Binary Emulsion - Photo blog

Local Dogwoods

Doug Otto — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 16:47:13 +0000

I just love Dogwood blooms. So delicate and fleeting, it's a magical flower. When not in bloom it's a rather non-descript tree/bush but for a week or so in spring, they're amazing. I've had a love hate relationship with the dogwood in Yosemite for a of couple years now. The timing of the bloom has proven to be my undoing. Try as I might, I always seem to miss "the peak" by a week or so. Maybe someday I'll get it right.

Steps to becoming a better nature photographer – run the fences

Doug Otto — Tue, 20 Jul 2010 16:30:46 +0000

#3 – Run the fences This is my dog “Hops.” He’s a part terrier, part spaniel mutt that we got from the local roughly 13 years ago. At age 13, he’s basically retired from many of his “dog duties.” Standing diligently at the front door watching for strangers has largely been replaced by sunny naps in [...]

Succulent flowers

Doug Otto — Thu, 15 Jul 2010 16:14:11 +0000

This weeks image is courtesy of another trip through my archives. I’m frequently guilty of picking one or two images, that I like, from a particular shoot and then forgetting to look at the rest. I made this photograph almost exactly 2 years ago but hadn’t processed it until a couple of days ago. These [...]

Morning reflection

Doug Otto — Thu, 08 Jul 2010 19:51:30 +0000

This is another image from my archives. Summer, historically, is the busiest time of the year for my IT job. It’s also the “crowd season” in Yosemite valley. I go to Yosemite to relax and sitting in a traffic jam isn’t my idea of relaxation. What is comes down to is that I don’t spend [...]

Bodie Church – infrared

Doug Otto — Thu, 01 Jul 2010 19:44:40 +0000

(Bodie, CA was a mining town in the Eastern Sierra Nevada mountains. I’ve written about the area previously so if you’d like to know more about it, take a peek here.) Yesterday afternoon, I had lunch with Gary Hart. One of the things that ended up as conversation fodder was image processing. While Gary and [...]

Steps to becoming a better nature photographer – Go to the light

Doug Otto — Fri, 25 Jun 2010 17:28:26 +0000

Step #2 – Go to the light While every genre of photography is technically “all about the light,” sweet light is the Mecca of the landscape photographer. Besides intensity, natural light has color and texture components that often get overlooked. It’s easy to do, and I sometimes find myself falling into the same trap. Magic [...]

Stars over Tenaya Canyon

Doug Otto — Sat, 19 Jun 2010 20:06:13 +0000

In December, I’ll be giving a talk for a local chapter of The Photographic Society of America. They’ve asked me to speak about night photography at their quarterly meeting. In preparation for the talk, I’ve been going through some of my night shots and stumbled on this one. Gary Hart got me hooked on shooting [...]

Nature Photography Day – cont.

Doug Otto — Wed, 16 Jun 2010 16:24:39 +0000

Last week, I posted about NANPA’s Nature Photography Day. The premise is to connect, or reconnect, with the natural world that’s local to you. Too often nature photographers associate “nature” with a location. I freely admit that I’m guilty in that regard. I do so much of my shooting in Yosemite that I often forget [...]

Steps to becoming a better nature photographer

Doug Otto — Wed, 09 Jun 2010 17:17:04 +0000

This article is the first in a series that will augment my regular postings. There is no cookie cutter path to becoming a better nature photographer but there are some things that I see impede photographers and things that I’ve tripped over on my way. #1 – Find your passion If you ever attend a [...]

Next Tuesday is Nature Photography Day

Doug Otto — Tue, 08 Jun 2010 16:48:15 +0000

Next Tuesday, Join the North American Nature Photography Association (NANPA) in recognition of Nature Photography Day. No matter what your skill level, grab your camera and go explore. Even if you’re not a NANPA member, take the day and reconnect with nature in the area where you live. Happy shooting!