At Tom Bol Photo Workshops, we celebrate great images created on our workshops by selecting a Photo of the Month. For July we chose an image from our Glacier Workshop created by Eric Lacey. Eric traveled with us to the North American Indian Days in Browning, Montana. We hope you enjoy Eric’s images as much as we do!
Congratulations to July 2022 ‘s featured photographer – Eric Lacey
The Story…
I was looking for an opportunity to photograph a Native American person. I wanted to minimize all the distractions in the background. I was paying as much attention to what was in the background then to what the boy was doing.
Everyone at the event was phenomenally cooperative.
I took 4 or 5 photos with the boy standing in this position. I liked this one the most. He looks contemplative.
Aperture of f2.8: The tepees in the background give it a sense of place. I wanted enough bokeh in the background to blur it but also I wanted the viewer to be able to tell what it is.
Shutter Speed 1/8000: It was a bright sunny day so I shot at a really high shutter speed (1/8000 sec) This is the highest my camera would allow.
Exposure compensation of -1: I always shoot with some negative exposure compensation if I am shooting in aperture mode. I prefer lightening up an image rather than darkening it down in post process. I didn’t want to blow out any of the highlights.
This was the first time I used my mirrorless for portrait work. I was pleased with how it performed. I just love the EVF info and being able to see the histogram in real time. It simplifies the actual shooting.
EXIF Data:
Canon R5, Canon 70-200 RF 2.8 shot at 95mm
F2.8, 1/8000 sec, ISO 200
Aperture Mode, Exposure Comp of -1
Tips for Portraits:
Keep shooting – you will end up with a lot that aren’t great. Increase your keeper ratio by shooting plenty of frames.
Control the background – I didn’t move around the subject much. I knew I wanted the tepees in the background as a frame behind him.
Control the light – we had strong overhead sunlight, so I had to work with that. I softened the light in post. Luckily his headdress didn’t cast too much of a shadow on his face.
About Photographing in and near Glacier
Glacier exceeded my expectations photographically.
I wasn’t quite sure what to expect because Glacier is less well known as a national park. The vistas aren’t as iconic. Compare it to Yosemite. Everyone knows about Half Dome and El Cap. I was very pleasantly surprised.
As for Browning and Indian Days, I thought it was one of the best parts of the trip. The photography was very different for me. Aside from the photography, I really enjoyed just watching. The remembrance tributes were really moving.
Taking portraits was a great way to expand my photographic check list. It was something we hadn’t done before. I took hundreds of photos and only had two keepers. It was really a blast!
My Lesson Learned:
We went out the first morning and we had a beautiful pink sunrise. I thought the shoot was over and packed everything up and headed to the car. As I was walking up the hill, I heard Tom say, “Look at the light”.
I ran back down and unpacked everything. I used my ND grad filter to darken the sky in this image.
I learned that you don’t pack up until you’re sure the show is over!
On Eric’s Horizon:
Pantanal in Brazil
Puffins on Machias Seal Island off the coast of Maine
Oregon Coast & Redwoods
Tanzania
Where are Tom and Cree?
As you read this we are sailing around the Galapagos Islands with a group on a three masted sailboat. We will be back in the office from August 8-12 and then off to Greenland with Strabo Tours to photograph enormous icebergs in Disko Bay.
Want to join us for an international adventure? We have a few spots open:
New Zealand Sept 22-Oct 3, 2022
Norway Sept 11-18, 2022
Patagonia Nov 29-Dec 9, 2022
We hope you are having a great summer. Thanks for reading our posts!
Tom and Cree