Okay, I admit…The Man himself has not arrived in Phoenix.  That would be a little creepy considering he’s no longer among the living.  But, the Phoenix Art Museum is hosting what appears to be an amazing Ansel Adams exhibit through June 6, 2010.

Having just returned from Phoenix, where we spent the first four days of our trip hiding from the incessant rain, I wish I had known about this exhibit.  It would have been a great way to burn a few hours escaping the rain.  Unfortunately, we got home last night and I learned of the exhibit tonight.  So, oh well.  Some times I really miss living in a big city with things like museums and concerts and more than 4 restaurants to choose from.

Check out the exhibit description on the Phoenix Art Museum website.  If you go, please check back in and tell us all about it!

We leave today for 7 days in Arizona.  In fact, as you read this, we’re probably driving through Monument Valley, or maybe Flagstaff, or we might even be setting up our tent at Lost Dutchman State Park in the Superstition Mountains.  Ah, life is great! 

Moving on to the meat of the post, I am often asked what filters I carry and use on a regular basis.  I’ve never been a user of gimmicky filters and even in my pre-digital days I carried only a small assortment of what I considered critical filters.  Interestingly, those filters haven’t changed much.  I eliminated one and added one so really, I’m still carrying the same quantity of filters.  In case you’re wondering, I use only Singh-Ray filters.  Why?  Like any of the higher cost, well known brands, the optical quality of Singh-Ray filters is exceptional.  Unlike those other brands, Singh-Ray is still a small operation and they place great value on their customers.  This is something they have proven to me on numerous occasions, and every time I deal with them.

Here are the filters I carry:

Graduated Neutral Density Filters

I carry 2 stop and 3 stop graduated neutral density filters in the Cokin “P” size.  The 2 stop can be used as a 1 stop and I can stack the two together to achieve 5 stops of filtration.  I am doing more and more image blending and/or exposure fusion but I still believe that GND’s have a place in any nature photographer’s camera bag.

Ultra-Thin Polarizing Filter

I carry a polarizer and I use it extensively when photographing foliage, creeks and waterfalls.  I don’t use it all that often for grand landscapes.  I bought the ultra-thin version because I do like to bust out my wide angle lens on occasion and the regular version vignettes badly starting at around 28mm.  There is no way to digitally mimick all the effects of a polarizing filter.  Yes, you can darken skies and increase contrast between blue sky and white clouds.  However, you can not remove reflections on leaves no matter how hard you try.

Variable Neutral Density Filter

This is about as gimmicky as I get.  The Variable Neutral Density Filter, or Vari-ND, allows you to dial in 2 to 8 stops of density in the field.  This increases shutter speeds and allows for some very creative effects, such as streaking clouds and cotton candy water.  This is one that is impossible to recreate digitally and I’m starting to use this filter more lately with great creative effect.

The filter I no longer carry with me: a warming filter.  Back in the film days, a warming filter was critical on overcast days to correct the color temperature (similar to white balance) and eliminate weird color casts.  With digital, we just shoot in RAW and change the white balance to whatever we desire.  RIP, my dear old warming filter.

That’s it, folks.  Pretty simple kit but it does everything I need it to do.  I likely won’t have a chance to post any entries while we’re away.  You can count on a thorough trip report upon our return from the Sonoran Desert, though.  I’ll see ya in a few days!

Got something to say about my filter choices or would you like to add to or subtract from my list?  Leave a comment and someone might just find it useful!

I know I already wrote a mushy love letter to my wife and now I’m writing an “Ode to Mom” but I can’t control the calendar.  Now that I think about it, that would be my superhero power of choice, if there were such a thing as superheroes. 

Today is my Mom’s birthday.  Last week I wrote of my insatiable wanderlust.  Guess where I got it?  That’s right, I inherited it from good ol’ Mom.  I remember in high school, back in the 80’s when I had the most awesome mullet you’ll never see, she’d get a wild hair on the weekends.  Mom, my brother Erik and me, would all wake up and eat breakfast.  Erik and I always thought we’d have a normal day and do normal teenager stuff like ride bikes or have pellet gun wars in the mountains by our house.  Mom often had other plans.  We’d all pile into her car and head off to unknown destinations outside Phoenix.

One time we drove the entire Apache Trail in Mom’s Monte Carlo.  Mid-80’s Monte Carlos probably were not designed to drive 40+ miles on a rough dirt road.  Another time we drove up to Sedona, walked around Tlaquepaque, ate lunch and drove home.  Some weekends we’d even drive to Los Angeles to visit aunts, uncles and grandparents.  Never were these impromptu trips planned.  They just…happened.  Mom’s wanderlust gnawed at her until she had to feed it with a trip, even if that trip only lasted a few hours.

