Earthwatcher

A Bright, High Energy Image

June 16, 2016 by Earthwatcher, posted in art, art for sale, Earthwatcher, Fujifilm Cameras, HDR, Marin County, Photgraphy Lighting, Photography, Photography Tips & Tricks, Seascape

Black Sands Beach - Perspective 1 — Black Sands Beach, Bonita Cove, Marin Headlands, Marin County, CA, FEB 2015

Almost a year and half ago, my friend Richard Bieniek took a day trip to the Marin Headlands outside of San Francisco. The Headlands are the area north and west of the Golden Gate Bridge that border on the ocean. It was a beautiful day. The sun was almost blindingly bright. The waves were tall and strong. As we walked down the steep that was path cut into the cliff side, you could hear the waves thunder before you could even see them. When we reached the small, sandy beach in the cove, the unfolding scene was remarkable. It was mid—afternoon. The sun was so bright it caused strong silvery reflections on the water. Those reflections contrasted with the deep shadows in the surrounding rock. As the waves approached, they gave the impression of a wall of water coming right at you. The scene was full of energy. Though difficult, I knew I had to share the story of what I saw.

I hope this image gives you that picture because it was wonderful to behold.

How Did I Process This Image

Those of us who shoot with a DSLR will recognize the difficulty in capturing this image. The dynamic range, the difference in exposure needed to display some detail in the shadows while not blowing away the highlights in this image is well outside the capabilities of most cameras. The obvious answer is HDR. However, that requires 3 identical images with exposures about 2 stops apart. The problem is that the ocean won’t stand still and pose long enough to make that happen. I might have chosen to blur the waves but that would have defeated one of my main objectives, to show the energy of the scene.

As you can see from the histogram in this this screenshot below, I exposed the image to minimize both the black and white clipping thus minimizing the loss of detail in both shadows and highlights. However, the digital negative is very dark. Despite many hours of trying, there was no way get a good image just manipulating the sliders and using other features of Lightroom. I had to rely on HDR. I made 3 virtual copies of the digital negative in Adobe Lightroom. I opened the exposure of 1 copy about as far as I dare; about ¾ of a stop. I made one of the others about 2 stops brighter and the other about 2 stops darker than the first. I opened the 3 copies in Photomatrix to merge them into a single HDR image. I chose the option that gave me the best, most realistic image I could find. I made a few minor tweaks and created the final HDR image. But even that created an image where the foam in the foreground churn was dark and dingy. I couldn’t open the exposure, the highlights or the whites. It would cause the ocean to blow out and lose the silvery reflection. So, I finished the image using Lightroom’s paintbrush to open the exposure on just that section of the image. I believe it worked.

Lightroom Screenshot 20160615

Regards,

Larry

This and other images are available to view and to purchase at my website: http://www.earthwatcher.us.

Spring in Northern California

June 6, 2016 by Earthwatcher, posted in art, art for sale, Black & White Photography, Bodie, Death Valley, desert, Earthwatcher, Fujifilm Cameras, Ghost Town, landscape images, Mono Lake, Photography, Yosemite

My wife, brother, sister-in-law and I took a trip to the Eastern Sierra and the desert of the Great Basin. I remember a trip to Yosemite and down Rte. 395 seeing the snow capped Sierra for the first time. It was an incredible experience. In the intervening years we have experienced drought. The snow left the mountains early causing the rivers to slow early. The beauty is always there but, it’s not as spectacular as when we get lots of snow and rain. This year we got a respite from the drought so the drive down 395 regained much of its splendor. We were treated to scenes from romantic westerns; large mountain valleys, ringed with high snowcapped peaks, cattle grazing on lush green grass. I felt like I should be on a horse with Hoss and Little Joe. The rivers were running hard, churning white water that glistened in the sun. At Yosemite, the waterfalls thundered.

As we travel south on Rte. 395 we reach a point where the terrain transitions from mountain valleys to the valleys of the high desert. The grass goes away and is replaced by gnarled shrub. Even the vegetation along the rivers is stunted. With this year’s rain and snow, the area took on a different look. The wildflower blooms in Bodie were near their end but, stalks retained their spring green, creating a strong contrast against the brown buildings and deep blue sky.

Mono Lake had a hue of emerald green instead of aqua. The lake color, along with the spring greens of its vegetation gave the tufa a softer, cooler gray color and gave a green cast to the air. The winds were very strong that day. They created white caps along with waves that crashed against the tufa and broke along the shore.

