Landscape Photography | Russ Bishop Photography

August 29, 2024August 29, 2024

Fall Color Photography – Where’s The Light?

Fresh snow on fall aspens and pines, Inyo National Forest, California USA

Fall Color Photography – Where’s The Light? Successful fall color photography obviously starts with planning around the seasonal changing of the leaves (and this Fall Color Map can help), but once you’ve scouted your location there’s another key factor to consider.

Where and how the color happens is dependent upon elevation and temperature and no two years are ever the same. The higher mountains of the west begin in mid-September, eastern hardwoods in October, and the lower red-rock country of the southwest typically in early November. Once you’ve settled on a destination and found that great grove of trees the next step is to understand the light.

It might seem like the vibrant reds or yellows before you would be faithfully reproduced by your sensor no matter what time of day, but understanding the quality of the light can go along way towards guaranteeing your success. Using backlight or sidelight when the sun is low on the horizon and illuminates the leaves from behind creates a wonderful warm glow, especially when set against a dark background.

Softlight is another great light source (illustrated above) that occurs when the sky is overcast and acts like a giant studio softbox. Under these conditions, it doesn’t matter what time of day you’re shooting as the shadows are eliminated and the uniform light both reduces the contrast while intensifying the colors.

So when the scene presents itself, consider the light and framing, and don’t be too quick to trip the shutter. A slight change in position or a little patience can often make the difference between a good image and a great one.

July 11, 2024July 12, 2024

The Fire Within

The Fire Within. For more than a quarter century Madame Pele the goddess of fire has let her temperament be known on the Big Island of Hawaii. Often without warning she has re-awakened many times during a forty-year period sending a river of lava flowing into the sea and creating one of the most active volcanoes on earth.

This image made in the pre-dawn hours in Hawaii Volcanoes National Park shows the raw force of fire and water combining to form new land. It is an incredible spectacle to witness and one of the most challenging subjects I have ever photographed.

For many years walking across miles of a’a lava fields (the sharp brittle variety) in the dark and carefully setting up a tripod on a newly formed shelf above the sea was the only option. But when the lava began flowing into the sea an off-shore view provided a new perspective to this ever-changing landscape.

In stark contrast to shooting the lush forests and beautiful beaches on the windward side of this same island, this is a land of raw earth and fire – and beauty of a different kind. The experience is intoxicating, and once you’ve caught your first glimpse of Pele’s glow the desire to return again and again is hard to resist.

June 19, 2024June 19, 2024

Welcome Summer Solstice!

Welcome Summer Solstice! June 20th is the longest day of the year, and the official start of summer in the northern hemisphere.

Historically Midsummer’s Eve has been a celebration of the solstice dating back to ancient times. It was believed that mid-summer flowering plants had amazing healing powers when picked on this night, and huge bonfires were lit to protect against evil spirits thought to roam the earth when the sun turned southward again.

The word solstice comes from the Latin solstitium from sol (sun) and stitium (to stop), because it appears as if the sun stops its course at this point. The sun doesn’t rise precisely in the east during the event, but rises to the north of east and sets to the north of west creating a longer arc in the sky. The solstice occurs when the sun’s zenith is at its furthest point from the equator. During the event it reaches its northernmost point and the Earth’s North Pole tilts directly towards the sun, at about 23.5 degrees. It’s a good thing too, because without this small offset we would have no seasons!

This year the solstice occurs at 1:50PM (PDT – Pacific Daylight Time), and with nearly 15 hours of light it’s the perfect time to explore the great outdoors, have ample time for photography, and maybe even wrap up the day with a barbecue or a bit of stargazing.