photography by wasim.

Tag: mirrorless

My First Month With My New Number 1 – The Samsung NX1!

This is it. This is the one. I’ve found the one! Actually, the one found me! The Samsung NX1. If you’ve been holding out on investing in the mirrorless market because of your trepidations as far as performance as compared to traditional DSLRs, now’s the time to let go. It’s been exactly a year since Samsung invited me into their Imagelogger program, and in that short year, everything changed. I mean everything. I will admit, at first, it was an excuse to get out and create with new tools and have fun doing it. It started a little over a year ago with the NX300, and every few months, we graduate to a new camera and new lenses. We went to the NXMini, then the NX30, then the NX3000, and with each subsequent step, I find myself using my trusty Nikon gear less and less and less and less. Little did I expect that in a year’s time, they would be taking over my entire photographic arsenal, causing me to all but abandon my Nikon equipment (and once I get a wireless strobe system worked out for this thing for the my architectural work, my bread and butter, that’ll make the transition complete). But here’s a quick account of my first month with this 28 megapixel beast, the Samsung NX1.

The NX1 showed up at my door just in time for Thanksgiving weekend, which was perfect as my family and I decided to do something a bit different this year, and took a road trip to spend the holiday out in Sedona, Arizona. Not a bad place to properly break in what Outdoor Photographer calls “our choice for the top APS-C mirrorless camera for nature photography” in its December issue, and what Digital Trends is claiming “Our favorite camera of 2014 isn’t a Canon, Nikon or Sony, it’s Samsung’s NX1.”

The first thing I noticed when I took it out of the box was the build. It felt like a solid piece of machinery, carefully sculpted from a chunk of magnesium alloy. And it was beautiful. As soon as I put my hands on the NX1, I had no problem getting acquainted with the layout and the controls. They’ve definitely done their homework and made this thing as intuitive as humanly possible. The insanely user friendly menu system doesn’t hurt either!! And the fact that this is my first dust and splash proof camera made me very happy as I spend a lot of my time in the outdoors. This thing simply just feels good to hold.

The second thing I noticed upon my first few shots was the auto-focus. Yes, that comes as no surprise seeing as how it has an ungodly insane amount of autofocus points. I’m not going to use this post to go through all the technical brouhaha, that’s everywhere and anywhere else, but I will say, with a sensor that’s practically covered edge to edge with autofocus points, the results are immediately noticeable. For comparison’s sakes, while the Canon 7D Mark III has 65, the NX1 has over 200. Yup. That’s no typo. 205 to be exact. So yeah…this thing is quick! I will say that when I first used a few of the NX lenses, it did hunt for a few seconds, but timely firmware updates quickly fixed any of those issues. The auto-focus on all the lenses are now smooth like butter and faster than any camera I’ve had to date.

The third thing I noticed was the color rendering. Spot on! The vibrancy and the warmth and accuracy of what I was capturing as compared to what I was seeing was wonderful. It made using this camera such a joy, giving me the confidence in knowing that I wasn’t going to have to do much post processing to realize my vision. Everything looked the way I wanted it to look and, as any photographer will tell you, there’s no better feeling.

The fourth thing I noticed was another bit made possible by more of that technical stuffs…the BSI, or back-side illuminated sensor. Basically, because the entire front side of the sensor is free of any obstructions, for the first time in an APS-C sensor camera, the entire face of the sensor is available to collect light. What the heck does this mean? Low noise, and great detail in shadows in your images is what that means. Not to mention being able to shoot in very little light at high ISOs. I mean, I’d cringe whenever I had to push the iso past 1600 or so on my Nikon D7000, hoping in the back of my mind that I renewed my noise-reduction software license, but with this thing, I’m jumping up to iso2500, or even 3000 without even flinching! Not only that, I was truly blown away by its ability to focus in insanely low light situations. The mix of the sensor and a crazy looking auto-focus assist light that is based on patterns that almost look like a bar-code, allowing the camera to better detect contrast, are almost infallible.

The part of this camera that I haven’t yet fully tested is the highly touted 4k video capabilities. I’ll make another post about that soon as I’m currently working on some videos with it so will have a better grasp on it all. I will say that the few moving images I’ve pulled from this thing, coupled with the focusing system, have me confident enough to be using it as my main camera on an upcoming paid video gig. One thing that really impressed me was the inclusion of both a headphone jack as well as mic jack, something not quite found in most other video-capable DSLR style cameras. And that swivel screen is going to come in handy for those low menacing angles without ending up with a kink in my neck!

