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Clouds of the Andes

May 26, 2012 By Leave a Comment
sunrise clouds

Good Morning! Buenas Dias!

I’ve been so excited about the the stars and Milky Way lately, that I almost forgot about our beautiful morning skies!

Cumulus clouds…we don’t see them often..

One morning, the great Condor Spirit came to visit!


This is a typical morning…clouds sink into the valley until the sun is high enough in the sky to burn them off.

It looks like a hobbit lives up there.

On the right day, the Pitusiray looks like hellfire and damnation right around 8am.

A photographer friend of mine advised that during the development process, aim to produce an image that reproduces what was seen and felt while looking through the camera eye. This is what I saw. It didn’t look real. I may as well have ingested San Pedro that morning…but I was sober as a stone.

I guess the Andes are just that awesome.


Filed Under: Nature, Peru! Tagged With:

Ornithotography with Green and White Hummingbirds or, How to Photograph Birds

May 24, 2012 By Leave a Comment
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Birds are elusive these days. Normally, bird photography in the Valley is like shooting fish in a barrel, but during these winter months, they scatter at the first waft of my human being stink. Oh, they’re out there alright. I can hear them. I can see them. They’re in the leafiest part of the trees.

But soon as I grab my camera, somehow they know it, and they fly away.

So I have to be stealthy. And patient. And I am not good at either, but I want.. no… I neeeed to see the difference in my “ornithotography” with my new camera.

Dusky evening after rain showers, appx. 10 meters distance.                                     ISO 200, f/4 at 1/1600 of a second, 280mm.

The next day, I was itching for more.

I know where they hang out. I could just sit there and wait. Patience is critical and I certainly have the luxury of time….

So I waited.

I stood still as a tree.

 I stood upwind.

I hid behind  a tree trunk.

And then it happened after 10 minutes. Or eternity…  by my standards, they’re pretty close when I am excited about anything.

A Green and White Hummingbird perched on our garden’s finest flower bush…which had recently been cut back to stumpy branches.

Nowhere to hide. I’ve got you now….

All photos below at ISO200, f/4 at 1/400 of a second, 220mm.

Ruffled feathers…1 part cold temperatures, 3 parts fierce protection of his domain.

Defendor!

It wasn’t long before he sung his heart out!

GW’s sing a dainty “twit-tweet-chirp” chorus, but when faced with the threat of any other bird, no matter how large, they emit a clicking gurgle…and it’s an effective approach. As I’ve mentioned in earlier posts, these birds are smart enough to chase another into the glass walls.

I’ve been the victim of several head buzzing fly bys. These birds are scared of no one….when it comes to flower nectar and territory.

For the first go around, I am satisfied with the end result. The detail is incomparable to my old camera and there was little developing left to do.

I am using a 200mm lens with an f/2.8. And a 1.4 extender. I don’t seem to want to remove the extender, of course now I have to, to compare.

Here are some tips if you want to try catching some birds yourself:

  • Adjust your shutter speed to no less than 1/100 of a second, on the low end. Birds move. Alot. And Fast. You don’t want to miss the perfect shot!
  • Hand hold your camera, unless you have a specific spot to train your tripod. Birds move around too much and appear in too many different directions to lock yourself into one area.
  • If you have image stabilizers, use them if you’re hand holding.
  • Autofocus….manual focus…both work. AF gives me a greater number of in focus photos. That little sensor is a lot faster than my hands. I start with AF, then move to MF for fine tuning, if I have time or think it’s necessary. Tree branches and leaves confuse AF almost every time, so be prepared to reset your shutter with nearly every shot.
  •  Try a lower ISO for detail’s sake.
  • A lower f/stop will blur your background nicely and force your bird to stand out as the focal point.
  • Zoom, baby! Use the high end of your telephoto.
  • Lighting conditions ultimately determine what settings you’ll want to use. Birds are active at dawn and dusk, but we do see them in sunlight. Trees add yet another condition with spotty sunlight and shade.  Just check your results asap and adjust as needed.

I hope you enjoyed this post. I’d love to hear your tips or see your photos! Comment with a link to your page! In the meantime, I’ll be hiding out while looking out for the transient birds of prey that have been hanging around lately…wish me luck!!

~julie

Filed Under: Armchair Photography, Birds, Nature Tagged With: , ,

Rain Shower Macro Photography

May 23, 2012 By Leave a Comment
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We haven’t had rain in weeks. Weeeeeeeeks.

