Landscape Photos, Pictures, Prints

Popular Photography March 2011 Desert Song Article

Laguna Torre Cloudy Reflection 1

Posted on February 3, 2011 December 8, 2012

Each year, the summit of Cerro Torre eludes climbers from around the world mostly due to the atrocious weather. They most often spend weeks or even months tent-bound patiently waiting for the weather to clear, but it rarely does. My own experience trying to photograph Cerro Torre has been equally challenging. Between my first visit in 2007 and 2 visits during my recent trip, I’ve spent 8 days attempting to photograph it. If I had been at the lake the day before I created this image, I might now be sharing a sunrise picture of the mountain surrounded by beautiful orange clouds and a calm reflection. However, I hesitate to say that my recent attempts were totally unsuccessful, because I created this mysterious image. Though I could not see the summit at sunrise, an hour later the clouds became thin enough to allow the summit to peak through a hole while Laguna Torre was almost a perfect reflection. This image captures the drama of the typical conditions beneath this impossible spire more so than any image that I might have originally hoped to create. I am sure I will someday return to photograph Cerro Torre during a more ideal sunrise, but do I need to? I created this image with my Canon 5DmkII, Carl Zeiss 35mm f2 ZE lens, Singh-Ray 4-stop Soft Graduated Neutral Density filter, and tripod. It required minimal processing using Aperture 3.

Laguna de los Tres Sunrise 5

Posted on February 1, 2011 December 8, 2012

Located in the Southern Andes Mountains of Argentina and Chile, Patagonia boasts some of the most dramatic mountains on Earth, including Mount Fitz Roy, Cerro Torre, and the Torres del Paine. Unfortunately, Patagonia also receives some of the world’s worst weather. Clouds obscure the mountains for weeks or even months at a time. This consistently awful weather makes photography in the region a lesson in monotonous boredom and disciplined patience. One of my old climbing partners from Alaska was down there the entire month of January and never got a good weather window long enough to climb anything significant. Over the course of my own 3 week trip, I was only able to see the summits at sunrise on 4 days, 2 of which I did not shoot because I was exhausted and frustrated back in town for the night rather than camping close to my objectives.

I visited Patagonia for the first time in March of 2007. During that trip, I experienced my only major camera failure in 10 years as a professional photographer. I had been shooting startrails the night before walking up to Laguna de los Tres with my old Pentax 67II and had drained the batteries. I was not worried because I always carry a spare set of batteries with me, but after 1 weeks of waiting patiently for a clear sunrise, I discovered that my spare set was also dead! That camera failure haunted me for the last 4 years. Knowing how few opportunities I would have because of the weather, I made photographing Mount Fitz Roy from Laguna de los Tres my main objective for my recent trip.

From the town of El Chalten, I backpacked up to Campemento Poincenot and established my basecamp 3 different times. From there, I walked uphill over 2 miles and 1500′ in elevation each morning to this spectacular viewpoint. I camped a total of 7 nights, waiting for the right conditions. Most of the mornings the weather was windy, cold, and wet, but I still dragged my butt up hill 4 times. This is probably my favorite image from my trip. I really like how the dark clouds above the summits intensified the alpenglow illuminating the mountains. The light only lasted for about 12 minutes, which meant I finally had 12 minutes for photography after 1 week of travel! I created this image using my Canon 5DmkII and Singh-Ray 3-stop Hard Graduated Neutral Density filter on a Carl Zeiss 21mm f2.8 ZE lens that Zeiss USA was kind enough to loan me for my trip. This image required minimal processing using Aperture 3.

Papohaku Beach Sunrise 1

Posted on January 7, 2011 December 8, 2012

I spent a week sea-kayaking Molokai‘s remote north shore 7 years ago and had always wanted to return. I finally had the opportunity when I took my family to Maui for our recent family vacation. Molokai’s tranquil charm is the total opposite of the tourist chaos of Waikiki or Lahaina. There really isn’t much to do, other than relax and do nothing, which is exactly what we did.

Hawaii experienced a huge tropical storm during our week-long visit, which was a bummer, especially for my photography ambitions. After several days of torrential rain, I finally experienced perfect landscape photography conditions and created this dramatic image on our last morning on Molokai. At almost 3 miles long, Papohaku Beach is the longest beach in Hawaii. Of course, since this was Molokai I had this beautiful location all to myself. I located these lava rocks embedded in the sand on the north end of the beach and knew that they would give some texture to the outgoing waves crashing into the beach. I also anticipated that the clear sky in the east was going to allow the sunrise to light up the cloudy remnants of the previous few days’ storm just offshore. By taking extreme chances with my camera equipment and through trail and error, I created this dynamic image. From the silky water rushing over the sand and rocks to the breaking wave with the clouds billowing in the sky, this picture has an elemental, dream-like quality that I am completely enamored with. I created this image with my Canon 5DmkII, Carl Zeiss 28mm f2 ZE lens, and Singh-Ray 2-stop Hard Graduated Neutral Density filter on my tripod. It is a single exposure that required minimal processing using Aperture 3.

