Columbia River Jungle

Perhaps the correct name for this one? This one called to me today from my Aperture Library. I know that I am on a "waterfall kick" lately, and usually i avoid them like the plague unless it is late winter or spring time. This one is the same one I posted and called "Ipsoot falls", although I cannot make a claim to the name as I didn't' "find" it. It has been referred to as "Mowich Falls", though it has no official name.

I think it will look good as a metallic print!

Workflow

Back again! It seems that I am going to have some extended downtime (won't be shooting everyday:( ), but my wonderful wife is getting me an XBOX, Battlefield 3 and Oblivion Skyrim this week, so I will have something to keep me busy, lol.

Now that I got that out of the way, I worked a photo in Photoshop and took screen shots to show you how I went about this particular image. Just keep in mind that each photo I approach differently. Before I get too ahead of myself, some info. I use the Nik software (which is SPECTACULAR) on most of my images. I try not to go overboard on anything; such as over saturation, contrast, ect. I am not a fan of HDRi at all. I understand that it can be helpful for getting shadow details back, but I think manual blending of multiple exposures renders MUCH better results, or even dual "processing" a single RAW file works just as well.

I also contacted Tony Kuyper. He is a bad-ace photographer based out of the SW. Over the last 6+ years, he has (with the help of others') written "actions" for photoshop. They are great, and the explanation on what they do and how to use them is excellent. To be honest, I don't know what 90% of them do..meaning I don't use most of what I bought. The photo I worked on here, I didn;t touch any of the curves. I try to get the best exposure I can in camera, and try not to rely on photoshop if I can. Don't get me wrong, I am not a "naturalist" or against Photoshop/etc at all, it is just that I am still learning the more advanced (and even basic, lol) techniques..so I keep it as simple as I can on my self. I do use the web sharpening (less halos) on all my photos I post online. I do adjust the amount via the sliders.

Now for printing, I do NOT use the Tony Kuyper sharpening actions. I use Niks' RAW Output sharpening. It works super well. There are settings in there you fill in (such as paper type, file size, sliders), but I will make a post about using the Nik Output in a bit. Also, there are a ton of different options for sharpening. I just found that his actions are really helpful and easy!

So here is what I did, step by step. Let's hope that I post them in order. I will add a photo where I did more to it, as I really didn't do a whole lot to this one.

First step I do is to get rid of the dust bunnies. I then will level the horizon - which I ALWAYS have problems with. The irony is that BOTH my head and tripod have level bubbles on them. After messing with the horizon, I will save the image to a PSD. That way off I mess up, I just simply go back and re-open. Also if there is a crash of Photoshop (which is super stable on my new 2011 iMac running Lion and CS4 Master Suite), I have a backup.

After saving, depending on the photo, I will use the TK actions for curves. He has a TON of them, so I will usually mess around with several of them until I get the result I am happy with. The beauty of RAW and digital in general! Then I will open Nik (which you have the option to buy it for Aperture, LightRoom or Photoshop I believe..I use PS) and adjust the colors and sometimes contrast values.

Next I will add a border around the photo and add my signature that I scanned. Then I run the TK sharpening and save for web. Here are the photos..

Daily Rant and a few fall photos

I have had some down time the last few days, so it afforded me the opportunity to work on some of the shots I took on Friday. I am excited about what I have captured. All of the adventures my camera has endured the last 3-4 weeks has significantly quickened my workflow in Photoshop. I used to spend 20+ minutes cloning out the dust on the sensor, but after taking a swim in the Pacific Ocean, taking a 3 foot fall onto some rocks at Silver Falls State Park and then again rinsing off in the drink at McCord Creek, it now takes me less than 5 minutes to get rid of the dust via cloning. I LOVE that camera!! If you are in the market for a camera and you are torn between a 5D and 1Ds (or even 5D2 and 1Ds2), seriously look at the 1Ds! The 5D build quality are embarrassing for what you pay, not to mention the AF is not up to par. If you need video, then your options are limited.

