ESA – Day3am4

Seriously, you didn’t even have to really look through the viewfinder, you just pointed in any direction and the images appeared. Conway Summit when it’s magical is beyond the photograph to express that magic. We were incredibly fortunate to hit it at peak and just before the storm came in to leave just bare trunks.

Photos captured by D3x, 24-70AFS / 70-300VR on Lexar UDMA digital film

ESA – Day3am2

There is a location in the Sierra when the stars all align, magic happens. In this case, all the snow which turns into water this past winter along with the snow we had 08 Sept produced some amazing color in a favorite locale, Conway Summit.

I hadn’t seen the Summit this gorgeous all at once for at least a decade. We were here probably at its peak, the color you see here is straight from the camera. It needed nothing from me to make it better. We so lucked out. The clouds hung around for quite a while providing us killer soft light. Normally the sun is burning up the scene not too long after sunrise. The other miracle was that the next day, giant winds, up to 140mph gusts came through the area cleaning off the leaves. We walked the road, I had a .06 Split Grad attached to the front of the lens and just shot. I love morning like this in the Sierra!

Photo captured by D3x, 24-70AFS on Lexar UDMA digital film

ESA – Day3am

While I have a plan on where I would like to take the gang when we head out each time on our Eastern Sierra Adv, I still make a last minute call when I see the light up and down the Sierra.

This morning we headed north. I was thinking of going up Lee Vining Cyn but when I saw the clouds, I made a beeline to the shore of Mono Lake. The clouds and the light dictated a high vantage point so that’s where we headed. There was a slight window in the clouds so I knew there would be an exposure issue. So I went to my now favorite 7 image HDR mode to wrangle it all in. Feeling cockie, I thought I would attempt doing a 7 image HDR time lapse. See it here? That tells you how well that experiment went.

The clouds were moving fast so the light show came and went. What you’re seeing are two images taken really just minutes apart. I’m really impressed with the new Photomatic Pro 4.01 when using 7 images. You might notice there is no “HDR” look to the photos. What you see is what I saw, gorgeous light, lots of it brought all down within the range of our limited gear. All that really counts is, you feel the wow we felt that morning.

Photos captured by D3x, 24-70AFS on Lexar UDMA digital film

ESA – Day1pm1

Heading down the hill I thought I wanted to go south. Once in the flats and looking around, I said let’s go north. Then a second later I said, “Nope, let’s go south.” Then I looked north again and said, “Keep heading south!” Having been in an area for 50yrs and exploring it during every time of day and season and with a little sixth sense on weather helps in instances like this when the heavens open up.

Western movie buffs will recognize this place from such classics as True Grit and Nevada Smith. The Hot Springs are a favorite locale WHEN the heaven are full of drama which today, they sure were. This is a 7 image HDR to pull off the range of light, especially the god beams.

Photo captured by D3x, 24-70AFS on Lexar UDMA digital film

ESA – Day1 am

Fall on the eastside, I still know of no batter place to experience or enjoy fall and all its rewards. I’ve been “doin” fall now for 8 weeks and while saw the best “eastern” color this past week, nothing beats the color at home!

We started off at one of my still favorite places, Mono Lake. These photos were taken this morning, they hot off the sensor. And the sum up a point I try to make with folks. Move!

Mono Lake is a busy place right now with the fall color in the hills and the full moon rise comin up. So as much as I watch the scenery, I watch other photographers and parking is really common. They put down their tripod and there they stay until time to get breakfast. What you see here is just five minutes of time but in those five minutes the clouds change and since they tie everything together, I felt I had to move ten feet to my right. I’m glad I did, a stronger photo for it. For both photos, a split grad .9 was used and the camera’s WB was Cloudy A6 with -2.5 exp comp. Easy stuff.

Photos captured by D3x, 18AF on Lexar UDMA digital film

No Rain, No Pain, No Maine

You gotta love mother nature. No matter what you plan, it really doesn’t matter because she is going to do whatever she wants to do. So the sign in the Appalachian Cafe was so true. No Rain, No Pain, No Maine!

The first day, we didn’t even try to get out, the nor’easter pretty much kept us pinned up. The next day despite the rain and drizzle, we made an attempt. We drove up to Baxter State Park and waited in the truck for 90min while the worst of the rain went by. We then made the short walk up to Sandy Stream Pond only to stand in the wind in drizzle. With the best eyes in teh business scanning the pond, after a couple of hours, we called it.

