Robert H Clark Photography Blog

Morning Fog on the Shenandoah River – Harpers Ferry, WV

Harpers Ferry, Heliopan Filters, Landscape, Landscape Photography, Mountains, National Parks, Photography Composition, Photography Technique, Potomac River, River, Robert H Clark Photography, sunrise, Trees, Water, West Virginia, Zeiss Lenses 3 Responses »

Oct 122011

Morning Fog on the Shenandoah River, Harpers Ferry, WV.

Hi everyone and welcome to today’s post. In my last post I admonished myself for not getting out and enjoying the many scenic possibilities that exist in my own backyard. I received quite a few comments via e-mail from folks all coming clean about falling prey to the same malady. It is easy to do of course. When you plan a shooting trip, say out west, your whole focus is on that trip and the physical and mental act of scouting, shooting, chasing the light, composition, and the list goes on and on. It is different at home however. Because all the home obligations from family to work to putting a roof on the house take over. It is natural because unless we live totally in a self-absorbed vacuum we still have to take care of the business end of life. And that means manage our commitments. It is just life. But, and here is a really big but, if we do not take the time to pursue what we love then it will pass us by. Lost opportunities will turn into the “I wish I had done that”. I for one have a big bucket list of places I want to go and things I want to see, do, and experience. It is quite long and I may never get to the end of the list but I am going to try. If you want something to happen then you have to take matters into your own hands. You can’t wait for it to come to you. You must throw you aspirations out into the karmic airwaves and step by step begin the journey. The journey of a thousand miles begins with the first step. Oddly enough the journey, for most of us, begins at home.

I am fortunate to live and work in a very beautiful place. Just twenty minutes from my house the Shenandoah and Potomac Rivers meet just below Harpers Ferry. The Appalachian Trail passes below my office and Loudoun Heights and Maryland Heights, part of the Appalachian chain, tower over the the confluence of the two rivers. Needless to say it is not only beautiful but an amazing barometer of the changing seasons. Fall color has started to appear and it will not be long before sheets of ice will stretch across the river. Though constantly changing the river is the catalyst which draws me to shoot. Fall brings some incredible fog events caused by the temperature inversions as the weather changes. So I have been spending a few days at “home” now just getting reacquainted with the river. As I have discovered it has a lot to offer.

Technical Details: I was on the river fairly early in the morning. The fog is generally thicker at this time and depending on the temperature swings can hang low to the river, obscuring all but the closest details, or float higher revealing more of the landscape. On this day I waited for the fog to begin to burn off just a bit and set up the shot to play on the various converging lines. The image was shot with a Sony a900 and a Zeiss 24-70mm lens at 24mm. The image was exposed at ISO 100 at f11 for 6 seconds. I used a Heliopan Circular Warming Polarizer to remove specular highlights and a Singh-Ray 3-Stop, Soft Edge, Split Neutral Density Filter over a portion of the sky and background to hold in the sky and fog.

Thanks for stopping by today. Remember where your journey starts. Get out and shoot.

Bob

Glen Avon Falls No 4, Beaver River, North Shore of Lake Superior

Black and White, Lake Superior, Lake Superior Photography, Landscape, Landscape Photography, Minnesota, Photography Trips, River, Robert H Clark Photography, Sony α900, Zeiss Lenses No Responses »

Sep 232011

Glen Avon Falls, Beaver River, North Shore of Lake Superior. Shot with a Sony a900 and a Zeiss 24-70mm lens at 42mm. Image exposed at ISO 100 at f11 for 1/3 of a second.

Hi everyone and welcome to today’s post. Here is another image from my Glen Avon Falls shoot on the Beaver River. On my other posts the images show the real power in the falls as a fast moving flow is cutting through a channel of granite. I love the power in those shots but the falls also contain smaller and more intimate vignettes that show a different side to the river. I passed this image over in my first cut and on a second look decided to give it chance to come to life. Aside from the trees along the banks and the water of the river Glen Avon is nearly monochromatic. The dark rock seems to swallow all the color and light. To this extent removing all the color and processing as a black and white makes the image, in my mind, more cohesive. The conversion simplifies the shot and reduces everything to lights and darks which in turn helps give emphasis to the forms. Like many of my images this one has a strong series of leading lines and anchor points that frame the main subject.

