outdoor photographer redesign

outdoorphotographer

vol. xvii

28,000 feet highan upward adventure

ansel adamsthe father of naturephotography explored

amazing aurorasonce in a lifetimepossibilities

2 Outdoor Photographer Vol. XXVII

FEATURES

48 | OFF THE BEATEN PATHThird-generation landscape photographer Marc Muench

talks about his career, his latest book, and what drives him.

By Kim Castleberry / Photography by Marc Murench

54 | DISCOVERING INDIAExplore the subcontinent through the images of India’s

Foreign Photographer of the Year, Frederic Roberts.

By Christopher Robinson Photography by Frediric Roberts

60 | A PHOTO HIGHWAYRoute 89 carves its way through some of the most spec-

tacular scenery in the Western U.S. It’s a landscape pho-

tographer’s dream road trip.

HOW-TO

66 | CLASSIC FALL COLORCapturing the best of autumn takes a combination of skill,

preparation, timing and requipment.

Text and Photography by Stan Trzoniec

72 | MAKING FLARE SHINELens flare is often avoided in professional photography.

Here are some tricks anyone can add to make art out of

the sun’s bright rays.

Text and Photography by Todd Sali

6048

72

66 72

www.outdoorphotographer.com 3

84 | CHOOSE THE BEST WORKSHOPFrom afternoon seminars to weekends in the fields to full-

blown exotic tours, you’ll get the most out of a workshop when

you select one that’s suited to your goals and schedule.

By Rob Sheppard

EQUIPMENT

24 | FIRST LOOK: SIGMA SD1The best Sigma DSLR ever.

78 | MACRO LENS GUIDEA proper macro lens is designed to eliminate aberrations, focus

colors and attain maximum sharpness on close-up subjects.

92 | GADGET BAG: GPSFinding your perfect spot is becoming easy even for the

technically challenged.

94 | HOW TO SHOOT STAR TRAILSFollow these tips and tricks for shooting in the dark.

COLUMNS

36 | Tech Tips: Our favorite Photo Tools42 | Basic Jones: The Beauty Seeker

24

24 78 9484


tech

Nikon 50mm f1.8The Nikkor AF 50mm f/1.8 D is a low pro-

file lens with less sex-appeal than the big

glass but it is an interesting lens nonethe-

less. At wide-open aperture it is a little soft

at the image borders and the contrast level

is a little on the low side. However, at medi-

um aperture settings the resolution figures

are exceptionally high and surely a bench-

mark to beat. Distortions are negligible and

vignetting is very well controlled. The build

quality of the lens is very decent and the AF

performance leaves nothing to be desired.

Canon Ultrasonic Fishevye 5-15mm The Canon EF 15mm f/2.8 Fisheye Lens is

so wide that getting adequate flash cover-

age can be a problem. Expect to minimal-

ly need a flash with a built-in flip-down dif-

fuser to cover the frame on a 1.3x or 1.6x

FOVCF body. A Sto-Fen Omni-Bounce Dif-

fuser will yield complete flash coverage on

all bodies. Bouncing the flash may provide

adequate coverage as well.

I am impressed with the image quali-

ty from a lens this wide. If you don’t mind

the severe distortion or are willing to post-

process the distortion out, the Canon EF

15mm f/2.8 Fisheye Lens will make a very

nice wide angle lens for you.

Nikon DX 85-300mm f5.6In terms of general optical performance

the Nikon AF-S DX 55-300mm VR II offers

good value for the money. The lens is rela-

tively compact and light weight making it a

good choice for hiking and traveling.

Although it does not focus quite as fast

as other lenses in the Nikkor lineup (like

the AF-S 70-300mm VR II Nikkor zoom),

the AF-S DX 55-300mm VR II will serve

its Nikon DX format SLR user target audi-

ence of family and travel photographers

well at a reasonable price.

While also not ideal for fast action and low

light photography, you can get some de-

cent results from the AF-S DX 55-300mm

VR II in these situations with a little prac-

tice focusing and making use of the high-

er ISO settings on your camera to allow for

a faster shutter speed to minimize poten-

tial subject blur.


30mm F1.4 EX DCSigma 30mm f/1.4 EX DC HSM is current-

ly the only wide angle prime that was spe-

cifically designed for APS-C sensors and

as such it has no direct competition. Nev-

ertheless, users should carefully review the

benefits this lens provides versus the more

traditional FF type wide angles. On the pos-

itive side we have pretty decent center im-

age performance, low levels of vignetting,

good build quality along with affordable

price. On the negative side, we have poor

border performance, occasional flare and

color fringing. Are these limitations accept-

able? Maybe, assuming you cannot find a

better alternative.