I don’t remember ever seeing a map in the car.  There were no cell phones and I’m pretty sure Mom didn’t know how to change a tire.  We usually didn’t drive with any destination in mind and I know she didn’t tell a friend where we were headed.  Mom would just point the Monte Carlo in a direction and drive until she saw something that interested her.  We’d stop to check it out, maybe eat lunch at a random diner in a dirty little town, and then we were back on the road to nowhere and everywhere. 

It was those early explorations and spur of the moment trips that made me who I am today.  Because of Mom I love to travel.  I love to see new things, meet new people and find totally obscure new places.  Because of Mom I’ll take a road trip over a flight any time I can.  I’ll see a dirt road and before I realize it, I’m half a mile off the highway in the middle of nowhere with a huge smile on my face and love in my heart.

My Mom passed away unexpectedly a few days after my birthday in November, 2001.  Her birthday is always the most difficult day of the year for me.  I hate that my son will never meet his Grandma, or get to take one of those wild road trips with her.  He’ll never see the mischievous sparkle in her eye when wanderlust consumes her soul and pushes her out the door and into the driver’s seat.  I do hope he’ll see it in me, and that I will pass it along to him.

I miss you terribly, Mom.  I wish you were here so we could take a birthday road trip together.  We’d find a diner, eat some greasy food and make friends with a local, then we’d be on our way.  Thank you for instilling within me a desire to experience the world around me and to never let an opportunity for an impromptu road trip pass me by.  As Melissa, Jackson and I pack our things on your birthday for our trip to Arizona I hope you’re smiling down with that knowing glint in your eye.

Happy birthday, Mom.  I sure do love you!

I recently engaged in a lively conversation on twitter with a fellow nature photographer about “getting it right in the field.”  Those of you who know me, especially those who have taken one of my workshops, are familiar with “get it right in the field” as I used to preach it regularly.  I frequently declared that using graduated neutral density filters in the field was superior to doing HDR or image blends on the computer.  Admitting that I’m wrong has never come easy for me.  Just ask my wife.   However, here and now, I admit that I was wrong and maybe even a little arrogant to make such a blanket statement.

As I now see it, there isn’t anything at all wrong with using GND’s, HDR, manual image blends or exposure fusion interchangeably.  Different situations call for different tools.  Is it wrong to stitch a panoramic image from several digital captures instead of using a dedicated pano camera?  Absolutely not!  Is it cheating to convert a color digital image to black and white instead of using black and white film to capture the image in monochrome?  Of course it isn’t.  So why should we frown upon combining exposures to increase dynamic range?

I still carry 2 and 3 stop graduated neutral density filters.  I’ll break them out at times when using a filter works better, or easier, than doing blends.  But there are times when a digital solution exists that works better than the analog equivalent.  And there are times when there is no analog equivalent.  If you’re photographing a waterfall inside a dark forest there isn’t a filter available that will even out the exposure.  The solution?  Bracket exposures and combine them in the digital darkroom.  It’s the right tool for the situation and there isn’t a darn thing wrong with that.

I experimented with high dynamic range imaging (HDR) back in 2008 using Photomatix Pro.  The possibilities were exciting but I never really received satisfactory results and I abandoned it’s use.  There are nature photographers who are creating stunning HDR images, but I wasn’t one of them.  Royce Howland of Canada is, in my opinion, one of the best of the best when it comes to creating gorgeous HDR photos that maintain a very natural appearance.

After HDR I started experimenting with manual image blends.  The results can be pretty spectacular but the process of blending multiple images by hand is tedious and time consuming.  And, it isn’t a technique that is easily mastered.  It takes time and practice to learn, although the learning curve can be minimized through a workshop or one-on-one instruction.  Of all the photographers who frequently use this technique, one of my favorites is Guy Schmickle.  He’s also a heck of a nice guy who now offers custom photo tours and Photoshop training for those who don’t want to waste any time learning to blend images.

Recently I read a good blog post by Kevin McNeal describing a relatively new technique called Exposure Fusion.  In essence, Exposure Fusion is an automated technique for combining multiple exposures for increased dynamic range.  The primary difference between Exposure Fusion and HDR is that Exposure Fusion creates images that are much more natural in appearance without having to do additional processing such as tone mapping.  Photomatix Pro includes HDR and Exposure Fusion, allowing you to choose the technique that will work best for your situation.  I started experimenting with Exposure Fusion in Photomatix Pro recently and am very excited about the possibilities offered with this technique.  In my admittedly limited tests, the results have been very natural with no visible artifacts common to HDR, i.e. haloes, ghosting, etc.

