Robert H Clark Photography Blog

Rio Grande Overlook – Big Bend Country, Texas

Jul 202011

Rio Grande Overlook, Big Bend Country. Shot with a Sony α900 and a Sony SAL 20mm lens. Image exposed at ISO 100 at f14 for 8 seconds.

Hi everyone and welcome to today’s post. Today I was officially labeled as out of control regarding my photography. I think the word obsessive was used a few times. This moniker was given to me by none other than my wife with a few here here’s thrown in from my daughter. Ok, I freely admit this. If I am not shooting, I am processing. If not processing than I am shooting with the iPhone, or tinkering, or reading blogs, or cleaning cameras, you get the idea I think. What to do? I did not say much having been stung to the core by such honesty. I did not promise to do better because I do not think that is a possibility. I do think about photography quite a bit but I have never thought of myself as obsessive-passionate yes, but never obsessive. The iPhone has caused some of this. Or, in the true spirit of excepting responsibility for my actions, I have allowed the “thing” to consume me. But fun is fun, I think, and photography, in all its aspects, is fun. It combines many things that I like; travel, art, technical knowhow, the great outdoors, planning, friendship, equipment, experimentation, and the list can go on. Passion is to be pursued. I am passionate about photography and I pursue it with an all consuming energy. There is so much to do, so much still to learn. It is something that pulses through me , a yearning, a longing, a desire. If I come off as neglectful to the ones I love then I am sorry and I will try to be more attentive. I promise. I did say above that it may not be possible, but I will try. But I am not sorry, nor will I ever be about my passion for making images. I only have one life and as I get older I am finding it needs to be lived fully and in the pursuit of ones passion, whatever that may be.

So what does all this diatribe and self-aware angst have to do with the image above? Nothing perhaps. Or maybe everything. The image was made in the pursuit of my passion. It was made in a beautiful place, on an outcrop of rocks, and amongst good friends. In my mind it does not get much better than that. It was the last day of the Big Bend workshop and this grand landscape could not have been more appropriate as our final shoot. From this lofty perch the Rio Grande flowed into the the dying of the day. As we shot we felt the power of this place and the special bond of friendship forged in pursuit of the same passions. And though we would all be parting company soon the river bound us together and we flowed along its curves into the sunset. My grandmother once said that in life you need someone to love, something to do, and something to look forward to. My friends, that is passion. Be consumed.

Thank you as always for stopping by to visit.

Hozógo nasádo (Navajo): Walk in Beauty

Bob

Rio Grande Palisades – Big Bend National Park

Badlands, Big Bend, Big Bend National Park, Desert, Helicon Focus, Landscape, Landscape Photography, National Parks, Photography Composition, Photography Technique, Photography Trips, River, Singh-Ray Filters, Sony α900, Split Neutral Density Filters, Texas, Zeiss Lenses 3 Responses »

Apr 042011

Rio Grand Palisades, Big Bend National Park, Texas. Shot with a Sony α900 and a Zeiss 24-70mm lens at 55mm. Image exposed at ISO 100 at f13 for 1/20 of a second.

Hi everyone and welcome to today’s post. This is another shot from my recent trip to Big Bend National. This image was taken from the Rio Grande Overlook and is a view looking south into Mexico. This is not the classic view from this point and I resisted the urge to shoot that shot. I choose instead to move away from my group in search of other vistas. When I found this composition I was struck by the sweeping curves in the river as it flowed past the rocky palisades. From my lofty perch I could see far and away into Mexico. I find edges very interesting both compositionally and intrinsically. Here we have the edges of two countries separated only by a thin ribbon of river. So close and yet so far away. At the time it was a landscape I could only gaze upon as I was not allowed to cross the river.

There are several interesting and powerful compositional concepts found in this image. The first and most prominent is the leading line formed by the river. It is far and away the most powerful element. The rivers shape and form leads the eye into the frame and moves it deeper into the landscape. It is also the lightest element in tone and contrast and is framed on each side by the darker land forms. The eye will always be drawn to the light in a photograph and this occurs in the upper one-third of the shot.

