Thoughts on Underwater, Landscape, and Nature Photography by Jim Patterson

2011: Year in Review

2012-01-13T10:10:00.000-08:00

The new year has begun and it is a good a time as any to look back at 2011 and review some of my favorite images. What follows are ten images, all made last year. I have a difficult enough of a time choosing my "favorites", so this list is by no means my "Top 10" in the truest sense. Instead, I will list them in chronological order with a reason or two as to why they made the list. How's that sound?And all of these images are on sale currently at my website. 50% traditional photo paper prints sizes 13x19, 16x24, 20x30, 24x36, and 30x45 until January 31, 2012.

10. "Dawn of a New Day" - Death Valley National Park, California

This image was made during the first sunrise of 2011. Back at camp, the alarm sounded at 5am and the sky was clear. Still, there is no excuse to sleep in. The conditions cooperated as clouds rolled in and ignited at sunrise. They stuck around for maybe an hour and then were gone. One might think "how lucky", but luck can only get you so far. Leading up to this sunrise, I had been in the eastern Sierras for a few days. Only upon hearing that the Badwater basin was still flooded, did I make the decision to head to Death Valley. A sunset and sunrise were spent scouting the area around the main parking lot. No strong images were produced, just the knowledge that this area was not very photogenic. More scouting during the day led to finding this area. A sunset on New Year's Eve 2010 was spent here and was quite nice. But it all came together on New Year's Day; the fourth session at Badwater. Persistence can lead to being rewarded.

9. "Golden Shores #2" - San Gregorio State Beach, California

Great light, unique wave action colliding with the heavy outflow of a wet winter, and being waist deep in water with drift wood banging into your tripod and legs. Seascape photography at its best. Enough said.

8. "Gateway to Another World" - Davenport, California

The coast of Santa Cruz County is so rich and diverse for landscape photography, I am constantly amazed at how many images can be made at a single beach. Despite visiting this beach and walking through this arch countless times, I had never stopped to seriously photograph it. Until this year.

7. "The Bride's Veil" - Yosemite National Park, California

Inspired by an image in the Ansel Adam's Gallery in Yosemite National Park (not an Ansel Adam image however), I was excited to find this specific vantage point with classic Yosemite conditions. I had this romantic notion that it would require some actual effort to find this vantage point, but the dedicated pull out and crowd of people kinda gave it away. Oh well, it is still a beautiful view!

6. "Forgotten Coast" - San Mateo Coast, California

Nestled in a secluded section of coast, these amazing sandstone formations really got me excited about finding something "new" again. Even though new images can be made anywhere, finding a new landscape certainly is fulfilling. Besides, who simply wants to live their photographic life simply going from icon to icon? Getting outside, exploring, and discovering the unknown (at least a personal unknown) can be much more rewarding.

5. "Guiding Light" - Davenport, California

This is a familiar location, but I put a spin on it for a completely different look and feel. Nothing ground breaking, but a reminder about how different light and a different mood can reveal a new image. Never think of photography as a grocery list where items get checked off once you've photographed them.

4. "Falling Light" - Santa Cruz, California

Yes, I am a sucker for icons, too. And I've always wanted an exploding sky to compliment the most iconic rock in my hometown. Let's hear it for Santa Cruz! :)

3. "Eye of the Alabama Hills" - Lone Pine, California

I've only been doing landscape photography for about three years. Night photography intrigues me. In California, there are a lot more clear days than cloudy. And the light at night, if nothing else, certainly is predictable. This image was my first star trails image I am happy with. By no means, am I 100% happy with it, but it represents one of the building blocks to (hopefully) better things to come.

2. "Reclamation" - Lee Vining, California

My first visit to Mono Lake was around sixteen years ago as an undergraduate in college. My future room mate was big into astronomy and volunteered at the Mono Lake Committee. The clarity of the night sky was amazing! We once took a canoe out on the lake in the dead of winter, creating a path through the layer of fresh water ice which floats atop the salty, brine filled waters. These early memories of Mono Lake make it more dear to me and I was excited to finally get great light on my final trip of 2011.

1. "Strength of Conviction" - Convict Lake, California

"You can't always get want you want, but if you try sometimes, you just might find, you get what you need" - The Rolling Stones
I very much wanted a blazing color image of clouds igniting with fiery skies above Convict Lake on my recent trip. But as the blazing skies laughed at me from everywhere BUT above the lake, I was getting a bit disappointed. But one of my resolutions for this year and every year is to expect less and be happy with what I am given. Instead of having preconceived notions of what I want, only to be disappointed if things don't turn out my way, I want to live more in the experience, and less in the photographic results.

Where in the world is Jim Patterson?

2011-10-13T16:41:00.000-07:00

A recent image: proof I still get out from time to time.

I'll admit it. I avoid my blog. I avoid it like the dishes in the sink or the junk mail on the kitchen counter. I started this blog a few years ago because I thought that was something any self-respecting photographer should do. And years ago, it was one of the main ways to socialize on the internet.

Nowadays, there is Twitter, Facebook, Flickr, Google+, LinkedIn, etc, etc, etc. As well, I somehow feel compelled to write about something "important". Like my blog is the doorway to some serious photography discourse. And it just shouldn't be that way.

So, where have I been? I've been busy, not busy, in a funk, uninspired, totally inspired, happy, sad, and occasionally, I get out and use my camera. Oh yeah! I got a new camera. My D300 went into a circular service nightmare where it traveled around the state of California in UPS or FedEx boxes for three months before I finally called off the whole ordeal. $800 to replace the sensor was the verdict, and I couldn't go through with it.

The good news was, I must have had some foresight into this debacle, and I purchased a D7000 the day I sent my D300 off on its multi-thousand mile journey. But alas, the D7000 is now with Nikon's service department after only five months of use. Over ten years of using Nikon, and I think I got my first "lemon". Not 100% on this, but I will update the blog (I promise) once I have more information.

