Thompson's Mills State Park in Shedd, Oregon

Copyright Ronald Borst - April 6, 2017

My Bass Pond - Bowers Rocks State Park in Albany, Oregon

Nestled between the fertile farmlands west of Albany, and the north-running Willamette River, is an Oregon State Park that is virtually unknown.

Hiking, mountain biking, photography, fishing, and picnicking is encouraged!

The park was called Hub City Gravel in the 1980s, and the ponds hold bass, perch, and very big carp. Park access is for daytime hours only, and the only way in is an easement that allows foot and bicycle traffic only.

Links:

Willamette River via Willamette Riverkeeper

Bowers Rocks State Park via The Democrat Herald

Copyright rlb2017

The Rail Trail

Copyright 2017

Ankeny Hill, Oregon

Located just south of Salem, Oregon, Ankeny Hill National Wildlife Refuge is the area's premier bird viewing site. With many vistas, trails, and blinds, the refuge suits hobby viewers as well as seasoned veterans.

Established in 1965, after years of declining geese populations, the refuge now serves to sustain those populations, by maintaining winter crops and providing ample space to relax and breed until Spring.

Open year round, from sun up to sun down, Ankeny is a must-see for even casual nature observers. Easily accessed from Interstate 5, the refuge is five minutes from the freeway. Take Exit 243 and head west.

A Dozen Photography Tips for the Almost Pro

So, you put some time in and learned how to capture some nice images. Now what?

Today's DSLR cameras are sophisticated and loaded with tools. Knowing how to use these marvels of technology will increase the quality and quantity of your photography.

TIP #1:
Aperture Priority.
Shooting outdoors gives us the luxury of total control over depth-of-field. Use it to your advantage.

TIP #2:
Metering is a question of subject matter. For portraits, use Center Weighted and for sport, use the matrix metering(Evaluative Metering on Canon) that checks the whole scene. Spot metering is for macro and for off-center depth of field shots. Adjust your metering as you go, as each shot demands it.

TIP #3:
White Balance.
Shooting with the White Balance on Auto isn't tragic, but it may limit your true dynamic range. Adjust as you go. Indoors, outside, sun, clouds...these all are obvious to us. Let your camera know, as well.

TIP #4:
Shooting a lot of motion? Sports or wildlife? The kids or grandkids? Shoot with Back-Button Focus. Enough said.

Tip #5:
On my Canon, AF Point Selection is a great way to shoot things that are off-center. It could be a portrait where your subject is off to the left, or an auto photo, with the car off to the right. Either way, using the AF Point Selection allows you to focus your camera on your subject without changing metering modes.

TIP #6:
Shoot in RAW. Process 300 dpi jpeg files. Delete anything mediocre. On older models, such as my Canon T3, where my old Photoshop CS5 will not read the RAW file, I do shoot the largest jpeg file.

TIP #7:
Bracketing is a great way to get a higher dynamic range. Learn how to stack these images in Photoshop.

TIP #8:
Learn how to take different photographs. Portraits indoors, landscapes outdoors. Learn the craft, not a genre of it. Sure, if you love wedding photography, learn that well. Learn everything you can about it. But, knowing street photography and portraiture will get you gorgeous, candid images.

TIP #9:
Innovate. Use a Kleenex as a diffuser. Use the timer for better selfies. Try different angles. Look for opportunity. Anticipate. Simply put, step up your game.

TIP #10:
Be adept at Photoshop. Post processing is developing. No exceptions.

TIP #11:
Get out early and stay late.

TIP #12:
Your flash is just as important as the camera- learn it well. My Canon Speedlite is a very complicated flash, wireless and with manual capabilities, it is a marvel and an awesome tool, utilize those tools.

COPYRIGHT Ronald Borst 2017