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

The Deepening Jungle

The Deepening Jungle

GUAT07D-197

June 3, 2007

Central America, the depths of Guatemala, highlight today's image.  This is down from the beautiful Semuc Champey area, and the water is still that bright aquamarine water flowing downstream.  But the hillsides, the jagged limestone that protrudes from the thick canopy of greenery, are so rugged, offering a glimpse of how vicious and wild this landscape can be.  Enjoy.

Technical notes:

Camera: Nikon D80

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

Focal length:  20 mm

Exposure: 1/80 @ f/3.8  ISO 400

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

Badlands Panoramic

Badlands Panoramic

SDAK09D-9_pan

July 3, 2009

Sticking with the Dakota images still, since this one provides such a beautiful landscape and a very sharp depiction of what the Badlands look like.  The colored rock, worn away from eons of action by rivers and inland seas, now lays bare to the view of all, the strata of ages open to the sky.  The whole area is incredible, because it doesn't strike you as canyon country, this small area is surrounded by vast prairie that run right up to the park before falling away.  Driving up to it, you wouldn't know that there were these formations, the land seems so flat (and the Badlands are not mountains, despite what it looks like here... instead you drive/hike down into the canyon, then look back up to where the average height of the land is).  Enjoy.

Technical notes:

Camera: Nikon D80

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

Focal length:  24 mm

Exposure: 1/160 @ f/4  ISO 400

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

Badlands Cactus

Badlands Cactus

BADL09D-64

July 4, 2009

It is fitting that there should be prickly pear growing in the Badlands of South Dakota, that place has such a barren feel to it at times it would be forgiven if you thought you were transported hundreds of miles south to the deserts of Arizona, New Mexico, or southern Utah.  But this spiny inhabitant makes its home in the intricate erosion landscape of the Badlands, and on that gray July 4th day, hiking out in the wilderness it seemed a fitting portrait of the day.  Enjoy.

Technical notes:

Camera: Nikon D80

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

Focal length:  32 mm

Exposure: 1/160 @ f/16  ISO 400

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

Final Approach to the Lookout

Final Approach to the Lookout

BHUT10D-88

November 16, 2010

Wrapping up the week back in Bhutan, this country of beauty and mystery.  Prayer flags are habitually left up forever, no one ever takes them down regardless of their age.  These flags were situated near the top of a trail to the point that overlooked the town of Timphu, down in the valley below, with a sight of the river.  These prayer flags were old and tattered, having long blown their good wishes to the valley below, but remained a beautiful scene, serene in its simplicity and still powerful spirituality.  Enjoy.

Technical notes:

Camera: Nikon D80

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

Focal length:  32 mm

Exposure: 1/160 @ f/16  ISO 400

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

Flat Water over Flat Land

Flat Water over Flat Land

ALAK08D-719

September 5, 2008

Yikes, I've been remiss in posting images.  My apologies.  Today we visit Alaska again, to see the wide open tundra of the north which is so fascinating and beautiful.  It is strange to see a natural landscape that is both lush and also without a single tree in sight (you can see that on the cornfields of Illinois, but it doesn't quite have the same feel to it).  And the emptiness of the sky, it's lovely.  Enjoy.

Technical notes:

Camera: Nikon D80

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

Focal length:  32 mm

Exposure: 1/160 @ f/16  ISO 400

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

The Ominous Storm

The Ominous Storm
NCAR11D-321_pan

November 27, 2011

This was the scene while hiking with my girlfriend (now fiancée) Sarah last November.  We were at Morrow Mountain State Park, and had summited the main peak of the area, when we stopped to look around and survey the land.  Fall was dying off, the trees were losing leaves, and a late autumn storm was coming in from the south.  The mood, the ominous feeling of the clouds behind the silhouetted trees made it a great photograph, despite being slightly warped from the wide-angle aspect of the lens.   This is an HDR composite of 3 images, blended first in Photomatix and then finished in CS4.  Enjoy.

Technical notes:

Camera: Nikon D80

Lens: Sigma 10-20mm f/4-5.6

Focal length:  20 mm

Exposure: 1/30 @ f/8   ISO 400

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

Morning Forest Light

Morning Forest Light
NCAR10D-208

April 4, 2010

Today's image is a bit different from others, in several ways.  First, it was shot on the fly and through the fly.  Waking up in my tent, I decided I liked the angle and just grabbed my camera and snapped away.  Reviewing it in the LCD, I didn't think much of it but left it on the card.  Since then I've grown to like its spontaneous atmosphere, the texture that shooting through the screen gave the image, and the silhouettes of the rhododendrons that surrounded my camp that night.  It is not a technically gifted image, but one that has a lot of elements going for it.  Enjoy.