There are also repeating shapes within the the image. The foreground rocks, the palisades at the turn of the river, the far cliffs, and even the light colored tones in the background are repeating elements in the shot that add visual interest. They also form a secondary leading line that runs diagonally in contrast to the sinuous curve of the river. The combination of these two singular lines makes for a dynamic image full of visual interest.

The image was shot in split-light. Split-light is where there is a defined edge between light and shadow. Split-light is easy to recognize but can be hard to handle with exposure. this is especially true since I shot this image in three focus brackets to combine in Helicon Focus. To this end I could not shoot exposure brackets to combine or blend. To handle the exposure I used a Singh-Ray 3-stop, hard edge, Split Neutral Density Filter to compensate for the dynamic range of light in the image. The focus brackets were made of the foreground. mid-ground, and background and then combined in Helicon Focus to create one image. This was taken into Photoshop for final finishing and conversion to Black and White.

Thanks for stopping by today.

Hozógo nasádo (Navajo): Walk in Beauty

Bob

Giant Agave and Moonrise – Big Bend National Park

Adobe Lightroom, Big Bend, Big Bend National Park, Desert, Landscape, Landscape Photography, National Parks, Singh-Ray Filters, Sony α900, Split Neutral Density Filters, sunset, Texas, Twilight Photography, Uncategorized 6 Responses »

Mar 312011

Giant Agave and Moonrise, Big Bend National Park. Shot with a Sony α900 and a Zeiss 24-70mm lens at 24mm. Image exposed at ISO 100 at f14 for 3 seconds.

Hi everyone and welcome to today’s post. Today in beautiful West Virginia it is cold and rainy. It seems that spring is just around the corner. It has been that way though for the entire month of March. North of us they are getting snow and the folks living there probably feel the same way I do. A dose of warm weather filled with vitamin enriched sunshine would go a long way towards lifting winters stranglehold.

Today’s image is from a place where the weather seemed to be near perfect all the time. I know Big Bend can have some severe weather but for one perfect week I was able to bask in the park’s beautiful landscape and balmy temperatures. This is a twilight shot of a giant agave set against the rugged Chisos Mountains. At nearly four and a half feet tall this is one of the biggest agave plants I have ever seen. It was just huge. The interesting part about this image is that somehow I managed to pre-compose the shot in my mind. I knew we would be shooting with the Chisos range as a backdrop and I just imagined finding an agave that I could frame against the mountains. We already knew we would have a full moon rise and the trick would be to bring all the elements together in the final shot. I started with a series of much tighter shots but moved back to include more of the landscape. The moon rose on cue and a wonderful cloud drifted by as I tripped the shutter.

In order to gain some exposure latitude I used a Singh-Ray 3-stop soft Split Neutral Density filter to hold back the sky. In addition when I shoot in twilight I like to drop the white balance down to around 4700 to 4800K to accentuate the cooler blue tones in the sky. The RAW image was processed in Lightroom and finished in Photoshop.

Thanks for stopping by today.

Hozógo nasádo (Navajo): Walk in Beauty

Bob

Blair Pittman – Terlingua, Texas, Big Bend Country

Big Bend, Big Bend National Park, Black and White, Desert, Photography Trips, Portrait, Portrait Photography, Sony α900, Zeiss Lenses 9 Responses »

Feb 042011

Blair Pittman, Terlingua, Texas, Big Bend Country. Shot with a Sony α900 and a Zeiss 24-70mm lens. Image exposed at ISO 100 at f2.8 for 1/125 of a second.

Hi everyone and welcome to today’s post. I would like to introduce you to Blair Pittman, award winning photographer, writer, and folklorist. For several decades he has been telling and listening to tales on the Terlingua Ghost Town porch. On a beautiful late afternoon I found myself next to Blair as he recited a few yarns about the history of the old ghost town. With my beer in hand I sat back and soaked in the afternoon sun. I could smell the desert stretching out before me. Life just seemed to happen that afternoon. I had already spent time with Dr. Doug and here I was ending my day with Blair. I retreated to the trading post for another beer and as I paid I saw a small display featuring two books by Blair; Tales From The Terlingua Porch, and More! Tales From The Terlingua Porch. I bought them both and Blair signed and personalized each book. In one book he wrote “To Bob – If it ain’t the truth, it otta’ be. Viva Terlingua”. And in the other he wrote “To Bob – See you on the porch”.

