Robert H Clark Photography Blog

River

Hopi Point Sunrise – Grand Canyon National Park

Adobe Lightroom, Adobe Lightroom Workflow, Arizona, Colorado Plateau, Colorado River, Desert, Grand Canyon, Grand Canyon National Park, Grand Circle, Landscape, Landscape Photography, Lightroom, National Parks, Photography Trips, Photoshop Workflow, River, sunrise No Responses »

Jan 312011

Hopi Point Sunrise, South Rim, Grand Canyon National Park. Shot with a Nikon D300 and a Nikkor 28-70mm lens. Image exposed at ISO 200 at f18 for 1/20 of a second.

Hi everyone and welcome to today’s post. In past posts I have eluded to the fact that I often revisit files in an effort to tweak out more detail through better processing. This image is one of those that has been processed several times and each time I do I get a little closer to realizing my original vision for the shot. The image was made from Hopi Point located on the West Rim Drive on the South Rim of the Grand Canyon. The large formation in the foreground is known as “The Alligator” and the formation to the right is part of “The Tower of Ra”. The shot was made just after sunrise and illustrates just how intense the sunlight can be as it illuminates the canyons buttes and landforms. The intensity of the light striking The Alligator was difficult to balance with respect to other formations in the shot and for some time how I wanted to process the shot escaped me. Shooting red rock formations such as these can pose some problems in terms of the luminosity of the image capture. In this case the light was so intense that much of the buttes detail was lost in a wash of intense color. The trick was to retain the beautiful sunrise color but dial back the colors luminosity and recover the detail. The way to do this is to reduce the color saturation slightly and then dial back the color luminance. Using the sliders in the HSL/Color/B&W panel in Adobe Lightroom I selected HSL and clicked on Saturation. Here I reduced the saturation in the Red and Orange channels. Next I clicked Luminance and reduced the Red and Orange channels. The net result decreased the color intensity and enabled me to recover some beautiful detail in the rocks. Working the Color Sliders along with manipulating the Curves achieved a good RAW file to import to Photoshop for final finishing.

Proper RAW file development is one of the cornerstones in creating a good image and you should not rush through this process. After selecting an image to work on I always start by “zeroing” the image to return it to the RAW state captured by the camera. I almost never rely on the established development Preset in Lightroom. From there I set the White and Black Point and manipulate the Curve Sliders while also working with the Fill and Recover sliders. It is a back and forth process where I am looking to bring out the maximum detail in the shot. Once I finish the major curve manipulations I look to adjusting the color saturation and luminance. In some cases I work these sliders along with the curve sliders. The final step is to apply capture sharpening and noise reduction.

Thank you for stopping by today.

Bob

Tamarisk Tree and Rocks – Colorado River, Glen Canyon National Recreation Area

Arizona, Colorado River, Desert, Glen Canyon, Glen Canyon National Recreation Area, Grand Canyon, Grand Canyon National Park, Grand Circle, Landscape, Landscape Photography, National Parks, River, Sony α900 No Responses »

Jan 302011

A tamarisk tree clings to life along the Colorado River, Glen Canyon National Recreation Area. Shot with a Sony α900 and a Sony SAL 70-300mm lens. Image exposed at ISO 100 at f18 for 1.5 seconds.

Hi everyone and welcome to today’s post. I have ben away for a week and as is always the case the return home brings a host of things to catch up on, from family matters to e-mails, and of course a new blog post. Add to all this the clean up from a 13 inch snowstorm and the weekend just flies by. As the old saying goes there is no rest for the weary. Today’s image was shot along the Colorado River above Lee’s Ferry and just below the confluence of the Paria River and the Colorado. The mad rush of the river’s flow often reminds me of my life. On this day, many miles from the inner gorge of the Grand Canyon, the Colorado River was flowing fast and furious, its roar echoing off the canyon walls. I was struck by the concept of edges. Behind me, from the edge of the river, the land slopes upward gently. But in front of me the rivers edge flowed against a sheer red wall of rock. As I walked down from the Paria I came upon this embattled jumble of rocks with a lone Tamarisk clinging to life. I wondered how many times the river had risen and attempted to up root the tree. I wondered how long it might last in the face of the rivers fury. Of course only time will tell.

