Washin'

Washin'

NOLA09D-63

April 19, 2009

While my advisor would not approve, during a long conference, eventually you get saturated with the science and the meetings and the wearing of ties, and you have to escape.  When the Experimental Biology conference was in New Orleans, it gave me a great opportunity to flee the convention center and head out into the city, armed with just a camera and a 50mm lens.  There was such a diversity in the districts of New Orleans, an atmosphere that was so different than other cities, and more than a few scenes that were throwbacks to a different time.  This laundromat, found in the Garden District, had that old-time look to it.  A few chairs sitting outside for folks to sit and watch the world turn as their clothes spun.  The signage, the lone person sitting in a tank top, all bespoke of former days, and it all came together as a single image.

Technical notes:

Camera: Nikon D80

Lens: Nikon 50 f/1.4

Focal length:  50 mm

Exposure: 1/800 sec @ f/5.6, ISO 200

Post-processing: Desaturation, minor curves adjustment in PS4 & LR1.4

Dads knew Filters

This post, from Dads are the Original Hipsters, pays tribute to the crazy photo filters that once dominated catalogs from camera companies, and their modern age digital equivalents.  The blog dominates in snide comments to modern hipsters and their proclivities, from messenger bags to skinny jeans.  

From yesterday's posting on DatOH: "Your dad knew about photo filters before you did and he’s got the lens attachments to prove it. He was a master of world recalibration that used honed glass to send 35mm moments on drug trips. Each shutter pull shot 4x6 hallucinations and captured altered images through his collection of laced lenses.   So hipsters, next time you’re using instagr.am to show everyone on Facebook what your brunch looks like and you can’t decide on what filter makes it look best, remember this… If your dad’s photos hadn’t inspired your app, everyone would be able to see how shitty of a photographer you really are."

I loved the last sentence, because it does encapsulate some of what I feel has saturated photography these days.  Instagr.am and other apps have made this sort of manipulation easy, in an attempt to turn everyday, hum drum snapshots into larger, more artistic creations.  But it is, in this photographer's opinion, gimmicky and false.  While those effects (and others... from Lomo-esque shots to shortened depth of field images) have some place to help augment a good image, they do nothing to help a mediocre image (which are the majority of pictures taken by cell phones and posted online).  They end up looking cheap and contrived, a cry to be creative while taking the road of least artistic imagination and passion.  Remember: friends don't let friends use cheap, artificial filters.  Just don't do it.

The Rain and the Sun

The Rain and the Sun

PLAN07D-37

April 7, 2007

Macro photography can be so challenging, and yet so seemingly simple, all at the same time.  We try to capture this tiny, magnified slice of life, usually a flower, insect, or texture, and it is really an endeavor to enlarge our own perspective.  We spend our time going by so quickly, not (to use the cliché) stopping to smell the roses, and sometimes the details can be lost.  I think that macro photography is about re-centering my vision, concentrating on something so small and seemingly insignificant, yet that is detailed and beautiful in its own right.  This flower, the color change, the detail of the stamens, the dew drops on the leaves; in an ordinary photograph this would pass as just a smear of color in a larger scene, barely worthy of note.  But here, letting it take center stage, highlights all of those aspects, and makes me more aware of what is around me as I hike, or walk through a city, or pick up a camera.

Technical notes:

Camera: Nikon D80

Lens: Nikon 105 f/2.8 micro

Focal length:  105 mm

Exposure: 1/250 sec @ f/16, ISO 400

Post-processing: Minor curves adjustment in PS4 & LR1.4

Flying to the Summer Sky

Flying to the Summer Sky

ILLN07D-45

August 12, 2007

Following up the post from last week of the Santa Monica Ferris wheel, today's image comes from the Illinois State Fair a few years back.  I was attracted to this scene because of its levity.  the kids, spinning around and around in the chain-linked chairs, give off that vibe of youthful energy and possibility.  Adding in the lone clouds makes it seem even more like they're flying, escaping the summer and taking to the air.  And the monochrome just fit perfectly, with good contrast in the scene.  It was not my favorite image when I first was cataloging everything, but as I look at it more and more, I like the imagery and the feeling that it invokes.

Technical notes:

Camera: Nikon D80

Lens: Nikon 18-135 f/3.5-5.6

Focal length:  28 mm

Exposure: 1/200 sec @ f/8, ISO 100

Post-processing: Desaturation, minor curves adjustment in PS4 & LR1.4

The Lake of Mono

The Lake of Mono

MONO07D-1

July 14, 2007

It is fitting, perhaps, that this image was made in monochrome, as it is the infamous Mono Lake in California.  Sitting just a hop away from the eastern edge of the Sierra, this lake has crazy rock formations jutting up from the center, reminiscent of the hoodoos of Bryce Canyon.  The water has been drained for irrigation, showing more and more of the rocks that had been submerged for centuries.  The image, with the clouds and the seeming monotone of the rocks, was perfect for a black and white composition.  The strong skies above helped accentuate the mood of the lake.

