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Author Archives: Rob Nitsch
Autumn Moss
I made this image a few months ago when I was on a hike with my son August. I love these patches of pillow soft moss. They keep their vibrant green color late into the season and really punctuate the brown deciduous forest floor.
Cold Snap
I came across this bouy in the ice while wondering around the frozen marsh at Paines Creek. It actually was a beautiful day, just a little chilly, it was about 18 degrees at the time I shot this. If you are inclined to shoot in conditions like this I suggest you invest as much into your wardrobe as you do in you camera equipment. If you are uncomfortable, cold and wet I guarantee you will not get all the great shots out there. Frost bite and worse happen very fast when skin is exposed to water in these temperatures. I suggest tall rubber mud boots that our 100% water proof and long under ware and cold weather outer wear. I have been using Burton gear for almost 30 years and have stayed toasty warm even in the most extreme conditions.
Ocean Ice
©Rob Nitsch – click to enlarge!
Had a great time dangling thousands of dollars of photography equipment over the icy waters of Paines Creek today. Just to up the ante, it was 18 degrees out, so I didn’t have a great grip. luckily, when financial loss is on the table I go into ninja, mind over matter mode… Zero camera gear loss and I still have all my digits.
Vermont Magazine Nov/Dec
I am happy to announce that Vermont Magazine Nov/Dec Issue has hit news stands! I had no idea what the layout was going to be and am completely thrilled that my photo got a center two page spread! If you get a chance go and pick up a copy, it really is a great magazine.
2012 Vermont Magazine Photo Contest
I am really excited to announce this! My photo shown here just won the 2012 Vermont Magazine Photo Contest. Thank you to Vermont Magazine and a special thank you to Green Mountain Camera for making this contest possible. Here is a direct link to the photo contest.
Field of Grays
©Rob Nitsch – click to enlarge!
There is just something I love about trees in the fog. The fog really accentuate depth even when you don’t have a vast open spaces. This really helps in New England, where we have an abundance of under growth which makes it difficult to isolate your nature subjects.
Edge of the Bank
©Rob Nitsch – click to enlarge!
This was an amazing moment. The fog bank was just rolling into my location and the sun was rising behind this tree. When shooting in the fog I love being right on the edge of the fog bank. This fog is thinned out and lets more light through which in turn gives you a lot more detail in the mist. Within moments I was surrounded by solid grey, which is amazing in its own right, but this photo really captures the mornings transition.
Silver Fog
©Rob Nitsch – click to enlarge!
Ok, it has been awhile since I have posted and I apologize for that. I have been side tracked with lots of photography jobs, personal artistic development, trips to the other coast and life’s little chores. Last week on Cape Cod we had amazing summer weather and with the warm weather came beautiful morning fog. Well that was more then enough inspiration to pull me back into the blogosphere. Also, I have been really into black and white lately, and fog photos look amazing in B&W, so be prepared for a couple of posts sticking with that theme.
Teri M.
©Rob Nitsch – click to enlarge!
One of the great things about living in New England during the late fall and winter is that there is never bad light. When you are down south you really cant shoot from 10 am to 2 pm because of the harsh overhead light. Up here the shadows are always long and the light soft. None of that really applies to this photo, I made it late in the afternoon in Provincetown.
Cape Lighthouse
©Rob Nitsch – click to enlarge!
This is a nice little lighthouse in Eastham Ma. Loved the sky on the day I shot this on. The jet contrails made a perfect X with this nautical beacon. I must admit I have fallen behind on my posting as I have been working on a huge print job. The good news is I am almost done!
VT Tree
©Rob Nitsch – click to enlarge!
I thought I would throw my hat into the HDR ring. I prefer my HDR’s to lean towards the more realistic side. This is a tree I shot on our trip up to Vermont. three, one stop brackets. It was on the Jenne Farm property. I thought it really captures the twig season up here in New England.
Iconic New England Autumn Photograph
©Rob Nitsch – click to enlarge!
I thought I would throw everybody off with that title. Soon enough I will be back to shooting the rustic beauty of New England. For now let these photos from the Virgin Islands warm you up. I don’t know the name of this bay, each one seemed more amazing then the last. This one, though, had a perfect curve to the tree line. It is as close as you can get to the golden ratio curve.
Static
©Rob Nitsch – click to enlarge!
Tomorrow is a travel day for me, so this is kind of a quick post, just because I have to get back to getting stuff together. This is a photo of August having a blast on a huge slide. The location was a apple orchard up near Boston that had some amazing agritainment to go along with our autumn harvesting. One of the side effects that the slide manufacturers keep from the general population is that these gravity rides will build up some major wattage on your offspring.
Lighting tests
©Rob Nitsch – click to enlarge!
Another self-portrait. I actually have a lot more of these then I thought. It is not because I am narcissistic, I swear!(even though I lived in LA for way too long) Like most other portrait photographers, I tend to spend a significant amount of time on lighting before my sessions. I not only want to know exactly what settings will work for my gear but, I want to know what the range is that I can get away with under the current conditions. I want to know when over/under exposure finally breaks down the image. When doing all this tweaking, I need to take test shots. My wife/photography partner usually comes in towards the end when I am really fine tuning the set up. Before that, I am my test subject. Here is one of my lighting test shots.
Jenne Farm
©Rob Nitsch – click to enlarge!
OK, Ill admit it, I meant to write-up a post yesterday but I got side tracked with Halloween. Also, I was preparing for playing the role of school photographer today. Yes, I will be shooting the children at Cape Cod Children’s Place today! I am super excited! Needless to say, I scrambled this morning to put up a post. Here is another photo from our Vermont trip. Really is hard to make a bad picture there.
Vt Shed
©Rob Nitsch – click to enlarge!
This is one of those iconic New England scenes of rural decay. A shack slowly decomposing into the green mountain landscape, contrasted with dark gloomy skies and white birch trees. Thankfully Vermont is peppered with these deteriorating structures, they are one of the regions great photographic resources.
Cliché Friday – Jenne Farm
©Rob Nitsch – click to enlarge!
This may be an east coast cliché. They say Jenne Farm is the most photographed farm in the US. You may recognize it from a Budweiser commercial, Forest Gump or even the great Chevy Chase comedy Funny Farm. The farm has become a mecca for photographer, especially in the early morning light. This image was captured at sunset. We had traveled up to Woodstock for the weekend, I was so excited to shoot the farm I raced over right before sunset. Lucky too, because this was the only sun break of the weekend. It is not exactly the shot I dreamed of, but it definitely captures the quickly changing weather of New England.
Vermont calf
©Rob Nitsch – click to enlarge!
We found this cute guy at the Sugarbush Farm in Woodstock Vermont. He was very friendly and great with kids. My son had a great time petting and feeding him. He even came out of his stall to play with us for a little while. The farm it self had a maple syrup and cheese tour and tasting, but since August knew there was a friendly cow outside, he refused to let us partake. Needless to say though, we had a great time wandering around the property on a crisp autumn day.
Speedlite fun
©Rob Nitsch – click to enlarge!
One of my favorite speedlite techniques, especially this time of year, is to underexpose my ambient light and overexpose my flash. It can put a little extra spookiness / moodiness into your photos. It will also add texture to an other wise bland grey skies that are very common in the colder New England months. I also shoot with a Gary Fong collapsable lightsphere to soften those creepy shadows. All though putting August’s happy face in frame really lightens the mood.