California

A Thin Line of Light – Salt Creek, Death Valley National Park, Ca

 California, Death Valley, Death Valley National Park, Death Valley Photography, Desert, Landscape, Landscape Photography, Lightroom, Photography Trips, Robert H Clark Photography, Split Neutral Density Filters, sunset, Twilight Photography  2 Responses »
Jan 152012
 

A Thin Line of Light, Death Valley National Park, Ca

Hi everyone and welcome to today’s post. The other day I glanced at the image count in the Lightroom Database for all the shots I took on my recent Death Valley trip. Alec, Travis and I had 8 total shooting sessions. The amount of time we shot during each session varied based on the quality of the light. In general though we shoot early morning sunrise and late afternoon to evening sunset. During the day we scouted, ate, downloaded and backed up images, and other housekeeping details. So the final image count which included brackets of the same shot to ensure I had all the data needed to process the RAW files was 1795 shots. That works out to an average of 224.375 shots per shooting session. I am still scratching my head on this one. The numbers from the camera do not lie. But I for the life of me just do not remember shooting that much. But in a recent discussion with Alec we did conclude that the overall quality of light and shooting conditions we encountered was extraordinary. In addition Death Valley offers so many compositional possibilities. The end result we surmise was a perfect storm of shooting conditions.

Of course this does not mean that every shot I took was a winner. This is far from possible. But there were a lot. And Alec and Travis and I do agree that pound for pound we all got more keepers than we normally would get on an average shooting trip. The trip was also a bit of a departure for me in terms of how I shot. I began to look beyond just the shot and consider the processing possibilities. In the past, and this is based largely on my days with a 4 x 5 camera, I would seek to capture intact the shot I saw. I used whatever filters and other conventional means at the time to effect that capture. In Death Valley, save for occasional use of my trusty Warming Polarizer, I left all my filters in the bag. I did not employ a single Split Neutral Density. Instead of fumbling with the filters I was free to really shoot and explore potential compositions. And apparently shoot I did. The door opened and a thin line of light led me down a different path. I set my camera to record bracket sets in one-stop, and on occasion 2/3-stop, increments, composed and shot. The freedom allowed me time to watch the light and react to changing conditions. Quite honestly it was liberating.

Today’s image came from one of my bracket sets. I passed this over several times before returning to process the RAW files. Here I was drawn to the convergence of lines of water into a single flow that disappeared into the horizon. The water was beautifully illuminated by the rising sun, and for me, came to represent my new path. I do not know how long I will be here. Such is the nature of photography. But for now I will just follow the light.

Thanks for stopping by today.

Bob

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Sunset in the Alabama Hills – Lone Pine, Ca

 Adobe Lightroom, Alabama Hills, California, Death Valley, Desert, High Dynamic Range, Landscape, Landscape Photography, Lightroom, Mountains, Photography Technique, Robert H Clark Photography, sunset, The Alabama Hills, Twilight Photography, Wide Angle Photography  1 Response »
Jan 102012
 

Sunset in the Alabama Hills, Lone Pine, Ca.

Hi everyone and welcome to today’s post. On my recent trip to Death Valley my intrepid friends Alec Johnson, Travis Bechtel and I were kindly treated to some amazing sunrise and sunset conditions. This is the kind of light and cloud cover you hope to have for at least one shooting session. We had it everyday save for one, and that was the last morning we shot at Zabriske Point. Today’s image defines some of the incredible skies we had during our shooting excursions. The image was made in the Alabama Hills, a collection of rock monoliths and boulder fields, situated above the town of Lone, Pine, Ca. The area is known as the Gateway to Mount Whitney, the highest peak in the lower 48 states. On the trip over from Death Valley we saw the clouds build up and once we dropped into the valley on the eastern side of the Sierra’s we knew we might be in for another treat. Well, we were not disappointed. The show ramped up in the late afternoon and soon went into overload as the sun disappeared behind the massive Sierra Range. For a very brief period of time the light flattened out on the landscape but within 10 minutes into Civil Twilight the scene re-lighted and the rocks glowed with the reflected light from the sky. By this time all of us had spread out to compose and shoot. Even after an afternoon of scouting it was a hectic time as we were scrambling to create memorable images. To give you a sense of scale if you look between the “crab claw” formation you will just make out the silhouette of my buddy Travis. We only had one afternoon to spend here and for all of us it was not enough. But we left invigorated by the experience and the place.