Also worth mentioning is something that Samsung has taken and run with…the wireless connectivity. Their SMART features are incredible. I was able to transfer an image to my phone, edit it, and post it on Facebook, Google+, and Instagram, as well as email the image to my family in the field in Sedona, all within less than 2 minutes. It was crazy. Try that with your DSLR.

So I can’t say that when I was invited into the Samsung Imagelogger program, I had any idea this was coming. I thought it’d be a few good cameras and some fun and some new friends and some fresh inspiration. Little did I know I’d be part of a group and working with a company that is innovating beyond all other traditional camera manufacturers. Not only that, but they’re actually listening to us to make their products even better, and, to my complete joy, it was apparent in a recent firmware update that helped back-button focusing photographers transition to the camera seamlessly. We gave our feedback and within less than two weeks, an update was ready. That’s unheard of! Needless to say, Samsung has gone and done it…they’ve accomplished their mission, and got me to Ditch The DSLR. And once I get one of their new Premium S-Series lenses in my hands? Fuggggeeddabbbadittt!

Ok, so now all the words and things out of the way, here are some of my favorite images from my first month with the

Samsung NX1

. And when you finally convince yourself to hit ‘buy’ at Amazon, try to remember to

use this link

or the Amazon search box on the right column. And that works for anytime you shop on Amazon, not just for the items described here. It’s no difference to you, but it helps me keep things running on this site to bring content like this to you.

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January 6, 2015
I’ve Finally Assembled My Perfect Hiking And Backpacking Camera Kit

If you’ve ever gone on an extended hike or backpacking trip, you know that every single ounce of weight counts. An extra strip of beef jerky may not seem like a lot sitting in your pocket at home, but you WILL notice and feel every single gram of it as the sun-scorched miles move beneath your boots. So when you’re packing for such a trip, weight and consideration and bare essentials are a constantly compromised necessity, and, obviously, for photographers, food and clean socks come in a distant second to camera gear. Lucky for us photographers, the new breed of mirrorless systems has changed EVERYTHING. Gone are the days of having to trudge 10-15 pounds of DSLR gear and lenses to get solid professional high-quality images. Now you can make top-shelf images AND pack an entire bag of beef jerky.
As I prepared to pack for a 5-day, 45-mile backpacking excursion into the Sierras, I was absolutely thrilled at how much lighter my pack already was since last year’s adventures through 3 National Parks, and especially the year before that, when I lugged around that same full Nikon D7000 kit through 22, 104-degree Grand Canyon miles on the way into Havasupai, Arizona. Ouch. Ouch. OUCH! While, unfortunately, this month’s Sierra backpacking trip got cancelled due to unforeseen circumstances in the group, I still thought it’d be valuable to share what I had already packed and was prepared to take.

First, here’s the bulk of the Nikon D7000 kit that I had with me both for the Havasupai trip and for the National Park trip. Basically, the kit I’ve been used to traveling with:

Nikon D7000 Body (APSC CMOS Sensor): 1 lb, 8 oz.

Nikkor 18-200 Lens: 1 lb, 4 oz.

Nikkor 35mm Lens: 7 oz.

Tokina 11-16mm Lens: 1.2 lbs

Manfrotto 190xb Tripod with Manfrotto 486RC2 Ballhead: 5 pounds

Filters, Filter Holders, Extra batteries, USB charging brick: 1 pound

TOTAL: 10.5 LBS.

Now, for comparison’s sakes, here’s what I had packed this time:

Samsung NX30 Body (APSC CMOS Sensor): .8 pound

Samsung NX3000 Body (APSC CMOS Sensor): .5 pound

Samsung 18-200mm lens: 1.27 pounds

Samsung 12-24mm lens: 7.3 oz

Dolica TX570B150SL Travel Tripod: 2.5 pounds

Filters, filter holders, extra batteries, USB charging brick: 10 oz.

TOTAL: 6.1 LBS.

And here they are side by side, with the respective lenses mirroring each other. Look at the size differences alone in the Samsung kit on the bottom row versus the Nikon kit on the top row, especially in the lenses and the bodies:

So as you can see, that is not only literally a savings of almost half the weight, but it also includes AN EXTRA CAMERA BODY. Heck, both camera bodies together weighed less than the single DSLR. Granted, the tripod alone also saved me 2.5 pounds on it’s own. So yeah, needless to say, between this revelation, and my recent mirrorless-only trip to the Pacific Northwest, my DSLR traveling days are well behind me. Add the benefit of bright OLED displays and Wifi capabilities on the Samsung NX30 and Samsung NX300, allowing me to use my phone as a trigger or high res monitor as well, and there’s really no reason left to go back.

