I took this image for a new article posted on my website about perspective.  It was a fantastic evening and I was really out testing my new 70-200mm Canon "L" lens.  All I can say about the lens is...Wow.  But with that said, irregardless of the equipment it is still what is behind the viewfinder that really counts.  It was a truly beautiful evening and it was my great luck that a hole had opened in the cloud bank, letting the setting sun peak through.  I happened to be in the right place at the right time. 

Have a Great Day and Happy Shooting!! 

A couple of weeks ago I came across this library in a very small town about 50 miles from my home.  I really loved the simplicity of the scene and the many textures on the building front.  Even in a small Nebraska town one is limited only to their imagination.

Have a Great Day & Happy Shooting!!

I love macro photography.  No matter where you are there is always a small scene that can be photographed.  As I came across the scene below the variety of colors really caught my attention and it reminded me of a sunset. 

Photo was captured using a Sigma 105mm EX macro lens, F-16, 1/160 shutter speed, ISO 200, 1 stop under exposed, Partial Metering.

Have a Great Day & Happy Shooting! 

I came across this bullet riddled sign in rural Nebraska after I had just photographed an abandoned house and was heading back to the highway 12 miles away. The sign itself initially caught my eye, but when I stepped back the elements just kind of fell into place. The road and poles leading my eye to the horizon and the tones in the overcast sky.  I just loved the simplicity of it all.

Have a Great Day & Happy Shooting!!

What an amazing view to stand and look out over the plains of Nebraska as the wind gently whispers through the prairie grasses, as birds pass overhead sweetly singing and clouds fill the sky, where the view seems to never end.  Life is very good and I'm happy to capture little moments in time.  I can't wait for spring!

Have a Great Day & Happy Shooting!!

I would like to thank Laurie for taking time out of her busy schedule for this interview.  She is preparing for NIK Software's 2010 Summit in May.

McKaso: Do you have an online gallery or website where your photos can be viewed?

Laurie:  http://www.imagesbylaurie.com and http://www.betterphoto.com/gallery/gallery.asp?memberID=208233.

McKaso: How long have you been involved with photography?

Laurie: I've always had a camera around my neck, but six years ago is when I put it on a tripod and became more serious and started winning awards.

McKaso: How did you begin?

Laurie: The defining moment was when I started working for Nik Software and the project manager introduced me to a Nikon D2H with a 70-200mm f2.8 lens.  I looked through the viewfinder and my world has never looked the same since.  It was magical!

McKaso: What is your favorite type of photography?

Laurie: Wildlife and nature photography.

McKaso: What do you try to express through your photography?

Laurie: I try to capture the moment that speaks to me and hopefully to my viewers.  In particular, I look for behavior in animals that express emotion such as joy, sorrow or love.  The key is to find the "story" in an image and not just take a snapshot because it is there.

McKaso: How do you choose your subjects?

Laurie: They choose me.  It is something that is hard to explain in words, but it happens when I least expect it.  An intense connection between the animal or landscape that I'm photographing sometimes just takes my breath away.  For example, there have been times when I've photographed a lion or bird and they are an intense and interested in me as I am in them.  Or when the sky opens up and the light falls on a single tree in a forest.  I call these my "God Moments".  When there is the perfect light, pose or a behavior that is evoked that I couldn't have choreographed if I had planned it.

McKaso: Do you photograph with a purpose already in mind, or do you just go with the flow?

Laurie: I like to challenge myself before I head out the door.  I usually have either an image in my mind or a particular subject that I plan to focus on.  What will happen more times than not is that something else will become my "subject of the day".  I have also found that once I get back in front of the computer and I'm going through and rating my shots, a few photos that I didn't think much of during the time I was there end up being the real winners.  I remember one time I was at the race track and photographing early in the morning while the horses were warming up, and when I got home in one of the shots, there was a man riding a lawn mower in the background and the horse and rider were nose to nose.  It was great!  I didn't even notice it while I was there because everything happened so fast. 

McKaso: What photographers do you admire?

Laurie: I'm so glad you asked photographer(s) because I admire so many!  I am so blessed to have had the opportunity to shoot with some of my favorite photographers.  I have a wall in my office at Nik Software that is covered with prints from those that I've shot alongside and my goal is to reach 50 great photographers.  Here are just some of them: Don Gale, Moose Peterson, Tony Sweet, Bobbie Goodrich, Joe McNally, Laurie Excell, Brenda Tharp, Vincent Versace...(and Tony Corbell and Janice Wendt whom I get to work with). One of my goals in life before I leave this earth is to shoot with Art Wolfe.