I will find the time to randomly update the blog as much as I can. Photos, gear, techniques, workshop info, random thoughts, you name it.

I realize I may have lost my audience here, but for those of you hardy enough to still stick around, what would you like to see my blog turn into? Portfolio? Equipment reviews? Techniques? Tutorials? Let me know!

New Year, New Site

2011-01-12T08:53:00.000-08:00

I hope everyone had a safe and fun holidays. Except for spending about ten hours trying to rid my parents' computer of a virus on Xmas, I had a wonderful week off from work. This year, I headed to the eastern Sierra Nevada mountains between Lone Pine and Bishop before heading over to Death Valley for a few days.

I wanted to mention how I am working on a new website through a company called Photoshelter. I have been diligently working on my SEO (Search Engine Optimization) and as a result, I have been a slave to the computer while I keyword and caption all my images.

Anyway, here is a sneak peek of my Eastern Sierras Gallery. Each day I am adding new content to the site with the next project being the underwater portion of my images. You can view the slide show below larger, jsut click on the four arrows icon in the lower right to enlarge it. And if you feel so obliged, you can share this with others via either the URL or embed code. Until next time!

Landscapes of the Eastern Sierras - Images by Jim Patterson

The Importance of Preparation

2010-12-23T10:10:00.000-08:00

Winter time in California can often be the best season for dramatic weather and light. In the summer, however, landscape photographers along the coast such as myself, can often be found wandering around like zombies due to the mundane conditions which define California's warmer months. Of course, there are always images out there waiting for you, in any weather, if you look hard enough, but you have to admit, there is nothing quite like some dramatic light and storm clouds at the beach!

As the past week has brought a very wet winter storm to California, I have been prepared for almost every sunrise and sunset. Most of the time, the weather has not cooperated. Last night looked to have the most potential all week and I rallied a couple friends, including my workshop partner, Josh Cripps, to go out for quick sunset photo session up the coast.

Big problem.

I had inadvertently left my camera bag at home. There was no time to go back, so I called my friend Diego who hadn't left yet. He grabbed a spare camera and a mid-range lens. Once at the beach, I knew the light was something special and I was happily snapping photos and video with the only camera I had, my cell phone, until Diego arrived.

Tripod compatibility was an issue, so I simply fired off bracket bursts with the incoming waves as I tried my best to keep everything stable. Of course, I would have preferred to be photographing with all my own equipment, but my borrowed gear and a make-shift stability system was ten times better than my cell phone.

My temporary lapse of reason cost me some creative flexibility once on location. I realize now the importance of always being prepared and that means always having your camera with you. It is extremely difficult to make images without it!

Happy holidays everyone!

Finding the Time

2010-12-10T16:08:00.000-08:00

Taken back in February, this was one of those 'race to make it in time for sunset' shots. It was also one of those times I felt like I was just going through the motions. I was going to the same old spot, photographing the same old subject.

But I am learning something about myself and about creativity and feeling good about photography. It has little to do with "the same old spots" or "the same old subject". What it IS all about, is time. If I have time to wander the beach (or where ever I am), if I have time to watch the conditions change and unfold before me, I become more in tune with my surroundings. The landscape becomes more meaningful because I am not rushed into a formulaic style of photography.

In this day and age, many of us lead busy lives and taking the time to do photography can be challenging. Setting aside ample time to explore your landscapes will undoubtedly improve your photography. Even if the location you visit is one you have spent numerous hours or days at, you will see things you may have missed on all your previous visits. When you are rushed, you tend to see the same things you saw before, the obvious choices.

Growth in photography, and life, comes from the wealth of experience we draw from the past. But don't lose sight of the new experiences to add to that wealth. Take the time to explore and enjoy every minute of those precious moments we strive to capture with our cameras.

Reflections

2010-11-24T11:59:00.000-08:00

For years, my inspiration came from diving the kelp forests of the Monterey Bay. But as the years passed, I was diving less and less and as a result, my time spent doing photography also declined.

Seascapes started a new fire inside and my creative energy led me to explore and photograph the beautiful coast near my home. This evolved into a desire to photography all types of landscapes. I found something new to keep me focused, excited, and most importantly, made me happy.

But recently, something inside me longed for a change. I was feeling that unfortunate sting of 'burn out' creep in. I can't really explain it, but I wasn't motivated to photograph the same beaches I have been to dozens of times. Not that new images can't be created at my familiar spots, but I wanted something new. I often was under the misconception that this meant I needed to photograph something different all together. A trip to the mountains or the desert would certainly do the trick. Or do I start diving more? Do I visit some of the iconic National Parks I have yet to visit?

The answer, however, can be much simpler.

Let me explain that part of my 'formula' for shooting seascapes was always to get in to where the action is: the surf zone. Capturing water motion in dynamic and interesting ways was my main approach. I looked for objects, mainly rocks, for this water movement to interact with.

But as a series of storms passed through my neck of the woods, a strong desire came to photograph some beaches further north than I usually visit. Ultimately, I settled on San Gregorio State Beach just south of Half Moon Bay and a few miles north of Pescadero. There were no rocks to fit my formula, but the large creek flowing out to sea was keeping the sand in a highly saturated state. The reflections were intense and captivating.

In my previous post, I focused on the unique ripples formed by the out flow. But the reflections just off to the right of that scene kept drawing me in. As the clouds split open, the arcing curve of the sky's reflection created a worthy lead-in.

I realize using reflections in an image is nothing new, but it was just enough to get me inspired again. And inspiration means spending less time inside and more time seeking new photographic opportunities. May you find your inspiration in whatever form it presents itself!

