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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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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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Mountain Ash at Bear Rocks, Dolly Sods Wilderness, West Virginia.

 Dolly Sods Wilderness, Landscape, Landscape Photography, Nikon D3x, Robert H Clark Photography, Split Neutral Density Filters, Twilight Photography, West Virginia, West Virginia Photography, WV  No Responses »
Nov 112011
 

Mountain Ash at Bear Rocks, Dolly Sods Wilderness, West Virginia.

Hi everyone and welcome to today’s post. I am slipping out tomorrow for a little day shooting trip up in the West Virginia Highlands. The last few days have been spent setting up my new Epson 3880 printer and the usual other sundry tasks that confront today’s digital photographers. To be quite honest I am suffering from a little cabin fever and there is no better cure, at least for me, than shooting.

Today’s image was shot a few weeks ago in the Dolly Sods Wilderness of West Virginia. As twilight descended upon the scene I cam across this beautiful Mountain Ash clinging for all its life to the rocky soil. At this time of the year the bright red seed heads provide a stunning spark of color to the gray, drab landscape. This is a harsh world along the Allegheny Front. Plants are constantly beaten by winds that dictate their shapes and in what direction they will grow. Torqued and twisted the plants nonetheless remain defiant in the face of such harsh conditions. Humans I do believe would not fare as well living here. The wind alone, relentless and unforgiving, would drive most off the mountain. But there is also a loneliness here that would suck out the life of all but the hardiest of people. I have camped on the mountain when the wind blew. There was no comfort in the sirens song that night. Only a cold and howling tune that would not stop.

But there are times when the wind subsides. Even the wind needs a rest. And on this beautiful fall twilight evening a calm lay across the front allowing one time to enjoy the subtle treasures of the landscape; lichen covered sandstone, mountain ash, huckleberries, cranberries bogs, spruce, and expansive vistas. Twilight light, blue and cool, illuminates the white rocks revealing patterns and textures painted by lichens. The leaves of summer are long gone now replaced by gnarled stems and branches twisted and huddled together. But I know the wind will return and with it a heartless cold. The plants will dig in and brace against the impact. Winter will soon descend upon the mountain covering the land in a deep snow. Another insult, like the wind, that makes life difficult. Spring will come though and with it the thaw that beings new life and growth. This is the way it is at 4000 feet. Spring will come but we will just have to wait.

Technical Details: The image was shot with a Nikon D3x and a Nikkor 17-35mm lens at 20mm. Image exposed at ISO 100 at f11 for 1/2 of a second. I used a 3-stop Singh-Ray, soft-edge split neutral density filter over the sky to balance out the exposure.

Thnaks for stopping by today.

Bob

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Dawn Sky – West Virginia Farmland, Shepherdstown, WV

 Landscape, Landscape Photography, Nikon D3x, Photography Composition, Robert H Clark Photography, Shepherdstown, Singh-Ray Filters, Split Neutral Density Filters, sunrise, West Virginia, Wide Angle Photography  2 Responses »
Nov 082011
 

Dawn Sky No. 1 and West Virginia Farmland. Shot near Shepherdstown, WV.

Hi everyone and welcome to today’s post. Over the last few weeks we have had some incredible “cloud events” here in the eastern panhandle of West Virginia. I am fortunate to have a beautiful drive to my office. It winds through rural land plowed and planted with corn, winter wheat, soybeans, and other crops. On many mornings a misty fog settles into the low spots obscuring the landscape like a veil. From the high points in the road I can see the mountains of Loudoun Heights, and farther still, the water gap at Harpers Ferry, where the Shenandoah and Potomac join together.