McKaso: Do you consider yourself more technical or artistic? Why?

Laurie: Definitely artistic but there is a technical aspect to getting the shot right the first time in camera and in enhancing the image in post production. I have always been a creative person (I have a BA with an emphasis in Graphic Design from San Diego State University).  I love creating images and composing in camera, but I also look forward to working on those images when I get home in the digital darkroom.  I use Nik Software (plug-ins for Photoshop, Lightroom and Aperture) on every image, whether it is just to sharpen the eyes or add a soft moody affect to my landscapes.  When I get to use the creative right side of my brain, I am in my happy place!

McKaso: What are some photography websites you enjoy visiting?

Laurie: www.betterphoto.com, www.nanpa.org, www.niksoftware.com, http://photo.net/, www.outdoorphotographer.com, www.naturescapes.net, www.photoshopuser.com/, www.lynda.com... to name a few.  I also like visiting my favorite photographer's blogs and Facebook Fan pages.

Have a Great Day& Happy Shooting!!

McKaso: Do you have an online gallery or website where your photos can be viewed?

Mark Peterson: My primary website is www.mpetersonphoto.com. This website uses a very old format, and for some time now in my small amounts of free time, I've been working on a complete overhaul and update. It's almost ready (it actually was ready a short while ago, but I broke the template and had to start over), so please visit again soon!

McKaso: How long have you been involved with photography?

Mark Peterson: I was given my first camera when I was 6 years old, and have been shooting ever since.

 McKaso: How did you begin?

Mark Peterson: I grew up here in the Midwest, in Des Moines, Iowa, and prior to a summer vacation with my parents to the Badlands and Black Hills of South Dakota, my grandmother gave me a little Kodak Brownie "Twin 20" camera. This was in 1970, and I was 6 years old. I had a lot of fun taking pictures on that trip, even though I dropped the camera the very first time I clicked the shutter (on the steps at Mount Rushmore) and chipped part of the bottom off. A couple years later my parents bought me a black & white film developing tank and a small easel to make contact prints, and I began making little contact prints from the negatives I made with that camera. When I was 10, my dad bought me an old 1950s-era Argus C-3 35mm rangefinder camera and a hand-held Weston lightmeter at a rummage sale for something like twenty bucks. The camera didn't have a neckstrap, so I made one with a shoelace from a Converse All-Star hi-top - it was literally "photography on a shoestring!" I always spent a lot of time outdoors, and I took that camera on all of my bicycle rides, hikes with my boy scout troop, and family vacations for some time. Mastering the all-manual camera and hand-held incident light meter (no instruction book for either, by the way) was fantastic training, especially as a kid. My dad was a high school teacher, and when I was about 12, a colleague of his who taught photography at his school helped me design and build an entire home darkroom in my parents' basement. He also let me sit in on some Adult Ed photography courses when I was in Junior High or so, so I ended up with a strong skill set in the darkroom before I was even in high school. Then, the summer prior to high school, I saved enough money mowing lawns and shoveling driveways to buy a Pentax K1000 - I purchased that camera the day before leaving on a trip to Hawaii and read the manual on the plane, something I don't recommend. That trip pretty much cemented my love of nature and travel photography, and I don't think I've spent a single day without a camera in my hand since. McKaso: What is your favorite type of photography? Mark Peterson: My lifelong passions have been nature and travel photography. I've also been lucky to have had the opportunity to work in several other areas, such as advertising location and product photography. And recently, I have been doing some studio portraiture - I find this a fascinating way to learn more about and experiment with light and exposure. But nature and travel photography remain my core interests.

McKaso: What do you try to express through your photography?

Mark Peterson: I've always spent a lot of time pursuing outdoor sports like hiking, backpacking, and bicycling, and I've always been fascinated by the beauty of the natural world. My hope is - and has been since I was young - to capture the beauty of the natural world and to attempt to brighten the lives of others by sharing my interpretations of that beauty with them. I specifically try to seek out subjects within the natural world that many people may not notice, and I hope to add something to their lives by sharing my vision and my work with them.

 McKaso: How do you choose your subjects?