In the end we’re all photographers who like to create beautiful images.  We’ve all got our preferences whether Canon vs. Nikon, digital vs. film or filters vs. the digital darkroom.  There is no right or wrong.  Find the tools that work best for you and use them honestly and unapologetically.

Got a thought you’d like to share on this topic?  Feel free to post a comment.

I’m a pretty big fan of Apple stuff.  I love my iMac, couldn’t live without my iPhone (I know, sooooo sad) and take my MacBook Pro everywhere I travel.  So when Apple came out with the Magic Mouse I thought, “Oh sweet, I need that.”  I mentioned it to my wife, who must have mentioned it to Santa, because lo and behold one arrived in my stocking.  Imagine my excitement!  I tore open the package, inserted the batteries and downloaded the latest version of software to run this magical device.

As I held it in my hand I couldn’t help but stare in awe at the aesthetically pleasing design.  So sleek.  So aerodynamic.  So minimalist.  So…Apple.  I knew it was going to be good.  Once the new software finished downloading I ran from the living room to my office so I could immediately begin testing this slick new device.  It was going to change the way I computed.  Life would never, ever be the same.

I really wanted to like the Magic Mouse.  I used it for about 6 weeks before I begrudgingly admitted defeat.  My aching wrist just couldn’t bear to allow me to keep using the Magic Mouse.  So, I went to Best Buy (110 miles away in Grand Junction, CO) and bought a Logitech Performance MX mouse that I will review here after I’ve had enough time to develop an opinion on its performance.

What did I like about the Magic Mouse?

Not a whole heck of a lot, unfortunately.  It looks really cool.  The multi-touch technology is neat…in theory.  Yep, that’s about it.

What didn’t I like about it?

• The aerodynamic design bodes well if you mouse at very high speeds.  If you don’t the lack of support for your hand and awkward position openly invite carpal tunnel syndrome.  I just could not find a comfortable way to use the Magic Mouse.  I even invested in one of a mouse pad with a memory foam wrist support.  That helped a little, but not much.  Aesthetically pleasing, ergonomically ugly.
• This one is more of a personal preference but it was one of my gripes so I’ll mention it.  Regardless of how fast I set the tracking speed, it tracked too slow.  I’m impatient.  I want that little arrow to move super fast when I move the mouse and it just couldn’t keep up.
• I’ll admit that the Magic Mouse probably was not designed with the intent of pleasing those of us who are heavy Photoshop users.  If all you’re doing is surfing the web it’s probably acceptable.  For Photoshop, it’s a huge fail.  Precise selections are nearly impossible.  For example, the multi-touch feature makes it frustrating at best to drop a point at just the right spot when making curves adjustments.  I also found that when using Lightroom it was difficult to zoom in and out smoothly as the multi-touch was too sensitive.  Any unintentional side to side motion on the mouse resulted in panning the image rather than zooming in or out.

So, if you’re a Photoshop user and you don’t use a separate mouse or Wacom tablet for all your Photoshop needs, I simply can not recommend the Apple Magic Mouse.  It doesn’t matter how sleek it looks sitting there on your desk it just isn’t a good investment for extended use.  Sorry Apple, but the Magic Mouse is a fail.

I spent part of my weekend cleaning out my closet.  Actually, it’s a 10′ x 10′ storage shed that was stuffed front to back and floor to ceiling.  After giving away a desk, a chair, a Windows PC (gasp!), some tools, a table, a set of weights I obviously no longer use and various other random things we’re now able to actually maneuver around the stupid storage shed.  It will be nice not having to crawl up, over and around things to get what I need.  However, I was dismayed to discover that several Arizona hiking guides vanished into thin air.  This week I will be re-buying them, which aggravates me to no end.  I have no doubt the old, well worn ones will turn up shortly after I spend a hundo buying new guide books.

While we’re on the topic of books, I came across two books I’ve already read and no longer need – “The HDRI Handbook”, by Christian Bloch and “Complete Guide to High Dynamic Range Digital Photography” by Ferrel McCollough.  Instead of leaving them in the shed to rot I thought we’d have a little fun giving them away.  Steve Cole, a talented nature photographer from Washington, came up with the idea for a contest that I think will be tons of fun.