I did the black and white conversion in Lightroom and exported the file out to Photoshop for the final work. Oddly this was a scout shot only and I only took one exposure. Fortunately I pushed the histogram to the right and was able to recover a lot of highlight detail. To further aid the shot density I created a Multiply Blend Layer in PS. I needed this density increase in the upper regions of the file. I reduced the opacity of the layer to 80% and painted in where I needed the density increase. I also used several curves adjustments and a dodge and burn layer. I am glad I gave this one a second look.

Thanks for stopping by today.

Bob

Sep 202011

Superior Sunset, Silver Bay, North Shore of Lake Superior. Shot with a Sony a900 and a Zeiss 24-70mm lens at 24mm. Image exposed at ISO 100 at f11 for 2 seconds.

Hi everyone and welcome to today’s post. Well folks just file this image under the heading of “insane”. I can’t remember when I have seen a sunset this incredible. I made this image two days before our Lake Superior Workshop while Alec and I were out scouting the locations. We had driven up from Minneapolis in a driving rainstorm that did not give any appearance of breaking up for the evening. I was just a little bit jet lagged and tired from my early travel and so resigned myself to an evening of rest. Oh me of little faith. By the time we had finish lunch in Duluth and began the final leg along the north shore the rain broke and we could see the beginning of possibilities.

By the time we got to Silver Bay in the late afternoon the clouds began to break up to reveal small patches of blue. As the light began to change the clouds looked like giant puffs of cotton candy as the wind carried them out over the Lake. No matter where you looked, up or down the shoreline, it was amazing. When the color came the clouds exploded, airbrushed in hues of yellow, red, orange, and magenta. The shoreline absorbed the colors and the atmosphere glowed with light. On my first visit to Lake Superior I had been given an ethereal gift. What a way to start the week.

Technical Details: The image was shot with my Sony α900 and a Zeiss 24-70mm lens at 24mm. The relative brightness in terms of stops of light was nearly the same for the lake and the upper part of the clouds but brighter along the horizon. In order to hold this correctly I used a 4-Stop Singh-Ray, Daryl Benson, Reverse Split Neutral Density Filter. This is a secret weapon that I use quite often and it is tailor-made for these light conditions. The filter is made with a darker strip on the bottom portion of the resin which fades up towards the top. It is specifically designed to hold back lighter horizon lines which can be a few stops brighter than the sky above or even the foreground. In my mind it is a must have for the filter kit. I would not leave home without it. The RAW file was processed in Light room and finished in Photoshop.

Thanks for stopping by today.

Bob

Morning Fog – Shenandoah River, Harpers Ferry, West Virginia

Harpers Ferry, Landscape, Landscape Photography, Lightroom, Robert H Clark Photography, Shenandoah River, Sony α900, sunrise, Trees, WV, Zeiss Lenses No Responses »

Sep 122011

Morning Fog, Shenandoah River, Harpers Ferry, WV. Shot with a Sony a900 and a Zeiss 24-70mm lens at 35mm. Image exposed at ISO 200 hand held at f11 for 1/60th of a second.

Hi everyone and welcome to today’s post. The drive in to work this morning was simply beautiful. Low lying fog in the cornfields gave way to a blue sky full of wispy, cirrus clouds. I grabbed my camera before leaving the house this morning in the hopes of something special along the river. Often in the early days of fall we will get an inversion that will hold the fog low and floating just above the river. Sometimes the fog envelopes Loudon Heights and the Virginia mountains on the other side of the river. And sometimes you get the view that greeted me when I got to the office this morning. A long band of fog hung low, drifting parallel to the line of the river. Above the cirrus wisps gained form and structure as the high winds moved them over the mountains. This view, from the patio of our office, greets me everyday I come to work. Every morning I walk to the edge and take in the view, tracing the course of the river until it turns the corner and disappears from sight. This view, like life in general, can be plain and ordinary. But when you least expect it the view, like life, can be full of surprises. Today the river gave me a surprise gift. And the funny thing is I knew it before I even got in the car. Some days are like that. Days when you are so in tune every fiber of your being vibrates and resonates with the world around you. The kind of day when everything just seems to go your way. Magic really.