Mono Lake on a Windy Spring Day — Mono Lake, South Tufa Reserve, May 2016

The strong winds followed us to the Ancient Bristlecone Pine Forest where we had planned an early morning hike along the Methuselah Trail. We had to cancel the hike because the wind chill was really bad. We hiked the shorter Discovery Trail instead. The trail was clear but snow patches dotted the adjacent hillsides. The sun peeked through openings in the overcast sky highlighting the sculptural bristlecones and the mountains in the distance.

From the bristlecones, we made our way to Death Valley. Spring was in the desert air also. Wildflowers of yellow and white were in bloom along the road. The Joshua Trees were budding but not quite ready to open. Even the cholla cactus was putting on its spring display.

My brother and sister-in-law were taken aback by Death Valley. Like me, they were raised in the eastern US. We saw deserts only in movies. They were areas where sand dunes stretched from horizon to horizon; a place where people rode camels and hung out at an oasis with palm trees. Instead, Death Valley is a typical valley in the basin and range ecosystem. It is long and narrow and ringed with high mountains. It’s hard, gray-brown soil is dotted with gnarled vegetation and rocks that washed down from the mountainsides during storms. But even it was showing signs of spring. Some of the normally dry playas contained water. Tiny wildflowers, mostly yellow, were in bloom. We hiked back Golden Canyon and we watched a sunrise at Zabriske Point. The strongly eroded mountainsides, painted by mineral deposits are always a treat to see especially under the golden sunlight of a sunrise from Zabriske.

Side Canyon — Golden Canyon, Death Valley National Park, May 2016

We continued our journey to Lone Pine, CA. Along the way, we chuckled at 2 coyotes working the tourists at a pull-off in Panamint Valley – Will pose of food.

The Alabama Hills are located near Lone Pine. They are oddly eroded, twisted rocks, at the base of Mt Whitney. They were used as the set for many Hollywood productions of western and other adventure movies. Those of us who were fans of Roy Rogers, Gene Autrey, Hopalong Cassidy and the other cowboy protagonists of our childhood would find those hills familiar. Lone Pine also houses the Lone Pine Film History Museum. It holds memorabilia from movies produced in that area. It was fun to see the fancy saddles and guns, stagecoaches and even some monsters and space aliens. It was fun to reminisce also.

The final part of this journey took us to Yosemite. Our plans were to go across Tioga Pass but a snowfall the night before closed it. We had to detour. The detour took us on Rte. 88 from Sorenson’s to Jackson; a stretch we’ve never driven. It was a beautiful drive over granite balds, along steep sided canyons and past mountain lakes. We found a new place to explore for photo opportunities.

Yosemite is at its most beautiful in the spring. Waterfalls thundered, the Merced River churned white water, ephemeral waterfalls were still flowing. We were only able to visit the valley. Even Glacier Point was closed due to “impending storm”. But wondering through the valley is a joy. The immense scale, with waterfalls crashing over sheer granite cliffs towering 3,000 feet and more above your head, drive home the power and awesomeness of nature’s forces and God’s creativity. I am always awe-struck by its beauty. It never gets tiring.

Bridal Veil Falls, Yosemite National Park, May 2016

I hope my images and words give you a sense of spring in Northern California. Stay tuned for Part 2 of our adventure.

Regards,

Larry

Five Days Rafting on the Grand Canyon

May 15, 2016 by Earthwatcher, posted in Colorado River, Earthwatcher, Fujifilm Cameras, Grand Canyon, images, landscape, Photography, river, waterfall

I had an amazing experience; five days rafting through the Grand Canyon on the Colorado River. Many thanks to Gary Hart (http://www.garyhartphotography.com/), who organized the trip, and to Western River Outfitters (http://www.westernriver.com/), who conducted it. Their professionalism, efficiency, and energy made the trip great fun, great adventure, and an unforgettable experience.

The trip began with a flight over the Colorado Plateau to Marble Canyon, AZ where we packed up and entered the river at a spot called Lee’s Ferry. We traveled 180 miles through Marble Canyon and the Grand Canyon. At Whitmore Wash we were helicoptered out to Bar 10 ranch then back to Las Vegas by small plane. After spending time on the river, the return flight gave me an opportunity to connect some dots: I could see the relief of the canyon and view the beds of the feeder rivers as they travelled to the slot canyons and into the Colorado. We travelled on motorized rafts that were 5 heavy duty vinyl pontoons lashed together with ropes. Each of the pontoons was about 25 feet long and 3 feet in diameter. Our food, camping gear, and personal items were piled on, covered, and tied down on 2 platforms lashed to the pontoons. We camped on sandbars along the river; some under the stars, others in tents.

