JANUARY 2004

RECENT JOURNEYS

December had me on two trips - bighorn sheep in Colorado and wintering birds of Bosque del Apache.

• The bighorn sheep trip was a plus and a minus. Whenever working wildlife there is always the chance they don't want to fully cooperate, even in areas and times they're supposed to be productive. This was the case with the sheep this year. Because of unseasonably warm weather, the mating season took place a couple of weeks early but we were able to find more than enough subjects to keep us busy. We did find a coupld of groups of five sheep with a lamb in the groups that provided some nice behavior and young animal shots. The last morning had bull elk digging through fresh snow grazing in the field. A very cooperative buck mule deer with several does kept up busy one morning and a coyote alongside the road hunting also get people another good subject. One interesting part of the trip was the place we stayed had a mountain lion coming down on the property late at night to feed on an elk carcass it killed. Unfortunately it was coming down between midnight and 3:30 am so shooting was not a great option. Some researchers set up a remote camera to photograph it and we were able to see some of the shots it captured as the lion came in to feed. It obviously did't care for the flash photography as the photos we were able to look at showed the cat coming all the way to the camera to try and tip it over to get rid of the light. Even without seeing the lion itself, it was nice to see the photos of it just 25 yards behind one of the cabins on the property.

• Bosque del Apache is always the same - great. While you always hope for that great sunrise shot with the orange sky filled with birds - which didn't happen - the mass takeoff from the main lake was a sight to behold (as always). Those on the trip had never been to Bosque and couldn't believe the spectacle of 10,000 birds taking off all at once. An immature bald eagle chased the birds off about 20 minutes early one morning and it never left from hovering over the water so the geese never resettled on the water for their big show after sunrise. Sunsets at the newer ponds outside the refuge provided some great shots as the sky changed from pink to red to orange with birds coming in for their evening roosting. A couple of lcear mornings at the ponds offered good shots of sandhill cranes taking off. Some new field maintenance work is taking place with sloughs, fields and ponds being created on the south end of the refuge on the south loop. The field most people are used to working flight shots in the corn fields was not used this year so the two as soon as you turn onto the north road were where the action was. An odd sighting of a tundra swan in the area had people looking on but shots were not readily available. More work is being done on a visitor center expansion so the gambel's quail outside the current entrance were scatter about and tougher to photograph. The kestrel tree at the beginning of the cross road is no longer there so other trees had to be found to work these pretty birds. Other sightings and shots included a vermillion flycatcher, roadrunners, a spotting of a Cooper's hawk, lesser yellowlegs and various waterfowl. There seemed to be more hawks on the refuge this year, both with red-tail and Swainson's. A pair of roadrunners in the corn fields kept being chased by the snow geese making for some fun viewing although their activity was hard to put on film (would have been better with video). A coyote on the ice was a strange sight as it struggled to make its way back to firm footing. At least the ice was thick enough that it didn't break through and couldn't make it back. As is always the case with an odd sighting like this, it was too far away to photograph but close enough to waych and enjoy its antics.

WEBSITE

We have recently lost several noted photographers from our ranks in the last couple of years. The most recent death was to Bill Silliker in October who died of a heart attack while leading a workshop in Maine. Bill was very big into shooting wildlife with respect and there are sections of his site that point this out. The site has some great photography work, information about his books and photo tips and techniques. Please visit his site and take his ideals into the field with you. His website can be viewed at http://www.camerahunter.com.

MARKETING TIP

Seeing Red - If you are getting started, or thinking about making submissions to photo buyers, there are lots of things to keep in mind when putting a submission together. One thing to thik about is what to include in your selection of images. Editors have so many images to look at during a day you need to have something that helps your stuff stand out from the crowd. If something doesn't grab their attention when they first look at your slides, then they'll go on to the next sheet of slides. One way to help is to have something red on your page. This might be hard for a selection of eagles for a calendar, but if you can get some red on the page it causes people to stop and take notice. That why companies use red in the phone books, so many business signs are red and emergency lights are red - it gets peoples attention.

HOTSPOTS

• March and April are great months to visit the national parks found in Utah - Arches, Canyonlands, Bryce Canyon and Zion. The temperatures are a bit cooler and the crowds have not started showing up in droves. Some of the most dramatic landscape photography can be found in these parks. If possible, try to plan a trip here when there's a full moon as you will find even more sibjects to work. A great hidden spot at Arches is in the Garden of Eden. Once in the parking lot go up the flat rocks to the right and some exploring in and around the area.

NEWS & NOTES

• The Transportation Security Administration has made it a bit easier for photographers to board airplanes with our equipment. A new rule allows for the carrying on of more items than previously allowed, which helps when carrying a camera bag and a large lens. The new rule reads: You may carry one (1) bag of photographic equipment in addition to one (1) carry-on and one (1) personal item through the screening checkpoint. ĘThe additional bag must conform to your air carrier's carry-on restrictions for size and weight. ĘPlease confirm your air carrier's restrictions prior to arriving at the airport. If you would like to read and print this out from their website the page containing this can be found at http://www.tsa.gov/public/display?content=090005198006ce43. There is also information on here about film.
• Frans Lanting Gallery opened recently in Santa Cruz, CA. Frans has been hailed as one of the great nature photographers of our time. His images are available for viewing and purchase at his new gallery.
• Jean-Michel Cousteau and an international collaboration of prestigious authors and photographers have launched a major artistic book, "Water Culture," as part of the United Nations "2003 International Year of Freshwater." Images were donated by world-renowned photographers including: Yann Arthus-Bertrand, David Doubilet, Nan Goldin, Andreas Gursky, Peter Lindbergh, Steve McCurry, Richard Misrach, Tom Ordway, Gueorgui Pinkhassov, Mario Sorrenti, Jock Sturges, and Ilkka Uimonen. Copies of Water Culture will be available at major bookstores, over the Internet at www.phaidon.com, and through Ocean Futures Society.

If you have information on an interesting item of note others would be interested in, please pass the information along to me and I'll include it in an upcoming issue.

I'm looking to add a section in upcoming issues of available photo contests. If you know of any contests, please pass the information along and I'll include it.

Andy Long firstlightfoto@aol.com

MARCH 2004

FEBRUARY ISSUE NOTE

No, you didn't miss anything in February as I was busy with several projects and didn't get a newsletter out. I will try to get one out every month but there may be times when my schedule doesn't allow it.

BEST NEWS AROUND

For those who are familiar with what I've been through the last six months, my liver treatments finished as of March 5 and the last set of tests showed it was in remission. I still have follow-up tests scheduled for 3, 6 and 12 months to make sure there is no reoccurrence. As of now there is a 90% chance it won't come back. The doctors say I can still have side-affects for up to two months as all the chemo works its way out of my system. Those who have been on trips with me know I didn't let it get to me too much and I plugged on with providing the best service I could.

RECENT JOURNEYS

January had me doing more in-house work than travel but I did do one shoot for a book publisher for a book on churches around the United States. I had four churches to shoot around the Denver and Colorado Springs area. The book should be out in the fall of this year.

February and early March were dedicated to Florida for several programs and shooting.

• St. Pete Travel and Nature Basics. The photo basics classes are new to the schedule this year. After requests from several people for beginner types of classes I decided to add several of these to my schedule this year. The class started out with a classroom program on Friday evening followed by a field shoot Saturday morning. The field shoot at the Pier area in downtown St. Petersburg had participants finding new ways to look for photos when travelling around the country. It was then off to Boyd Hill Nature Trail where we roamed the trails looking for the small stuff nature has to offer. Saturday afternoon had us back in the classroom for a couple of more slide programs. Saturday evenings shoot had us on the beach doing some buildings and sunset. Sunday morning the fog rolled in so we ended up at Fort Desoto Park on the beach getting some interesting shots of herons and egrets in the water as well as some moody shots of the scenery.

• Southwest Florida. The folks at Ding Darling are trying to make things difficult for photographers. They have raised the water level on the left side of the loop road making it more difficult for the waders to come in at low tide and feed. The water was very stagnant but there were a group of somewhat cooperative roseate spoonbills at Cross Dike. Estero Lagoon and Bowditch Point proved to be more reliable as there is no way to control the water level at these areas. The Lagoon had its regular variety of birds and Bowditch had about 100 skimmers gathered together and then bathing and taking flight one or two at a time. A volunteer at Six-Mile Cypress Slough directed us to another park where a very accessible great horned owls nest had two owlets in plain sight about 20-25 feet about the ground. Different head angles were made easy as they followed anyone who went for a walk from side to side. Cape Coral is still a great place to search for burrowing owls. Time was spent trying to get head spins where the owls would sit on the ground very still and then turn its head from side to side. Evening clouds most every night eliminated any chances for pretty sunsets and birds standing in colorful water. Corkscrew Preserve made for an interesting trip. Near the start of the boardwalk a bittern was very cooperative. Later, a pair of limkins decided to put on a mating show for those in the area. Baby alligators and a red-shoulder hawk also provided some shooting. Four inches of rain the day before had the water levels a bit high so the smaller waders were found more along the ditches along the roads leading to the park. A stop at the Venice Rookery on the return trip also had a cloudy morning and about 60-70 photographers jockeying for position. The rookery is now getting more anhingas using the site taking away nesting area from the herons and egrets. At Myakka River State Park near Sarasota there were a pair of sandhill cranes with a newborn working near the front section of the bird trail. High water levels from recent rains took away opportunities near the dam area.

