Tracking the "filter workflow" through a winter workshop in Yosemite Valley

When outdoor photographer Steve Kossack shoots in any location, he instinctively follows his "filter workflow." To help explain how it works, Steve offered these three images of an early-morning scene he recently visited with his annual Yosemite Valley winter workshop. "Once again," says Steve, "the endless photographic opportunities plus the exhilaration of being in such a magical place made for an unforgettable week. And because Yosemite is so magical, whenever we return to the locations we've visited in previous years, we find they are never the same.

"With a deep snowfall and the weather changing by the moment, even familiar and easy-to-get-to locations were neither," explains Steve. "Road construction prompted the closure of the north side road and forced us to take a short predawn hike to reach Valley View. We were well rewarded for the effort.

"While standing in the dark, after hiking through the knee-high snow pack down to the edge of the Merced River, we saw the clouds getting pinker in the light blue sky, but only for a few moments. (Frame A -- click image to enlarge.) Not certain how much detail could be recorded in the shadow areas, I positioned the camera down low and tilted forward to include as much of the foreground as possible. To emphasize the color in the sky, the LB Color Intensifier was selected along with a 2-stop soft-step Graduated Neutral Density filter to reduce the relative brightness of the sky. Because the exposure would be for several seconds, I did not want to extend it too much further. The modest filter factor of the "lighter, brighter" Color Intensifier cost me only about half an f-stop. It's surprising how often my filter workflow begins with trying the LB Color Intensifier for early morning light.

"Soon after the first shot -- with the color of the sky now faded and the scene before me gaining even more contrast -- everything became flat. The river had some reflected light on the far side but the shadow area of the water was now dark with no reflection. (Frame B.) In cases like this my filter choice is often the Gold-N-Blue Polarizer and 2 or 3-stop soft-step Graduated ND filter. Anytime there is no reflection in the shaded areas, I check to see if my Gold-N-Blue can help out. Of course you need light to create reflections and the orientation of the sun has to be right for a polarizer. I reframed the composition just slightly to limit the amount of now colorless sky and highlight the river. Here the balance of the blue to gold polarization helped accentuate the natural flow of the river. A 2-stop ND Grad was also used here.

"My third shot (Frame C.) at this location was taken as the first light of the day illuminated the tip of El Capitian. Here's where the LB ColorCombo became the right choice. This time, the reflections from the river were distracting the eye from the focal point and the ColorCombo's polarizing effect tamed this problem nicely. The added warmth of the color intensifying filter (an integral part of the combo) was also a welcomed effect. Adding a 3-stop hard-step ND grad was used to achieve the finished image.

"A few days into our winter workshop it became clear the Merced River -- which was now a calm reflecting pool in many places -- was presenting us with dramatic photo opportunities at almost every turn and bend. The opportunities, in fact, were sometimes overwhelming -- a situation I always welcome! My filter workflow enabled me to rationally concentrate the left side of my brain while the right side was joyfully experiencing the dramatic winter scenery.

"For this next scene, I choose to anchor the image on the left with the river bottom. The problem was that I could not see the river bottom in the reflection.

To help solve this and a few other problems, I chose the ColorCombo for several reasons. The first reason was the small bright green conifer at the top of the snow bank and its reflection in the still water. This green is what brought me to the composition in the first place. Whenever I see an important green element in a scene, my first thought is always the LB Color Intensifier or -- in this case -- the LB Color Combo which also provides 'lighter, brighter' polarization. To set the composition, I first found the best orientation for the polarizing filter by making my way down the snow bank to change the angle. Then a slight turn of the filter clearly revealed both the river bottom and the surface reflection. The polarizer was then fine tuned to cut the bright reflection off the snow as much as possible while still revealing the river bottom. Since the bright snow was such a major part of the composition, I realized it had to be exposed to capture both the overall scene and the detail in the white snow.

"For the stormy image of Yosemite Falls seen at left -- with its beautiful muted light -- you would think no filters would be needed, but this image is not quite as simple as it appears.

Rain was moving in and out as the falls drifted from view and then appeared again. This also obliterated the reflection in the water at times or made it dark and distant when it was visible. The colors were also very muted in the mist. My next workflow step was to try balancing the exposure to render the mid-tones a full stop brighter and accentuate the reflected image in the process. The only problem created by doing this was a very slow shutter speed that would have made the quick moving clouds, as well as the rain spattered river, too blurry. The next decision was to test the capability of my new Canon 1Ds MKIII at a higher ISO 800 setting while using a 3-stop soft-step Graduated ND filter. What was lost was some of the detail in the snow, but what was gained is a brighter reflection, a more realistic presentation of the falls and a recognizable cloud pattern that shows the passing storm’s movement.

