George Lepp’s new small book on Snowflakes (8”x8” 60 Pages)
I just finished a 60 page book on snowflakes and other ice designs. The snowflakes were captured over the last 19 years (and some as recently as last month) in Colorado Springs and Central Oregon. Photography of ice designs began even earlier, including a creek in Yellowstone’s Lamar Valley, crazy patterns on my Oregon driveway, and even the intriguing results of a hot tub leaking on a very cold winter’s day. While my equipment and techniques have evolved over the years, I’ve included in the book some information about the latest snowflake photography process I’m using.
I’ve published the soft-bound version of the book throughMagCloud (MagClound.com) and it can be ordered from their website for $25 plus shipping. I will be charging in the future for the digital version, but right now I want photographers interested in my work, or in photographing snowflakes to have access to it. So for a limited time, I’m making the digital version of the book at no charge. You can order it through the link by clicking on the image of the book cover above. Then click on the image of the book on the website. The digital version will appear on your screen.
George Lepp features current work on his Leppphotospam emails. Go here to see the latest email posts
Here is one of the more recent posts.
Gladiolas with the EOS R5
For a change of pace from swans, here are some macro/close-up images of gladiola flowers taken in the studio. They are all focus-stacked composites captured with the Canon EOS R5 and the EF 180mm f/3.5L USM macro lens. Lighting came from several small (inexpensive) LED light panels and a couple of LED Lume Cube photo lights. The focus bracketing (stacking) feature on the EOS R5 can only be used with continuous lighting; this is a technique I enjoy because I can see the effects of various lighting approaches as I stage the subjects. Focus-bracketed captures compiled in ZereneStacker software. and optimized in Photoshop.
This gives an overall view of one of the gladiola flower stalks. 29 focus-bracketed images at 1/60 sec, f/8, ISO 200.
A close-up of a flower in the above flower stalk. 180 focus-bracketed images at 1/60 sec, f/8, ISO 200. It’s good to remember that you can take too few focus- bracketed images, but seldom too many. At such high magnification and f/8, each capture covers only a fraction of an inch of depth of field, so it takes many more images to cover a complete flower than most people realize.
A flower from a different stalk. 163 focus-bracketed images at 1/45 sec, f/8, ISO 400.
162 focus-bracketed images at 1/30 sec, f/8, ISO 400.
146 focus-bracketed images at 1/30 sec, f/8, ISO 200.
To see more LeppPhotoSpam posts go to the “NEWS” section.
A 4K video of the Smith Rock State Park eagle nest is available below. From egg to fledgling is documented in the new 11 minute high definition video!
A six-day old bald eagle chick is kept warm and protected by its parent. This is a 4K frame grab from the video footage taken to create the 11 minute 4K video below. The video will play at the resolution that your system will allow.
The 11 minute 4K video above was captured using Canon's EOS 5D MK IV and EOS-1D X MK II cameras. Lenses to bring in close the nest from 200+ feet were the EF100-400mm Mk II, EF500mm MK II, and the EF800mm. Using tele-extenders and considering the 4K crop factor of the camera the maximum focal length used was 3889mm. 120 hours were spent at the nest site and many hours editing the 4K footage to pull frame grabs that were sent out over social media.