The two books are a special reminder of an incredible week I spent in Big Bend. Small and easy to read the stories take you into the heart and soul of this place. That day on the porch life just happened and I was lucky enough to be there when it did. I did not intend to shoot an image of Blair but like life it just happened. As he was talking he looked off in the distance and I just brought the camera up and snapped the shot. For me it captured a lot about this man; wise and grizzled, but kind and reflective. If you let it, life just happens. And that is the truth.

Thanks for stopping by today. See you on the porch.

Bob

Terlingua Creek Sunrise – Big Bend National Park

Adobe Lightroom, Big Bend, Big Bend National Park, Black and White, Helicon Focus, Landscape, Landscape Photography, Lightroom, National Parks, Photography Technique, Photography Trips, Singh-Ray Filters, Sony α900, sunrise, Texas, Zeiss Lenses 4 Responses »

Dec 172010

Terlingua Creek Sunrise, outside of Big Bend National Park. Shot with a Sony a900 and a Zeiss 24-70mm lens. Image exposed at ISO 100 at f8 for 1/2 of a second.

Hi everyone and welcome to todays post. This image is a sunrise shot along Terlingua Creek just outside of Big Bend National Park. This area of the creek is located a few miles from the Terlingua Ghost Town along Highway 170. This was my second visit during the week that I visited this area so in a sense I had prescouted this shot. All I needed were the clouds. On this morning I was blessed with some amazing clouds. They rolled in as a single mass and then began to break apart over the bluffs along the creek. I positioned the camera to take advantage of the strong series of repeating leading lines of the creek, creek bed, reflection, and the bluffs. The clouds added a hugh dynamic component to the shot.

The image was shot in three focus brackets and combined in Helicon Focus software. Additionally I used a 3-stop Singh-Ray Soft Edge Split Neutral Density Filter dropped in along the top of the bluffs. The filter was rotated to account for the angle. The image was converted in Adobe Lightroom and finished in Photoshop.

Thanks for stopping by today.

Bob

Rio Grande Sunset – Big Bend National Park

Adobe Lightroom, Big Bend, Big Bend National Park, Landscape, Landscape Photography, Lightroom, National Parks, Photography Technique, Photography Trips, Singh-Ray Filters, Sony α900, sunset, Texas, Zeiss Lenses 2 Responses »

Dec 012010

Rio Grande Sunset, Big Bend National Park, Texas. Shot with a Sony α900 and a Zeiss 24-70mm lens. Image exposed at ISO 100 at f13 for 6 seconds.

Hi everyone and welcome to todays post. this image was shot during a recent workshop at Big Bend with Craig Tanner and Marti Jeffers of the Mindful Eye. The shot was taken at an overlook area just outside the park on Route 170 west of Lajitas. The drive along the Rio Grande ranks as one of my top 10 most scenic drives I have have ever travelled. It is a must when you visit the park. We arrived early to do some scouting and study how the sun would set. The shot was made from an elevated position reached by a fairly steep scramble above the parking area. To say the drop off was sheer is an understatement. The cliff edge is one of the most “exposed” I have ever experienced. Not as vertigo inducing as Horseshoe Bend along the Colorado River but close enough. The wind was quite stiff and did not subside until just after the sun set.

There was an incredible contrast range in this scene and to capture enough light to render some detail in the foreground and background mountains required a longer exposure. Even though the sun had set and we were entering into the first minutes of civil twilight the sky was nearly 5 stops brighter that the rest of the scene. To compensate I used a Singh-Ray 4-stop split neutral density dropped into the scene to hold back the sky during the exposure. the image was processed in Adobe Lightroom and Photoshop. In addition I adjusted the Micro Contrast and removed some camera blur with Topaz InFocus.