• St. Petersburg and Fort Desoto. Gray skies and birds not in their usual locations were the main order for a week in the St. Petersburg area. While Fort Desoto had some birds scattered here and there, the good groups and close activity was not what it's been like in the past. Mergansers, skimmers, reddish egrets and oystercatchers did provide for a good morning. Lake Maggiore had a good number of roseate spoonbills as well as wood storks. Cones put on top of the poles at the fishing bridge at Weedon Island took away perches for a variety of birds but the ponds along the boardwalks had some good activity. A full moon provided some interesting opportunities with the moon coming up over The Pier downtown and setting between the towers at the Don Cesar at the beach. Roseates on the west side of Courtney Campbell Causeway finished out an interesting week. Oh yeah, I got to spend a couple of days with my mom for her birthday.

RECENT PUBLISHINGS

I have an article in the current issue of Nature Photographer magazine on Silver Salmon Creek Lodge in Alaska. This is where I run my bear trip and the article will give you a better idea as to what you can find if you go on this trip. The first person to contact me to sign up for this trip who mentions this note will get $100 off the price of the trip.

I have recently been asked to be a monthly contributor to www.apogeephoto.com, an online photography magazine. By the time you get this my second monthly article should be online. My first article was about photographing historic New Mexico. The new article will highlight several top wildlife locations in Alaska.

WEBSITE

With now providing monthly articles, I might as well give a plug to apogeephoto The site has a variety of writers providing both destination and photo technique articles. Monthly contests on a specific topic offer nice prizes for the winners. There are a couple of sections of previous articles, where I also have several articles done several years ago for the site. Looking for a new camera club in your area (or want to get your club listed)? You might be able to find one in the Camera Club section. Lots of companies advertise on the site and you should be able to find most any information about products you want here as well. The website can be viewed at http://www.apogeephoto.com.

BUSINESS TIP

With exchanging business cards with lots of people it's interesting to see what all people will put on their cards. Depending upon what level of photographer you are and how much travelling you do, you might be best served to get yourself a P.O. Box and use this as your address on the card. You might even want to leave off your address if you don't want to get a P.O. Box, which doesn't cost very much. Why a P.O. Box? Not all people are fully trustworthy and knowing that you're a photographer they know you probably have a bit of valuable equipment at your residence. They check for when you're gone and break in to get your valuable equipment, computers and whatever else they find. This doesn't happen much but the time it happens to you it's happened too much.

HOTSPOTS

• May. Depending upon where you live, wildflowers will start making their appearances. Head out into the forests to find the colorful beauties that grow in your area. Try doing some different things with flowers this year. Try zooming or swinging your camera, use stained glass to shoot through, use mylar. There are lots of ways to experiment to learn to grow with you photography.

NEW FROM FIRST LIGHT

I'm in the process of reviewing several software packages in order to create several a series of screensaver cd's. One will include wildlife; one nature (landscapes, wildflowers, fall color); and one a combination of both. Pre-orders can be made between now and mid-May for $10 (I'll cover the shipping cost). Once I start selling them at art shows the price will be $12 (plus shipping). Call 720-962-5929 to place a credit card order or you can send a check with a note stating which cd you prefer.

NEWS & NOTES

• Need to know what time sunrise or sunset is before you leave for a trip? Also the same for the moon and what phase it will be at for when you are going to be somewhere. Then you'll want to visit http://aa.usno.navy.mil/data/docs/RS_OneDay.html. This is the site of the U.S. Naval Observatory and is a great tool for helping plan a trip.
• Another month and another lost photographer. If you haven't already heard, Erwin Bauer lost his battle with health problems recently. Known for teaming with his wife, Peggy, the two have been leaders in the field for several decades.
• I ran into Lillian Stokes while in Florida and they have recently purchased a home in Montana (not the greatest bird location in the world but some great photography nonetheless). No updates or new bird guide books are in the offing in the near future but that could change.

If you have information on an interesting item of note others would be interested in, please pass the information along to me and I'll include it in an upcoming issue.

I'm looking to add a section in upcoming issues of available photo contests. If you know of any contests, please pass the information along and I'll include it.

APRIL 2004

BIRDS IN FLIGHT

Having completed my Florida swing and with doing some other birds in flight shots recently, I have been asked about capturing images of birds in flight. While you see lots of great images of birds in flight, it does take a little bit of work to get the skill down to where it becomes second nature.

There are two ways to go about capturing this action. The first is to get shots when they are first taking off. This can be done where they roost for the night and then get ready to take off individually or in small groups. You watch for a particular behavior pattern before they take off and when you see one doing this you stay on them until they take off and you track them and get the shot you want.

Another way to get take-off shots deals with raptors. If you find one sitting on a tree or post, they usually will raise their tail and drop some scat just before taking off.

For incoming flight shots, you want to get them in your viewfinder as far away as possible, especially if you have a large lens (400mm or more) on your camera. The further away they are the easier it is to get them framed up nicely so that when they get into the position you want you can click away. If your camera has a servo mode for focusing, this is the option you want so you can push your shutter button down half way down so you continue to keep the bird in focus.

No matter which technique you use, you need to follow through with your motion. Just like a golfer who follows through with their swing, you need to continue tracking the bird after taking the shot.

Try some experimenting as well. Stop down so that you have a long shutter speed to capture some action and blur the image.

RECENT ARTICLE PUBLISHINGS

Last month I mentioned I had been asked to become a writer for www.apogeephoto.com, an online photography magazine. This continues with the latest article being called Jumping Out. This is a technical article based on using several techniques - such as a dark background - to have your main subject stand out from the background.

In addition to this site and Nature Photographer magazine, which I'm an assistant editor of, I'll be doing articles for f/8 and Being There photo newsletter. This newsletter has a variety of information ranging from travel articles to Q&A to technique articles. For more information you can contact Lesley Collins at lesley@packinghousegallery.com.

PHOTO RESTORATION

Inedaeye is a 12 year old company offering Backroom Graphic Services to various companies in USA.They specilize image photo editing/restorations, manipulations, masking and colorizing b/w art/photos. They work at $12 USD per hour and offer a discount for continous or bulk orders. Single orders are also accepted. Send then a sample and they will quote immediately. Mention you heard about them through the newsletter.

To see some samples http://www.indiaeye.com/resto.htm

To see how they work ... http://www.indiaeye.com/faq.htm

WEBSITE

Want to create jigsaw puzzles on your computer from your own images? There is a site that has the software where you can do this. They have some very interesting shapes for the pieces that go from simple to make to very complex. You can try a sample out on the site or download a demo version. Several levels of purchase are available. The website can be viewed at http://www.crea-soft.com/.

PREPARING FOR SPRING

Do you have some room in your back yar for another tree? It doesn't have to be a large area since the tree will never have many branches or leaves. Go out into the woods and find a tree that has fallen down which has at least one nest cavity. Put that up in your yard and position it so that you have a good light and shooting angle, and when birds are looking for a nest site, you'll have your own nursery in your yard and plenty of good shooting opportunities without starting your car.

DID YOU KNOW

With flowers getting ready to bloom in different parts of the country, it's always nice to learn more about them. Some mountain flowers are shaped like parabolic reflectors to warm the insects that sit inside them. This serves a twofold purpose. By reflecting the light to provide much-needed heat for the insects, it also attracts the bugs to them for pollination.

HOTSPOTS

• Late May and early June. Babies will be starting to appear in a wide variety of species. Make plans to head to areas where babies will be roaming around. Some great places include the Tetons and Yellowstone for moose and elk, Rocky Mountain National Park for elk and deer, Mount Evans, CO for mountain goats, Cades Cove for white tail deer, northern Minnesota for moose and deer and any other place you know where you frequently see deer.

SCREENSAVERS

Last month I mentioned that I was reviewing several software packages in order to create a series of screensaver cd's. I now have done this and have three different ones available: wildlife, landscape and nature, and Beautiful Colorado. To order one please call or e-mail. Price for subscribers will be $10 and free shipping. Call 720-962-5929 to place a credit card order or you can send a check with a note stating which cd you prefer.

NEWS & NOTES

• Last month I mentioned that Erwin Bauer passed on. Well, his wife Peggy died in an auto accident shortly after his death. We're losing too many good photographers as of late. Hopefully this trend won't continue.
• BRIDGES to Understanding, which opens April 24 and remains on view through October 24, 2004, explores and celebrates the exquisitely meticulous work of award-winning and world-renowned photographer, Phil Borges www.philborges.com. For more than 25 years, Borges has been taking breathtaking and stunning black and white photos of people and their cultures in remote and ancient villages that today are still concealed from the world's view. The exhibit will be showing at The Bowers Museum in Santa Ana, CA.
• Ross Bear photograph exhibit at the Pacific Grove of Natural History Museum in California, http://www.pgmuseum.org/. Nature photographer Jenny E. Ross has traveled the world to photograph all eight bear species, with special emphasis on the three species native to North America. Through her stunning images, you can learn about the biology, ecology, behavior, and conservation of these magnificent mammals. The show "BEARS! Icons of the Wild", can be seen April 3, 2004 - July 18, 2004.

DIGITAL STORAGE DEVICES

Looking for a way to store digital imgaes while on the road but don't want to buy lots of cards or carry a computer with you? Check out FlashTrax Drives by SmartDisk. They come in 20, 40, and 80 Gigabyte drives. You can plug in any size compact flash cards type I or II. Takes others too but may need adapter. Downloads quickly. Large 3.5" LCD screen to view pictures in most file formats including most raw formats. Connects to computer via USB port. Computer sees as normal drive, can backup computer files if you wish. It's compact and can be carried in small sized vest pocket. Battery is external and you can purchase back up battery. Comes with charger and USB cable and video cable which can be attached to TV or digital projector for viewing your pictures. http://www.smartdisk.com

If you have information on an interesting item of note others would be interested in, please pass the information along to me and I'll include it in an upcoming issue.