My first impression took me back to adventure stories where a team of intrepid explorers entered an unknown and unexplored area looking for the fabled lost city and its people. The narrow gorge through weathered, high walled canyons, felt imposing. The patterns on the rock reminded me of ancient statuary that weathered away. It left me wondering where the door to the ancient city, the one that is only revealed at sunset on the summer solstice, is located.

The geology was fascinating. Over the course of our trip, our elevation changed by 1,700 feet. When we entered Marble Canyon, we were between walls of the red-orange limestone layer that forms the roof top of the canyons. As we travelled through the canyon, progressively deeper layers were exposed until we came to the basement layer of granite which underlies the canyon. At places, nearly 2 billion years of earth’s history lay exposed for us to see.

To top off all of this beauty we even got to have fun running the rapids. There were many rapids. Most of them were small ripples. Two of them were really wild rides. Several more were big enough to be exciting. As we approached the rapids, you could see choppy white water ahead. The swells that had already broken smoothed out to a jello-like surface and reflected gold on top of the green river. As the driver turned the raft into the swells the swells would lift the raft and drop it down or the raft would nose dive and dig into the swell. Sometimes a wave would hit from the side. Regardless, water sprayed up, soaking us. As we held on, braving the bucking and twisting, we laughed like little kids. I was anxious about this part of the trip, not really knowing what to expect. Having done it, I wouldn’t trade the experience.

Visiting the rim or flying over the canyon will give you an appreciation of its magnificence. But running the river brings it up close and personal. Look up and see cliff walls rising thousands of feet or see the layers set back, one upon the other, rising into the sky. Look at the walls and see swirls of fossilized sand dunes or rock walls that look like layers of stacked stone; some horizontal, some tilted at an angle. Vegetation invaded the weathered red-orange limestone giving the appearance of terraced gardens. In other places cacti and brush dotted hillsides of black and brown in no particular pattern. Still other areas were painted in earth tones of tan, brown, pink and green. We hiked back slot canyons to see running streams and waterfalls that have carved the sidewalls and brought debris to the canyon floor. We were even lucky enough to see some of the wildlife that inhabits the canyon: condors flying high above, big horn sheep climbing canyon walls, swallows swooping over the rapids to catch bugs and even a heron. I have difficulty finding words to describe how it felt to be among those ancient walls. Walls that were created by the deposition of silt and the remains of creatures at the bottom of a great sea, uplifted when plates of the earth’s crust crashed into each other and finally sculpted by the forces of wind and rain into the natural wonder that was presented to me each day of the trip. Wonder and awe aren’t expressive enough.

I hope the images I’ve included give you sense of what I felt as I traveled through the natural wonder that is the Grand Canyon.

Regards,

Larry

(Note: Click on images to see enlarged)

Cave Through the Canyon Grand Canyon National Park, MAY 2016 Grand Canyon - Perspective 3

Grand Canyon - Perspective 2

Deer Creek Falls - Perspective 1 — Deer Creek Falls – Perspective 1

A Special Treat

An Early Spring Day in Yosemite

April 22, 2016 by Earthwatcher, posted in art, art for sale, Earthwatcher, landscape, landscape images, landscape photos, Photography, Rainbow, river, waterfall, Yosemite

We are fortunate this year that El Niño gave us a respite from the drought; a good snow pack in the Sierra! I moved to northern California 4 ½ years ago. My wife told me many times that the ephemeral waterfalls, those that dry up and go away quickly, make Yosemite especially beautiful in early spring. But years of drought gave us little snow, leaving those falls dormant or very short lived. I never had a chance to experience them.

Last weekend, we took an overnight visit to Yosemite. My wife was right, everywhere I looked there was a waterfall that I had never seen before. Even Horsetail falls, the one that lights up like fire at sunset in February, was still running. The Merced River was running strongly. We hiked along the Merced River on the trail to the bridge at Vernal Falls.

Roiling & Thundering

At the juncture of Illouette Creek and the Merced River, the waters roiled over the cascades making whitewater that looked like a giant head of cauliflower and sounded like thunder. It was amazing.

For me, the real treat was Yosemite Falls.

Base of Lower Yosemite Falls, Yosemite National Park, APR 2016

It, too, thundered from the water crashing over the cliff. Yosemite Creek was rushing harder and was fuller than I have ever seen it.

This little cascade is normally dry. But the snow melt left Yellowstone Creek running high, fast and loud creating a channel bringing this cascade alive. Yosemite National Park, APR 2016

But the real treat was a brilliant rainbow in the mist at the base of the lower falls.