Technical notes:

Camera: Nikon D80

Lens: Nikon 18-135 f/3.5-5.6

Focal length:  26 mm

Exposure: 1/80 sec @ f/16, ISO 100

Post-processing: Desaturation, minor curves adjustment in PS4 & LR1.4

The Hand of Wat Si Chum

The Hand of Wat Si Chum

THAI041324

June 23, 2004

This is without a doubt my favorite temple in Thailand. This tower has an air of mystery and magnificence about it which is unforgettable. The Temple was reconstructed after it's "discovery" by European archaeologists, using the original brickwork as much as possible. The Buddha is about 15m tall, in a courtyard that just barely fits his legs, 11m wide. It lends a feeling of impressive size and humility to the statue. There is a walkway in the stone wall surrounding the courtyard, which contains over 50 images painted centuries ago depicting scenes of the Buddha's life. That is usually closed and gated, but I always dream of going in there one day. 

 

This is an image from a long time ago, during my first excursion from the United States, when I was still shooting film on a regular basis (well-before the digital age crept up to me).  Ilford Delta 400 film was used in a Nikon N80 camera, and then was scanned by a Nikon LS-5000.  The rich depth of tones that the Ilford film gave me reminds me to this day how wonderful this medium can be, and makes me harken back to those days when you didn't know what you shot until it came back from the lab. 

Technical notes:

Camera: Nikon N80

Lens: Nikon 28-105 f/3.5-5.6

Focal length:  ~100 mm

Exposure: n/a, ISO 400, Ilford Delta 400

Post-processing: Scan on Nikon LS-5000, minor curves adjustment in PS4 & LR1.4

Thundering Across the Plains

Thundering Across the Plains

THRO09D-72

July 11, 2009

Watched this train storm past the badlands formations of Theodore Roosevelt National Park, just after a summer shower had passed us by and broken up into puffy cumulus clouds.  The badlands of North Dakota are often overlooked for their more famous cousins in the south, but these have an interesting, rustic setting, appearing out of nowhere in the plains of North Dakota to drop into canyons and buttes.  I felt here that the higher contrast of monochrome would highlight the cumulus clouds better, and help eliminate some of the distractions that I perceived looking on the image.

Technical notes:

Camera: Nikon D80

Lens: Nikon 18-135 f/3.5-5.6

Focal length:  38 mm

Exposure: 1/50 sec @ f/16, ISO 100

Post-processing: Desaturation, minor curves adjustment in PS4 & LR1.4

Dawn Breaks Along the Nenana

Dawn Breaks Along the Nenana

ALAK08D-413

August 1, 2008

This early morning hike led me up from the Visitor's Center of Denali National Park along the Mt. Healy Trail.  The few trails which do exist in the park are concentrated near the entrance area. Most of them are mild hikes, wandering through the taiga forest. Mt. Healy Overlook is an exception. This hike runs a seemingly short 2.3 miles one-way... until you realize that during those miles you also climb nearly 1,700 feet in elevation. It can be steep sometimes, as much as a 25% grade at some points. It can be quite a haul, moving up the trail. But the views are well worth it.

From the trail, and the outlook, you can see far into the valley, even to the Nenana river. It is breathtaking, looking over the taiga forest below.  As it was early morning, the sun was coming up over the eastern ridge, and was breaking up the clouds that had plagued us the day before.  It was a breathtaking scene, well worth the trudge up the slopes.

Technical notes:

Camera: Nikon D80

Lens: Nikon 18-135 f/3.5-5.6

Focal length:  112 mm

Exposure: 1/10 sec @ f/25, ISO 100

Post-processing: Desaturation, minor curves adjustment in PS4

Sprialing Succulent

Sprialing Succulent

PLAN07D-29

April 7, 2007

Ah, the cactus.  Champion of the prickly touch and the CAM photosynthetic pathways, a terrific evolutionary organism.  And, in certain lights, they are quite pretty as well.  This particular cactus was captured on a morning after a rain and a heavy dew, with the droplets sprinkled over the lobed leaves.  He's quite pretty, and I wanted to bring the spiral of spines and water back out into the light.
** 1st place, Champaign County Camera Club, Spring 2009, "Flora"

Technical notes:

Camera: Nikon D80

Lens: Nikon 105 f/2.8 micro

Focal length:  105 mm

Exposure: 1/100 sec @ f/8, ISO 400

Post-processing: Minor curves adjustment in PS4

Spring Morning Over the Valley of Death

Spring Morning Over the Valley of Death

DEVA07D-80

March 31, 2007

A friend of mine is planning a visit to Death Valley National Park, and that prompted me to go back through some photos of the time I was last there, just over four years ago.  The park is a strange concoction of barren austerity and the vibrance of life, how it struggles (and even flourishes) against all odds.  Death Valley regularly posts some of the hottest temperatures in the country, and among the highest in the world.  It is also the lowest point in North America.  But despite the sand, and the heat, wildflowers can about after a brief spring rainfall, and in the cool morning light, even the immense dunes take on a gentle, welcoming appearance. 

Technical notes:

Camera: Nikon D80

Lens: NIkon 28-105 f/3.5-4.5

Focal length:  105 mm

Exposure: 1/80 sec @ f/8, ISO 100

Post-processing: Minor curves adjustment in PS4

Storm Over the Black Hills

Storm Over the Black Hills

SDAK09D-126

July 8, 2009

Storms hold a particular attraction to most people.  They're one part of Mother Nature that is beyond our control, we are helpless in their grasp.  And, as inconvenient as they make modern life (getting wet while going to work, electric lightning strikes knock out power, general impedance of your day), they are so essential to maintaining life across this planet.  So perhaps we look up to them as well, in a combination of fear and respect. 

Few places I've encountered storms like one sees in the midwest of the United States.  From the Black Hills of South Dakota to the flat plains of Illinois, the summer storms rage across the land, large cumulus clouds that grow and evolve and finally burst over you in a satanic fury, black clouds dumping rain and energy on the ground below.  This storm, seen here in the Black Hills, was just entering the area.  The pleasant, puffy white clouds that had dominated the day were being pushed away by a southerly wind, drawing in the darkness seen on the left.  Within 15 minutes the sky had undergone a Mr. Hyde transformation, and the storm broke soon after.  Luckily, with the rage and energy of midwest storms, they pass quickly; this storm was over and cleared out before nightfall.

Technical notes:

Camera: Nikon D80

Lens: Sigma 10-20 f/4-5.6

Focal length:  mm

Exposure: 1/60 sec @ f/16, ISO 100

Post-processing: Splicing and panoramic construction, curves adjustment in PS4

Springtime for Mexican Pine

Springtime for Mexican Pine

PLAN07D-21

April 7, 2007

One cloudy, rainy April day, I set off to the University of California Botanical Gardens, located up the hill behind the university.  A fabulous place to venture out and browse, it has a vast array of plant life, and the conditions are ideal for macro photography (not too many visitors, secluded area with usually low wind).  I came across this Mexican Yellow Pine (Pinus patula), which was putting out a new set of cones.  The moisture from the night's rainfall were hanging on the yellow cones, making it a captivating shot, and the curve of the branch turned the photo nicely, drawing your eye across the scene.

Technical notes:

Camera: Nikon D80

Lens: Nikon 105 f/2.8 micro

Focal length:  105 mm

Exposure: 1/30 sec @ f/13, ISO 400

Post-processing: Minor curves adjustment in PS4

Mysterious Taiga

Mysterious Taiga

ALAK09D-339_pan

September 2, 2009

Our trip to Alaska had been beset by weather, meaning we were unable to head out to the Aleutian islands to complete our workshop.  Instead, we grabbed a car and wound south, through the seeming endless coniferous forests of the peninsula.  The weather was ominous, but also lending an air of mystery to the landscape, these forests hearkened back to times of legend.  This panoramic, stitched from 2 different images, captures some of that aura.  The river, winding down to an unknown hill, lost in the fog and clouds, with a single puff of cloud hugging the hill on the right.  And all through, that blanket of green enveloping the entire scene.

Technical notes:

Camera: Nikon D80

Lens: Nikon 18-200 f/3.5-6.3

Focal length: 36 mm

Exposure: 1/30 sec @ f/16, ISO 100

Post-processing: Splicing and panoramic construction, curves adjustment in PS4

Endless Horizons

Endless Horizons

BADL09D-93

July 4, 2009

Before one of the workshops that I teach, this one in North Dakota working with the five tribes and the United Tribal Technical College, I decided to take a little vacation.  Despite some reservations I had about spending time in the Dakotas, I headed out to see some of this least-visited region.  I was astounded.  I spent a little over a week in the Badlands of South and North Dakota and the Black Hills.  It was quite a beautiful area, the Badlands reminding me a lot of the canyons of the Southwest.  It was also a chance for me to be alone on the 4th of July, something I have not experienced very much.  It is such a social holiday, to spend the 3rd of July on the road and the 4th on the trail, was quite a unique treat.  It also started a tradition of hiking on the 4th of July, which has continued up to this day.