If you have any photo questions you'd like answered, please pass them on and your question and subsequent answer will be in the next issue.

MAY 2004

CLOSE-UP NOTES (Wildflowers)

With wildflower season upon us, I thought I'd pass along some tips and ideas to help you when in the field. Although I do have an article on wildflowers in both F/8 and on the apogeephoto website, most of this information does not appear in either. Those heading on my wildflower workshop will probably hear some of this again.

• Look for the details in the scene and emphasize them
• Try stopping down as far as your lens allows for maximum depth of field - you'll be amazed at the results
• If using macro, try doing some stacking if you have extension tubes and or teleconverters. If using both, put your teleconverter next to the camera body, extension tubes next and then the lens. Talk about getting close inside your subject
• Seek out textures and patterns
• A close view lends to enen a closer view
• The greater the magnification the more emphasis on color, pattern and detail
• When doing close-up work for the first time (and thereafter) use manual focus so you can pick the area you want in shapest detail
• If you subject is not middle tone, a good thing to do is meter on the palm of your hand and open up 1 stop as most palms are this
• Mirror lockup (if using film camera) - This is a nice option expecially when going for more depth with longer shutter speeds
• Regardless of your f/stop, the closer you are to the subject the shallower the depth of field
• When using film, the slower the film speed the sharper the image
• Try to parallel the subject as much as possible - if not flat, focusing can fall more quickly
• Align your camera to the most important part of the subject
• Close-ups are better on a low contrast day (overcast) as details pop out more and colors are more vibrant
• Don't be afraid to try a larger non-macro lens to obtain close-up shots (isn't this what large lens wildlife shooting is?)
• Although using flash is a popular option, natural is always your first choice
• Flash with close-ups can cause a black background. Using a second flash pointed at the background helps eliminate this.
• Move your flash back away from the subject to increase the flash to subject distance and lessen the ration for flash to background distance
• Front positioning for flash is better than from the side as the bright side lighting results in harsh shadows. You want some shadows because they provide sharpness but you need to control where they are
• TTL - best with center weighted metering as this is where the sensor reads
• Just like your camera, you need to dial in compensation based on the color of the subject
• If you use diopters as your means for doing close-up work don't use them wide open as this results in a loss of sharpness around the edges of the photo. Stop down at least half way between the extremes of your lens.
• Experiment and try new things.
  • Buy some water glass at a stained glass store and try shooting through this
  • Get a Pringle's tube and line it with mylar to create some interesting effects
  • Use a zoom lens and stop all the way down for a long exposure and zoom
  • Stop down for a long exposure and swoop your camera in a short, quick U for an interesting design

THIS MONTH'S APOGEEPHOTO.COM ARTICLE

With wildflowers season now upon us, this month's article deals with the world of flowers. The article is broken down into two parts - Wildflower Fundamentals and Lenses. The lens portion offers different ideas for doing wildflower photography using a variety of lenses.

NEW DENVER PHOTO GALLERY

Anyone living around Denver or visiting the area, there is a new photo gallery in downtown near the Union Street Station. Located at 1738 Wynkoop Street (lower level), The ArtWorks Studio will feature landscape, nature and fine art. The gallery is open Tuesday through Friday 10 am to 5 pm and on Saturdays and evenings by appointment. I will be one of the continually showing photographers and will have a month-long featured exhibit in the near future.

FAVORITE SUMMER PLACES

All of us have favorite places we like to go back to again and again. Summer gets more people out and about than most other times of year because there is so much to shoot. E-mail me your top spots you like to go during the summer and I'll compile a list for the next issue. I'll get things started by listing mine:

• Alaska for bears
• Wildflowers at Crested Butte and / or Yankee Boy Basin, CO
• Tetons for baby moose
• Mt. Evans, CO for baby mountain goats

GOING DIGITAL

Making the move to digital. With my primary body having broken recently - they don't bound off the road too well when the tripod head gears strip and it falls off - I'm making the move to digital. With more and more places accepting digital files, it looks like the way to go, unlike several years ago when the APS camera systems came out and manufacturers said this is where cameras were going. Not quite.

If you have an interesting story about your first experiences with digital, pass it along for others to read. Name will be withheld if you don't want others to know who you are.

PHOTO CONTESTS

* Los Angeles Center for Digital Art announces an open call for our juried competition featuring digital art. Entrants submit three JPEG files of original work. All styles of 2D (flat) artwork and photography created or manipulated digitally will be accepted. Call is international, open to all geographical locations.

The selected winner receives 10 large archival prints of their work up to 44x60 inches on canvas or museum quality paper (approximately a $1500-$2000 value) to be shown in a solo exhibition in our gallery on Melrose Avenue. The show will be widely promoted and will include a reception for the artist.

Five second place winners will receive one print of their work up to 44x60 inches ($150-$200 in value) to be included in upcoming group shows. Second place winners will be scheduled into group shows within twelve months of announcement of winners.

Registration fee is $30. For submission details and registration visit: www.lacda.com.

* Picture.com Picture.com is awarding over 250 prizes totaling $58,000. The contest is open to everyone and entry is FREE!

* Photography Unlimited This is a really neat contest. Visitors to the site rate the photos ... and additionally an independent judge(s) also rate the photos. You can take the photos with any kind of camera, but they must be uploaded to the site digitally. You can enter 5 photos per month per category.

* AGFANet Every month, 24 photos entered in the competition by AGFAnet users are exhibited in the latest gallery.Visitors can cast a vote for a photo and thus help decide which of the photos presented are to be chosen as the three photos of the month. The winners are the entries receiving the most vote.

* Weatherwise 2004 Photography Contest - Postmarked by June 1. Photos should be of weather and or atmospheric phenomena.

* Black River Calendar contest Each year Black River Publishing holds an annual Photography Contest with a $1,000 First Prize. Twelve cash prizes are awarded and each winning picture is published in our "Outdoor Grandeur" calendar. The subject matter for the contest is outdoor landscapes from all seasons of the year.

HOTSPOTS

Maine Coastline - Good time to visit the area for gentle sea breezes weatherwise. Old fishing villages, historic homes, great seascapes are just a few of the ideas than can be found on a trip to this area. A good place to base is in Waldo County which is about two hours north of Portland, ME.

NEWS & NOTES

• Canon will soon be coming out with their new digital camera - EOS 1D Mark II. After it hits the market will be a good time to check with some of the better used camera spots for the Canon 10D as people turn them in for the newer version. The used store I like to deal with is Roberts out of Indianapolis. Great place if you're looking for quality large lenses and cameras.
• 250 FREE Business Cards - This is another great deal. NO hidden costs You pay the
  shipping. What's the catch? On the back of the free business cards there is a very small and discrete logo. Along the way, you get a pile of choices that can add to the price. You don't have to choose any of these things. The choices include: no logo; extra cards (very good prices) printing on the back of the cards. http://snipurl.com/vista
• AVOID THIS CONTEST AT ALL COSTS - Talk about a RIGHTS GRAB ... They state that JUST BY ENTERING their contest they reserve the right to use your photo "as, when, where and how we see fit." So basically ... they can sell them, promote with them on their website, use them in their brochures, give them to other companies or websites to use, etc ... and they don't have to give you any credit, let alone pay for their use! I don't know why Wimberley Heads would provide prizes for this contest. http://www.darrensworld.com/competitions/december_competition.html

JUNE 2004

BLUEBIRD TALES

Had a great opportunity come up recently as I was taken to a 3,000 acre ranch just south of Denver that has 200 bluebird boxes on five different trails. I was there gatering images as well as information for a couple of upcoming articles and found out about a program being undertaken in Colorado to link up all of the bluebird trails in the state so information can be gathered regarding success rates, problems encountered and more.

With nesting season upon us, it's a good time to see out a variety of bird nests in order to get photos of the parents bringing in food for the nestlings as well as the babies themselves. With birds everywhere, there's bound to be some nests near where you live, whether they be cavity dwellers or nest builders.

To find birds using cavities, you can take a walk through the woods looking for holes used in previous years. While there are only a few types of birds that actually dig out the cavities, many other types of birds will use these holes for several years after they are built. Finding a hole means there should be a bird using it this year or in another tree very close by.

If you live in an area where there are bluebird trails, try to meet up with the person coordinating the trail to see if you can go out with them sometime to get some photos. If they do programs for people, you can offer to provide them with some photos to incorporate into their presentation. If they don't, you can see if they'd like a photo or two for themselves. A good place to find out about coordinators is either with your local Audubon Society or the Cornell Ornitological group, where coordinators from around the country provide data on their particular trail. With the advent of computers, they now are trying to get GPS locations of all the bluebird boxes in the country.

With not having worked nest boxes before, I went to the first couple of boxes prepared for several possibilities. It didn't take long to realize that my 100mm macro was the lens of choice with the camera being mounted on a monopod. Depending on the light, f/stops in the range of 9.5 and 11 were used from about a foot away in order to get enough depth of field. When you're able to get close to nests like this, this is a good place to start.

The trail I worked has a very interesting background. The property was owned by an extremely wealthy family and the lady, who was quite eccentric, started putting bluebird boxes up in the late 1950s. She and some of her friends would go out in the spring, sporting mink coats, to clean out the boxes to get them ready for the new nesting season.