Adapt or die…or, at the very best, adapt or suffer through a bad back…orrrrr better yet…suffer through that bad back by packing an extra 4 pounds of jerky!

Mmmm…jerky…

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August 19, 2014
A Surprise Journey Through The Range Of Light – The Eastern Sierra Nevadas – Part 3: Mono Lake

Day 3 of this unplanned impromptu journey into the Eastern Sierras thing was a tough choice. While I was happy with what I got in Yosemite’s Tuolumne Meadows yesterday, now that I knew the lay of the land a bit better, it couldn’t hurt to head back again, which I would have been absolutely HAPPY to do. However, I was also dangerously close to Mono Lake, California, another one on the bucket list, so I had to decide whether to turn this into 2 days of Tuolumne or 1 day of each, Tuolumne and Mono Lake, both of which, in my opinion, would have been WIN! I know, I know, tough decisions… But ultimately, the side of me that loves new things chose Mono Lake, figuring that, since the job got botched, I’d most likely be back up here again soon, so I’ll get another shot (major pun intended).

Once again, I left the motel in Mammoth Lakes around 4. Seeing as how Mono Lake was only about 30 minutes from Mammoth, I figured I’d have a solid 2 hours to get the lay of the land, find my shot, set up, and hang out. I drove through Lee Vining, stopped at the visitor center to find out how to get to the Tufas, the landmark landscape of the lake, made a mini-detour to the ‘Upside Down House,’ (don’t ask…here’s the photo and the sign, which I haven’t even read…kinda don’t want to ruin the desert rat mystique of this one…), and drove the 10 or so miles to the section of the lakeside I was going to call home for the next several hours.

I parked in the lot, and started walking down the path towards the shore, and the closer I got, the weirder everything started to get. There was a moment there where the wooden footpath ended, and the sand began, and it literally seemed like that one step took you from Earth, to Mars. These geological formations were the weirdest fricking things I’ve ever seen with my own eyes. I thought the hoodoos in last years trip to Bryce Canyon were from another planet, but these things just took things to a whole ‘nother galaxy.

Apparently what they are are dried up hot springs. The calcium-rich springs come out of the ground, pushing through the limestone, mixes with calcium carbonate, creating what are essentially, underwater hot spring volcanoes that eventually calcify and leave these…things…behind. While they’re naturally created over millennia, and happen underwater, the water level at Mono Lake has dropped so much since water diversions began in 1941, that it has exposed the wonders of the tufas for the world to see.

And those, my friends are what grace the top of this post and the gallery below. All of those images were also shot on a Samsung NX30 using a Samsung 18-200mm lens.

I hope you enjoyed my posts from this random trip at least a fraction of how much I enjoyed making them.

If you missed the first two parts, here they are:

Part 1: Mammoth Lakes
Part 2: Tuolumne Meadows, Yosemite National Park

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August 12, 2014
6 Travel Photography Lessons Learned On My Recent Trip To The Pacific Northwest

So as many of you know, I embarked on a nature and travel photography trip this past Spring to the Pacific Northwest, and I’ve shared all those pictures here and all my social outlets. This so happened to be my first photo trip in which I left the DSLR behind and employed mirrorless cameras exclusively, namely, the Samsung NX30. While this post will forgo all the reasons behind that (click here if you want to see those posts of that journey), now that the dust has settled and some time has passed, I’ve been able to reflect a bit on the incredible experience, which has proven to be a personal milestone in many ways in my photographic journey. So I figured I’d take this opportunity to share with you a few of the lessons I learned on that trip:

1. Make A List – It always seems like a good idea to make a list of the shots and images you’d like to come back with. When you’re planning for a trip, especially if it’s somewhere you’ve never been, it would do you good to do a bit of research, whether you Google the location, or visit sites like 500px and Google Plus to search for images from that location. It’ll give you a great idea of what to expect, what to look for, how the weather can alter the look of the images, what you like, what you don’t.

2. Throw That List Out – The main reason for me making that list was basically to get it out of my system. It’s almost like pre-visualizing a conversation with someone – it’s impossible, and more often than not, it doesn’t go at ALL the way you had it in your head. It’s great to have the ideas and a foundation in your head to work from, but once you’re on location, your eye is going to dart around and see things you never planned for. And this is a good thing. I mean, do you really want to return with the same images you already saw all over those sites? Really?

