Tony Bynum - Montana Photographer - Big Stories through his lens
Montana Photographer Tony Bynum at work, photographing a fly fishing guide and outfitter on Montana’s Missouri River.
Tony Bynum - Montana Based Photographer
Outdoor photographer, commercial outdoor advertising, conservation, political campaign, nature photographer.
“Don’t just love something, do something for it.”
Tony Bynum - Montana Photographer
“This Lens Tells Big Stories.” A short video describing one of Tony’s photographic passions. Human stories in big places. This video takes place in Tony’s home state of Montana on the world-famous, blue-ribbon trout stream, the Missouri River.
Tony is photographing local guide and outfitter, Alger Swingly. Alger is a member of the Blackfeet Tribe and operates, Blackfeet Outfitters. Alger is a licensed Montana Outfitter.
This short feature was produced in partnership with SmugMug, a first-class online photography website for sharing, storing, and delivering photographs.
Who needs a Commercial Film Permit in a National Park - Still Depends
Filmmaker and producer Tom Opre films a hunting scene in central Montana. Tony Bynum Photography
Commercial Film Permits in National Parks and other Public Lands. Tom Opre Filmmaker. Tony Bynum Photography
Who needs a commercial film permit in a National Park? Well, for now, no one, concludes one federal judge, and now the National Park Service (NPS). As of February 11, 2021, the NPS website (confirmed by me in a message left on my phone by a representative of the NPS) no one needs a permit.
As of January 22, 2021, the National Park Service is no longer collecting application or location fees, or cost recovery for filming. NPS Website (confirmed by the NPS in a message left on my phone on February 11, 2021).
Remarkably, as of today, the NPS is NOT issuing or even asking for you to fill out a permit application. Wow. I’ll say it again, Wow!
Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly Rulling
Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia declared that the statute and enacting regulations that require those engaged in “commercial filming” to obtain permits and pay certain fees are unconstitutional. The court also found that the permit rules restrict speech in public forums, including the many National Park locations that are already considered traditional public forums such as the National Mall. The court found that the rules were content-based restrictions on speech, subject to strict scrutiny. Likewise, she found, the regulations and underlying reasons offered by the government—namely obtaining a “fair market” payment on top of any administrative costs—do not meet that scrutiny. “The government may not impose a charge for the enjoyment of a right granted by the federal constitution, including the First Amendment right to free expression.” Judge Kollar-Kotelly wrote.
"Mr. Price’s filmmaking at these parks constitutes a form of expressive speech protected by the First Amendment," she writes in the opinion, adding "the creation of a film must also fall within the ambit of the First Amendment’s protection of freedom of expression. To find otherwise, would artificially disconnect an integral piece of the expressive process of filmmaking."
The Judge said that her ruling applies to National Wildlife Areas and public lands administered by the Bureau of Land Management. Her final statement leaves room for a new permit and fee system possibly based on other criteria.
In issuing this injunction, the Court observes that a more targeted permitting regime for commercial filming, which is more closely connected to the threat posed by large groups and heavy filming equipment, may pass constitutional muster in the future.
You can the entire decision here: Judge rules film bill unconstitutional.
How does this apply to the Department of Agriculture - Forest Service?
This is a hard question to answer directly. I can tell you that after my recent call with a Forest Service supervisor they told me “we’re looking into it, and are not sure how it’s going to affect our permit program.” My guess is that the USFS special use permit program WILL be affected and will be reworked.
What NOW?
Going forward:
I recommend anyone engaged in commercial filming call their local park service, BLM or National Fish and Wildlife Service office for the latest. I suspect at some point there will be a new permit system for commercial filming in National Parks and other federal public lands.
I also recommend that if you’re planning a shoot on Department of Interior lands (BLM, NPS, FWS), you do your level best to follow all other rules and regulations. I would avoid filming in popular/busy locations and I would do everything I could to avoid displacing wildlife, other people, damaging any resources, and absolutely DO not trespass!
Call your senator and representative and tell them you heard about the ruling and you would like to know what they plan to do. Ask them to please look into it, and better,
I can’t tell you what to do if you have content already in the can that you captured without a permit.
