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Posts from the ‘California’ Category

Zabriskie Piont

This image was taken from Zabrisk[e Point in Death Valley. I zoomed in on the distant river bed (it looks like a river bed anyway) and panned at a slow shutterspeed. I printed it on canvas and it really looks like a painting! I’m spending more and more time on Google Plus so check it out for more of my photos: http://plus.google.com/100490891827279157919/photos)

Happy New Year!

Even with all our rains lately, fireworks are banned at the moment. However, we can buy fireworks! That makes perfect sense, doesn’t it??! Anyway…if we want to see a display, we’ll need to go out of state. This image is a composite of several bursts from an evening of fireworks at the pier in Cayucos, California. Although the finale wasn’t quite this many bursts, it was one of the best we’ve seen.

Joshua Tree in IR

Joshua Tree National Park is another fantastic place for infrared photography. I swapped channels in this to bring out false color. Strange look for a strange landscape. (Click Here for info on Camping)

Captured with a IR converted Canon 5D and 17-40mm lens at 17mm.

IR Dreamin’

Los Oso Oaks State Reserve is one of the first places I spent time shooting in IR (infrared) and it remains one of my favorite. It’s a spooky place if you’re in there by yourself because the trees literally envelop you but also enchanting. I’ve been several times but have hundred of images I’ve never processed! Here’s one of them. Contrast added with Topaz filters. (Captured with converted Canon D60 and 15mm lens (2004)

Infrared Oaks

Still down with a cold so here’s another favorite from my archives. It was captured with a converted Canon D60 in Los Osos Oaks State Natural Reserve in California in 2004. An ideal place for infrared, it’s like walking in a fairytale.

White Pelicans

This image was taken very early in the morning during a workshop with Art Morris in January of 2004. It was barely light outside and there was heavy fog so I knew it would be a tough exposure but it was such a beautiful scene I had to try. Besides, it was dead calm and the Pelicans weren’t moving so I figured I might get something. I was practicing, after all, so I put my Canon 10D with a 100-400mm lens on a tripod, set my ISO to 1600, aperture to f/11 and fired off three shots. I had barely pressed the shutter when one of the Pelicans decided to lift off. It was really underexposed and at ISO 1600, you can imagine the tremendous amount of noise!

Back then, it was impossible to remove that amount of noise but I loved the images so I kept them. Now we have phenomenal noise reduction software and although the image isn’t perfect, I’m able to make an acceptable small print. Moral? If have a poorly exposed image but you love the composition and subject matter, don’t delete it! You WILL be able to recover it some day.

Labyrinth

Exploring Joshua Tree National Park we found all kinds of interesting things! (Click Here for info on Camping)

Happy Independence Day!

This composite featuring Death Valley is something I’ve wanted to try ever since I saw something similar a few years ago. Fun, don’t you think?! Happy 4th!