Photographing People Outdoors with Off Camera Flash

Photographing people outdoors can be a challenge. Lighting conditions are not always ideal so I carry my flash with me just in case.

This photo shoot we went up to Hatcher Pass near my home and by the time we got there, the sun was behind a mountain. The entire area was cast in shadow so I put together a small off camera flash solution. Since we were hiking around I didn't want umbrellas and stands. I put a STE2 on my hotshoe and gave my wife Meg a Canon 580EX II with a small softbox on it.

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This shows no flash


Flash using the Canon 580EX II


Triggering the 580EX II with the STE2

Hobbits in Alaska?

While looking for another waterfall to photograph, I came across this and knew I had to set up my tripod. Used 3 exposures, Photomatix and Photoshop CS5.

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Using Flash Outdoors

Having fun with the dogs on a bright Alaskan day can lead to very contrasty photos. Sometimes I will throw a flash on to brighten their faces. These were all taken with my Canon 5D mark II with a 430ex flash on the hotshoe. I usually take the flash off of the camera, but with 6 dogs running around I found it safer to leave the flash on the camera.

Notice how evenly their faces are lit and the catch light in their eyes!

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HDR Photo of the Day

Falls near Juneau, Alaska

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Photoshop CS5 HDR

I am trying out the new version of Photoshop CS5. I love the new content aware feature. I do a lot of HDR and tonemapping work so I wanted to compare it with my tool of choice Photomatix.
The first photo is tonemapped in Photomatix using one of my presets. The second photo is done in Photoshop CS5 and its new HDR tool. Both were cleaned up with content aware (hair on sensor) and I used Nik's Color Efex Pro as well.
I think Adobe is finally getting serious about HDR and will give Photomatix a run for its money. I like both photos, but as you can see the Photomatix one is much more saturated and the cloud details are better.
This is my first attempt at Photoshop CS5 HDR tool. More to come I am sure.

Spring Skiing

Took Donner up to Hatcher Pass today for what will probably be the last ski of the year. We had a blast! It was a gorgeous day for skijoring and required only one layer of clothes. Got to love days like that.

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Using Depth of Field to Photograph Dogs

A new dog came into the family recently. My sister-in-law got a new chocolate lab puppy. Of course I had to run over with camera in hand. I pulled out my Canon 70-200 2.8 IS L series lens. I love this fast lens and the depth of field it gives you. The first 2 were shot at f4.5 the others were shot wide open at f2.8.

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Valdez, Alaska

Took a trip to Valdez last week. I drove from my house in Wasilla (about a 5 hour drive). I timed it so I could witness the sunrise on the mountain range about a hour from my house. I was rewarded with some spectacular scenery. All photos are 3 exposure HDR photos tonemapped in Photomatix.

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View from the Glenn Highway


Glenn Highway View

Helicoptered from Valdez into Thompson Pass

Valdez Harbor

Sunset just outside of Valdez

Fun Alaska Style

A lot of people ask me how I can stand living through our Alaska winters. I tell them if you can get a couple winter outdoor hobbies it is easy. I love to cross-country ski and last year we adopted a Siberian Husky into our family. That makes it even more fun. My wife's twin sister is a recreational dog musher and we enjoy outings with her and her dogs. On this excursion, we had 2 dog sleds, a pair of skis, 4 Siberians and a black lab.
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This was my first time skijoring with two dogs. I borrowed Totem to help Donner pull...what fun.I included a one minute video from my point and shoot camera. You will see why I don't carry my 5D outside of my backpack at the end.



Fun Alaska Style from Mike Criss on Vimeo.

Photographing Alaska Moose

This is one of my favorite moose images. I show these three moose coming out of the woods as I drove past them. I had not seen a car for miles so we were pretty alone. Fortunately, I had my camera with my 100-400mm lens right next to me in the truck. I jumped out and snapped several photos as they crossed the road. I was worried about the direction of the sun from behind them, but I like the back-lit effect of this photo.

You don't have to go far to find a moose, but they can disappear in a hurry like these did. Other times, I will find a couple moose bedding down in my backyard...only in Alaska!

I just uploaded 20 moose images to my Zenfolio account here.
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Waterfall HDR

I love waterfalls! I love the challenge of getting that smooth silky look of flowing water. When the weather is bad, I look for a waterfall. This is Salmon Creek Falls just outside of Juneau, Alaska. If you can make it outside of the tourist season, you might be the only one there. I have shot these falls several times and never ran across a single person.

I decided to play with Photomatix settings on this one and like the way it turned out.

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Salmon Creek Falls, Juneau, Alaska

Using Backlighting Effectively

Using backlight can be challenging, but when used correctly it can add depth to your photos.

The sun adds some backlight and depth to this musher

You can also use the sun for the classic silhouette

Used a flash behind and above my nephew and girlfriend to separate them from the background

Backlighting is a very effective way to separate your subject from the background. Your camera will try to underexpose though so you have to play with your metering. Try spot metering and exposure compensation the next time you have a difficult shot.