Tuesday, February 26, 2013

Photographers In Pursuit

Warren asked if I had taken any images of the 200+ photographers running around Yosemite last week in pursuit of capturing the golden ribbon of Horsetail Falls.  For those of you who have not seen or heard about this phenomenon   During the third week of February, when the sky is clear and there is enough water in this ephemeral falls, the water is back lit into a golden glowing ribbon cascading down El Capitan.  Due to a lack of water, and fog I did not get anything worthwhile, but that did not stop many of us to sit for several hours each late afternoon and early evening hoping for something to capture.  The group pictured is a small segment of about 75 photographers huddling in 30 degree temps.  Only two sites afford a good view and this is at the northern site called El Capitan Picnic Area.  I am up for trying again next year. Anybody else?

Sigma DP2 Merrill

Dan

1 Comments:

Blogger Warren T. said...

A bunch of hardcore photographers :)

If we're around next year, maybe I'm up for it... :)

--WT

Sunday, March 3, 2013 at 6:12:00 PM PST  

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Waving Hello

There are many interesting sandstone rock formations in Castle Rock State Park. I was there for the first time last weekend for a short hike. This spot is the top of a 70ft rock climb. It is also accessible from the top, which is how I got there- not by climbing. The man waving had found a cave entrance from the top and I asked him to wave so he would stand out more in the picture. Some broken glass and graffiti are inside the cave, which is tall enough to stand in, he said. Over the ridge in the distance is the Pacific Ocean.


2 Comments:

Blogger Warren T. said...

Good one :), imagine climbing a rock, and having someone pop out at you... lol!

--WT

Sunday, March 3, 2013 at 6:11:00 PM PST  
Blogger Lea said...

LOL. Terrifying!

Monday, March 4, 2013 at 4:14:00 PM PST  

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Monday, February 25, 2013

Dewey Point






On my recent trip to Yosemite, I took the opportunity to head out to Dewey Point.  Having gone to the more popular Glacier Point many times, this location is west of Glacier and affords views of El Capitan, Clouds Nest, and a distant Half Dome.  It took me two hours of snowshoeing and I followed the ridge trail out and the Meadow trail back, about 8 miles total.  With the gear on my back, I was spent by the time I got back, but the view is spectacular.  When I reached the point, a Park Service crew was filming the site and asked if I would mind being in the film.  I agreed and they filmed me setting up the Pano shot, which is comprised of 8 images on two rows.  If printed in its current format of 300 dpi, it would measure 5 x 3 feet.   Nikon d800e, Zeiss Makro Planar 100 f2.  Dan

2 Comments:

Blogger Lea said...

Cool! The front keeps looking like a leopard print to me... or a reptile even.... Interesting illusion. Beautiful nature.

Tuesday, February 26, 2013 at 2:55:00 PM PST  
Blogger Warren T. said...

Spectacular! I've never been out to Dewey Point, must do that someday.

--WT

Sunday, March 3, 2013 at 6:10:00 PM PST  

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Enjoying a Smoke

Leica M3, Leitz 50mm f2.8 Elmar, Kodak BW400CN

A change of pace from our recent landscape, wildlife, and scenery photography, here's a different kind of scenery.

--Warren

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3 Comments:

Blogger dan in marin said...

Very nice Warren. Not sure I have ever seen Brooklyn St. Great vertical element that contrasts with his position leaning forward.

Dan

Monday, February 25, 2013 at 7:43:00 AM PST  
Blogger Lea said...

Very nice geometries! Just a side question, maybe I asked you before -Do you shoot in b&w or edit in post process? Some people are surprised to hear of shooting in digital b&w, and not raw and converting later, since raw holds so much more data than jpg.. but I wonder if the quality of b&w composition is something that is more easily recognized by the photographer when shooting straight b&w rather than converting a colour image. What do you think? (question open to anyone) Either way, I feel that this image is an excellent use of b&w format.

Tuesday, February 26, 2013 at 3:25:00 PM PST  
Blogger Warren T. said...

Thanks for the comments Dan and Lea.

Lea, you asked a very good question. I think photographers who have experience with film have an easier time shooting digital b&w as raw, then converting later, because that's how film shooters have 'seen' anyway.

In my own case, I shoot in RAW and convert later either in LR or a combo of LR and Silver Efex Pro. If you shoot with an optical viewfinder, then you are 'seeing color' by default.

I would love to read answers from others, to this question.

--Warren

Sunday, March 3, 2013 at 6:08:00 PM PST  

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Half Moon Bay

HTC One X

Dolph, does this look familiar? :)

--Warren

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1 Comments:

Anonymous lena said...

Nice weather and scene, great light on the rocks, beautiful composition...:-)

Lena,

Monday, February 25, 2013 at 6:46:00 PM PST  

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Sunday, February 24, 2013

Sigma DP2 Merrill in Yosemite

This is a handheld stitched image taken at Mirror Lake.  The camera handles very well even in high contrast snow scenes.  Composing with a LCD is still awkward for me, but given the size of the camera it is a remarkable tool.

