Apr 17, 2010 | Landscape Photography, Moose Adventures
The winds that greeted us in the morning never stopped, in fact they kept building as the day went on. We battled our way out to Badwater and some other Death Valley favorites and while there was a couple of cool pics to make, it wasn’t really fun. Then came the evening and Stovepipe Wells.
[swf]http://www.moosepeterson.com/swf_imgs/_bmp6971.swf, 585, 444 [/swf]
She expresses the afternoon perfectly!
[swf]http://www.moosepeterson.com/swf_imgs/_bmp6978.swf, 585, 444 [/swf]
She expresses the afternoon perfectly!
[swf]http://www.moosepeterson.com/swf_imgs/_bmp7073.swf, 585, 444 [/swf]
This is what the Eastern Sierra Adv is all about. Simple Pleasures, simple clicks, romancing the landscape!
Apr 17, 2010 | B&W Photography, Moose Adventures
[swf]http://www.moosepeterson.com/swf_imgs/_bmp5763.swf, 460, 600 [/swf]
The moment called for B&W.
[swf]http://www.moosepeterson.com/swf_imgs/_bmp5782.swf, 585, 444 [/swf]
All finishing done in CS5
Photos captured by D3x, 24PC-E on Lexar UDMA digital film
Apr 17, 2010 | Landscape Photography, Moose Adventures
The tires hit the hwy at 03:30. For two hours we drive east and downhill, a shooting star lighting up the sky in the beginning but slowly, the stars disappear. The air coming through the vents gets warmer and warmer, the truck get buffeted by more and more wind. On we travel, the sunrise calling us further and further east.
[swf]http://www.moosepeterson.com/swf_imgs/_bmp5692.swf, 585, 444 [/swf]
Before the sun can kiss the sky, we’re in the parking lot and walking up the path. We’re at Zabriskie Point, Death Valley NP and on the right morning, a very magical place. We lucked out because the clouds worked their magic because otherwise a desert with bald skies is, well, as my assistant would say, blech!
[swf]http://www.moosepeterson.com/swf_imgs/_bmp5738.swf, 585, 444 [/swf]
The clouds were just too magical for any lens other than the 16Fish at one point. They wrapped the heavens and the earth is a bow that was for that moment, truly special.
Photos captured by D3x, 24PC-E / 16Fish on Lexar UDMA digital film
Apr 16, 2010 | B&W Photography, Landscape Photography, Moose Adventures
When we park at the old rail warehouse and I gather the folks, there is a uniform look on their faces saying “WTF?” It happens every time with every group. This comes in part because many don’t understand how I go about “landscape” photography. It also comes in part because Keeler at first glance is anything but a photographic heaven. But once you let Keeler in….
[swf]http://www.moosepeterson.com/swf_imgs/_bmp5457.swf, 585, 444 [/swf]
You wouldn’t know it by the looks of the town now, but it was once the place where tons of gold was shipped and society was in full swing. The warehouse now stands quiet, time is its only visitor. That and us when I bring a group to town.
[swf]http://www.moosepeterson.com/swf_imgs/_bmp5513.swf, 585, 444 [/swf]
I don’t know what it is about these old TVs but they suck me in every time. I approached them differently this time and finished them differently and like these results but I know there is more here. I’ll be back.
[swf]http://www.moosepeterson.com/swf_imgs/_bmp5546.swf, 585, 444 [/swf]
The Shadows take over Keeler as the sun slips behind the Sierra fifty miles away. This is a another stop I wish I had tagged along with Fausto because he made images I’ve never seen come from this town. Stephanie headed out and made a couple of real sweet images as well, one with my 24PC-E that she borrowed from my bag. I can see that being an expensive loan in the time to come :)
[swf]http://www.moosepeterson.com/swf_imgs/_bmp5634.swf, 585, 444 [/swf]
It was near the end of the day when the group meet up with one of Keeler’s residents and they found the treasure that is Keeler that the goal of the afternoon was meet and a window into what I think landscape photography is all about that we found Keeler’s true gold. While I didn’t make the best images of the afternoon, I was rewarded just as much as the rest of the group with a simple stop at a simple place!