For me, working through the filter workflow process is both fun and productive. I should add that I always expose a 'reference" frame without any filters to provide a basis for later review. In the end, there are always choices to be made between the variously filtered images. I can’t help but feel that is always a good thing!"

For more information about Steve's work, videos and workshops, visit his website.

Yes, it's the same place, but it's a different day!

"Returning to the same locations has always paid dividends for me," says professional landscape photographer and workshop leader Steve Kossack. "At this well-known spot, high over Death Valley at Aguereberry Point, I’ve been rewarded in the heat of summer and the cool of winter. Spring brings wildflowers to the valley floor in some years and the fall signals the end of the severe heat and more manageable photography temperatures. I'm always eager to revisit the wide open vistas of these ridges in all seasons -- anytime I can get there.

"In these three Aguereberry Point images," says Steve, "we see how the the passing weather sets the stage for a beautiful and distinct image any time you're there.

"This first image is the result of fortunate timing and the use of a device called a lightning trigger. While watching an approaching storm, my excited anticipation of being able to capture a lightning bolt in daylight suddenly became a reality. The trigger prompted me to frame the composition at a very wide angle because the sensor scans a wide area of the sky. This wide-angle view provided enough space for the lightning bolt to fill the entire left half of the frame, a big benefit I did not anticipate at the time! The trigger also calls for a slower shutter speed than I would normally use, so I chose to use only my LB Color Intensifier and retain as much depth of field (smaller aperture) as possible. Using the Color Intensifier provided the added benefit of heightened earth tones while maintaining that necessary shutter speed. I especially like this filter's small filter factor -- it's only about 1/3 to 1/2 of an f-stop."

"This 'Moonrise at Sunset' image is the tighter composition I would have liked for the lightning bolt shot, but as you can see, it would have not worked! Here the focal point is the moonrise and the composition was narrowed and lowered. The stage was set and the curtain rose! The LB ColorCombo was chosen this time to heighten the contrast and deepen the color. My favorite moon exposure filter is the Singh-Ray 5-stop, soft-step ND Grad. I find the filter perfect for this situation and, in my workflow, easier and more predictable than stacking filters. The detail retained in this moon is the proof!

"This third 'Sunset Storm' image was my reward for knowing the “when and where” of this same location. Arriving on the heels of a quickly passing storm, I had no time to get where I wanted for the set up. Instead I settled for a perch above and quickly rethought the composition. Since the color was the focal point I needed only to adjust the angle and isolate the scene. The solution was a longer lens and the use of the Singh-Ray LB Color Intensifier and 2 stop, soft-step ND Grad to “snap the clouds” from the quickly fading light."

This location is always part of Steve's Death Valley 5-day workshop. The entire lightning-shot sequence, by the way, can be seen in Steve's new Death Valley DVD.

Catching "The Wave"

From his home base in Arizona, outdoor photographer Steve Kossack has been a frequent visitor to The Wave located in Utah's Paria Canyon. "Each and every expedition has been different in some way," says Steve, "but this year's experience during our Landmarks of the Southwest Workshop was like none before.

"We had snow! We also had rain, wind, hail, sunshine and clouds. Temperatures ranged from the 20s to 50s -- and sometimes there was not much time or distance between the two! It was the perfect time to be photographing in this exciting area of Arizona and Utah.

"This workshop was also the maiden voyage for my new Canon 1Ds MKIII, and I was eager to test its awesome capabilities. In the image above I faced a situation I'd never experienced before. As these images demonstrate, few scenes in nature translate as dramatically as red rock and fresh snow. However, it can be a very difficult exposure to do properly. Diffused light was key here. The magnificent detail held in the snow was more and more difficult to hold when direct light was present. This image is a 'stitch,' comprised of four vertical shots taken quickly in the same light to convey the density and volume of the snow. I felt I needed to have a strong foreground to enhance the feeling of deep snow without losing the stark color of the sandstone. The wind erosion in the snow seemed to make the wave roll!

"This next image is a single exposure taken shortly after to help me get a feel for the resolving power of my new 'super camera.' The fact that most of the sandstone on the south slope (left) was snow covered made the scene seem more sedate. I did this one frame from the same tripod location at 24 mm with my Singh-Ray LB ColorCombo. I believe this image more faithfully captured the scale and scope of our perceived experience. Detail was easier to display and exposure was now acceptable in the more direct light. Since the detail in the snow shadow was no longer a major part of the composition, I simply let the shadow fall where it may. Both images are a well deserved reward for the effort involved on this beautiful day. A day I know all our workshop participants will long remember!"

Steve will soon release Great Smoky, another in his series of instructional DVDs that will include a discussion on the use of Singh-Ray Filters. It will be available soon at Steve's website.

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.