Posts Tagged sunset
Storms are opportunities
Posted by Doug Otto in Photography on January 21, 2010
Click to Enlarge
In Sacramento, we have it good. Compared to the rest of the nation, we really only have 3 seasons. What we call winter would be welcomed in much of the country. When we do actually get a bout of weather, people panic. After a steady stream of very wet storms, this week was no exception. The newspaper and every local news station had their redshirt character doing a spot outside, getting blasted by storm while telling us the obvious; it was raining.
For nature photographers, weather is an opportunity. Frequent readers of this blog often see me lament the blank blue skies that plaque California. While great for picnics, cloudless skies make for boring photography. Weather, especially right after a storm, can absolutely make a scene. Such was the case with this shot.
Last Monday, we got hit by a very wet storm. Around 2:30PM, we got a partial break that looked like it might last for a few hours. I threw my gear in the car and headed up to the foothills in the hope of catching a great sunset. About 20 minutes after I’d arrived, Gary Hart, pulled up behind me; completely unplanned. After shooting a while, we consolidated cars and headed down the road. With an eye on the developing sunset color, we found a spot that he’d shot at previously. On a fairly narrow road shoulder, we set up and tried our best to keep from being run over. At one point a friendly California Highway Patrol officer stopped by and told us: “I know it’s pretty, but you’re going to get killed.” Thankfully he was wrong and we both got some great shots.
To get this capture I used a Singh-Ray 3 stop reverse graduated neutral density filter. This special filter has a dark band in the center and slowly transitions to clear. For sunsets, on a fairly straight horizon, it’s a great tool. Bringing down the brightness at the horizon, the filter allowed me to get a good exposure on the rest of the sky. The same result could have been had by combining multiple exposures during processing but it’s always more rewarding to do it with the camera.
Cheers
Last light on Half Dome
Posted by Doug Otto in Photography on January 7, 2010
Click to Enlarge
This morning I worked on a talk that I hope to give at the NANPA Summit in February. The theme of the nights program is Discovery. My first experience with this location turned out to be a discovery that really wasn’t.
As I’ve mentioned before, we snow camp in Yosemite for New Years. Last year, 2008, my wife and I donned the snow shoes on New Year’s eve morning. We parked near Ahwahnee Meadow and made our way towards the Merced River. We trudged along through fresh snow, the only footprints around were from an occasional dear or small furry thing. We felt like we were the only people around for miles. During our walk I took pictures of the snow, the frost in the trees and reflections in the river.
After a couple of hours we popped into a clearing and were gifted with a view much like above image. I quickly set up my gear and took a number of photographs from this newly found “secret spot.” After I’d worked the scene to my satisfaction, I turned around and noticed the snow covered picnic tables. Behind the tables was a parking lot that we could have driven to. So much for my discovery.
The area is called Camp 6 and is just across the road from Yosemite Village. Even though it didn’t turn out to me “my spot” I still return there from time to time. While a classic view, it’s not as frequently photographed as many other locations. This image was taken last Wednesday evening, shortly after we arrived in the park.
Cheers
A year of reflection
Posted by Doug Otto in Photography, Random Thoughts on December 8, 2009
Click to Enlarge
Although extremely similar to the image posted in a previous article, this is a new image. I chose it for a couple of reasons.
Nearly 3 years to the day after my first visit to Yosemite, I made this image. Both images were captured while standing next to my mentor, peer and friend, Gary Hart. Somehow, having lived my whole life just 3 hours to the North, I had never visited the park. From my perspective that makes Gary somewhat analogous to a crack dealer as Yosemite has become an addiction for me. Fortunately the analogy ends pretty quickly as I haven’t started stealing car stereos to pay for reservations at Curry Village. That said, it’s probably still a good idea for you to lock your car.
Today also marks the 1 year anniversary of this blog. My original goal was to just find a way to share my images with more people. An unintended benefit, I believe that it’s also made me a better photographer. I started out with a simple desire to explain the process that I used to make the images that I was sharing. Over time, the process of describing how and why moved from my office to the field. Understanding that there needs to be a reason behind each image has caused me to slow down and ask myself “why” before I click the shutter. A result of that process is that I’m not taking as many pictures but I’m throwing fewer away.
I’d also like thank you, the readers, of this blog for taking some time out of your lives to wade through my ramblings and to view my images. Photography is something that I do primarily for myself but it’s a lot more fun when I can share my work. To help say thanks I’d like to send a print to a couple of lucky readers. Just be the first two people to contact me on Facebook and correctly answer the following question: “I bought one new camera and one new lens within the last year. What did I buy?” Winners will receive a print of their choosing from last years blog images. Click early, click often.
