Well, after two or three nights of stargazing, Richard Hartmier and I finally got a tiny glimpse of Aurora borealis activity. I say we only because we were out photographing together. Richard lives in the Yukon and has extensively photographed the Northern Lights. In fact, his Aurora work can be found in his books and in postcards sold in gift shops throughout the Yukon.
We were at Fish Lake, perhaps 15 minutes outside the city of Whitehorse (pop: 24,000). There were clouds in the sky, not aparticularly good thing when photographing …

Okay, I think I figured out the way for you to follow my “tracks” in the Yukon, all the way up to the Arctic Circle and beyond.
Click on this URL and it should take you to a Google map. Make sure to switch to “Terrain” view on the right side of the map, if it is not already there when the site opens.
This was Day 1, a leisurely drive southward toward Skagway, Alaska. The day was a photographic bust, since it actually rained (rather than snowed). But, from the Terrain …

So, right after I awoke to clear skies and no ice at all (see yesterday’s blog: http://blog.lesterpickerphoto.com/2011/01/31/delayed/), Air Canada managed to rebook me to Yukon so that I arrived pretty much the same day I was originally supposed to. I say “pretty much,” because I actually arrived in Yukon at 1:00 AM, but at least I was able to go out photographing with Richard Hartmier after a few hours sleep.
The downside of my rebooking was that I arrived in Whitehorse, Yukon safe and sound, but my luggage did not. Thirty-five …

As I said in a recent blog (http://blog.lesterpickerphoto.com/2011/01/21/going-for-the-gold-yukon-gold/), I’m thrilled to be returning to the Yukon for my fourth visit, but my first in the dead of winter.
To celebrate my trip, I’m giving away a 12 x 18* signed print* to one registered user on my site. It can be any print on display at my image website: www.lesterpickerphoto.com.
If you’re not currently registered for this blog site, just click on the registration box on my Home Page or the page you are now on or on any other registration box …

Every so often I get asked about my creative process; how do I go about visioning a scene? How do I ‘work’ an image once it’s in my computer? How do I create photographic displays that are unique for every client?

Well, the burnish is now off the image of the professional photographer, namely my image. Bob Boyer, my friend and very able assistant, has documented one step in the creative process that we are currently involved in. I could explain it here, but I’ll let Bob do the …

Trumpets, please! Now some fanfare…. and roll the drums. It’s my annual New Year’s Photo Resolutions, Version 2011.1 (meaning they will undoubtedly change as the year progresses). Here are my major goals.
A Stitch In Time
This year I plan to get into panoramas, which some of my clients are demanding. I already have a terrific tripod (Gitzo 3541) and ball head (Really Right Stuff BH-55), so with that solid base I’m going to add panoramas to my repertoire.
That means I will have to find, learn and then use a stitching program …

I just posted selected  images on  my website from my recent trip to Fiji and New Caledonia. They join the images I recently posted from Australia and New Zealand. Please head over to my image website by clicking on the “Lester Picker Photography” black box at the top right of this page (or top left).

I hope you enjoy the images. As always I welcome your comments and critique.
After each of my trips, I offer a sale of those images for a month. I announced my Australia and New Zealand sale …

I just posted selected  images on  my website from my recent trip to New Zealand. They join the images I recently posted from Australia. Please head over to my image website by clicking on the “Lester Picker Photography” black box at the top right of this page (or top left).
You’ll notice that I rendered many of the new images in B&W. I love B&W photography, but my hand was forced in this case by the horrible weather we encountered. It either rained or the skies were gray much of the …

As a veteran photographer who has witnessed the digital revolution that effectively beheaded film photography, I can say that I’ve seen a lot in my day. And now that digital is here, the evolution has accelerated so that one can hardly keep pace with the innovations. Cameras that cost $5,000 when launched are replaced by cousins that are faster, more sensitive and have more features, at half the price.
Even my tiny iPod offers an HDR (High Dynamic Range) app. Admittedly, I have one of them- Pro HDR- on my device. …

Les’ photography is featured on the Singh-Ray Filters blog for the second time. Singh-Ray is the premier manufacturer of top-quality filters for professional and advanced amateur photographers worldwide. Les uses Singh-ray filters for many of his most challenging images.

In the latest blog article for Singh-Ray, Les talks about the challenges he faced in his recent trip to Australia, where Singh-Ray filters allowed him to salvage good images despite the rotten weather.
Go to http://singhray.blogspot.com/2010/12/les-picker-spends-several-adventurous.html to learn the specifics on how Les uses Singh-Ray filters.
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