Badlands – Big Bend National Park – Photoshop Color Burn Technique

Badlands, Big Bend, Big Bend National Park, Color Burn Technique, Desert, Landscape, Landscape Photography, National Parks, Photography Technique, Photoshop Technique, Photoshop Workflow, Sony α900, Texas, Zeiss Lenses 8 Responses »

Nov 272010

Volcanic Rock and Badlands Landscape, Big Bend National Park, Texas. Shot with a Sony α900 and a Zeiss 24-70mm lens. Image exposed at ISO 100 at f8 for 1/2 of a second.

Hi everyone and welcome to todays post. This image was shot in an area of Big Bend National Park that featured a rugged and beautiful badlands landscape. The area was rich in mineral deposits which was evident in the colorful banding in the rock strata. This image was shot in three focus brackets and combined in Helicon Focus software. I am going to use this image to talk about a Photoshop technique, called a Color Burn Layer, that I use on many of my images to tweak out some color detail. I talked about this at the Big Bend Workshop and some of participants have asked for more detail on how to do the technique.

First a few details. I typically employ this technique when I have an image that has some subtle color and where it might be difficult to isolate via a selection. It is what I would categorize as a regional or selective adjustment and therefore I will always apply it in a non-destructive layer at the top of my layer stack after I have performed all my global adjustments. So lets take a look at the technique.

In the screen shot below is the image before I applied the technique. I have circled several areas within the image that contained some color detail that I wanted to accentuate. this included some very subtle green toned minerals, the violet in the volcanic rocks and some subtle rose colors in the rock. All of these can be adjusted and colored using the Color Burn Layer technique. So now lets go step by step through the adjustments and settings.

Badlands image showing areas to be colored with the Color Burn Layer Technique.

Step 1: Add a new layer at the top of your layer stack. Label this new layer Color Burn. Double click on the new layer and bring up the Layer Style dialog box. Go to Blend Mode and select Color as the layer blending mode at an opacity of 100%. This is the Color Burn Layer you will work on and all your color work can be done here.

Step 2: Go to your Tools Palette and select the Eye Dropper. Using the Eye Dropper click on the color you want to modify. You will get a circle showing the light and dark value of the color. In the screen shot below I have clicked on the green color in the rocks in the middle of the image. The color I have sampled with the Eye Dropper will also appear in your Foreground/Background Color Picker Box in your Tool Bar.

Step 3: Click on the Foreground Color Box and you will bring up the Color Picker. The Color Picker will show the Color Values from Light to Dark of the sampled color. A small circle will indicate the color you have sampled from the image. In the screen shot below I have circled in red the sampled color. To effectively modify the color you need to pick a value that is lighter than the sampled color. In this case I chose a brighter green indicated by the red arrow. Click OK to select the color and close the window.

Step 4: Make sure you still have the Color Burn Layer selected and go to your Tool Palette and select the Brush Tool. Make sure the Brush is set to 0 hardness. Selected anywhere from 2% to 5% for the Brush Opacity. I generally use 3% on average. You want to apply the effect gradually. Go back to the area you want to modify and brush the color over the area you want to modify. Slowly build up the color to where you are satisfied. You can also sample other colors and apply them in the same way using the same Color Burn Layer. For the final image I used combinations of green, violets, oranges, and rose pinks. You can also add your color selections to your Swatches in the Color Picker just in case you want to repeat an application.

And thats all there is to it. It is a simple and effective technique that can add some additional color punch to your image. If you think you over applied the effect then simply use the eraser Tool over the area and then reapply. If you have any questions please give me a shout and I will be happy to answer them.

Thanks for stopping by today.

Bob

Dr. Doug – Terlingua Ghost Town

Adobe Lightroom, Big Bend, Desert, People Photography, Photography Technique, Portrait, Portrait Photography, Sony α900, Street Portrait, Texas, Zeiss Lenses 4 Responses »

Nov 182010

Dr. Doug, Terlingua ghost Town, Terlingua Texas. Shot with a Sony α900 and a Zeiss 24-70mm lens. Image exposed at ISO 100 at f2.8 for 1/500 of a second.