Current Film Permit Podcast - Tony Bynum and Brian Call a.k.a, “Gritty.”
Tony Bynum and Brian Call discuss Filming on federal Public lands and the recent federal judge’s ruling that current film permits and fees are unconstitutional and issued an injunction.
Other sources
The National Press Photographers Association (NPPA) has been leading the legal charge on changing the federal permit program. I found its article helpful and interesting to read. And the Kurt Repansheck over at the National Parks Traveler sight did a great write up as well.
World Photography Organisation - Tony Bynum Interview
The World Photography Organisation works across up to 180 countries, its aim is to raise the level of conversation around photography by celebrating the best imagery and photographers on the planet.
Fall in Glacier National Park - Stacy Dolderer stands on the edge of a lake in beautiful Glacier National Park. © Tony Bynum
“From a business standpoint, the most important aspect of assignments, or paid shoots, particularly in far-flung, remote places where there are few if any resources, is to be a problem solver. I always plan for things to go wrong. I have multiple backup plans and options. I try to think through everything that could go wrong and be prepared to act when and if they do. Up-front planning and experience are probably more important than photographic skills. That said, today you have to be expert at both”
I encourage you to read more about the World Photography Organization and visit the website, it is full of fantastic interviews, contests and valuble information.
Improve your photography - the most important advice I can give you
This single thing will improve your photography the first time out . . .
In this short interview, I tell you the single most important thing you can do to improve your photography. It's so simple and you never hear anyone talk about it. I guarantee if you follow my directions, you'll improve your photography the first time out.
Thank you Ryan Gresham for the interview, Honey Brake and the Professional Outdoor Media Association for the opportunity.
This short interview was filmed during a recent media event we're calling #pomavissionsaffield. The event at Honey Brake was sponsored by the Professional Outdoor Media Association (POMA), Nissan, Honey Brake, Banded, Gunner Kennels, SPG, Browning, Federal Ammunition, Hobie, Voormi, Sure-Shot Game Calls, Vista, Avery, Ducks Unlimited, Confluence Group.
Podcast - Tony Bynum - thoughts on Conservation, Photography, and the Business of Photography
Podcast interview with Montana Based, Outdoor Photographer Tony Bynum, "how Tony approaches his professional photography career - Conservation Photography, Business of Photography, Outdoors, Wildlife
In this podcast, Tony Bynum, Outdoor Photographer, talks with Bruce Hutchens of Whitetail Rendesvous. Tony describes his approach to the Business of Photography, Hunting, and Conservation. Click on the link below to access the Podcast.
Tony Bynum in the photographed in the Canadian Rocky Mountains by © Rod Sinclair - Sinclair Imagery
#OurWild - My Story for Protecting Public Lands
#OURWILD
The #ourwild campaign is about real people telling their public lands stories. This #ourwild video, produced by The Wilderness Society, is part of my public land story. I'm a father. I'm a hunter. I'm a photographer, friend and advocate for keeping the public domain in public hands. I am firmly against selling, or trading the public domain to the states. I'm not a preservationist, I'm a conservationist, which means I believe in using the natural resources, not locking them up. I also believe some places should be off limits to extraction. I'm for sensible, reasoned, and smart use of our public resources.
As a hunter and photographer, I support hunter education in the form of learning the history of conservation in America, in addition to how to be safe with a gun. For example, in order to bow hunt in Montana, during the early elk season, you have to have a special permit and pay an extra fee for it. In order to receive that permit you must go through an approved educational course that includes the history of conservation, the history of bowhunting, and the people who were instrumental in creating of the modern bow.
Conservation and resources management are more important than ever. Resources are limited and as we've seen our appetite, or demand for them is limitless. I believe that all children should be taught the history of conservation.
Conservation and Environmental Reading List
Here is a list of Authors, and titles worth reading.