On these crisp, fall mornings, the air is razor clear. The cool mornings coupled with the fog bring a hard rime that coats the land with a white ice. Everything seems crisp and clean; sharp with the expectations of a new day. With my morning coffee I breath in the day, gazing upward to see what treasures the sky holds. Most days are clear with maybe a passing wisp of cirrus clouds. Nothing spectacular really. Just another beautiful day in the panhandle. On this day if was different. Off to the east the first rays from the sun were just peeking over the horizon. The clouds hung low moving slowly on high winds. I just thought it was going to be special. On these days I always have the camera pack ready; batteries charged, cards loaded, camera settings dialed in. And don’t forget the tripod. I hit the road to my favorite cornfield. I arrived as the eastern light came alive. The clouds were slung low along the horizon, rising upwards, soft like flowing silk on the wind. The light hit bringing color and form to the sky. Everywhere I looked the clouds expanded over me like a shifting aurora of pulsing mist.

The corn, freshly cut, stood at attention; the long, even rows of cut stalks marching into the horizon. Overhead the clouds continued to morph into continuously changing organic shapes. It was like an unseen artist created pastel paintings and hung them in the sky. I barely changed camera positions opting instead to simply rotate the camera or switch from horizontal to vertical orientations as I composed on the fly. On this day it was all about the sky. I kept the fields low in the composition to expand the idea of the sky and how it dwarfs the landscape. The show proceeded from Act to Act with a final bow as dawn color faded bringing the high contrast light of the new day.

Dawn Sky No. 2 and West Virginia Farmland near Shepherdstown, WV.

Technical Information: The image was shot with a Nikon D3x and a Nikkor 17-35mm at 17mm. Dawn Sky No. 1 was shot in one exposure at ISO 100 at f11 for 1/2 of a second. I used a Singh-Ray, 3-stop, hard edge split neutral density filter to balance out the exposure. Dawn Sky No. 2 was shot in three exposures and blended in Photoshop.

Thanks for stopping by today.

Bob

 

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Douglas Falls on the North Fork of the Blackwater River – West Virginia

 Heliopan Filters, Landscape, Landscape Photography, Nikon D3x, Photography Trips, River, Robert H Clark Photography, Waterfalls, West Virginia, WV  4 Responses »
Oct 242011
 

Waterfall on the Blackwater River, West Virginia.

Hi everyone and welcome to today’s post. Over the weekend my shooting buddy Mark Muse and I made a quick shooting trip to the West Virginia highlands. In my most recent posts I have been discussing the concept of exploring your “backyard” for photography opportunities. Mark has shot quite extensively in the West Virginia and has on many occasions tried to drag me out to shoot there. Well I have been missing a lot it seems. In two days we managed to shoot along the Middle Fork of the South Branch of the Potomac, sunset at Dolly Sods Wilderness, sunrise in some amazing bogs on Canaan Mountain, and a couple of incredible waterfalls. And to think all this wealth of landscape is a mere two and a half to three hours from home. What have I been thinking.

Today’s shot is just a teaser. This is a shot of Douglas Falls, an incredible 35-foot waterfall, on the North Fork of the Blackwater River. After shooting sunrise on Canaan Mountain we stopped at Hypno Coffee to warm up and also stopped in to the Friends of Blackwater Canyon for some information. We got directions to a couple of falls out along one of the forks that feed the Blackwater River. The road took us out along an abandoned railroad bed left over from early coal mining operations. Industrial remnants remained including coke ovens buried into wooded hillsides. At the end of the road we found this incredible waterfall. Plunging over 30 feet the sound of the waterfall was deafening. Spray and mist rose from the collision of rock and water filling the air with a cool vapor. Downstream the water tumbled over boulders stained red from iron, the result of coal mining operations. I will be posting more images from this trip in the coming weeks as soon as I have the chance to go through them. So stay tuned.

Technical Information: The image was shot with a Nikon D3x and a Nikkor 17-35mm lens at 25mm. The images was exposed at ISO 100 at f11 for 8 seconds. To reduce specular highlights I used a Heliopan Circular Warming Polarizer.

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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

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Vidae Falls – Crater Lake National Park, Oregon

 Abstracts, Crater Lake, Crater Lake National Park, Landscape, Landscape Photography, Oregon, Photography Technique, Photography Trips, Robert H Clark Photography, Singh-Ray Filters, Sony α900, Waterfalls  2 Responses »
Oct 052011
 

Vidae Falls, Crater Lake National Park. Image shot with a Sony a900 and a Sony 70-300 lens at 200mm. Image exposed at ISO 100 at f11 for 1.5 seconds.

