Mossy Rocks

Mossy Rocks

ALAK08D-38

July 23, 2008

There are those pictures you come back to when you've had time away, revisiting the collection that gets shuffled away on the hard drive, and a certain picture strikes you like it didn't before.  That is how I feel about this image.  I took it, loving the matted pattern of the moss on these rocks in Dutch Harbor, Alaska.  But looking at it at first glance it was flat and boring.  Upon reflection, coming back to it this week as I perused the Alaska images, while it was still flat, I loved the soft green tones that ran throughout the frame, from the light grassy notes to the dark forest or moss greens.  It was peaceful, a still life from the sea, the conglomeration of rocks and their hairy coverings.  So I decided to send it up here for everyone to see.  Enjoy.
 

Technical notes:

Camera: Nikon D80

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

Focal length: 48mm

Exposure: 1/40   f/5   ISO 200

Post-processing: Toning and 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