Aldo Leopold - A Sand County Almanac
Rachel Carson - Silent Spring
Marc Reisner - Cadillac Desert
Henry David Thoreau - Walden
Wendell Berry - The Unsettling of America
James Lovelock - Gaia
Edward Abbey - Desert Solitaire
Vine Deloria - Spirit and Reason
#OURWILD Photographs
Please help by making your story known. You can also take action here, on the #ourwild page. Leave a comment or share this post and together we can insure that our children have #ourwild. #keepitpublic
Tony Bynum
"National Parks Adventure" filming on location in Glacier Park, Montana - what it was like
"National Parks Adventure" filming on location in Glacier National Park - what it was like. Packing a million dollar camera down a rough trail, by hand, in the middle of darkness for a one minute movie clip may seem extreme. Maybe so, but this shoot was for the just released, IMAX film, "National Parks Adventure." MacGillivray Freeman Films produced the film to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the National Park Service.
imax film crew filming in glacier national park, montana national parks adventure
Our caravan arrived and parked on the gravel, next to a wide opening in the forest that led to a narrow trailhead. It was well before sunup, and unfamiliar territory for the group made worse by the ongoing construction to rebuild the Going to the Sun Road. Car doors opened and the dim warm glow of dome lights provided some illumination. Everyone knew their job, they were prepared. Immediately upon exiting, bright headlamps shined around in the sky. Beams of light showed up on trees and bounced of mirrors and vehicles like jousting light sabers. After everyone had organized their gear, I led the guys down a short trail to where they would set up a very rare, IMAX film camera (one of only three like this one in the world). We were filming the infamous, "Wild Goose Island" sunrise scene over Saint Mary Lake - likely one of the most iconic national parks scenes in America.
Still in the dark, I showed Brad Ohlund, Director of Photography, the exact locations where I thought the scene would best be captured. I've been here to shoot this image 100 times, so I had the best spots surveyed out well before we ever arrived. As a side note, early on in our planning, I had made sure to discuss the camera's field of view so I could replicate it on my own camera. I wanted to be able to see exactly what the IMAX camera would see. After Brad surveyed the sites, he directed his camera crew to set up the massive camera and tripod in the exact location he thought he could best capture the sunrise scene. Brad, as the director of photography, is responsible for everything that happens on the "set." Brad's been at this for over 25 years. He was on the team that took the the IMAX camera to Mt. Everest to film the movie, "Everest." That same year, a deadly disaster took the lives of 8 people. Brad was present when Rob Hall, and Everest expedition leader passed away from injuries suffered during the avalanche.
(Side Note - Brad Ohlund, recently published his version of the Rob Hall mountain climbing disaster on Everest.)
glacier national park, imax behind the scenes wild goose island "national parks adventure"
As the sky began to brighten, Brad, working with his team, checked the light with a portable light meter, set the aperture, and focused the camera, he was ready to roll. Everyone anticipates the camera rolling. It's drama of a different sort. The camera is at the center of focus so to speak, as we wait for the light to arrive. Soon, Brad starts the camera. It clatters away, film reeling from one canister though the camera, to the canister on the opposite side. As I listened to it clicking away, everyone intensively watching the camera, then snapping my neck around to catch a glimpse of the scene, then back to the camera again, I couldn't help but think of the bygone era of mechanical film cameras. It was a nostalgic moment for me. The truth is, the detail captured by the film in this camera is still the gold standard for mega screen IMAX movies. Digital IMAX and 3d would be used to film parts of the movie "National Parks Adventure," but the film camera, for these scenes produced the best results.
After the Wild Goose Island shoot, we packed up and soon were on to a new location. We managed two to three locations per day. For each day we planned a morning, and an evening shoot. Morning and evening offer the best light - you've all heard of the golden hour, well, that's when we had to be ready to shoot, come hell or high water. For our second location, the evening shoot, we changed location. We moved to another part of Saint Mary Lake. The image below is what it looked like as we waited for that golden moment. Understanding the local weather patterns was critical to this shot. I anticipated that the light would improve as it peeked through, and below the clouds, as it often does as the clouds build over the lake during the late summer and early fall. Below, is the dull, cloudy image showing why we were forced to wait. The rest of the crew knew that something magical could happen, but they, like me, were nervous that it may not. As luck would have it, the sun broke though, as predicted, and what a scene it was. It was, by anyone's standards, worth the wait. As the sun peeked though, I'm sure we all heard the same whimsical music in our heads - it was absolutely heavenly.