Oheo Gulch Sunset 1

Posted on January 5, 2011 December 8, 2012

Most Hana visitors spend a long day driving from one side of Maui to the other along the zig-zagging Hana Highway. However, I recommend that people spend at least 1 night in Hana. The drive is too long and the traffic can be infuriating. (Pull over please, especially if you’re blocking a local!) In general, visitors miss out on the magic of this paradise by only making it a day trip.

The Hana area is best photographed at sunrise, but several afternoons I drove the twisty road to Oheo Gulch in order to photograph the sunset. The gulch is located on the southeast shore of Maui and is part of Haleakala National Park. It is home to the Seven Sacred Pools, a name that was made up to promote the area in the 1940s.

I’d previously visited Oheo Gulch, but had never put any effort into photographing it. While the pools themselves were swarmed with tourists, I focused my camera looking out from the rugged lava shoreline toward the the ocean waves breaking against the black sand beach. As with most ocean wave images, I begin the exposure as a wave recedes. This image was one of the first exposures that I took, which was lucky for me since the later light was a bust. The sunset light in the clouds adds dream-like color to the image, but I am most attracted to the tumultuous wave breaking just off shore. I used a shutter speed of 1/4 second to record movement in the wave, while still being able to freeze enough of the motion to not render it as unrecognizable mush. This image was created using my Canon 5DmkII, Carl Zeiss 28mm f2 ZE lens, and Singh-Ray LB Warming Polarizer & 3-stop Hard Graduated Neutral Density filters on my tripod. It is a single exposure that required minimal processing using Aperture 3.

Hamoa Beach Sunrise 1

Posted on January 4, 2011 December 8, 2012

During my recent trip to Hana, I spent several sunrises photographing Hamoa Beach. Before heading out each morning, I looked out from our rental house toward the lightening eastern horizon and anticipated the sunrise by scrutinizing the dark sky for photogenic clouds. The only sounds were the proverbial early-birds chirping and the ocean breeze rustling the coconut palms. I could not be bothered to wear sandals for the short drive, especially since I would soon feel coarse grains of golden sand between my toes while shooting barefoot in the surf. This magical setting is undoubtedly one of the most South Pacific-like beaches in all of Hawaii. It is backed by a lava hill and ringed by tropical plants and coconut palms. Of course, I had the beach all to myself which allowed me to fully digest its ambience. I know that I can be terribly greedy having my photography locations to myself, but I need that peaceful beauty in order to effectively convey my experiences through my photography. We have enough distractions in our lives, so why should we have to share our adventures with crowds of people?

I initially played it safe by setting my camera up high on the beach to photograph the outgoing waves. This was not the most artistic composition, so I soon found myself compelled into the furious shorebreak with my camera in pursuit of a more dramatic imagery. I placed my tripod in water that was normally only knee deep. This was a safe position most of the time, but occasionally wave sets would almost completely wash over me and my equipment. Keeping my lens and filters dry was a constant struggle. I waited for waves to break before beginning my exposures. I experimented with hundreds of images in order to photograph one where the wave completed the composition I had envisioned. I created this photo with my Canon 5DmkII, Carl Zeiss 35mm f2 ZE lens, and Singh-Ray LB Warming Polarizer and 4-stop Soft Graduated Neutral Density filters. This image is a single exposure which required minimal processing in Aperture 3.

Koki Beach Sunrise 1

Posted on January 3, 2011 December 8, 2012

Happy New Year! It’s been almost 4 weeks since my last blog post. Why should I feel so guilty? I needed a break from my online-self and took time off to visit Hawaii with my family. We spent the first week of our trip in the incredibly laid-back town of Hana on the east coast of Maui. This is the fourth time that I have been to Hana, and third time with my family. We rented 2 different homes during our week-long stay. The first was conveniently on Hana Bay, but rustic and gave us bedbugs. The second was just south of town right across from the field that lead down to the majestic Waioka Pool. Everyone in my family agrees that swimming in the pool was the highlight of our memorable trip.