Canon EF 70-300mm f/4-5.6L ISThe Canon EF 15mm f/2.8 Fisheye Lens is

so wide that getting adequate flash cover-

age can be a problem. Expect to minimal-

ly need a flash with a built-in flip-down dif-

fuser to cover the frame on a 1.3x or 1.6x

FOVCF body. A Sto-Fen Omni-Bounce Dif-

fuser will yield complete flash coverage on

all bodies. Bouncing the flash may provide

adequate coverage as well.

I am impressed with the image quality from

a lens this wide. If you don’t mind the se-

vere distortion or are willing to post-process

the distortion out, the Canon EF 15mm

f/2.8 Fisheye Lens will make a very nice

wide angle lens for you.

Sigma 150mm F2.8 EX APO Macro The use list for a macro lens is huge - our

world is full of interesting little subjects. It

doesn’t take a large studio or huge lights

to produce high quality macro photo-

graphs. And it is fun.

Even though I’m not enamored with the

Sigma 150mm f/2.8 EX DG HSM Mac-

ro Lens’s AF performance, it is still a good

medium length telephoto lens - which

also has many uses. I would avoid actions

sports, but portraits are a good use - es-

pecially on a full frame body. The f/2.8 ap-

erture produces a nicely-blurred back-

ground at this focal length.

In summary, the Sigma 150mm f/2.8

EX DG HSM Macro Lens delivers excel-

lent optical quality but only fair AF perfor-

mance in a solid package at a very rea-

sonable price. It very well could be the

best macro lens option for you personally.


Portfolios Whose legacy will be remembered fifty years down the road?

Ansel AdamsThe grandfather of landscape photography. He is the one nature

photographer that transcends the genre and even photography for

that matter. His images are so well-known that photographers and

tourists-alike are still trying to fill his tripod holes 60 – 70 years af-

ter his most famous images were made. Perhaps his greatest lega-

cy were his environmental conservation efforts with the Sierra Club

that led to creation of Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks

among other areas, and also the art education institutions that he

helped to create.

David MuenchLike Ansel Adams did with black and white landscape photography

a generation prior, Muench is synonymous with color landscape

photography. The now-cliche’d use of prominent foreground el-

ements leading the eye through the frame to the background in

the distance was a style that Muench became known for back in

the 50’s and 60’s. You would walk into any library or bookstore in

America in the past 40 years and be hard-pressed to not see his

books or calendars even if you don’t know his name.

Joe McNallyHe is arguably the most prominent conservation photographer

working today. His photography is actively used to further environ-

mental causes in the American political system. His aerial photog-

raphy of Alaskan landscapes are especially stunning.


Galen RowellA well-rounded photojournalist with a special ability to connect

with a vast audience through his writings, Rowell influenced

countless photographers in multiple genres beginning with rock

climbing, wilderness adventure and then eventually landscape

photography in the 2nd half of his career. The list of current work-

ing photographers that have followed in his footsteps reads like a

who’s who in outdoor adventure and landscape photography and

number too many to list. He was one of the first to utilize 35mm

cameras exclusively in outdoor photography and popularized the

use of graduated neutral-density filters.

Elliot PorterIn contrast with Ansel Adams’ big landscape style, Porter’s photos

were more “quiet” and focused on the intimate landscape scenes

that are easily overlooked. It is easy to overlook his body of work in

favor of postcard views but one needs to only look at the photogra-

phers that he influenced to see that his work has left a lasting im-

pact. Photographers including William Neill and Charlie Cramer

have styles that bear a strong resemblance to Porter’s vision. His

most famous body of work is arguably the book, In Wildness Is the

Preservation of the World.

Phillip Hyde A top Sierra Club photographer in the 50 – 70s, Hyde’s photog-

raphy was instrumental in campaigns to save southwestern land-

scapes from flooding due to dams including the Grand Canyon

and Dinosaur National Monument which led to the birth of the

modern environmental movement. A number of leading nature

photographers cite him as an inspiration for their life’s work.

Discovering India“When I look at the people I photograph, I see that they have a larg-

er vision of life, a vision that transcends monetary wealth. It is about

their relationship with their god, with their land, neighbors, and family.

It is the power of those relationships that I want to communicate. ”–Fred Roberts

A few months ago, Harish

Padmanabha replaced an

Indian oil painting and a watercol-

or long displayed above his dining

room table in Bangalore with two

prints from his rapidly expanding

photography collection: Raghu

Rai’s “Domes of Fame,” showing

a bare-breasted woman loung-

ing against a window that over-

looks the Taj Mahal, and Annu

Palakunnathu Matthew’s “Tom &

Annu Before,” which juxtaposes a

contemporary self-portrait with a

19th-century image of a

Navajo American Indian youth.

