f-2.8 tele wide open with a fast shutter speed worked well with the quickly moving clouds. I shot dozens of frames between the squalls of rain and then quickly jumped back into the vehicle, leaving only the tripod out in the rain.

"When I thought more about what I might do with the scene, I realized the little bit of color I was seeing was flat. I was concentrating mostly on the light areas in the sky -- light areas of reflected light -- the thought came quickly. LIGHT! … MUTED REFLECTED LIGHT!! That’s long been my recipe for the Singh-Ray Gold-N-Blue Polarizer!

"Some time ago, I became frustrated because I could not use any filter other than the standard Canon 52mm drop-in polarizer with my Canon 300 2.8 and 500 f/4 lenses. I was forced to change to shorter lenses in order to use any of my favorite Singh-Ray filters. I solved this dilemma by having Singh-Ray install a Gold-N-Blue Polarizer in my Canon drop-in polarizing holder. The rest of this story is, and was, easy to read in the results. Compare my two "rain frames" made seconds apart -- with my Gold-N-Blue (at top) and without it. Maybe my Gold-N-Blue drop-in filter did not make this a super-great shot, but I feel it certainly produced a much improved and more interesting image of a very wet Smoky Mountain sunset."

Be sure to look at more of Steve's recent Smoky Mountain images on his website, stevekossack.com

To upgrade your drop-in polarizer, you'll need to ship the drop-in polarizer that fits your lens to Singh-Ray along with payment for the LB Warming Polarizer glass plus $50 custom mounting fee ($260 + shipping). This service is also available for our Gold-N-Blue Polarizer ($240 + shipping). For more information, call Singh-Ray at 863-993-4100.

In the lingering light after sunset, it was time to try the impossible

As a change of pace, landscape photographer Steve Kossack likes to stray from the more traditional approaches to landscape photography and work with the subtle light and shadow that occur just before dawn or just after sunset. The choice of capturing the subdued light and mood of these moments sometimes presents unusual challenges...but Steve is well prepared.

"Sometimes it's fun to stretch our abilities," says Steve. "This photo was made after sunset near the Glen Aulin camp in the Yosemite high country during our most recent annual expedition. I noticed others in our group were struggling with this scene’s wide range of light levels which they described somewhat in disgust as an 'impossible' exposure. Agreeing with them, I nevertheless made high-and-low exposures for possible use later in producing a composite image in my computer.

"That was when I decided to apply my 'filter dancing' technique to try capturing this 'impossible' image!

"Let me first explain that--for a time several years ago--I quit using graduated neutral density filters. With the advent of the digital scanner for film images and Photoshop for transparencies, it seemed for a time ND Grads were no longer needed. It seemed I could, instead, simply make an exposure for the highlight areas and another for the shadow areas and then computer-blend them into a composite image. That's the method I used until just a few years ago.

"Then, when I began shooting almost exclusively digital images, I started using my graduated neutral density filters again--but in a new way. Hand-holding my grads in front of the lens was not only quicker and more convenient, but gave me the option of stacking two grads at different angles and moving the stack slightly during the exposure--I call this method 'dancing' with the filters."

When Steve set up for this shot, for example, he first stabilized his Canon IDs II camera on a substantial tripod so nothing could move during the exposure. Although the shortest exposure possible for this situation would “normally” be desirable, Steve went for the longest exposure he could get by using the camera’s lowest ISO setting of 50 and closing the lens to f-16. This resulted in an exposure of 30 seconds which gave Steve more time to “dance” with two 4x6-inch Singh-Ray Graduated Neutral Density filters, a 4-stop hard edge “stacked” on top of a 3-stop Reverse ND Grad. He chose the latter because the “hot spot” was on the horizon and not at the top of the frame. The large, easy-to-grip filters were then moved during the exposure from the top-left corner down to the river’s edge. The motion was repeated several times.

"This is admittedly a non-traditional method," says Steve, "but it's one with few drawbacks and many bonuses. I can easily and quickly shoot dozens of exposures of a scene using the same basic setup. No two exposures will be the same. I found that--when everything works--the mid-tones in the image are brighter and more natural while the shadows have just enough information to show some detail. The highlights still hold the natural feel that sets off the composition. I have also found I can more easily hide the filter gradient line along uneven shapes, like mountains and valleys, making the filters usable where they weren’t before.

Be sure to look at the enlarged version of Steve's image to see how he held the detail in the shadow areas. "I did slightly tweak the exposure curve and saturation of this image, but without the ND Grads, there would have been almost no image to work with, short of spending a lot of time trying to make the composite image look right." Steve adds, "After seeing this single image, I never produced a composite image from the two high-and-low exposures I made. I could judge by what I saw in the two frames that I had managed to get it right in the field with the use of the ND Grad filters...just by dancing."

Grinnel Point. . .two ways to look at it

Fresh from conducting his F/8 and Be There Workshop in Glacier National Park, Steve Kossack sends this pair of images of Grinnel Point reflected in the chilly waters of Swiftcurrent Lake.

"It's all about the light," says Steve. "These two images of Grinnel Point are twins but not identical twins. (Click images to enlarge.) Made at the same place the same morning—but obviously not in the same light. Within only a few minutes, the rising sun and diminishing breeze changed everything from my choice of camera position to the filters needed.