The project grew after someone who lived in the area returned home from the Vietnam War and wanted to do something to be productive in the county. He eventually put up nearly 200 boxes in the county and many on the property itself.

Wanting to do something to preserve the property, 'Tweet' Kimball sold the property to a foundation set up to oversee the property. Showing how much she wanted to keep the land available for all of the wildlife that used her land, she donated the nearly $50 million property to the foundation. A conservation easement was sold to the county, making sure no future building would ever be allowed on the property despite the growth of high cost homes sprouting up all around.

Besides the birds that use the boxes, quite a bit of other wildlife also call the ranch home at some part of the year. During the rut, several herds of elk use the property in addition to countless mule deer. Black bears, golden and bald eagles and mountain lions also have part of their range on the property.

The sad part of the situation is that Tweet dies shortly before the full bluebird box trail was implemented. In 1998 a plan was put into place where the foundation would provide money for the building and maintenance of up to 250 nest boxes that would be monitored by volunteers. It was set to launch with the start of the 1999 nesting season in April when the first birds arrived but Tweet died a couple of months before.

The group of volunteers gathering data and monitoring the boxes tries to keep her vision in mind regarding conservation and preservation. If only everyone had a love for the outdoors that she had.

PHOTO CONTESTS

* Quantum Leap Strategies Every month, they select one winning photograph for which the photographer receives a prize of $100. Plus, we donate $100 – in the Winner's name – to the Winner's choice of a charity organization that focuses on helping the blind. Theme: The beauty that surrounds us. Categories include Nature, wildlife, landscapes, and more.

* $95,000 PRIZE PACKAGE IN INTERNATIONAL TRAVEL PHOTOGRAPHY COMPETITION Entries are now open and close on September 17, 2004. Categories include Peoples and Cultures Portfolio, Essence of Travel Portolio, Spirit of Adventure Portfolio, Living Planet Portfolio, and Celebration (a single image category).

* Picture.com Picture.com is awarding over 250 prizes totaling $58,000. The contest is open to everyone and entry is FREE!

* Photography Unlimited This is a really neat contest. Visitors to the site rate the photos ... and additionally an independent judge(s) also rate the photos. You can take the photos with any kind of camera, but they must be uploaded to the site digitally. You can enter 5 photos per month per category.

* AGFANet Every month, 24 photos entered in the competition by AGFAnet users are exhibited in the latest gallery.Visitors can cast a vote for a photo and thus help decide which of the photos presented are to be chosen as the three photos of the month. The winners are the entries receiving the most vote.

* Black River Calendar contest Each year Black River Publishing holds an annual Photography Contest with a $1,000 First Prize. Twelve cash prizes are awarded and each winning picture is published in our "Outdoor Grandeur" calendar. The subject matter for the contest is outdoor landscapes from all seasons of the year. Deadline June 30.

BEARS OF ALASKA TRIP
Because of a couple people who were going to sign up for this trip have had to cancel for various reasons I have just one person commited so if there's anyone who's interested please contact me as we can discuss a pricing discount since the lodge owner is getting flights scheduled from Soldotna to the lodgeand has to have a commitment. Dates are August 3-10. Anyone wanting to join me for a couple of extra daysafter the trip doing some exploring around the Denali area are also welcome to join.

NORTHERN LIGHTS
I'm planning an excursion to the Fairbanks, Alaska area sometime next year to do a scouting trip for adding northern lights on my workshop schedule. Not exactly sure when I'll be going as of now but I wanted to let people know that if you want to come along you're more than welcome. I'll do the arrangements and the cost will not be what will be charged once I have it on the schedule. If interested, please contact me.

ONLINE REGISTRATION MADE EASIER
I have recently updated the online registration form so that you can fill it out and send it without having to print it out as was the case. Many boxes now include drop-down menus so you can just click and choose from the available options.

HOTSPOTS

Alaska. All of Alaska is a great place to go during the summer. From the bears to the eagles to Denali, Alaska is a place every outdoor photographer should visit at least once. Once you go, you'll be bitten by the bug and want to return again and again. Some activities you can choose to do include a trip to Kenai Peninsula where you can do a glacier cruise out of Seward, bears around Homer, moose all over the place and possibly caribou around Kenai.

Southeast Alaska provideswhale watching from Juneau and Sitka, bears, eagles and more. Basing out of Anchorage you can head up and do the bus tours at Denali and other interesting spots.

PHOTO WEBSITE

Photoblogs is an interesting site that has links to a ton of photo blog sites that have new and varied images added daily. While not devoted to nature photography in particular, you're sure to find some site on here that will strike an chord with you. There are blogs from 60 countries so the variety of work is far-reaching.

JULY 2004

PHOTO CONTESTS

* Quantum Leap Strategies Every month, they select one winning photograph for which the photographer receives a prize of $100. Plus, we donate $100 – in the Winner's name – to the Winner's choice of a charity organization that focuses on helping the blind. Theme: The beauty that surrounds us. Categories include Nature, wildlife, landscapes, and more.

* $95,000 PRIZE PACKAGE IN INTERNATIONAL TRAVEL PHOTOGRAPHY COMPETITION Entries are now open and close on September 17, 2004. Categories include Peoples and Cultures Portfolio, Essence of Travel Portolio, Spirit of Adventure Portfolio, Living Planet Portfolio, and Celebration (a single image category).

* Picture.com Picture.com is awarding over 250 prizes totaling $58,000. The contest is open to everyone and entry is FREE!

* Photography Unlimited This is a really neat contest. Visitors to the site rate the photos ... and additionally an independent judge(s) also rate the photos. You can take the photos with any kind of camera, but they must be uploaded to the site digitally. You can enter 5 photos per month per category.

* AGFANet Every month, 24 photos entered in the competition by AGFAnet users are exhibited in the latest gallery.Visitors can cast a vote for a photo and thus help decide which of the photos presented are to be chosen as the three photos of the month. The winners are the entries receiving the most vote.

2005 SCHEDULE
My 2005 trip schedule is now complete and has been included as an attachment to your e-mail notifying you of hits issue of the newsletter. If you would prefer a printed copy mailed to you please let me know and when I get it ready I'll mail a copy off to you. It might be about a month before I have the mailable version ready as I have several other projects I have to complete over the next several weeks. The online version should be up and ready by the first of next week.

NORTHERN LIGHTS
I'm planning an excursion to the Fairbanks, Alaska area sometime next year to do a scouting trip for adding northern lights on my workshop schedule. Not exactly sure when I'll be going as of now but I wanted to let people know that if you want to come along you're more than welcome. I'll do the arrangements and the cost will not be what will be charged once I have it on the schedule. If interested, please contact me.

ONLINE REGISTRATION MADE EASIER
I have recently updated the online registration form so that you can fill it out and send it without having to print it out as was the case. Many boxes now include drop-down menus so you can just click and choose from the available options.

August 2004

FIRST LIGHT SUBSCRIBER OFF TO IRAQ

Keep Major Elizabeth Baker in your thoughts as she prepares to be deployed to Iraq in the near future. She and her husband recieve the newsletter and were signed up for the upcoming Historic New Mexico trip but have had to cancel due to her deployment being moved up ahead of original dates. Keep safe Elizabeth.

OOPS

As I was opening up the July newsletter to create this one I saw I left off a majority of it. I must have started working on it and set it aside to come back to but never did before I uploaded it and sent it out. Sorry about a confusing issue. Being a writer and editor I shouldn't have an excuse for doing that.

FEEDING WILDLIFE

No doubt you've heard about wildlife having to be killed either in a national park or in a neighborhood because they have been termed a "problem animal." The only problem with these animals is that people don't know how to act around the home of these animals and they try to feed them leaving food in tents, on a picnic table or having household garbage cans with easy access.

If you were a wild animal roaming through the woods and smelled something enticing, wouldn't you go exploring to see what it was? That's what many animals do and unfortunately it sometimes leads to their destruction.

At Rocky Mountain National Park several years ago a black bear paid a visit several times to Aspenglen Campground. The first couple of times it grabbed some food and headed back into the safety of the trees. One time, though, the lure of a feast was too much to ignore. After entering a tent that had food left in it the bear passed a campsite where food was left on a picnic table and the people the area.

The bear climbed on the picnic table and started enjoying a smorgasbord. What it found most to its liking was a bag of peanuts. Oily, fatty, perfect for a bear. Crowds gathered and watched it chow down. Even with a ranger in attendance, nothing was done as she didn't have the gear to shoot rubber bullets at it and it would take awhile to get them.

Keeping everyone a safe distance away, she let the bear enjoy its dinner, hoping it would leave. After a bit of time, it grabbed the bag of peanuts and moved into the woods and sat by a tree. The decision to do something was made and the ranger asked for volunteers to walk towards the bear in a group to chase it away. Numerous agreed and as the group approached the bear it took off, heading deep into the woods.

Because the bear had not been chased away before, it thought it was all right to enter the campground to find a meal. After this experience of being chased away, the three-year-old bear didn't return to the campground. Discussions with the ranger turned up that a bear would have to come back again and be tagged to know it's the same one. Next it would be caught and relocated deep into the backcountry in hopes it doesn't return. If it does return, it would have to be destroyed. Although this bear had a partial strike against it, it was not tagged so it had several more chances before anything could happen to it.

Problems like this don't happen only at national parks. With more people moving into the mountains, some from places where they haven't seen wildlife, confrontations continue to escalate. Precaution is the best way to avoid having a wild animal labeled a "problem." Not leaving food out after a cookout and cleaning everything up might take a bit of extra work, but it might save extra work when a bear, deer, or elk tears things up trying to get at the remains.