Golden Shores - San Gregorio State Beach, California

2010-11-23T11:27:00.001-08:00

--The Shot--
The storms that have been hitting the western coast of the US brought some dramatic clouds and luckily the sunsets stayed dry. I have a few new images from this weekend that I will share in the days ahead. In fact my Facebook page already has a couple (hint, hint).

There are a few things in this image that I broke my normal pattern for. First, I used my Singh-Ray Gold-N-Blue polarizer for a seascape. Usually the colors are too strong and I like reflected light coming off rocks and sand. But the ripples in this image were made from a huge outflow of a swollen creek due to all the rain. The sand and silt weren't reflecting much light and was pretty drab. The second thing I did was make a vertorama. The scene was just too much to capture with one shot, so I took a landscape oriented shot of mostly water and one with mostly sky and hand blended them in post processing. Finally, I relied on the ripples to form my foreground interest. There are no rocks on this beach, so I made due with what was there.

The fun part of this evening's shoot was that the ripples would come and go. The outflow would come and go. My best guess is that temporary sand bars would form and restrict the flow. The ripples would form these amazing patterns when that happened. Then the flow would increase, as if someone turned on the faucet...probably when the temporary sand bars broke down. It was a waiting game to get shots with patterns like these, but I think it was worth it.

Have a happy Thanksgiving weekend everyone!

--The Gear--
Nikon D300
Nikkor 12-24mm @ 12mm
1/4 sec, f11, ISO 100 (both shots for vertorama)
Singh-Ray Gold-N-Blue Polarizer
Singh-Ray Daryl Benson 3-stop reverse graduated neutral density filter
Markins M20 ballhead with Really Right Stuff lever clamp and L-plate
Gitzo GT3531 carbon fiber tripod

--Software & Editing--
In ACR, custom white balance applied to RAW files and slight adjustment to brightness and exposure then imported as 16-bit TIF files
In Photoshop CS5, I leveled the horizons of both images and stacked the sky shot on top and used a layer mask to blend the two together. Layers included a Levels adjustment, Basic Mid-Tones luminosity mask for contrast. A Shadow Darks luminosity mask to rescue the darker areas of the image (this can be the case sometimes after the contrast adjustment).Vibrance (for intensifying) and Saturation (for rescuing) masks for color control. Burn and Dodge layer through various luminosity mask selections to adjust localized contrast in the sky. Sharpening was done using Nik Sharpener Pro with a standard setting applied to the bottom and another to the sky with the strength set to 0% but the structure and local contrast set to somewhere between 15-20% then selectively brushed in via layer mask. Slight crop to square and saved for web via custom action to downscale, sharpen, downscale again, convert to sRGB, reduce to 8-bit, and embed basic file info (my copyright, name, web, email, etc).

Appearances - Namena Marine Reserve, Fiji

2010-08-05T12:41:00.001-07:00

One of the things I've realized about this blog is that I have never posted an underwater shot, and to be honest, that is where my passion for photography began. I always took snapshots back in college, mostly of nature and landscapes, but they were always just snapshots. No tripod, no filters, just point and shoot with 200 or 400 speed negative film.

It wasn't until I had 2+ years of diving experience that I realized I needed a camera to take underwater. Losing my old SLR off the top of a moving car and two friends investing into UW rigs motivated me to invest in one of my own in the year 2000.

Shooting film was challenging underwater as strobe lighting was new to me and the lack of instant feedback meant nice images were difficult to come by. I did improve, but ultimately my last roll of film was shot in the fall of 2005.

Fast forward to 2010, and I am much more familiar with the skills involved with underwater photography and my patience, admittedly short in the beginning, has grown. This is key for any style of photography, especially underwater.

This shot was one of many, as I battled the ocean's energy that was pushing both the two anemone fish and me all over the reef.

Passage of Time #2 - Sand Harbor, Lake Tahoe, Nevada

2010-07-29T13:53:00.001-07:00

I realize I have neglected this blog for almost 9 months. For that I apologize, more to myself, for not motivating to write and share. I will eventually switch over to Word Press for my blog. It seems to have more flexibility with layouts and will hopefully one day be up and running.

I felt it appropriate to post another image from the same outing as my last post. The thing with long exposures is you never quite know what the clouds will do over the course of 1-2 minutes, the range of exposures I was using that day. Experimentation is crucial with these longer exposures. This image was almost twice as long as the previous and therefore is a little less definition in the sky.

When using the strong ND filters, such as B+W's ND110 along with Singh-Ray's Gold-N-Blue polarizer, color casts can be a problem. I use a custom white balance (WB), typically in ACR, before importing into Photoshop. I will use the eye dropper selection tool and try several different points in the preview image. I pay close attention to how my selections alter the WB *and* the tint. If no one selection looks how I think it should, I will adjust the WB and tint to a more personal setting using the information I just gathered as a baseline.

Once in Photoshop, I selectively improve the contrast and colors from the flat RAW file. Nondestructive burning and dodging (see Tony Kuyper's tutorials) and selective sharpening finish off my processing.

Until next time!

Math and Photography

2009-12-08T13:13:00.000-08:00

Some of the most common questions I get on the flickr photography forum are related to filter use.

I plan on creating multiple filter tutorials over the winter and will blog and post them to my website. In the meantime, I will briefly touch on using the B+W ND 3.0 10 stop neutral density filter.

Using neutral density filters as strong as the B+W 10 stop requires a few steps and a little math.

First, the filter is so dark, it is next to impossible to compose an image with the filter in place. Therefore, it is important to compose your frame, focus, and calculate a proper exposure prior to adding the 10 stop filter. For the image above, I also was using a Singh-Ray Gold-N-Blue polarizer and a Lee .75 Soft GND (graduated neutral density filter). The polarizer helped create the intense gold and blue tones in the image, and the GND helped reduce the light in the sky to better balance the image's dynamic range.

