Fuji X-T1, XF10-24mm @24mm. f/22. 1/13 sec, ISO 1600
The sky was very dark and covered with clouds. The landscape was very dark and covered with shadows. Then for a few seconds the sun popped out in a small gap in the clouds. The landscape opened up its arms for me to enjoy. The three hour drive starting at 3:00 AM to catch the sunrise was worth it!
Fuji X-T1, EF 18-135mm @ 31mm, f/16, 1/110 sec, ISO 800
I walked down into the basin of the Badlands and looked up to see the towering, eroded hills behind me. I processed this image to separate the foreground from the background by adding a touch of NIK’s Color EFEX Pro graduated fog to the background. I should have shot this image at a wider aperture to produce a natural effect. Lesson Learned: Take my time, work the image from different settings and exposures to create the effects that bring out specific elements of the subject.
Fuji X-T1, EF18-135mm @ 18mm, f/11, 1/175 sec, ISO 400
During a 2,880 mile, 4 day drive from Philadelphia to Washington State, I made one stop to photograph the Badlands National Park. The Badlands has been on my photography “bucket list” for years. I got up early at 3:00 AM and drove 200 miles to catch the sunrise at the park. I spent only 5 hours driving and taking short walks to capture the typical sights. It was more of a quick scouting expedition rather than a planned photo shoot. I will be back!
The light was rather poor, even at sunrise. But that did not alter my enjoyment of the park. I anticipated that I would end up processing the images in B&W, so I focused my shooting on trying to capture tonal contrasts. During the next few days I will post additional Badlands National Park photos.
Multiple Exposure: Dogwood Blooms and Asphalt Pavement
I got a little bored shooting in the garden. Nothing was “Popping” for me. So I thought I would have a little fun with multiple exposures. This image is a combination of a Pink Dogwood branch and a texture photo of a section of asphalt pavement. Magic happens.
To finish it off I decided to experiment a little with Topaz Impression. Here I used the Impasto I preset. Something a little different.
Canon XT-IR, Tamron 18-270mm @ 65mm, f/11, 1/500 sec, ISO 400
Cherry trees are in bloom and brilliant green leaves are emerging at the Yakima Arboretum. It is a great time to get out my old IR converted Canon Rebel XT and try out some IR imagery. It was a beautiful spring day and I had a little time in the middle of the day to get out and explore. I chose to work in B&W using Infrared. The Arboretum was showing its early spring pink and white blooms of the cherries and pears as well as a few trees with emerging brilliant light green leaves. Tomorrow I will go again with my normal camera.
Canon 7D MkII, EF 100-400L @ 105mm, f/11, 1/400 sec, ISO 400
Looking out my office window, this is what I see. The wood flume brings our irrigation water down from the upper Naches River. The flume is around 100 years old and adds charm to our countryside. Next year they plan to replace it with a pipeline because of the high maintenance. It breaks my heart to see our history dismantled for progress.
During the next year, I will explore the flume’s path along our neighboring hill side.
Canon 7D MkII, EF 100-400mm L@ 100mm, f/11, 1/1000 sec, ISO 400
This is my first blog entry since the end of 2015. Since then I have moved from Bucks County, Pennsylvania (between Philly and NY City) to rural Central Washington. It is good to be back home in the country side where I grew up. Life is simpler here.
Residential growth has expanded in the rural areas. The area where I live was an orchard belonging to one of my school mates family. I remember exploring the area when I was a kid. There is a lot of rural charm in the area including this tree located on a nearby side hill. There are still a lot of undeveloped areas to explore. My challenge will be to get out several times a week, walk the area and find new adventures.
Canon 7D MkII, EF24-105mm f/4L IS @ 40mm, f/8, 1/160 sec, ISO 1600
Yesterday’s post was of a bright sunrise. Today’s post is of a brilliant sunset over Limekiln Lighthouse on San Juan Island. Several people just hung around the lighthouse until the last rays of the sun receded. The day was another wonderful gift!
Canon 7D MkII, EF100-400mm @ 117mm, f/5.6, 1/1000 sec, ISO 400
It was a dark and dreary morning at the Anacortes ferry dock. The sun broke through the clouds to display its golden rays behind Mt. Baker. Even though it was raining at the dock, I felt that it was going to be a beautiful day. By the time we reached Friday Harbor, the clouds had burned off and the sky was bright blue. It was a beautiful day. Each day is a gift!!!
Fuji X-T1, XF18-135mm @ 35mm, f/22, 1/125 sec, ISO 400
This image of Oregon’s Painted Hills was taken from the main overlook. The overall scene was immense and beautiful. However, the bright mid-day sun made the image look flat. As I was surveying other images of the Painted Hills, I came across several dramatic images of the hills in late afternoon/early evening sun. I took the challenge to see if I could get close as I post-processed the image. Using a variety of adjustment layers and masks, I came up with the following image.
This is what I imagine what the scene would be in the warn early evening light, just before sunset. I can’t wait to go back and capture an actual sunset here.