There is a metaphor here I think. Some of us are like the river. We flow from one thing to the next sometimes so quickly that we do not see what passes before us. Others are like the rocks. Slow and methodical, pushing hard against the flow. Though we may flow like the river or stand fast like the canyon walls we are all cut from the same place. The river reminds me that all things change. The tamarisk reminds me of the power of perseverance in the face of change. It becomes a duality-a yin and yang. And in this there is balance. I am reminded of Norman Maclean’s words from a River Runs Through It, “Eventually, all things flow into one, and a river runs through it. The river was cut by the world’s great flood and runs over rocks from the basement of time. On some of the rocks are timeless raindrops. Under the rocks are the words, and some of the words are theirs.”

Though I am like the river I have the power to stop. My life, as are the lives of many of us, is filled with a furious pace. For me it is a noise, a distracting chatter that pelts me from all sides. So I become the river and the rocks alternately riding the flow and pushing against its force. On this day in the canyon I stopped and for a small moment of time experienced the delicate balance of nature. On this day I let the river go and became the rocks. On this day I sat upon the rivers edge and contemplated the fate of the tamarisk.

Thanks for stopping by today.

Bob

Winter Light – Shenandoah River, Harpers Ferry, West Virginia

Harpers Ferry, Landscape, Landscape Photography, National Parks, Nikon D3x, River, Shenandoah River, Snow, Water, West Virginia 5 Responses »

Jan 122011

Winter Light, Shenandoah River, Harpers Ferry, WV. Shot with a Nikon D3x and a Nikkor 20mm lens. Image exposed at ISO 100 at f13 for 1 second.

Hi everyone and welcome to today’s post. If today’s image looks cold then you would be correct. The temperature was 23 degrees with a strong, gusty wind of 10 to 15 miles per hour. The wind chill was in the single digits. We had about two inches of snow last night which put a new coat of the white fluffy stuff over the rocks and ice along the edge of the Shenandoah River.

The river is my view from my office and a constant companion. From my window I can watch the trees leaf out in April as migrant song birds arrive from the South. In the summer my view of the river is somewhat obscured by a luscious and green canopy of hardwoods. If I look down I can just make out the sinuous ribbon of the Appalachian Trail that passes below my window. In the fall Loudon Heights glows red and orange as the mountains prepare for the coming winter. When winter arrives, and the trees have shed their leaves, the river is once again revealed to me.

Today I just needed to get out of the office. Clouds strayed overhead most of the day and towards the late afternoon the wind began to blow, sending spindrift past my window. Sheets of ice had formed along the rivers edge and were covered in the new snow. By four it appeared as if there might be a little sunlight breaking through so I grabbed the camera and hiked across the bridge over the river. Down below the river ran cold in colorful shades of green and blue. Just below the Appalachian Trail the rivers edge is marked by steep rock and large slabs of stone that jut out into the water. Most of the rock is encircled by ice. The wind is really blowing and the clouds seem to speed by overhead. The setting sun lit the clouds and sent a beautiful warm red light across the ice. The warm light however did not do much to warm me up except in spirit. It was just downright cold. My fingers and toes went numb but I stayed to watch the last light of day fade. I was only here for about an hour but it was enough to melt the struggles of my day and let it wash away down the river.

Thanks for stopping by today.

Bob

Mist on the River – Potomac River, Shepherdstown, West Virginia

Bridges, Landscape, Landscape Photography, Potomac River, River, Snow, Sony α900, sunrise, West Virginia, Winter, WV, Zeiss Lenses No Responses »

Dec 252010

Mist on the River, Shepherdstown, WV. Shot with a Sony α900 and a Zeiss 24-70mm lens at 70mm. Image exposed at ISO 100 at f13 for 1/2 of a second.