Mark Peterson: I tend to be drawn to the smaller details found in nature. That is, I'm more of a macro and "nature portrait" photographer than a landscape photographer, though I do enjoy landscape artistry, as well. To choose subjects, I usually have some destination or subject in mind first, often/usually with some potential images pre-visualized that I expect that location to offer. Then I go to the location or destination to seek out what I have in mind.

McKaso: Do you photograph with a purpose already in mind, or do you just go with the flow?

 Mark Peterson: I almost always already have a purpose or intended subject in mind. Seldom do I just wander around with a camera and see what I stumble across, I generally don't find that very productive. For one thing, I try not to carry my entire backpack of photo gear with me all the time - it's just too cumbersome. So by intending to shoot some specific subject, I can limit my gear to items needed for that. That said, I do try to anticipate other things I might stumble across in pursuit of that intended subject, and I try to be prepared with an extra lens or two and other gear I might need to suit that. Additionally, sometimes when I arrive at a destination or location, I get distracted by something I didn't expect - something that's much better than what I sought out to photograph. Or I find that the light for my intended subject isn't what I expected, and need to plan to come back at another time of day or in other conditions.

McKaso: What photographers do you admire?

Mark Peterson: Like many nature photographers, I've always admired the work of John Shaw, and his images and books have had a significant influence on my photography. Also for various reasons and in no specific order, Galen Rowell, Art Wolfe, Clyde Butcher, Gary Braasch, Robert Glenn Ketchum, Dewitt Jones, Bryan Peterson, and Jim Brandenberg are all photographers whose work has influenced my own photography or my approach to it. Additionally, perhaps unlike many nature or travel photographers, I also really enjoy beautiful portrait photography. I've recently have been trying to strengthen my skill in this area, and in that regard, portrait and wedding photographers Yervant Zanazanian and Jerry Ghionis are two additional photographers who are current masters in that field, and whose work I find absolutely beautiful and captivating.

 McKaso: Do you consider yourself more technical or artistic? Why?

Mark Peterson: I very much consider myself an artist first. In the workshops I teach I often cite Ansel Adams' frequently used quote, "There's nothing worse than a brilliant image of a fuzzy concept." I agree with this quote wholeheartedly. I believe that for a photograph to be successful, an artist needs to identify the concept they hope to portray first, and then decide what technical approach or equipment is needed to execute it. Of course, it's important to have technical grasp of photography, but without an artistic concept or artistic vision, all the technique in the world won't make for an interesting photo. At my workshops, I see lots of photographers who think that buying a truckload of expensive gear, and just mastering HOW to use it, will make them a fabulous photographer...but then they crank out sharp pictures that may have accurate color rendition and white balance, etc., but that aren't the least bit interesting. So we have to work a lot on the artistry side of the equation. On the other hand, I'm frequently amazed at the stunning photography being produced by some of the college students I cross paths with - who often have nothing more than a low-end camera and perhaps no more than a 50mm lens, but who have great creativity and artistic vision. So bottom line, for me, it starts with the artistry, and the technical side determines how the vision is executed.

 McKaso: What are some photography websites you enjoy visiting?

Mark Peterson: There are so many great photo websites these days! But my very favorites are www.photo.net, www.fredmiranda.com, www.naturescapes.net (I maintain a portfolio here at markpeterson.naturescapes.net), www.theonlinephotographer.com, and luminous-landscape.com. That said, over the year or so I have seen myself spending more of my online time visiting photography blogs of my friends, or viewing photographer friends' galleries and fan pages on facebook. Thanks again, Steve! I hope this is what you were after!

Thank you Mark for your time.

Have a Great Day & Happy Shooting!

Lately I have not had much to say about photography, so I have been thinking of some new ideas.  Over the years I have come across some really marvelous photographers.  Some are famous and some are less well known, but all possess a fantastic ability to capture the world around us in remarkable ways.  Many times I have wondered about their backgrounds, thoughts and ideas.  So, why not ask them?  I put together a short list of ten questions and I will be posting the interviews on my blog.  To kick off my project I am posting my first interview with photographer Mark Peterson. 

The thing that I like most about photography is the fact that it slows me down.   All of us miss very simple scenes as we scurry about in our daily lives, but it is always refreshing to slow down for just a second to see what is around us.  Just a very simple stair case, but where does it lead to?   

If you get a chance check out some of the great webinars that NIK software is hosting.  They also have some great video lessons for their software.

Have a Great Day & Happy Shooting!!