The image was taken just north of Badlands National Park.  That park is remarkable as you can't see it until you're right upon it; they don't rise very high, but have been dredged out of the ground.  So the rolling hills of hay suddenly descend into these canyons.  But outside the park, these large open spaces teemed with fields, those waves of grain (that wasn't quite amber yet); in the summer light, the storm was breaking up, and these clouds went dotting across the sky.  It was a perfect summer scape, very apropos for our national holiday. 

Technical notes:

Camera: Nikon D80

Lens: Sigma 10-20 f/4-5.6

Focal length: 20 mm

Exposure: 1/160 sec @ f/16, ISO 100

Post-processing: Toning, curves adjustment in PS4

Lights Along the Beach

Lights Along the Beach

CALI06D-14

December 23, 2006

Summer is in full swing in North Carolina, with the twin devils of high heat and high humidity.  These warm days bring to mind a number of classic summer images, and the fair is one of the definite highlights of summer to a kid (or most adults).  That carefree atmosphere, the food, the games, and the rides.  Garrison Keillor wrote a terrific piece for the National Geographic reminiscing about the state fair and all that it entails.

This photo, which to me invokes these ideas of nighttime hi-jinks and fairs, was taken in the dead of winter.  Being Los Angeles (Santa Monica, specifically), it of course never gets cold, and the ferris wheel lights up and runs all year long.  The image at night was begging for monochrome, and the winter sky kept the humidity and the haze away, leaving this long shot along the pier, with the lights of Santa Monica in the distance.

Technical notes:

Camera: Nikon D80

Lens: Nikon 18-135 f/3.5-5.6

Focal length: 18 mm

Exposure: 2.5 sec @ f/8, ISO 200

Post-processing: Desaturation,  curves adjustment in PS4

6 Strange Cameras from Mental Floss

While this blog is mainly devoted to the images I've experienced and created over the years, every once in a while something comes through the internet, photographically-related, that just begs sharing. 

This blog post from the folks at Mental Floss highlights 6 improbable and unique cameras.  Some of them are just bizarre (the skull immediately comes to mind), but some of them present some interesting ideas. 

The one attached to a gun stock seems actually quite practical.  Imagine the stability you'd get from pinning the camera-gun stock to your shoulder rather than trying to hold it up to your face?  As most riflers can attest to, with good breathing and practice, you can get very low vibrations, which would translate into longer permissible shutter speeds.  Who needs VR?

A Story of Lichen

A Story of Lichen

ALAK11D-80

July 20, 2011

One of the greatest courses I have taken throughout my academic career, which has been extensive (much to my mixed feelings) was mycology.  In it, I learned about this world that I barely knew existed.  It was eye-opening, fascinating, intriguing.  Seeing this tangle along a branch in Alaska brought me back to that class, and got me thinking about how intricate simple, small compositions can really be.  This branch represents probably close to a half dozen distinct species, all living and working for and against each other in this small space.  It was so much diversity that it wouldn't even fit within the depth of field.

The branch, and its clear depiction of the species, bore a likeness to those old scientific pictures taken on expeditions to the wild interiors of continents across the globe.  Hence the tinting and monochrome nature of this image, trying to simply but clearly depict some of the wondrous aspects of nature that exist.

Technical notes:

Camera: Nikon D80

Lens: Nikon 105 f/2.8 micro

Focal length: 105 mm

Exposure: 1/500 sec @ f/3.5, ISO 400

Post-processing: Desaturation, toning, curves adjustment in PS4

Blue Ridge in Infrared

Blue Ridge in Infrared

NCAR11D-156_HDR

May 29, 2011

After taking the Ph.D. preliminary exam, I felt the need for a little relaxation and unwinding.  Four straight months of studying will do that to you.  As my reward, I spent Memorial Day weekend hiking through the Nantahala National Forest, making a loop around the headwaters of the Nantahala river, part of which was along the Appalachian Trail.  This forest was beautiful, rhododendron groves that hugged the trail,making you hike through a tunnel at times.  The second night I spend up on Standing Indian, which had views out to the west over the Blue Ridge Mountains.  Sitting up there, with this view straight from my tent, was incredible.