While most everyone likes to see wildlife, especially up close, many things people use to draw the animals close to them is more harmful than helpful. Yes, salt licks put out during the winter provide much-need minerals, but snacks and other human foods cause illness and in some cases death to the animals. Taking a look at wildlife's normal diet should show us that what we give them isn't what they need. If we ate what they do we would get sick, so it would only be plausible that what we give them makes them sick.

Many areas where interaction between people and wildlife occurs have signs posted warning visitors not to feed the wildlife. If caught by the proper authorities fines can be imposed, such as is the case on Mount Evans. "People know, but feed the animals anyway," said Travis Pellerin, project manager for the Forest Service at Mount Evans.

Things have improved over the last couple of years at this popular getaway just west of Denver. Since volunteers from both the Forest Service and the Division of Wildlife are on the mountain every day and talking with people, incidents of feeding have dropped, but not totally.

But with the wildlife, mostly bighorn sheep, accustomed to being fed they have become so bold as to walk up to cars and stick their head in open windows seeking a handout. If the sheep only knew how much a problem it was, maybe they wouldn't do it.

Putting out bird feeders attracts not only birds, but deer, squirrels and other animals. Flower beds are favorites of deer and elk. These are types of food that are good both for the wildlife as was as for attracting them, but people have to realize the consequences for attracting them close to their homes.

FALL COLOR WEBSITE

Is it that time of year already? It seems that summer just got here but it's time to start thinking about scheduling a fall color trip. No matter where you live in the country, a journey to find fall color isn't more than a day away unless you live in south Florida.

There are quite a few websites out there that help you plan your fall color excustions but one that is particularly helpful in determining when typcial peak occurs at different locations can be found at http://www.intellicast.com/FallFoliage/World/UnitedStates/PeakFoliageMap/. As time goes on you can select a particular state and get more detailed information.

When I was doing my other newsletter several years back I had a sheet listing phone numbers and websites for fall color updates by state. If anyone is interested in recieving this please send $2 fand I'll get a copy of this sent off to you. Currently the fall color directory has information for 26 states but may have more in the next couple of weeks. I also have have directory information available for wildflower hotlines as well as for birding festivals throughout the United States. Each of thise are $2 each or you can get all three for $5.

TRAVEL GUIDES IN THE WORKS

With being asked about where good posts are in a variety of locations around the countty, I'm in the process of putting together some mini-travel guide booklets. Each of these will cost $10 and feature information ranging from where some top spots are as well as dining and hotel information. The first guide I'm putting together is for Historic New Mexico. Others will include Colorado Wildlife, Florida Gulf Coast (birds and travel), Oregon Coast and others. These will be available online as they become available. If interested in the New Mexico booklet, you can place a pre-printing order for just $8. This offer expires Sept. 15, when I hope to have it completed by.

DIGITAL CAMERA BATTERIES

I was recently asked about spare batteries for digital cameras and whether or not they should stick with a battery made by the camera manufacturer or a third-party brand. When it comes to batteries, those made by other companies are the better route to go as they cost a good bit less and many last longer than those made by the camera manufacturer.

When deciding to go for OEM or off-brand products the choice is always up to the buyer. Costs for off-brand are almost always less but you might lose a little bit in quality. For equipment like batteries this isn't usually a problem but with lenses and flashes, this is where it's best to stick with the same maker as your camera. Alsos, when buying through the mail order dealers be sure you get US warranty products. Some places (not Hunt's) will try to sell you lenses, cameras, film and other products that are gray market manufactured for other counties at a lower price and when you get it you see that it's not US. Make sure you know what you're getting.

NEW MAGAZINE WORK

Anyone living near or visiting the mountains west of Denver can look for a magazine called Mountain Country Life. It's distributed free at quite a few locations in the mountains. I have joined the magazine to contribute a monthly article and photos dealing with wildlife and wildlife issues. The wildlife feeding article in the newsletter is one of the first to appear in the magazine.

PHOTO CONTESTS

* LACDA announces an open call for our UN-Juried show featuring digital art and photography: "Snap to Grid". All entries will be printed (8.5"x11" on Epson heavyweight matte paper) and shown in our gallery arranged in a grid. Entrants submit one JPEG file of original work. All styles of 2D artwork and photography where digital processes of any kind were integral to the creation of the images are acceptable. Digital video stills and screen shots of web/new media are acceptable. The show will be widely promoted and will include a reception for the artists.

Show Dates: September 9-October 1, 2004. Deadline for entries: September 5, 2004 Entry Fee: $30.

Submission Rules: Registration and submission are done through our web site only. File uploads are the only accepted submissions maximum of 2MB each. Please do not send materials to LACDA. All materials sent to LACDA will not be viewed and cannot be returned. Multiple entries are permitted. Limit of 3 entries per person. $30 registration fee for each additional image. Seperate registration required for each image. Images must be under two megabites in size and not to exceed 1024x768 pixels in dimension.

* Quantum Leap Strategies Every month, they select one winning photograph for which the photographer receives a prize of $100. Plus, we donate $100 – in the Winner's name – to the Winner's choice of a charity organization that focuses on helping the blind. Theme: The beauty that surrounds us. Categories include Nature, wildlife, landscapes, and more.

* $95,000 PRIZE PACKAGE IN INTERNATIONAL TRAVEL PHOTOGRAPHY COMPETITION Entries are now open and close on September 17, 2004. Categories include Peoples and Cultures Portfolio, Essence of Travel Portolio, Spirit of Adventure Portfolio, Living Planet Portfolio, and Celebration (a single image category).

* Picture.com Picture.com is awarding over 250 prizes totaling $58,000. The contest is open to everyone and entry is FREE!

* Photography Unlimited This is a really neat contest. Visitors to the site rate the photos ... and additionally an independent judge(s) also rate the photos. You can take the photos with any kind of camera, but they must be uploaded to the site digitally. You can enter 5 photos per month per category.

* AGFANet Every month, 24 photos entered in the competition by AGFAnet users are exhibited in the latest gallery.Visitors can cast a vote for a photo and thus help decide which of the photos presented are to be chosen as the three photos of the month. The winners are the entries receiving the most vote.

2005 SCHEDULE
My 2005 trip schedule is now complete and has been included as an attachment to your e-mail notifying you of this issue of the newsletter. If you would prefer a printed copy mailed to you please let me know and when I get it ready I'll mail a copy off to you. It might be about a month before I have the mailable version ready as I have several other projects I have to complete over the next several weeks. The online version should be up and ready later this week.

NORTHERN LIGHTS
I'm planning an excursion to the Fairbanks, Alaska area sometime next year to do a scouting trip for adding northern lights on my workshop schedule. Not exactly sure when I'll be going as of now but I wanted to let people know that if you want to come along you're more than welcome. I'll do the arrangements and the cost will not be what will be charged once I have it on the schedule. If interested, please contact me.

ONLINE REGISTRATION MADE EASIER
I have recently updated the online registration form so that you can fill it out and send it without having to print it out as was the case. Many boxes now include drop-down menus so you can just click and choose from the available options.

PHOTO WEBSITE

Have you made the move to digital and still trying to figure everything out (like me)? It's amazing all of the items you run across that you find you need to get just by getting a new body. One thing I will be getting shortly is some of the stuff to do proper cleaning of the sensor. I've been using a blower to do my cleaniing but I seem to have to do that quite a bit. A good place to find out about a better process than buying the manufacturers suggesting cleaning system can be found at http://www.pbase.com/copperhill/ccd_cleaning. Here you will find some interesting reading as well as some very informative and useful information on some alternatives to keeping your digital sensor clean.

If anyone knows of other alternatives for work-arounds for digital equipment pass it on and I'll add it to a future issue.

September 2004

FALL COLOR TIPS
Depending on where you live or are getting ready to go, fall color is upon us. For those of us in Colorado it's even early - two weeks earlier than usual. When going out to do some fall color shooting, there are some thing you might want to keep in mind to make your trip more pleasant and productive.

~ Overcast Days Are Our Friend - Cloudy days filter sunlight, making fall colors even deeper. The film drinks the color in leaving you with rich images. Try shooting in the rain (beneath an umbrella) or under very overcast skies. Just leave the sky out of the picture, shoot of a roll or card and see what happens!

~ Windy Days Work - Leaves fluttering around give a feeling of movement. They can really enhance a shot. Let a windy day work for you!

~ Stop at local farms and outdoor markets - Farm stands always have interesting fall displays and their vegetables are ripe and brilliant with color. Visit any roadside stand, pick up a pumpkin or two, and take some pictures while you're there. Try to stop in at day's end for that nice warm sun glow!

~ When taking close ups, pay attention to areas that aren't evenly lit. Colors are deeper in the fall, and so are shadows. Darkened areas expose darker on film.

~ Place an overhanging branch or bough from a nearby tree in the sky to hide plain sky. This also gives the photo some depth so the viewer will have more of a feeling of being there.

~ Use a road, fence, or brook in the foreground to lead the viewer’s eye into the picture. This is known as a lead-in line. If you can imagine, try to have one of these being closer to you and trailing off toward the "real" scene, whether that is a mountain or a farm house or anything else.

~ When taking fall foliage photos, don’t overlook the obvious such as a brook with fallen leaves floating in it. What says fall better than a small country church with fall foliage in the background or a ripe maple tree in the scene? How about a pumpkin patch or pumpkins piled up for sale with leaves scattered all around? Try to catch some kids raking leaves or playing in huge piles someone else has raked. Use your imagination, and don’t limit yourself to just those photos of grand vistas. Find a poplar tree with its golden leaves attached; go to the base of the tree and shoot up--with a nice blue sky as a background you will end up with something very nice.