The switch in décor reflects Mr.

Padmanabha’s own shift as a col-

lector at a dynamic time on India’s

photography scene. The 61-year-

old mechanical engineer began

acquiring paintings and drawings

in the early 1980s, but now finds

himself drawn primarily to photog-

raphy-inspired, in part, by new In-

dian galleries showcasing

this special medium.


“India is a country that has enough problems and

misery. It’s not that one wants to run away from it or shy away from it, but sometimes you don’t want

it staring you in the face.”A few months ago, Harish Padmanabha re-

placed an Indian oil painting and a water-

color long displayed above his dining room

table in Bangalore with two prints from his

rapidly expanding photography collection:

Raghu Rai’s “Domes of Fame,” showing

a bare-breasted woman lounging against

a window that overlooks the Taj Mahal,

and Annu Palakunnathu Matthew’s “Tom

& Annu Before,” which juxtaposes a con-

temporary self-portrait with a 19th-century

image of a Navajo American Indian youth.

The switch in décor reflects Mr. Padma-

nabha’s own shift as a collector at a dy-

namic time on India’s photography scene.

The 61-year-old mechanical engineer be-

gan acquiring paintings and drawings in

the early 1980s, but now finds himself

drawn primarily to photography -- inspired,

in part, by new Indian galleries showcasing

this medium.

Photography’s power to lure collectors

world-wide is matched by the pragmat-

ic fact that it remains far more affordable

than many art forms. An installation by In-

dian artist Subodh Gupta featuring met-

al utensils piled on a rickshaw recently

brought $842,500 at auction, while work

by Indian master painters like F.N. Sou-

za command prices as high as $2.5 mil-

lion. On the other hand, prices for a limit-

ed edition photograph by an artist in India

range from 20,000 rupees to 600,000 ru-

pees ($416 to $12,500). Over the past two

years, such modest prices have attracted

relatively younger Indian buyers in their

30s and 40s, seeking to experiment with

a medium that their parents barely consid-

ered art. Hoteliers, restaurateurs and com-

pany directors have been tapping galleries

to furnish their walls. Yuppies are turn-

ing to photographs for home décor. Vin-

tage prints, once considered dusty relics,

suddenly have cachet and fetch $5,000

or more from private dealers. Artists bet-

ter known for installations, video and per-

formance are now experimenting with dig-

ital cameras.

Contemporary photographers have seized

on fresh interest from gallery owners and

other patrons to find new audiences and

escape expectations imposed by commer-

cial commissions. “There is more of an in-

centive to do our own projects. We create

totally under our own steam,” says Clare

Arni, a British photographer born in India

who lives in Bangalore and makes a living

primarily as an architectural photographer.

In November, Ms. Arni exhibited a suite of

works in vibrant colors documenting disap-

pearing professions in Kolkata, New Delhi,

Bangalore and Chennai, such as silk dyers,

medicine grinders and painters of movie

posters -- a product of 18 months of re-

search and travel. The show sold out two

editions of prints.

Some gallery owners contend that the cur-

rent financial uncertainty might actually be

good for photography-collecting by allow-

ing it to mature without the crazed spec-

ulation that infected the overall Indian art

market.

That includes short-term investors who in re-

cent years kept some artwork, especially paint-

ings in storage while seeking to flip them


for quick profit. “The fact is, we need to

have more collectors than speculators,”

says Devika Daulet-Singh, director of pho-

tography at PhotoInk, a specialized gal-

lery that opened in New Delhi in February

2008. “If you can’t see the work on some-

body’s wall, how are you going to develop

an aesthetic or a taste for it?” she adds.

India experienced a rather curious lag in

photographic appreciation compared with

the West. Christopher Pinney’s book “Cam-

era Indica” notes that the medium arrived

in India shortly after its invention in 1840

and was promptly embraced by British rul-

ers and India’s upper echelons. “Photog-

raphy played a vital role in the formation

of the Empire and informing the citizenry

back home about the lands and the people

under conquest,” Mr. Pinney writes. Stu-

dio photography by Europeans and Indians

also supplied a steady stream of portraits.

In the country’s art world, however, Indian

painting and sculpture long held a more

privileged position. Until a decade ago,

photography was largely denigrated as an

advertising tool or journalistic reinforce-

ment of an India that was viewed by the

rest of the world as poor and backward.