Bad ….because the gardens always need rain.

Good …because I don’t like rain…my arthritis acts up. And it gets cold when it rains in the mountains. But rain provides a great opportunity to go macro with the camera, so I put on my Uggs and went outside anyway.

These flowers are really tiny! About the size of a quarter.

Mama Kia planted so endless varieties of flower.

This bush is one of the most colorful and beautiful.

I’m quite sure this flower is female. Do you see the lady inside?

 

 

Filed Under: Armchair Photography, Nature, Plants and Flowers Tagged With: , ,

How to Photograph with Macro

May 23, 2012 By Leave a Comment
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We live amongst treacherously steep mountains and cliffs, so it’s easy to overlook the tiny world at our feet.

I suppose the latter is true no matter where we live. And that’s the key to macro photography….near anything around you is subject matter. I am a lucky girl to have a yard full of foliage to chose from!

Clarity when cropped to the maximum allowance.

It’s not as easy as it could be with a nice macro lens. Even then…

I use a Heliopan L.3 Macro filter on my 24-70mm f/2.8L lens. Here’s some points I keep in mind when going macro:

  • Use a tripod if you really, really truly want sharpness and detail.
  • Vary your distance to the subject and play with your zoom to test for results. Sometimes stepping back brings more subject into sharper focus.
  • Use a fast shutter speed, 1/100 to 1/250 of a second. Especially if the slightest breeze is blowing.
  • An aperture of f/4 works great for really small focus areas. If you’re trying to get everything at equal sharpness, but the focus points vary by even the slightest distance from one another, a higher aperture of f/10 to f/18 will help pull more area into focus. You may need to adjust for brightness when using a higher f/stop. Try raising your ISO, adjusting brightness with your camera setting, or lengthening your shutter speed.
  • ISO. I like mine at 100 if I can get away with it. Higher  ISO equals more grain. Lower ISO equals less brightness.

You never know what is lurking right in your back yard. Look closely for detail.

Cropped version.


Moss.

Cropped Moss. Sounds like a name for a band. Looks like ocean life.

Filed Under: Armchair Photography, Nature, Plants and Flowers Tagged With: , ,

How to Photograph the Moon – May 2012

May 21, 2012 By Leave a Comment
Day Time Moon
May 2012

The word on the street was that May 2012 would produce the biggest moon of the year, because it was closer to earth than it normally is. We got lucky with clear skies, so I was able to capture what the  2012 May moon looked like from 10,000 feet above sea level.

For these photographs, I switched to my telephoto zoom lens and extender.  Canon 60D + 1.4 III extender + a 70-200mm f/2.8L IS USM lens.

  • Use a lower ISO for clarity. I stayed at 100 with great results.
  • Use a higher f/stop to ensure the moon stands out from the sky. f/7 to f/11 is a good range to play in.
  • Use a fast shutter speed to help with sharpness.
  • I set my camera and lens to autofocus, but you do what works best for you. I’m not afraid of extra work, I’m just lazy, so I used the AF features I paid for.
  • Be sure to disable any image stabilizing technology, because you are on a tripod, right?
  • A wireless shutter release made sure I did not shake the camera. Camera shake and I are like peas in a pod.
  • Adjust your position to ensure your focus sensors lie smack dab on the moon’s surface.
  • Play with your camera’s contrast to get the best detail.
  • Crop your photos. Turn up clarity, definition and masking if needed. Play with the contrast, too.

A few days before the big day, the moon appeared in the early evening.

May 2, 17:00 GMT-5     ISO 100, f/11 at 1/60 of a second, 280mm

Moon Waxing

May 4, 19:00 GMT -5       ISO100, f/6.3 at 1/250 of a second, 255mm

Notice the change in tilt.

Full Moon, May 5, 21:00 GMT-5     ISO100, f/7.1 at 1/640 of a second, 280mm

How quickly we move on…  The very next night, the moon is already waning.

May 6, 21:00 GMT-5      ISO100, f/10, at 1/200 of a second, 280mm

A week later, the moon began rising mid to late morning. This is a daytime shot turned black and white.

May 13, 11:00 GMT-5

Filed Under: Armchair Astronomy, Astrophotography, Peru! Tagged With: , , , ,

Andean Parakeets December 2011

May 21, 2012 By Leave a Comment
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I found these Andean Parakeets waiting in my post draft folder! I must’ve forgotten to publish them….