So back to the images. Something recently happened to me that improved my photography. I wouldn't go as far as to say the events that happened in the movie "Phenomenon" happened to me, but after experiencing Mt. Rainier National Park and that sunrise, I have had this confidence and stuff just clicked. Perhaps it was due to the fact that using an old camera and lens that is probably as old as I am captured this event unfolding SUPERBLY and I didn't even have the aid of filters, whereas everyone else shooting with me had new gear and filters (and AF - but who shoots landscapes in AF anyways:) ).

Since that sunrise, I shoot with a "purpose", so to speak - and showing my work at the RAWArtist showcase has helped me immensely. My biggest creative block has been compositions. In any art field, you HAVE to get out of your comfort zone. The ones who separate themselves from everyone else, will adapt to their respective situations. With myself, my "comfort zone" had been waterfalls. There is something about waterfalls that I get drawn to. It isn't the ease of access hat draws me, but it was the ease of access that helped me learn how to shoot them.

Before I shot Rainier, I had very limited experience shooting mountains. I know it had a lot to do with not experiencing the "CLL"; composition, lighting and location. I just made that up:), but it is true. That is true with all landscape photography. You need these three elements to converge at the same time to really experience the essence of landscape photography. You can have an excellent location and a killer composition, but without the lighting, it is just a regular shot. You can have a killer location and once in a lifetime light, but if you have no comp... Only way (if you know of another way, please email me!) to get all three is dedication and luck. Luck is as big as the other elements. So we could label it CLLL, but it doesn't have as nice a flow, lol. If you EVER have a chance to spend multiple days out in the mountains, DO IT! You may not get that magical light - but you just might! Once you experience the excitement of a lightshow (sunrise-sunset), you will want more!

Back on track, when I first got to Rainier NP, I was out of my element. I really didn't have experience shooting in the mountains. Now it is one of my favorite places to shoot! We are planning a trip to Glacier National Park, Jasper and Banff this spring (they are so close to each other, why not?) and I cannot wait!

The whole purpose of this rant was that I hadn't ever shot fall. Can you believe this? Last year this time, I sold my camera, tripod, everything because I didn't think I would be shooting until the following spring, which was true. I sold it beginning of October, and the fall colors hit usually mid to late October. This year they are way late, but that is due to the crazy year we had - and looks like this winter/spring is going to be even more wicked!! So the river scene I am posting is an element I have not had much experience with. I have crossed so many of these scenes, but have never taken the time to shoot them. I just never have been happy with the results, but I am happy with the 30+ I took. I will be posting more this afternoon.

Gorge Harvest

Yesterday, we headed back out to Spirit Falls on the Washington side of The Gorge. I was there last Friday, but I wanted to see the fall colors (if any) a bit more vibrant than last weeks' trip.

We took the wrong entrance into the falls, which is ironic because Brian #2 has been there 4 times previously, and I was there last week. After following some game trails for a bit, we made it. Brian #3 hasn't really bushwhacked yet, so it was his "break in".

We got down to the falls, and were not disappointed! Nice colors were there, but the real treat was above the falls, along the creek. For me, it is hard to find a good comp with a creek/river and foliage. I found some I liked on this day, and it wasn't just limited to this area.

After shooting this place for a few hours, we ran into Sheldon. I have never run into anyone out in the wild before that had been a "contact" on any of the photography sites. We had a nice talk, and then headed out.

Once back to the car, we decided to head over to the Oregon side of The Gorge as the clouds had moved in. The lighting was amazing. After a quick stop in Hood River for some refueling (coffee), we stopped at Starvation Creek. This place had exploded with color! The best part is that the incoming rain kept all of the tourists away! We ran into one other photographer here, and he had a large format camera. Very nice guy.

2 hours or so later, we decided we better go to Elowah, as it was getting late. The sunset is at like 4:45pm. Right before we got to the trailhead, it started to rain lightly. It progressed to a heavy downpour and made for one of the worst rains I had shot in. The Gorge gets an average of 7-8 feet of rain a year. Pretty crazy. I was soaked, as was my gear and I took maybe 10 shots. It just got too dark. I am hoping to get back out there this week at some point before the leaves are blown off of the trees.

Here are some of the images. I think my keep ratio from yesterday was maybe 90%. A lot of times, it is like 9-20%. Oh well, if it was this easy, everyone would do it...oh wait...:) More images to come tonight or tomorrow.