Like I mentioned before, I composed, focused, and fired off some test shots with all my filters attached but without the 10 stop filter. This is where the creative and visual approach I choose for my photography comes in...and a little math.

Depending on the look I am going for, and how fast the clouds are moving, I may choose to expose a scene between 30 seconds and several minutes. On this day I tried shots between 30 seconds and 2.5 minutes, with around a minute being the length of shutter speed giving me the cloud movement I wanted.

Now, onto the math. I typically shoot my landscapes at the base ISO of my camera for quality purposes, in this case ISO 100. I also often start my calculations for shutter speed with my aperture set to give me a good depth of field, typically f16. For this photo, I came up with a shutter speed of 1/4 second.

Adding in 10 stops of light reduction, meant that I needed to increase my shutter speed by 10 stops as well. A halving (or doubling) of a shutter speed is one stop of light. Therefore:

1/4" > 1/2" = 1 stop
1/2" > 1" = 2 stops
1" > 2" = 3 stops
2" > 4" = 4 stops
4" > 8" = 5 stops
8" > 15" = 6 stops
15" > 30" = 7 stops
30" > 1' = 8 stops
1' > 2' = 9 stops
2' > 4' = 10 stops

This would mean a 4 minute exposure would be needed! This is much longer than I wanted to shoot as the clouds would have lost all detail. Not to mention hand holding my GND for that long is tiresome.

So what can I do to need less light, and therefore less time for a shorter exposure? First, I changed my camera's ISO to 200. This gave me a full stop back. Now I could shoot for 2 minutes. I also knew that by changing my aperture to allow more light would help.

Aperture settings (f-stops) in full stops.
1 – 1.4 – 2 – 2.8 – 4 – 5.6 – 8 – 11 – 16 – 22 – 32

From my days of shooting film, my lenses had most of these settings, especially f2.8 - f22. Now, with digital, most cameras can electronically change the aperture in 1/3 stop increments. For example, between f8 and f11, I now have f9 and f10 as options. And between f11 and f16, I now have f13 and f14.

For this image, I opened my aperture to f13, knowing I would retain a good depth of field and gain a 2/3 stop of light (compared to f16) at the same time. Since a full stop (at f11) would have meant shooting at 1 minute even, 2/3 stop (at f13) equates to 40 seconds, or 2/3 of a minute. My calculated shutter speed for ISO 200, f13 and all my filters was 1 minute, 20 seconds by opening my aperture from f16 to f13.

As is often the case, I forgot my stop watch and phone in the car, so I just counted in my head. I was 10 seconds short, but in the end, that is not much of a difference.

By changing both my ISO and aperture to settings within reason for good image quality, I was able to get a long shutter speed, but not too long. Like I mentioned previously, how long is based on variables that I evaluate in the field.

I encourage you to ask any questions here on the blog, and if any of my math is incorrect, please let me know, and I will correct it.

Tahoe in Gold-N-Blue

2009-12-03T11:50:00.001-08:00

I can thank the slumping economy for one thing. In eleven years of working at a retail outfitter, I've never had the entire Thanksgiving weekend off. When I found out this year would be different, I immediately started thinking of places close to home that I could get away. The plan was to do the traditional Thanksgiving holiday with the family and then Friday through Sunday shoot in a location I haven't done before.

Well, on Monday, I get a call from Mom that my sister is too busy moving into her new home to do Thanksgiving. I took this as a blessing in disguise to have yet another day off. Three days became four.

My girlfriend and I decided on Lake Tahoe. There were predictions for possible snow and snow showers, wind, and dropping temperatures, and the thought of camping quickly went out the window. Motels for under $50 per night became highly appealing. Ah, hot showers and baths after a long day of shooting. We were living in luxury at a dumpy motel.

I recently picked up a Singh-Ray Gold-B-Blue polarizer and figured the azure blue water of Lake Tahoe could be a perfect location to really see what this unique filter could do.

If you are interested in this filter, or any of Singh-Ray's filters, they have a great blog with a multitude of photographers sharing their craft and how they get the most out of their Singh-Ray filters. Having read up on the capabilities of the Gold-N-Blue, I was excited to give it a try.

The image at the top was shot on Thanksgiving evening at the popular, yet remote Bonsai Rock. The fact that this image was captured on a day normally spent indoors with family was not lost on me. I'll have to thank my sister for that one.

Although Bonsai Rock is not hidden per say, it is not easily located without doing proper research ahead of time. We arrived with at least an hour before sunset and had plenty of time to scout the location. Ample time really does help to get the very best composition.

I immediately was "wow'ed" by the colors I was seeing through the Gold-N-Blue polarizer. Though like any polarizer on a super wide angle lens, you can get uneven polarization if you are not careful.

I used a long exposure to calm the slight ripples from the wind and the polarizer set to a more blue color for the water. The sunset took care of the sky.

Be sure to check in soon, as I plan on writing more in depth details about my initial experience with the Singh-Ray Gold-N-Blue polarizer.

Capturing the Sun

2009-11-21T12:02:00.001-08:00

One of my more recent fascinations (or obsessions) is to capture the sun in a single exposure through proper use of camera settings and graduated neutral density filters.

There are several approaches to getting the sun in your shot. One way is to bracket your exposures and blend them together in an image editing program. This is almost like a manual HDR where you expose for different parts of the scene and use layer masks to paint in the best sections. I used to do this.

Since then, I have realized that getting the best sun burst requires using a very small aperture, in this case I used f22. Now, small apertures like f22 can cause a softening of the image by way of diffraction, a whole other topic, but in this case was worth it to get that sun burst in one shot.