Hi everyone and welcome to todays post. It is Christmas Day and I hope each and everyone is enjoying a great holiday. We awoke this morning to a dusting of snow and some light flurries. It is the first snow on Christmas Day that I can remember in a long time. We had snow early last year and ended up with quite a few storms and several feet on the ground into early spring. I shot this image last winter after one of the storms passed through. The Potomac River passes by Shepherdstown and forms the border between West Virginia and Maryland. Over the years several bridges have crossed the river at this point linking Shepherdstown, WV to Maryland. Not far up the road from here is the town of Antietam, MD, site of one of the bloodiest battles of the Civil War. As new bridges have been built and the old ones dismantled the stone piers have been left, standing guard in the wake of the rivers flow. On the day I took this image the air temperature was 18. Sheets of ice were just beginning to form on the river. As the sun rises and heats the rivers surface, the difference in air and water temperature forms an inversion, creating clouds of steam rising from the rivers surface. Rising and falling in a sinuous dance, the steam moves in syncopated rhythm, subject to the whims of the wind.

During times of heavy rain the river runs fast and boils with silt and debris. Giant logs, carried by the flood waters, batter the piers, slowing chipping away at their stone foundations. Despite this they stand tall even managing to spawn new life as soil deposited during floods has created fertile ground for seeds to root in the crevices of the stone. The trees and plants provide nesting areas and perches for birds that live along the rivers shores. On this day though, the river flowed slow and still. Logs from a previous flood perched precariously at the base of this pier. Willow limbs drooping under the weight of new snow give the impression of a creature with a wild hair do. The complete stillness of the morning was broken only by the sound of huge sheets of ice crashing into the piers – breaking apart before moving away and returning the river to silence.

Thanks for stopping by today.

Bob

Bridge and Stones – Savannah River Watershed

4x5 Photography, Bridges, Georgia, Landscape, Landscape Photography, Photography Technique, River, Savannah River, sunrise 2 Responses »

Jun 162010

Bridge and Stones, Savannah River Watershed. Shot with a Canham 4 x 5 and a Schneider 90mm XL lens. Image exposed on Fuji Velvia 50 at f22 for 15 seconds.

Hi everyone. Today’s post is one from the vault. I love rivers and bridges on a foggy morning. I have always found this time of the day to be peaceful and serene. This shot is of the Highway 29 bridge just outside of Hartwell, Georgia. The bridge passes over the Savannah River which flows below the Lake Hartwell Dam. On this morning dawn broke with a grey overcast sky and a light fog along the river. The fog was almost ghost like as it shifted up and down the rivers edge. The river below the dam is slow moving, almost still in fact, and allows for capturing reflections. On this morning I wanted to pick up the reflection of the treeline and the bridge in the river but also feature the foreground rocks. To make this work I used a Heliopan Circular Warming Polarizer. I set the polarizer wide open and began to slowly turn it to reveal the rocks just under the rivers surface. I took this out to just about 1/3 in to the scene. The result I think worked very well. I was able to capture the leading lines of the bridge and its reflection and contrast these against the rocks and treeline.

Every time I look at this image I feel the calm stillness of that morning. It was cool for July but the hint of the days coming humidity was thick in the surrounding air. Occasionally a lone car would pass overhead, the repetitive thump, thump, thump, of tires striking the expansion joints reminding me that I was not alone. As the car moved on silence returned to the river. Wouldn’t it be great to start everyday this way.

Thanks for stopping by today.

Bob

Winter Grass

Landscape, Landscape Photography, River, Sony α900, West Virginia, Winter 2 Responses »

Apr 152010

Winter Grass. Shot with a Sony a900 and a Sony 70-300mm lens. Image exposed at ISO 100 at f14 for 1/4 of a second.

Hi everyone. Today’s post is a shot of winter grass I found while shooting along the Shenandoah River. It was a cool, foggy morning and droplets of water clung to the stems of grass. The world that morning seemed dull and monochromatic. I must admit that I just stumbled around looking for something interesting to shoot. Looking but not really seeing. As the fog began to lift a beautiful light enveloped the grass and I began to see the curved blades of grass in stark contrast to the vertical stems. I really liked the soft, muted colors, which in some way reflected my mood that day. I started the day trying to force photography to happen. I was literally in the fog. So I just let go, just let it happen, or not. The shot found me that morning and as the fog lifted I was there to see.

Thanks for stopping by today.