~ Be imaginative and creative and try to look at all prospective subjects from every angle. Try to photograph things from an angle or vantage point different from the way you normally view it. For example, when was the last time you laid down on your belly and looked up a brook? Probably not for a long time if ever! Try it; the results are astonishing. That is what makes for interesting photos. Whenever you can photograph a common subject from a vantage point you don't usually see that subject, you take the chance of owning a prize-winning photo.

Send in a fall color shot you take this year and I'll create a hidden page for subscribers to view each others handiwork next issue. Lo-res jpeg files are preferred for trasnfer.

DIGITAL STORAGE ON THE ROAD
I have recently become sponsored by RoadStor by MicroSolutions. RoadStor is a photo-to-cd digital recorder that allows you to easily store your flash cards onto cd wherever you are. It reads all popular flash memory cards and copies to CD-R with one push of a button. You don't even need to be connected to AC power or a computer to do this. A snap-on lithium ion battery allows you to do the copying no matter where you are.

You can also use Roadstor to view jpeg files stored either on a cd or dvd while travelling. If you shoot in raw mode, you won't be able to instantly view your work, but if you create jpeg files, you can see your recent shoots on the tv. Those attending any of my future trips will see instructional programs in this format as opposed to slide programs.

Through MicroSolutions the device usually sells for $269, but First Light workshop attendees (and through October only for newsletter recipients) can get it for $20 off the regular price. To recieve the discount log on to the on-line store at https://direct.micro-solutions.com and use the discount code Photo3711 at checkout.

SUBSCRIBER WEBSITES
I recieved an e-mail from a newsletter subscriber that included a link to her website. After viewing her site with some very nice images it gave me an idea to provide an area to let other people find out about your websites. If you would like other subscribers to find out about your site and see your photos, e-mail me your link and I'll get it listed in upcoming editions.

This month, I'll start with the site that gave me the idea - Led By the Light - which Therese Tusa titles A Photography Journey. It won't take long to discover Therese has a love for doing close-up work as the majority of her images are this format. Therese has definately done quite a bit of macro work in order to achieve the quality images she has produced. Let her know what you think of her site and her work.

NEW IN THE PHOTO GALLERY
New images can be found in the photo gallery in case you haven't visited it recently. Images are from Glacier National Park as well as a balloon festival in the Denver area.

SPONSORS LINK
I have added a new page to the website listing companies that now sponsor First Light. Please visit this area and check out their sites. If you call them to place an order, please mention my name to let them know where you heard about them. The link is available from other pages on my website.

NEED OR WANT A WEBSITE BUILT
I am now offering website building services. Sites built and running within one week of starting the work. Site will be hosted by the same server I use for low yearly rates. Building costs start at $200 in addition to website name registration and annual server fees.

PHOTO CONTESTS
* KODAK Colors of Life photo contest - Deadline September 30, 2004

Categories: Landscape/Nature, People/Lifestyle, Wildlife/Animals

Open to amateur and professional photographers (judged separately). Prizes consist of Kodak Professional Digital Photo Printer and print kit, film and publication of winning photos.

Professional Prizes: Photo Grand Prize (valued at $2,500), Second-place Prize (valued at $1,500), Third-place Prize $500 retail value of KODAK PROFESSIONAL PORTRA Film .

Amateur Prizes: Photo Grand Prize (valued at $2,500), Second-place Prize (valued at $1,500), Third-place Prize $500 retail value of KODAK PROFESSIONAL PORTRA Film .

As a photographer (professional or advanced amateur), you use color to help capture your perfect look. Submit your image today to be recognized as a photographer who captures deep, rich color on KODAK PROFESSIONAL Films. Photos must have been taken with KODAK PROFESSIONAL Color Films. No entry fee.

* 2004 National State Parks Photo Competition - Deadline: September 30, 2004
Categories: Architecture, Camping, Events, Programs, Family, Landscapes, Park Employee, Plant Life, Recreation, Seasons, Sunsets, Sunrise, Waterscape, Wildlife.

Open to amateur and professional photographers A total of $3,000 in cash and prizes for the 2004 Photo Contest! First prize is $1000, a three day, two night cabin rental, annual park pass. Second Place Visitor and Park Employee Categories $500.00 Cash Prize An Annual Park Pass from any one State Park System. Winning photo framed with a plaque and red ribbon. Third Place Visitor and Park Employee Categories $250.00 Cash Prize An Annual Park Pass from any one State Park System. Winning photo framed with a plaque and white ribbon.

Photographers may be visitors or recreation and parks employees of the state parks where the photos were taken. Photos must be taken in as US state park. Digital submissions only. No entry fee.

* Quantum Leap Strategies Every month, they select one winning photograph for which the photographer receives a prize of $100. Plus, we donate $100 – in the Winner's name – to the Winner's choice of a charity organization that focuses on helping the blind. Theme: The beauty that surrounds us. Categories include Nature, wildlife, landscapes, and more.

* $95,000 PRIZE PACKAGE IN INTERNATIONAL TRAVEL PHOTOGRAPHY COMPETITION Entries are now open and close on September 17, 2004. Categories include Peoples and Cultures Portfolio, Essence of Travel Portolio, Spirit of Adventure Portfolio, Living Planet Portfolio, and Celebration (a single image category).

* Picture.com Picture.com is awarding over 250 prizes totaling $58,000. The contest is open to everyone and entry is FREE!

* Photography Unlimited This is a really neat contest. Visitors to the site rate the photos ... and additionally an independent judge(s) also rate the photos. You can take the photos with any kind of camera, but they must be uploaded to the site digitally. You can enter 5 photos per month per category.

* AGFANet Every month, 24 photos entered in the competition by AGFAnet users are exhibited in the latest gallery.Visitors can cast a vote for a photo and thus help decide which of the photos presented are to be chosen as the three photos of the month. The winners are the entries receiving the most vote.

2005 SCHEDULE
A duofold color brochure of my 2005 schedule should be available in the coming weeks. If you would like one of these mailed to you please let me know and I'll get a copy off as soon as these arrive. Info is also available on the tours page of the site. New to my schedule will be a trip to photograph northern lights in Alaska in October. The fall color trip next year will be to the Blue Ridge Parkway and the wildflower trip will include both Crested Butte and Ouray, CO. Sign up early to make sure you get a spot on trips you're interested in attending.

October 2004

NATIONAL GALLERY OPENS PHOTO WING
For the first time in its 63-year history, the National Gallery of Art is permanently dedicating galleries to photography, giving prominence to the work of Alfred Stieglitz, Walker Evans, Man Ray, Paul Strand and Ansel Adams.

The photography corridor, including five galleries and 3,000 square feet in the West Building, enhances Washington's reputation as a trove of photography, adding to mother lodes at the Library of Congress, the Smithsonian, the National Archives and the Corcoran Gallery of Art.

The National Gallery was in its infancy when a historical gift of photos came its way. In December 1948, Georgia O'Keeffe was thinking of places to put work by Stieglitz, her late husband. According to gallery lore, she liked the museum because it didn't have "a speck of dust anywhere." She donated 1,300 prints of his famous images in 1949, and later 330 more.

Over the years the National Gallery's holdings have grown to 8,700 photographs representing 75 American and European artists, covering the medium from its earliest days in the 1830s. The archives include works by early practitioners such as William Henry Fox Talbot, who invented the positive and negative process of developing and printing photographs, and Julia Margaret Cameron, the amateur photographer who became a noted 19th-century portraitist.

The collection is anchored by a gift of 75 photographs from Ansel Adams' widow, and special materials by Strand, Evans, Robert Frank and Harry Callahan.

NEED OR WANT A WEBSITE BUILT
I am now offering website building services. Sites built and running within one week of starting the work. Site will be hosted by the same server I use for low yearly rates. Building costs start at $200 in addition to website name registration and annual server fees.

PHOTO CONTESTS

* Quantum Leap Strategies Every month, they select one winning photograph for which the photographer receives a prize of $100. Plus, we donate $100 – in the Winner's name – to the Winner's choice of a charity organization that focuses on helping the blind. Theme: The beauty that surrounds us. Categories include Nature, wildlife, landscapes, and more.

* $95,000 PRIZE PACKAGE IN INTERNATIONAL TRAVEL PHOTOGRAPHY COMPETITION Entries are now open and close on September 17, 2004. Categories include Peoples and Cultures Portfolio, Essence of Travel Portolio, Spirit of Adventure Portfolio, Living Planet Portfolio, and Celebration (a single image category).

* Picture.com Picture.com is awarding over 250 prizes totaling $58,000. The contest is open to everyone and entry is FREE!

* Photography Unlimited This is a really neat contest. Visitors to the site rate the photos ... and additionally an independent judge(s) also rate the photos. You can take the photos with any kind of camera, but they must be uploaded to the site digitally. You can enter 5 photos per month per category.

* AGFANet Every month, 24 photos entered in the competition by AGFAnet users are exhibited in the latest gallery.Visitors can cast a vote for a photo and thus help decide which of the photos presented are to be chosen as the three photos of the month. The winners are the entries receiving the most vote.