It also requires using proper GND (graduated neutral density) filters. Since the brightest part of the scene I was capturing was right at the horizon, I employed the use of Singh Ray's reverse GND filter. It puts the darkest part of the filter at the middle, with clear below and a gradual darkening that gets less as it reaches the top of the filter. This helped control the sky right around the sun. I also used a soft stop GND filter by LEE. This puts the darkest part of the filter at the top and gradually gets lighter as it gets lower, ultimately going to clear. This helped keep the sky balanced with the rest of the scene.

Timing also comes into play. Waiting for the sun to make an appearance or capturing it on it's way out of the scene will reduce the harness of the light and make it easier to include in your photograph. Obscuring the sun with tree branches, a mountain range, a fence line or whatever you have around you will also make life much easier capturing the sun.

Painting With Shutter Speeds

2009-11-16T11:33:00.000-08:00

One of the challenges of photography is capturing light in that special way. Over the course of the last year, I have learned that creating a unique image can be a life long journey.

Natural Bridges, although only a few miles from my house, remains a challenge for me. There are only a couple windows of great light each year, typically mid fall and late winter. These windows are even smaller due to tide, well, and cloud cover.

Of course, I have the luxury of visiting it fairly frequently, but there are no guarantees. Last week, I took this photo. The tide was too high, and the sunset colors never really popped. I did notice that the swells were fairly decent sized and coming in at predictable intervals. I kept my shutter speed relatively quick (1/2 second for this shot) which froze the incoming waves. I really like these quicker shutter speeds; they seem to create wonderful brush strokes of texture and light. Painting with shutter speeds, so to speak.

Although not the epic shot I was looking for, I think it still stands as a place marker for that lifelong journey.

The Morning After Blues

2009-11-10T12:27:00.000-08:00

First, I want to thank all of you who follow me through the various avenues the internet has to offer (Flickr, Facebook, Blog, Twitter, my website). In just over a year, I have fallen in love with landscape long exposure photography as evidenced by the fact that not a single underwater shot has made this blog...yet.

And just today, I was invited to talk at the annual congress for PSSA (Photographic Society of South Africa) next October. We shall see about that one, but it certainly is an exciting opportunity.

Now, to this shot. I could have called it "The Hangover Blues", which certainly would have been more appropriate. Regardless, I was really impressed with the blues more than the vivid pinks and reds. You see, after the workshop on Saturday, my girlfriend and I drove over to her sister's apartment in San Francisco. Greeted with wine and beer was certainly nice after a long day. We then walked a couple blocks to a great little Italian restaurant and partook in even more red wine. Back at the apartment, it was one more glass of the fermented grape elixir.

Unfortunately, I get quite congested after drinking, especially wine. And the sofa bed we slept on was certainly comfortable under the influence, but I predicted upon awakening in the night, falling back asleep would be next to impossible. It was. At 5am, I got up to use the bathroom and the realization hit that falling back asleep was not an option. After 15 minutes of resting on the couch in the other room, I finally looked outside. Strips of clouds were just barely visible. Not knowing my way around the city, especially in the dark, I knew what I had to do...wake up my sleeping girlfriend.

She begrudgingly obliged. You see, her sleep was even worse than mine due to my habit of snoring, worsened with alcohol. But she did, and I am certainly happy with that fact.

The Waiting Game

2009-10-26T00:46:00.001-07:00

Sorry I've been absent from the blog. I often find myself wondering what to write, and then days pass by so quickly. I guess my only excuse is that I never kept a journal growing up, so I haven't formed the habit yet. :)

As I enter my second year of dedicating more time to landscape, or what I like to call seascape, photography, I have learned more about what it takes to get the shot.

You can have a "good eye", as some people call it, and this is very important. How you see the world around you helps define your imagery, your style.

You can know all the best spots, and certainly this can give you an edge.

You can have all the best gear, and that can help, but isn't necessary.

You can post process your images like a seasoned professional, but even then there is no guarantee of success (which by definition is different for all of us).

But even with all these factors, Mother Nature still has the upper hand. And thus, there is the waiting game. Nature, wildlife and landscape photographers, or at least those who have been doing it long enough, know that the elements can easily elevate your images to another level.

You see, I have been bookmarking spots along the coast near Santa Cruz using Stephen Trainor's The Photographer's Ephemeris. I must warn you first, if you are the type of person who enjoys randomly getting to a spot and guessing at where the sun or moon will rise or set, then don't click that link. You will be tainted forever if you do. :)

Anyway, the Photographer's Ephemeris is a wonderful tool for figuring out when the sun and moon will line up with the world around you. I personally feel it will help my photography in the long run. And it fuels the waiting game.

I've known for several months now that a local spot will have the sun setting down the middle of a rocky channel. Up until recently, I've been busy with the end of the art show season, and therefore my trips to the coast have been limited. I finally got to my spot, but the cloudless sky and my late arrival resulted in an unsuccessful shoot.

Fast forward three nights later, and the window of opportunity for my shot narrowing, and I got there just in time to catch the sun, a wedge of a cloud just happened to pass through the scene (and promptly left a few minutes later), and I got my shot.

I have another spot bookmarked for late October sunsets further up the coast. There is this nifty arcing reef of rock jutting into the Pacific. I want to get a shot with the sun ending that arc. The waiting game never stops.

Growing as a Photographer

2009-06-09T15:04:00.000-07:00

First off, I don't want to come across in any of my posts as an expert or that I know it all. I think that photography, like any art form, should be an evolving process. Hopefully, we will all get better at it as time goes on.

Two aspects of my personal photography growth that have stuck out in my mind are:

1) Revisiting familiar sites with different conditions and
2) Implementing new post processing techniques

I often get excited about shots I take at a new location. Everything is so, well, new! And if the weather is half way decent, I think the shots are even more valuable, possibly portfolio images that I may try to sell. This is a personal pitfall, and a rut that I recommend anyone try to avoid.