Bob

Bridge Pier and Tree

Landscape, Landscape Photography, Potomac River, River, Snow, Water, West Virginia, Winter No Responses »

Feb 102010

Branches from a large tree create a window like view to a stone bridge pier. Shot with a Sony a900 and a Zeiss 24-70mm lens at 30mm. Image exposed at ISO 100 at f16 for 1 second.

While we are still in the grip of another snowstorm I thought I would take a moment and post another image shot after the last storm passed through the WV panhandle. This shot was taken along the Potomac River around 8:00 in the morning. The cold air and warmer river temperature created a fog event adding drama and mystery to the landscape. The swirl of branches hanging over the water formed a natural window to frame one of the bridge piers. This image illustrates why it is always a good idea to revisit places in different seasons. I have been down in this area quite a bit but this shot does not happen in the summer as the leaves block the vista to the pier.

You can see other images from this season of snow in the Recent Images Gallery and the Rivers and Bridges Gallery on my website at http://roberthclarkphotography.com.

Bob

Potomac River Fog

Landscape, Landscape Photography, Potomac River, River, Snow, Uncategorized, West Virginia, Winter 2 Responses »

Feb 072010

Fog created by the difference between air and water temperature rolls off the Potomac River near Shepherdstown, WV. Shot with a Sony a900 and a Zeiss 24-70mm lens at 45mm. Image exposed at ISO 100 at f16 for 1/45 of a second.

This image was shot just a day after the big blizzard that hit the eastern seaboard. This is the view downriver from Shepherdstown, WV. I got out early to see what kind of light we had plus I was curious about the road conditions. When I crossed over the bridge I was treated to this amazing sight. The warmer river was interacting with the 12 degree air temperature to create a beautiful rising fog. In addition you can see large sheets of ice in the shot. As these floated down river you could hear them crashing into the bridge piers. Just an amazing vista.

I was shooting almost directly into the rising sun. Most of you who know my work know that I like to shoot these kinds of high contrast images. They make very dramatic shots. The sun was still low in the sky and most of the hot light was filtered by the rising fog. But I still had to use a 4-stop split neutral density filter to help me balance the contrast. I have a few other shots from this day which I will post at a later date.

Bob

Bridge and Ice on the Potomac River

Landscape, Photography Technique, Potomac River, River, Water, Winter No Responses »

Jan 162010

A thin sheet of ice extends out into the quiet flow of the Potomac River. Shot with a Sony a900 and a Zeiss 24-70mm lens at 50mm. Image exposed at ISO 100 at f11 for 1/15 of a second.

Here is another image from this mornings shoot. This large sheet of ice extended out from the shoreline and broke up the bridges reflection in the river. To get this shot I actually waded out into the river about three to four feet so I could get a good angle on the ice edge. Its nice to have waders for this kind of thing. The image was processed in more monochromatic tones to play on the cold, stark morning.

Bob

Ice and Tree Reflection

Potomac River, River, Trees, Water, Winter 2 Responses »

Jan 162010

Image 1. Initial RAW file before Photoshop work.

Image 2. Optimized Image after RAW processing and Photoshop.

We have had quite a bit of cold weather in West Virginia so I took the opportunity to explore the edges of the Potomac River in search of ice. Due to a bit of a warming trend most of the ice had dissipated but several areas were still intact. In this image the stillness of the river allowed the trees to reflect against a sheet of ice. It was a wonderful study in contrast.

The image was exposed with a Heliopan Circular Warming Polarizer. I stopped the polarizer down just a bit to allow some of the river bottom to show through. This gave me just a bit of warm color to contrast with the blue of the ice and river. Lens focus was directed on the sheet of ice and the trees were allowed to blur slightly.

Image 1 shows the file after RAW conversion in Adobe Lightroom. The white balance was adjusted and initial capture sharpening was applied.

Image 2 shows the file after work in Photoshop. The intent was to process the image the way I initially saw it which required applying a series of adjustment layer curves to separate the sheet of ice from the river. The river adjustment also equalized the contrast in the river allowing the ice to stand out.

I have several more images from this day which I will put up in a later post.

Bob

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