Technical Details: As you might imagine the dynamic range of this scene was pretty intense. To compensate I made a five shot bracket at 1 stop intervals and chose two images from the set to process. The two RAW files, one for the foreground and one for the sky, were processed in Lightroom and combined in Photoshop using a Channel Mask for blending. From there it followed my usual workflow of masks, color corrections, and sharpening.

Thanks for stopping by today.

Bob

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Twilight in the Alabama Hills – Lone Pine, CA

 California, Desert, Landscape, Landscape Photography, Photography Trips, Robert H Clark Photography, sunset, The Alabama Hills, Twilight Photography, Wide Angle Photography  2 Responses »
Jan 082012
 

Twilight in the Alabama Hills, Lone Pine, CA

Hi everyone and welcome to today’s post. The image today was shot on my recent trip to Death Valley with good friends and fellow photographers Alec Johnson and Travis Bechtel. We were already several days into our shooting when we decided to make the 90 mile side trip out of Death Valley and over to the Eastern Sierra’s. It is a fantastic landscape of boulders and monolithic fins of stone that sit at the base of Mount Whitney, the tallest peak in the lower 48. Aside from this special distinction the Alabama Hills have also played host to 1oo’s of Hollywood movies seeing the likes of John Wayne, Gary Cooper, Jimmy Stewart, and Gene Autry ride their horses through the landscape.

Our initial plan was to get there to shoot some star trails but we changed this and headed out early enough to do some scouting in the area and shoot twilight. I spent some time shooting at the more iconic location know as the Mobius Arch before moving further up in the hills to look for more interesting features. I was acutely aware of the history of this place and could imagine the “good guys” and “bad guys” hiding among the rocks ready to stage an ambush. As the sun began to set I found this interesting set of monoliths lined up towards the eastern mountains that enclose Death Valley. With the last light just kissing the mountains I captured this image. Twilight soon fell over the scene and and in the encroaching darkness I could here the pounding hoofs of horses and the ricochet of bullets played out in the valley before me.

Technical Details: The image was captured in two exposures, one for the sky and one for the foreground, and blended in Photoshop CS5

Thanks for stopping by today.

Bob

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Sunset at Badwater – Death Valley National Park, California

 California, Death Valley, Death Valley National Park, Desert, Landscape, Landscape Photography, National Parks, Photography Trips, Robert H Clark Photography, Salt Flats, Twilight Photography, Wide Angle Photography  2 Responses »
Jan 032012
 

Sunset at Badwater, Death Valley National Park, California

Hi everyone and welcome to today’s post. I am just back, this very morning at 3:00 am to be exact, from a shooting trip to Death Valley with Alec Johnson and Travis Bechtel. To say we shot up the place would be an understatement. We spent nearly every waking hour out in the landscape shooting from early morning to late in the evening. It was what a photography trip with best friends is all about-photography, friendship, and camaraderie. The jokes and shenanigans were non-stop. And of course there was a little photography along the way. In nearly three and a half days and 10 separate shooting sessions I managed to exhaust 10 compact flash cards and log over 100 gigs in files. The weather was amazing and we had beautiful clouds for many of our shoots.

With so many images it was hard to know where to begin. So the easiest place I think is from the beginning. This image was shot on our first evening in the park. On the way in to the park we stopped and photographed some interesting mountains and clouds but the main goal was to get down into the flats for twilight. The Badwater Salt Flats are one of the lowest places on earth. Summer temperatures can reach better than 115 degrees and the heat leaches all the moisture out of the ground. In the harsh light of midday the flats are unremarkable. But at twilight they become soft and other-worldly. Here the white salt glows with the reflected color of the sky and clouds. Undefined ridges catch the highlights and reveal the intricate patterns embedded in the flats. Out here the lack of noise is deafening. It is so quiet you can here a pin drop. This valley extends for many miles up the spine of Death Valley and includes many incredible geologic formations. This was a fitting place to start our adventures.