2005 SCHEDULE
A duofold color brochure of my 2005 schedule should be available in the coming weeks. If you would like one of these mailed to you please let me know and I'll get a copy off as soon as these arrive. Info is also available on the tours page of the site. New to my schedule will be a trip to photograph northern lights in Alaska in October. The fall color trip next year will be to the Blue Ridge Parkway and the wildflower trip will include both Crested Butte and Ouray, CO. Sign up early to make sure you get a spot on trips you're interested in attending.

November 2004

WINTER? ALREADY?
It seems like I just did an article on fall photography tips and now it's time to think about doing shots with snow in them. The following are a few tips of things to look for when doing snow shots. For those of you who live in non-snow areas, enjoy your warm days and the migratory birds that have made their way to your area.

Yes, the main thing you'll be shooting is snow and ice, but the way you approach them is where you have countless options. In doing snow scenes, one thing to look for is a scene where the snow enhances the overall image. This is best exemplified when you see an image of an isolated barn covered with snow. You can approach a shot like this in one of two ways, getting close to the barn and focusing on the barn itself or shooting from a distance to show the whole area. Each provide their own feelings about the moment.

Another subject you can search for is one that you look for in fall - looking through the trunks of a group of trees. Instead of looking for the barrenness of the trunks after the leaves have fallen or of looking through the trunks with nice color in the background, you're looking for the trunks with fresh blown snow on the trunks and piled up on the ground in front of them.

Fresh snow (or frrost) that has gathered on the branches can be contrasted nicely with a crisp blue sky as a background. I searched for several years for the perfect setting for this and happened to find it by chance on a return trip home from New Mexico.

Not the last of the subjects you can search out is going to an area where the large mammals don't migrate or go into hibernation. Large animals in the snow offer a new dimension to the work you do with them at other times of the year. Make sure when you're working them not to put too much stress on them. They are much more vulnerable at this time of year because of the cold and lack of food.

One thing you will find out about when doing winter photography is that you will have to use your eye and feel for composition more than with other seasons. There isn't any color to help you see a picture so you have to look for shapes and mood to capture the scene.

As you can see, there's plenty of subjects to choose from when heading out into the snow to do some winter work. There are far more things you can find in winter, but these should keep you going for at least a little while.

FROM LESLEY COLLINS, owner of The Packinghouse Gallery in Largo, FL
I though you might enjoy seeing another project I have been involved with for the last year. One of the artists, Carrie Hill, was my grandfather's sister and I visited her studio as a child in Birmingham. This project has finally brought these artists the recognition they have both earned and deserved. The links below will tell you a little bit about the project, the artists and their work. We also had the privilege of photographing here at the gallery, all of Carrie Hill's and Della Dwyer's work that is here in Florida for the book on the artists. If any of you will be in Birmingham, AL between now and Jan. 24th, the exhibit is well worth the visit.

Opening Tea Party -- The Birmingham News

Book Review - The Birmingham News

Exhibit Highlights - Library Collection (front page background - the library's Carrie Hill seaside painting - Carrie's picture is in the left upper corner oval). Click to see the library's paintings and photos for these women's work.

Details about book, exhibit etc

Libraries of Jefferson County newsletter

SUBSCRIBER WEBSITES
Could the person in Florida who sent me a link to their site please pass this on to me again as the e-mail message time-lapsed before I put this issue together. Again, if you have a website you'd like to have others take a look at, pass an e-mail on to me and I'll let others know about it. If you don't have a website and want one built, contact me and we can discuss the details of me building one for you.

CONGRATS
Two First Light trip participants and newsletter subscribers Kerry and Mark Gustafson. have some work displayed at the Hubbard Museum of the American West in Ruidoso Downs, NM (not too far from Bosque del Apache). They each had one photo selected to hang in the Fall American Photography Exhibition from October 29 to January 9, 2005. For information on the museum and photo contest see www.hubbardmuseum.org. Also congratulations to the for the birth of their first child, a boy born on September 25 (he probably has a camera body thrown in the crib to get him used to handling photo equipment).

NATIONAL GALLERY OPENS PHOTO WING
For the first time in its 63-year history, the National Gallery of Art is permanently dedicating galleries to photography, giving prominence to the work of Alfred Stieglitz, Walker Evans, Man Ray, Paul Strand and Ansel Adams.

The photography corridor, including five galleries and 3,000 square feet in the West Building, enhances Washington's reputation as a trove of photography, adding to mother lodes at the Library of Congress, the Smithsonian, the National Archives and the Corcoran Gallery of Art.

The National Gallery was in its infancy when a historical gift of photos came its way. In December 1948, Georgia O'Keeffe was thinking of places to put work by Stieglitz, her late husband. According to gallery lore, she liked the museum because it didn't have "a speck of dust anywhere." She donated 1,300 prints of his famous images in 1949, and later 330 more.

Over the years the National Gallery's holdings have grown to 8,700 photographs representing 75 American and European artists, covering the medium from its earliest days in the 1830s. The archives include works by early practitioners such as William Henry Fox Talbot, who invented the positive and negative process of developing and printing photographs, and Julia Margaret Cameron, the amateur photographer who became a noted 19th-century portraitist.

The collection is anchored by a gift of 75 photographs from Ansel Adams' widow, and special materials by Strand, Evans, Robert Frank and Harry Callahan.

TOP PHOTO STOCK AGENCIES

Looking to get involved in the world of stock agency photography? The following are some of the top agencies listed from first ranked to last, as documented by the rankings system of Alexa.com.as of October 2004.

Getty Images www.gettyimages.com feedback@gettyimages.com
Clipart.com (Jupiter) www.clipart.com support@jupiterimages.com
Corbis www.corbis.com clientsales@corbis.com
Photos.com (Jupiter) www.photos.com templatelicense@photos.com
Fotosearch www.fotosearch.com contact@fotosearch.com
Comstock Images www.comstock.com service@comstock1700k.com
Alamy www.alamy.com info@alamy.com
Megapixel.net (Jupiter) www.megapixel.net editor@megapixel.net
Veer www.veer.com support@veer.com
Index Stock Imagery www.indexstock.com info@indexstock.com
PhotoSource International www.photosource.com info@photosource.com
PictureQuest www.picturequest.com research@picturequest.com
MasterFile www.masterfile.com info@masterfile.com
A.G.E. FotoStock www.agefotostock.com agenyc@agefotostock.com
Creatas www.creatas.com service@creatas.com
Digital Vision www.digitalvision.com info@digitalvision.com
Photonica www.photonica.com support@iconica.com
JupiterImages www.jupiterimages.com customerservice@devx.com
Thinkstock (Jupiter) www.thinkstock.com realpeople@thinkstock.com
Iconica Limited www.iconica.com support@iconica.com
Stockbyte www.stockbyte.com info@stockbyte.com
ImageState www.imagestate.com info@imagestate.com
PDNonline (VNU) www.pdnonline.com rgolden@pdnonline.com
AGPix www.agpix.com office@agpix.com
Science Photo Library www.sciencephoto.co.uk info@sciencephoto.com
HFP Photos www.hfmus.com jiannello@hfmus.com
IPNstock (VNU) www.ipnstock.com info@ipnstock.com
Mira www.mira.com mira@mira.com
PhotoServe (VNU) www.photoserve.com bgoldman@pdnonline.com.
Orion Press www.orionpress.co.jp editorial@orionpress.co.jp
Stockindexonline www.stockindexonline.com space@creativecityonline.com
a21.Inc. www.a21group.com info@a21group.com
StockPhotoRequest www.stockphotorequest.com info@stockphotorequest.com
Zefa Visual Media www.zefa.co.uk info@zefa.co.uk
FutureStock www.futurestock.com sales@futurestock.com
StockPhotoFinder www.stockphotofinder.com dfabricius@stockphotofinder.com

There are many other agencies out there that cater to wildlife and nature photographers. Several I belong to aren't included on this list, along with two I belong to that are. By doing some searching, you can find a stock agency that works for you.

PHOTO CONTESTS

2004 National Parks Pass Experience Your American Photo Contest Deadline: Postmarked by January 5, 2005. Open only to photographer who make less than 5% of their income from photography. Awards: Grand prize - Photo on the 2006 National Parks Pass, trip to the National Park of your choice, $1,000 and more. Second, third, fourth and honorable mention prizes also awarded. No digital entries, film only. Photos must have been taken at at National Park or Monument.

5TH National Juried Photography Exhibition Deadline: December 5, 2004. Awards: $200 for Excellence in Photography Grand Prize, and three honorable mentions of $75 each. Fee: $25/up to 3 entries, plus $5 per additional slide. No maximum number of entries. Contact: Stepping Stone Gallery, 356 New York Ave, Huntington, NY 11743. Phone: 1-631-547-0243.

35th Annual National Juried Exhibition Deadline: December 12, 2004.Awards: Cash awards,$5,000+, including also art supplies. Fee: Nonmembers $30/up to 2 entries; Members $20/up to 2 entries. Contact: Artists Council 35th Exhibition, Palm Springs Desert Museum, 101 Museum Drive, Palm Springs, CA 92262. .

* Quantum Leap Strategies Every month, they select one winning photograph for which the photographer receives a prize of $100. Plus, we donate $100 – in the Winner's name – to the Winner's choice of a charity organization that focuses on helping the blind. Theme: The beauty that surrounds us. Categories include Nature, wildlife, landscapes, and more.

* $95,000 PRIZE PACKAGE IN INTERNATIONAL TRAVEL PHOTOGRAPHY COMPETITION Entries are now open and close on September 17, 2004. Categories include Peoples and Cultures Portfolio, Essence of Travel Portolio, Spirit of Adventure Portfolio, Living Planet Portfolio, and Celebration (a single image category).

