“The Face in the Mist”
On one of our workshop days we went down to Bandon beach early in the morning. The fog covered many of the sea stacks. Gradually the fog lifted and I was able to get this exposure. My intent was to create a mood of a misty morning filled with gentle soft light, an awakening of the Indian maiden in the sea.
“Struggling for Life”
These two trees struggling for life caught my attention while I was doing some long exposure photography. My interest quickly focused on them. I walked around to get the best perspective I could find. I focused on keeping the angle of the trees leaning to the center, maintaining a separation between the small sea stack and the cliff, and eliminating some distracting rocks and dirt on the right edge. I blended two images together to achieve a tonal range between the sky and the cliff. I did a little dodging on the tree trunks and a little burning in the sky to get the contrast I was looking for.
I am getting better at taking my time to look around before becoming engrossed in shooting.
Face Rock – Bandon, Oregon
I looked and looked and looked. I could not see the face that this rock was named after. It was a dark, cloudy morning. The sun broke through for a moment and lit up the side of the rock. There was the face.
Can you see it. Hint, it is looking up at the right corner of the image.
Hanging Moss – Hoh River Rainforest
It was mid morning on a bright sunny, hot, dry day. The summer has been one of the driest in history. It was not a typical rainforest day. It was still a beautiful exhibition of nature. I spent a lot of time looking around to find an area that had filtered light without glaring bright spots. This is one that I found.
I processed the image to try to capture the feeling I had: filtered rays of sunshine highlighting background trees, interesting moss shapes in the shadows speckled with sunlight, a soft feeling of the soft moss.
I must go back after a good drenching rain.
Wildflowers on Johnson Ridge (Mt. St. Helens)
This image was taken on Johnson Ridge with Mt. St. Helens at my back. It shows the path of the destruction caused by the hot gases from the eruption. Trees were blasted down for miles. The little toothpicks on the far ridges were once towering firs. Wildflowers and grasses have rejuvenated life in the area. The contrasts between devastation and renewed life are beautiful and uplifting to my spirit.
Lupine and Mt. St. Helens’ Crater from Johnson Ridge
Mt. St. Helens eruption blasted directly over Johnson Ridge where this photo was taken. The landscape was devastated, Nothing was left standing or living. Now the hill sides are covered with wildflowers and small trees. This lupine stands defiant in front of the mountain.
Columnar Basalt Remains – Yellowstone National Park
I think of basalt as a hard, stable volcanic rock created from lava flows. Columnar basalt is formed when lava cools slowly. It forms multi-sided vertical columns as it cools. These columns are characterized by horizontal fractures. When the columns are exposed to rushing water, the water carves out these fractures and the columns collapse. This image illustrates the vertical basalt columns as well as the collapsed column residuals.
Grand Tetons – Mormon Barn (60mm)
I told you, the Tetons were behind the barn. The next day the clouds lifted revealing the brilliant mountains. I shot multiple images with different focal lengths and lenses. I did not care for the results with a wide angle because it subjugated the Tetons behind the barn. I did like the perspective of a larger telephoto which brought the mountains up for a dramatic perspective.
Mormon Barn (100mm)
It is amazing what a different feeling this perspective gives. The barn is now dwarfed by the grandeur of the Tetons.
I enjoy working a subject from different perspectives without being rushed to get to the next scene. Sometimes it pays of, sometimes it doesn’t.
Grand Tetons National Park – Mormon Barn
The Grand Tetons are really behind this barn. Blustery clouds covered the peaks of the mountains. I was a dark grey afternoon. Perfect for a black and white photo! I added a sepia tone to capture a feeling of an old bygone day.
Mammoth Hot Springs – View from Below
This image was taken with a 900mm equivalent telephoto lens shooting up at the cascading edge of the upper Mammoth Hot Spring Basin. What caught my eye were the lines and patterns of the water and mineral deposits.
This image does not capture the grandeur of the basin edge cascading off the cliff. I went thorough my photos to find an overall image. I did not find one. Big Lesson Learned: Make sure I do not become fixated only with details, I need to capture the overall perspective as well.