Heading back to the room wasn’t an option so we started to cruise the park looking for targets of opportunity. We were pleased to see that even with the big rains, leaves still remained in some locations. So out we popped to make some clicks.

Why B&W? The wet trunks just suggested to me that B&W worked better so, B&W it is.

Photos captured by D3x, 24-70AFS on Lexar UDMA digital film

Now We’re Talkin Landscape!

We left Freeport and headed up to base out of Millinocket to work the Moose in Baxter State Park. We got in with just enough time to reconnoiter the area for color before the storm comes in. It is simple stunning in the surrounding hills, the color is maxed out!

Well one of the lakes has an air service so headed in that direction to see if I could get some aviation with fall color. A great twist on landscape photography if you ask me.

As it so happen to unfold, the pilot James was warming up and taking off on a run. The light level was so low with the pending storm, I was shooting at 1/45 f4 handheld! So we were able to photograph him in his Cessna 206 taxing down lake, turn around and lift off. I’ve photographed a lot of float planes in our work in Alaska but never with this kind of fall color. I could do this kind of landscape photography all day long!

Photos captured by D3x, 200-400VR2 on Lexar UDMA digital film

DLWS ME Day3-AMI

The best shot of the week for me was made by literally falling out of the van and pointing the lens. -2.5 exp comp was all there was to it, the rest was all right there before me. And was there luck? Na, just getting up early. Simply gorgeous!

Photo captured by D3x, 24-70AFS on Lexar UDMA digital film

DLWS ME Day2 -AMb

And then I simply looked up. Wow! The heavens were dancing as the clouds skipped on by. This all unfolded as the sun was rising.

And then the last element was added. Perfection! Simple! I just had to show up and look up.

Photos captured by D3x, 24f1.4AFS on Lexar UDMA digital film

Man, It’s Harder Then It Looks

Ya know, this artsy fartsy thing is just a damn challenge for me. Why? Perhaps because it goes just far enough beyond my logical side that I can’t grasp it.

My colleague on the other hand, Laurie Excell (who just announced her 1st book…congrats!) does these things all the time.

So here is my attempt at this reflection stuff. Driving down the road the pond looked so cool and full of possibilities, then we stopped. I circled the dang thing looking at the reflections and shot a whole lot, each click getting more and more frustrating. Seriously, I deleted them all but these two and even they have issues. But at least I tried and I did have fun. Will I try agan? Sure. Did I learn anything? Perhaps use a longer lens, a dunno.

Photos captured by D3x, 24-70AFS on Lexar UDMA digital film

DLWS NH Day3b AM

The light came out and so did the color. We headed down Hwy112 to a couple of our favorite vista and rocked the house! Simply gorgeous. I just love this kind of landscape photography, telephoto. I simply look through the viewfinder, slowly pan the hillside looking for great patterns and go click. Just stunning!

This is where long lens technique came into play though. We had quite a wind and the only way to make the shot was to keep that lens from bucking. Finishing was real simple, add a little black in ACR and done. I just love this simple kind of shooting.

Photos captured by D3x, 600VR on Lexar UDMA digital film

New Hamshpire is Gorgeous!

One of the coolest aspects leading my own workshop brings is the opportunity to explore new locations with good friends. That’s what DLWS is all about!

DLWS is in New Hampshire and the staff has been scouting, sighting seeing, and just blown away but what we’ve seen. It’s just gorgeous!

With a little time leftover, we decided to take the historic Mt Washington Cog Railway to the top of Mt Washington. The fall color along the route was spectacular.

It’s one very steep ride up and it takes 45min to climb the 4000 vertical feet to the top. While not the best shooting platform, it is slow enough to allow you to work the scene.

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Hanging literally out the window, I simple watched the foreground for obstacles and when there were none, I blasted away. The light was dancing across the landscape lighting up all the color.

Just look at that valley, it’s gorgeous! There isn’t a whole lot out there about this area so you might not have heard of it. You’re going to see a whole bunch from here this week as DLWS shares it with its participants. Get you map out, check out Mt Washington Valley and stayed tuned. A lot more beauty is coming your way!

Photos captured by D3x, 24f1.4AFS, 70-200VR

Oh Yeah Baby, It Paid Off!

The clock, the bastard just never stops ticking when I need it to. Hard to start walking back across the dunes and to the truck. I never took my eye off that cloud as I went. I got back to “the” dunes and the color took one last leap into gorgeous.