Stay tuned for more images from this trip. And check out Alec Johnson’s and Travis Bechtel’s websites for their images.

Thanks for stopping by today.

Bob

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Sunset on the Flats – Death Valley National Park

 California, Death Valley, Desert, Landscape, Landscape Photography, National Parks, Photography Trips, Robert H Clark Photography, Singh-Ray Filters, Split Neutral Density Filters, sunset, Twilight Photography, Wide Angle Photography  4 Responses »
Dec 192011
 

Sunset on the Flats, Death Valley National Park, California.

Hi everyone and welcome to today’s post. My apologies for my apparent lack of attention to the blog but the last month has been quite busy. I have also been spending a good bit of time on my site over on Google Plus which has been very exciting. I have made quite a few new connections with the photography community resulting in new friendships and shooting opportunities. And speaking of shooting opportunities today’s post is a teaser. This image was shot nearly 10 years ago on my first trip to Death Valley. It also marked the first time that I shot with my 4 x 5 camera and Fuji Velvia film. Photography has really advanced since those early days with the large format camera. Today digital photography affords the opportunity to shoot more often, the freedom to experiment, and the ability to capture a broader dynamic range in my images. But my 4 x 5 work set the ground work for how I shoot today. Even with my digital cameras I use many of the compositional concepts that I learned with large format cameras.

Next week I will return to Death Valley with my tow buds, Alec Johnson and Travis Bechtel. Next week I will return to the scene where the landscape photography “light” was turned on. The weather forecast looks great and I will be with two good friends. How much better can it get. In my mind this is what photography is really all about. Oh to be sure, I do like to be in these beautiful places. There will be no argument there. But to be out and sharing the experience with good friends is the driving force. Photography has brought me many joys. But it is this connection to the community at large that has been the biggest draw. It took years for me to understand this concept. And over on G+ it just gets better and better. But don’t worry I will still bring new images here, to this forum.

As the holidays approach I wish each and everyone of you good cheer. I appreciate in so many ways each and every visitor to this site. I started this blog two years ago to help promote my website. Along the way however I found out that I actually have a voice. The blog has helped my with that discovery and was the first step in connecting to the larger community as a whole. I thank all of you for visiting and supporting this site.

Technical Details: This image was shot with a Canham 4 x 5 Field Camera fitted with a Schneider 90mm XL Lens. The image was shot with Fuji Velvia 50 film at f22 for 8 seconds. I used a Singh-Ray 3-Stop, Soft Edge Split Neutral Density Filter in the sky to balance out the exposure.

I’ll see you back here in the new year.

Bob

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Redwood Burls – Jedediah Smith Redwoods State Park, California

 California, Jedediah Smith Redwoods State Park, Landscape, Landscape Photography, Photography Technique, Photography Trips, Redwood Trees, Robert H Clark Photography  No Responses »
Sep 052011
 

Redwood Burl, Jedediah Smith Redwoods State Park, California. Shot with a Sony a900 and a Zeiss 24-70mm lens at 35mm. See story for processing.

Hi everyone and welcome to today’s post. This image is from the Jedediah Smith Redwoods State Park in Northern California. The park is located on California 199 that heads north towards Grants Pass, Oregon. I only had a few hours to explore and shoot but I can tell you I want to make a return trip. If you have never stood at the base of one of these giant trees then you need to put this on your bucket list. I arrived in the late afternoon which, as it turns out, is one of the better times to shoot in the forest. This shot was made in the Stout Grove which takes a small bit of effort to find. These trees and their canopy are so large that only dappled light filters through the forest which makes for challenging shooting conditions. In most instances the shot requires multiple exposures or HDR techniques to capture the full range of light.