Hi everyone and welcome to todays post. I will be out of town again for a week and thought I would get this story up before heading out. I would like to introduce you to Dr. Doug, a man I am glad to call an acquaintance, and one I would be proud to call a friend. Dr. Doug leads guided mental health sessions and group therapy from the porch of the trading post at the Terlingua Ghost Town. Whatever your issue just grab a bear, have a seat, and just let it go. If you have time stay and watch the sun set for his expanded sessions. I met Dr. Doug during my last Big Bend workshop. Craig Tanner, from The Mindful Eye, had asked us to shoot a series of portraits of workshop participants, and if time permitted, grab one of the local inhabitants and shoot a portrait of them. Craig was really pushing my buttons on this assignment. I just do not consider myself a people photographer, with more of an inclination to shoot rocks, plants, and landscapes. I find that human interaction from behind a camera is tough for me. It is a learned skill and I do try to engage people who interest me whenever I can. When we operate from a place of fear we can invent all kinds of stories that keep us from overcoming that fear. The trick is to recognize it, accept it as irrational, and work proactively to overcome the fear. Easier said than done.

Well, if I had not tackled this assignment I would not have spent a great afternoon drinking beer and talking about everything and nothing with Dr. Doug. It was a chance meeting that would have gone by and I would have been the loser. I had finished shooting my partner, so I bought a Lonestar and found an inviting seat in the warm, afternoon sun. Within minutes here comes this charismatic character with a long beard, befitting a civil war general, who sits down beside me. We started talking and soon we were trading our stories, laughing, toasting, and just soaking up the Texas afternoon. This went on for some time when I finally got up the nerve to ask if I could shoot a few portrait shots. “Why absolutely”, he said. A couple of beers and about 30 shots later I got this one. It is Dr. Doug to a “T”. The deep, caring eyes, draw me in every time I look at this image. To me it says a lot about this man who has experienced so much of life.

I started with basic shots to feel my way into the shoot and then moved in close. Close is where the magic seems to happen. If you and your subject can move past this comfort zone, or “discomfort zone” as I like to call it, I believe portraits that capture a persons real personna can be achieved. Doug turned away for just a second and as I moved in for a tighter, more intimate shot he turned back to the camera, raised his eye and I tripped the shutter.

The image was shot RAW and processed with a preset called Aged Photo in Lightroom. From there I applied my own processing tweaks in Photoshop.

Thanks for stopping by today. I’ll see you in about a week.

Bob

Sunrise over Mount Nugent – Big Bend National Park

Big Bend, Big Bend National Park, Desert, Landscape, Landscape Photography, Photography Trips, Singh-Ray Filters, Sony α900, Split Neutral Density Filters, Texas 2 Responses »

Nov 152010

Mount Nugent and prickly pear cactus at sunrise, Big Bend National Park. Shot with a Sony a900 and a Sony 20mm lens. Image exposed at ISO 100 at f8 for 1 second.

Hi everyone and welcome to today’s post. This image is from a recent trip to Big Bend National Park as part of a workshop put on by Craig Tanner and Marti Jeffers of The Mindful Eye. This is the classic grand landscape shot of Mount Nugent at sunrise. To capture this image I set up approximately 20 minutes before sunrise. Relative to my camera position the sun would rise off my right shoulder and begin by lighting the top of the mountain and move down the face. It is a timing shot as the goal is to get Mount Nugent fully lit along with a hint of sunlight on the prickly pear. I started my capture just as the sun hit the top and worked in three focus bracket sets for post processing in Helicon Focus. By the fifth set the light was perfect and Nugent glowed red with beautiful light on the cactus. All that was necessary to balance the exposure was a 2-stop Singh-Ray, soft edge, split neutral density filter that was dropped in down to the horizon line. With this kind of shot the light happens very quickly and is gone within minutes. This is where knowing the sunrise position and understanding how the shot will unfold will produce a successful image. As I set up I made sure I checked all my camera settings, made sure I was in mirror lock-up release mode, secured the remote release, and set up my filter holders and filters. As the “lights” began to come on I went through a pre-focus routine to set my brackets and made sure the camera was level to the horizon and the tripod and tripod head were secure. Just little things that are part of a mental checklist. As the sun came up I was ready and rewarded with one of my favorite images from the week.

