by Michael Frye | Aug 19, 2013 | Announcements
Half Dome, Sunbeams, and the Merced River, Yosemite National Park, California
The Ansel Adams Gallery is sponsoring a special print sale of two of my images at 25% off the normal price. The two images we selected for this offer are Half Dome, Sunbeams, and the Merced River, and Trees and Mist Beneath Bridalveil Fall. These are two recent photographs that have never been exhibited before.
My signed, limited-edition 16×20 prints usually sell for $325, but during this sale you can get one for only $244. Or you can purchase a 20×24 print, normally $475, for only $356. This is only the second time I’ve ever offered a discount on any of my prints, so this is a rare chance to purchase one of my photographs at a reduced price. The sale lasts for just six days, until Sunday, August 25th, at 6:00 p.m. Pacific time. Visit the Ansel Adams Gallery web site to purchase or get more details.
Here are the stories behind the images:
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by Michael Frye | Aug 16, 2013 | Reviews
Milky Way reflected in an alpine lake, Yosemite NP, CA, USA. Nikon D800E with 24mm f/1.4 lens; 20 seconds, f/2.8, 6400 ISO
Regular readers of this blog know that I don’t often write about equipment. Equipment is necessary, and important, but not the most important thing in photography.
However, equipment does matter in some situations, like when trying to capture fast-moving subjects, or the faint light of stars, or when you want to make a large print that’s sharp and noise-free.
My regular camera is ancient by the fast-moving standards of the digital age. It’s a 16-megapixel Canon 1Ds Mark II, first introduced in 2004. I haven’t felt a compelling urge to upgrade. Newer models like the Canon 5D Mark II and Mark III have a little higher resolution (21 and 22 megapixels, respectively), but the difference isn’t that significant. They also handle noise better, but again, the advantages are relatively small.
One of the reasons I’ve been slow to upgrade to a new model is because while Canon has been making these modest improvements in image quality, Nikon has been making big leaps. For several years the Nikon sensors (some of which are made by Sony) have outclassed Canon in handling noise – something I could see clearly when looking at student’s photos during workshops. And last year’s introduction of the 36-megapixel Nikon D800 and D800E set a new standard for resolution in a 35mm-style DSLR. All this makes me think about switching, and hesitant to invest in more Canon equipment.
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by Michael Frye | Aug 7, 2013 | Advanced Techniques, Announcements
The summer issue of Photograph, Craft & Vision’s quarterly magazine, just came out today, and it includes a new article I wrote called “When Old Meets New: Understanding the Zone System.”
Digital Photography today gives us tremendous control over image contrast, but even with all this control, we’re still missing the answers to some basic questions: What is my camera’s real dynamic range? Will this scene fit within that range? If so, how do I determine the right exposure? When do I need to bracket exposures and use HDR?
Luckily, the Zone System give us a framework for answering these questions. I’ve written about the Zone System before, but in this new article I dive even further into how the Zone System relates to digital photography, and how it can answer those questions about image contrast. I include instructions for how you can test your camera’s true, usable dynamic range, how you can use this knowledge to make better exposures in the field, and how you can apply the Zone System to the digital darkroom.
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by Michael Frye | Aug 6, 2013 | Light and Weather, Photography Tips, Vision and Creativity
Dogwood blossoms, Yosemite. These backlit flowers stand out cleanly against a dark, shaded background.
Light Against Dark
Many of the most effective photographs share a simple lighting concept: they either place a light subject against a dark background, or a dark subject against a light background.
This first photograph of two dogwood blossoms is a perfect example of a light subject against a dark background. In fact the background isn’t just dark; it’s completely black, so there’s nothing to compete visually with the flowers. The contrast creates a simple and dramatic image.
This light-against-dark situation is what makes photographs of Horsetail Fall so striking when conditions are right. The waterfall stands out because it’s brighter than the surrounding cliffs – and, of course, because of the color.
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by Michael Frye | Aug 2, 2013 | Announcements
Foggy sunrise along the Merced River, Yosemite NP, CA, USA
My web site has been back up and running consistently for a couple of hours, so it looks like everything is okay. I’m keeping my fingers crossed! You should be able to purchase and download the new ebook now, but if you experience any problems with this, or anything else, please let me know.
Again, I apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused. If all goes well I’ll be posting a free bonus video about Lightroom on Sunday, so keep an eye out for that.
— Michael Frye