Technical Details: This image was shot with seven exposure brackets to capture the full range of light from shadows to highlights. Each exposure bracket was one-stop apart. My initiial plan in the shot was to combine all the exposures but after some experimentation I only used two of the exposures; one exposed for midtones, and one one-stops darker for shadows. The two files were first processed in Lightroom. The two files were selected and sent to Photoshop where I did an exposure blend to merge the two files together. Final finishing included some creative sharpening, curves, dodging and burning, and color burning. (Note: this file has been updated and replaced with a different processing method).

Thanks for stopping by today.

Bob

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Half Dome Reflection – Yosemite National Park

 California, Landscape, Landscape Photography, Moab Paper, National Parks, Nikon D300, Photography Technique, Photography Trips, Reflections, Singh-Ray Filters, Split Neutral Density Filters, sunset, Twilight Photography, Water, Yosemite, Yosemite National Park  4 Responses »
Jun 212011
 

Half Dome Reflection, Yosemite National Park, California. Shot with a Nikon D300 and a Nikon 28-70mm lens at 28mm. Image exposed at ISO 200 at f16 for 1 second.

Hi everyone and welcome to today’s post. I am back from my latest shooting trip at the Grand Canyon with quite a few files to go through. The shooting conditions were a mixed bag and somewhat difficult due to high winds blowing through a good portion of Arizona. In addition clouds from a front moving across Utah dropped into the upper part of Arizona and forced cancellation of my trip into Canyon X. This was an unfortunate event that will require another trip out to Page in the future. I did manage a few shots which I am happy with and will post these in the near future.

While out I did sell two new prints and I am featuring one of those images in today’s post. Due to some substantial rains and winter run-off, Yosemite Valley was filled with impromptu, temporary ponds of water. These ponds were ideal for capturing sunset reflections of many of Yosemite’s iconic features. Cloud cover stretching over the valley lifted at sunset and the golden light illuminated the face of Half Dome and created a beautiful reflection in the pond. Lightning from a storm earlier in the day struck North Dome and started a small fire which you can see in the shot in the upper right. The smoke from the fire blended in with the clouds as they moved over the valley.

I used two Singh-Ray Split Neutral Density filters on this shot. The first was a 2-stop, soft edge for the sky so I could get a little more exposure time for the bank of trees; and the second was a 1-stop soft edge inserted upside down and slightly angled to hold back the reflection in the water.

I am preparing the final print this week and will send it overseas to Ireland. The image will be printed on MOAB Entrada Bright 190 on an Epson 4900 printer.

Thank you as always for stopping by to visit.

Hozógo nasádo (Navajo): Walk in Beauty

Bob

 

 

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Point Bonita Lighthouse – Marin Headlands, San Francisco

 California, Coastal Photography, Landscape, Landscape Photography, Marin Headlands, Nikon D300, Pacific Ocean, Photography Trips, sunset, Water  No Responses »
Mar 222011
 

Fog rolls in on Point Bonita Lighthouse, Marin Headlands, San Francisco. Shot with a Nikon D300 and a Nikkor 28-70mm lens at 35mm. Image exposed at ISO 100 at f16 for 1/30th of a second.

Hi everyone and welcome to today’s post. The coastline along California is one of the most beautiful in the world. I have had the opportunity and pleasure to shoot there on several occasions. What fascinates me about this coastline is the distinct edge that occurs between land and water. Today’s image will give you some idea how severe this edge can be. This is the Point Bonita Lighthouse located in the Marin Headlands, just across the bay from San Francisco. The lighthouse sits at the end of the Headlands and guards the entrance into the bay.

On this day I went to shoot more intimate shots of the lighthouse but found it was closed for the day. Undeterred I hiked up to an overlook point that gave me a different perspective that I had not seen before. I really liked the relationship between the small lighthouse rooted in the rocks and the massive cliff. The wind was quite brisk from my vantage point so I lowered my tripod to get the camera closer to the ground to block some of the wind. I also positioned my body between the camera and the wind direction to create a wind break. And then I just waited for the light to change. The afternoon fog began to roll in and soon enveloped the lighthouse. At one point I could barely make out the point and the lighthouse. With this image I waited for the fog to clear slightly and for the lighthouse light to come into position. A tiny bit of subtle sunlight filtered by the fog just hit the cliff as I fired the shutter.