However, the weather wasn't quite cooperating.  The color version of the photo did not do the landscape justice, and didn't reveal the stark contrasts that I could see through my eyes.  So I resorted to a great medium, the infrared.  Highlighting the foliage of the near trees, which dance in the wind, I feel this is a much more powerful statement of this particular point in time. 

Technical notes:

Camera: Nikon D80

Lens: Nikon 18-135 f/3.5-5.6

Focal length: 44 mm

Exposure: var @ f/11, ISO 400

Post-processing: HDR image stitched from 5 exposures in Photomatix, colors desaturated and infrared instituted, minor curves adjustment in PS4

Heo Suwat's Rainbow

Heo Suwat's Rainbow

THAI10D-104_HDR

November 24, 2010

Another image from Thailand today, this time from Heo Suwat Falls.  This beautiful secluded waterfall is found in Khao Yai National Park, Thailand, and is reached through a steep staircase cut into the rockwall surrounding this little grotto.  The water spills about 20 m from the cliff into a small pool, then runs through large boulders before resuming its journey downstream.  There is no swimming, and the afternoon sun catches the spray and throws up small rainbows (seen just to the left of the main cascade). 

Technical notes:

Camera: Nikon D80

Lens: Nikon 18-135 f/3.5-5.6

Focal length: 22 mm

Exposure: var @ f/16, ISO 100

Post-processing: HDR image stitched from 5 exposures in Photomatix, colors naturalized and minor curves adjustment in PS4

Growling Male Macaque

Growling male macaque

THAI10D-56

November 24, 2010

Hiking across Khao Yai National Park, in Thailand, last November.  As we approached the troupe of northern pig-tailed macaques (Macaca leonina), this brightly colored male thought our group was too close to the troupe's females and young, and was very vocal in his opposition to our presence.  His had a beautiful multicolored face with something looking like mascara highlighting the eyes and you can see those sharp canines giving us fair warning.  We nabbed a few shots, and steered clear of the group. Enjoy.

Technical notes:

Camera: Nikon D80

Lens: Nikon 80-200 f/2.8

Focal length: 200 mm

Exposure: 1/1000 sec. @ f/2.8, ISO 400

Post-processing: Minor curves and color adjustment in PS4, final sharpening in LR1.4

Dead Man's Tree

Dead Man's Tree

COLO10D-61

December 26, 2010

Today's image comes from Colorado.  In the hills above Fort Collins, a set of canyons make up the Horsetooth Mountain Open Space, which is home to a nice collection of trails that run up and down the hills, as well as housing a waterfall.  The Horsetooth Falls Trail has become a sort of holiday tradition with my family (if you can call making the same trek two years in a row a tradition), and it is a good way to stretch the legs.  Also, for someone living in the East now, having a chance to walk again amongst the cacti and pine and the dry air that make up a Western landscape is definitely a treat.  This tree hangs out by the trailside as you come over one ridge, and is always an iconic sight of the West, but also an ominous one as well.  I like how the tree emerges from the boulders at the base, and its lone arm overhangs and frames the pine and scrubland of the background.

Technical notes:

Camera: Nikon D80

Lens: Nikon 18-135 f/3.5-5.6

Focal length: 20 mm

Exposure: 1/400 sec. @ f/10, ISO 400

Post-processing: Minor light white balance correction, saturation and color adjustment in PS4, final sharpening in LR1.4

Summer over the Alaska Range

Summer over the Alaska Range 

ALAK11D-43_pan

July 19, 2011

This panoramic was taken along the George Parks highway, en route from Anchorage to Fairbanks.  As we drove along, the peak of Denali finally came into view, as some last clouds streaked past the top.  Her summit had been hidden the entire time, keeping us guessing whether we'd even get a chance to witness the tallest mountain in North America.  But all of the pieces came together in the end, and we were rewarded with this quintessential view of the Alaska Range in the summertime, with blue skies and streaky, puffy clouds, with those glacier-capped mountains in the background.

Technical notes:

Camera: Nikon D80

Lens: Nikon 18-125 f/3.5-5.6

Focal length: 105mm

Exposure: 1/320 sec. @ f/16, ISO 400

Post-processing: Stitch of 2 images in PS4, light WB correction and color adjustment, final sharpening in LR1.4

Welcome

Hello there!  This is a new blog that I'm going to try launching, in an attempt to re-invigorate my photography through the trials and tribulations of grad school.  It will feature my own photography, along with some side comments, on a semi-regular basis (everyday would be ideal, but grad school prevents it... so for now we're going to say semi-weekly and leave it at that).  I welcome all comments about the blog, its layout, its content, and the photographs therein.  Thanks for reading, and I hope to interact with you more in the future as this blog gets rolling along.