Canon 5D MKIII with EF24-70mm f/2.8L @ 66mm, f/5.6, 1/800 sec, ISO 1600
Looking down on a brilliant bed of fallen leaves, I noticed this single geranium bloom soaking up the early morning sun rays. It stood out stretching its neck out to show off its last hurrah. The rest of the plant had withered away preparing for the winter ahead. I will have to wait until the end of May to catch its first bloom of the new year.
Canon 5D MKIII with EF24-70mm f/2.8L @ 63mm, f/8.0, 1/400 sec, ISO 1600
The color of fall in Eastern Pennsylvania has all passed. This entry is the start of a series of posts of an early November morning shoot in our back yard capturing the last of the fall color. The early morning sun caught these fallen leaves just right to pop them out from the frosted grass. Simple things tend to catch my eye. I constantly look down as I walk through the landscape.
On this shoot, I was testing out the low noise performance of the 5D. There was a steady breeze which required me to use a fast shutter speed. I also normally use a tripod where ever I go. This day I wanted to be “free” and capture images quickly as I saw them. With a high ISO of 1600, the 5D performed exceptionally well and allowed me to capture the images that I was targeting.
Canon 5D MKIII with EF24-70mm f/2.8L @ 45mm, f/8.0, 0.3 sec, ISO 400
Black and white granite markings laced with thin red lines decorate the narrow canyon walls at the bottom of Titus Canyon. The formations range from random lines, to indian pattern, to letters. Since I am the KGG the III, this pattern caught my eye right away. To bring out the contrast, the rocks were spritzed with water. It was amusing watching our workshop instructors racing back and forth between the students spritzing the walls with water bottles. I forgot which gave out first, the light, the water, or our instructors.
Canon 7D, EF 70-200mm f2.8L IS @ 100mm, f/11, 1/90 sec, ISO 200
Throughout Death Valley, there are artifacts of the blurred history of people trying to work the land. This photo was taken at an abandoned copper mine and home site. What is the story behind this site? How hard life must have been? What kind of people lived here in the extreme heat of the summer and the extreme cold in the winter? What did they get from all their toil? What was the event or series of events that triggered them to leave? I am sure the history behind this site is a whole story by itself.
To help the image of a blurred history, I added a vignette blur on the edges.
Canon 7D, EF 70-200mm f2.8L IS with 1.4X extender @ 270mm, f/8, 1/125 sec, ISO 200
No these are not Chuck’s footprints! As I admire the grandeur around me, I try to remember to look up and down as well as side- and backwards. This time as I looked down, I was treated by a little critter’s path along the sand. Micro scenes like this abound everywhere just waiting for one to notice.
Canon 7D, EF 70-200mm f2.8L IS with 1.4X extender @ 135mm, f/11, 1/60 sec, ISO 200
Back to Death Valley. Chuck Kimmerle commented on one of my past blogs regarding the traps of “Following the Leader”. He stressed the importance of creating one’s own image, not to follow some other expert. I fully agree with Chuck. I tend to get bored very quick when I line up my tripod with a group to capture that iconic image. It is nice to have a shot or two, but they end up as a reference … not one of my favorites. When I am with a group, I tend to wander very quickly away and get lost in my own explorations. This is where I find my most enjoyment.
For this image, I was following Chuck’s foot steps and saw that he had put down his tripod. I looked forward and to sides and saw some nice shapes of dunes, but nothing excited me. As I was about to trek on, I looked back and saw this interesting small depression between the dunes. I quickly walked back to get a perspective that I thought was interesting.
Canon 5D MKIII with EOS 70-200mm 2.8L IS @ 200mm, f/8, 1/160 sec, ISO 1600
Happy Thanksgiving to all our family and many, many friends. Today is a day to step back and reflect on all that we are thankful for. Karen and I enjoyed our morning cup of coffee sitting in front of a fire as we reflected on many of the wonderful experiences that we have had together with each other, family and friends. We look forward to many more in the future.
This abstract is a 9-image multiple exposure taken in a vertical pan down the trunk of tree. It was taken during a walk down an autumn path with my good friend Stan. It makes me think of, and be thankful for, the many beautiful places I have been. I look forward to many more strolls down such golden paths with Karen, friends, or off on my own.
Canon 7D, EF 70-200mm f2.8L IS with 1.4X extender @ 280mm, f/11, 1/90 sec, ISO 200
This was one of Chuck’s stops. He even put down his tripod to take an image. What caught my eye was the contrast between the smooth dune face and the ripples on the down hill side. I also liked the “scallops” on the dune’s edge.
Canon 7D, EF 70-200mm f2.8L IS with 1.4X extender @ 98mm, f/22, 1/4 sec, ISO 200
This image was taken along the trail of Chuck Kimmerle’s footsteps. He did not stop here, so must have not thought it was interesting. The mini-scene reminded me of a set of waves rolling into shore. I worked the scene from multiple angles and came up with this as the view that most depicted waves. I actually was thinking B&W when I took this image. The shadows and early morning light provided the sharp contrast along the sand ripple edges.
Canon 7D, EF 70-200mm f2.8L IS with 1.4X extender @ 280mm, f/22, 1/2 sec, ISO 200
First light across the dunes was a dramatic sight. The dune directly in front of me caught the brilliant first light of day, while the dune behind was still in shadow. This moment lasted only a few seconds. If you look hard at the background dune, you can see traces of sunlight on the tops of the ripples. A moment later everything was in bright sunlight. I was lucky to be set up and just waiting for the sun to break.
I experimented with this image to create a B&W version. I felt that the bright area was just too much in the B&W version. I like the warm tan sand contrasted against the grey background shadow in color version. Below is the B&W version. Choose for yourself.