Contest over – thanks!
Cheers
Graduated neutral density fingers
Posted by Doug Otto in Photography on November 4, 2009
Click to Enlarge
Landscape photographers often encounter challenging light conditions. While the human eye is perfectly able to render a scene like this, the camera just can’t handle this range of brightness without help. One way of dealing with such a problem is through the use of graduated neutral density filter, often referred to as a “split grad.”
A split grad is a square or rectangular piece of resin or glass. Across half of the filter there is some degree of darkening. The transition from light to dark can be either smooth (a soft filter) or very abrupt (a hard filter). They’re used to darken just a portion of an image in an effort to make the dynamic range of the scene more manageable.
Split grads are fantastic tools but they have a drawback. When an image has no clear and level horizon it’s difficult to apply the filter without darkening more of the scene than you want. In the case of this image, from near Leidig Meadow, I’d have lost all of the detail in the rocks on the right edge of the frame. I needed another solution.
The answer came in the form of the thin black gloves that I was wearing that eveing. To get the color that I wanted in the water I’d already calculated my exposure to be 5 seconds. With 3 fingers in front of the lens I was able to roughly match the triangular patch of sky in the top of the frame. Next I tried several exposures and altered the amount of time that I left my fingers in front of the camera. 3 seconds out of the total 5 second exposure worked out to be the right formula. Since it wasn’t an exact match I did have to do some minor dodging and burning to even out the edges of my “filter” but it was a lot less work than trying to repair the damage from a traditional split grad.
The best part is that a quality split grad from someone like Singh-Ray can set you back $175. Fingers are free.
Cheers
The importance of having your camera.
Posted by Doug Otto in Photography on October 28, 2009
Click to Enlarge
I shot this just over a week ago while assisting on a Gary Hart workshop. We were taking advantage of a recent storm and shooting in the Yosemite’s Mirror Lake area. One of the members of the group was handicapped so she was able to drive up the trail while most of us walked at our own pace. After it started raining, and Gary sprained his ankle, most of the folks wanted to pack it in. Our one vehicle on the trail started driving folks back down the hill 4 at a time. There were more bodies than room in the car so I headed down on foot. It was less than a mile to the car and honestly there isn’t a much more peaceful situation than walking through a forest in a light rain at sunset. One of the group members agreed so he jumped out of the car and walked with me. The downside was that he left his camera in the back of the car. I still had mine.
About halfway down the trail we reached this clearing, looked up and saw the rainbow over Half Dome. It lasted less than 3 minutes. I frantically looked around for a clear shot and the exposure was tough. I only managed to fire off 5 frames before it was gone. This one was the best of the bunch. The whole time, the guy with me was kicking himself for putting his camera in the car.
Tomorrow I head back down to Yosemite for my last workshop of the year. The schedule is already in the works for next year. I’ll see ya there.
Cheers
Sunset on Mono Lake
Posted by Doug Otto in Photography on October 5, 2009
Mono Lake is one of the most photographed subjects in the Eastern Sierra, and for good reason. The placement of the lake often brings very interesting cloud formations that mix nicely with the otherworldly appearing tufa. On this particular evening that wasn’t the case.
We arrived at Mono Lake shortly before sunset and were greeted by blank blue skies. Thankfully, after the sun had slipped behind the Sierra’s some faint color started to appear in the Eastern sky. It was very faint, so I chose to use a very long shutter speed to capture the color. I set my f/stop to 16 and adjusted the shutter speed until I was happy with the exposure. Next I attached my 10 stop neutral density filter on the lens, being careful not to change the focal length. I entered the original shutter speed into Filter Calc and computed a shutter speed of 74 seconds. The extra long shutter speed completely smoothed the surface of the lake making the scene seem even more alien. I liked how the foreground rocks mimic the shape of the tufa.
Cheers
The gates of Mordor
Posted by Doug Otto in Photography on October 3, 2009
Click to Enlarge
I’m home again after spending the last 5 days in the Eastern Sierra Mountains. I enjoy doing the workshops but at the end of the 5 days I’m definitely ready to come home and sleep in a familiar bed.
I took this image on the first night of the workshop in the Alabama Hills, at the base of Mount Whitney. Mount Whitney isn’t normally a great sunset location but sometimes you get lucky. Tuesday night was one such night.