This is how it works: email me a small, low resolution image that is the worst HDR you’ve ever created.  I’m talking bad.  Hyper saturated colors, unsightly haloes, ghosting all over the place and/or not a single shadow lurking anywhere in the photo.  Send ‘em my way to bret (at) bretedge (dot) com.  I’ll collect them, put up a web gallery and ask folks on Facebook to vote for the worst one.  First prize gets the book of his or her choice, 2nd prize gets the other one.

Here are the rules: You’ve got until midnight on Wednesday, Feb. 17, 2010 to email your image to me.  I’ll put up a gallery on Facebook and will accept votes until Friday, Feb. 19, 2010 at midnight.  The winners will be announced on Facebook some time next week.  I can’t tell you exactly when because I’ll be on the road in Arizona.  Please keep your images to no more than 700 pixels on the long side and save them as jpegs.  Only one image per person.  These are used books.  They have been read once and are in good condition, but don’t expect them to be brand spankin’ new.

If you aren’t a fan of Bret Edge Photography on Facebook, now is as good a time as any to become one.  It doesn’t cost anything and we don’t bite.

That’s all there is to it.  Start digging through your hard drives for those horrible HDR images to send my way!

I don’t usually post on the weekend but since today is Valentine’s Day, and I’m lucky enough to have an amazing wife who understands and supports my all-consuming photography habit, I thought I’d gush a little about her.

My wife’s name is Melissa, but everyone calls her Mo.  We’ve been married for almost 5 years, together for 6.  She’s my best friend, my favorite adventure model and hands-down the best road tripping/hiking/camping/mountain biking/canyoneering/backpacking partner on the planet.  She understands my passion for photography.  She feeds it, she supports it and she’s my number one fan.  She also taught me one of the greatest lessons I’ve learned as a photographer.

Aspen Trunk & Leaves, RMNP

You see, there was a time when every trip I took, every trail I hiked, was with the intention of making images.  If the weather didn’t cooperate or the light wasn’t right I’d throw a little fit.  Some times the little fit turned into a big fit.  On one of our first outings together, in Rocky Mountain NP, we hiked all day, got lost, didn’t find the lake we were looking for and it started to rain.  Sunset was going to be a total non-event.  I was used to spending all my outdoor time alone and proceeded to throw a little fit.  Melissa is a strong woman.  That is, she doesn’t take any shit and she has no reservations about telling you exactly how she feels.  She put up with my temper tantrum for a few minutes before stopping in the middle of the trail under a misty sky to say these words, “You’re either going to learn to enjoy being outside with me regardless of whether you’re able to make any photos or this just isn’t going to work out.”  In that moment she put it all into perspective for me.  She literally turned my entire attitude around with that one statement.  It was an eye opener.  Really, is it that big of a deal if we go out to make a photograph and come home empty handed?  Nope, it isn’t.  I ended up making one of my all-time favorite images that day, not more than 30 minutes after her stern warning.  Had she not stated so succinctly what I should have already known, I would have walked right by this little scene with a scowl on my face and never even given it a second glance.  As you can see, this simple little lesson is reason enough for me to gush about how wonderful she is.

But it doesn’t end there.  When I suggest that I might need to buy a new piece of equipment, very rarely does she ever object.  And when she does, it’s only to make me stop and think about whether I really need a new this or that, or do I just want it.  When I come to the conclusion that it’s a want and not a need, more often than not she let’s me get it any way.  When I sell it on eBay a few months later because I barely used it, not once do I hear her say “I told you so!”

Melissa carries my business cards with her everywhere she goes and regularly runs out of them.  She tells everyone who will listen, and even some who don’t, about my photography.  When I’m slacking on a project she rides my back until I’m focused and on track.

The Photographer's Wife, In Action

She’ll make ridiculous leaps over and over again until I get just the right photo.  She automatically plans her outdoor wardrobe around what colors will contrast best with the environment we’ll be in.  She stays in camp to make dinner while I run out to shoot sunset.  When I’m too busy to gather gear and pack the car for a road trip, she just does it without me having to ask.

In short, she’s the most amazing woman I’ve met and I’m incredibly proud to call her my wife.  So today, Valentine’s Day, and every day before and after – I love you with all my heart, Mo.  Thank you for putting up with me, for supporting me, for loving me, for choosing to spend your life with me and for giving me the sweetest, cutest and most awesome little Adventure Baby a guy could ever ask for.  You truly are the love of my life.  Happy Valentines Day, sweety!