Thanks for stopping by today. Walk in peace.

Bob

Mountain Sheep Canyon – Navajo Lands, Arizona

Arizona, Colorado Plateau, Desert, Grand Circle, Landscape, Landscape Photography, Mountain Sheep Canyon, Navajo Lands, Photography Technique, Photography Trips, Slot Canyon, Slot Canyon Photography, Sony α900, Zeiss Lenses 4 Responses »

Jul 232011

Fracture, Mountain Sheep Canyon, Navajo Lands, Arizona. Shot with a Sony α900 and a Zeiss 24-70mm lens at 24mm. Image exposed at ISO 100 at f13 for 1/2 of a second.

Hi everyone and welcome to today’s post. One of the interesting aspects of writing a blog is finding out what posts are the most popular. WordPress offers a nice statistics section in their content management system that tells you the number of visitors, search criteria used to find your site, and a counter to the most visited pages. Interestingly, in my mind at least, there have been quite a few searches and visits to many of my Mountain Sheep Canyon images. Mountain Sheep is small, hidden jewel, located outside of Page, Arizona on Navajo Lands. The canyon is only accessible through a photographers trip offered by Carol Bigthumb of Adventurous Antelope Canyon Tours.

Unlike Upper and Lower Antelope, Mountain Sheep Canyon is what I refer to as an open top slot. It has a straight in entry and only requires a little bit of scrambling. It takes some effort to get out to the canyon through sandy washes but the canyon receives few visitors making it a special place to photograph. Because of the wide open top light can be intense and often many of the formations are blown out. The better photographs come by looking for the reflected light on the canyon walls and creating compositions that focus on the lower parts of the canyon. The light changes rapidly and you should look for compositions during the trip in and out.

Slots are formed by the erosive forces of water that flow during flash floods through the sandstone drainages. Rocks, sand, tree limbs and other debris contribute to the carving of the canyon walls and are often deposited along the floor after a flood. The fast moving water scours the walls revealing intricate and colorful layers of stone. In many cases the water is caught in whirlpool like eddies that over time carve out chambers and alcoves in the rock. Ultimately this is how rooms in slot canyons are formed. The image above shows the beginnings of a small alcove where the swirling water has begun to carve a semi circular space in the stone. The group of rocks in the alcove are transient visitors and may move on during the next flood.

Thank you for stopping by today.

Hozógo nasádo (Navajo): Walk in Beauty

Bob

First Light on Otter Point – Acadia National Park, Maine

Acadia, Acadia National Park, Landscape, Landscape Photography, Maine, Photography Composition, Photography Trips, Sony α900, Split Neutral Density Filters, sunrise, Zeiss Lenses 6 Responses »

Jul 172011

First Light on Otter Point, Acadia National Park, Maine. Shot with a Sony α900 and a Zeiss 24-70mm lens at 28mm. Image exposed at ISO 200 at f14 for 1/2 of a second. The White Balance was set to 5500K.

Hi everyone and welcome to today’s post. Well it is only a few weeks now until my North Shore on Lake Superior workshop with Alec Johnson and Travis Bechtel. We are all in the pre-trip angst deciding on equipment choices, prepping files for critiques and teaching, and all other last minute details that can consume one before a trip. The workshop is full so we re all looking forward to a great experience. If I can get my act together in time I will put together a post on my camera bag for this trip.

In the meantime please enjoy today’s image from another beautiful, rocky coastline, only this one is in Maine. This is a shot of Otter Point at first light. Otter Point is one of the more iconic landforms in Acadia National Park and has been the subject of many photographs. For this image I wanted to shoot from a point where I could get some interesting foreground elements to add more visual interest to the shot. I found this area along the coast the evening before and really liked how the foreground pillar of rocks created a negative shape that mirrored the contours of Otter Point. This group of rocks, along with the ones on the right provided a nice framing device. The next morning I climbed down along the shoreline about 40 minutes before sunrise. This area is very slippery and the lowlight conditions required a slower, and more careful approach. Once in place and the shot framed I started to shoot a few test shots as the light came up to check my histograms. A storm from the night before was just clearing and with the addition of the clouds the whole composition came together. I used a 4-stop soft edge, Singh-Ray Split Neutral Density filter to balance out the exposure. As the sun cleared the horizon and the first light hit the point I made my exposure.