My advice, visit those same spots over and over again. Go in different seasons, go in the sunshine as well as the inclement weather. Try different lenses. Try different angles. Shoot in portrait orientation if you tend to shoot in landscape and vice-versa. Work the spot for all you can.

I cannot tell you how many images I have shot that instantly out do the ones I thought were the "best" from a specific location.

As for the post processing, well, let's just say that I do believe how you process an image is a vital tool to any photographer wishing to make their images look better. I am still in the stages of my learning where experimentation and using new tools are the norm. I have yet to develop my own unique work flow. Maybe I never will. But as my confidence grows with how I process my images, I hope to start writing tutorials to help others get better as well.

One tutorial that I found easy to follow as well as showcasing a process I think I will use more regularly is Tony Kuyper's luminosity mask tutorial.

When shooting landscapes where the sun is part of the final image, the extreme dynamic range can be difficult to handle. My first attempts at taming the bright lights of the sky was investing in some good graduated neutral density filters.

But sometimes these filters aren't quite enough and the sky is still too bright. I started bracketing shots for the sky even with the filters in place. Back home, I would blend all or parts of the images with better exposed sky using Photoshop's layer masks. This could be problematic if the clouds were moving, even slightly. Blending with layers in Photoshop is fairly easy, but not if the subjects in each image don't line up. Having 60% of one image and 40% of another won't work when they aspects of the image aren't aligned.

Another method is using the lasso selection tool and feathering the edges of your selection to make your adjustment less noticeable. Even still, the edges of your adjustment could have a very noticeable transition from light to dark. I also found using the lasso tool tedious and too difficult to use.

Luminosity masks find light and dark pixels and automatically create smooth transitions to the adjustments you apply to them. You can fine tune dark and light areas of your image with precise control and the effects are much more natural looking and seem more problem free.

Depending on where you are in your Photoshop skills, I highly recommend experimenting with luminosity masks if you shoot landscapes or seascapes such as myself.

Panther Beach Clean-Up - Sunday May 24th 4-6pm

2009-05-18T13:48:00.000-07:00

One of my most favorite places to shoot is a little stretch of coast a little more than half way from Santa Cruz to Davenport along Highway 1. It is also a popular beach where people like to party. The somewhat steep trail requires too much effort for employees of the County of Santa Cruz to want to deal with permanent trash cans and their maintenance, so the trash tends to pile up on the beach.

It is frustrating and sad to witness such disrespect on such a wonderfully beautiful beach. As summer approaches, I can only imagine it will get worse. On my last visit there, just a few weeks ago, I carried up about 20 pounds of trash and recyclables. There was more, but being alone, I didn't want to spend my entire day on trash duty.

That is why I am writing this blog entry. This Sunday, May 24th from 4-6pm, I am organizing a group along with Ivan Makarov to help clean up Panther Beach. We will provide gloves and bags, but feel free to bring your own. We will comb the beach for two hours, then stick around to shoot photographs until sunset.

I hope you can join us, and I look forward to this being the first of a monthly event. If you plan to join, let me know how many people you are bringing and simply leave a comment on my blog for this entry. Thanks!

View a slideshow of my images from this beach for a glimpse at its rugged beauty.

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Keep Shooting!

2009-04-21T18:06:00.001-07:00

The title of this post stems from a common question I get (and others I'm sure) when out shooting. That question is "Get any good pictures?". I often reply "I'm working on it". Well, the other day, a man replied back "I guess you'll get something good if you keep shooting long enough".

To a degree, this is true. You can't get a good photo if you don't go out and shoot. You have to "keep shooting". But it certainly isn't blind luck either.

The shot above was taken after two SCUBA dives that didn't yield any "great" images. I then shot wildflowers in the remaining sunlight. Ok, but nothing too inspiring. I then scouted three different locations before choosing my final shoot for the day.

And the sunset certainly delivered! I did get a little lucky with the vivid colors, and the calm ocean and lack of wind allowed for a relaxing session. I did not have to worry much about waves and salt spray on my camera gear. But I kept shooting, and came home with a keeper.

Rediscovering the Past

2009-04-09T13:19:00.001-07:00

My recent focus on landscapes along the coast has been a thoroughly enjoyable experience, an epiphany of sorts. I have found inspiration in the coastal beauty near my home and the exploration involved in finding new locations has rejuvenated my photography.

In this process, I enjoy scouting out beaches and coves I have never been to before. Discovering a spot that has existed for millennium but is brand new to me is indeed very exciting. Kind of like that feeling you get when you start dating someone you really like. I am infatuated with finding new spots.

But the last couple days, I have found myself going back to spots I felt I knew, places I camped at and visited frequently, albeit in my youth over a decade ago. The top shot is from Davenport Cove, the beach directly in front of the town. The shot below is from Scotts Creek Beach, just a few miles north of Davenport.

Scotts Creek was a favorite camping place of mine and later was a field site for an intertidal class I took in college, so I have many fond memories from here. It is truly inspiring to find new beauty, and to see a familiar place with new eyes looking for ways to capture all the angles and light.

Now, I am rediscovering the past, and it's like running into an old friend. There's so much to catch up on.

Spring Has Sprung

2009-04-03T13:40:00.001-07:00

I've been catching up on my sleep as the sunrises these days have lacked some serious "umph", Instead, I've been noticing all the flowers I drive by on the way to work.

Specifically, there are some dense poppy groupings within walking distance. So on my lunch break yesterday, I sat down on the sidewalk and zoned out on some poppies.

At first, I was shooting with my new 35mm f1.8 lens and getting some nice "in their element" kind of shots. Then I started noticing the subtle shades of yellow on some of the individual flowers. I switched to my 105mm macro lens and stacked a combination of Nikon's 5T and 6T diopters for increased magnification. It really is enjoyable for me to sit and create something abstract out of a common sight.

