Flags over Peaceful Water

Flags over Peaceful Water

BHUT10D-250

November 19, 2010


Hopping over a bit, today we revisit Bhutan, and the set of prayer flags that drape over the pond at the Royal Botanical Garden (which is more like a National Park).  Prayer flags are always supposed to be situated close to the water, and this long string is positioned right over the water, creating a beautiful mirror image in the placid lake.  I struggled whether to do this image in black and white or color... I like the color of the prayer flags, but the light isn't too spectacular.  So I'm posting it in monochrome for the moment, perhaps I'll go back and also post the color version so you all can let me know which you prefer.  But, in the meantime, enjoy.

Technical notes:

Camera: NIkon D80
Lens: Nikon 18-105 mm f/3.5-5.6

Focal length: 40 mm

Exposure: 1/100   f/6.3   ISO 400

Post-processing: Toning and curves adjustment in PS4 and LR

Energy Turning

Energy Turning

KENY10D-175

March 23, 2010


As much as I love the outdoors, I also love protecting it, and that means (in one respect) the pursuit of alternative energy.  I will not jump on my soapbox this morning, but instead show  quick image I took while in Kenya, working with traditional healers and medicinal plants.  We went out to do some light harvesting and inventorying and there was a row of huge wind turbines (the van we took is at the lower left for comparison) on the ridge above Nairobi.  These large generators were slowly turning in the afternoon breezes as we worked, the clouds rolling by to provide a backdrop to their pursuit of clean energy.  Enjoy.

Technical notes:

Camera: NIkon D80
Lens: Nikon 18-135 mm f/3.5-5.6

Focal length: 18 mm

Exposure: 1/2500   f/3.5   ISO 400

Post-processing: Toning and curves adjustment in PS4 and LR

Spring Cascade

Spring Cascade
NCAR10D-199

April 3, 2010

Starting off the week still in North Carolina, during my first backpacking excursion in the state.  I had found this gorgeous little camp spot next to the river, under the shade of rhododendron trees, and the next morning I got up, filtering water while sitting on a boulder and watching the spring water cascade past boulders.  It was such a peaceful way to wake up and start the day, utterly quiet save the murmur of the water.  If only that could happen every day :).  Enjoy, and have a good weekend.

Technical notes:

Camera: Nikon D80

Lens: Nikon 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6

Focal length:  135 mm

Exposure: 4/5 @ f/25   ISO 100

Post-processing: Minor tone adjusted with PS 4 and LR 1.4.

Destinations: Wat Si Chum, Sukhothai, Thailand

Destinations: Wat Si Chum, Sukhothai

Thailand
17.0211, 99.7036

This is the first Destinations File that I share where I have been, and would encourage others to go.  The city of Sukhothai, located in central Thailand, is a historical city of the first kingdom of Thailand.  As with most historical ruins, the dwellings of everyday people no longer remain, having long ago been ravaged by the forces of war, climate, and time.  What is left is a beautiful temple complex containing many beautifully restored Buddhist temples, or wats.  Of these, my favorite is Wat Si Chum, and the photography of this post will highlight that particular wat.

Wat Si Chum (The Temple Of The Bodhi Tree) is believed to be dated back to the 13th century. The Buddha statue sits 11 meters high, surrounded by walls that are 15 meters in height, also known as a Mandapa.  The width of the Buddha means that it dominates the small enclosure, and now it is open to the sky, though once there was a roof overhead. 










The temple was re-discovered by the archaeologist Louis Fournereau in 1891. Wat Si Chum is one of the most historically significant temples in Thailand, and is apparently the most studied of any Thai Temple. King Rama VI wrote about Wat Si Chum in a book written while he was the Crown Prince.





The walls are  about 3 meters thick, and conceal a small entry way with stairs to a corridor that rings about the small wat.  Inside the corridor ceiling are more than fifty engraved slate slabs, dating back to the mid 14th century, illustrating scenes from the Jataka tales, stories of the Buddha’s previous lives.  Unfortuantely this passageway is closed to normal tourists, I would have loved to get a peak inside. 

The hands of the Buddha are also covered in gold foil, put there by worshippers as offering to the Buddha.  Youc an see the squares on the hands, though since these photographs were taken on black and white film (pre-digital for me), you'll have to continue to imagine how they would look in real life.  Better yet, go see for yourself!  Enjoy.

Waves of Stone

Waves of Stone

ZION030007

August 2003

Again touring the southwest today, this image comes from the eastern side of Zion National Park, beyond the eponymous canyon.  Here the landscape opens up a little, and the sandstone that marks the red rock of Utah pulls away from the trail in gentle curves.  It looks like a wave, gathering power and height, though we know it will never burst upon us.  Still, a beautiful abstract image for a Thursday.  Enjoy.
 

Technical notes:

Camera: NIkon N80
Film: Fuji Velvia 50

Lens: Nikon 28-105 mm f/3.5-4.5

Focal length: 28 mm

Exposure: 1/200   f/4.5 

Post-processing: Scanned on a Nikon Coolscan 5000, texture,toning and curves adjustment in PS4

Bryce Storm

Bryce Storm

BRCA030118

August 2003

While hiking along the rim of the gorgeous Bryce Canyon, As I came along the ridge, the clouds that had been gathering the last couple of days joined together and came streaming, ominously over the horizon.  I was able to find this lone pine, which looked like it had been through a few storms itself, straggling along the red rock.  However, this seemed to be more conducive to a monochrome image, as it conveyed the approaching storm better.  The major let-down of this image, I think, is in the post-processing.  It was shot on Fuji Velvia film, and then scanned, which is never a perfect way of doing things.  A better scanner probably would have made the image clearer, and reduced some of the artificial effects that I can see, but no use crying over spilled milk.  It is still a nice image from a beautiful location.  Enjoy.
 