Thank you as always for stopping by to visit.

Hozógo nasádo (Navajo): Walk in Beauty

Bob

Dr. Doug No. 2, Terlingua Texas, Big Bend – Gritty Portrait Technique

Adobe Lightroom, Adobe Lightroom Workflow, Big Bend, Big Bend National Park, Gritty Technique, Lightroom, People Photography, Photography Technique, Portrait, Portrait Photography, Sony α900, Texas, Zeiss Lenses 2 Responses »

Jun 122011

Dr. Doug, Terlingua, Texas. Shot with a Sony α900 and a Zeiss 24-70mm lens at 70mm. Images exposed at ISO 100 at f2.8 for 1/90th of a second.

Hi everyone and welcome to today’s post. I am in the midst of getting ready for a week in the field that will see my first trip into Canyon X in the Antelope Canyon Drainage. But before I get there I have all the usual “getting out of town” issues that seem to consume a lot of time. Getting a new blog post out was not on that list but I had started this one a few weeks ago and as it turned out it did not require too much time to finish the processing.

My frequent visitors will recognize this image as my wise old friend, Dr. Doug, of Terlinqua, Texas. Recently I was inspired by some beautiful portrait work of surfers on the North Shore of Lake Superior by my friend Alec Johnson. The gritty, hard look of these images were amazing and really brought out the character of the subjects. In today’s post I decided to explore my own version of the “gritty” portrait technique. The technique is characterized by a “hyper-sharpened”, desaturated processing technique. While I do not think it is appropriate for all portraits it is none the less an effective technique that produces an edgy look. The details in Dr. Doug’s face, from his piercing eyes, to his coarse beard, all lend themselves to applying the technique.

Dr. Doug. The processed RAW file used as the starting point for the "gritty" look.

The original shot was made in natural light in the late afternoon. I moved in close using a Zeiss 24-70mm lens at 70mm. To the left is the processed RAW file developed in Adobe Lightroom. I followed my usual processing procedures for the RAW file including curve adjustments, fill and recovery, color luminosity adjustments, and sharpening. The file was exported into Adobe Photoshop for the final finishing. The work for the final image proceeded in the following steps:

Step 1: I duplicated the file and performed a little “digital gardening” on the copy to remove a few dust spots.

Step 2: I added a Levels Layer and set the White and Black Point. I routinely perform this step on all my files.

Step 3: I created a Black and White Adjustment Layer set to Soft Light Blending Mode with an opacity of 40%. This is a salt to taste setting but generally 40% is a good starting point. You will begin to see the “gritty” effect with this layer.

Step 4: I created a Selective Color Layer. From there I went into the Red Color Selection and set Cyan to +20 and Yellow to +20. This has the combined effect of removing the Red Cast.

Step 5: I created a Hue/Saturation Layer and in the Master set the overall Saturation to -35. In the Red I set the Slider to -40, and -20 in the Yellow. Steps 4 and 5 are a salt to taste adjustment. Make sure the preview button is set so you can visually see the effect of the changes.

Step 6: Make sure the top layer in your layer stack is selected then go to the Layer Menu and select Merge Visible. Hold down the Option Key when you do this so you can retain your other layers. This will put a merged file on top of your layer stack.

This is my sharpening layer. For this effect I used two sharpening passes; A Large Aperture Sharpening Routine and a Small Aperture Routine. For the Large Aperture go to the Filter Menu and select Unsharp Mask. Set the Radius to 20 and the Amount to 75. Generally the amount will work between 50 and 100 but you will need to judge the effect on each image. Once you are finished close out to apply the sharpening. Add a filter layer and fill will black. This will hide the sharpening effects. Using a Soft Brush set to 15 to 20 percent, paint white over the filter layer to reveal the sharpening effect. I concentrated on Dr. Doug’s eyes, nose and part of his beard. I do not bring out all the sharpening. Only enough to begin to see the “hyper-sharpened” effect.