And for those wanting more technical details, I was shooting hand held in Aperture Priority Mode so I could have the ultimate control over the depth of field. The camera then chooses the shutter speed. I made sure to keep an eye on the shutter speed, though, as it was windy out, and if it got too slow, I would need to change my ISO to maintain a fast enough shutter to freeze the movement.

I also kept an eye on the camera's histogram. Metering can be tricky in bright sunlight, and occasionally, I had to dial in exposure compensation, both positive and negative depending on the conditions, to get the results I wanted.

Listening to the Inner Voice

2009-03-20T00:45:00.001-07:00

In my last entry, I touched on the refreshing feeling of shooting with a new lens, forcing my perspective with a new visual tool. Less than 24 hours later, I found myself stagnating over shooting another seascape.

Running on little sleep, I got up for sunrise with my ritual of sticking my head out the front door looking for clouds like a groundhog looking for its shadow on groundhog day. I drove up the coast only to drive back down again. Feeling disinterested, I pulled into Four Mile, a beach just north of Santa Cruz.

I set up as usual, found some mildly interesting compositions, but after just a few minutes and only nine clicks later, I packed up the wide angle lens.

You see, I kept hearing this voice inside my head. It was compelling me to try something new. Wave panning. It is a technique where you choose a relatively slow shutter speed like 1/4 second as in the photo above, and slowly pan the camera and lens with the direction of the wave.

The success rate is very low, and exposures were tricky. But I listened to that inner voice, and this time it didn't require spending money on a new lens as I had the right tool already.

A new kind of photographic learning experience, and a technique I hope to improve upon in the future.

A Break From the Norm

2009-03-18T00:27:00.001-07:00

When I first got serious about photography, I was an avid SCUBA diver. I dove close to 100 dives a year, most of them in the cold waters off Monterey and Carmel. I still love diving, but it has taken a back seat for the last few months as I delved deeply into long exposure landscapes shots of my local coast.

The use of remote shutter, tripod, and various filters required an entirely different skill set and technique compared to what I was accustomed to. And by no means do I profess to be an expert on either style. I hope to be the perpetual amateur, always learning and growing. I get excited thinking about what I will be able to create over the years as my experience grows and my skills improve.

So, I impulsively picked up Nikon's new 35mm f1.8 G AF-S DX lens today. It essentially gives me close to the classic 50mm in a lens that can shoot pretty wide open and create some serious bokeh. I took it for a spin today on my lunch break and found some nice flowers near my work.

I found it very refreshing to shoot hand held in full sunlight with such a light little lens. It remains to be seen how much use it gets, but a break from the norm can sometimes be just what you need to grow as a photographer. I didn't have to slip and fall on any algae and wake up at 6am to get the shot either. Two BIG bonuses.

The Power of Positive Thinking

2009-03-16T13:50:00.001-07:00

So there we were, my girlfriend Kendra and I, sitting through light mist to mild sprinkles getting wetter by the minute, and I kept hoping the clouds would break and the sun would make a dramatic appearance.

I kept telling Kendra, "maybe we'll get lucky and have some glorious sun break through". We were getting wetter. We started looking for a place to seek shelter, but to no avail.

Yet we stuck around. I'm actually quite surprised we didn't just pack it up and call it a night. There appeared to be no relief for the gloom and doom we were experiencing.

A little light crept into the horizon, a dampened yellow glow. But the rain persisted. We held out hope and I reiterated "this could turn into something really nice, if only the rain would stop".

And then it did! The skies opened, a patch of blue sky appeared, and the race was on to capture the scene.

The power of positive thinking!

I really wanted a shot looking north. One, the little offshore rock in the distance marks the south end of Hole In The Wall Beach, a spot I have grown to love and appreciate. And it just so happened that the window of light that just opened was in that general direction. Oh sweet glorious light!

I have at least two more images from tonight as we happily snapped away at the clearing in the sky as it headed south across the ocean.

Always Learning: Knowing Your Shutter Speeds

2009-03-15T15:21:00.001-07:00

When I first started getting really interesting in seascape long exposures, I had no clue how long of a shutter speed to use. I filled many a memory card with trial and error shots (mostly errors) to determine what effect the duration of the shutter had on the appearance of the water.

I distinctly remember shooting down near Big Sur and having great success with 8 seconds to create a misty feel to the water. I remember shooting one day in Santa Cruz and using 30 seconds and was pleasantly surprised at the "glassy" feel the ocean was given from such a long shutter.

Since those early days, I have continued to learn through trial and error, but now the errors are fewer. I can now better visualize a scene and determine what shutter speed is required to get the shot I want.

In the shot above, I knew something in the close to a second would give me streaks of water long enough to cover more of the frame, but short enough to retain the detail between the white water. I still used my neutral density grad filters to hold back the sky as this hot was a solid half hour after sunrise and the sky was getting brighter. I increased my ISO 2/3 of stop to keep my aperture relatively small in order to get the depth I wanted, all while keeping the quick shutter speed to freeze the rush of water.

I am excited by all the learning, the trial and error, and the increase in successful visualization and execution. I am not a professional, but I do have goals. One of them is to always keep learning, and another is to hopefully get better. Getting out there to shoot often is one of the best ways to do this.

Chasing Light

2009-03-11T12:02:00.000-07:00

With daylight savings time recently "jumping forward", I find myself chasing light once again. For the last couple months, sunsets have been too late for me to shoot them during my late breaks at work like I had in December and January.

Now they are just after I end my shift. So, I chased the sunset on Monday, only to have it dissolve into gray. I felt Tuesday would be the same, so I didn't even bother going somewhere to try and shoot. But as I drove home, I could tell the sunset was a winner, and I was chasing light once again.