They visited the peach tree with the larger, Mitred parakeets and this Rufous Collared Sparrow.

Filed Under: Birds, Nature, Peru! Tagged With:

How to Photograph Stars and The Milky Way

May 20, 2012 By 2 Comments
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Stars Light, Stars Bright…make my photo impressive tonight!

One of the things I was most excited about when choosing my new lens and camera was the ability to capture the night time sky. Being a novice to photography, I wasn’t even convinced I could do it! With the help of the interwebs and a professional photographer or two, I learned that capturing the night time sky is easier than I had imagined. Here are some tips if you’d like to try it yourself:

  • Set your camera to aperture priority.
  • Set your camera and lens to manual focus.
  • Set your zoom to 25mm or wider. Set the focus ring to the infinity mark.
  • Experiment with an ISO between 1000 and 4000.
  • I found an aperture of f/3.2 – f/4.5 to be the sweet spot.
  • A 15 to 30 second exposure did not give the photos noticeable blur and it seemed to capture the most stars, most clearly.
  • Experiment with including a point of reference for composition’s sake…a tree, horizon or mountain top for example.

At 10,000 feet in the Andes, where little artificial light occurs, the number of stars in the sky seems like an illusion of countless pin-prick-points of light impaling pitch black infinity. This valley in the mountains serves as an observatory to distended dust clouds that define the edges of our luminous galaxy.  Something so incredible as the universe can never be truly captured in a photograph, but I will keep on trying to provide you with a glimpse from the back porch.

The small upload size does not serve these photos justice.

Stars

  • Shot between 2-5 hours after the night sky appears. Between 19:00 and 23:00 UTC/GMT -5, near Cusco, Peru.
  • ISO 1000-1600.
  • It’s best to find a point of reference for your photo, especially if  Milky Way cloud visibility is weak.
  • You can wave a flashlight for 10 seconds or so at your point of reference to help capture contrast in your final product.

ISO 1600, f/3.2 at 25 seconds

ISO 1250, f/3.2 at 25 seconds

ISO 1250, f/3.2, at 25 seconds. Fill light on tree with Petzl Tika headlamp.

The Milky Way

  • Shot during the last 2-4 hours of the night sky cycle. 24:00 to 4:00 UTC/GMT -5, near Cusco, Peru.
  • ISO 2500-4000.
  • Figure out what time of night The Milky Way is most visible. Then get out of bed, or just bring your cocktail outside with you.
  • This time of year, The Milky Way runs directly overhead, from North to South. I had to focus on composition since pointing a lens straight up doesn’t necessarily allow for trees or mountains. I put my faith in the tripod and positioned $3000 at a 90 degree angle to great results! The point is, look at every shot for clarity, blur and composition then adjust your camera settings and camera angle to the sky…. until you like what you see!

ISO 2500, f/3.5 at 25 seconds

ISO 3200, f/3.5 at 25 seconds

ISO 3200, f/3.5 at 30 seconds

Near 4:00. The Milky Way has shifted to align more closely with the horizon. The tree could be brought up without affecting the sky if I had Photoshop. 



ISO 2500, f/3.5 at 25 seconds

Heightened luminance in Light Room adds to cloud softness, pulling up lights ensures the stars look like glitter!!

ISO 2500, f/3.5 at 15 seconds, 28mm

The Pitusiray has posed some interesting color and contrast challenges. The sun is behind the mountain, giving it a lot of reddish brown tone and high contrast. So I adjusted color then brought up the fill light and blacks. Either I scout a new location or find a way to black out the trees in the foreground. I don’t like them there. I will fiddle with filter options, aperture, contrast and exposure ….until my good is better and my better is best.

It goes without saying, but I will say it anyway, that lens and camera qualities will determine your photo’s final outcome. I am using a Canon 60D with a 24-70mm f/2.8L lens. Of course I am on a tripod…don’t even try it without one. I also used a Vello wireless remote shutter release on half of the above photos, which, you don’t really need, just be gentle when releasing your shutter button.

On developing…with today’s software, the possibilities are endless! I’ve come to accept that developing your photos with software is just part of modern day photography. I don’t photoshop anything in or out, not to say I never would, given the software…   I’m not a techie, so this should be relatively simple, right? I always used iphoto because it is standard on Mac. It has the basic features you need, but spend $80 on LightRoom 3 from B&H Photo and you will be amazed at the extra features. I also just started shooting in RAW, which makes all the difference in quality and ability to develop photos to my liking.

