Daniel H. Bailey’s Adventure Photography Blog

It’s always interesting to track sales and see which photos do their part to keep the business rolling along. Here is a selection of images from my stock library that have recently been licensed to clients. In addition to US and North American sales, during the past few of months, I’ve also seen sales come in from Finland, Norway, Spain, China, Japan, Czech Republic and the UK.

If you’re interested in licensing any if my images for your next project, please click here.

I shot some inside adventure photos this week, of master welder and frame builder extroardinaire, James Bleakley, in his workshop. James is the owner of Black Sheep Bikes and builds incredible handbuilt bike frames here in Fort Collins, Colorado. James built titanium bike frames for us when Eric Parsons and I did our mountain bike expedition to Ladakh in the Himalayas of Northern India, where we rode over the highest passes on the planet. You can see info and images from that trip here.

To kick off the Spring season, I’ll be giving a free slide show about my Little Switzerland, Alaska rock climbing trip next Thursday, 7:00PM at The New Mountain Shop located at 172 N. College Ave. in downtown Fort Collins.

A longtime staple of the Northern Colorado outdoor community and dedicated sponsor of many of my previous slide shows, the Mountain Shop has recently reopened under new management. They have an great new store and an awesome, friendly atmosphere. Come by, see the show and hang out with some of your fellow Fort Collins outdoor junkies! Who knows, you might even win some free gear…

Rock climbing season is upon us once again!

(Juston Ledoux bouldering at Horsetooth Reservoir, Fort Collins, CO)

(Hiker on the summit of Mt. Huron: 14,003-feet, Sawatch Range, Colorado.)

I am adding a new four-week online photography course to my class offerings at The Compelling Image. The new course is titled “Exploring Long-Lens Success,” and is designed specifically to have students learn and apply the full spectrum of optical benefits offered by telephoto lenses, so that you can make them a working part of your photographic repertoire.

Long lenses offer a dramatic close-up view of the world, and they allow you to shoot subjects at distances that would otherwise be dangerous, impractical, or even impossible. They also possess characteristics that, if used properly, allow you to impart a very creative and unique vision to your photography, one that is geared around very selective focus and distinct perspectives. Regardless of what subjects you like to shoot, by mastering the use of telephoto lenses, you can take your imagery to a stunning new level.

Sign up now for the next session, which begins March 12. Classes at The Compelling Image feature interactive Q&A, student galleries, weekly lessons and assignments, flexible learning schedules and personal image critiques, as well as a 100% money back guarantee if you are not satisfied.

Seven straight days of snow.

What more can you ask for when going on a ski trip? It literally snowed every day, all day long for the entire week that we were up there at Rogers Pass in the Canadian Rockies, and in fact, the entire system dumped three meters of powder on the area over the course of about ten days. That of course made for a great week of skiing and ski photography, and as promised, here are more images from our trip.

To see even more photos from this trip, please visit my Fresh From the Camera Page at my regular website.

Here are a few teaser shots from my recent ski trip to the Selkirk Mountains of British Columbia, Canada. We had five feet of snow fall on us over the course of seven days, which of course meant endless big powder turns and some VERY DEEP conditions!

(Heath Mackay swimming through shoulder-deep powder.)

(Ryan Miller carving telemark turns through fresh snow.)

(Zac Wiebe cruising through the snow covered forest.)

(View of Mount MacDonald.)

I used my new Nikon D300 exclusively during the trip with excellent results. The D300 picks up right where the D200 left off, as a rugged, dependable, professional quality camera that is well suited to action and adventure photography. The D300’s new 51 area 3D focus tracking worked well locking onto skiers at 6 frames per second, giving me the ability to shoot impressive bursts of photos, such as the series of 18 shots below.

Stay tuned for more photos from this trip and more of my personal reviews of the Nikon D300…

Everyones’ favorite federal agency, the TSA, has yet another new FAA rule to enforce. Effective as of January 1, 2008, lithium batteries are NO LONGER ALLOWED IN CHECKED BAGGAGE. They must be transported in carry-on baggage. The new rules also place limits on how many lithium batteries you’re allowed to carry on, but they revolve around the total number of grams of lithium that each battery contains.

These new rules obviously affect photographers, since almost all cameras today are powered by rechargable lithium batteries. I’ve reprinted a question and answer form below that was taken directly from the TSA website. It explains the new rules in readable English and should clear up any questions.