We drove to the parking area for the Mobius Arch trail and headed out toward the arch. The actual sunset was very uneventful but the real magic started about 15 minutes after the sun was down. A faint red glow began to develop to the North of Whitney and slowly worked it’s way down the Sierra crest until most of the horizon was awash in color. Because it was quite a while after sunset it was quite dark, requiring a 30 second exposure to capture the color. The long exposure also added to the looming feel of the image by blurring the motion of the clouds. It felt very much like we’d been picked up and dropped into the middle of a Lord of the Rings movie.
Cheers
Pixel Peepers
Posted by Doug Otto in Photography, Random Thoughts on August 19, 2009
Click to Enlarge
Have you ever failed to see beauty that was right in front of your eyes because you were too busy worrying about other details to notice it? In photography that happens a lot. It’s really easy to get caught up in the details and that blind you from truly seeing. This image, taken during the same workshop as the previous image, tells just such a story.
Our group was out at Olmsted Point in Yosemite. The sky was amazing. Landscape photography is all about the quality of the light and this evening was truly special. Even before the color in the sky really started to develop everything around us began to take on an otherworldly pink glow. The light was soft and warm making just about anything that it touched a photograph waiting to happen. It was one of those special photographic moments that you alway want to catch but seldom do.
As amazing as the scene was, the most vivid memory that I carried away from there was that of two other photographers that we saw that night. They were already set up when we arrived and didn’t budge from their initial location. Both had multiple, and expensive, cameras. The whole time we were shooting, everything in sight, they stood by their tripods and debated. They discussed whether or not the light was going to get better or had it already peaked, was this better than “that other time” ad nauseam. They went on for at least an hour. I’m still not sure if they even took pictures.
You see that sort of mentality all the time in the “gear” forums on photography sites. There are always folks whom you never see post a real picture but will spend days arguing over which lens is sharpest at a 200% crop. Successful images convey the feelings and experience of the photographer. Pixels don’t evoke emotions; photographs do. The message here is to slow down and take the time to appreciate what you’re photographing. That appreciation is the soul of your image. Be aware of the limitations and technical details of your equipment but don’t let them blind you. Let the scene generate an emotional response from you and your camera will certainly follow.
Home Cooking
Posted by Doug Otto in Photography on March 27, 2009
Click to Enlarge
Last night was the monthly meeting of a local photography club that I’m associated with. We wanted to start the night off shooting but the location ended up being a bit of a last minute decision. To further complicate things we only had about 30 minutes of daylight so it had to be pretty close to our meeting location. On a whim, I contacted the Principal of a local school, Garfield elementary. They have a small nature area that turned out to be just the ticket. The club members have varied interests but I think that most everyone found at least a little something to shoot.
I could see that there was color starting to develop in the sky so I went off in search of a scene to use it with. I like anchoring my scene with a strong foreground object so when I found this granite bolder I went to work. The nature area is a little pocket of green in a suburban neighborhood. I had to find an angle that got me the color in the sky, the rock in the foreground but hid “the hand of man.” I settled on this spot and couldn’t be happier with the shot. I’d never have guess that I’d get this sort of shot this close to home. Read the rest of this entry »
A Room With a View
Posted by Doug Otto in Photography, Travel on March 4, 2009
This was the view from our “motel” patio for two nights in Zion National Park. While it may look calm and serene, it wasn’t the entire time.
Zion NP was the first camping destination during the 2 week trip. All of the other nights were spent in hotels/motels of varying quality. Based on our experience in Winslow, AZ, this was a big step up. It was clean and fairly quiet for a public campground.
The little yellow tent has served us well. I bought it nearly two years ago at REI’s “used gear” sale. REI is a great store if you spend any amount of time outdoors. They have a bullet proof return policy and will take virtually anything back if you’re not happy with it. I was making an exchange once and the guy next to me was returning some ski poles that he’d purchased 7 years prior because “they wore out.” Once or twice a year, depending on the store volume, they hold a used gear sale. All of the stuff that was returned, for whatever reason, goes up for sale. The little yellow tent was one such item. There was nothing wrong with it and it appeared to have been used at least once. I ended up paying $80 for a tent that goes for ~$200 new in the store. It hasn’t failed us yet. Read the rest of this entry »
- Binary Emulsion on FacebookVisit my gallery to see more of my images.Binary Emulsion Gallery
Get Filter Calc for your iPhone or Touch.
Back up your computer, before you wish you had. I use it and you can try it free for 15 days.