Technical notes:

Camera: NIkon N80
Film: Fuji Velvia 50

Lens: Sigma 20mm f/2.8

Focal length: 20 mm

Exposure: 1/200   f/4.5 

Post-processing: Scanned on a Nikon Coolscan 5000, texture,toning and curves adjustment in PS4

Wide Open Rivers

Wide Open Rivers

THOR09D-21

July 10, 2009

Floating down the river this morning, after a long weekend of Thanksgiving eats and treats.  This image comes from North Dakota, another from the badlands area just outside of Theodore Roosevelt National Park.  Canoeing down the headwaters of the Missouri river, which flows north through the park before making an abrupt u-turn to head south along the grasslands of the prairie.  But for this stretch, it is cool, winding, very brown, and makes it a perfect way to relax against a summer sky.  Enjoy.

Technical notes:

Camera: Nikon D80

Lens: Nikon 18-135 f/3.5-5.6

Focal length:  18 mm

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

Post-processing: Desaturated, cropped down with slight contrast and tone adjustment, sharpening in PS4 & LR1.4

Hard Life on the Paramo

Hard Life on the Paramo

ECUA08D-538

January 27, 2008

Above the treeline of Ecuador, far from the tropical jungles and misty cloud forests, there is the paramo.  This alpine ecosystem is a grassland that extends up to the rocky bareness of the mountainsides.  It is beautiful, with the sweeping views between icy peaks, but it also can be a harsh life, as evidenced by this bull, found while hiking along near Mt. Ruminahui in Cotopaxi National Park.  It was a grizzly reminder of how harsh conditions can be out in the wilderness, even in a beautiful and seemingly idyllic setting.

Technical notes:

Camera: Nikon D80

Lens: Sigma 10-20 f/3.5-5.6

Focal length:  10 mm

Exposure: 1/8 @ f/22 ISO 100

Post-processing: Desaturated in LR1.4, tone, sharpness adjusted in PS 4 and LR 1.4.

Kenyan Kloud Kreations

Kenyan Kloud Kreations

KENY10D-346

March 20, 2010

Clouds, as I'm sure I've mentioned before, are truly a magnificent creation.  And there are no two that are alike, much like persons, but they also hold a regionality to them that is not always apparent.  I remember clouds in California, growing up.  They were usually cold masses moving off the Pacific, monotone and flat, bringing rain in the winter (for it pretty much never rains in the summer).  Then there were those clouds that spring up in the midwest.  They have no mountains to hinder their formation, and consequently you get these large, multi-storied creations, that are a dazzle to behold.  These imperious water vapor towers roam over the landscape at will, and perhaps unleash violent storms when they see fit.  I hadn't seen their like, until visiting Kenya.  Here this tremendous mass was sweeping over the savanna, and the dark underbellies were unleashing springtime rains as they went.  Truly incredible.  Enjoy.

Technical notes:

Camera: Nikon D80

Lens: Nikon 18-135 f/3.5-5.6

Focal length:  44 mm

Exposure: 1/1250 @ f/4.8 ISO 100

Post-processing: Desaturation in PS 4, minor tone adjusted with PS 4 and LR 1.4.

The Limits of Post-Processing

One of the debates that rages, at least in certain circles, is what constitutes a great (or even an above-average) photographer, given the technology that predominates in our society.  There are so many ways of doctoring, re-touching, and enhancing your images post-shooting that were not available to photographers of former years.  Some of these techniques are able to faithfully represent the image before the photographer's eye and convey that to the viewer, and those, in my humble opinion, are the procedures worth keeping and using.  Something like high dynamic range (HDR) composites.  They have the potential to produce additional detail and help create a scene more like our eyes would see it (unless you go for the bad-acid-trip-HDR sort of images), and I have no doubt that Ansel or Galen, were they alive today, would be lining up to put HDR to use to create even more eye-dropping, envy-inspiring photographs.

However, there are a number of techniques that are no more than gimmicks, and this recent post on gizmodo (thanks to Deva at Perhaps Picture Perfect for the link) highlights those very well.  The black-and-white-with-a-spot-of-color, the fades in the corners, the bad cropping and collage-ing/merging, all are on display to show what you should not do.  Prepare to grimmace, and maybe even run away in horror.  One of my favorites?

 I almost cringe to post this shot on this blog, but it is too hilarious to let go unmentioned.  The color spotting on the dress, makes it look like she wet herself red, or was shot in the belly.  It adds absolutely nothing, in fact only detracting from the otherwise pleasant (though bland) black and white portrait.

The parent site that prompted the gizmodo post is entitled You Are Not a Photographer, and is a pretty funny site with snarky comments.  I think the title "fauxtog" should be more widely circulated.  Wow.

Overlooking the Missouri

Overlooking the Missouri

THRO09D-90

July 11, 2009

Today's image comes from North Dakota, in Theodore Roosevelt National Park, despite the name of the post.  Surprisingly enough, the Missouri River has its origins in the western part of North Dakota, flowing north until it makes a hairpin turn and then flows south, assuming its normal course and look.  But here, in the badlands of North Dakota, the river flows amongst the sharp white cliffs that plateau out at the horizon, past scrubland, mule deer, and yucca as it slowly carves out the landscape, deepening the canyons.  While this image was originally in color, it didn't have the right feel to it, and the stronger contrast between the whitish cliffs and the dark land beyond was more conducive to a monochrome.  Enjoy.

Technical notes:

Camera: Nikon D80

Lens: Sigma 10-20 f/4-5.6

Focal length:  10 mm

Exposure: 1 sec @ f/16, ISO 100

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

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

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

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

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

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