Processing of this image was kept to a minimum to maintain the atmospheric nature of the shot. After RAW processing in Lightroom the image was finished in Photoshop but setting a White and Black Point and a Luminosity Curve adjustment for the shadows and the lighthouse. I also added a mid-tone contrast mask before adding a little dodge and burn work.

Thanks for stopping by today.

Hozógo nasádo (Navajo): Walk in Beauty

Bob

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My Encounter with Ansel Adams

 Adobe Lightroom, Ansel Adams, California, Landscape, Landscape Photography, Mountains, National Parks, Sony α900, sunset, Yosemite, Yosemite National Park  2 Responses »
Feb 202011
 

Ansel Adams, February 20, 1902-April 22, 1984

Hi everyone and welcome to today’s post. Today is Ansel Adam’s birthday. Happy birthday Ansel. There are so many photographers who have had the great fortune to have studied or worked with Ansel during his career. Sadly I am not one of those lucky ones. But I did have an incredible encounter with Ansel and it remains today in my thoughts. When I was in graduate school for architecture I took a design studio in the fall of 1983 where we were to design a house, in an urban setting, for an artist. All of my classmates chose famous painters or sculptors. I chose Ansel. After all I loved photography-and his photography in particular.

I stewed around for a week trying to decide what Ansel might want in a house and what about his work could influence the design of a house. That was the difficult part. Several years earlier I had visited Yosemite and spent time in the Ansel Adams Gallery. So I decided to call them thinking they might be able to help. They were most kind but did not have any ideas. They thought I might be better if I spoke with his personal assistant. So they gave me the number and I made the call. His assistant answered (to this day I cannot remember her name), and I gave her the whole story. She said ” I have no idea what Ansel might want in a house. I think maybe you should talk to him”. I went silent. She called out for Ansel. And the master picked up the phone and said hello. I introduced myself, stammered a bit, but managed to tell him about my project. “So tell me about this house” he said. I said it was a project to design a house in an urban, city setting, and it must reflect the artists personality. He said “well, I would never build a house in the city”. “Oh”, I said, somewhat defeated. But he picked up on this and immediately said “but if I did here is what I would like to see”.

Ansel spent over thirty minutes with me on the phone that day. It was the greatest of treats. His kind, and generous spirit, and willingness to talk with a young student architect has remained with me to this day. Not long ago I tried to find, without success, the drawings from that project. I managed to inject some natural elements into the design including a walkway that passed through large focal plane walls and granite boulders. I sent some of the sketches to Ansel after the class was over. Not long after I received a small package with a print. It was Moonrise over Tanaya Lake. The print hangs today in my office and is a constant reminder of a wonderful photographer and a special man.

The image below was taken near Glacier Point in Yosemite National Park. I sat through a storm as it passed over the high country. As it cleared a small bit of sunlight illuminated a cloud passing next to Half Dome. It was fleeting and gone within a minute or so. The color and texture on Half Dome was amazing. A beautiful evening in a special park. Thank you Ansel for all the inspiration you have given to me and countless others who continue to enjoy your work today. Happy birthday Ansel.

Half Dome Twilight, Yosemite National Park. Shot with a Sony α900 and a Sony SAL 70-300mm lens at 135mm. Image exposed at ISO 100 at f16 for 1/15th of a second.

Thanks for stopping by today.

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Half Dome Light and Yosemite High Country – Revisiting the Black and White Process

 Black and White, California, Landscape, Landscape Photography, Mountains, National Parks, Photography Technique, Photoshop Technique, Photoshop Workflow, Sony α900, sunset, Yosemite, Zeiss Lenses  No Responses »
Jan 082011
 

Image 1: Half Dome Light and Yosemite High Country, Yosemite National Park. Final image after reprocessing to add contrast and punch.

