It’s not the sunset itself that is offers the best subject matter. Nature Photography Tips from Mark S. Carlson: Often times the best sunset photos are made right after sunset, especially if it’s partly cloudy. Why? Because the light can be very dramatic and with a body of water for reflection plus a few clouds reflecting [...]
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Camera Equipment Review: Custom White Balance
Do I Need Custom White Balance? Each of us sees color differently. If you are red-green color blind, you know what I mean. The best color retouchers in the old film days told me she could not eat spicy food, since even that could throw her color perception off! Humans Versus Animals [...]
Read More bob grzesiak, camera equipment review, white balance, white balance discMichigan’s Nodding Trillium
Nodding Trillium of Michigan – a shy but beautiful wildflower. Michigan Nodding Trillum. Nodding Trillium (Trillium cernuum) could be considered the shyest trillium of our eight species native to the Great Lakes region because it hides its blossom beneath a tight whorl of broad, ovate leaves. Its habitat varies from mixed coniferous-hardwoods in the north, [...]
Read More Mark S. Carlson, Seasonal Photography, Spring, trillium, wildflowersNature Photography Tips: Capturing Early Spring Wildflowers in Best Light
Spring wildflowers love the bright light and full sunshine. Nature Photography Tips from Mark S. Carlson: The majority of early spring wildflowers respond and open during bright sunshine. Sometimes good photos can be captured during such lighting conditions, but for the most part, bright overcast light would be more desirable. The image of a Round-lobed Hepatica [...]
Read More Mark S. Carlson, nature photography tips, Seasonal Photography, Spring, wildflowersMichigan’s Bent Trillium
Bent Trillium (Trillium flexipes) is perhaps the most confusing of the eight-trillium species native to the Great Lakes region. Also known as ‘Drooping’ or ‘White’ trillium, it often hybridizes with Red Trillium (T. erectum) and Nodding Trillium (T. cernuum), creating even more confusion for the armature botanist. It occurs in 20 Michigan counties, down the [...]
Read More bent trillium, Mark S. Carlson, Spring, trillium, wildflowersCamera Equipment Review: Lens Filters
Camera Lens Filters, Do You Really Need One? Camera Equipment Review: Lens Filters. Do I really need lens filters? When should I use and when? Do you want to protect your lens with a UV or skylight because the camera store or a friend recommends it? Protective Filters Many amateur shooters purchase the ubiquitous UV [...]
Read More bob grzesiak, camera equipment review, lens filtersMichigan’s Trillium of the Snow
Trilliums of Michigan – Snow Trillium, a threatened species. Michigan Snow Trillium: Snow Trillium (Trillium nivale) is the true harbinger of spring of the eight Great Lakes trillium species. Blooming as early as mid-March, it often wakes up under a blanket of snow, hence it’s name, nivale, meaning “of the snow.” In fact, snow trillium [...]
Read More Mark S. Carlson, Seasonal Photography, snow trillium, Spring, trillium, wildflowersFeatured Alumni Photo: Birch Trees in Black & White
Featured alumni photo of quiet birch trees and falling snow…in black & white. Our Featured Alumni Photo: Birch Trees in Black & White by Shane Wyatt. Shane joined us on the Leelanau White Eco-Photo Weekend to Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore and Leelanau County in February 2013. Sometimes photography really can be ‘Point and Shoot’. [...]
Read More featured alumni photo, Mark S. Carlson, Seasonal Photography, Shane Wyatt, Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore, winter photographyCamera Equipment Review: Pop-Up Reflectors
Pop-up reflectors – better than a flash. Camera Equipment Review: Pop-up Reflectors. Are you looking for natural, controllable fill light? Do you like to add light without batteries to charge and electronics to maintain? Great Lakes Photo Tours recommends photo reflectors rather than electronic flash for nature and portrait lighting. You can see the light [...]
Read More bob grzesiak, equipment review, light reflectors, pop-up reflectorsBrimming Photo Tour Lineup…for Spring!
Spring brings a new excitement to the nature photographer’s soul. Brimming Photo Tour Line Up: As the season’s ice melts and tiny tips of wildflowers burst through the snow, excitement builds for outdoor and nature photography enthusiasts. It won’t be long before trillium, orchids and other wildflowers fill forests, hillsides and open spaces with brilliant [...]
Read MoreFeatured Alumni Photo: Boardwalk Over Dune
Featured alumni photo reminds us of our own happy visits to the dunes! Our Featured Alumni Photo: Boardwalk Over Dune. In this photo by Great Lakes Photo Tours alumnus, Kristen Kernstock, an empty ‘dune dock’ at Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore’s scenic overlook (accessed from the Pierce Stocking Scenic Drive), drifts quietly over a sand [...]
Read More alumni, dunes, kirsten kernstock, Leelanau Peninsula, Mark S. Carlson, Sleeping Bear Dunes National LakeshoreRed Trillium – Harbinger of a Michigan Spring
Trilliums of Michigan – Red Trillium Red Trillium of Michigan: After Snow Trillium (T. nivale), “Red Trillium” (T. erectum) is the next trillium species in the Great Lakes region to begin its bloom period. As a result, it’s sometimes referred to as “Wake-robin”. From mid to late April into June, this striking flower of the [...]
Read More Mark S. Carlson, red trillium, Seasonal Photography, Spring, trillium, wildflowers