I had my camera gear with, always important to do, and I pulled into my driveway and jogged down to the beach near my house. Not having any strong foreground elements, I shot with my telephoto lens to capture and isolate the most vivid portion of the sky. I relied on a simple composition to showcase the two contrasting colors and the silhouette of the iconic Santa Cruz coastline.

The very next morning, I anticipated a dramatic sunrise. Hey, if sunset was so intense, maybe the next morning will be special. And oh, it was. Although I was better prepared for the sunrise, I was still chasing that light. I scouted for a solid hour before the magical time that is 20-30 minutes before the actual sunrise.

I took a hard spill due to some slick green algae, and the fact that I was wearing old shoes with worn soles. You see, most of my shoes are in various states of drying out from getting wet while shooting. Central California's oceans are pretty darn frigid, and the air isn't too warm at 6am either, so barefoot or sandals are not my first choice for footwear. Anyway, onto the image. I persevered through the pain of the fall, and captured that glorious sunrise. My chasing light paid off.

What's the word?

2009-02-23T17:27:00.000-08:00

I posted a shot on my Flickr account regarding how certain events can lead you down a path to an unexpected end.

Luck is not the best word. This image was not made by luck. I had to possess a certain level of skill to pull this off. My experience over the last few months shooting seascapes and long exposures had better prepared me for this day. I also have been shooting consistently several days a week, honing my skills. Time invested is key to personal growth. I always wanted to learn to play guitar, bass, mandolin, clarinet, but I just don't have the drive to dedicate the time. Instead, I have a collection of instruments gathering dust. Photography is my thing. I enjoy putting hours of time into it, everyday if possible. Likewise my growing abilities in the digital darkroom have further refined my ability to produce a final image for presentation.

I also needed the drive, that inner push, to capture images that I hope are relevant in one form of another. Whether it be the beauty and raw power of nature, or simply something pretty to look at, there has to be a reason for me to get up early in the morning to go photograph.

So it isn't luck.

Fate doesn't sound right either. I don't think some predetermined force lead me to this image. Certain things had to happen that easily could not have happened. More random chance than anything. I guess that depends on your beliefs, so if you want to call it fate, go right ahead.

But I don't think it's fate.

I'll summarize what happened. You see, my girlfriend unexpectedly had to leave town, and she usually lets the cats out early in the morning, something I tend to sleep through. And the first two days she was gone, I had gotten up earlier than the cats to shoot sunrises, and I am NOT a morning person. So day #3 rolls around, and the incoming rain was one day closer, so I planned on sleeping in on my day off. But no, the cats want out, and my girlfriend isn't there to bail me out. I finally cave, roll out of bed, and realize that the rains had stopped, but more were on their way. Then the inner drive kicks in to get out and photograph. "Better do it now..." I thought to myself "...before the rains come". And they did come just about an hour after getting this shot.

I headed to a spot I knew might offer a glimpse of any sunrise warmth in the sky, but instead was rewarded with high contrast, moving skies...perfect for a long exposure. My first choice for accessing the Capitola Pier was thwarted by the storm waves and high tide. This led me to another access point, one which dropped me right into this composition. It was all laid out in front of me, and set-up was a breeze. Perfect when you're working on little sleep and no coffee.

So, if my girlfriend had been home, I would have slept right through this shot. If the cats had decided to sleep in, same thing. If the rain were falling, no go. If the tide had been lower, I might have shot from a different vantage point. Who knows what would have happened.

So, what's the word? I think I'll call it serendipity.

The Photography Experience, for today

2009-02-09T23:11:00.000-08:00

Photography is a very rewarding process for me. It is an activity that puts me out in the elements, enjoying nature and wildlife, and I have the opportunity to come home with photographic images to remember these special times. There also is an element of personal growth from the constant learning of photography skills, both out in the field and at home in the digital darkroom.

My outings today really drove home how both of aspects of this learning experience have helped me to get to this point, and will hopefully make me a better photographer in the future.

First, don't be afraid of foul weather. Often times cloudy skies can be a blessing in disguise. Long exposures can smooth out the clouds for a dramatic effect as in this image at sunrise.

But one cannot go out unprepared. I recently picked up a rain fly for my camera. It cinches around the lens, covers the camera, has an opening for my tripod, and allows access to the back of the camera for viewing images and controls. As the sprinkles came down at sunset, my small investment was paying off.

Back home, I have been learning some basic "ins and outs" of layer masks in Photoshop. These allow me to blend parts of images or adjustments to the image in very controlled amounts for a true creative effect. Some of my recent images are using this technique for a final product that is more a visual composite of the scene as I saw it. I have no problem with this approach as it can deliver an image as I saw it, blending exposures to get an evenly lit scene. It also unleashes my artistic side. I used to use charcoal and sketch for hours back when I was in college. I've dropped the pencil, but picked up a brush in the form of these layer masks. I can brush parts of a black and white image for a scene that is more my imagination than reality like this shot as sunset.

The two images in this entry are such creations. I hope you enjoy them. I enjoyed making them, both in the field and at home.

Welcome to my Blog!

2009-02-07T11:24:00.000-08:00

Welcome everyone to my first ever blog entry. I really don't know what to say other than I feel like I've done this before, only I haven't. Blogging is just a term, but I have been chatting it up about my photography and travels on my website as well as my Flickr site.

This is just an extension of both of these endeavors. I don't have any solid plans for this site other than to have fun with it, maybe add some items not found on the above mentioned sites, but mostly share my photos with some of you who haven't seen them yet.

As I figure out all the "ins" and "outs" of this blog, I promise it will get better. I'll leave with a recent photo from "Hole In The Wall" Beach near Davenport taken just a few days ago.

That's all for now. Have a great weekend everyone!