Oct 31, 2011 | Landscape Photography
Chris in his wonder jacket was perfect for a sense of scale. Now you know the arch isn’t really big. Now Chris looks small in the frame, that’s in part because he didn’t want to be a model. It was also to show scale and still say big. I took that further by shooting with a 16Fish. Why isn’t Chris bowing shooting with that lens? He is dead center as is the horizon line so there is no bowing. Oh yeah, it’s a 9 image handheld HDR as well. Scale is captured, how about pizazz?
Photo captured by D3s, 16Fish on Lexar UDMA digital film
Oct 31, 2011 | Landscape Photography
We decided to check out Sand Dune Arch even though the sun was pretty high in the sky. It turned out to be the perfect time, if you don’t mind doing a 9 image handheld HDR. The tops of the rocks were in full sun, the bottom in total shade. Shooting a 9 image HDR you know that range of light was huge. Photomatic Pro had no problem assembling the parts and then the rest of the finishing was done in PS. The one problem? No sense of size, no sense of wonder. Can that be fixed?
Photos captured by D3s, 16Fish on Lexar UDMA digital film
Oct 30, 2011 | Landscape Photography
We’re in Moab this week and having a great time! We scouted yesterday in Arches which is the land of great rocks! I came with the mind set of doing a lot of B&W and the light made it real easy to do. These are really simple clicks, shoot and convert in SEP2 to B&W. There will be more as the week goes on and I’ll explain more as I go.
Photos captured by 14-24AFS on Lexar UDMA digital film
Oct 30, 2011 | Landscape Photography
My bud RC is an excellent shooter who is constantly taking his photography and pushing it. In the process, he pushes us, at least he pushes me. He does a lot of HDR portraits and while not my style, I am aware of what he does and I really like it. So yesterday out at Broken Arch when I saw Chris standing there in his yellow jacket, I thought, RC! This is a 9 image handheld HDR that I actually kinda like. Chris’ attitude is what makes it for me. I wish the sun wasn’t behind a little bit of cloud cover because I couldn’t get a star burst, just a giant blinkie. Will I do this again? If the opportunity arises but I won’t seek it. It is good to know that I can get close though. Thanks RC!
Photo captured by D3s, 16AF on Lexar UDMA digital film
Oct 28, 2011 | Landscape Photography
Sharon & I had a marvelous couple of days the beginning of the week as we played host and tour guide to our good friends Adam & Brandon. They are part of the incredible Kelby Training video crew and they were out with us in the Sierra filming my latest class on fall color. We were filming exactly one year to the day from last year when the fall color on the eastside was spectacular, just hitting its peak. As you can see, the peak has come and sadly, gone. It’s one of our favorite times of year here with the color, light, nip in the morning air and the excitement of the snow to come. This is a favorite grove of Aspens of mine where I have spent a lot of time over the last couple of decades shooting. I feel like I know these trees personally.You look close enough, you’ll recognize some of them from my book Captured.
I know, I know, it’s a waterfall. Like the grove of Aspens, I know this waterfall really well. Family legend has me falling in when I was a little Moose making quite a scene. Adam & Brandon being from FL haven’t seen the Sierra before and in fact, this was Brandon’s first visit to CA! Waterfalls are pretty darn rare in FL so since I had the opportunity to share a favorite with them, I did. Filming was complete so they grabbed their cameras and I took along one as well. We got there and the sun was out making for spotty light, not to appealing. Then the sun went behind the clouds and I liked what I saw. So I closed the lens down to f/22, ISO to L1 and made this hand held 1/2sec shot to blur the water. The trunks are what make it for me along with the spots of color. And the best part are the memories of taking this while creating the class with our dear friends from FL. Perfect!
Photos captured by D3x, 24f1.4AFS on Lexar UDMA digital film
Oct 27, 2011 | Landscape Photography
Ever been to Disneyland? Well this little depot in Westport reminds me of Disneyland so when Scott asked if we could stop, it as brakes on, bat turn left! Now the drama in the light and clouds weren’t there like our first visit and I knew it wouldn’t be the same. It never is. But I knew there was fun to be had here and when I think of having fun and goofin in photography, I think Fisheye! So I grabbed the 16mm and when a shootin. You see what I came back with. Both are 5 image hand held HDR that were then finished with Photomatic Pro and CEP4. Now did I run home and make 24×30 prints of these and hang them on my wall? What do you think? Did I have a blast with my friends Scott, Jeff, Chris & Kevin shooting these? Oh man, were we ever immature and laughing out heads off! Will these photographs always remind me of that moment in time? You bet! And for that reason, they are totally successful and will never be deleted. Not photographically my favorites but as life memories go, they most certainly are!
