Class learning about the heart of the bog.

The gold tamarack trees were certainly looking good when our class visited Volo Bog during our annual class trip on November 7th. The day began with commentary (from you-know-who) and some powerpoints. Our guided tour began at 10 am and lasted some 90 minutes. Students waited patiently for a turn a the rail to photograph the heart of the bog.

Photographers in action at the heart of the bog.

After a byo lunch, students were free to re-visit the bog on the floating walkways or explore the area around the quaking bog by hiking one of the trails. I have it on good authority that everyone enjoyed the day. Special thanks go to Mary, the IDNR seasonal specialist for sharing her in-depth knowledge of the bog and surrounding area.

Students pause for a group photo after the tour.

18mm, f8 @ 1/30, no filter

18mm, f8 @ 1/80 with 3-stop ND Grad

I received a 3-stop, soft-edge ND grad filter from the Camera Clubhouse cats. They decided to purchase from Breakthrough Photography since I mentioned that one of my students brought Breakthrough Filters to a recent class and, on inspection, the filters seemed to be very well made. An ND Grad filter starts dark and fades to clear so the placement of the dark portion is determined by both the bright part of the scene and the photographer. This filter made quite a difference in holding down the sun in the upper part of the image. Check out the “no-filter” image and ND Grad image. The difference will amaze you. Please note: I have no affiliation with Breakthrough Photography and chose them only based on student referral.

A fine autumn time at Volo Bog

Filters can make a difference

The Orchid Show class begins Feb. 15 at 8am

Composition in Landscape Photography (2.25-3.25)

About Jack