* Picture.com Picture.com is awarding over 250 prizes totaling $58,000. The contest is open to everyone and entry is FREE!

* Photography Unlimited This is a really neat contest. Visitors to the site rate the photos ... and additionally an independent judge(s) also rate the photos. You can take the photos with any kind of camera, but they must be uploaded to the site digitally. You can enter 5 photos per month per category.

* AGFANet Every month, 24 photos entered in the competition by AGFAnet users are exhibited in the latest gallery.Visitors can cast a vote for a photo and thus help decide which of the photos presented are to be chosen as the three photos of the month. The winners are the entries receiving the most vote.

2005 SCHEDULE
A duofold color brochure of my 2005 schedule should be available in the coming weeks. If you would like one of these mailed to you please let me know and I'll get a copy off as soon as these arrive. Info is also available on the tours page of the site. New to my schedule will be a trip to photograph northern lights in Alaska in October. The fall color trip next year will be to the Blue Ridge Parkway and the wildflower trip will include both Crested Butte and Ouray, CO. Sign up early to make sure you get a spot on trips you're interested in attending.

December 2004

ONLINE PHOTO ALBUMS
Here's something a little different this issue. I recieved this in an e-mail from Photo Source, which I subscribe to a couple of their services. Hope you find it informative and useful. Should you ever decide to join up with any of the Photo Source services please use the following link banner or the one found on my home page. They offer a wide range of services that any photographer can find useful. If you go in through another route, use al125 as the referring photographer.

For the active stock photographer, placing your images on a Web-based photo album can be a showcase for your photography. Plus in some cases it can be an opportunity to make new photobuyer contacts and sales. The photo albums, or “malls” as they are sometimes called, range from companies that provide film printing service, to high profile sites that
attract professional photobuyers.

If you are just starting out you can sign up with a free site to test the process. These sites usually limit entries to three or four dozen images. You also have to put up with boundless advertising accompanying your page. You need to be aware that professional photobuyers don't frequent these kinds of sites.

Alta Vista’s site does not allow for extensive captions. This would limit the ability of a photo researcher searching this site for a specific image that needs to be described in several specific words. Be sure to choose a site that allows extensive captioning (photo descriptions) for
each picture. You’ll find Portfolios.com does this, but it’s expensive: $599 per year. It does not carry any advertising. We have listed a few dozen current sites that we have discovered
over the past year. We've listed them all, but be prepared that some of them may already be out of business by now. Which brings up a second caution note for when you choose a free site. Research the stability of the site carefully, as you need to do when choosing an Internet Service Provider. If the site is not in business in a year from now, you’ll have an uphill task to transfer the increasing numbers of your images to another site.

And finally, the site may be free and well-designed, but if it’s getting few visitors, it would not be the site for you if you’re planning on selling your stock photography. You can check whether a site gets lots of visitors a site is getting, by using the (free) software, www.alexa.com, to see the ranking that Alexa gives the site.

The site we can recommend with confidence of course, is our, own http://www.photosourcefolio.com. This site offers you the chance to display ample-sized photos, and is associated with our now - well known website > www.photosource.com <, which gets 8,000 visitors (12,000 hits) per day. That’s a third of a million hits per month. No other stock photography-oriented site on the web gets this many hits per day. Best of all, photographers report good sales by displaying their work on PhotoSourceFolio.

Name of Business - Email - Web Address - Cost
Adobe ActiveShare ---- www.activeshare.com FREE
Album Express press@notetab.com www.fookes.com $19.95
Anexa ---- www.anexa.com FREE
Cartogra.com ---- www.cartogra.com FREE
Club Photo ---- www.clubphoto.com FREE
Digital Flip Album sales@ebooksys.com www.ebooksys.com FREE
DotPhoto.com support@dotphoto.com www.dotphoto.com FREE
Eframes brian@eframes.com www.eframes.com FREE
Ememories ---- www.ememories.com FREE
FlipAlbum fabeta@ebooksys.net www.flipalbum.com FREE
Folionet ---- www.folionet.com FREE
Fotango support@fotango.com www.fotango.com FREE
Fotki.com ---- www.fotki.com FREE
FotoTime support@fototime.com www.fototime.com FREE
Geofoto support@geofoto.com www.geofoto.com FREE
Global Photographers Search webmaster@photographers.com www.photographers.com FREE
Imira.com ---- www.imira.com FREE
InfoPics.com info@infopics.com www.infopics.com FREE
LogUSinc sales@logusinc.com www.logusinc.com FREE
Morephotos wdsales@wdweb.com www.morephotos.com $150
Ofoto feedback@ofoto.com www.ofoto.com FREE
OnlinePhotoLab feedback@onlinephotolab.com www.onlinephotolab.com FREE
OzImage Stock Library feedback@ozimages.com.au www.ozimages.com FREE
Pbase.com image@pbase.com www.pbase.com FREE
PhotoAccess.com support@photoaccess.com www.photoaccess.com FREE
Photochannel info@photochannel.com www.photochannel.com FREE
PhotoCountry matt@americansys.com www.photocountry.com FREE
Photofolio ----- www.photofolio.com FREE(trial) ,$19.99/month
Photographers Index info@photographersindex.com www.photographersindex.com FREE
Photo Highway info@photohighway.com www.photohighway.com FREE
PhotoIsland ---- www.photoisland.com FREE
PhotoReflect.com kgoralski@expressdigital.comwww.exposuresonline.com $34.95
PhotoSourceFolio info@photosourcefolio.com www.photosourcefolio.com $4.95 month
PhotoWorks info@photoworks.com www.photoworks.com FREE
PicturesNow.com info@picturesnow.com www.picturesnow.com FREE
PictureTrail feedback@picturetrail.com www.picturetrail.com FREE
Portfolios.com info@portfolios.com www.portfolios.com $49.95
Portfolios Online Search customerservice@brandera.com www.portfolios.com/search FREE
PrintRoom printroom_support@lexarmedia.com www.printroom.com FREE
Shutterfly info@shutterfly.com www.shutterfly.com FREE
ShutterPort info@shutterport.com www.shutterport.com FREE
Snapfish info@snapfish.com www.snapfish.com FREE
Sony ImageStation info@sony.com www.sony.com FREE
TalentX information@talentx.com www.talentx.com $29.95
WebPhotos support@webphotos.com www.webphotos.com FREE
Webshots support@webshots.com www.webshots.com FREE
Yahoo Photos info@yahoo.com photos.yahoo.com FREE
Zing general@zing.com www.zing.com FREE

Note: Data can change from month to month. Consult a search engine such as Google.com to get the latest updates.

Let me know if you like getting info such as this and the list of stock agencies I provided last month.

MAKING CONTACTS
Making contacts with photographers from around the country can be a great help when planning trips or finding out where something is when you're visiting an area. While in Florida over Thanksgiving I found out about an area for nesting skimmers that I checked out and will include in my trip to Pinellas County in early March. Many people exchange business cards while travelling and some even get in contact with people they trade cards with.

With this in mind, I'm opening it up to subscribers of the newsletter who might be interested in creating a photographers database of contacts around the country. It will only be available through a link on the newsletter and will only include those who want to participate, not everyone who recieves the newsletter. It will be sorted by state and will only include your first name and e-mail address. If interested in being added to the list please e-mail me and give me your info.

PBS PROGRAM
It's in the very early pre-production stage right now but I have been invited to be one of 8-10 photographers who will be featured in a PBS special. The program will incorporate still images with fades between the images set to music. No idea when the project will be completed and airing throughout the country. The producer is creating the pilot to show to potential underwriters and stations to see how many will pick the program up. As more details are available I'll be sure to pass them on to everyone.

PHOTO CONTESTS

2004 National Parks Pass Experience Your American Photo Contest Deadline: Postmarked by January 5, 2005. Open only to photographer who make less than 5% of their income from photography. Awards: Grand prize - Photo on the 2006 National Parks Pass, trip to the National Park of your choice, $1,000 and more. Second, third, fourth and honorable mention prizes also awarded. No digital entries, film only. Photos must have been taken at at National Park or Monument.

* Quantum Leap Strategies Every month, they select one winning photograph for which the photographer receives a prize of $100. Plus, we donate $100 – in the Winner's name – to the Winner's choice of a charity organization that focuses on helping the blind. Theme: The beauty that surrounds us. Categories include Nature, wildlife, landscapes, and more.

* Picture.com Picture.com is awarding over 250 prizes totaling $58,000. The contest is open to everyone and entry is FREE!

* Photography Unlimited This is a really neat contest. Visitors to the site rate the photos ... and additionally an independent judge(s) also rate the photos. You can take the photos with any kind of camera, but they must be uploaded to the site digitally. You can enter 5 photos per month per category.

* AGFANet Every month, 24 photos entered in the competition by AGFAnet users are exhibited in the latest gallery.Visitors can cast a vote for a photo and thus help decide which of the photos presented are to be chosen as the three photos of the month. The winners are the entries receiving the most vote.

2005 SCHEDULE
Everyone who has requested a brochure to be mailed to you should have it by now. If you would like a brochure mailed please let me know and I'll get a copy off to you. As always, information and registration is available online.

EAGLE TRIP DATE CHANGE
In case anyone was thinking about signing up for the eagle trip to the Aleutians, I have changed the dates to accommodate two people who wanted to attend but had to get back home a little early. The new dates for the trip are June 18-22 (a 2-day move). Length and other items still remain the same. With 3 people already signed up for this trip I only have room for a couple of more people. If interested, let me know quickly before it fills up.

 

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