With release of Google Earth 5.2 (GE), Google provides a marvelous opportunity for landscape photographers to use enhanced creativity in stalking light! Stalking the light is a way of using GE for visualization of when and where shadows might fall at Magic Hour.
In April, 2009, I took a photo trip to Escalante Desert in southeastern Utah. Using Google images, I’d found a small tourist shot of Broken Bow arch in evening shadows. With a GPS, I knew where to wend my way through the canyons. Using GE, I knew when to set HDR up for shadows across the arch. Matter of fact, I was able to take a nap, wake up, then grab the exquisite shot above!
Eighteen months later, I took a survey of some 15 well known landscape photographers. The question was, “How are they using GE today?”
In November, 2008, Dave duChemin was using an iPod touch to examine GE for travel plans. In 2009, Joe Bridwell, S Cole, and Richard Wong were using GE for trails and shadows. In 2010, Bret Edge and Scott Bacon used GE to stalk shadows. In 2010, Joe Bridwell used the tour capability in 5.2 to document his photo trips.
The remaining nine photographers were cited because others used their images in material connected with GE.
When you’re using GE, if the Layers panel has Panoramio checked, you can examine images from other people about an area of interest. It’s a first cut at freely guessing where to set up and when to shoot.
Once you have a 3-D view in GE, if you click on the Sun icon, GE will give you an estimate of shadow projection based on topography and time of day. I’ve coined the phrase “Stalking the Light…” And to think you used to go out and do that yourself!
You can trace your way along tortuous trails, up canyons, etc… all by controlling an imaginary camera which can look either from far above or down close to earth toward any direction you wish.
How Can Landscape Photographers See the Future?
If you want to get fancy, just process a photo in the digital darkroom, write an emotional memory of that event, then post it in an advanced KML placemark balloon. Oops, I’d better watch it here; don’t want to stray too far into technical language…
Tours are the newest GE 5.2 feature… what if you want to talk about several photos in several locations?
Well, then you have the distinct advantage of moving a virtual camera from point A to point B. In effect, you can create a ‘video’ where you show satellite terrain data for a particular locale, tell it’s story with your photos, then move on to the next locale. The resulting KML (a language for geo-browsers relating camera to earth view) can play in GE just like a video you create for YouTube.
What’s that old adage, “Fly Away with Me…!”
Present Landscape Photography Limitations
At present, landscape photographers principally use GEjust to plan their trips.
But, if they knew how to create or use Tours, they could explain each exciting adventure story with a fascinating video GE would play on any computer 24x7x365 planet wide…
Now, that really ain’t too shabby!
Enjoy…
In April, 2009, I took a photo trip to Escalante Desert in southeastern Utah. Using Google images, I’d found a small tourist shot of Broken Bow arch in evening shadows. With a GPS, I knew where to wend my way through the canyons. Using GE, I knew when to set HDR up for shadows across the arch. Matter of fact, I was able to take a nap, wake up, then grab the exquisite shot above!
Eighteen months later, I took a survey of some 15 well known landscape photographers. The question was, “How are they using GE today?”
In November, 2008, Dave duChemin was using an iPod touch to examine GE for travel plans. In 2009, Joe Bridwell, S Cole, and Richard Wong were using GE for trails and shadows. In 2010, Bret Edge and Scott Bacon used GE to stalk shadows. In 2010, Joe Bridwell used the tour capability in 5.2 to document his photo trips.
The remaining nine photographers were cited because others used their images in material connected with GE.
When you’re using GE, if the Layers panel has Panoramio checked, you can examine images from other people about an area of interest. It’s a first cut at freely guessing where to set up and when to shoot.
Once you have a 3-D view in GE, if you click on the Sun icon, GE will give you an estimate of shadow projection based on topography and time of day. I’ve coined the phrase “Stalking the Light…” And to think you used to go out and do that yourself!
You can trace your way along tortuous trails, up canyons, etc… all by controlling an imaginary camera which can look either from far above or down close to earth toward any direction you wish.
How Can Landscape Photographers See the Future?
If you want to get fancy, just process a photo in the digital darkroom, write an emotional memory of that event, then post it in an advanced KML placemark balloon. Oops, I’d better watch it here; don’t want to stray too far into technical language…
Tours are the newest GE 5.2 feature… what if you want to talk about several photos in several locations?
Well, then you have the distinct advantage of moving a virtual camera from point A to point B. In effect, you can create a ‘video’ where you show satellite terrain data for a particular locale, tell it’s story with your photos, then move on to the next locale. The resulting KML (a language for geo-browsers relating camera to earth view) can play in GE just like a video you create for YouTube.
What’s that old adage, “Fly Away with Me…!”
Present Landscape Photography Limitations
At present, landscape photographers principally use GEjust to plan their trips.
But, if they knew how to create or use Tours, they could explain each exciting adventure story with a fascinating video GE would play on any computer 24x7x365 planet wide…
Now, that really ain’t too shabby!
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