Jake Peterson’s Blog

If you’re asking yourself why is he blogging a shot of a Northern Cardinal taken in Texas this past June, then you’re not alone. To be honest i was combing through my files and felt like blogging it. However, after looking at it i came up with a better reason for blogging it. I am truly looking forward to my Christmas break, and the reason for that, besides the fact i get to go home, is i am tired of this semester already. It is kicking my butt more ways than I’m going to mention, and thus the photograph cheered me up some. That was all it took.

Images captured with D3, 600f4, Tc-14E, on Lexar UDMA Digital Film

I know i have been doing a lot of landscapes lately, especially with mixing black and whites with the color images i take at each location. Well it’s partly cuz i need more to blog but mostly because I’m working on training myself to see in both perspectives. Now both of these shots have just great color to them and should most likely stay that way. But i started playing around and wanted to see them without that color.

The glow in the top one radiates more than in the color shot and the shape of the rain cloud is brought out more without color. These subtle details are what I’m trying to get used to seeing without having to return to the computer. Just another one of those little personal goals that keep this interesting.

Images captured with D3, 17-55, on Lexar UDMA Digital Film

Since i came to Bozeman all those glorious years ago, i have tried to find good places for shooting sunset that are close by, close being within an hour distance, and have a good vantage point. Well, i haven’t. Every shot i have taken so far for sunset in and around Bozeman has basically been from the side of the road. The real annoyance is that most of the land around the town is private property, those signs are truly agitating. This past weekend was no different.

I went out as usual before the light got good trying to find a place to shoot. I first went up to Hyalite Canyon where i have had some luck in the past. It was not the spot. So in the usaul fashion, i went down a road that i had not been down before. Sunset was looming towards me and i was running out of time. Literally the sun went down in half an hour. I pulled over, got the camera out and started shoot. to my great surprise the light actually worked perfectly to my favor right there by the road. It was nice being in the right spot and the right time for a change. Now where’s the howling wolf!

Images captured with D3, 17-55, 70-300AF-S vr,on Lexar UDMA Digital Film

It’s the time of the year again for the rut. Elk and other ungulates butt heads with each other for dominace and mating rights. Mammoth Hot Springs has been host for the Elk of Yellowstone for decades. It is part of the park that has higher temperatures than most other locations for a longer duration of the year. A couple weeks back after the first heavy weeks of snow, i visited the park hoping that the first snow had pushed the elk into the hot springs area. Well, they weren’t. The number of Elk there was a lot fewer than normal, and this got me thinking. With the wamer winter last year, the wolves moving into the Mammoth area, and the famous #6 dying last winter, what will Elk do this year? Well i don’t know, 2 weeks ago when i went there were some elk and one big boy bull. Smaller than #6 but still a good six pointer. The Blacktail Plateau Wolf Pack was only a mile from Mammoth, all 11 of them and the elk weren’t too concerned. The weather has finally turned to fall, it has warmed up and the snow is mostly gone already. If you’re wondering why i’m going through all this its because they all affect where and what i can photograph,  and is therefore important to keep in mind.

Images captured with D2Hs, 300f4, on Lexar UDMA Digital Film

These were also taken at that same beach. Knowing that the light might not cooperate like i wanted it to, i thought it would be best to take some black & whites considering the available clouds.

For some reason this shot actually makes me think i was at the ocean. One of those moody full moon nights that normally would be good to watch the stars but is quickly covered with a thick cloud cover. Random thought i know but that’s kinda where my thought process is at now a days.

Images captured with D3, 17-55, on Lexar UDMA Digital Film

That’s right even in Montana there are beaches. No babes which is kinda disappointing but there were some photo opps. I went to Kobayashi Beach the other day in hopes for something to shoot for sunset. The morning clouds were great; thin, light puffies that filled the sky. By 3 the sky was filled with yuck. A grey mass of ugly. I hate it when it does that, because it makes finding a sunset spot so hard. This beach is actually an hour away, which isn’t bad but still annoying cuz i don’t know beforehand if it’s far enough away from the yuck. Luckily it was.

If you’re wondering why the overall darker photograph is first, it’s because the light did something kinda interesting, as it usually does. It started getting darker early, the cloud cover was still pretty thick. There was a gap above a below a rather thick cloud. The light was coming through that gap. In the above shot the light was blocked by the cloud and coming through only slightly. Once the sun went down further it shown through and lit up the entire field in front of me. Considering the cloud cover, it wasn’t a bad sunset.

