This week the Photo Comm class headed out to Chesterfield, Idaho. There at the abandoned townsite, we worked on landscape and panoramic photos. While there, a significant rainstorm blew in from the mountains; some folks got wet and others took shelter where they could find it…for me, it was in the old milking barn! Afterwards, we headed south along the Portneuf River and were treated to a double rainbow. About a dozen of us had dinner at the world famous ChuckWagon, in Lava Hot Springs, before heading back to campus.
Tag Archives: Terry Ownby
International Dark Sky Park
November’s new moon proved to be an exceedingly dark night! On Saturday (Nov. 18), myself and Dr. Rob Edsall met up with six of my photo students at Craters of the Moon National Monument. The monument also happens to be designated an International Dark Sky Park, which means the night sky gets down-right dark! We set up our gear, including Dr. Edsall’s 10-inch reflector telescope, just before sunset and we worked until about 9pm. At that point the temperature dropped to about 18F (about -8C)….our gear was starting to ice-up. So, we fired up the camp stove and had some hot chocolate! In the gallery below, you will find some of my shots and a few from students. Enjoy!
Field Work in Caribou County Idaho
My Photo Communication class is working through a module on landscape and environmental photography. So, we took to the field and worked on panos and close-ups at Chesterfield, an abandoned Mormon settlement from the late 1890s. On the way back to Lava Hot Springs for dinner, we encountered a young bull moose in the middle of the road. A van full of photographers and no one had a camera ready! After a few moments, I managed to grab my small P&S Fuji and captured a couple of shots of him in the field next to the road. Afterwards, we went to the Chuck Wagon in Lava Hot Springs for a bite to eat. Great afternoon with great students!
Chesterfield Ghost Town Panoramic Photo Trip
Earlier this week the Photo Communication class, along with some Advanced Photo students, headed up to the Mormon ghost town of Chesterfield. Although the class was tasked with creating panoramic views of this abandoned site, many students included close-up and architectural views as well. Here’s some of the class hard at work….or at play??? Enjoy!

Since we were at a “ghost town” it was appropriate that an apparition would appear. Thanks for your help Ed! © 2013 Terry Ownby.

Andrew does some close-up shooting of an abandoned work table in one of the many outbuildings. © 2013 Terry Ownby.
Low-Key Portrait Lighting Demo
Today’s lab session was held over in our Photo Services studio. We worked on low-key portrait lighting as a dramatic departure from traditional portraiture lighting. Below are some samples from the demo, along with a lighting diagram.

In this shot, I set the two softboxes in back to create a rimlight effect around the subject. © Terry Ownby.

Next, we brought in a medium softbox from camera right and set the power for a 4:1 ratio (about 2 f-stops lower than back rim lights). Thanks to Ed Ritterbush for volunteering! © Terry Ownby

Without moving light and just having Miriam turn, we created another dramatic view. This lighting setup is versatile for dramatic portraits. © Terry Ownby.
Studio Orientation
Today my Photo Communication class was given their studio orientation at the University’s Photo Services studio. We are fortunate to have their studio open to our students, since we have no actual studio dedicated to our Photo Media program. Below are a few snapshots of my students listing to the staff photographer explain using the flash equipment.