Kiwandas' Last Light

Headed to Cape Kiwanda several weeks ago for a rare sight. During a week in the fall and a week in the spring, the setting sun will light up this tunnel with her light. You need two elements to get this shot; a low tide (we had a negative tide) and a sunset (we had a pretty much cloudless sky). If you had been to the Oregon Coast (or pretty much anywhere in the PNW), you will know that getting the sunset is the biggest challenge.

This shot is a single exposure, no blending. Also, no filters were used - as I have none. I was trying to get to the rock about 20 yards ahead of this vantage point. The problem is that over the last year or so, the ocean has eroded out the sand and thus the water is about a foot deeper than it used to be. So I decided to take a risk (un-calculated of course ) and get out as far as I could for a different comp. While shooting the second shot, a wave came in and my camera was half submerged in the Pacific.

You can see it is a bit out of focus, but that is due to me picking up the camera right before the exposure ended. It wasn't really a wave, but a surge of water. This is the second time my camera has come into contact with the Pacific. One reason why I will never buy anything less than a Canon 1 series! I don't expect to always be lucky, though. I am super lucky as I am not making any money on my photography (yet)....

As always, you can "like" my Facebook page. Oh and I made a Google+ page. I am not totally sure if I made it in the "correct" category. Here are other places you can find my work:

500px

razi

Google+

Morrisson Colours

Going through my Aperture library on my computer to get rid of "garbage", it lead to me going through some old shots. Just like me to get off track - or starting another task while still in the middle of another one:).

This one was taken while i was stopped on the I-5 exit heading home from The Gorge in May 2010. We were stopped due the bridge lifts. As chance would have it, we were stopped in the perfect vantage point. I hesitated to get out of the car and set up my tripod and camera, but when I finally did, I captured this. Gotta love the way things work out sometimes.

On another note, Razi used my image for their "photo of the day", which is kinda cool. It is the second photo they have used for their POTD. Ironically, I had never been on FlickR's "explore" - but that website is mostly "pat me on the back, I will pat you on the back" type of deal.

Crater Lake

I have been to this magical place many times, and in every season. I still don't have a shot of it that I am entirely happy with. I visited this place with Brian Kibbons a few weeks ago. Now I know that it is obviously too dark for details, but I like the mystery to this one.

The sunrise was pretty good, with nice colors. I think that Crater Lake is best in the winter with snow. That way it will reflect the light. I guess I will test that theory soon enough. For now, I am happy with this image. Should look good in a metallic print.

Coming this spring - and a little history

I have been at this photography deal for many years. It has been really a crazy journey. My dad used to have an SLR back in the 80s. I remember him toting that around when we would go on vacation, or to the beach, park, etc. It was a Minolta, and he had several lenses, flashes; the works.

In 1987 (perhaps 86') I was 8 years old and I got a Kodak Reflections camera, which I still have to this day. It was a point and shoot little camera, but it was a stepping stone, so to speak. I used that until I got a Canon point and shoot from Target for like $149 in 1992 or 1993. I used that until I got an SLR (EOS 650 or 630) in the late 90s. I had the "kit" lens, but I was happy with that.

My first digital camera was a Fuji Finepix 2400Z. It was a point and shoot, but back in 2002 or so, they were still expensive. Canon had just released the original Digital Rebel 300D, and it was a break through as far as the price went, but still too expensive for me at the time. My next camera was a Fuji S602Z. It was an EXCELLENT camera and what really got me out shooting landscapes. It wasn't the fastest camera, but it had great IQ. It also was almost as expensive as the DREB. I had that camera for several years and then moved onto a 20D.

It wasn't until I bought the 1Ds that I got serious about photography. What I mean about serious is shooting for a reason. I always have had the "film state of mind". Learning with film makes you stop and pay attention to everything - the lighting, composition, etc. As everyone knows, with film you have to wait sometimes up to a week (I shot Velvia 50 slide) to see what you captured, and if you missed focus or used the wrong aperture, it sucked to say the least (especially if you had driven 500 miles to a location). When I got the digitals, some of that went out the window due to the ability to see results instantly.

Nowadays, I only post what I think people would want to hang in a frame. I got back to the basics, lol. The images posted here are from years and years ago. They aren't necessarily bad or good, but more of a progression - if you will.