Photos captured by D3x, 24/45/85PCE on Lexar UDMA digital film
Apr 16, 2010 | B&W Photography, Landscape Photography, Moose Adventures
Good thing the sun came up, it was my only possibility for redemption for the morning. Seriously, to blow such a killer opportunity, I loose sleep over those. Well, the sun came up and that great, killer skies for star trails became ouch for sun.
[swf]http://www.moosepeterson.com/swf_imgs/_bmp5371bw.swf, 585, 444 [/swf]
It is no wonder that one of the first shapes I saw in the rocks of Alabama Hills was that of an ass! Now to get the shot I needed the 16Fish to get the shape. To use that lens to get the shape, I had to be in the photo. That kinda took away from it all. Having CS5 and knowing what Content-Aware fill can do, I simple put the camera on Interval Timer, stepped out of the frame, had the camera take some clicks and then a quick finish in post. You can’t see the camera or tripod or where Content-Aware made them go away. Damn, freakin cool!
[swf]http://www.moosepeterson.com/swf_imgs/_bmp5360.swf, 585, 444 [/swf]
Not really moving too far, I came across this nose. Now I wanted to do a little HDR because it brings out some of the cool color in the rocks. CS5 does have a new HDR engine which does a good job but it’s too many steps for impatient me so I still prefer Photomatix Pro which I used here. Matt does a great job explaining CS5 HDR basics here so check it out.
[swf]http://www.moosepeterson.com/swf_imgs/_bmp5217.swf, 585, 444 [/swf]
And then back to plain and simple. I like plain and simple of after this morning, I could handle plain and simple. The finishing again was all done in CS5 using the technique Stephanie & I taught at Photoshop World, no pluggins, all CS5. Ah, this morning is over with, time to go lick my wounds and learn from my mistakes.
Photos captured by D3x, 16Fish / 45PC-E on Lexar UDMA digital film
Apr 16, 2010 | Moose Adventures
I have certain personal rules, routines, that when I break them I always end up shooting myself in the foot. This start of our second day of the Adventure is textbook screw up! We were heading to the Hills for star trails. The skies were perfect, perfect, freakin perfect for creating gorgeous images.
[swf]http://www.moosepeterson.com/swf_imgs/_bmp5255.swf, 585, 444 [/swf]
When I’m on the road creating trails, I always leave the room with the gear all set to go, I just have to put on a tripod, point and shoot. Well this time I didn’t go all set up and I paid the price. Here’s a gorgeous shot and it’s soft. Damn! It’s soft because I didn’t open my eyes and notice that the 24f1.4 focuses past infinity. I just focused over until the lens stopped and went happy on to help others. Clicks later, yuck!
[swf]http://www.moosepeterson.com/swf_imgs/_bmp5260.swf, 585, 444 [/swf]
OK, so I come to the party and get the lens focused at infinity, cool. Then I realize my MC-36 which I had lent out a while back wasn’t firing correctly. So in the dark I took it apart to see the battery compartment was corroded. So while trying to make star trails, I’m pulling on the MC-36 connected to the camera. Yikes, not doing so well.
[swf]http://www.moosepeterson.com/swf_imgs/_bmp5263.swf, 460, 600 [/swf]
Then, just when I think I’m making progress, I realize I’m shooting with the D3x when I meant to grab the D3s! Holly crap, could I have toasted a killer opp better, if I tried? Why did I want the D3s? I want to shoot 4-8sec exposures and to do that, I need the D3s’s higher ISO quality. So while I got what I wanted in the viewfinder, the Milky Way cloud, it’s not sharp.The only saving grace is the fact that this is my backyard. With skies cooperating, I’ll be out again tonight perfecting my technique.
Photos captured by D3x, 24f1.4AFS on Lexar UDMA digital film
