Beat the Crowds at Tourist Attractions

Posted on March 22, 2013 by Scott Thomas Photography

I recently read an excellent article on how to avoid crowds at popular tourist attractions.  I have a little experience in this area with all my visits to Walt Disney World and other places in the world.

Photographer's shadow is seen in early morning light in front of The Capitol Building in Washington, D.C.

Getting up early is not only good for photography but lets you beat the crowds at popular tourist destinations like The Capitol Building in Washington, D.C. during school Spring Break time.
Nikon D700/Tokina 11-16mm, 1/320s, f/9, ISO 200, EV -1.0, 16mm focal length.

My best advice is to get up early in the morning for two reasons:

  1. Golden Hour light before and after sunrise
  2. Very few tourists will be up and around

Even though it is vacation time, the rules of good photography will help you to avoid big crowds.  The hour before and after sunrise is one of the best times to capture amazing light which many people seldom see.  It will make your photography stand out from the rest. This is what I did last year when I visited Washington, D. C.  It was in the middle of Spring Break trips for many middle schools in the United States.  Everywhere I went, there were dozens of school buses dropping off pre-teens at all the buildings, monuments and museums in DC.  One morning, I got up early and walked around The Capitol Building.

The morning was beautiful.  Not a cloud in the sky.  The Sun bathed the white marble of The Capitol Building in golden light.  Only a few security guards, workers and a couple of other photographers were there.  It allowed me to get this almost people-free photo using a Tokina 11-16mm f/2.8 AT-X116 Pro DX Wide Angle Zoom to get in the entire structure.

The United State Capitol Building in golden sunlight at 7AM in Washington, D.C.

The United State Capitol Building in golden sunlight at 7AM in Washington, D.C.
Nikon D700/Tokina 11-16mm, 1/100s, f/11, ISO 220, EV -0.3, 16mm focal length.

Click Here if you would like to Buy a Print of The US Capitol Building

The night before, this area was filled with tourists, school groups and locals enjoying the exceptional Spring weather of last year (ah, not this year!).

In contrast, at Walt Disney World, it is better to wait until late at night to get quiet, tourist free photos as the parks are not accessible, for the most part, early in the morning.

I will be back next Friday with another tip for photographing at tourist attractions.

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World Before Color

Posted on March 20, 2013 by Scott Thomas Photography

Growing up in a Black and White media world from televisions to newspapers, it is no wonder I craved color photography.  I will admit B&W photos are more interesting to me today in a nostalgic kind of way.

Landscapes in black and white bring out textures, lines and composition of a photo without color to blind a viewer’s eye to the photographer’s craft. This view from a bridge over a gorge near the Cornell University campus in Ithaca, New York needed work once I converted it to black and white.  I added contrast to the overall image and then dodged and burned until I got it just the way I wanted it.  Something Ansel Adams was a master at in the darkroom.  Today, the digital darkroom allows us to work, change and create without having to wait for photos to be developed in chemical vats.

View from a pedestrian bridge near the Cornell University campus in Ithaca, New York

View from a pedestrian bridge near the Cornell University campus in Ithaca, New York.
Nikon D700/28-300VR, 1/200s, f/8, ISO 200, EV 0, 65mm focal length.

I truly believe Sports photos in black and white show a more gritty and intense emotion. Those Tri-X B&W films were a bit grainy which added to the effect.  With today’s camera sensors, one has to add grain in post-processing.  I choose not to here.

The intensity of the coach’s face gets lost in the color version.  With the background fading to grey, the bright player uniforms can not dominate a viewer’s vision, and the players all leaning in creates a perfect frame to bring out the coach’s facial expression.

Jon Cooper, head coach of the Syracuse Crunch, spurring his team on before an overtime period.

Jon Cooper, head coach of the Syracuse Crunch, spurring his team on before an overtime period.
Nikon D700/70-200VR, 1/1000s, f/2.8, ISO 4000, EV +1.3, 200mm focal length, cropped.

This is my submission to my blog’s latest assignment on Black and White Photography.  Click the link to see photographer submissions  from all over the world.

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View 272: Nikon D7100 Camera

Posted on March 18, 2013 by Scott Thomas Photography

I have had a need for a backup camera since the incident when my Nikon D700 had to be sent in for repair.  The old, injured D70 filled in for my personal photography but I could not do any work for clients.

Rumors of a new camera from Nikon had been swirling for months.  People wanted a replacement for the Nikon D300s.  A professional level DX camera.  I wanted to have a DX camera again which crops FX (full frame Nikon) lenses by a factor of 1.5. Something I missed and find myself needing again.