While this was primarily a family vacation where I ignored the internet while taking my daughters swimming and buying them shave-ice, I woke up before them each morning in order to photograph the sunrise. Putting on my swim shorts and a tank top while leaving my sandals at home was not a bad way to start each day. The sweet smell of rotting guavas filled the air as I departed for the short drive to my photography objectives. Since Hana is quiet and remote, I had my choice of the fantastic beaches all to myself. One of my favorites is modest but rugged Koki Beach. This spectacular setting has a tumultuous wave break against the beach backed by a photogenic hill composed of crimson cinders. I attempted to shoot this fantastic scene several mornings during my visit. I was particularly enamored with the lava rocks on the right side of the beach that the waves occasionally washed over. I took some chances with my camera and tripod by setting them up in this surf zone, but knew that the waves draining through these rocks would complete the image I was after. Creating an image like this where moving water becomes an integral part of the picture requires being able to pre-visualize the composition. Of course, the sunrise light and billowing clouds complete the dramatic scene which I consider one of my best photographs from the entire trip. I created this image using my Canon 5DmkII, Canon 17-40mm f4 lens at 20mm, and Singh-Ray 3-stop Hard Graduated Neutral Density filter on my very wet tripod. It is a single exposure that required minimal processing using Aperture 3.

Mt Fairweather Lenticular Aerial 1

Posted on November 30, 2010 December 8, 2012

BLECH! That is exactly what I felt like doing during my recent aerial shoot of Mt Fairweather. My pilot gave me ample opportunities to back out of the flight. He told me that even though the weather was clear in Haines that it was going to be a bumpy ride over Glacier Bay National Park to the outer coast. I repeatedly assured him that I was an experienced photographer who was not afraid of anything. I was wrong.

While the initial flight went smoothly, the enormous lenticular cloud over the summit of Mt Fairweather in the distance was indication that it was going to get a lot more interesting. I was disappointed that I was not going to photograph the summit, but my compensation was this dramatic multi-layered cloud. I also anticipated that my earlier photos were going to have the best light since the sunset was going to be prematurely blocked by marine clouds on the horizon. As promised, the flight eventually became much rougher as we flew over the highest mountains en route to the outer coast. As we worked the small plane into position to start taking pictures, I looked down 14,000 feet to Lituya Bay and reminisced about the week that I spent there photographing wildflowers in June 2009. I opened the window every few minutes, but the combination of cold air rushing in and turbulence made me regret not having taken a Dramamine earlier. The prominent ridges and shadows beneath the mountain appealed to my vision of how I wanted to photograph the mountain. I had to concentrate like never before in order to open the window and use my camera through the hard-banking and bumps. Physically, this was one of the most challenging photos that I have created, but I am pleased with the results.

Mt McKinley Sunrise Aerial 3

Posted on November 1, 2010 December 8, 2012

This image of Mt McKinley is from the sunrise flight that I did over the Alaska Range in September. I had a lot of fun flying with the doors removed; the only downside was that I had to wear so many clothes to stay warm. I got a deal from pilot Don Lee to fly in his small Piper aircraft, but I forgot to consider that a smaller plane might not be able to reach the altitude that I like to shoot from. We only managed to coax the plane up to about 9000′, rather than the 12,000′ elevation that I normally shoot from in a Cessna. However, if I had been up any higher, the glaciers and ridges would not have provided as much depth leading up to the summit. I created this image with my Canon 5DmkII and Carl Zeiss 50mm f1.4 ZE lens.

Siffluer River Sunset 2

Posted on October 29, 2010 December 8, 2012

Here is another photo that I created during my recent Banff National Park photo tour. I am surprised by how much I like this image, since I remember walking away from this shoot in a dour mood after being denied an epic sunset. While scouting the river, I discovered this clearing which framed the mountains and allowed flowing water for my foreground. The spot-light illuminating the mountain happened so briefly that I could not have created this image had I not had my camera set up in advance. Using my Singh-Ray LB Warming Polarizer in the shade of the river bank required an exposure of a 1/2 second or longer. This exposure rendered the water silky smooth. I also used my 3-stop Hard graduated neutral density filter to balance the exposure. I placed the filter above the trees at a slight angle down and to the right. Another interesting technical note is that I used my Canon 17-40mm f4 lens for the first time in a while in order to shoot this super-wide image. I love my Carl Zeiss lenses, but they are expensive so I do not own one that is wider than 28mm. It was a beautiful fall day to be out in the woods. I can still hear the gentle rush of the river, and there is nothing quite as affirming as a few “Hey, bears!” when walking back to the car through grizzly country in the dark.