3. Work It – Never EVER settle on the first shot or angle. In other words, yes, trust your eye in the sense that something made you stop and look. Something was behind whatever it was that caught your attention. And sure, stop, set up, take the shot. Indulge. But no joke, every time I found myself in front of something that caught my attention for whatever reason, it was NEVER the first shot that I took that ended up being my favorite. I ducked, dodged, leaned in, got on the ground, climbed a tree, switched positions, got behind bushes, wrestled with spider webs, balanced on an unbalanced rock, everything I could to make whatever it was that caught my eye even more attention grabbing. Sometimes you don’t have the luxury of time on your side, but in most cases, if you can find time to snap one shot, you can usually find time to try at least try 2 or 3 different angles or approaches. If you’re with people that get annoyed by your practicing your ‘art,’ surprise them later with a beer at dinner. You’ll see how quickly they get over it.

4. Marinate – Let the images come to you. Just because I’m somewhere with a camera does not mean I need to make a picture. As a matter of fact, it was when I just sat back and soaked in my environments that I was truly able to get the best feel for the location we were in. Sure, I’ll usually spend the first few minutes antsier than a flock of fleas, but once that part passes, you almost get into a meditative, relaxed state in which your mind goes out of its way to tell you ‘it’s ok.’ And you can’t help but agree. It is OK. The tree canopy above ended up being one of my favorite images from the entire trip and this wouldn’t have happened if I didn’t take a break, put down my camera, and take a mini-catnap on a picnic bench in the middle of the forest.

5. Have Fun! – Don’t forget why you’re doing this to begin with – fun. Don’t lose sight of that. You’ll get caught up in it and at times frustration will set in and it’ll feel like the world revolves around that very shot or not getting it right or why can’t I get this? Well, it doesn’t. The world truly doesn’t give a hot nor a cold damn. It’s just you. Only you. No one else but you. After all, no one, other than yourself, even knows that image doesn’t exist yet because, well, it doesn’t! So you’re literally stressing out over nothing. Literally. Stop, breath, meditate on the mantra ‘have fun’ for a few minutes. After all, who the hell wants to work?

6. Details! Don’t forget the details! It’s easy to get overwhelmed by big scenes and subjects, especially if it’s your first time around them. Instinct seems to dictate to try to capture on your sensor as much of that scenes as possible. I want the river with the trees with the mountains with the rock with the acorns with the elk with the other tree and oh…oh…oh…that barn! Oh that barn!! Well, that’s all fine and dandy, and, as expressed in tip #3, shoot it! But don’t settle on that. Now that you got that off your shoulders, get creative. Move in, focus just on the details. If I got that shot as described above, chances are high that once you (or someone else) viewed the image, you wouldn’t know where to rest your eyes. If you just get the elk next to the barn, or the river with the tree, or the hinges on the barn door, the focal points become much clearer, providing a much more pleasant, and imagination-inducing viewing experience. A great example is the fern in the image above. It was surrounded by a picture perfect waterfall and a cave and a cliff and gorgeous moss-covered trees, but once it came down to it, it was the fern that really had my attention, so once I focused solely on that, I was happy with the shot. The rest of it came in a different shot, the one on the right, which, again, focused on the detail of the moss covered tree and the waterfall behind it.

So I hope you were able to get something out of this. It all might seem like common sense, but once you’re out in the field, especially in unfamiliar locations, every single one of your six senses (yup, six, I’m one of those guys) hits overdrive and all common sense is typically thrown out the window bit by byte. But if you just focus on these six things, Make A List, Throw That List Out, Work It, Relax, Have Fun, and Details, you’re bound to come back with several keepers that you’ll be proud to share.

Feel free to share your experiences below and what works for you and what doesn’t.

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July 1, 2014
DSLR? What DSLR? Oh How Quickly We Forget – A Mirrorless Camera Pacific Northwest Photo Trip – The Epilogue

So this is just a quick wrap-up post to the Pacific Northwest Photo Trip series. As you all know by now, I have been fortunate enough to be chosen as one of 50 Samsung Imageloggers, essentially, a brand ambassador for Samsung’s line of mirrorless camera systems. And as you know by now, this is the first trip in which I battled with myself beforehand on whether or not to bring the DSLR I’m so used to and that has been the crux of my work for several years. And, well, I was pushed by my peers to challenge myself…so I did.

Well, as the previous 7 parts to series have illustrated, I had absolutely NO problem adjusting to the Samsung NX30, and there was not a single moment on the entire trip that I had wished I brought my trusty Nikon DSLR system. As a matter of fact, a bit of the unexpected happened. The guy I was with, who had flown me out to help him on the video project, had an entire Canon 5D Mark III kit with a variety of L-Series lenses on hand, but as soon as he got a hold of the NX30, ended up spending the rest of the time envious of the lack of weight I was carrying and the results I was getting out of this thing. While he might start searching for other mirrorless options in the full-frame sensor range for his purposes, the point is, he is now considering a mirrorless system.

