June 28, 1018 — Cape Saunders, Otago Peninsula, South Island, New Zealand If you go due south from this spot, you’ll come to Antarctica. If you go due east, you’ll hit South America. Either way, it’s chilly. It wasn’t all that warm right where we were on this winter afternoon, either. This is sort of how it looked. Kind of. (Nikon D850, Tamron SP 24–70mm f/2.8 Di VC USD G2. RAW processing in DxO PhotoLab 3.2; […]
May 12, 2020 — San Mateo County Coast, California Driving has always been allowed in California. There is simply nowhere worthwhile to park. All state beach (meaning “beach”) parking has been blocked. But there had been rain (finally) and the sky promised to be interesting, I drove to the coast to try my luck. I was expecting reasonably good surf for wave photos. Six to nine feet was the forecast. I was pumped. The very […]
June 28, 2018 — Puketeraki Lookout, Otago, South Island, New Zealand Rescued from the archives. Here’s one that I kept coming back to, but in post-processing I could never get it to do what I saw. Tonight I could. And did. Persistence pays off in the end. This is for all the Kiwis who are showing the rest of the world how it’s done. In adversity, the light shines even brighter. Persistence pays off in […]
January 10, 2016 — Marin County coast, California Many years ago — longer ago by far than when this picture was shot — someone close to me was enthralled by music that was extremely minimalist, consisting almost entirely of texture and tone. Very little form, rhythm, or melody. Only texture and tone. Although I can’t really say I liked it, I had an appreciation for what he was hearing because he and I are cut […]
January 24, 2020 — Londrangar View Point, Snaefellsjökull Peninsula, Iceland I think I’ve only done this once before: posted that same frame twice in a row, with the second being a re-do. There’s a story. When I posted this picture the other night, I decided at the last minute that the image was too dark. It was late and I was in a hurry, so I simply went back to the 16-bit Photoshop file and […]
January 24, 2020 — Londrangar View Point, Snaefellsjökull Peninsula, Iceland Beside the fact that it was his photography workshop in the first place, I have Gary Hart to thank for this one in another way. His blog post today* prompted me to go back and review my own version of the same scene, and when I did, I came across this shot made about fifteen minutes earlier. I’d overlooked it because the RAW file seemed […]
November 23, 2019 — Pescadero Beach, San Mateo County, California I’ve worked on this image six times between November and now. It was never quite right. Sometimes when I don’t love an image, it’s because I’ll never love it and the best thing to do is abandon it and move on. Other times, I just need to leave it alone for a while and come back with a fresh perspective. This was the latter circumstance […]
December 24, 2018, Sonoma County Coast. I’ve looked at this frame approximately 9,476 times* and failed to see its potential. Today, I saw it with different eyes.** Don’t it make my brown eyes blue. Except they are blue. Be well. Do good. Be kind. Create. (Nikon D500; AF-P NIKKOR 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6E ED VR. RAW processing in DxO PhotoLab 3.2; Editing in Adobe Photoshop.) *If I’ve told you once, I’ve told you a million times — I never […]
May 8, 2015. Devil’s Slide, near Pacifica, California. Another hidden treasure from the archives, this one from a memorable shoot on Devil’s Slide. When I was in high school, one of my favorite things to do was sketching with chalk on black paper. When I look out to sea, my favorite thing to see is a streak of light on the horizon. Reminds me of chalk. Reminds me that even then I was seeking to […]
December 23, 2017, Sonoma County Coast. This was taken about two hours before the shot in the last post. This is what this most remarkable day looked like. No post-processing except to straighten the horizon 1/10 degree (hand-held shot) and tone down the white at the top of the frame a just as tiny little bit. That’s it. It was a quicksilver sea. The Pacific was living up to its name. Be well. Be kind. […]
Dec 8, 2014 — Point Reyes National Seashore, California Another archive dive. The image came to me in a dream recently. There was nothing special about the original shot — but today I was in search of a good starting point. Those pixels never knew what hit them… Be well. Do good. Create. (Canon 7D, Sigma 18-200 f/3.5-6.3 DC Macro OS HSM. RAW processing in DxO PhotoLab 3.2; Editing in Adobe Photoshop.)
Dec 6, 2013 — Sonoma County Coast, California An archive dive. Taken within a few minutes of one that I posted nearly a year ago. An idealization / abstraction / impression of reality. The lives of many pixels were changed forever… Be well. Do good. Create. (Sony RX-100. RAW processing in DxO PhotoLab 3.2; Editing in Adobe Photoshop.) (WordPress has altered the tones on this. Click/tap on the image for a better rendition. I hope.)
March 22, 2020 — San Mateo County Coast, California What a diff’rence a crop made Ten percent’s left of pixels And to pixels that were nixel’d — You’ll be mourned; but this is unadorned Though panorama has attraction There is soul in abstraction We see only a fraction But the essence is clear Oh, what a diff’rence a crop makes Form and tone lay before me Skies above are not stormy Since that […]
January 26, 2020 — The Thórbergur Center, Hali Country Hotel, South Coast, Iceland In a recent blog post, Bruce Percy articulated an aim I’ve had for quite a long time. I’ll quote him: “For me, a picture isn’t about what is there. It’s not about trees, snow, sky, mountains, rivers, etc, etc. Instead, photos are about graphical forms and tone. They are pictures instead of photos. It’s a subtle difference, but a difference nonetheless.” To […]
January 24, 2020 — Londrangar View Point, Snaefellsjökull Peninsula, Iceland Minimalist horizon on a cold, cold day. (Nikon D850, Tamron SP 24–70mm f/2.8 Di VC USD G2. ISO 64, 20 sec at f/16; 6-stop neutral density filter. RAW processing in DxO PhotoLab 3.1; Editing in Adobe Photoshop.) For more Seascape Horizons, see amagaphoto.com
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