Robert H Clark Photography Blog

Winter

Feb 242012

Twisted Tree and Winter Light • South Rim, Grand Canyon National Park

Hi everyone and welcome to today’s post. I am currently sorting through about 3000 exposures from my last trip. I have been shooting differently on my last few outings which includes more bracketing of shots for manual blending in Photoshop. I am after more dynamic range in the light and though the Photoshop work takes more effort I think the results are much better.

Today’s image was made from Maricopa Overlook on the Hermits Rest Road. During the winter months the Canyon stops the buses and visitors are able to drive on the Hermits Rest Road which makes access to some of the more dramatic overlooks easy. On this morning there was a fairly heavy cloud cover and I was not to hopeful for a sunrise shot. It was also quite cold at 16 degrees. Still recovering from pneumonia I was not to eager to leave the warm car or my cup of hot tea. But a cold fog had descended on this side of the Canyon and some of the trees were painted with a coat of light hoar frost. No matter how I played with the compositions I just “wasn’t feeling it”. I found this gnarly tree on the walk back to the car just as a bit of soft sunlight began to break through the cloud bank. The yellow glow as very nice and gave a nice halo around the top of tree. So I began to work with this composition placing the top of the tree against this light. In post processing I used several Selective Color Layers to target the Reds, Yellows, Blues, and Whites and followed up with a Dodge and Burn Layer to sculpt the form of the tree. The amazing contortions in the tree truck are testimony to the harsh environment along the South Rim. Beaten by wind, snow, and cold temperatures in the winter this tree is an amazing survivor. In a funny way the tree became a metaphor for how I felt-not feeling well, but surviving.

Technical Details: This image is a blend of three exposures using Enfuse for Lightroom. It was composed for three exposure, one for mid-tones, one for highlights, and one for shadows. The resulting file is sent to Photoshop for final finishing. I like Enfuse as it prepares a very natural looking file without the artifacts that can come from HDR Software. You can get the plugin from The Photographers Toolbox.

Thanks for stopping by today.

Bob

Clearing Storm over the North Rim • Grand Canyon National Park, AZ

Arizona, Desert, Grand Canyon National Park, Grand Canyon Photography, Grand Circle, Landscape, Landscape Photography, Mountains, National Parks, Photography Trips, Robert H Clark Photography, sunrise, Twilight Photography, Winter 5 Responses »

Jan 292012

Clearing Storm over the North Rim, Grand Canyon National Park

Hi everyone and welcome to today’s post. As most of you know who follow this blog I have been away on a combined work/photography trip to the Grand Canyon. I was anticipating a great time with my shooting pal Tony Kuyper. We had compiled a list of places I have not been and was looking forward to bringing back some new images. Alas however that was not to be. Going back nearly a month to my shooting trip to Death Valley I contracted a nagging cough that weeks later was still with me. By the time I arrived at the canyon I was feverish and in quite a fix. I spent most of Sunday in the hotel unable to move and by Monday was in the Grand Canyon Medical Center with several IV’s stuck in my hand. The diagnosis was pneumonia. Needless to say everything was cancelled and I made the flight home two days later. Just to fill in the rest of the story I am on a new antibiotic that is working and I am on the mend.

Despite my condition, on the way out of the canyon to get to the airport at Flagstaff, I still managed to capture a few images. Well let’s just say I was bound and determined to shoot something despite how I felt. Over Monday night it snowed 8″ on the South Rim turning the canyon into a magical sight. Across the way on the North Rim it looked like nature had dropped white sugar sprinkles over the spires and buttes. A layer of clouds had dropped below the rim and was drifting among the canyons formations. As the sun rose and kissed the buttes with light the composition was complete. In this shot you can see the Cheops Pyramid (right), and the Isis Temple (left). Overhead the early morning light turned the clouds a subtle magenta. This was a special sight to see and though I really did not feel well I was bolstered, even if only for a brief period, by the experience. Nature has powerful healing forces. At least it does for me. This image will forever be linked to one of the worst trips I have had. But every time I see this image I will remember it fondly.

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

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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