Anyhow what you see above, as you’ve probably noticed this time, is a video. It’s nothing special, there’s no narrative, no story. It’s just simply a series of clips from some of the various locations we were in that you saw the pictures in the last 6 installments of this series from. A small sample of the sights…the sounds…the colors – all taken on the Samsung NX30 mirrorless camera. Being an ex-video guy myself, I was curious to see the quality of the video feature set as well as the still image quality. I was not disappointed. (Make sure to click the little gear wheel and choose to watch in HD quality!)

As far as the pictures, I’ve dropped them all into the madness of one random scrolling gallery below. Enjoy. And thanks for following along with the series. In case you missed them and would like to read the words behind the pictures, here are the links from the beginning:

Part 1 – To DSLR Or Not To DSLR? That Is The Question

Part 2 – Going Green. And Greener. And Greenest

Part 3 – Guided By The Youth (And All The Purty Colors)

Part 4 – Cheez Whizzed In Stumptown

Part 5 – Flanked By Firs And Braving The Bridge

Part 6 – From The Majesty Of Mother Nature To The Glory Of The Human Soul

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May 28, 2014
From The Majesty Of Mother Nature To The Glory Of The Human Soul – A Mirrorless Camera Pacific Northwest Photo Trip – Part 6

Today is the day that the first part of this trip ends and the second part begins, and it switches gears a bit. While the connection to Mother Earth has been the primary focus for the past 7 days, the next several days focus on the connection to the beauty of the human emotion. If you follow me on Google+ or Facebook, you might recall a post about a month or so ago about a close friend – one of the strongest, purest, most beautiful warrior souls I’ve ever known was diagnosed with ovarian cancer. She rushed into surgery soon thereafter and she began chemotherapy the very week we were up in Pacific Northwest. Seeing as how she was with her family just across the state in Spokane, Washington to begin her battle with the ‘big evil,’ I jumped on the opportunity to take the 7-hour Amtrak journey from Portland to spend a few days with her, as I haven’t seen her since my trip to Colorado last year, where she was living at the time.

So with a few hours to kill before the train I headed into downtown Portland for breakfast and a short walk before arriving at Union Station to board the train, one that took me on an incredibly stunning journey-by-rail across the states of Oregon and Washington. A particularly memorable moment was as the sun was setting on my side of the train, it was gently draping the face of the beautiful girl sitting across the aisle from me. After a bit of hesitation and looking back and forth – sun – her face – sun – her face – and before it got too creepy, I asked her if I could take a portrait. She smiled, said yes, and I was able to snap one I was happy with before the sun dropped behind the hills.

I arrived in Spokane close to midnight, where my friend’s father picked me up from the train station and drove us back to their house. She was already asleep, so I just peeked in, whispered hello for a few moments, and retired to the guest room. The next 3 days were an absolutely wonderful 72 hours spent together!! It started the next morning when I found myself in what might be the country’s largest organized garage sale – it was literally an entire neighborhood, perhaps 5 by 5 blocks, in which just about every single house was having a ‘rummage’ sale. And they do this ever year. The streets were full of people – this thing was a proper event!

After that, we headed to one of her favorite restaurants in town, PhoVan Vietnamese, before a quick drive-through tour of downtown Spokane, which included an incredibly informative educational session from my friend’s father, a Washington Water & Power veteran, of the dam and power plant that constitute the centerpiece of the city. The family then decided it would be a good idea to head up to their river house about an hour away along Priest River, Idaho, so, well, we packed up some food, grabbed the cat and dog, and off to the river house we go (I’ve always wanted to say that!). After soaking in the sunset in the backyard along the river, we went out for Mexican food, came back, popped in a movie and just chillaxed the evening away together.

The next morning, apparently they had scheduled me to get out on the 4-wheelers for a mini tour of the region. We rode through rain, hail, snow, sun, wind, and more rain for a solid 2 or 3 hours through the mountain ranges flanking Priest River and straddling the Canadian border. It was invigorating! Afterwards, we embarked on a little drive to a small town called Sandpoint for lunch before heading back into Spokane. Their entire family came over that evening, sister, brother-in-law, and nieces, for a home-cooked dinner, some drinks, and some laughs.

We spent the following day together, just me and her, just driving around, walking around, talking, catching up, and eventually grabbing a late lunch and smoothie before she dropped me off at the Spokane airport for my return flight to Los Angeles.