Q. What kinds of batteries are allowed in carry-on baggage (in the aircraft cabin)?

A. Passengers can carry most consumer batteries and personal battery-powered devices. Spare
batteries must be protected from damage and short circuit. Battery-powered devices should be
protected from accidental activation. Batteries allowed in carry-on baggage include:
• Dry cell alkaline batteries; typical AA, AAA, C, D, 9-volt, button sized cells, etc.
• Dry cell rechargeable batteries such as Nickel Metal Hydride (NiMH) and Nickel Cadmium
(NiCad). For rechargeable lithium ion batteries; see next sentence.
• Lithium ion batteries (a.k.a.: rechargeable lithium, lithium polymer, LIPO, secondary lithium).
Passengers may carry consumer-sized lithium ion batteries [no more than 8 grams of equivalent
lithium content or 100 watt hours (wh) per battery]. This size covers AA, AAA, 9-volt, cell
phone, PDA, camera, camcorder, Gameboy, and standard laptop computer batteries.
o Passengers can also bring two (2) larger lithium ion batteries (more than 8 grams, up to 25
grams of equivalent lithium content per battery) in their carry-on. This size covers larger
extended-life laptop batteries. Most consumer lithium ion batteries are below this size.
• Lithium metal batteries (a.k.a.: non-rechargeable lithium, primary lithium). These batteries are
often used with cameras and other small personal electronics. Consumer-sized batteries (up to
2 grams of lithium per battery) may be carried. This includes all the typical non-rechargeable
batteries for personal film cameras and digital cameras (AA, AAA, 123, CR123A, CR1, CR2,
CRV3, CR22, 2CR5, etc.) as well as the flat round lithium button cells.

Q. What kinds of batteries are allowed in checked baggage?

A. Except for spare (uninstalled) lithium batteries, all the batteries allowed in carry-on baggage are
also allowed in checked baggage. The batteries must be protected from damage and short
circuit or installed in a device. Battery-powered devices—particularly those with moving parts
or those that could heat up—should be protected from accidental activation. Spare lithium
batteries (both lithium metal and lithium ion/polymer) are prohibited in checked baggage.

Q. Is there a limit to the number of batteries I can carry?

A. There is no limit to the number of consumer-size batteries or battery-powered devices that a
passenger can carry. Only the larger lithium ion batteries are limited to two (2) batteries
per passenger; see “Lithium ion batteries” explanation above.

Q. What does “protected from short circuit” mean?

A. Protected from short circuit means that a battery’s terminals are protected from being touched
by metal. When metal such as keys, coins, or other batteries come in contact with both
terminals of a battery, it can create a “circuit” or path for electricity to flow through. This can
cause extreme heat and sparks and even start a fire. To prevent short circuits, keep spare
batteries in their original packaging, a battery case, or separate pouch or pocket. Make sure
loose batteries can’t move around. Placing tape over the terminals of unpackaged batteries also
helps to insulate them from short circuit.

Happy flying, and don’t forget to drink all your liquids before going through security!

My Nikon D300 arrived the other day, along with two more Sandisk Extreme III 4G CF cards, and of course, I dropped everything else I was doing at the moment and tore into the package as if I was a kid on Christmas morning. I’ve been eagerly planning on upgrading to the D300 ever since it was announced back in August and since that time, I’ve read many excellent reviews about the camera. My own first impressions echo nearly everything that I have read.

The first thing that I noticed is the greatly increased LCD screen size. The new screen offers a full three inches of viewing enjoyment, which, when literally dwarfs the screen on the D200. It’s like comparing a big screen living room TV to the small TV in the kitchen. Sure, the kitchen TV works fine, but wouldn’t you rather watch a movie in the living room?

(D300 Rear LCD Screen)

(D200 Rear LCD Screen)

The next obvious difference is that the D300 has a brand new 12.3-megapixel sensor. It produces images that are 20% larger than the D200’s 10.2-megapixel sensor, and as impressed as I have been with the images that come out of the D200, I can’t wait to see the results I get with the D300. Here’s one of the images I shot over the weekend on my first D300 test run. Note the sharpness when the image is zoomed in.

The D300 also features a brand new 51-point dynamic autofocus system that is miles ahead of anything that Nikon has ever done in the past. The 51 focus zones cover a huge portion of the frame and when the camera is set to “dynamic 3D autofocus tracking mode,” the D300 will lock on to the subject and follow it through the frame, handing it off to the next zone as it moves position within the frame. Unlike Nikon’s previous AF systems, you can actually see this happen in real time since the camera highlights the currently active zone. It’s pretty neat to watch the zones shift around the frame as they follow your subject.

Handling the D300 is very similar to the D200, and D200 users should have no problem adapting to the minor changes in button and control configurations that Nikon changed on the D300. Put simply, it feels like a Nikon in your hands: solid, reliable and usable. They’ve even upped the shooting speed to 6fps, and although the D300 uses the same battery as the D200, I’ve heard that it uses them even more efficiently.

About the D200, I’d said that it was the most ergonomically designed camera I’d ever used, and I’m betting that I’ll have the same thing to say about the D300 when I start shooting with it. I’m heading up to Canada next week for eight days of backcountry skiing in the Selkirk Mountains and I’m excited to put it to the test. Results to follow…