"Hoping to tell the story of this magnificent lake and peak, I ran into some problems. Pre-dawn weather had light winds with choppy water, and the foreground was very dark and bleak. In situations like this, I often put away the photo gear and just enjoy the early morning peace and quiet.

"Daybreak suddenly urged me to do 'something.' I first set up the composition to include the wildflowers at my feet, but the wind was blowing them fiercely. I moved a few feet further along the shore where some taller wildflowers would better serve as my foreground. To help the flowers stand out, I reached for my Singh-Ray LB Color Intensifier. With a filter factor of only 2/3 of an f-stop, the Color Intensifier provided a touch more color with virtually no sacrifice in shutter speed. As the breeze came and went, I made quite a few exposures to get the final image.

"As the sun rose, the breeze stopped more frequently so I went back to my earlier camera position. Not only were the wildflowers holding still, but now the full morning sunlight illuminated Grinnel Point. I knew the brilliant peak was no problem, but to show more detail in the flowers and rocks, I got lower and closer, slowed my shutter speed and selected the Singh-Ray ColorCombo which added color contrast and cut some of the glare. The slower exposure helped smooth the reflections in the water.

"To hold the detail in the sunlit peak, I stacked my 2-stop soft-step and 3-stop hard-step Graduated ND filters. These are 4 x 6-inch size filters that I can easily handhold and move during the exposure. Again, I made a series of images."

As for which of these two images is better, Steve looks it at both ways. "I like the subtle one for its detail and the sunlit one for the 'cosmic statement' it seems to make. Both images are a lasting record of the great fun I had making them. I also have a few new ideas on framing this scene that we'll try during next year's Glacier Park workshop."

For further insight, be sure to stop by Steve's website and read his essay, The Mind's Eye, in the August notes-from-the-field section.

A lovely lesson in color and mood

"The Great Smoky Mountain range is a classic source for photo images. There are potentially exciting photos in every direction throughout the day--in any season," says Steve Kossack. "But It also helps when you have the right tools with you."

In May. while scouting the territory for his Smoky Mountain fall-color workshop, Steve paused along the Blue Ridge Parkway as the first low cross-light of the afternoon appeared. "After first capturing an unfiltered wide view (inset), mostly for an exposure reading, I closed in on the foreground trees and the growing intensity of the light. Narrowing the field of view brought out the detail of the trees but made the washed out sky more prominent. So I went to my toolbox.

"To fix the sky, I chose the Singh-Ray 3-stop Reverse ND Grad since the middle of the frame was some 5 stops brighter than my foreground. This not only helped hold back the direct sunlight in the trees, but brought needed detail to the clouds as well. This helped keep detail in the sunlit trees but the color was more muted now. By adding the LB Color Intensifier, I got the needed boost in color.

"Now I was visualizing the serene mood I wanted to complement the technically brighter image, so I called on the Soft-Ray Diffusion Filter. The Soft-Ray is more than a diffusion filter and is at its best with direct sunlight in the image. To slow my exposure time a bit to blur the movement of the clouds, I exchanged the Color Intensifier for the LB Color Combo which provided both the color boost of the intensifier and the added density of the polarizer.

"The slower shutter speed also allowed me to move the hand-held 4X6-inch Reverse ND Grad during the exposure to hide the uneven horizon line. This 'filter dodging' is a technique I use more and more often with the 4X6 Grads. To furthur darken the clouds in the upper-right corner, I added a 2-stop soft step to my hand-held stack to give me the final frame." (below)



Steve calls this a process of "the mind sees it and the tools make it happen. The image is one of my favorites from the entire scouting trip and almost as fulfilling as the fun and joy I experienced creating the completed image in the field!"

For more about Steve's Glacier Park workshop in July and Smoky Mountain workshop in October, plus his instructive and inspiring series of DVDs, you can visit www.stevekossack.com.

It's Morning in Canyonlands National Park

Steve Kossack recalls a recent sunrise shoot at Mesa Arch as "the climax of a spectacular display of nature in its best and most challenging light."

I had worked for almost an hour with the gradually emerging light, using and switching various filters to solve one challenge after another. We had haze, glare, subtle sidelight and then direct crosslight as the canyon below first showed shape, then form and finally detail. The cool glow of pre-dawn that I started with was enhanced by the Singh-Ray LB Color Intensifier. Soon the clouds diffused the rising sun which called first for the Singh-Ray Reverse ND grad and then the normal 3-stop ND grad.

As the sun continued to rise, I needed to cut the glare to make the vast expanse more visible and also to add warm light to the shadows, now a cold blue, due to reflected light from the sky. A situation that was perfect for the Singh-Ray LB Warming Polarizer.

Finally, in the image featured here, I needed it all. The direct crosslight now made the arch above glow intensely so I chose a 4-stop Hard Step ND Grad. To enhance the delicate display of color I chose the Color Intensifier once again but I also needed the Warming Polarizer. That's when I went with the LB ColorCombo -- it provides both polarization and intensification in one filter, and brought together all the effects needed to make this image.

You can watch Steve make this shot, along with many others that Steve features on his new DVD,Canyonlands/Arches, available now.

Image made with Canon 1Ds Mark II, Canon 70-200 2.8L IS, Singh-Ray 4-stop Hard Step ND Grad, and Singh-Ray ColorCombo.