LOCALadk Magazine

50 Fall 2014 LOCALadk Guest Photographer By John DiGiacomo of Placid Times Photography Hometown: Lake Placid, NY Favorite place to photograph: Baxter mountain in Keene. For such a short hike (approx. 3 miles round trip) the payoff, during all seasons, is spectacular. The ledges of Baxter's summit offer photographers outstanding views of the Great Range, Hurricane mountain, Mt. Marcy, and Keene Valley. There are three trails leading to the summit, the approach from N.Y. 9N being the easiest. This trailhead begins on N.Y. 9N approximately 2 miles from the intersection of N.Y. 9N and N.Y. 73. Most memorable photographic experience: I am on the Board of a local charity (Reason2Smile) that helps fund the Jambo Jipya school and orphanage located in Mtwapa, Kenya. Last year I had the amazing opportunity to do a photo documentary on the school and orphanage. What's in the camera bag: My standard bag, always packed and ready to go, consists of the following: Lowe Pro AW Trekker Backpack, Nikon D800, Nikon 17-35mm, Nikon 24-70mm, Nikon 70-200, Nikon 1.4 Tele converter, Nikon SB-910 flash, Singh-Ray Split ND filters, Gitzo 3541XLS tripod and a Really Right Stuff BH-55 ball head. On long hikes or skis the 24-70mm and 70-200mm lenses are swapped out for a Nikon 28-300mm lens. W hen we had first discussed developing a photography section for LOCALadk, a plethora of ideas quickly came to mind. I thought about some of the biggest challenges I have experienced while teaching workshops and some of the questions I am asked most often. So for this inaugural article, the decision was to focus on a topic that on its surface seems basic, but is not given enough attention by many photographers. That is truly knowing your equipment's capabilities and how and when to use it. Today's DSLR cameras and lenses contain so many features and options, it can be overwhelming. Many people know the basic workings of their cameras, but many features go unused because they don't know what they do or that they even exist. Yet these features can enhance a photographer's creative capabilities. The last thing that any one of us want to do is miss that once in a lifetime shot because we're fumbling with equipment or didn't realize its capabilities or limitations. The purpose of this article is not to get into all the equipment specifics, as this would take several books, but rather how to approach the educational process of learning your equipment. Let's start with your camera's features. While it may be overwhelming at first, there have never been more resources readily available to you. Almost all manufacturers have "how to" videos on their websites. Perform a Google search on "How to use your camera model" and see the number of items that pop up. YouTube is full of "how to" and user setup tips, and certain cameras have books devoted specifically to them. Online training services like Kelby Training and Lynda Training offer monthly and annual subscriptions to their extensive libraries, which are chock full of great tutorials. Many of the larger brands have their own user groups (e.g., Nikon has Nikonians), which can be invaluable resource when dealing with equipment issues. Before venturing out in the field with your new camera or before you use any of the resources noted above, make yourself a pot of coffee, open up your camera's User's Manual and with camera in hand go through each button, dial, menu, and sub-menu one at a time. Once you have completed this process, determine those features that you do not fully understand and start the education process with the Baxter Mountain Sunrise: Knowing that the sun would rise in the middle of the notch over Rt. 9N, looking east from the top of Baxter, I arrived well before sunrise, giving myself ample time to setup. Since the winds were calm, I decided to take advantage of an interesting foreground and capture this as a wide angle HDR image. I set my camera on Auto Exposure Bracketing, one stop increments and a seven image series. (Nikon D800, 17-35mm lens, ISO 320, f20)

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