The sun cast a brilliant rainbow in the mist at the base of the Lower Yellowstone Falls. Though other colors could be seen, the sun highlighted the red-orange spectrum casting a golden glow over the rugged landscape. Yosemite National Park, APR 2016

Though other colors could be seen, the sun highlighted the red-orange spectrum casting a golden glow over parts of the landscape.

20160416-Yosemite-033-WEB — Yosemite Falls thundered strongly from the early spring runoff creating a cool breezy mist. The sun played upon the mist, painting a brilliant rainbow that cast the landscape in a golden glow. Yosemite National Park, APR 2016

Yet, as I traveled through Yosemite, another thought struck me. As humans, ephemeral describes things that come and go quickly; in the span of short periods within our lifetime. But, solid rock in places like Yosemite last for time frames impossible for humans to comprehend but do eventually wash away. To the earth is really ephemeral?

: A contrast, the juxtaposition of the ephemeral with the lasting. But, which is really ephemeral? That which appears lasting is eroded, one grain at a time, by that which appears ephemeral, until it is eventually washed away. Meanwhile, that which appears epemeral rushes to sea, evaporates and returns to erode again. Yosemite National Park, APR 2016

Regards,

Larry

These and other images are available for purchase at my website, http://www.earthwatcher.us or by contacting me at larry@earthwatcher.us.

A Spring Morning on the Cosumnes River

March 20, 2016 by Earthwatcher, posted in art, art for sale, Cosumnes River, Earthwatcher, El Dorado County, Fujifilm Cameras, landscape, landscape images, landscape photos, Photography, photography for sale, river

Cosumnes RIver, North Fork — A Spring Morning on the Cosumnes River – Perspective 1 Bucks Bar Road, Somerset, CA

My wife, my mother and I decided to visit Daffodil Hill, a beautiful spring attraction in Amador County, CA. After the visit, we decided to wander some of the lesser traveled roads in rural El Dorado and Placer counties; an area where my wife spent a lot of time during her childhood. As we wandered, we crossed a small bridge spanning the North Fork of the Cosumnes River. The Cosumnes is a 52 mile long river starting as 3 forks in the Sierra Nevada, eventually merging with other rivers and flowing into the San Francisco Bay by way of the Sacramento/San Juaquin delta. We were somewhere along the North Fork near Somerset, CA. The recent rain and snow, brought on by the El Nino, has given us a brief respite from the years of drought. The river was flowing rapidly through this shallow gorge. The morning sun filtered through the forest, highlighting the bright spring green of life reawakening.

I hope you enjoy these 2 perspectives of this beautiful canyon.

These and other imageas are available to purchase on my website: http://www.earthwatcher.us or by contacting larry.klink@earthwatcher.us.

Regards,

Larry

A Visit to San Diego Zoo Safari Park

March 10, 2016 by Earthwatcher, posted in Bird Photography, Birds, Earthwatcher, Fujifilm Cameras, Photography, Wildlife

With an impending trip to Kruger National Park in South Africa, this year is shaping up to be a year where I concentrate on wildlife. My love has always been more intimate landscapes, so I truly enjoy the opportunities to shoot wildlife in the context of a landscape. Last weekend, I had the opportunity to visit the San Diego Zoo Safari Park, an 1,800 acre wildlife sanctuary that displays animals in large open enclosures where they can roam and exercise. Though the animals are the highlight, it is landscaped beautifully and is well worth a visit. I hope to get back sometime and spend more time photographing both the landscapes and the wildlife.

On this visit, it was overcast and rainy. Even so, the wildlife was out and active. I hope you enjoy these images from my visit.

Larger images of these and other wildlife can be seen at my Birds, Wildlife and Insects gallery on my website: http://www.earthwatcher.us.

San Diego Zoo Safari Park, MAR 2016

Wildlife in Carson Valley, NV

March 1, 2016 by Earthwatcher, posted in art for sale, Bird Photography, Birds, Earthwatcher, Fujifilm Cameras, Photography, Wild Horses

Long Eared Owl, Washoe Lake State Park, NV, FEB 2016

This past weekend, a few of my friends and I did a wildlife shoot in Carson Valley, near Minden, NV. Our guide was John Humphrey, a local wildlife photographer (www.akawolf.com). He provided us with access to private lands that we would not have had access to ourselves. It was a beautiful morning and we got plenty of interesting opportunities to shoot. Hope you enjoy these images.