Nikon had other ideas in mind and, instead of the hoped for D400, they replaced the consumer level D7000 with the D7100.  After reading the specs of the new camera and being intrigued with the new 1.3x Crop mode, I decided to pre-order the Nikon D7100 dSLR Camera the day it was announced.

It arrived last week and I must say so far I am impressed.  The DX sensor has come along way the last five years.  There are a lot of differences between the D700 and the D7100.  I spent a few hours with the manual this weekend and set it up.  Here is one of the first photos I took using the Nikon 50mmG f/1.8 lens aka Nifty Fifty (or, in DX-land, Nifty Seventy-Five).

A portrait of Gus, the cat, taken with a Nikon D7100 camera.

A portrait of Gus, the cat, taken with a Nikon D7100 camera using a 50mmG f/1.8 lens, 1/250s, f/4.5, ISO 1000, EV 0.

The D7100 has a new in camera crop setting which increases the crop an extra 1.3x or nearly 2x of a lens’ focal length. This increase in crop comes without a loss in light or f-stops like when a teleconverter is used.  To test this, I used the camera during a Syracuse Crunch game last weekend.  This photo is cropped to an 8×10 ratio otherwise the magnification turned the Nikon 70-200mm VR f/2.8 lens into a 140-400mm f/2.8 lens.

Albany Devils Keith Kinkaid (35) in goal against the Syracuse Crunch in the Onondaga County War Memorial on Saturday, March 16, 2013.

Albany Devils Keith Kinkaid (35) in goal against the Syracuse Crunch in the Onondaga County War Memorial on Saturday, March 16, 2013.
Nikon D7100/70-200VR, 1/1250, f/2.8, ISO 1250, EV +1.3, 200mm focal length (400mm cropped).

It was not all fun and games.  I had trouble with the continuous focus during the hockey game. I went back to the manual and found the correct setting and how to do set it. I will have more success at the next game.

Now that I got the D7100, you can be assured Nikon will soon come out with the D400 DX Pro camera.  Until then, I have a backup camera to use for field sports like lacrosse and football and to use for wildlife.  Remember, this will make the Nikon 80-400VR lens into a 160 to 800mm one. 🙂

Scott Kelby has an eight minute video review of the Nikon D7100 camera and the new Nikon 80-400VR Lens here:

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Black and White Landscape

Posted on March 15, 2013 by Scott Thomas Photography
Hay wagons sitting in a snowy field near LaFayette, New York.

Hay wagons sitting in a snowy field near LaFayette, New York.
Nikon D700/28-300VR, 1/400s, f/10, ISO 200, EV +0.3, 62mm focal length.

If you are like me, you may need some help for this month’s assignment on Black and White Photography.  Luckily for us, I found this FREE 7-page eGuide from Light Stalking on Black and White Landscapes: How to Capture a Proper Tonal Range. It has helped me to look back into my photo library and find good candidates for Black and White conversions and to find subjects for new black and white compositions.

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Snow Geese in Flight

Posted on March 13, 2013 by Scott Thomas Photography

We can lift ourselves out of ignorance, we can find ourselves as creatures of excellence and intelligence and skill. We can be free! We can learn to fly!       — From Jonathan Livingston Seagull by Richard Bach

I realized I did not show you any closeups of the beautiful Snow Geese the last time.  While they did not come very close to me, I cropped these out to share with you. For such large birds, they are elegant flyers.

Three Snow Geese (Chen caerulescens) flying in tight formation over Cayuga Lake near Seneca Falls, New York.

A trio of Snow Geese flying over Cayuga Lake near Seneca Falls, New York.

A trio of Snow Geese (Chen caerulescens) flying over Cayuga Lake near Seneca Falls, New York.
Nikon D700/80-400VR, 1/400s, f/10, ISO 200, EV 0, 400mm focal length, cropped.

While Snow Geese do not fly in as tight of formation as Canadian geese do, these sets of four looked good flying overhead.

A quartet of Snow Geese flying over Cayuga Lake near Seneca Falls, New York.

A quartet of Snow Geese flying over Cayuga Lake.
Nikon D700/80-400VR, 1/400s, f/10, ISO 200, EV +0.3, 400mm focal length, cropped.

This group of four came the closest to me during my stay at the Cayuga Lake State Park boat launch dock. I did not have to crop nearly as much as the two photos above. You can clearly see the black wingtips of the large goose in these flying photos.

Snow Geese flying overhead at the Cayuga Lake State Park boat launch near Seneca Falls, New York.

Snow Geese flying overhead at the Cayuga Lake State Park boat launch near Seneca Falls, New York.
Nikon D700/80-400VR, 1/400s, f/8, ISO 200, EV +0.3, 400mm focal length, cropped.

If you are going out to photograph the Snow Geese migration or other white birds, you may want to review this guest post by Karen Gallagher on Photographing White Birds.

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