Technical notes:

Camera: Nikon D80

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

Focal length:  18 mm

Exposure: 1/125 @ f/3.5   ISO 100

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

Rice Paddy Plantations

Rice Paddy Plantations

BHUT10D-120

November 20, 2010

Taking a break from Thailand today, trying out another country that I love and that is so absolutely gorgeous, Bhutan.  This plantation beckoned as we traveled deeper into the country, heading to the Pobjikha valley.  The lone house on the hillside, surrounded by rice paddies as the storm clouds cleared overhead.  It was such a stately image, and I really loved finding it.  Enjoy.

 

Technical notes:

Camera: NIkon D80

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

Focal length: 28 mm

Exposure: 1/80   f/8   ISO 400

Post-processing: Toning and curves adjustment in PS4

Sunset on the Kwai

Sunset on the Kwai

THAI0402

June 2004

In a strange way, Kanchanaburi was one of my favorite parts of Thailand.  It had a lot to offer, from the highways up to Erawan National Park, to the history that surrounded the town during WWII.  It was near the site of the forced labor camps of Allied POWs, where they were made to tunnel and lay track for a railroad that was never completed.  Hellfire pass is an area where many soldiers died trying to hack their way through the jungle.  And then there is the river Kwai, which was immortalized in the movie about a bridge.  It was a fantastic place to visit.  This is a night shot, as the sun set over the river, after a long day.  Here you could hear and see bats skimming the surface of the water, using their echolocation to hone in and gobble up the mosquitoes, flies, and other flying insects that took to the air at dusk.  Enjoy.

 

 

Technical notes:

Camera: NIkon N80
Film: Fuji Provia 100F

Lens: Nikon 28-135 mm f/3.5-4.5

Focal length: 28 mm

Exposure: 1/80   f/8   ISO 400

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

Serene Cave

Serene Cave

THAI10D-32

November 23, 2010

On the outskirts of Khao Yai National Park, in Thailand, there is a certain cave under a monastery.  This cave was a refuge for Buddhist priests for centuries, as they would go down into the depths to be removed from the influences of daily life, to sit and meditate in the dark and reflect upon the teachings of the Buddha.  We were able to visit this cave and wander through the caverns for a short while.  The final room was this, where a 8-10' tall statue of the Buddha sat in lotus position, with an opening to the outside world above and to the side.  I like how this image has a luminous quality to it (the only lighting used was that which came from the open sinkhole) and how the Buddha, with his patina'd background, seems to be singularly lit by the light from above.  Enjoy. 

 

Technical notes:

Camera: NIkon D80

Lens: Sigma 10-20 mm f/3.5-5.6

Focal length: 10 mm

Exposure: 12 sec   f/16 ISO 400

Post-processing: Toning and curves adjustment in PS4

Elephant Trails

Elephant Trails

THAI10D-86_pan

November 24, 2010

Back to Thailand today, though six years after my first travel there.  This was hiking through the beautiful Khao Yai National Park, when the jungle that had surrounded us for the first several hours suddenly opened up into this tall, nearly waist-high grass.  And stretching out in front was a low trail frequently used by elephants as they made their way to some of the small watering holes.  The bright blue skies and golden sunshine shone on the grasses.  Unfortunately, no elephants were in sight, probably hanging out in the coolness (relative coolness anyway) of the jungle and waiting for dusk.  But one deer-like animal did jump out of the grass as we hiked through, startling all of us.  Enjoy.
 

 

Technical notes:

Camera: NIkon D80

Lens: Nikon 10-20 mm f/4-5.6

Focal length: 20 mm

Exposure: 1/1250   f/5.6 ISO 100

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

Reclaimed Wat

Reclaimed Wat

THAI040711

June 24, 2004

Jumping around a bit today, as I'm a bit distracted by big upcoming news and plans.  But I didn't want to neglect the post, and offer up a small treat from my first visit to Thailand, many years ago. This Wat, or temple, was found in the jungle near Si Satchanalai, Thailand, which was a major site of clay works and porcelain that was the supreme across the known world as early as the 14th century.  It is beautiful work.  The stupa of this wat had been partially reclaimed by the vegetation. You can see leafy greens growing along the brickwork, and the large bricks that were used back then, with pockmarks of centuries of rain and tropical heat (many of the restoration, more modern bricks were used, and you can see the difference). It gave the whole scene a more adventurous feeling, very Indiana Jones.  Enjoy.