Dan

4 Comments:

Blogger Warren T. said...

Fantastic shot, Dan! Great detail and IQ in this shot.

Did you see the natural firefall on this trip?

--Warren

Monday, February 25, 2013 at 6:46:00 AM PST  
Blogger dan in marin said...

Thanx Warren, I pursued the golden fleece for photographers for three afternoons and into early evening, and was either frustrated by fog or a lack of water. I would estimate that at least 200 photographers were at either the north or south sites hoping to get the image. Of course the one night I was at Dewey point, the sky cleared enough to at least get an image of a golden streak on the wet rock face. All in all a good time with the various phtographers gathered though.

Dan

Monday, February 25, 2013 at 6:53:00 AM PST  
Blogger Warren T. said...

Did you get any shots of the 200 photographers? That would be fun to see. :)

--WT

Monday, February 25, 2013 at 7:02:00 AM PST  
Anonymous lena said...

Beautiful Yosemite scenery, lovely reflections, nice and sharp, amazing ! nicely capture Dan...:-)

Lena,

Monday, February 25, 2013 at 6:39:00 PM PST  

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Saturday, February 23, 2013

HTC Panorama Tests

HTC One X

I tested the automatic panorama function of my HTC One X's camera. It worked amazingly well. The camera takes five shots automatically, all you have to do is press the shutter once, and then pan the camera from left to right.

Gail practicing Tai Chi at the Music Concourse in Golden Gate Park:

Gail at Sharon Meadow in Golden Gate Park:

--Warren

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1 Comments:

Blogger dan in marin said...

These camera phones have the big camera makers attention for sure. Point and shoot and a phone/computer in one package. What's not to like. I picked up a photo SW for my phone called KitCam that has some nice features.

Dan

Sunday, February 24, 2013 at 5:02:00 PM PST  

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A Few More HTC Shots

HTC One X

Seal Rocks:

Sutro Baths:

View South from Fort Funston:

--Warren


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1 Comments:

Anonymous lena said...

Beautiful views. nice capture with you HTC one X, great Phone...:-)

Lena,

Monday, February 25, 2013 at 6:51:00 PM PST  

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Gail at the Cliff House

HTC One X

We just had brunch at the Cliff House, afterward we walk outside to take some test shots with my HTC's camera. The camera has a digital zoom feature, but I wouldn't advise using it. The results when zoomed in are pretty horrific. But the shots taken at it's native focal length turned out very nice.

--Warren

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Ocean Beach, Feb 21st

HTC One X

I was testing my new cell phone's camera. It's a 28mm FF equivalent with 8MP.

--Warren

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Thursday, February 21, 2013

Scene at Ocean Beach

S100 Canon

Lena

1 Comments:

Blogger Warren T. said...

The birds didn't care that a scary two-legged creature was running at them? :)

--WT

Saturday, February 23, 2013 at 2:38:00 PM PST  

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Scene at Ocean Beach

I test my S100 Canon use TV menu to try this shot,
I am happy it quality,..:-)

Lena

2 Comments:

Blogger Warren T. said...

The photo looks very sharp... great composition :).

--Warren

Saturday, February 23, 2013 at 2:37:00 PM PST  
Blogger Lea said...

Nice textures and sparkle!! Very nice :)

Tuesday, February 26, 2013 at 2:53:00 PM PST  

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Tuesday, February 12, 2013

Shorebirds Seem to be In Vogue









Warren and Dolph have been posting some great images of shorebirds recently so I thought I might add a few from Marin County's famous Bolinas Lagoon. The hummer for some reason was watching them for the longest time.  Maybe it wanted to learn to swim.   Nikon d800e Nikon 400 f2.8 af-i with 2x converter

Dan

3 Comments:

Anonymous lena said...

So lovely, nice captured, thanks for sharing Dan...:-)

Lena

Tuesday, February 12, 2013 at 10:04:00 PM PST  
Blogger Warren T. said...

Really nice shots, Dan! I really like the composition on the hummer picture.

--WT

Friday, February 15, 2013 at 11:18:00 AM PST  
Blogger Lea said...

I like the last one with all their heads down, marching along in formation. Nice series :)

Thursday, February 21, 2013 at 9:52:00 AM PST  

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Snowy Egret Found Its Dinner

Lumix DMC-G5, Lumix 100-300mm



--Warren

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1 Comments:

Anonymous lena said...

wonderful catch, great timing, lovely scene, well seen...:-)

Lena,

Tuesday, February 12, 2013 at 10:07:00 PM PST  

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Sunday, February 10, 2013

Happy Chinese New Year !!!


Dahlia
D90 Nikon 18-200

Lena

1 Comments:

Blogger Warren T. said...

Nice Chinese New Year colors. :)

--WT

Monday, February 11, 2013 at 8:30:00 PM PST  

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Snowy Egret Looking for Dinner

Lumix DMC-G5, Lumix 100-300mm

Gung Hay Fat Choy (Happy New Year) everyone!