saint mary lake
photograph of filming imax movie national parks adventure in glacier national park
imax film crew filming national parks adventure imax movie in glacier national park
photograph of sunset over saint mary lake, glacier national park, montana
The following day lead us to the shore of another lake, Lake Mcdonald, in Glacier Park's west side. The lake is near the Park entrance at West Glacier, Montana. In these images the camera was set up at the water's edge to put the end viewer front and center. Motion in IMAX film helps keep the viewers attention as many of the shot sequences are on screen for a minute, and sometimes more! That's a long time for any scene to stay on screen. It's possible to leave one scene on the screen for that long because of the immense size of the screen and the extreme detail captured with this camera. It gives people time to look around and really take in the entire experience brought to you by an IMAX theater.
Brad Ohlund, Director of Photography, filming the "National Parks Adventure" movie along the shore of Lake Mcdonald, glacier national park, montana. © Tony Bynum
Behind the scenes photograph of filming the imax movie "National
The next stop was along the Going to the Sun Road, just inside the Park's eastern entrance at Saint Mary's, Montana, a small town on the Blackfeet Indian Reservation and boarding Park.
Behind the scenes photograph of "National Parks Adventure" movie crew setting up to film along the going to the sun road in glacier National Park, Montana.
After this shoot, we planned to reshoot the Saint Mary Lake, Wild Goose Island location the next day. Unfortunately, when we arrived the wind's were typical for Glacier Park, blowing and spitting rain, not the best conditions for filming. We waited around for the wind to die down, but it never did. We regrouped and the team packed up and headed off to their next destination, Devils Tower in Wyoming to film Conrad Anker climbing the Tower. All in all, it was a fantastic shoot, and I'm happy to have been a small part of this historic documentary film.
Location Expert - How I got the Job and Pre Production
For me, the entire project started about a year before the shoot. MacGillivray Freeman Films called me to discuss the details of filming locations within Glacier National Park. They wanted the epic, grand views, the ones most of you have likely seen in photographs. I pulled together a set of digital maps, with photo points linked to photographs I've shot over the past 15 years, and sent them on to MacGillivray. Creating maps with key photo points linked to photographs allowed the team to share the critical planning elements among each other, without having to have everyone in the same room. They could simply bring up the maps, click on photo points, and reference the images of that location on their smart phones, tablets, or computers.
After a few weeks looking over locations, and discussing the types of scenes the director was looking for, they hired me as the location expert and I become part of the team. As the location expert, it was my job know everything there is to know about the place. From how to get around in a timely manner, to knowing where the light's will be and when it's going to be right. One of the most most critical parts, is knowing what to do when plan A does not go as planned. The camera man has the ultimate say on the shot. It was my job to show the camera man the locations that I thought were best for the shoot, and discuss all the variable of each location in order for him to be able to make a wise choice about capturing it on film.
The IMAX Camera
IMAX film cameras shoot a maximum of 3 minutes of 77mm film. That's right, it still uses real film. Typically a rolling film shoot in the IMAX camera lasts from one to three minutes, one minute being the minimum. The camera holds three minutes of film, and a full film canister weighs 50 pounds. It takes about a hour and a crew of 3-5 people to set up the camera to shoot one to three minutes of film. If the film runs out, a new, full film canister and an empty receiving can is swapped out. The canisters are pre loaded and stored in a truck near the shoot location.
The entire camera package is bulky, heavy, and cumbersome to move. Getting the camera and support gear into remote areas is a major, time consuming and very labor intensive endeavor. An interesting fact about filming in IMAX format is that it cost about $1000 per minute to run the camera. $1,000 dollars a minute! Of course you'd be captivated, anyone would be, by a camera that can spend more money in one minute than your entire day's wage!
National Parks Adventure IMAX Movie Trailer
Here's is the 2 minute trailer to the film, "National Parks Adventure."
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0iqF2Tk_1WA
Finally, I'd like to thank MacGillivray Freeman Films, Brad, and Rob, and the rest of the crew for putting up with my humor and for trusting me to provide them the very best, most trusted and knowledgeable service possible. To the National Park Service, Glacier National Park, for providing us with a fantastic park service monitors, all were helpful, polite, and did their jobs well!
