Robert H Clark Photography Blog

West Virginia

Bridge and Fog – Shenandoah River, Harpers Ferry, WV

Adobe Lightroom, Adobe Lightroom Workflow, Bridges, Harpers Ferry, Landscape, Landscape Photography, Lee Big Stopper, Lightroom, National Parks, Photography Composition, Photography Technique, Robert H Clark Photography, Shenandoah River, Sony α900, sunrise, West Virginia, Zeiss Lenses 4 Responses »

Oct 092011

Bridge and Fog, Shenandoah River. Shot with a Sony a900 and a Zeiss 24-70mm lens at 45mm. Image exposed at ISO 100 at f11 for 1-1/2 minutes.

Hi everyone and welcome to today’s post. Today’s is image is brought to courtesy of our recent influx of beautiful fall weather. The cool mornings and warm afternoons typically generate some fantastic fog along our rivers in the early morning. In a recent conversation with Alec Johnson we were both lamenting that our current workloads and obligations were preventing both of us from getting out and shooting. So I want to make a point about this conversation. Getting out and shooting for the two of us usually involves anywhere but home. For Alec it is the North Shore of Lake Superior and for me it usually revolves around some slot canyon or grand vista in the American West. The fact is that the act of photography, the mental and physical immersion we both have for this medium, is important to our sanity and well being. It seems like a lot of baggage to place on our choice of art but it is true. Both of us, in our own pursuit of photography, find peace and well-being. Much like yoga the process is one of contemplative and deliberate practice and within this we find a release of our demons.

With the arrival of the fog came a revelation. I travel so much and most of my shooting has indeed been in the far reaches of the country. But I live in an incredible place with a veritable playground full of photographic opportunities. What am I waiting for? Nothing was preventing me from shooting, but me. That’s right, me. I am coming clean here. It is so easy to put up the road blocks and complain about our situations. Our conversation and the influx of of fog gave me a new sense of clarity. Yes, I want to shoot out west but when I can’t be there I have great places at home to practice my craft. In the immortal words of Steven Stills, “if you can’t be with the one you love, love the one your with”. The river is so close and I can make the time without negating my other obligations. It is a good thing and I am glad I woke up to the possibilities. So “Chak” , if you read this far, this one’s for you.

Technical Details: Today’s image was shot in the early morning and was conceived as a long exposure black and white. I wanted two things in the vision of this image. I wanted to soften the details and capture the beautiful soft light created by the fog. This required a long exposure to achieve. So out came my Lee Big Stopper. 10-stops of neutral density gave me a shutter speed at f11 of nearly two minutes. So during the exposure time the river softens and becomes “ice” like and the drifting fog softens the details rendering the image almost high-key. Just exactly what I was looking to do. In processing I kept the image light soft and put most of the detail into the first bridge pier. This in effect stabilizes the composition and provides a nice contrast.

Get out and shoot. Time is wasting away.

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

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

Dawn at the Bridge

Landscape, Landscape Photography, Potomac River, Sony α900, Water, West Virginia, Winter, Zeiss Lenses 1 Response »

Feb 212010

Dawn at the Bridge. Shot with a Sony a900 and a Zeiss 24-70mm lens at 24mm. Image exposed at ISO 100 at f13 for 6 seconds.

Dawn broke this morning still and cold. It was not as cold as it has been but my fingers still went numb through my gloves. I was hoping for more clouds but each day is special and today was no different. A beautiful wisp of a purple cloud spread out over the sky creating a matching dynamic line to the river’s edge. Below me the Potomac River ran still and quiet. As the light came up I heard the chirps of cardinals and the familiar chirpty-chirpty-chirp of the wren. After bracketing a few shots I just watched the sun come up.

Thanks for stopping by.

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

Snowpocalypse 2010

Photography Technique, Photoshop Technique, West Virginia, Winter No Responses »

Feb 062010

Blizzard February 5, 2010. Sony a900 and Zeiss 24-70mm lens. Image exposed at ISO 100 at f16 for 1 second.

The second major storm this winter has passed and we are left to dig out of 30+ inches of snow. As the storm was moving in I decided to have a little fun. Now you may be wondering if I am behind the wheel of my car. And the answer would be yes. But no I am not driving. What kind of example would I be setting. In fact I saw the line of cars coming and stopped to take this image. To get the motion blur I started with the lens zoomed at 70mm and pulled back to wide, somewhere around 35mm. Exposure was 1 second at f16.

The RAW file was processed in Lightroom and taken over to Photoshop. To bring out some depth I used a contrast mask which works well for these kinds of shots. To make the mask duplicate the Background. From there choose Highpass Filter. Set the amount to 70 +/- and the layer blend to Softlight. Its subtle but helps bring out some of the darks and gives it more apparent depth.

Bob

Ice and Bridge Piers on the Potomac

Landscape, Potomac River, Trees, West Virginia No Responses »

Jan 172010

Stone bridge piers reflect in the Potomac River near Shepherdstown. Shot with a Sony a900 and Zeiss 25-70mm lens at 50mm. Image exposed at ISO100 at f11 for 1/3 of a second.

Alright I promise this will be the last ice image from the Potomac River. Well, at least until we have another winter storm. I like to visit my favorite places regularly. Conditions are always changing and you never know what you might shoot. As of todays post a weekend of rain has melted all the ice and for now the river is clear.

In this image I was drawn to the small swirl of water that cut around the boulder. No matter where my eye starts in the picture I always end up at the boulder. Leading lines in the ice help direct the movement and allow the eye to travel around the photograph. And don’t forget to check out the little tree growing from the top of the largest pier.

Thanks for looking at these recent images. I’ll be heading for warmer climates next weekend for work but I’m sure I can find something to shoot. Check back soon. Aloha, (Just a hint).

Bob

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