The brand spankin’ new iFotoGuide website launched last week and to celebrate, we’ve lowered the price of iFotoGuide: Arches to $2.99.  Yes, you read that right – $2.99.  Where else can you get that much information in a photo guide for $2.99?  Seriously…it’s a bargain at full price but at this price it’s just a flat out steal.  Comparable newsletters are $10 and a guidebook is $20 – and they aren’t even interactive!  Available now for the iPhone or iPod Touch at the Apple iTunes App Store: http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/ifotoguide-arches-national/id337311105?mt=8.

If you do download it, we’d really appreciate it if you’d leave a review on iTunes after you’ve had a chance to take it for a test drive.  And, if you have any suggestions, we welcome your feedback.  We’re always looking for ways to make iFotoGuide even more useful to photographers.

Things have been pretty hectic this week and I haven’t had much time to write blog posts.  Today’s is very short, but oh so sweet.

I found this little gem online at Smashing Magazine.  Every keyboard shortcut you can learn and use in Photoshop will save you time.  This free cheat sheet makes it easy to find them.  Thanks, Smashing Magazine!

http://www.smashingmagazine.com/2010/02/10/photoshop-keyboard-shortcuts-cheat-sheet-pdf/

Many years ago, when I was just a young pup with a Canon Rebel film camera and not a clue what to do with it, I read a photo how-to book published by Arizona Highways.  I’ve since lost the book, which is a bummer because it was really well-written and full of great information.  Any way, one of the things I learned from the book was never to get so focused on what’s happening in front of the camera that you forget to turn around occasionally to see what’s lurking behind you.  It’s some of the best advice I’ve ever received.

In the summer of 2005 Melissa and I spent almost 4 months road tripping throughout the Western U.S.  Without question, it was the best 4 months of my life.  We hiked, we mountain biked, we canyoneered and I photographed.  A lot.  A whoooooole lot.  I had a shiny new Canon 1Ds MKII and was enthralled with digital capture technology that I swore I’d never use.  Yeah, I was a film snob.  A small format film snob, but a film snob all the same.

Whilst on the road we spent the hottest night of my life sleeping in the parking lot at Badwater in Death Valley NP.  I don’t mean “hot” as in “steamy newly married couple hot”.  I mean “Death Valley in August” hot.  I got all of about 3 minutes of sleep that night, thanks to the oppressive heat.

We decided to head for higher ground the following night and ended up at the Racetrack.  Perhaps you’ve heard of it?  It’s a cracked mud playa where huge rocks slide across the desert seemingly under their own power.  Scientific theories abound but no one knows for certain what causes the rocks to move.  I think it’s awesome that with all our modern technology there are still things we can’t explain.  Rocks: 1.  Us: 0.

Sunrise at the Racetrack, DVNP

I awoke the next morning much refreshed as the Racetrack resides at around 3,700′, a whopping 4,000′ higher and much cooler than the Badwater parking lot.  I had already scouted the area for my sunrise shoot.  I unzipped the tent door and staggered a few feet with camera and tripod in hand to set up for the imminent light show.  I sat on the cool, dry earth with sleep in my eyes watching the stars disappear one by one as dawn approached.  Every once in a while I’d turn around to check for snakes or scorpions or spiders sneaking up on me, and to see if anything good was happening in the sky.  Lo and behold, in one of those serendipitous moments you don’t appreciate until they’re over, right above the mountains were a few little clouds turning as pink as cotton candy.  I snatched up my tripod and camera, ran a few feet and then turned around to hastily compose an image of the rock’s trail leading into the frame with those luscious pink clouds hovering above a distant mountain ridge.  I worked fast, my fingers hitting all the right buttons, turning all the right knobs and grabbing a grad filter from my pack all in furious motion.  I made two images and then, the color was gone.

So, I’ve told a rather long story to make a couple simple points.  First, don’t get so focused on what’s in front of you that you forget to turn around every once in a while to see what lurks behind you.  It may be pink cotton candy clouds or a stranger comin’ to do you harm.  In either case, I’d rather have a head start.  Second, you should be so familiar with your equipment that when a fleeting moment of awesomeness arrives you are able to concentrate on capturing it rather than fumbling with your gear.

Oh, and one other thing: if you’re a park ranger, and you’re reading this, I really hope the statute of limitations has expired for our illegal night of car camping at Badwater.  Please accept my apologies for breaking the law.  I wish I could say that it won’t happen again, but it will.  Just not on your watch.

Got a similar story about a serendipitous moment?  Share it with us!  Feel free to link to an image, too.