Canon 7D, EF 70-200mm f2.8 IS @ 125mm, f/16, 1/90 sec, ISO 400
Just a few moments after I took the image on my previous post the sun popped over the ridge and lit up Zabriskie Point. The point seemed like it was on fire. The subtle tonalities were severely washed out. I had to add a lot of structure in NIK Viveza and tonal contrast in NIK ColorEfex Pro to bring out the contrasts.
Canon 7D, EF 70-200mm f2.8 IS @ 200mm, f/11, 1/20 sec, ISO 400
Sunrise had just broken on the mountains on the far side of Death Valley. Zabriskie Point was still in the shadows, but there was enough light to bring out the tonal differences in the ridges and valleys leading down from the point.
Canon 5D MkIII, EF 24-70mm f2.8L @ 34mm, f/11, 1/100 sec, ISO 400
Last weekend we visited family in Los Angeles. We started talking about photographic adventures and Death Valley came up. I thought I would go back through my images from earlier this year and post a few more from my trip to Death Valley with John Barclay and Chuck Kimmerle.
This image is from the “infamous” racetrack basin. Nobody knows exactly how these rocks move across the basin. Which direction did this 18-inch rock come from???
Anyway, it was an awe-inspiring site to visit and explore. Staying with the Black and White theme of the workshop, I focused on the contrast between the elements within the frame. I darkened the tracks slightly to help pop them out from the flats.
This image is based on a couple of lessons I have received in the past. The first one is from Tony Sweet: “When you see a cool background, find something to put in front of it”. The second lesson is from John Barclay: “When you see red … shoot”. Walking along a trail in the woods a patch of red leaves caught my eye. By themselves, they were not very interesting, but their combined color made me look twice. I walked around and saw this scrawny branch with green leaves hanging down. Again, by itself it was just ho-hum. But when I lined up the bright green against the red background, the image “popped” in my mind.
Tony would have further critiqued this image and suggest that the green leaf in the top right corner should be removed. He would also have commented that the small white dot in the top third of the red background be cloned out. Tony is a sticker on details. So here is the corrected file:
It does make a difference!
The peak of autumn color has come and gone. I had not taken my camera out to capture any of the brilliance. This was the first time since I started back into photography ten years ago that I hadn’t gone out on multiple fall shooting excursions. Like I mentioned in my prior bog entry, I have been in a real slump.
The previous day, from when this image was taken, had been an exceptional late fall day in southeast Pennsylvania. The temperatures were in the sixties. The sky was blue with large billowing white clouds. It was a beautiful day … but my camera remained at home in my closet. What a waste! That evening I felt depressed that I had not taken advantage of this wonderful day. The next day, rain or shine, I was going out. My friend, Stan, and I went out for an adventure. We were going to go down to Maryland for a little exploring, no set plan just go were the car takes us. We didn’t get very far when we saw a creek and a dam along side the road. Stan made a quick u-turn as he said, “we may never get back here”. And so the day went. When we saw something we stopped even as the rain was pouring down. We did not always take the cameras out, but we did stop and explore as we made notes for a future adventure. What a way to spend a great day with a great friend.
This image is from our first stop. Stan focused on the water and falls from the dam. I focused on the mini landscapes that layer below my feet.
I haven’t been very active in expanding my photographic knowledge and experience during the last several months. Something was always in the forefront. I fell into a real slump. When I did shoot, nothing seemed to pop out to me. I continued following my favorite photographers on-line and became more and more envious on what they were doing. My work seemed to be so mundane.
Today, I took a few moments to look back on some of my work last summer. I saw this image of the Limekiln Lighthouse on San Juan Island and felt that it wasn’t so bad after all. It provided me with a stimulus to go back out and continue to shoot and enjoy the outdoors that I love.
Today is a thought of Peace. The stillness and peacefulness of Peace Valley Park is always a wonderful place to escape to. We are so lucky to have a place like this so close by.
Just turn around and see a whole different world. The last 3 posts looking West showed peaceful images without a cloud in the sky. Looking East was a totally different story. These clouds were just flying across the sky along the eastern horizon. I was intrigued by the wispiness of the clouds. There must have been quite a high jet stream up there. B&W provided the sharp contrast between the clouds and the bright blue sky.
These steep vertical spires of Smith Rocks separated the view between the images on my previous two posts. Looking at these massive rocks jutting out of the landscape makes me realize just how amazing Nature is. I attempted to use black and white to emphasize the drama of these spires. An early morning sunrise will make this image spectacular. I can’t wait to go back!
This is another image that I will use as a reference for coming back to Smith Rocks for a Sunset photo shoot. A sunset over Mt. Bachelor and the Crooked River should be interesting. In this image I tried to line up the Crooked River so it would lead to Mt. Bachelor in the distance.