With calls of hurry up floating across the landscape, I looked one last time to see this. There was no way of knowing 45min earlier that we’d even have a single cloud let alone this magnificent one. The wind storm off in the west kicking up a huge dust storm put enough particles in the sky for the killer color. What you see here is what I saw. Other than the camera set to Vivid, the processing was simply holding down the Shift Key and letting ACR do its stuff.

How many amazing photos go uncaptured because time is not invested? How many images go untreasured because the wrong guess is made that nothing will develop? There is nothing I hate more then to see a great sunset in the rear view mirror. Because of that lesson, seeing that great sunset behind me, putting in the time just comes naturally now. The rewards even if I don’t get the click are too great not to put in the time. In this case, I do have the click to share. I was very lucky, again!

Photo captured by D3x, 24PC-E on Lexar UDMA digital film

One Tree – One View, One Image? cont….

So moved I did. I ended about doing a 180 from where I first started to make the image I like the best. I still have the drama of the cloud, the shape of the tree and the color of the mesa to tell place. Total shooting time was just six minutes and the distance traveled wasn’t more than 150 yards. Is this the best possible photograph of this Juniper?

It was for these six minutes but probably not over the century it has seen photographers come and go. And that’s just the thing when you’re shooting with just a heartbeat of time to make the image. Often, regrettably we have to make the most of the opportunity with just a moment of time.

Photo by D3x, 18AF on Lexar UDMA digital film

And When the Storm Breaks?!

When you are incredibly fortunate, the storm breaks at sunset and performs the magic only Mother Nature can produce. With the opening in the clouds, the pedal hits the metal to get into place.

I mean, we’re talking illegal speeds because for me, a gorgeous sunset works ONLY when you have something interesting with it from the landscape. Just pretty colors in the clouds just doesn’t cut it for me. On the western horizon I saw an opening in the clouds, that means a brief beam of light was going to make it through. Watchout cars…crazy Moose comin through!

With the dust in the air, you knew the light would be blood red. What do you want in that kind of light in Monument Valley? Monument Valley!

And here’s the gold and the end of the rainbow! As simple a click as one can make. Just got in place, dialed in -2 exp comp and click. For me, this one click of this one mesa makes all the time this trip, last trip and all those times dying to be here worth while. Mother Nature, she knows drama!

Photo captured by D3x, 70-200VR2 on Lexar UDMA digital film

Back in the Land of Tranquility

Russell Brown in Monument Valley, one of the most tranquil places on the planet. You might be saying to yourself this is an oxymoron but actually, he’s a natural here. Russell was supposed to be apart of our April adventure here but he went on a trip to Mexico and actually ate something that made him miss our trip.

So we’re here to make it up to him. And I’ve always wanted to be here in August when it’s supposed to be incredibly hot with killer thunderstorms. It’s not real hot but the weather is shaping up for the storms. Jake & I got our gear back from Nikon after their annual check ups (planned it so it would happen after their workout in Alaska) so we were ready to get them all dirty again. This is such a gorgeous place, we see our good friends today and we’re with great friends. Life doesn’t get any better!

D3x, 70-200VR2 on Lexar UDMA digital film

The End of Our Road

Seriously, when we pulled off the Haul Road and headed to the base of Slope Mtn which would be our home for the week, this is what greeted us as we stepped out of the truck. Now you could take this in one of three ways.

The romantic way is that the rainbow is a sign of great things to come. Reality is that it’s fall on the North Slope and it always rains. Or that even if it does rain, there is something the end of the storm worth weathering the storm for. You’ll just have to hang around to see what this omen comes to mean for us.

Photo captured D3x, 70-200VR2 on Lexar UDMA digital film

Back to the Land of Wireless

OK, enough of the aviation and back to what I do, wildlife. Then why the landscape photo? We’re just back (Jake & I) from the Arctic where we were continuing work on a project. Not that I’m going to put it all forth here on the blog, I do want to share some of it through this mass media. While many are still enjoying summer, in the Arctic fall is more than coming with cool temps, fall color and storms lining up for winter.

The beauty of this stark landscape is just stunning. The God beams as they play on the landscape in themselves a subject of a lifetime Arctic travel. Any project in the Arctic first requires a love for this landscape, it’s cultures, its rules and its wildlife. It is definitely not the place for weekend warriors. This is one big ass place that I hope to bring to ya this week.

Photos captured by D3x, 70-200VR2 on Lexar UDMA digital film

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