Now that I have the "history lesson" out of the way, I have been contemplating offering "workshops". I know that there are many others that offer their services with great results, and some not so successful. At this point, I am just jotting down ideas, but the prices will be VERY affordable. I think I have a grasp on photography, and with photography booming in popularity, many people would like to learn new techniques. You can always email me or comment if any questions arise in the mean time.

Overlooked, not Neglected

Lately, I have been pretty busy that I haven't really been able to work on photos. I have gone out shooting the last 4 full days. Between that and work, not much time to post/work photos. Add in that it was a bit of work getting all the prints and stuff ready for the PDXRaw show...

Some of these images have been printed up, but I just haven't posted them online anywhere. Usually I post them here first and then over at 500px.com. I have found that website to help me decide what prints to get done in Metallic. Brian Kibbons (who I usually shoot with every Friday and Saturday) has prints done in gallery blocks and metallic wraps, and they look wicked good! I am impressed. His prints look 1000% better than his online shots. BTW, he is revamping his website. I told him the waterfall on his site needs to go :).

Getting back on track, here are some shots that I have taken over the past few weeks/months. I went out Friday ALL day (sunrise to sunset) and really don't have anything I am happy with. I will probably back them up and delete them from my Aperture Library. Yesterday I had some I was happy with, but on the last waterfall of the trip (we got a late start), I had some water on the lens that I didn't notice until I got home. Me being not the best with photoshop, I may just go back to that place and get more shots. Might be easier, even though there are no trails to these falls, and the falls have no name.

I should be getting some more shots up in the coming days. Stay tuned.

Adventures in Washington

Today a buddy and I hit up a creek on the Washington side of the Columbia River Gorge. This creek has many waterfalls along it, but there is absolutely NO TRAIL. I was in the water for about 5 hours, and my feet are all bruised up - but it was worth it.

These falls have no names. I will have to come up with some names. We discovered another falls on our way out, just before sunset. For now, this is what I have processed.

Spirit Falls from tonight

Just got back from Spirit Falls on the Washington side of the Columbia River Gorge. This waterfalls is like 2 miles from the Columbia River, yet you would NEVER EVER know there was this crazy waterfall hidden down here.

I hadn't ever been here before, and my buddy who went with me hadn't either. He saw an image on 500px of this waterfall and sent me an email, inquiring what and where this falls was located. I knew immediately the details of this falls, except on the exact directions. A search of google gets you really nowhere. It is really easy to find, but the talus slope is a formidable foe!

This falls is super popular with kayakers worldwide. There are UK based websites showcasing people running this 30 foot (or so) falls. In any case, here is a quick shot I edited to show this falls. It is a low flow, as are most of the waterfalls around here. I think the water is about 2 feet lower than normal (winter-spring), but the fall colors are good. Heading off tomorrow and Saturday somewhere to get some shots. Snow in the mountains are calling my name.

Kiwandas' Adventure

Headed to Cape Kiwanda last Tuesday to try to shoot the sunset through a cave at Kiwanda. The conditions line up only one week or so in the fall and in the spring. There has to be a low tide AND a sunset at the same tide - which any Oregonian will know that is asking a bit much for BOTH on the same day:).

In any case, I haven't really started working on that particular set, but this is from the sunset that night. Scrambling up that huge sand dune and running is not the easiest. Here are two shots from that evening.

Down to Basics

I have been to Tokatee about 6 times (two of which the trail was closed due to severe winter storms) and Koosah a few times more. While the view points are nice, I really never paid much attention of the surrounding landscapes to get down to the bottom. It probably was a combo of time constraints and the weather.

This time was indeed different. Tokatee was actually MUCH easier than I thought. While the standard (and really unless you are crazy like me, there is like 2 different shots you can get) view is nice, I like to get unique shots. I spent about 30 minutes down here, while my buddy lolly-gagged down here for maybe 30 minutes longer than I. I am terrified of heights, and the standard view is like 250 feet up. You can see the "standard" view and the view down below.

Koosah was not on my top 30 falls. Now after reaching the base, it is in my top 10! It is THAT much different from below. It is so stupid easy to get down to the base, that I feel dumb I never even tried to look to get to the base before. Yes the water is actually this color. It is spring fed from a glacier not to far upstream from here. The water is cold, however.