 

Technical notes:

Camera: NIkon N80
Film: Fuji Provia 100F

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

Focal length: 28 mm

Exposure: 1/200   f/4.5 

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

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

The Autumn Tundra Landscape

The Autumn Tundra Landscape

ALAK08D-626

August 29, 2008

Autumn has left us already, and while it has been a mild one, winter is here.  Continuing on the theme of this week from Alaska, this is a scene from the Point Hope area, far in the north of the state.  Here the tundra is everywhere, and there is virtually no forests or trees to speak of.  Instead, the wide, spongy ground sports tufts of grasses, berry bushes, and thistles stretches far as the eye can see, and in the fall, as it all turns a golden orange, the whole place blazes with color.  It is peaceful, though empty, and the wind comes down from the Arctic and reminds you of how remote Alaska can be.  Enjoy.
 

Technical notes:

Camera: NIkon D80

Lens:Nikon 105mm f/2.8 macro

Focal length: 105mm

Exposure: 1/250   f/8   ISO 400

Post-processing: Toning and curves adjustment in PS4

Ariel River Snake

Ariel River Snake

ALAK08D-756

September 3, 2008

As we cruised over the Aleutian islands, you realize how empty this landscape is, these multitude of islands where no one lives, and the landscape evolves over time without the overt influence of humans.  It looks like how the Earth must have seemed ages ago, when the landscape was fresh and there weren't 7 billion individuals tromping over the land.  This winding, chaotic snake is a great remembrance of that time, and how meandering nature can be.  Enjoy.
 

Technical notes:

Camera: NIkon D80

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

Focal length: 422mm

Exposure: 1/3200   f/3.8   ISO 400

Post-processing: Toning and curves adjustment in PS4

Vastness of the Tundra

Vastness of the Tundra

ALAK08D-480

August 2, 2008

Denali National Park is full of wonderful places to visit, and yet it has a sameness that is familiar.  The tundra stretches out until it slams against the Alaska Range, culminating in the majesty of Denali/Mt. McKinley (which is hidden behind those clouds at the moment of capture).  This image hints at that vastness, that unending space of tundra and vegetation that is indicative of Denali, made even more remarkable by the trees ringing the foreground.  Enjoy.
 

Technical notes:

Camera: NIkon D80

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

Focal length: 40mm

Exposure: 1/80   f/8   ISO 400

Post-processing: Toning and curves adjustment in PS4

The Sentinel of Priest Rock

The Sentinel of Priest Rock

ALAK08D-94

July 24, 2008

This small monolith is on the outer reaches of the bay in Unalaska, next door to Dutch Harbor, and marks the entry point to the harbor.  In previous eras, this rock marked the sign that sailors had reached their home again, and it was always a welcome sight.  I love the way the stone stands, in this image it seems in defiance of the incoming clouds and storm, remaining a beacon for those wayward travelers.  Enjoy.
 

Technical notes:

Camera: NIkon D80

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

Focal length: 22mm

Exposure: 1/125   f/16   ISO 100

Post-processing: Toning and curves adjustment in PS4

Polychrome Tundra

Polychrome Tundra

ALAK08D-500

August 2, 2008

The tundra of Alaska is a strange place.  Hiking along the landscape is akin to hiking on a lumpy, wet mattress.  It feels odd.  But it is beautiful, and the lack of trees amongst most of Denali National Park allows you to go off-trail (indeed, most of the backcountry has no trails defined at all) and hike to your heart's content.  Then flag down a bus for your way back to the station. 
The Polychrome is a small valley in Denali, and has these beautiful hues for the backdrop while hiking.  You head through the tundra on your way, and it is quiet, no cars or people to speak of.  While out there, in a 6-hour dayhike I saw zero humans, two bears (mom and cub), and some deer.  It was perfect. Enjoy.
 

Technical notes:

Camera: Nikon D80

Lens:Sigma 10-20mm f/3.5-5.6

Focal length: 10mm

Exposure: 1/80  f/16  ISO 100

Post-processing: Toning and curves adjustment in PS4