Hi everyone and welcome to today’s post. Today’s image is a close up view of Vidae Falls, located on the East Rim Drive, in Crater Lake National Park. This waterfall is the best known and most viewed at the park and easily accessible by a turnout on the Rim Drive. Though many people presume the falls represent a leak in the crater the source is actually 600 feet above the lake levels. It is formed by springs which flow together to become Vidae Creek. At a a high point just above the drive the creek plunges over 100 feet through a landscape of native wildflowers.

The closeup was shot at the lower base of the falls as it flows into a scree field. While it is often desirable to photograph the entire waterfall, and I am no exception here, some of the best shots come from isolating the various cascades and shooting a more intimate portrait. A good telephoto works wonders for these compositions and the falls can be explored visually from a safe distance. Though Vidae can be shot in the early morning my preference is late in the afternoon after the sun has passed overhead. The result is a shot where the falls are more evenly lit by ambient light without hotspots and harsh specular light.

Technical Details: To shoot this image I wanted to slow down my shutter speed to produce the flowing, frozen ice, look to the water. To achieve this effect I made a “filter sandwich” with my Heliopan Circular Warming Polarizer and a Singh-Ray 4-Stop Neutral Density Filter. The polarizer has the added benefit of reducing specular highlights in the water and other surfaces wet surfaces such as rocks and plants. As the flow of waters constantly changing I made many exposures so I could chose an image with a pleasing look to the water.

Thanks for stopping by today.

Bob

 

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Tidal Pool and Sea Stacks – Bandon Beach, Oregon

 Adobe Lightroom, Bandon Beach, Color Burn Technique, Landscape, Landscape Photography, Nikon D3x, Oregon, Oregon Coast, Pacific Ocean, Photography Technique, Photography Trips, Photoshop Technique, Photoshop Workflow, Robert H Clark Photography, Singh-Ray Filters, Split Neutral Density Filters, Twilight Photography  4 Responses »
Oct 022011
 

Tidal Pool and Sea Stacks, Bandon Beach, Oregon. Image shot with a Nikon D3x and a Nikkor 17-35mm lens at 24mm. Image exposed at ISO 100 at f11 for 1.5 seconds.

Hi everyone and welcome to today’s post. Today’s image was shot at Bandon Beach along the beautiful Oregon coastline. I only had time for two shooting sessions at Bandon-afternoon/evening and sunrise. I arrived at Bandon in the early afternoon to a howling gale, high tide, and blowing sand from dunes along the back of the beach. I was hoping to get some dramatic clouds to work into my compositions but I was greeted with clear skies. Scouting for possible shots was a challenge in the contrasty light and I was constantly pelted by sand and debris. I was already tired from the drive and found the beach’s welcome less than hospitable. When you feel this way it is best to back off and just breath a bit. I went back to the hotel to check the weather conditions and the hotel owner told me that the wind would abate for the evening. He promised.

And indeed the wind died. The tide rolled out and left an expansive beach full of tidal pools and amazing rocks covered in mussels and starfish. Though I was hoping for some dramatic clouds I was treated to some amazing pink and magenta twilight light. I found this rock encircled in a tidal pool and set against a back drop of illuminated sea stacks. In the far distance you can see “Face Rock” lying in repose in the Pacific Ocean.

Tidal Pool and Sea Stacks. The Processed RAW file brought into Photoshop.

Technical Details: I used a Singh-Ray 3-Stop, Soft Edge, Split Neutral Density filter to balance the light. The WB was set to 5500K. RAW processing was done in Lightroom with final finishing in Photoshop. Take a look at the RAW file below and you can see the dramatic changes achieved through layer manipulations in Photoshop. The images below illustrate the starting point and some of the details from my processing to achieve the final image.