I think I am going to get these printed in metallic for my show this Thursday. Not printed big, but maybe 8x10 or 8x12...

Fridays' Sunrise

So my buddy Brian Kibbons and I headed down south to the Central Oregon Cascades to get to Broken Top and the glacier lake that is at the base of this peak. Our attempt there several weeks ago was a complete bust, as we turned off the trail early - and we got there too late. Gotta thank Mother Nature that the sun rises about 40 minutes later now than it did when we last attempted.

The temperature was already below freezing when we got here, but the wind was whipping through between 20-35 mph. I had to time my shots, as the wind was even pushing around my 15lb tripod. The sounds of the glacier moving was something else!

I will be posting more in the next few hours. We got to the base of Tokatee and Koosah Falls, also shot Crater Lake at sunrise, among other things.

Ordered prints and supplies today!

I know, this post is worthless without pics, lol. Anyways, the day came where I needed to "pull the trigger" and order some prints, matting and backing. Having no previous experience with printing and matting, and this being my first showing of my work, it is a pretty daunting task to get all this ready.

Luckily, I have found TWO AMAZING places that are super friendly. One is local, which is always a plus. I joined Miller's Print Lab, which incidentally owns MPix. Miller's is geared more for the "professionals", while MPix is geared more for the hobbyist. I dunno what category I fall under. While I have not made a dime with my photography, I believe it is good enough to attempt to sell, lol.

So I placed my order today with Miller's. I ordered two 16x24 metallic prints. What I like about their uploading software (and this might be the standard, but since I am new to this process..) is that if the dpi is too low for a certain print size, it will give you a disclaimer. One of the many reasons I would like to upgrade from my 10 year old camera. So i choose a print I may not have originally chosen to be printed big.

The beauty of Miller's is that they usually print the same day, you can follow their progress (much like a tracking number from FedEx, if you will), and standard overnight shipping via FEDEX is included in the price (I think..need to check my account :) ). So I would think by Wednesday I would have these prints on hand.

Next up was matting and backing board. Sure there is the usual suspects; Michael's, Aaron Bros, etc, but their prices are pretty ridiculous if you think about it. Every time I have gone into Michael's to ask for help or prices, they act like i am a burden. So I was looking on POTN (photography-on-the.net) and luminous landscape about matting and basic info, and there was a shoutout (if you will) to documounts.com. Redimats.com was a site I was looking at, but there is a minimum order of $100 on ALL matting, and $50 on supplies. So I was looking at documount, and noticed that their shipping time to Oregon was 1 business day. I investigated some more, and realized they are located in Portland. 14 miles from my place!

Not knowing anything about matting, I emailed them about what sizes I need for a 16x24 print and 13x19. I didn't know what size border I needed, and I received an email back from Judy. She was very polite and advised me that local pickup is fine and you don't get charged for shipping. They will even box up the stuff for you for a $5 charge. Otherwise, they shrink wrap your order up to make it easier to transport!

I called this morning and talked to Judy. She was VERY helpful and walked me through EVERYTHING! I ended up ordering 2 matts for the 16x24. They measure 21 1/2 x 29 1/2 in. with a 3 inch border. I then ordered 6 matts for my 13x19 prints. She advised a 2 1/2 inch border will be a good decision. Next up was the 8x10 matts. They offer a package deal, perfect for art shows and whatnot. It consists of 25 qty 11x14 matts (8x10 photos), the backing and the plastic sleeves! I also ordered 5 small photo stands. While they are like 6 inches tall, they will handle the unframed 8x10s' for display. All this came in under $180. The prints were $64. Now I just need to sell some stuff, lol.

The matting supplies should be ready on the 24th (next Monday). So I am hoping by next Tuesday, I am fully ready for the show. Pictures will be posted of the finished products.

Long Day

On Friday morning (let's say at 12:48am), a buddy of mine and I headed off to Jefferson Park, which is the area right near Mt. Jefferson, Oregon. I have been here before, but from a different entrance that was a bit of a longer hike (7 miles or so one way). In hindsight, we should've gone that way:).

