Morning Mist
Fog
The fog comes
on little cat feet.
It sits looking
over harbor and city
on silent haunches
and then moves on.
Carl Sandberg 1916
One thing about getting up in the morning, that you don’t get when you sleep late and usually only shoot the sunsets, is the mists and fogs that often happen just before dawn. The fog does seem to creep in before it burns of with the coming of the heat of the day. There are so many wonderful images that you can make even with just a bit of mist. And, if you stay up really, really late, it’s morning.
In the best light…
Garage Sale Time Is Here!
This little beauty is a No. 3 Folding Pocket Kodak Model C-4 and I found it this year at a garage sale!
Rundle And Moon
Honestly, I had been planning on going out and doing some local shooting on Sunday evening before doing my weekly writing, but something spoiled my plans. It’s Tuesday evening and I’m feeling better but not well enough to head out for some shooting. My brain is still a little fuzzy and I’m moving slow, so work is not a good plan either.
Here’s an image from 2009 taken at Vermillion Lakes in Banff National Park. This shot was taken before sunrise with Mount Rundle and a crescent moon. I kept the shore line in deep shadow to preserve the delicate color coming from the soon to rise sun. It might have been nicer to get out along the lakeshore a little farther to get more of the reflection from the mountain in the picture. As I recall, the water was high and the shore fairly dark and difficult to see or locate. Did I mention the mud? There are places near the edge where you will be walking on somewhat firm ground and your next step can be up over your ankles or higher. Never great especially if you are by yourself.
In the best light…
Made In The Shade
Often on sunny days you might notice that the contrast levels are quite high. One technique that I sometimes employ is to find a subject to shoot that is in the shade. The light and contrast is fairly even in shadow areas, enabling you to extract details without blown out highlights or unwanted deep shadows.
This photo of a wild lily was taken in Banff National Park.
In the best light…
Spring Blossoms
Spring seem to be a long time coming this year. I finally got a chance to get out with my macro lens to get a few close ups of the blooms.
The upper image is of our Mayday tree flowers and this bottom image is of Saskatoon berry bush blossoms. Both are from our yard. Proving that you don’t have to go far for good subjects.
In the best light…
Elephant Butte From North Window
In my final image this week, we are again at Monument Valley Navajo Tribal Park. This time, it is just after daybreak with the sun rising in the east, with the sun just reaching the valley floor. The rock formations in the distance are lit by the morning rays but Elephant Butte is blocked by Cly Butte at this point and only the top is being lit by the warm dawn light. This image was taken after a short hike off of the publicly accessible Loop Road. I would highly recommend taking a tour with a licensed Navajo Guide. They can take you to places that you can’t get to on your own.
In the best light…
West Mitten
In my last post, Predawn Mittens, we looked at the Mittens in Monument Valley before dawn as a silhouette. This image was taken the previous evening. I was going to say that it was after 5:00 PM but the EXIF info shows the time taken as 4:45 PM. If you’ve never been to Monument Valley and the Four Corners Area time and time zones can be confusing. Most western US states are on Daylight Saving Time, Arizona is not. The Navajo Nation does use Daylight Saving Time even in Arizona. So, if you leave Flagstaff, AZ you are on MST but switch to MDT as soon as you enter the reservation.
The point that I am trying to make is, that the image was taken about 2 hours before sunset. The strong cross lighting creates contrast in the crevasses of the rock face and the contours of the land. As with most landscapes, early or late in the day will give you the more interesting pictures. Speeding through the area and grabbing a few “great” shots in the middle of the day will end in disappointment. If you plan to visit Monument Valley Navajo Tribal Park, try to plan an overnight stay, so that you might capture a sunset and a sunrise. On my next trip, I’d like to spend at least a few days.
In the best light…
Predawn Mittens
These day in the age of HDR, I find that I’m seeing fewer silhouette images. Sometimes the outline of an object is all that you need. The Mittens are rock formations that are some of the more well known in the Monument Valley Navajo Tribal Park. Straddling the Utah-Arizona border, Monument Valley is a landscape photographer’s paradise. Broad vistas and strange geologic formations beckon. Definitely on my list of places to revisit.
In the best light…
Call Of The Desert
Even from 25 miles away Shiprock stands like a sentinel in the desert. The monadnock is located in New Mexico and I’m shooting from Colorado. It is one of the iconic images in my mind when I think of the Four Corners country. I find it strange that one geologic formation can have an effect on a person’s psyche. I often find my thoughts on Shiprock for no reason. On our next trip I definitely want to spend more time with Tsé Bitʼaʼí (Navajo for “rock with wings” or “winged rock”).
Nik Software Silver Efex Pro 2 for the monochrome conversion.
In the best light…
Cliff Palace Details
Cliff Palace is one of the more popular attractions at Mesa Verde National Park.
Spider Rock
Spider Rock is in the middle of Canyon de Chelly National Monument near Chinle, Arizona in the Navajo Nation. The spire stands 750 feet above the floor of the canyon. According to native lore, it is the home of Spider Woman one of the most honoured deities of the Dine (Navajo People).
The day that we were there, a sand storm was blowing through. We were told that it was the remnants of a hurricane that had moved up from Mexico but lost all of it’s moisture on the way. The winds gusted up to 50 miles per hour, making camera stabilization a priority. I braced my tripod against the guard rail for maximum rigidity.
In the best light…
Forms and Textures
It’s been a few years since our trip to the Four Corners area of Arizona, New Mexico, Colorado and Utah.