Great Horned Owl

Bald Eagles in Nesting Tree — Bald Eagles and Nest, Minden, MV FEB 2016

WIld Horse — Part of a Band of Wild Horses, Minden, NV FEB 2016

Great Horned Owl Chasing a Magpie — Great Horned Owl Chasing Magpie, Minden, MV FEB 2016

WIld Horses — Part of a Band of Wild Horses, Minden, NV FEB 2016

Wild Colt Nursing — Nursing Colt, Part of a Band of Wild Horses, Minden, NV FEB 2016

Birds

February 21, 2016 by Earthwatcher, posted in American River, American River Parkway, Bird Photography, Birds, Earthwatcher, Fujifilm Cameras, landscape, landscape images, landscape photos, Photography, Waterfowl, Wm Pond Park

I am not typically a bird photographer. When I do shoot birds, I try to take them in the context of their environment, trying to answer the questions: this is who I am and this is how I survive. Living in the Sacramento, CA area affords me the opportunity to shoot migrating winter birds but, I find I really like to go back to the usual suspects – herons, egrets, Canada geese and mallards, hawks. Learning about them, observing their behavior gives me a lot of pleasure.

The last week or so, I’ve had the added pleasure of trying out my new Fujinon 100-400mm F4.5-5.6 lens and 1.4X Tele-converter. Its a great lens but its been more than a year since I shot with a long lens so, I made a few depth of field mistakes. Oh well, I guess I just need to go out and shoot more.

Anyway, here are a few images I shot. I hope you enjoy them.

20160209-Wm-Pond-Park-047-WEB — Great Egret

20160209-Wm-Pond-Park-027-WEB — Canada Goose

20160209-Wm-Pond-Park-030-Edit-WEB — Snowy Egret

Mountain Plover - Winter Plummage — Mountain Plover

20160209-Wm-Pond-Park-043-WEB — Red Shouldered Hawk

Cataract Falls

January 29, 2016 by Earthwatcher, posted in Photography

On Jan 26, 2016, I visited the Mt Tamalpias watershed area near Fairfax, in Marin County, CA. Imagine climbing up a hillside, along a stream that was running fast and loud due to recent rain. Now, imagine the trail to be 2 1/2 miles in and out with a 1,300 foot elevation gain, 750 feet over the first mile. That combination meant the stream was full of waterfalls and cataracts. The banks of the stream were hard rock surfaces covered with coastal redwoods, moss and ferns. It was absolutely spectacular. The trek was difficult but, was well worth the effort.

For my fellow photographers, the stream ran along an east-west access. The January sun rose behind the waterfalls casting some strong light in a few areas but the sun mostly was obscured by the canopy. The light, though bright, was diffuse. Still, the ferns, moss and rocks glistened. Perhaps, as the sun set, more light would have fallen directly on the waterfalls but I didn’t have time to stay and find out. If I make another trip, I will plan it for afternoon.

I hope you enjoy the images. Enlarged copies of the images can be found in my online gallery: Cataract Falls

Regards,

Mt Tamalpias Watershed, Marin County, CA, JAN 2016

Alpine Lake in the Fog, Mt Tamalpias Watershed, Marin County, CA, JAN 2016 https://larryklink.smugmug.com/Cataract-Falls/i-jPD4spb/A

Larry

Follow Where the Light Leads

January 22, 2016 by Earthwatcher, posted in art for sale, CA State Railroad Museum, Cell Phone Photography, Earthwatcher, lighting, Photography, Photography Tips & Tricks

As photographers, we are admonished to wait for the perfect light or, as a studio photographer, to set up the perfect light. It’s good advice, but not always practical. Sometimes you find yourself at a location you’d like to shoot and walk away disappointed because there are interesting subjects but bad lighting. I have been working on turning that admonishment around and searching where the light leads me; finding subjects where the light presents them. Those opportunities even avail themselves in very diffuse light. We just have to open our mind to creativity when thinking about light.

Untitled, California State Rail Museum, Sacramento, CA, JAN 2016

Last weekend, I visited the California State Rail Museum. If you are a railroad buff, there are a lot of great things to see. While there, I set 2 objectives: learn to use my cell phone camera more effectively and to look for subjects made interesting by the museum lighting. I did OK with the first objective but didn’t advance my skill as much as I’d have liked. I did learn that I have a little control over depth of field though not a lot. I did find interesting subjects to shoot. The museum lighting was very good and the light painted details in interesting ways. I’ve included a few examples for you to enjoy.

A Brass Valve, California State Rail Museum, Sacramento, CA, JAN 2016

A View of the Underbelly, California State Rail Museum, Sacramento, CA, JAN 2016

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These and other images are available for purchase at my website, http://www.earthwatcher.us or by contacting me at larry@earthwatcher.us.

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