So we get to the Breitenbush Trailhead at like 5am. The road was a rough and slow going 6 mile deal. Took maybe 50 minutes to get from the paved FR46 to the trailhead. No one was here, to my surprise, as this is a VERY popular place.

In any case, we started off in the dark, which is the norm. After a few miles, we reach a rough incline part of the trail. In the daylight, it blew us away at how crazy thing mountain looked and how high it was. It looked like something from a Tim Burton film.

Our goal was to get to Mt. Jefferson for a sunrise, but our gamble didn't quite pan out. She was submerged in a sea of low clouds (fog if you will), and we later hiked the grueling 5 miles into the park. I have NO CLUE as to where we were. We were trying to reach Russell and Scout Lakes, but we ended up in snow fields and many small ponds. NOTHING looked familiar, and I think we were on the east side of the mountain. The fog was crazy and I was getting sick (still kinda sick as of this post), and all I could think of was to lay down and take a nap.

In any case, the hike back was way quick (maybe an hour or so), and we hit up the town of Detroit for some food. I have to say that general store in Detroit (right off of the 22) has some amazing chicken tenders, and it is pretty cheap! After eating there, we heading east towards Proxy Falls. The fall colours along HWY 22 (Santiam Pass) and McKenzie pass are maybe at 70% as of 10/14/11.

We reached the Proxy Falls TH at around 4pm. I had been up for 30 hours straight at this point. I hadn't been to Proxy Falls in quite a while - maybe 2005 or 2006. As expected, there were a few cars at the trailhead. Now don't get me wrong, I like Proxy Falls, but it isn't my favorite falls. It doesn't "excite" me. I don't have an emotional connection with it, so to speak. It wouldn't place it in my top 10 waterfalls. Perhaps it is due to being easy to get to, or that there is really a lot of debris (garbage) in front of it.

After shooting this for maybe 30 minutes (I took maybe 15 shots or so), we headed up to the Dee Wright (or whatnot) observatory at the lava fields at the summit of HWY 242 for a possible sunset. Well, Three Fingered Jack and the rest of the Sisters' area was under the same fog (low clouds) that Mt. Jefferson was under 13 hours prior. I did however run into the guys shooting the helmets of the Ducks and Sun Devils for the ESPN promo. Kinda cool. I didn't realize this until I saw it aired last night, lol.

Here are two photos from this trip. Ironically, my "keeper" rate was quite low on this trip. Oh well, it is a passion of mine and had a good time - other than not feeling well.

PDX Pulse

Got back from Hawaii on Monday and took all of 40 photos, but I knew it wasn't a photo trip before heading there. In any case, I had the "pre-show" meeting for my photography showing. Getting kinda excited for this. Got to meet with some of the other artists and got to pick out my spot for the show.

I also got a domain name (finally, I know) and linked up google apps to handle the email. So the website will be www.dustingentadventures.com and my email will be dustingent@dustingentadventures.com. The email should be live between now and 24 hours.

Anyways, here is the flyer for the event. If anyone is local and wanting to check out this show, that would be sweet to see you there! I am heading out this weekend to shoot something, just not sure what as of this moment. Probably Mt. Jefferson.

Fall Delight

Went to Eagle Creek here in The Columbia River Gorge again with a buddy that moved here recently from San Diego. Punchbowl Falls was under the right lighting conditions to get a shot without the use of filters. I shot this with my Rokinon 85mm 1.4 @ f/16 and ISO 50. I am selling this lens when I get back from Hawaii to help fund a new Samyang 14mm 2.8. They are both the same brand, so I know the 14mm will be just as sharp as the highly regarded 85mm.

Here is the INFO on the art show I am showcased in on 10/27/11 incase anyone is interested.

Pair of Hoods.

Hadn't been to Mt. Hood lately and have had bad luck at Lost Lake the past few times. Had the chance to get there last weekend, and I also got to shoot Trillium on Friday morning. This is what I captured.

Art Show

I am showing my work not only at Guapo Coffee in SE Portland, but also at The Bossanova Ballroom on Thursday October 27th, 2011. Pretty stoked about this, as it is my first showing.

If anyone is interested (or even reads this, lol) in attending, here is a link to purchase tickets and vote for me. There is a bunch of other artists here in various genres, and even a bar if you so wish to drink!