Those 72 hours were some of the most meaningful 72 hours I’ve spent with a friend in years. It’s when you’re put in a situation where mortality cannot be ignored that your guard is put down and all inhibitions are thrown out the window in order to embrace the beauty and valuable essence of the human animal…accept and embrace how vital it is to the survival of the healthy human psyche. It amazes me how certain situations can unearth a soft and vulnerable human side that so rarely seems to make its way to the surface in an otherwise hardened and mostly paranoid world we’ve managed to manifest over the past several generations.

The irony is, sensitive empathy is always there.

Just lurking.

Begging for and jumping at the first opportunity to show itself.

Here I am in a family’s home that I’ve never met before in my life, and I, with a name and background being quite an oddity in these parts, was completely embraced with warmth and trust and hospitality that, sadly, is so often dismissed as a lost commodity in our ‘modern’ day and age. It was all shoved aside, a minor detail in the bigger picture – the humanity that lies behind the subjective facade. To be accepted and embraced with such warmth and vigor was a beautiful thing and something I will never forget…rather, search for the first opportunity I can to pay it forward. Because of their daughter, this savory reality was realized.

In any case, there’s no doubt in my mind that she’s going to make it through and destroy the core of this awful fucking disease, I know it, she knows it, we all know it, but the fact alone that she has to go through it plays testament to the fact that life isn’t exactly…well…fair. At the same time, I can’t help but simultaneously think…perhaps it’s people like her whom are challenged with this thing in order to provide hope to those that need to dig for deeper strength to destroy the vile gotcha…showing them that the power of the human spirit is truly a force to be reckoned with –

to help make a strong person stronger and a weak person strong.

With that, I’ll leave you with some images from those last few days of the trip. Thank you SO much to those who have followed along and joined me on this adventure. If you’ve missed the first several parts of this wondrous journey through the great Pacific Northwest, here they are:

Part 1 – To DSLR Or Not To DSLR? That Is The Question

Part 2 – Going Green. And Greener. And Greenest

Part 3 – Guided By The Youth (And All The Purty Colors)

Part 4 – Cheez Whizzed In Stumptown

Part 5 – Flanked By Firs And Braving The Bridge

And Lori, I love you! Now beat this thing and get back to Colorado where you belong!!

May 25, 2014
Flanked By Firs And Braving The Bridge – A Mirrorless Camera Pacific Northwest Photo Trip – Part 5

For the final couple of days, we returned to some of the same general areas we were at the first couple of days. This time it was raining fairly heavily and didn’t let up, so we took this opportunity to actually capture scenes with the pitter patter of the rain hitting the leaves of the trees on it’s way down, the drops dancing on the miniature tide pools and ponds surrounding the river. After a few hours playing around on the riverbank bordering Lucia Falls, we decided to head across that bridge you saw in the second post in this series near Moulton Falls, and we got on the other side of the river, which ended up just being another magical playground of various floras and faunas flanked by a grove of douglas firs.

We noticed that the sun was starting to peek out a bit, just in time for magic hour, and since we had wrapped what we needed here, got back on the road to see if we could find a meadow or somewhere we can play with the sunbeams we were being gifted. We started to run out of usable light just as we were coming up on an idyllic barn on a property off the road. We pulled in, hoping to ask the owners if we can play around for a bit, but couldn’t find anyone. I couldn’t help myself though, and jumped out of the car to play a bit with an oak tree in the middle of the field, but, before I can get anything usable off, a truck was pulling up to us and the proprietor jumped out.

I apologized, explained we were working on a project, he was cordial yet understandably wished we had asked permission. “What would you do if you found me randomly poking around in your backyard?” he asked. Without thinking, I responded with “Well, depends. Are you a photographer?” Before I could feel like too much of an ass, he responded with “sometimes, yes, I am.” Once I saw he had a sense of humor, I responded with “well, then I suppose I’d be OK with it.” He chuckled, gave us his card, and invited us to return anytime (granted we asked first…). Fair enough. Not a bad closing to what has been an incredibly ridiculous adventure.

What we’ve seen and what we’ve done is something that every person alive should be able to experience at some stage in their lives. Travel is always rewarding, especially when you find yourself in places you’ve never dreamed were real, and to think that this is less than a 3 hour flight away from home is beyond me. There is simply nothing like getting away from everything you know, letting go of control, and seeing where the journey decides to take you. In an age where it’s all too easy to get wrapped up in our own worlds and our own heads, this was just another necessary reminder that there is life outside of that, and, well, it’s quite wonderful.

Here are a few of my favorites from the last couple of days of this part of the trip, all of which were taken on the Samsung NX30.

And click here to read Part 6 – From The Majesty Of Mother Nature To The Glory Of The Human Soul

If you missed the first few parts, here are the links.