Now for the Small Aperture Routine. Using the same image layer go to the Filter Menu and select Unsharp Mask. Set the Radius to 5.0 and the amount to 225. This will tweak out finer detail but it will be mitigated but the Layer Mask. Using the Soft Brush at an Opacity of 20% to 25% I painted White over the eyes and the beard to bring out these areas. In a portrait the “eyes” are the key. This is where the soul resides.

Step 7: I made a Curves Layer and lightened Dr. Doug’s eyes to increase the intensity and bring out the lighter colors in the whites and the iris.

Step 8: I also created a Dodge and Burn Layer to Lighten and Darken a few areas in the portrait. This is a key component for all my work whether it is a portrait or a landscape. The pushing and pulling of light and dark is a painterly process that helps create the sense of depth I like in a photograph. To make a D and B layer add a new Layer on top of the Layer Stack. Change the Blending Mode to Overlay and the Opacity to 66%. Fill this layer with 50% Black. Using a Soft Brush set to a low opacity of 5% to 10% I paint in with White to lighten areas and Black to darken. This is a subtle building of tones. There is some intensive work on Doug’s eyes to create a 3-D quality.

And that is the technique. The combinations and applications of color adjustment, saturation, dodging and burning, and sharpening are all on a per image basis. The settings used above are a starting point. I also had a good, solid starting image to make the adjustments. The differences in my mind are not subtle. The starting image is soft and on its own would make a fine file under a normal workflow. But I like the intensity created by this technique. Dr. Doug appears more intense and worldly. The gritty look deepens the story for me.

Give this technique a try on your next portrait. I will be back in a week or so from my Grand Canyon/Canyon X trip. You can follow me through my Twitter and Facebook Feeds.

Thanks for stopping by today.

Hozógo nasádo (Navajo): Walk in Beauty

Bob

Sandstone Portal – Lower Antelope Canyon

Antelope Canyon, Arizona, Desert, Grand Circle, Landscape, Landscape Photography, Lower Antelope Canyon, Navajo Lands, Photography Trips, Slot Canyon, Slot Canyon Photography, Sony α900, Zeiss Lenses 4 Responses »

Jun 042011

Sandstone Portal, Lower Antelope Canyon, Navajo Lands, Arizona. Shot with a Sony α900 and a Zeiss 24-70mm lens at 24mm. Image exposed at ISO 100 at f16 for 1 second.

Hi everyone and welcome to today’s post. I had just a bit of time between my trips to post this image. I will be heading back out tomorrow for work in Washington, DC and then out to the Grand Canyon and Page, Arizona the following week. Today’s image of this beautiful sandstone arch was shot in Lower Antelope Canyon. I continue to be amazed by the geological diversity found in a slot canyon. Here, at a turn in the canyon, subtle striations give way to an arching fin of stone carved by the forces of water. A sculpture revealed ever so slowly over time by the subtle removal of material. I wonder just how long it took. And how much longer will it take for water to carve away until it separates completely and is washed away. Eons I should think.

One of the techniques I use when shooting in slots is to shoot from a low camera position. I do this to help emphasize vertical height and to bring in foreground elements to aid in composition. Here I am working with some implied motion created by the layers in the stone. By shooting low and including the mass of rock in the foreground I can create dynamic leading lines that take your eye up the fin. The light is also working for me in the composition as the fin is beautifully lit and subsequently framed by the darker walls beyond. The original RAW file and the final Photoshop Master File was processed to accentuate the leading lines and the play of light.

I’ll be back in a few weeks with shots from the Grand Canyon and some new slot canyon images from Canyon X.

Thanks for stopping by today.