The map was sharply divided: Mumbai

sheltered most of the commercial pho-

tographers, New Delhi claimed the bulk

of photojournalists and Bangalore offered

more opportunities to wildlife photogra-

phers, given its access to nature sanctuar-

ies in southern India.

But as prices escalated in the Indian art

world for seasoned painters and novices

alike, a quiet backlash grew stronger. The

ranks of disillusioned collectors included

tea and explosives entrepreneur Abhishek

Poddar. He and his friends, who began col-

lecting as teenagers, “started getting a little

bored with the art scene,” he says.

“Anything and everything would sell, as

long as it was fashionable. Prices were go-

ing crazy. There was no soul left in it,” com-

plains the 40-year-old collector. “I can’t say

this about every artist. But it was more the

norm than the exception.”

Turning to photography in 2000, Mr. Pod-

dar found himself disheartened by the fact

that photographers had few opportunities

to exhibit their work, even though their

ABOVE: TWO CAMELS WATCH THE SUNSET.


RIGHT: A BOY WANDERS AROUND THE SHOPPING DISTRICT OF MUBAI.

prices were quite affordable. That realiza-

tion eventually led to the September 2006

launch of Tasveer (“picture” in Hindi), a

pioneering photography consortium -- led

by Mr. Poddar -- that began with a gallery

in Bangalore and currently also organizes

shows in New Delhi, Mumbai and Kolka-

ta together with local partners. The con-

sortium has helped blur categories of pho-

tographers by providing an outlet for more

creative impulses.

“People thought we were a little mad,” Mr.

Poddar adds. “They said, Why photogra-

phy, and, who buys photography?”

Basic information on the medium was

scarce, let alone any kind of sophisticated

critical discourse. “Photography as a me-

dium has never been taught in Indian art

schools. So there is no sense of its his-

tory or its practice,” says Sunil Gupta, a

New Delhi-based photographer and cu-

rator who was educated at the Royal Col-

lege of Art and worked for many years

in Britain.

Mr. Gupta and fellow curator Radhika

Singh met with hundreds of photogra-

phers throughout the country and sifted

through countless boxes of prints to put

together the “Click!” exhibition in New

Delhi and London in early 2008. The

show included the works of 150 pho-

tographers. While many London buy-

ers were willing to purchase unfamiliar

names, Indian collectors gravitated to-

ward the more famous photographers

such as Raghu Rai, who was recruited

by Henri Cartier-Bresson in 1977 to work

with Magnum Photos.

Some art promoters seem willing to wait for

the market to build and collectors to em-

brace new talent. “There is no money to be

made immediately,” acknowledges Arun

Vadehra, owner of Vadehra Art Gallery, the

New Delhi venue for the Click! Show. “We

are just investing in the future for some-

thing which will become very, very lucra-

tive. When more and more shows happen,

more talent will emerge and more people

will take chances,” he says.

A current favorite among collectors at

home and abroad is Dayanita Singh, whose

studied black-and-white prints marked the

November opening of the Berlin branch of

the New Delhi gallery Nature Morte. Ms.


BLACK &WHITE

Tips to make the finest photography without a trace of color.by Lucian Valdano

”Life is like a good black and white photograph, there ’s black, there ’s white, and lots of shades in between.”

—Karl Heiner


Contrast With the help of light you can get great contrast.

Contrast will bring the tonal differences in your

photography as you can’t use color. With side

lighting, for instance, you’ll get longer shadows.

Contrast is important because when there is a dis-

tinct contrast, with dark shades and bright light,

you’ll be able to see things you didn’t see before.

Pattern & Texture Rich textures and detailed sceneries will help your

photograph become comprehensible and exciting.

Patterns are lucky in black and white photo-

graphs as colors aren’t taking the attention from

them. So if you want to take a shoot where you’d

like to emphasize on the patterns, then choose

black and white tones instead of color.


Subjects When taking pictures of large spaces, like

landscapes or foliages; make sure that

the same tone isn’t flowing through all the

elements in your photography as this will

give it a rather boring and dead look. Most

black and white images are supposed to

be dramatic and leave a striking impact

on the viewer.


Use RAW If you have the opportunity to use RAW, do it! It

will open up many new possibilities and give you

more control of the image’s appearance.


Low ISO Shoot with the lowest possible ISO possible.

While this is something that most of us do in col-

or photography it is particularly important when

it comes to black and white where noise created

by ISO can become even more obvious. If you’re

after this ‘noise’ (or grain) you can always add it

later in your post production – but it’s harder to

go the other way and take noise out.


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