Posted on November 19, 2021, 11:58 pm, by QT Luong, under
Locations.
This spring, I returned to an adjacent segment of the John Muir Trail, a quarter-century after my first visit. How did things change, particularly with respect to photography? Although I carried my 5×7 camera, my first backpacking trip about 25 years ago was mostly a fun outing with friends on a short section of the […]
Posted on October 14, 2021, 11:32 pm, by QT Luong, under
Gear.
When I photographed in the Alps in the early 1990s, I didn’t even own a tripod. My camera support of choice was a clamp that could attach to the adze of an ice-ax. Upon arriving in America in 1993, one of my first purchases was a tripod. Many photographers have wasted money by starting with […]
Posted on September 2, 2021, 10:42 pm, by QT Luong, under
Techniques.
In a previous post, I explained why the main situation when I will not use my tripod for landscape photography is when hiking a long distance. Whether the hike is “long” is a personal and subjective assessment. In this post, after discuss how I handle the camera and tripod on the trail, I’ll give as […]
Posted on August 19, 2021, 11:46 pm, by QT Luong, under
Techniques.
When I started landscape photography in the 1990s, I could not imagine working without a tripod. The medium of reference was Fuji Velvia, 50 ISO, and there was no image stabilization. Even on bright midday, deploy a polarizing filter and stop down for depth of field, and you come perilously close to the limits of […]
Posted on August 12, 2021, 7:50 pm, by QT Luong, under
Resources.
I am honored that for the second consecutive year, the summer issue of Outdoor Photographer includes my photographs in its opening article and on the cover. The June/July 2021 issue was themed around the national parks, and I was lucky to receive my subscriber’s copy just a few days before I left for the New […]
Posted on July 15, 2021, 7:39 pm, by QT Luong, under
Locations.
An eclectic wrap-up on New River Gorge National Park with more details about logistics (including a map with all locations in this series keyed), my timing, final impressions, the result of the image choice poll, and a bonus location. Logistics The closest major city is Charleston WV, 50 miles away, but I flew into Charlotte […]
Posted on July 8, 2021, 1:36 pm, by QT Luong, under
Locations.
Thank you for providing feedback on images of New River Gorge. In this post, I go into more detail on the morning when the top contending photos were made, discussing their circumstances and differences. Grandview Point was my first destination in New River Gorge National Park and Preserve. On the first morning there, the fog […]
Posted on June 28, 2021, 10:51 am, by QT Luong, under
Locations.
When I planned my well-awaited trip to New River Gorge National Park and Preserve, I was expecting to photograph the landscapes of the New River Gorge and the most famous landmark in West Virginia, the New River Gorge Bridge. What I didn’t expect to find were so many historic structures that the place often felt […]
Posted on June 19, 2021, 12:23 pm, by QT Luong, under
Locations.
The only thing new with New River Gorge National Park and Preserve is its status as our latest national park. The river is very old, and New River Gorge National River had long been known as an East Coast outdoors activities hub offering diverse activities including whitewater rafting with Class V rapids, excellent rock climbing, […]
Posted on May 28, 2021, 1:19 pm, by QT Luong, under
Techniques.
Using case studies of the first images in Our National Monuments, I’ve touched on why one would want to use a telephoto lens for landscape photography and that even getting a sharp image can be a challenge. Below are 13 practical tips in no particular order for overcoming this challenge. All images in the article […]