Dean Sauskojus Photo Blog

One thing I try to do while I’m out taking images is to scout the location first, before something dramatic occurs. In this case I was on the wrong side of the lake. As I looked up I could see this large cloud forming that seemed to cover the entire lake. Time to pick up and run. I hate being in a rush, but if you can find a good composition its worth it. I found some floating ice on the other side of the lake for a nice foreground. Not completely satisfied with the image but good enough.

Technical Info: Canon 5D Mark2, Bogen 3021 Tripod, Canon 17-40mm L lens at 17mm, Singh-Ray 2 stop gnd hard, 1/4sec@f/18

©2010 Dean Sauskojus

There are many names for this plant. Veratrum, False Hellebore, Corn Lilies and maybe a few others I haven’t heard of. It’ s a very distinguished plant with nice lines, huge attractive leaves and very green. A favorite of photographers. I found this one in a very wet swampy environment in the Bridger Mountains of Montana. It was a nice little surprise, something I wasn’t looking for. When you’re out there taking pictures keep your eyes and your mind wide open. Let go and look for the obvious and sometimes the not so obvious.

Wista 4×5 DX2, 210 Schneider Lens, Fuji 50 Velvia 4×5 film, Bogen 3021 Tripod

All Images Copyright © 2010 Dean Sauskojus

The new sensors in modern digital cameras can record things at night not seen by the naked eye. A lot of the stars that were recorded in this image could not be seen while standing here gazing upward.  Neither could you see the orange glow on the horizon. This is my first experiment with night photography. I hope to continue shooting images like this and  learn as I do.  One thing I know for sure, you still have to think about the elements of composition as you would normally during daytime shooting hours. I hope you like it. Welcome to the Twilight Zone.

Technical Info: Canon 5D Mark2, Bogen 3001 Tripod, Canon 17-40mm L lens, F4.5@30 sec, 800 ASA

After taking a hiatus from multiple computer problems I’ m glad to start posting again. Most of my files are from 4×5 transparencies. The images have super clarity from front to back using the advantage of tilt on a large format camera. I am trying to achieve that same clarity with my digital camera. This image was taken in two parts. I focused first on the foreground, took the picture, and then without moving the camera I focused on the background and took another picture. I then combined these two images in Photoshop to achieve clarity from front to back. More on the technique later. Thanks for hanging around.

Technical Info: Canon 5D Mark2, Bogen 3021 Tripod, Canon 17-40mm L lens, Singh-Ray 2 stop gnd hard, two exposure blend

All Images Copyright © 2010 Dean Sauskojus

I don’t know if winter and paradise should be mentioned in the same sentence. Here they can’t be separated because Emigrant Peak is in Paradise Valley. I still think you can find incredible beauty in winter, and sometimes in the coldest temperatures. This shot was taken in near zero temperatures and 50mph winds. Did I hike to this location like I suggested in my last post. Heck no! Are you crazy?  I simply opened my truck door, using it as a wind break, set up my tripod and took the shot. So sometimes you can get nice shots right from the road by just opening up your door.

Technical Info:  Canon 30d, Bogen 3021 Tripod, Canon 50mm 1.8 EF lens, ISO 100, f/11@1/13 sec.

Copyright © 2009 Dean Sauskojus

Happy New Year! Wishing you the best for 2010. When I go out to take images I spend a lot of time hiking around. Hiking can sometimes lead to some great images. In fact most of my images are found away from the roads and trails. This image was found a half a mile away from my truck. It’s a great way to get some exercise and one thing I love to do is explore. So next time you’re out there with your camera in hand, take a hike.

Technical Info:  Canon 30d, Bogen 3021 Tripod, Canon 17-40mm L lens

Copyright © 2009 Dean Sauskojus

You can just about find this subject anywhere. I set out to find a nice grouping of Cattails and then added  something different. The snow complemented the nice yellow stocks coming straight out of the ice. A cold shot indeed but the nice warm color of the stocks helped out. These Cattails were found right close to my backyard. You don’t have to travel a lot of miles to find a nice subject so why not stay close to home.

Technical Info: Canon 5D Mark2, Bogen 3021 Tripod, Canon 17-40mm L lens

All Images Copyright © 2009 Dean Sauskojus

A couple of summers ago I made a camping trip into Yellowstone with the family. I brought my camera along just in case I found something interesting. On the way home I noticed an old truck out in a field beside the highway. We stopped to check it out. The old truck had some great character to it. The winds were howling, so I thought why not use that to my advantage. Try something different. I decided to use a slow shutter speed to blur the grass around the truck. I was pretty happy with the way it came out. The moral of the story is: Never be afraid to try something new. If you don’t, you’ll never know what could have been.

Technical Info:  Canon 30d, Bogen 3021 Tripod, Canon 17-40mm L lens

Copyright © 2009 Dean Sauskojus

Paradise Valley was truly paradise last Sunday evening. The sky looked pretty good as the sun descended below the horizon. But it took awhile longer for it warm up to crimson red. The moon was just icing on the cake and something I did not expect to photograph. Most of the time it was hidden behind a shroud of clouds. Here it has a halo from a soft transparent cloud moving in front of it. I didn’t have time to look for a better foreground and the land here is posted, which I wanted to respect. This is another situation where you just want to wait and see what happens. I’m glad I did.

Technical Info: Canon 5D Mark2, Bogen 3021 Tripod, Canon 17-40mm L lens

All Images Copyright © 2009 Dean Sauskojus

I didn’t get out this weekend but I processed some older files just recently. This is a photo of Baring Creek in Glacier National Park. The creeks and lakes in Glacier are full of these colorful rocks. When wet they even become more colorful. I took this image with a 4×5 view camera which produces a transparency four inches by five inches. View cameras require you to use very small apertures to get every thing in focus from front to back. Using f32, I exposed the film for four seconds. This slow of a shutter turns the water into that smooth milky look. Some people like the look, some don’t. Here I didn’t have a choice, plus the fact that this is a dark place. I could have used a faster film but then that defeats the goal of using a large format camera, because you want very good detail. Faster films produce more grain, less detail. The web doesn’t do this image justice. When you put this image on a light box you can see all the glorious detail.

Wista 4×5 DX2, 135mm Nikkor Lens, Fuji 50 Velvia 4×5 film, Bogen 3021 Tripod

All Images Copyright © 2009 Dean Sauskojus