Part 1 – To DSLR Or Not To DSLR? That Is The Question

Part 2 – Going Green. And Greener. And Greenest

Part 3 – Guided By The Youth (And All The Purty Colors)

Part 4 – Cheez Whizzed In Stumptown

For more of my madness: Instagram: @wasimofnazareth Twitter: @wasimofnazareth Google+: www.Google.com/+WasimMuklashy Facebook: www.Facebook.com/WasimOfNazareth

May 13, 2014
Cheez Whizzed In Stumptown – A Mirrorless Camera Pacific Northwest Photo Trip – Part 4

So we decided that day 4 was going to be our “takin’ it ‘easy for all them sinners” day (extra points if you get that reference…). After charging it pretty hard the past 3 days from sunup to well past sundown, we were understandable a bit groggy this morning so decided to sort of ease ourselves into the day and let the day play out on its own, especially since we had already got more footage than we expected in the can. We decided to play it close to home and started off by heading into the Forest Hills Park that spoons the city of Portland from the west side. For what we were looking for, it was perfect. It’s a popular hiking, biking, and walking haven for the city’s residents and the morning’s precipitation gave it a polished saturated gleen that we used to our advantage. We were able to capture a few shots we had on the checklist for the video portion, and I managed to snap a few more stills on my new trusty sidekick, the Samsung NX30.

After that, we headed into downtown Portland for a much needed cup o’ coffee at the award-winning Stumptown Coffee Roasters, and, well, it was pretty apparent that whatever award it was…was well-deserved. An absolutely perfect cappuccino and a vegan Peanut Butter bar sidekick that came highly recommended by the staff, on a barstool at the window, looking out on Portland’s rainy Southwest Stark Street. Yup, that’ll do. We took the opportunity to lazily talk over the shotlist and a tentative game plan for the next few days before walking over to 10th and Washington, one side of a half block that is essentially a mobile food cart mall. I meandered a bit checking out the myriad of culinary offerings but once I noticed “we use real Cheez Whiz” on the ‘Steak Your Claim’ Philly Cheesesteak cart, I was sold.

Since we knew last couple of days were going to be just as full as the first few, we figured this was a good time to call it day and head back to home base and begin editing and sorting through some of the stuff from earlier in the week and, other than a few portrait snaps of our host’s insanely adorable daughter (can you blame me!?), that was that. I mean, after a Cheez Whiz drenched Philly Cheesesteak…well…there isn’t going to be much more physical movement going on…and we were SOOOO okay with that.

Click here to read the next post, “Part 5 – Flanked by Firs and Braving The Bridge.”

And if you missed the first three, CLICK HERE to start at the beginning…

For more of my madness: Instagram: @wasimofnazareth Twitter: @wasimofnazareth Google+: www.Google.com/+WasimMuklashy Facebook: www.Facebook.com/WasimOfNazareth

May 6, 2014
Guided By The Youth (And All The Purty Colors) – A Mirrorless Camera Pacific Northwest Photo Trip – Part 3

The second complete day of this thing was a bit of a lesson in just going with the flow and seeing where it takes you, even if it means thwarting your original vision and plans, especially when conditions that are beyond your control dictate those decisions.

The plan was to hook up with local photography phenom Lijah Hanley, the guy I mentioned in the last post (you MUST check out this guy’s work, and while you do, trip out on the fact that he’s still only 18…). The idea was he was going to take us to a hillside covered in cherry blossoms that was overlooking Mount Hood that he had scouted for us the week before. We had visions of pink petals falling with a snowy mountain top in the distance dancing through our heads. However, once we got there, what were ripe blossoms a week before, had already gone and morphed into white flower buds under a very gloomy sky, rendering the scene flat and unusable for our purposes. However, one innate skill photographers seem to have is relishing in improvisation, and even at age 18, Lijah led us on a journey to another location not too far away.

Since these were essentially his stomping grounds, we had Lijah take the lead and the backup destination he led us to was a field of balsam root, a variety of sunflowers, that apparently only bloom for a few weeks out of the year, so in this sense, we got lucky. We found ourselves wandering across acres of sunflower and wildflower laden hillside, capturing the very shots we needed for the project (and, of course, a few stills of my own…). After a couple of hours, we were approached by the owner of the property. Unbenownst to us, we were trespassing. (Oops. We thought that fence was to keep the elk out!) But thankfully, no one came chasing us with a shotgun, he simply expressed his wish that we ask next time, and then asked if we’d be kind enough to send him a few pictures. I snapped a quick portrait, and he was on his way. While the property owner was completely ok with us continuing to wander on his hillside, we were ready to move onto the next location, so packed up our gear and headed out as well.