I almost always start with a Cleaning Layer. I perform some digital gardening in Lightroom but deal with the more difficult spots with the Cloning Tools on a separate layer. I dealt with some color cast issues in the next Layer. Keep in mind that with my first layers I am almost always dealing with Global Image Adjustments. My Detail Image Adjustments are made after Global. So for the color cast I felt the file was a bit too magenta and this was killing off some of the blues in the shot. I used a Curve Layer and adjusted the Red Curve and made a further correction in a Selective Color Layer.

Tidal Pool and Sea Stacks. Images zones worked to achieve the final image.

At this point I began looking at my more specific Detail Image Adjustments based on final vision for the file. In Area 1. I wanted to make some very specific adjustments to bring out the Contrast, Luminosity, and Color in the sea stacks. In Area 2. I wanted to bring out the Contrast, Luminosity, and Color in the rock. And in Area 3. I wanted to make a global Color change to the pool and pick out some minute details.

For Area 1. I used tow Curve Layers, one for increasing the Contrast and one for increasing the Luminosity. By Contrast I am referring to the relative difference between Darks, Midtones, and Lights. Here I am simply making subtle adjustments to the  3/4  Points (darks) Mid Tone Point, and the 1/4 Point (lights). Essentially I am making a slight “S” Curve. For Luminosity I am referring to the overall brightness. This is achieved with another Curve Layer where I am sliding the White Point over towards the Mid Point (see the screen captures below for the dramatic effect this achieves. Since I only want to apply the effect locally I use a Black Layer Mask and paint through to reveal the change.

Screen Shot of the Luminosity Adjustment Layer.

The screen shot below shows the Luminosity Layer turned on to reveal the dramatic difference to the overall brightness of the sea stacks. You will also notice the difference in the sea stack reflection in the water. Painting in the change on the foreground rock also dramatically raised the level of brightness and detail. I had what I needed in overall Contrast and Luminosity so I added a Mid Tone Contrast Layer. This is essentially a targeted High Pass Filter Layer applied to the Mid Tone components of the

Scree Shot of the Luminosity Adjustment Layer turned on to show results.

file. You can search my site for posts on how to make this layer. This was followed by Creative Sharpening applied to a “Merge Visible” Layer. Both this layer and the Mid Tone Contrast are essentially tweaking out contrast against the edges to increase the apparent sharpness of the image. The last piece of the work flow are my Dodge and Burn and Color Burn Layers. I dodge and burn my files extensively. It is essentially painting with light and dark on an Overlay Layer with a 50% Fill. Using a soft brush at low opacity I paint in details where light and shadow meet. It is a painting layer that sculpts the file.

The Color Burn Layer is where I can add and intensify the colors of the files. I have written a post on this as well. Please search the site for the details on how to perform this technique. Hopefully this post has given you some insight as to how I processed this image and some of the various techniques I use to achieve the results. As always if you read this and have any questions please use Contact Form link in the Site Menu and send me an e-mail.

Thanks for stopping by today.

Bob

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Star Trails and White Bark Pine – Crater Lake National Park

 Crater Lake, Crater Lake National Park, Light Painting, National Parks, Night Photography, Nikon D3x, Oregon, Photography Technique, Robert H Clark Photography, Star Trails  No Responses »
Sep 282011
 

Star Trails over White Bark Pine, Crater Lake National Park.

Hi everyone and welcome to today’s post. In my last post I promised to leave the waterfalls for a bit and post something “other worldly”. I think today’s star trail shot qualifies for “other worldly”. I was at Crater Lake National Park about a month ago and found it to be one of the darkest places I have ever been. The night sky was amazing and every evening you could see the Milky Way glowing brightly and stretching across the sky from horizon line to horizon line. I did not anticipate shooting a star trail shot but after I found this amazing remnant of a white bark pine I had to give it a go. The tree clings to an out cropping of rocks along the crater rim and can be found on the West Rim Drive at an overlook near Hillman Peak. Despite the dark sky I still had an issue with the ambient light coming from the Crater Lake Lodge which can be seen in the lower right hand side of the image. But after working on the file I came to like the amber glow that frames Garfield Peak. You can also see part of the Milky Way which is the blurred area in the upper right.