I’d love to see your photos or hear your tips for capturing the stars of the night sky! You can bet I will continue tinkering around with my camera in the night time….

~julie

Filed Under: Armchair Astronomy, Astrophotography, Peru! Tagged With: , , , ,

May 2012 Update

May 19, 2012 By Leave a Comment
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Once again I find myself apologizing for the lack of posts in recent months… and once again, much has changed!
 

Casa de Milagros cares for 24 of my brothers and sisters. The kids are expecting a new director…the right person to help Casa, in June. But they still desperately need donations and assistance if they are to survive. You can visit http://www.casademilagrosperu.org and see for yourself. Thank you to all who contribute!

The Casa staff and kids preparing Christmas birds. Oh, the meal was soooo delicious!

Feeding Frenzy! Ok, not really. They’re nothing like I was on Christmas Morning at their ages. Guarantee you that.

The lovely Soledad…my friend forever!

Tio ‘n Tia

And finally, the summer storm  (southern hemisphere + December = summertime) brought snow to the mountains just in time for Navidad! It was in 60′s despite the chilly outlook up high!

The beginning of the year was very intense with a lot of work at the Casa. In March, I had opportunity to travel back to the US. My trip was short but I was able to return home to Chicago to visit Family. No friends this time :(

With mom and my sister.

My Mom looks fantastic!

Here are some photos of my mother’s father. He was a WWII vet who spoke 5 languages (Russian, Polish, German, Spanish and English).

Here is grandpa sitting on a jeep. He explains below on back of the picture that he has German Officers to guard and after he makes them clean the shit house (his words, not mine) he and his buddy will ride in the jeep while they walk the prisoners 30 miles.

My grandpa was a tough guy from the Ukraine who taught ballroom dancing at the Aaragon in Chicago. My mom tells me stories of how he ran off every boyfriend she ever had!

Here is my dad’s mother. I have very few photos of her and wish I had spent my teens years differently with her. My grandma was tough as nails and worked harder than any woman I have ever met, to this very day. I wish I could tell her that she inspired me to be a strong, independent woman, but I didn’t realize how fundamentally she influenced me until after she passed away. <3

Thanks to my aunt Cooki for this photo.

After I stuffed myself silly with all my favorite hometown foods, I came back to TX and before you know it, I was back in Peru. The best thing I brought back (besides kool-aid and alot of it, A1 steak sauce and real maple syrup) was my new camera and lenses! I am now shooting with:

  • Canon 60D
  • Canon 24-70mm f/2.8L
  • Canon 70-200mm  f/2.8L IS II USM
  • Canon 1.4 III Extender and various accessories
  • Adobe Light Room 3

Oh and how I am loving my new gear! I just began using it this past  month. I know, what happened in April?? Well, Rick and I wrapped up our work at the Casa and found ourselves right back where we started a year ago. It’s a beautiful thing, but transitions often require a moment to process, and we have the luxury of doing so…so we did. We have mastered the art of doing nothing, to say the least.

  And may I add that back to square one is a beautiful place to be? Rick has been working on his music, much to my delight.

 My beautiful ol’ man. Ricardo by Cristo.

Me on the back porch.

Since it is fall/winter in the Valley, we have clear skies that cause hot, sunny days and cold nights. In the sun, we can reach 85-90 degrees. Days without sun, it may not get over 55! Nights dip down to 45 degrees. As winter wears on, we will see fantastic, but short lived storms that bring frost to the grass in July, the peak of winter.

The current cold temperatures caused the birds to greatly diminish in number. You can hear them at certain times of day, but they’re very hard to spot. This week, we have heard hawks and eagles crying as they stop over in ‘the yard’ for water. In December/January, the birds sing from dawn ’til dusk and you can’t look sideways without seeing beaks and feathers. Meanwhile, I am watching the birds like a hawk for a photo op.

Winter also means a change in gardening…we’re still seeing lettuce, beets and gooseberries….but no corn, peaches or avocado.

As of late, I’ve been focused on photographing the sky.  This is one of the first shots I took with my new lens.

Canon 24-70mm f/2.8L           ISO 160, f/5.6 at 1/50 of a second

Thanks for reading my update.

I’m glad you stopped by.

Do come again?

~Julie aka Tia Julia

Filed Under: Julie is Off The Grid in Peru, Updates
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