Images captured with D3, 17-55, on Lexar UDMA Digital Film

These were the only shots i took of the fall color this past weekend. The look of the leaves to the snow covered pines was just great, but i fell a little short in showing that beauty. Not really sure what happened, might have just been one of those shots that was better to see and not to take. But then again I’m not great at landscapes so who knows.

Fall color seems to be one of those elements that is hard to get a good shot of. It’s funny cuz one would think with all that color that it would be easy but it really isn’t. Hopefully i’ll find some more to play with before it all disappears. The weather up here is supposedly going to stay cold and wet for a while. Nothing like a white Halloween.

Images Captured with D3, 70-300 AF-S vr, on Lexar UDMA Digital FIlm

A couple miles south of Mammoth Hot Springs is a pass that is absolutely gorgeous. Along this pass is wonderful fall color covered in snow and a large section of granite rocks. I went by these rocks on my way to Norris, i couldn’t decide if i wanted to stop or not. On the way back i thought it would be best to stop. The granite rocks were covered with a light blanket of snow which was originally what caught my eye. As i ventured deeper into the rocks i discovered little pockets of lichens and coloration’s that were too cool to pass up.

These kind of shots i consider to be my Artsy-Fartsy shots. They don’t really have a purpose except to look pretty. They are also images that i have obviously screwed with, purposely trying to bring out the color and patterns in the rock. It’s just fun for me to every now and then screw with these elements. Just one of those things to play with when you’re out getting skunked by the critters.

This is the snow i was talking about. It makes small, light shelves over the rocks. Simple patterns emerge from these pockets of water. Funny thing was, i originally took quite a few images of the rocks covered in snow in the idea that they would be good black & whites. However, upon returning to the computer and some more playing around, i discovered they all looked awful that way. So i stuck with color, what do you know.

Images captured with D3, 70-300 AF-S vr, on Lexar UDMA Digital Film

I was out this past weekend in the one place i seem to spend most of my time when not in school. I was down in Yellowstone looking for critters yet again. I wasn’t very smart about it either cuz i got kinda of sleepy and didn’t get up early. This wasn’t a bad thing I just missed the sheep as they normally come down the hill in the morning, and sure enough that was the case cuz i saw them go back up. Fall has taken a backseat to winter at the moment. Fresh snow blanketed the ground everywhere i looked, the roads are already beginning to close. The road to Norris from the North entrance was open so i thought i would go down that way seeing that i hadn’t gone there before this time of the year. The drive down was beautiful, but quiet. The drive back was equally quiet and beautiful. On the way back north i stopped at Sheepeater Cliff, and upon doing so was greeted by a friend.

A raven followed me, and flew right at the truck as i parked. He promptly flew up onto the hood of my truck, and decided to beg from the bug guard. It was actually rather amusing to me, i was able to get out of the truck without him budging. With the 70-300 in my hand i decided to take a couple shots, since he was right there and since no one photographs ravens. I like them, they have a great shine to them and a lot of character. He turned out to be quite cooperative and as long as he didn’t scratch up my truck, which he didn’t, i had no problem with him sitting there. In fact he was a better subject the the Kestrel i worked earlier. Those birds hate me, especially this one. I walked up slowly, got into position, did everything i was supposed to when approaching a subject, put my eye to the camera, started to focus and what does he do, he looks right at me and flies away before i get a click off. O that’s infuriating, damn evil bird. You know when they do that it’s on purpose. I guess the raven made up for him. Not the same though.

Images captured with D3, 70-300 AF-S vr, on Lexar UDMA Digital Film

I’m still in the mood to post pretty landscapes of trees and color or lack of color. As i said in my last post there isn’t much fall color around Bozeman, which means it takes some looking to find some. Well i did and i was playing around with the two images and thought the B&W versions were kinda interesting. The problem with Aspens in fall color is that everyone has done that shot, looking up the leafs and looking through the trunks. But this is not a bad thing because it makes us work harder to find unique shots. Are mine that unique, meh, it’s something to play with really.

Right now there are a lot of HDR shots of tree trunks and forests floating around. It’s a cool technique to use to capture all the stops of light in a forest, but remembering some of the words of my Dad has said to me, the simplest solution is usually the best one, i feel that a straight shot works just as well. Of course those words are actually a slight differentiation of Occam’s razor, but he didn’t tell me that when i was growing up.

Images captured with D2Hs, 17-55, on Lexar UDMA Digital Film