California Gold Rush

Well it felt that way as soon as I hit the ground in California. A rush to get as much done in 24 shooting days s possible. One of my main reasons for going at that time of year was the hope to capture some fall color. As the weeks leading up to leaving I was reading every blog and fall article and map I could find keeping track of the color changes where and when they where it was happening. Not that I could do much about my departure date or anything, what I was going to get was what I was going to get … Get Lemons, make lemonade as they say …

When I first arrived the color was sparse to say the least. As I was about to leave the mountains, there where pockets that where in full color. After seeing countless cottonwoods and aspens in the range of 30-60% color you ask yourself, so when will I know when I see some at their peak … WHEN YOU SEE IT YOU’LL JUST KNOW!

It is just an absolute blaze of color that is harder to capture than I had thought. Nevertheless we shoot as much as we can. I think I have quite a few images that have some if not full color, this being one little pocket off a sharp hairpin right turn off hwy 395 down a steep track that ends with a huge boulder at the end and 9 point turn to get back out in the car … Still so worth the effort …

Planning has begun for the 2010 trip

Mount Shasta Prints

Driving along Interstate 5 between waterfalls and just after a road side nap. Mount Shasta was all too visible at every bend and turn on the road. What a majestic looking mountain. Most of the late morning and round lunch it just looked way way too bright and still having quite a drive to my next blue marker on google maps I pulled over and took a nap. When I woke maybe 30 or 45 mins later by the side of the road the light had changed dramatically and some nice cloud had arrived. Driving a little further up the road I found a nice off the beaten path vantage point that I thought I would try.

Result is a 4 image stitch at 200mm of Mount Shasta … One of my favorite captures from the trip thus far, main reason being it was unexpected and what a view to wake up to even if it was from the front seat of a car in the afternoon …. I wish all my afternoon naps had this view …

Naturalist and author John Muir said of Shasta:

“When I first caught sight of it over the braided folds of the Sacramento Valley, I was fifty miles away and afoot, alone and weary. Yet all my blood turned to wine, and I have not been weary since.”

Theodore Roosevelt said:

“I consider the evening twilight on Mt. Shasta one of the grandest sights I have ever witnessed.”

Source http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mount_Shasta

Esperance Beaches

Esperance Beach Landscape Prints

Feeling inspired today to try my hand at a Black and White image. While I do not attempt to do many Black and Whites especially of a beach setting, I felt like giving it a go today. Why well 3 reasons …. Ansel Adams, John Sexton and G Dan Mitchell.

So how do those photographers start me on a path to this image. Well G Dan Mitchell put up an image today of a spot I photographed last year in Yosemite National Park only his was Black & White. I saw his image on my morning rounds of photographers and what they have been up to and thought wow that is so cool. Well one thing led to another and next thing I am looking through John Sextons few images online and thinking damn his use of light and texture is amazing. I met John briefly at Mono Lake with his wife and again just outside of Ansel Adams Gallery in Yosemite National Park. After looking through some of Johns and G Dans Black & Whites I ended up I guess where all landscape photographers end up when looking at Black & White photographs Ansel Adams … So that was my inspiration for the day. Thanks gentlemen

Why did I then choose a Esperance Beach shot for the Black & White today, when I have plenty of Yosemite images to choose from … Only my screwed up backward thinking logic knows. I had this set of 3 images stitched for a while now but never liked the color version no matter what I did, so I guess that had something to do with it …

Anyway enough ranting about thoughts inspiration and my work day, most of you folks just want to see pics …. so pics it is …

I am not sure if this works or not, I thought about going heavier in the black contrast department and then thought nah screw that I kinda like the grey tone with the blue filter  … so thats what you get Oh one last thing …. I did wait round for a larger wave to hit the end rock, but do you think it wanted to play the game … nope so I was left with a tiny splash, better than no splash I guess.

Western Australian Beach Prints

Indian Ocean Western Australia

Taking a break from post production on images from my recent Californian Photographic Safari I ventured down to my local beach. Watching the clouds all day from the back room dungeon thoughts of heading out in the evening where on my mind.

I have had this particular image in my mind for some time. We have ben experiencing some nice cloud over the past week so I had my fingers crossed I would be able to capture what I had planned …. Usually these type of images either do not stitch or are a right pain to stitch, not so this time. While I did shot a little wider than usual I still managed to stitch a few of images so the final product can be printed quite large in the 90 inch range while keeping the quality for the final print.

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The Golden Gate Bridge San Francisco

Who goes to San Francisco and not photography the Golden Gate. I have travelled there a number of times now and never miss an opportunity to photograph this bridge. It has so many moods where it be sunrise, sunset, after dark, fog, clear skies or clouds. I personally like the time after sunset when the lights come on and the if there is a little high cloud it lights up with the city lights as a backdrop.

It was a warm saturday evening and folks and families lined vantage point after vantage point from Marin Headlands all the way down to the Bridge to watch the sun go down and watch the lights, light up the bay, while enjoying a beer or glass of wine. The local radio ” 107.7 The Bone” station played the song “Lights” by Journey right as the sun was disappearing over the horizon. Journey being a band originally from San Francisco and “Lights” a tune about San Francisco Bay. It was a perfect way to end a warm San Franciscan day. I never shot the sunset, I just parked the car and stood on the edge of the road looking out over the San Francisco and the Pacific Ocean pondering my last few days of the trip, what I had seen, where I had travelled and what my family was doing the other side of the planet …

After all that …. What did you expect me to do, call it night, no freakin way … I cracked the camera open and started shooting

Enjoy …. and yes its a stitch … 8 image …

1D Mrk IV Hands On Look

Had a play with the Canon 1D Mrk IV tonight and yeah its nice, but too much of a brick to carry round on landscape shoots. Shutter does sound sweet (finally) and while it only had the 200mm f/4 lens attached it did focus very very fast accurate. Never tested the HD movie mode, but with the firmware upgrades the Canon 5D Mrk II will get next year it will be just fine.