Thanks for stopping by today.

Bob

Terlingua Creek Sunrise – Big Bend National Park

Badlands, Big Bend, Big Bend National Park, Helicon Focus, Landscape, Landscape Photography, National Parks, Photography Technique, Photography Tools, Photography Trips, Photography Workshops, Sony α900, sunrise, Texas No Responses »

Nov 082010

Terlingua Creek Sunrise, Terlingua, Texas, gateway to Big Bend National Park. Shot with a Sony a900 and a Sony SAL 20mm lens. Image exposed at ISO 100 at f8.0 for 1/30th of a second.

Hi everyone and welcome to today’s post. This image is from a recent workshop I attended at Big Bend National Park. The landscape specific workshop was taught by Craig Tanner and Marti Jeffers of The Mindful Eye, with assistance from TJ Avery. I have known Craig for many years and I would highly recommend any of his workshops. It is an intensive, week long, photography immersion that includes two shooting sessions a day, assignments, concept lectures, and critiques. It has been a number of years, probably over 10 to be exact, where I have participated in a workshop. I came away feeling energized about my work and with a host of new friends which is just a small part of the benefits. Additionally I was able to spend time in one of the great national parks in the lower 48 states. Many of us, myself included, spend so much time alone shooting in the field and forget that one of the great pleasures is sharing our work with other photographers who can provide other perspectives and ideas. Craig’s teaching methods, critiques, and assignments are all aimed at improving our technical and artistic abilities. Assignments such as limiting your equipment to one lens, composition challenges, shooting in varied lighting conditions, shooting macro, or for me, the dreaded portrait, can push you to new challenges. No matter where you are along the path of photography, new challenges can push us towards expanding our creative possibilities. I would encourage you to visit The Mindful Eye website for more information on Craig and Marti’s workshops.

For those of you who visit my blog on a regular basis you might think this looks fairly typical of my work. And while that may be true it does represent an exploratory departure for me in terms of workflow. For many years I shot with a 4 x 5 and enjoyed the incredible depth of field I could achieve through the cameras tilt and shift movements. These movements are not available for modern day 35mm cameras except through expensive perspective control lenses. And even so it is very difficult to use them to get the same foreground to background focus. At the workshop each of us had to select a concept area to work in and I choose “depth of field”. To assist in this challenge Craig introduced me to Helicon Focus and the concepts of “focus bracketing”. Focus bracketing is where you take a series of exposures, all at the same shutter speed and aperture, where you adjust the focus with each exposure. With the composition above I focused on the closest foreground point I could see in the viewfinder and then looked at the numbers on the focus ring. I would then divide that number to the infinity mark into a series of brackets. I would make the first shot, rotate the focus slightly, shoot again, and continue in this way till I reach infinity. What you are doing is overlapping the focus zones with each shot. In general most of my shots use anywhere from three to five separate exposures. Now comes the magic. The Helicon Focus software will take each of the focus brackets and combine them into one file blending the focus zones together and creating an image with near to far sharpness. The RAW files can be imported straight into the software. The process also allows you to shoot at lower f-stops virtually eliminating lens defraction. Now what about wind and moving clouds? With moving clouds there can be an issue with overlap but the software allows you to retouch by using the last layer as a reference. You simply paint away the blur to reveal the clouds in a stationary position. It is more of a challenge in windy conditions and usually it is best to resort to hyper focusing over focus bracketing. The saved file can be opened in Photoshop and put through your normal workflow.

Over the next few months I will be posting more images using this workflow. I want to thank you for stopping by today. Don’t forget to consider a workshop.

Bob

Older Entries