Technical Details: Image was shot with a Nikon D3x and a Nikkor 15mm Rectilinear Lens. The image was pre-framed when I still had some light. The 40 minute, one-take, exposure was made at ISO 400 at f5.6. I started the exposure at 9:30 which was well after astronomical twilight to ensure a very dark sky.  I used an electronic release with a timer to make the exposure. With 3 minutes to go I light painted the pine using an 80 lumen LED flashlight. I shone the light through my moving fingers which acted as a light diffuser. Just a word of caution when working with single exposure star trails. Make sure you do not turn off your camera after the exposure is made. After your shot the camera will take the same amount of time as your exposure time to process the image. Final processing was done in Photoshop and consisted of a series of layer to bring out details in the tree and the star trails. A small amount of noise reduction was also performed.

Thank you for stopping by today.

Bob

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Glen Avon Falls No. 5-Beaver River, North Shore of Lake Superior

 Adobe Lightroom, Adobe Lightroom Workflow, Black and White, HDR Photography, Lake Superior, Lake Superior Photography, Landscape, Landscape Photography, Minnesota, Nikon D3x, North Shore of Lake Superior, Photography Technique, Photography Trips, Photoshop Technique, Robert H Clark Photography, Singh-Ray Filters, Split Neutral Density Filters  No Responses »
Sep 252011
 

Glen Avon Falls No. 5, Beaver River, North Shore of Lake Superior. Shot with a Nikon D3x and a Nikkor 28-70mm lens at 35mm. See article for exposure details.

Hi everyone and welcome to today’s post. I am continuing to pour through images from the Lake Superior Workshop and keep finding hidden gems in some of my second tier selects. And though I know some of you may be getting tired of waterfalls I had to post this new image I processed over the weekend (But here is warning. I have some neat shots of two waterfalls from Crater Lake but I promise to hold off on those for at least a few posts). In any event today’s image was not included in my first edits for processing. One reason for this was it was a single capture scouting shot. At the time I must not have liked something in the composition and did not make a complete bracketed set. But on a second pass the shot really jumped at out at me. Which brings up the idea of karmic capture. During scout shots I will often make many captures in a row, often in an unconscious way, looking for compositional interest. At the time I obviously saw something in this collection of rocks and water to interest me but maybe not enough to stop and fully explore the options. But karma and serendipity often work together especially in this image.

I talk a great deal in my posts about the concept of leading lines and I don’t think it will take much description for you to see these in the photograph. But there is also shape repetition, shape intersections, and strong diagonal movement coupled with a way for the viewer to enter the image and move around. There is also some interesting “rule of third” stuff going on here but this gets so beaten to death that I won’t go into it. The point I am trying to make here is that for me, while I am in this self-critique moment, this image works on so many levels. It has a beautiful line of movement and simple forms but also strong, complex compositional elements as well. I also shot it straight into the sun which makes for very dramatic light. But that dramatic light comes at a price, namely a contrast range that is difficult for the camera sensor to deal with.

Technical Details: Even though I was in a scout shot mode I was still on tripod with the camera. Most of the time I will shoot scout images off tripod but I had just finished a bracket off to my left and simply turned the camera right and aimed into the sun. I still had on my 4-Stop Sign-Ray Neutral Density filter (to increase exposure time for water motion). I made one exposure at f22 for 1/4 of a second. I stopped down to f22 to create the starburst effect with the sun. I was in Evaluative Metering Mode with a WB of 5500K. Before the shot I added +1 Exposure Compensation using the button on the Nikon.  This gave me the needed exposure to capture shadow details. I made the shot and moved on. Why I did not shoot a bracket is anyone’s guess. But the histogram was nicely placed with only clipping within the sky and sun which was to be expected. To process the shot I made two RAW conversions; one for the 3/4 to mid-tone values and a second to recover details in the trees above the river. So basically a “light” and a “dark” file that I blended in Photoshop. After merging the two files I used a series of Multiply Blend and Lighten Blend modes along with curves to finish the image.

Thanks for stopping by today. I promise to have a “non” waterfall shot next time. In fact the next one will be other-wordly.

Bob

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