The completely new 45-point AF system, with 39 f /2.8 sensitive cross-type points was interesting to use and I can see where it will be very beneficial to most. For me not so much as I am at present manually focusing selective points through “Live View” so is it really needed, nope … for now.

The dynamic range is supposed to be better and thats something I am always looking for, no one wants limitations and we’d all like to drop those filters in the bin one day. In the end I’m sticking with the 5D Mrk II is doing just fine and once that gets an upgrade to the mrk III the dynamic range will be improved along with file size, which I hope is around 30-32mb. What I really did like was the Canon Powershot S-90, that is one SWEET ASS point and shoot camera … I want one! 10mb and it shoots RAW … thats sweet for those times when that damn Coyote will not stand long enough for me to set up the main camera ….

This hands on review was not by any means technical, just my hands on observation from the limited time I had with the camera. Thanks to Ben @ Team Digital for the free camera sensor and body clean, she’s looking like new again, and invite to the Canon night …

My next purchase Its a sweet sweet camera and I could not believe the quality of the images this puppy took …

Northern California Waterfall Prints

Another perspective of the falls north of San Francisco. Glad I ventured up there as I was having second thoughts after being told about some nice beach locations a lot closer to where I was at the time. Those locations will have to wait for another visit. Would love to be in a position to photograph areas like this at a moments notice, yes I am having scenic withdrawals already.

Yosemite Canyon Wall Prints

After The Rains

Arriving to a somewhat dry Yosemite National Park, we experienced a day of continual rain none stop rain from 5.30am till after 6pm. While a day was lost to photographic opportunities, the BIG FAT UPSIDE was the day after the rains the waterfalls, creeks and rivers where running at good heights and the photo ops went through the roof. Needless to say Luke and Myself when absolutely banana’s shooting for the next few days … With so much stunning scenery surrounding you, you just want to capture every possible vantage point, regardless if they make it to a portfolio or not, in the end I really only care enough to take the images I will in years to come remind me of memories of a stunning place.

Heres my attempt and capturing the grandeur of the valley walls that rise all around you.

Borrowed 300mm lens with 1.4 shot at 420mm, Thanks Mark

Mossbrea Falls Prints

Recently had the pleasure of shooting with one of my favorite photographers, Brian Rueb. While I had been reading and checking out his work for some years now, being on shoot with him was like being in one of his little adventure stories.

Finishing up a morning shoot and breakfast of french toast, bacon, eggs, biscuits and chicken apple sausage at Lake Tahoe, I knew I had a long long drive in front of me. Around a hour or so round the south west side of the Lake, up over Donna Summit, through a hand full of small downs on back roads before hitting the interstate 5 for a 3 hour trek north to dump my bags and drive around another hour to the shoot location. What I did not plan on was a snow storm on the way up and over Donna Summit. Hairy shit when a large haul truck jackknifes in front of you on icy roads … This snow storm and reduced speed easily added for a couple of hours to the trip so starting out round 9am and arriving at the location shoot at 4.45pm when I should of been in the location at least 2 hours earlier made for a mad rush.

Arriving at Redding round 3.30pm I basically just found the first hotel by the freeway, drove in threw my bags in the room and took off. I had no time to spare and at least another 50 miles up the road to go …

In the end I arrived just about on time to meet Brian and his two boys waiting my the train tracks. After about a 1.3 mile hike in we arrive at what I can only saw was a location that blew my mind in its beauty, the fall colors, the gentle waterfalls and the quiet peaceful nature of the whole place. We shot for around 2 hours before light was fading and we had to make out 1.3 mile hike back … Brian it was an absolute pleasure to meet and shoot with you, I know we’ll hit another location sometime in the not to distant future.

Below is a 6 image stitch taken at 140mm of the smaller section of the falls. I liked this area because of the greenery and light mist that was playing through the falls and leaves. I tried to capture a few falling fall color leaves but they never showed up in the final captures …

Large Prints Of Californian Waterfalls

Californian Waterfall Prints

Q. Well what do you photograph after photographing the most beautiful place you have ever photographed ?

A. First you drive around 60 miles before shooting a snow capped mountain against white clouds, take a power nap in the front seat of the car a long side the road just after midday. Then drive a further 30 or 40 miles to another waterfall and shoot the shit outta that one, before driving a further 50 miles for a feed and a motel room sleep.

What a freakin day, I saw no one at the first stop at the dawn shoot, 2 folks at lunch (both inside Burger Barn), no one along the side of the road where I napped and only 2 folks at these waterfalls with just a hand full of cars on the road the whole time … Yet I must of seen 3 of the most amazing scenes all day.

Heres a place that when I arrived from the top rim ( image coming ) looked a shit load like Danger Falls in NSW, then I trekked down and saw it was quite different. Another spring feed falls that would easily be a 150-200 feet high and maybe 400 or more feet wide. And just 2 million years old, The basalt is so soft that the falls will be 100 feet further back in just the next decade or two. Just 2 million years ago it was half a mile further down stream, blow my mind when I think of numbers like that ….

I love the effect of the falls seeping through the cracks of the volcanic rock to provide a almost soft curtain effect, 100 million gallons of fresh water flow over these falls every day, yet it is somewhat quiet and peaceful at these falls with little or no spray that is always a problem when shooting falls *insert Bridalveil Falls Yosemite* I was told about the circular wind that plays havoc with photographing these falls but I must of got lucky that afternoon/evening as there was no wind at all.

This puppy is going to print up so nice at 90 or more inches