Soft Light

I have always preferred to photograph in soft light when possible.  I enjoy working in the soft glow of light just after sunset or on a cloudy day to give added detail in my landscape images.  Sunny days often times are too harsh with the deep shadows to bring out all the tones and details that can exist in a landscape scene.  This image was taken in Texas along the Guadalupe River just after sunset.  The light from the western sky eluminated the tree roots to give a soft glow to the detail and texture of the twisted root structure.  When I visited the area earlier in the day the roots were in full sun and very contrasty.  When possible, I will visit a location numerous times to determine the best time of day for the type of light I prefer to make my exposure.

Crop Land

While travel on route 1 along the coast in California I can across some farm workers laying out an above ground irrigation system.  They were dragging long sections of plastic pipe into position with a large bulldozer.  It was near the end of their work day and they were just finishing up on this section of land.  I was attracted to the surreal and abstract look of the empty ground with the white lines going back into the sky area. 

Golden Gate Bridge

A couple of weeks ago we walked across the Golden Gate Bridge.  We were fortunate to have a clear day without the typical fog that covers the bridge.  As we were about a third of the way across I noticed this structure across the bridge highway and stopped to make a long exposure.  I setup my camera and tripod on the walkway and backed up to a support post to avoid the pedestrians walking by.  I made a three minute exposure using a -10 stop neutral density filter.  During the exposure hundreds of cars  crossed in front of me on the roadway going in both directions.  There was a steady stream a people walking in front of my camera during the exposure that never interfered with the image.  One thing nice about long exposure photography is that you can make moving objects disappear in the scene.  The other concern I had to deal with was the bridge vibration from all of the traffic crossing the bridge.  I knew if the camera and tripod moved up and down with the bridge motion, that the image would be sharp regardless of the long three minute exposure time.  This is what I love about photography,  the challenge of making new and interesting photos in difficult situations.  

Log in Rocks

I made this image recently along the Oregon coast.  The rugged coastline of the Pacific Northwest is much different than the Atlantic Ocean we live near here in Florida.  Walking the beaches along the Pacific is inspiring and there is something new with every turn.  When photographing in these locations it is easy to bypass some interesting subjects by concentrating on only the scenery of the ocean.  This log was jammed into the rocks most likely by a powerful storm.  The image was made close to sunset in total shade.  I used a 17mm wide angel lens on my Canon 5D11 camera. 

Bandon Oregon

We just returned from a two week camping trip along the California and Oregon coastline.  We started out in Big Sur Ca. and ended up in Bandon Or.  The ride north up route 1 and then 101 is one of the most beautiful road trips we have ever made.  The two lane road hugs the coastline the entire way and gives ample opportunities for making some fun photographs.  This image was made in Bandon Or. after sunset.  I used about a 5 sec. exposure to blur the water but still leave some detail to show some motion of the incoming waves around the rock.  It is always fun and refreshing to get out and create some new images and explore some new areas.