Another bird image from my recent visit to Heron's Head Park at India Basin.

--Warren

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2 Comments:

Blogger dan in marin said...

Nice composition Warren, with the dark background and reflection.

Dan

Sunday, February 10, 2013 at 5:23:00 PM PST  
Blogger Lena said...

Amazing ! lovely capture, nice light and reflection, beautiful !...:-)

Lena,

Sunday, February 10, 2013 at 7:50:00 PM PST  

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Thursday, February 07, 2013

Mission Peak Hike


The hike was somewhat steep and continually demanding. And there were cows on the trails . . lol

1 Comments:

Blogger Warren T. said...

i like the green, rolling hills in #2 :) very nice place.

--WT

Monday, February 11, 2013 at 9:10:00 AM PST  

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Grebes in Love (Spring is Almost Here!)


Lumix DMC-G5, Lumix 100-300mm

Here is a picture the same two Clark's Grebes from another angle. I was standing about 20 feet to the left of Dolph. We happened to see them towards the end of their courtship dance. Like Dolph said, it was fascinating to watch them being so playful with each other. We were a little late this time, so I'm hoping to go back here to see them or another pair next time.

I found a video on Youtube that documents the dance.

Link: to Youtube video.

--Warren

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2 Comments:

Anonymous lena said...

Indeed they are so lovely...:-)

Fantastic a video on Youtube that document they are dancing so lovely, well seen, great found, thanks for sharing, I hope I have chance to seeing it...:-)

Lena,

Thursday, February 7, 2013 at 2:09:00 PM PST  
Blogger Lea said...

I really love the ripples and colour of the water! Very sweet, and interesting dance clip haha.

Thursday, February 7, 2013 at 7:52:00 PM PST  

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Wednesday, February 06, 2013

King of the Harbour

Lumix GX 1  100 - 300mm

King of the harbour.....I don't know if you should watch out below or watch out from this guy above...

**Dolph

1 Comments:

Anonymous lena said...

Nice and detail, great shot.

Lena

Thursday, February 7, 2013 at 8:26:00 AM PST  

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Love Birds

Lumix GX1  100 - 300MM

It was something to watch the two perform the "spring dance" of love.

**Dolph

2 Comments:

Anonymous lena said...

Lovely scene, nice capture Dolph...:-)

Lena

Thursday, February 7, 2013 at 8:01:00 AM PST  
Blogger dan in marin said...

Dolph, you and Warren might be charged as peeping toms on this amorous couple.

Dan

Sunday, February 10, 2013 at 5:36:00 PM PST  

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Bridge Bolts

Lumix DMC-G5, Lumix 100-300mm

Why do we like to take pictures of old, rusty things? :)

--Warren

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3 Comments:

Blogger Steve Rosenbach said...

A very good photo, and a very good question!

Thursday, February 7, 2013 at 4:42:00 AM PST  
Blogger Dolph Brust said...

History....I think we also like photos of lines, shadows, and texture. All of those elements are in this picture.

Nice....

**Dolph

Thursday, February 7, 2013 at 5:24:00 AM PST  
Anonymous lena said...

Great detail and textures, nice framing.

Lena

Thursday, February 7, 2013 at 8:30:00 AM PST  

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Tuesday, February 05, 2013

Black Oystercatchers

Lumix DMC-G5, Lumix 100-300mm

These striking shorebirds do not usually eat oysters despite their name. They mainly feed on small mollusks along the shoreline. These were seen at Heron's Head park at India Basin. I like the vivid colors in their beaks and eyes, could they be SF Giants fans? :)

--Warren




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3 Comments:

Anonymous lena said...

Nice capture, great close-up , wonderful shots !

Lena,

Tuesday, February 5, 2013 at 9:19:00 AM PST  
Blogger Lea said...

Giants fans, ha! I think so :)

Tuesday, February 5, 2013 at 1:54:00 PM PST  
Blogger Dolph Brust said...

Warren,

Nice details. I'll post one of my pictures from the side. I didn't get him having a late afternoon lunch.

**Dolph

Thursday, February 7, 2013 at 5:26:00 AM PST  

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Monday, February 04, 2013

Concentration

Lumix LX5

Lea was helping Gail choose an eyeglass frame. I liked the mirrors and different shapes and frames, and also Lea's focused stare. :)

--Warren

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2 Comments:

Blogger Lea said...

I wouldn't mind this as a hobby.. Which glasses say what... ;) A really cool play with geometries and space. Good eye Warren!

Tuesday, February 5, 2013 at 1:51:00 PM PST  
Blogger Dolph Brust said...

Warren,

They always say to watch for things coming out of your subjects head. I really like the dots on the board coming out of her head. Looks like a thought board...."I hope she likes these glasses, I need to go on break".


**Dolph

Thursday, February 7, 2013 at 5:28:00 AM PST  

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