The Tallgrass Prairie of the Flint Hills

Tallgrass Prairie Gallery

I made a drive the other day that ended up being about 400 miles by the time it was all said and done. I went from the industrial, downtown area of Kansas City...

 and ended up in the Flint Hills of Kansas.

The Konza Prairie just south of Manhattan, Kansas offers excellent hiking opportunities.  The rolling hills and gentle slopes of the area make for a wonderful day out.  Please be sure to pack out what you bring in.  There are numerous scientific studies being performed on the prairie, so please stay on the trail. OH!  No pets, bikes, or horses are allowed on the trails... and don't forget the minimal $2.00 trail fee at the trailhead... its worth the experience.

Further south on Highway 177, and a slight jog off the paved road, is the Fr. Padilla monument -

Further south on 177, and you come to the Tallgrass Prairie Preserve just north and a little west of Strong City, KS.

"The preserve protects a nationally significant example of the once vast tallgrass ecosystem. Of the 400,000 square miles of tallgrass prairie that once covered the North American Continent, less than 4 percent remains, primarily in the Flint Hills of Kansas.

Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve is a new kind of national park. The preserve is 10,861 acres, but most of that land will remain under the ownership of the Nature Conservancy, which purchased the land in 2005. The land was originally purchased by the National Park Trust in 1994. The National Park Service may own up to 180 acres, yet the legislation calls for the entire acreage to be managed cooperatively by the National Park Service and the private land owner.

On September 20, 2002, approximately 32 acres were donated to the National Park Service from the National Park Trust. This area includes the 1881 historic ranch house, limestone barn and outbuildings, and one-room schoolhouse." - Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve [National Park Service - US Dept of the Inerior]

Go to the Gallery - Tallgrass Prairie Gallery

The Search for New Glass

Well, I have been looking for a solution to a mid-range want for a nice telephoto.  I have anguished over the last several weeks... pouring over reviews and pages of text on the performance of different equipment.

I had thought about saving some cash, and looking into the Sigma line of lenses.  I don't know about you guys, but the "gamble" of getting a good lens when spending $500.00 to $1300.00 doesn't appeal to me.  I would think that if you are spending that type of money, you should EXPECT a quality lens.  I read and read about the different Sigmas (The Bigma - 50-500mm) and the 70-200.  From everything I could find, they were "okay."  Now the Bigma (50-500) is consistently listed as a bit soft, some over focus, some short focus.... really?  For $1600.00 and they ALL don't WORK like they are EXPECTED?

I listened to a podcast the other day by Frederick Van Johnson called "This Week In Photo."  First, if you are into photography and want a weekly little show about the industry and what is going on... you should listen.  Anyway, they had Dave Metz on from Sigma.  Now I understand that he is employed by Sigma, but I think he kind of skirted a couple of the questions.  I also understand that he probably doesn't know what the quality and control standards are at the factory, so I will give him that.  I am baffled by his lack of brand commitment when asked how the Sigma lenses stack up to professional use.  His comment was to the effect that some of the lenses are made for the backyard shooter.  Hmmmm... doesn't inspire me into dropping $1600.00 on a lens Dave. (This Week In Photo)

The one set of lenses (and no I did not look at Nikon as I happen to shot Canon) that consistently had high reviews with apparently few quality and control issues were the Canon L-Series lenses.  The reviews showed that these lenses were being used by not only novice shooters, but by professional portrait and outdoor photogs.  So I buckled down and then had the next decision to make... what F-stop range to go for.

I had narrowed my search down to a 70 - 200 lens.  I looked and checked and looked again... this looks to be a great area for portraits and moderate event photos.  I see it also as a short end wildlife lens, and should fall into a great range for some of my hunting shots.  So, do I plop the $$$$ out for the 2.8 or the 4.0?  After checking some more, I boiled it down to this....

- the 2.8 non image stabilized (i.s.) lens is not weather and dust resistant
- the 2.8 does give better low light ability when compared to the 4.0 (twice the amount of light on the one f-stop difference)
- the 2.8 apparently does show some softness on the edges (but not much)
- the 4.0 with i.s. has been reviewed as "tack sharp"
- the 4.0 with i.s. is cheaper than the 2.8 without i.s.
- the 2.8 with i.s. is twice the price of the 4.0 with i.s.
-both of the i.s. lenses are weather and dust resistant

I took all of this in, and came up with the Canon 70-200 F4 L.  It is on the way now, and I will post results as soon as I have some camera time with it. [I got mine from Adorama Camera - Canon F4 kit]

I came to this by looking at something else... the cameras made today.  The ISO ability of the new digital cameras is amazing.  I have been making some great shots with ISO of 1250, with very little grain.  This being said, I get that the i.s. is only going to help in steadying camera shake, and not in the motion stopping ability (shutter speed).  I am anxious in seeing how I can balance a great lens with the appropriate ISO, and shutter speed.

more to follow.....

A moment about portraits...

I have been pouring over books and the interwebs looking and delving into the use of strobes and off camera flash.  Now, I am not opposed to flash.  I think it should be looked at as just another tool to achieve a desired look.  After all there is no photo without light, and in the absence of light we have to introduce some.

I have the standard flash units, but I broke down an purchased a set of studio strobes.  I received the box much as a child rips into the paper on Christmas.  I had the lights set up in about ten minutes with the umbrellas attached, and then waited for the correct subject matter to strike me.  Thankfully my wife and daughter arrived home just in the nick of time.

I wanted to comment on this as there is something I noted in most of the "instructional" sets for the use of off camera flash or strobes.  In almost all of the posts I noticed that there was something missing.... the light settings.  Now I understand this is dependent on each situation, but why can't someone give a starting point to go from.  I messed with the strobes and noticed a decent set up that should save a lot of time ext time to set up.  Main light - 3/4 to full, fill  around 1/2, hair light 1/2 to 3/4.  That is all I did... and fired away.

LIGHTS!

Okay folks, I broke down and bought a set of location strobes for portrait photos!  They are going to be a nice addition for shooting family sets.  I am also going to work on a battery set for outdoor location shooting!  This should be fun!

Update to the Boulevard Brewery!

Just received the notification for the property release from Boulevard Brewery to be able to sell my shots from there!  Check out the site, www.tblphotography.com and go to the Boulevard gallery.  I should be back in there in a few weeks, so there will be more.