Dynamic Duo
![comp-1-400x600[1]](http://johnfuji.files.wordpress.com/2013/05/comp1400x6001.jpg "comp-1-400x600[1]")
![see-1-400x600[1]](http://johnfuji.files.wordpress.com/2013/05/see1400x6001.jpg "see-1-400x600[1]")
I actually found out that my friends Darwin Wiggett & Samantha Chrysanthou had released two new eBooks on oopoomoo.com back in March, I’m finally getting around to reviewing both of them. Although, ostensibly the books are aimed at a beginner audience, Composition Basics and Learning to See are valuable for more experienced photographers as well.
Composition Basics gets into detail on tone and color, under the heading of Primary Elements. Secondary Elements covers Line, Shape, Texture, Pattern and Perspective. They also cover Weight and Tension, both concepts that I need to work with more. Visual mapping is something new to me as well. I haven’t gotten as far as actually marking up copies of my images, but that might be next. In workshops that I’ve taken with Sam and Darwin, I’ve been lectured on Pokies, Blobs and Mergies (you’ll find out). Examples is something of a study in exploration. How you could get past viewing an icon and find more.
Learning to See is more of a companion book to Composition Basics. I see it as “get over yourself, shut up and shoot”. It’s full of Self-Assignments; which I will get around to eventually. Learning to See is a much harder book to describe. You’ll want to read it with a notebook nearby to jot down ideas from Self-Assignments to complete in the field. If you’ve ever thought about “your own style” this is a book you should study thoroughly
Composition Basics is for sale at $15 and Learning to See is $10. The best deal is to buy both eBooks at the same time for $20 and save yourself $5. They are a must have in the library of anyone learning photography. A dynamic duo of photographic education from a dynamic duo of authors.
In the best light…
Rundle Reflection
Instead of going for the usual grand landscape with the mountain and the sky, I concentrated on the reflection in Vermillion Lakes in Banff National Park. I liked the way that the cloud hung in the sky and was mirrored in the still water. The bit of color from the sunrise accents the triangles formed by the upside down peaks.
In the best light…
Franklin’s Gull
Slack Slough is a large wetland area on the south end of Red Deer, Alberta. It’s an interesting spot to view birds. We were there one day, mostly to see some ducks and wading birds. I wasn’t able to get very close and I had only brought my 18-135mm lens with me that day. On looking up I spied a Franklin’s Gull circling over head. I managed to grab a few quick frames as it passed by. Luckily, at 135mm it was just the right focal length to catch all of the detail in the bird’s feathers. I’m told by my cousin Ken Richardson, that the pink hue on the gull’s underside is caused by winter feeding on crustaceans in Argentina. The same ones that have a strong effect on Flamingos causing their pinkness. A quick trip through Photoshop CS6 and Nik Color Efex Pro 4 has the image tuned up the way I wanted.
In the best light…
Herbert Lakeshore
This week, instead of featuring new images, I’m bringing back older images. Some of them have not been seen before and some will be reprocessed. I’m still learning Adobe Photoshop CS6 and there are a few things I’m trying to improve the older images.
This scene is from Herbert Lake north of Lake Louise in Banff National Park.
In the best light…
Bad Weather, No Problem
A little fog and rain and snow never hurt anyone, and it can improve your photography.
Fields Forgotten
Some images affect me differently. I like the graphic nature of the short stubble in the field with the underlying row of the grain stalks from the seed drill. With the way that the land contours, the whole picture is filled with lines in many directions. But, all of the lines create tension in the frame that I find unsettling. The monochrome processing in Nik Silver Efex Pro 2 with a sepia toning, heightens the feeling by simulating an old fashioned look. There’s a timeless mood that I was trying to convey. What are your feelings?
In the best light…
Last Light At Vermillion
At the end of the day, Dave Brosha both wanted to stay and leave. You can never tell what’s going to happen to the light, but he was flying out of Edmonton and had to drive there that night, and he was my ride back to Cochrane. Well, we stayed until after the sun set. This was one of the last of my frames from the day. Looking west across Vermillion Lakes 3, with the backlighting on the clouds.
This photo is the last that I’m planning to post, of the ones that were taken as part of the Persistent Vision weekend Field Shoot put on by oopoomoo.com at Vermillion Lakes in Banff National Park with guest instructor David DuChemin.
Looking back, it was just over a month ago and still fairly fresh in my mind. The experience of a photographic event of this sort should not be minimized. There was a massive amount of learning going on everyday. Even the social events were educational. I met a number of new friends and got together with others, many whom I hadn’t seen in a while. I really want to thank my friends Darwin Wiggett, Samantha Chrysanthou and Catherine Byram from oopoomoo.com for organizing such a fantastic event. I’m hoping we’ll see more like this in the future.
In the best light…
To People With Vision
![429px-John_Muir_Cane[1]](http://johnfuji.files.wordpress.com/2013/04/429pxjohn_muir_cane1.jpg "429px-John_Muir_Cane[1]")
John Muir would have been 175 years old yesterday. My wife Sherri and I were talking about what we can learn from someone who lived over a century and a half ago. Muir was instrumental in the creation of Yosemite National Park and Sequoia & King’s Canyon National Parks. He was also was a cofounder of the Sierra Club in 1892 and remained it’s president until his death 22 years later. Muir was a man with vision, someone who saw into the future, with a thought for preserving something great for those to come later. In our day and age, we have far too few who can stop thinking about themselves for long enough to worry about what comes next. Thankfully I know a few people who can guide us through the next century.
In the best light…
Coments