All posts tagged: California

The Solitary Search, With an Object Lesson

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California / Photo Log / Photography / Seascapes

November 27, 2019 — San Mateo County Coast It was a dark and stormy day; the rain fell in torrents — except at occasional intervals, when it was checked by a violent gust of wind which swept up the bluffs (for it is on the San Mateo County coast that our scene lies), attempting to remove his hat, but barely agitating the stubborn photographer who hand-held against all odds… Days later, through one of the […]

Curtain Call

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California / Impressionism / Inspiration / Photo Log / Photography

November 27, 2019 — San Mateo County Coast The storm was on its way out, heading east to make headlines. This was its last hurrah; clear sky was visible through the last squall. I’ve mentioned that many (most?) of my influences worked in paint, not pixels. Chief among them is JMW Turner. To me, his later work changed the world of art definitively — to me, he is the father of Impressionism. Toward the end […]

Thankful Thursday

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California / Impressionism / Inspiration / Monochrome / Photo Log / Photography / Seascapes

May 8, 2015. Devil’s Slide, near Pacifica, California / November 27, 2019. Silicon Valley. Devil’s Slide revisited. Again. I sat at the computer today, looking forward by looking back. The image whispered, “noir” and I went under its spell. I’d have been a fool not to. A strange image for Thanksgiving, but it it’s from a favorite shoot — for which I am thankful. And I am thankful to all who visit, follow, read, view, […]

Based on a True Story

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California / Landscape / Photo Log / Photography / Point Reyes / Sunset

November 16, 2019 — Blue hour, Point Reyes National Seashore How many movies have you seen that were “based on a true story” or “based on historical events”? This is based on an actual blue hour as seen from the south end of the Point Reyes Peninsula, looking north. (Canon G5X II. RAW processing in DxO PhotoLab 3.0; Editing in Adobe Photoshop.)

Landing

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California / Hawk / Nature / Photo Log / Photography / Point Reyes / Wildlife

December 8, 2018 — Point Reyes National Seashore Mr. Red Tail sat on a rock about fifty yards down a ravine, in perfect view but with his back to the camera. I waited. And waited. With scant warning he took flight, heading out to sea before turning a tight one-eighty and coming right at me. No. Not at me. At his next perch. He picked his spot. Flared. And grabbed his rock. He gave me […]

Abstract Series LT919-A 6 — You Say You Want an Evolution

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Abstract / California / Impressionism / Inspiration / Photo Log / Photography

September 7, 2019 — Lake Tahoe. f/16, 4 seconds, ISO 64. Pan to the left. This is the longest uninterrupted series I’ve done so far on this blog. Your comments have been interesting, informative, and gratifying. A number of people have asked in comments, email, and in person, to see a “before” image. I don’t usually like to discuss technique because I think it’s potentially limiting: I don’t want it to come off as “do […]

Abstract Series LT919-A 5 — Nonobvious

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Abstract / California / Landscape / Photo Log / Photography / Sunset

September 7, 2019 — Lake Tahoe. Earlier in the evening. f/16, 3 seconds, ISO 64. Pan to the left. In the past few days, many words on the subject of going in the nonobvious direction have passed through my eyes. Aside from being interesting advice for life, photographically this applies to both the initial creation of the image — click — and to the post-processing of the image. A recurring theme for me has been […]

Abstract Series LT919-A 4 — Embraceable Lights

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Abstract / California / Impressionism / Inspiration / Photo Log / Photography

September 7, 2019 — Lake Tahoe. Getting even later. Getting even darker. Still at f/10. Now 15 seconds at ISO 64. Pan to the left and back to the right with a twist. Luke’s mentor advised him to use the Force. My mentors have advised me to embrace and use the conditions before me. There were lights before me. (Nikon D850, Tamron SP 24–70mm f/2.8 Di VC USD G2. RAW processing in DxO PhotoLab 2.3; Editing […]

Abstract Series LT919-A 3

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Abstract / California / Impressionism / Landscape / Photo Log / Photography

September 7, 2019 — Lake Tahoe. Getting later. Getting darker. I opened up to f/10 to let in a little more light, and let it go for 10 seconds at ISO 64. Click. Slow pan to the left and back to the right. Clack. In dealing with abstracts, all of the hard-and-fast “rules” go out the window. The only consideration left in post-processing is “what do I want to show?” Something in the image suggests […]

Abstract Series LT919-A 2

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Abstract / California / Impressionism / Inspiration / Photo Log / Photography

September 7, 2019 — Lake Tahoe. Second evening. Five second exposure, f/16, ISO 64. Yesterday’s post was almost exactly what came out of the camera. A bit of color optimization, removing a tiny bit of extraneous light on the left, and a 16×9 crop. That was it. Today’s image, on the other hand, received extensive tweaking, first in DxO PhotoLab and then in Photoshop. Most of the work went into bringing out the subtle color […]

Abstract Series LT919-A 1

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Abstract / California / Photo Log / Photography

September 6, 2019 — Lake Tahoe. The sun was down and the conditions were perfect for some ICM (Intentional Camera Movement) work looking across and around the lake. As the evening progressed, the shutter speeds declined. This one was made towards the end of the first night of spin: f/16 @ 8 seconds, ISO 64. This series is a test of my ruthlessness as an editor/curator. More to come. (Nikon D850, Tamron SP 24–70mm f/2.8 Di […]