After inhaling a damn tasty pepperoni and jalapeño pie at Andrew’s Pizza in Hood River, Oregon, the next stop Lijah led us to was Horsetail & Ponytail Falls along the Columbia River Gorge, essentially the borderline between Washington and Oregon. This was, not surprisingly, insanely gorgeous. Prime Pacific Northwest rainforest, replete with ferns and moss and waterfalls and pools and rivers and streams and slugs, was staring us right in the face. And it was overwhelming. Anything that was filmed in ‘The Shire,’ could EASILY have taken place in this lush chunk of Oregon country. Every single shade of green imaginable existed here, and as soon as we saw the destination Lijah was leading us to, we knew we weren’t going anywhere else today – Ponytail Falls – a waterfall that cascades over a cave that allowed you to walk behind the fall, in front of the fall, alongside the fall. The trail horseshoed around the backend of it, providing both shelter and an awesome view from the backend of a waterfall that few get to see or experience. And we certainly relished in it. Below are some of the images from this part of the journey.

If you’re ready for part 4, “Cheez Whizzed In Stumptown,” click HERE.

And if you missed the first few parts of this adventure and would like to catch up, here are the links:

Part 1 – A Pacific Northwest Photo Trip : To DSLR Or Not To DSLR? That Is The Question.

Part 2: A Pacific Northwest Photo Trip : Going Green. And Greener. And Greenest. (And Mirrorless).

Oh, and for those of you keeping tabs…another day goes by in which that Nikon kit wasn’t even thought of. This Samsung NX30 continues to kick butt!

For more of my madness: Instagram: @wasimofnazareth Twitter: @wasimofnazareth Google+: www.Google.com/+WasimMuklashy Facebook: www.Facebook.com/WasimOfNazareth

May 2, 2014
Going Green. And Greener. And Greenest. – A Mirrorless Camera Pacific Northwest Photo Trip – Part 2

So this was the first full day of this thing, and the weather forecast told us it was going to be 100% chance of rain. Not exactly what we wanted to hear, but, well, that part of things we can’t control. We headed out to our first location anyway to see what would happen, and the fact that it was hailing and there was ice induced accidents on the side of the road were not encouraging signs. However, once we turned off the main highway onto Lucia Falls Road towards Moulton Falls, our first destination, divine intervention stepped in and it started to clear up. Literally, the clouds parted, and the sun began to shine. And best of all, during moments that we wanted softer light, thin layers of clouds began to cover the UV and created what was essentially a diffuser across the sky, providing a soft light that helped saturate the greens even further thanks to the morning’s rain.

We spent a solid 3 or 4 hours at Moulton Falls, just at the bank of the river, admiring, shooting, and trying to capture the flowing water, the incredibly vibrant moss covered rocks and tree branches, and the details therein. We could have spent all day here, but per a recommendation from Lijah Hanley, the insanely talented 18 year old photographer we hooked up with out here in Oregon, we decided to head over to an old mill to try our luck for the rest of the afternoon and whatever light we had left. Figured if it didn’t work out, it was only about 30 minutes from where we were so we could always head back once we knew better.

But…as luck would have it…this place was an absolute goldmine! As soon as we got out of the car, we looked at each other and immediately knew…we were not going anywhere for the rest of the day. This was definitely going to be our home. I helped set him up for the video, and he jumped into his zone, I grabbed my gear, and I got into my zone, and we were each in our own little groove for the next 4 hours. This was a playground. The Cedar Creek Grist Mill. Couldn’t think of a more picturesque setting to close out the first day. I have never seen so many different shades of green in one place…heck, I didn’t even know that many existed! Anyhow, I hope you enjoy these images as much as I enjoyed making them.

Oh yes, and I must say…after my first proper full day of shooting, under several lighting conditions and situations, from rain to fog to sun to shade, across multiple locations, not a single time did I think to myself, “I wish I had my Nikon DSLR kit.” This Samsung NX30 is performing beautifully . As a matter of fact, due in large part to shedding several pounds of weight, It’s actually seemed to be conducive to freeing me up for more creativity. I truly thought it was going to be a lot tougher than it actually was.

Anyhow, the next part in this image adventure coming soon, and if you missed it, click here to read part 1, “To DSLR Or Not To DSLR? That Is The Question.”

And click here when you’re ready for Part 3 – “Guided By The Youth (And All The Purty Colors)”

For more of my madness: Instagram: @wasimofnazareth Twitter: @wasimofnazareth Google+: www.Google.com/+WasimMuklashy Facebook: www.Facebook.com/WasimOfNazareth

April 29, 2014