See my Filter Stacking Video to see the process of how this image was created. Having Fun with Filters by Brian Stamm The weather was cold, the waves choppy, and the eagles were a little inactive on our first day of shooting for the 2013 Reelfoot Lake Camera Club Council of Tennessee outing.  Weather being the fickle thing it is I decided I would opt to do some long shutter shots in order to get an ethereal feel to some of my photographs.  Several in the group asked me what the “stuff” was on the end of my camera.  After showing several in the group the effect I was getting they...

Novice as well as professional photographers can have a lot of fun with changing the shutter speed of their camera. Playing with length of time the shutter is open when taking a photograph can lead to very interesting photographs. Most people are familiar with the “slow water” shots where streams and rivers take on a silky look and provide an almost ethereal feeling. But slow water is just the beginning. There is a lot more that slow shutter speeds can do to help a photographer create that unique piece of art and here’s how to do it. The exposure triangle of photography is aperture,...

Hey all!  Hope your still reading.  I haven’t gotten to post my blogs for several days.  Maybe I can get them posted soon.     Well today was a lot of fun.  Nikki and I got up from our hotel early so we could be to the train station in time.  We had ordered our tickets over the phone on the trip from Monument Valley to make sure we could still get a seat.  I dropped Nikki of at the McDonald’s next to the train station so I could go get the tickets.  I would recommend you get your tickets in advance.  We couldn’t get seats together in the open air car so we opted for the traditional...

As I stated in yesterday’s blog I ended up skipping Sedona.  I needed the sleep.  Nikki and I have been on the go for days.  We decided to head for Durango, Colorado so we could get there sooner and have more time to relax as well as get our train tickets for the next day.  Before we left we decided to try another place in Flagstaff featured in “Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives” called Brandy’s Restaurant and Bakery.  It was breakfast time about 10 a.m. their time and they were full for mid morning in the middle of the week.  I understand why.  The food was really good.  Nikki got Eggs...

Nikki and I got up at a fairly decent hour to get on our way but like all things sometimes it takes a while to get moving. We got out of vegas about 11:00 vegas time.  Bad weather pretty much followed us most of the day. We got to the Grand Canyon and it was overcast and you couldn’t see as far as you would hope.  As I started to the canyon it started raining, I didn’t even take my tripod.  I had my camera tucked in my shirt to keep it as dry as possible.  So my photos won’t be the best.  I have to say it is an amazing spectacle to behold.  It was pretty cool there too, I think Nikki...

I got up this morning and knowing I had to pick up Nikki at the airport in Vegas about 4:00 (6:00pm Central).  So I decided to go to Nelson, Nevada. Nelson is an old mining town now turned ghost town.  People do live there but the “town” is mostly a mix of scattered residences with dilapidated structures in between.  Just beyond this is a general store and more structures renascent of the old west and similar to the feeling of a Madmax movie.  This is where you can go and photograph.  The proprietor of the store and surrounding area will let you wonder the property for a fee of $10 an hour. ...

If there is one thing that made this whole trip worth while it was the antelope canyons in Page, Az.  Even without a camera the slots are spectacular.  If your not photographing I would recommend the Upper Canyon they say it is easier to navigate.  There are some squeezes that make a fat guy have to suck in his belly also it wouldn’t be good for someone with ankle or knee issues.  It is hard to take a bad photo in the canyon if you look for the light.  The lighting in the canyon continually shifts throughout the day so if a spot you like isn’t lit well it probably will be later.   I...

I slept in a bit at the Bob and Bon Inn in Kanab, Utah.  My feet were killing me from the hike in the narrows at Zion.  It was well worth the soreness but I would have been better off to remember to take dry shoes and dry shorts.  Fortunately my camera shirts at Natural Gear shirts you can get at Sam’s Club and they dry very quickly and are vented well too.  If your hiking at all I recommend them highly.   I headed for Page, AZ they are doing construction on the Highway 89 between Kanab and Page so there were some delays getting to Page for the photography tours.  Page is on Pacific...

Wouldn’t you know it?  I ended up getting up and getting to Zion National Park at sunrise to find the major shot I wanted to take is a sunset shot.  That is lack of research and planning on my part.  It doesn’t really matter though because its not just about the destination or getting the perfect shot.  As much as I would always love to capture some iconic shots sometimes you just not their at the right time.  In those cases you just have to be happy with what you can get and enjoy the scenery.   Another thing I wanted to do while I was at Zion was to hike the narrows.  About...

Today I ended up staying at the Knights Inn in Richfield longer then I probably should have.  I slept in and therefore missed sunrise and any spectacular sunrise photo opportunities.  It was a clear blue sky and I knew there wouldn’t be a lot of interest in the sky and more likely then not a good chance of deep shadows and blown out highlights.  So I opted for staying in at the motel to take advantage of the Wifi connection there.  By the way if it seems I am changing present/past tense a lot it is because it may be the next day before I write the blog for the day in question, so I am trying...