"National Parks Adventure" movie crew above Saint Mary Lake, Glacier National Park, Montana.
I encourage all of you to go watch, "National Parks Adventure" in an IMAX theater.
If you can please leave a comment, or ask any questions, I'd be happy to share additional thoughts or answer questions.
Sincerely, Tony Bynum
Micro four thirds and 4k video - is it time to switch?
I've mentioned micro four thirds, aka "mirrorless," in previous posts. As fast and as far as technology has taken imagery, there still are trade-offs no matter the type of photography you choose. 35mm digital single lens reflex cameras (DSLR), along with crop sensor DSLR's are used by most outdoor photographers due to their size, availability, quality construction, quality lenses, and finally, price. I guess one could say, DSLR's today occupy the space on a graph where price and quality meet. Of course there are better cameras with bigger sensors that offer better results, but for most, me included, they are not important to my workflow.
Outdoor sports and adventure photographers, wildlife photographers, and journalists are always looking for smaller, lighter, faster tools, while maintaining a minimal level image and product quality. That minimum level for image quality is today still largely based on the demands of magazine publications i.e., print. So, while I don't like to think I'm compromising on quality, I must in order to get my gear where I need to go - as mentioned, it's a balance between size and quality output. I use full frame Nikon cameras, and large aperture lenses when I'd prefer to use a 50 mega pixel back on a medium format camera resulting in even better files, but that's just not realistic for me, after all I'm a photographer first because I enjoy it!
Micro four thirds cameras offer that smaller size equivalent to DSLR's. But the image quality is still not there for print. I have not found a regular place in my professional photographic workflow (although I do own and use a Nikon AW-1 - a small, interchangeable lens camera - but that's for very specific purposes). The Nikon AW-1 while not a micro four thirds camera is a micro, mirrorless, interchangeable camera that fills a similar niche. The Nikon AW-1 is actually an eight to three ratio and not four thirds. I will go into more detail about this camera in a future post, but for now I'll get back to micro four thirds.
I've spent dozens of hours using the Panasonic Gh 3 and a good selection of prime as well as zoom lenses. For video, I doubt you can find a better set up, for the price, than the new Gh4. But for stills, mainly because I shoot a lot of low iso in low light, the micro four thirds, like the Gh3 still don't produce the quality of files I need for still photography.
I've heard people like Dan Cox say that micro four thirds are good enough for his work and I know there are other's that would agree. Just take a look at Dan's camera bag and read his blog posts about micro four thirds. I love the photo of his camera bag, makes me get scared of photography. In fairness, I like Dan, we are friends, so I'm not ripping on him, I'm pointing out that he's a fantastic, successful photographer and use's four thirds systems. Here's the link to Dan's blog.
Simply put, imagine if you need the quality of a full size DSLR with wide aperture lenses and yet you have the occasion to use a smaller, lighter micro four thirds camera. If size and portability are part of the equation, packing two systems does not make any more sense than leaving the DSLR at home altogether. So, I'm not sure how it helps anyone in my business to support four thirds when it's only marginally useful and if you do any amount of travel, it's nearly useless to try to stuff both systems (or more) into your carry-on. . . If you have a different view, or a real solution to this dilemma please share your thoughts by commenting below, we all would love to hear them.
On January 10, 2015, I'm not ready to change over to micro four thirds as my primary, commercial photography tool. It's not time for me to switch, but it is time to take notice and work one into to my photography business more completely.
If you are interested in learning more about 4k video, and micro four thirds photography, the following video does a great job of showing the benefits of 4k and the weight and ergonomics of micro four thirds. If you're a photographer and have been considering some video work, this video may help you make the move to owning at least one small micro four thirds camera system. 4k might well be the intersection of quality and price when it comes to high quality video. I suggest you take a closer look.
Thank you for taking the time to visit my blog. If you're on social media, lets continue the learning and the discussion - twitter: @tonybynum, Instagram: @huntphotos, and Facebook: @Tony Bynum Photography