Hi everyone and welcome to today’s post. Today I am going to revisit the black and white version of Half Dome Light and the Yosemite High Country. Before I get into this I would like to thank all of you who visited the blog and commented and voted on your preference for color versus black and white. I started this blog ostensibly to get some visibility to my website and make connections to other photographers and folks who love landscape photography. To that end, a year down the road, more people are visiting my website and I have made some great connections. But something more powerful is happening. Recently I have been getting more critical commentary and dialogue about my photos as well as discussions on techniques and places to visit. A sense of community is beginning to develop which transcends everything that I thought would happen. When you put your work out in the public forum you open a door that invites the viewer into your world. It can be scary. The  ”what if”s begin to surface. What if someone does not like my work? What if I receive negative comments? What if I am wrong about a technique? What if, what if, what if. We should not buy into this fear based position. Though I have been shooting for almost 35 years I think of myself as both a teacher and a student. It seems every day I learn something new. As a student I find the “what if’s” powerful and exciting. What if’s are teaching moments that help you along the journey of photography.

Today’s post comes under the heading of “what if”. I process a lot of images and there are instances when I am unsure about the photographs direction. I call this “getting stuck in the curves”. I never really think an image is finished. In fact I revisit them often in an effort to tweak out more detail, better sharpening, better color, etc. But sometimes I just won’t go far enough. When I converted the color version of today’s “revisit image” I stayed with the same curve sets and only applied a PS Black and White Layer. I did a few other minor manipulations but after staring at the image for several hours my eyes became accustomed to the result. When I posted the image I thought it looked pretty good. But as it turns out I did not go as a far as I could.

In a comment about the post, photographer Michael Trupiano, recommended some constructive suggestions on how he thought the image could be better. So here are Michael’s “What if’s”: What if the mid-tone contrast was increased. He thought the image looked a little muddy. What if the sunlight striking Half Dome and the snow on the far peaks was brighter. And what if the sky could pop a little more. Now the main problem here is that what looks good on my monitor may look different on others. I take care to calibrate my monitor and ensure that I am preparing good jpg files for display. Additionally I still believe the print is the final word. If it looks good in print then that is the final word. But still, after thinking about Michael’s comments and looking closely at the file, I think he had some good points. In order to achieve a better result I had to add several new adjustment layers and tweak a few others. So lets take a look again at the original image, (Image 2, below) I posted at: http://roberthclarkphotographyblog.com/2011/01/02/half-dome-light-and-yosemite-high-country-yosemite-national-park/

Image 2: Half Dome Light and Yosemite High Country. Original Black and White Conversion in Photoshop.

Now let’s take a look at the areas that I worked on in the image, (Image 3, below). Area 1: Increase contrast and drama in the sky with two new curve adjustments to increase darkness in the 3/4 tones and punch the 1/4 tones and highlights. Area 2: Darken this area to provide better separation. This was done through a Dodge and Burn Layer. Area 3: This was the real critical zone Michael commented about. This needed a real contrast boast that required a new curve layer to darken the 3/4 tones and lighten the 1/4 tones and highlights. In addition some additional dodging and burning was performed. And finally Area 4: Here just a little dodging and burning to lighten Half Dome. In addition to these adjustmentss a small amount of manipulation to the 3/4 tones on the “Darks” Luminosity Mask helped the contrast in the area below and behind Half Dome.

Image 3: Areas reworked to increase image contrast and punch.

So here is the final image with adjustments, (Image 4, below). I think you will agree that the overall increase in contrast in the mid tones and 3/4 tones and punching the highlights has made a dramatic improvement to the image.

Image 4: Half Dome Light and Yosemite High Country, Yosemite National Park, Final Image.

I want to thank Michael for his insightful critique. I really appreciate him taking time to visit the blog, being part of the community, and providing his comments. The result is truly a better image.

Thanks for stopping by today.

Bob

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