Hozógo nasádo (Navajo): Walk in Beauty

Bob

Enveloping Storm – Grand Canyon National Park

Arizona, Colorado Plateau, Colorado River, Desert, Grand Canyon, Grand Canyon National Park, Grand Circle, Landscape, Landscape Photography, National Parks, Photography Trips, River, Sony α900, Zeiss Lenses 4 Responses »

May 292011

Enveloping Storm, South Rim, Grand Canyon National Park. Shot with a Sony α900 and a Zeiss 24-70mm lens at 40mm. Image exposed at ISP 100 at f16 for 1/2 of a second.

Hi everyone and welcome to today’s post. This image was shot at Moran Point on the South Rim of the Grand Canyon. I woke on this day to a canyon enveloped in storm clouds and while I did not hold out much hope for any photography this morning I still drove out to the rim to check on the conditions. When I arrived a stiff wind was blowing and the clouds began to lift and roll out from the canyon floor. At sunrise the clouds lifted towards the east to reveal the sinuous curves of the Colorado River. Ever so subtle, the rising sun lit up the river, and brought shape to the canyon beyond. Within minutes however, the eastward blowing storm soon enveloped my position and pelted me with ice and rain. I had a dickens of a time keeping the lens clear of water droplets. I was able to get 6 shots off before the vista became cloud bound again. By this time the rain was falling in earnest and I had to pack up.

In all honesty when I got up that morning it was all I could do to force myself out into storm. I was thinking a little more sleep and breakfast at the El Tovar Hotel sounded like a much better idea. But I had never seen the canyon like this before so I just willed myself to move. Six shots. That is all I got. Six photographs captured on a CF card. But it is not all that I got. I will tell you that watching the storm roll through nearly brought me to tears. The sheer power and majesty of being in that moment is still with me today. I can still see the swirling clouds rolling up from the canyon floor. The North Rim horizon was completely socked in. Scale and distance was lost in the clouds, swept away to the east on a brisk wind. I can still feel the stinging touch of ice and hear its pinging notes as it struck my camera. Nature put on a show for me that morning and I felt small and humbled by this gift. Six shots. That is all I got. That and a lifetime of memories. Oh, and I did get breakfast at the El Tovar.

Thanks for stopping by today.

Hozógo nasádo (Navajo): Walk in Beauty

Bob

Journey – White Sands National Monument

Desert, Landscape, Landscape Photography, National Parks, New Mexico, Photography Trips, Reflections, Sony α900, sunrise, White Sands National Monument, Zeiss Lenses No Responses »

May 192011

Journey, White Sands National Monument, New Mexico. 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 today’s post. For the next few days I will be in Charleston at my daughters state track meet. She will be competing in the pole vault. I will confess that she is quite good at her event. But this year, her junior year, has been tough on her. She has faced the pressure of grades, competing, and some for the first time being under the microscope of expectations. She has cracked a bit under this pressure but has done an incredible job of working through the issues. Today’s world is so different compared to my day. It is just so much harder and our kids seem to face so many pressures that for many of us “old timers” were not around in our youth.

On a daily basis I remind my daughter that her life is a journey and will be made up of many events, some that will inform what she becomes, and others that are just minor blips along the path. Though this year was tough it will get better. Though she did not pole vault well this season it will get better. It can all change in the snap of a finger. I also remind her to try to be in the moment. The path of life is long with many twists and it is simply impossible to see around every curve. Many influences, both good and bad, will pull at you during your journey. Many things will happen that just do not seem fair. But a lot of good happens if you let it. If you let go of what holds you back and choose not to live in fear then amazing things will happen. This is tough for a 17 year old. And as I jot these thoughts down I realize it is tough for me as well.

I do not know what the next few days will hold for her. But I pray she finds the moment and the courage to face down the demons that are holding her. I pray that she steps on to the path of light and lives in the incredible moment of “now”. And I hope I can do the same.

This image was shot on a beautiful morning on the dunes at White Sands. As the sun rose golden light illuminated this beautiful ribbon that traversed the ridge between light and dark. To all my friends-walk the path. Life has much to offer if you let it. Let each waking minute be the your best. Let each waking hour be your best. Let each waking day be your best.

Thanks for stopping by today.

Hozógo nasádo (Navajo): Walk in Beauty

Bob

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