Category Archives: The Grand Landscape

The overview of the natural landscape.

Welcome to the Palouse

1 Reply

160923_sunset-on-palouseCanon 5D MkII, EF 24-105 f/4 L @ 58mm, f/11, 1/15 sec, ISO 200

This is what greeted me as I drove up to the Palouse in SE Washington State for a week of exploring and photographing.  The brilliant pink and orange lasted for only a few minutes.  I rapidly looked for a place to pull off the highway.  By the time I got out and pulled out my camera, the magic was just about over  In less that a minute the glow was gone.  Too bad it is illegal to stop in the middle of a highway to capture a shot.

I was really excited about the clouds and what I expected to see during the next few days.  However, the clouds did not come back during my stay.  So I focused on the rolling hills, unique lines, and architectural elements.  This trip was for scouting anyway.

Related Images:

Old-Barn-1 Wheels Old-Barn-2 Red-Roof-Barn Curving-Road-Hill Steep-Hill-Fence Old-Grain-Elevator

Star Gazing

Leave a reply

160714_Milky WayMilky Way in Central Oregon

The skies were clear and dark with a new moon.  We were out in a remote area in Central Oregon near the Prineville Reservoir. The skies were brilliant with stars shining everywhere.  I had not been in such a site since I was in Boy Scouts over 50 years ago.  I stared, stared, and stared, totally engrossed in the beauty and the enormity of the heavens above me.  I dreamed about all the possibilities out there for other forms of life.  It was a wonderful, amazing night that I will never forget.

 

Related Images:

Badlands Sunrise

Leave a reply

160614_Badlands SunriseFuji 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!

Related Images:

Badlands National Park

Leave a reply

160604_Badlands 2Fuji 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.

Related Images:

Badlands National Park – Burns Basin

Leave a reply

160602_Badlands 1Fuji 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.

Related Images:

Yakima Arboretum Early Spring IR

Leave a reply

160406_Yakima ArboretumCanon 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.

Related Images:

Looking Back in History

Leave a reply

160329_Flume and HillsideCanon 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.

Related Images: