Composite Result: Vermillion Lakes

Final composite of the two images below. Vermillion Lakes Under the Stars, Banff, Canada. 

Long night exposure of the stars and glow from the Town of Banff.

Last bit of light on Mt. Rundle. Blended with the night shot above to bring out detail in foreground grass and create the top image. 

I promised in one of my Canada posts that I would share the night composite I did at Vermillion Lakes in Banff. I'm still learning Photoshop, and trying to figure out how I will implement it into my own photographic vision. I'm a big believer in getting the image as you see it in camera at the moment of capture (which is why I like using filters), but there are times when the camera cannot capture your intended vision in camera. After seeing a blog post by Sean Bagshaw on the Photo Cascadia blog, and communicating with Sean about his own process, I knew I wanted to try this technique of blending images in Photoshop. It takes a lot of patience and will, both during the shooting process and the post process, but it pays off in the end. Even if this image isn't the best night composite ever, now I know how it is done and I will be able to create images I never thought I could. That's just it about this whole photography thing: There is always something to learn! 

Quickclips: Time-Lapse Medley

Hope you enjoy this random medley of time-lapse videos.  Happy Easter!

Southwestern Adventure: Monument Valley

Mittens View is by far the most recognized if not most photographed part of Monument Valley.  I enjoyed the 17 mile off-road loop, but didn’t get anything that jumped out at me photographically.  So I stuck to the Mittens View photographing from the base to the overlook. My campsite even overlooked the Mittens, which was very convenient for both night and sunrise shots.  My time at Monument Valley was mostly relaxing as most of the wonder was right in front of me.  There were areas I wanted to explore, but were restricted and only allowed if accompanied by a well paid guide.  Even though I was photographing essentially the same scene over and over I wanted to make each take unique.  Different light, different angle, different focal length, different eye.  The shooting never stopped.  Even when I was running back down the sandy hill I just hiked up to retrieve my forgotten tripod, I was taking pictures.  Light changes, your eye can catch a view differently and things can come together at a moment’s notice.  The key is to be ready for that moment and have the patience to wait to capture it. 

Tomorrow:  Antelope Canyon

Southwestern Adventure: Arches NP

I have returned from my southwestern photo trip with an arsenal of new images.  I am so excited about photography and the possibilities for creatively expressing your experiences and telling your own story.  I had some shots in mind that I wanted to capture and I was able to bring home several more.  My first shot was to get the milky way/night sky in the background of an arch.  I made reservations to camp at Devils Garden at Arches National Park which is right next to Skyline Arch.  I got there after sunset and knew I'd only have time for night shots and sunrise at Arches before I had to get to the next location so I had to work quickly.  It took the help of some fellow photographers to find this arch in the dark, and I was very grateful they were willing to help.  I liked the composition of the Milky Way running through the arch opening so I turned to portrait so I could get more of the sky in the shot.  A high ISO and a wide aperture made this night sky photo possible.  

The next morning I got up extra early to get some sunrise shots of landscape arch.  With such a clear sky the most interesting shot was before the sun came up.  The moon was shining behind me and was able to give me just enough light to get some detail in the arch.

With clear skies silhouettes and night shots became my go-to.  The Arches and it's many shapes and rock formations provided great silhouettes. 

Boring skies bring you to the ground.  Reflected light and contrast make this image work for me.

Tomorrow: Canyonlands

Location: Arches & Canyonlands

I know I just had a Moab/Arches post, but I was lucky enough to go again and just couldn't help posting some of my favorite shots.  Last time I did what I could with the time I had.  Again, I had little time, but a better plan for my photography.  It's all about planning.

The Delicate Arch is such a fun arch to photograph.  I love coming around that corner after the mile and a half hike and seeing such an iconic symbol of Utah, and a natural wonder.  I had plenty of time before sunset to explore every angle.  The wind was blowing like crazy, but the shots were flowing in.  I love this shot because it's unique, yet it is still identifiable.  I was getting pummeled with sand and wind and I wanted to show that in the photo somehow.  So I used my ND filter and slowed down the shutter a bit and waited for the bush in the foreground to dance.

There is so much texture in the rocks in Southern Utah and I wanted to capture that in this fine art photo. 

At camp I set up a long exposure to capture some star trails and really liked how they turned out.  I love setting up long exposures because you never really know how it’s going to turn out.  This exposure lasted about 24 minutes.  I knew I wanted the silhouette of the mountain, to show something grounded.  The moon had just gone behind the peak and I knew it was my chance.  The glow from the moon makes the mountain really pop, and pointing toward the North Star makes the trails expand even more into space.

This image breaks all sorts of rules in photography.  Pointing toward the sun, in harsh light, horizon in the middle of the frame, but I think it all works somehow.  I definitely needed my Singh-Ray Warming Polarizer and Reverse Graduated ND filter, to bring back the colors and the sky.  I kind of like how the sun bleeds into the image, kind of washing it out, but not completely.  There was still enough of an angle on the sun to show some of the layers in the canyon walls, and I think that helps the image a lot.  I don’t know why I liked this composition with the horizon in the middle of the frame, but it just seemed to work for me.  

And I couldn’t go to Canyonlands without getting the classic Mesa Arch shot.  It’s a bit too late in the day, and I would have loved to have caught it at sunrise, but it wasn’t in the plans.  Maybe next time.