2017 is upon us. Dune motif in Death Valley National Park, California. Leica M6 with Kodak HIE infrared film and  87C opaque filter.

Bridalveil Falls with some snow dusting and cloud burst makes for a crisp feeling photo.

 

Looking back to a trip to Yosemite on Memorial weekend in 1980 proved to provide some amazing images. Several of the photos are appearing after debuting on Instagram a little over a week ago. The negatives stored in archival binders in archival sleeves.

I was a photo student when I took these landscapes. I attended Orange Coast College in Costa Mesa, California. Their Photography program was one of the best, comparable to university photography programs. The equipment manager at OCC, Dick Knox loaned me a Mamiya 645S camera and an 80mm and 150mm lens. I packed black and white film, but also shot color negative and chrome film.

That weekend OCC invited Ansel Adams to speak in the Auditorium, so going on this trip made me miss the opportunity to meet the landscape icon. John Upton who headed the photo program arranged talent in the field to lecture at OCC.

The roads entering the Yosemite National Park were icy. The weather that evening changed overnight, and it snowed that morning leaving the valley covered in fresh snow! Most of my post contain snow in the photo. I hope you enjoy the series.

This view is from Inspiration Point at Yosemite National Park.

 

Pastoral view on the valley floor showcasing a majestic tree.

 

Along the Merced River in Yosemite Valley with snow-capped mountains in the background. The puffy clouds provide some visual interest.

 

This view was the first scene I photographed after waking up. I walked from Camp Curry to this vista. I call it “W is for Winter.”

 

Hiking up Yosemite Falls is quite an undertaking especially when you get to the switchbacks toward the top. This snow covered scene was just incredible. I call this photo “Tree Relationship.”

 

Icicles were everywhere. This detail I thought was interesting.

 

At the top is Yosemite River that feeds into Yosemite Falls. The fog was waxing and waning, so I took many exposures. This image seems to work for me.

 

At the top of Yosemite Falls looking down shows the water continuing to the right toward the Lower Falls and Yosemite Village to the left. The sound of the waterfall was incredible.

 

Sentinel Dome from the valley floor shrouded in clouds and dusted with snow produces a dramatic vista.

 

A close-up of Sentinel Dome from the valley floor. The snow and clouds embellish this beautiful scene.

 

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I will take a moment to talk about the lighting in the Pottery Barn Blog photo post that published today. I packed a couple of Profoto B1 battery flash units and my newly acquired Canon EOS 5D Mark IV Full Frame Digital SLR Camera Body. A 90mm tilt-shift lens. When arriving at Happy Happy Nester’s ( Janine’s blog here) home for the shoot, I started to determine where to set up the camera on a tripod. After establishing the spot for the camera, I needed to pick where to set up the main light. Since I was going to use the ambient light for an accent, I set up the main light to the right of the camera. I metered the main light and also the secondary ambient lights and enter the data into the camera. The Main light sported a Plume Wafer softbox 100. The ambient light was set three stops less than the main light and provided the warm color in the photograph. I shot the photo at 100 ISO 1/20 @ ƒ/4.5 and in the Raw and jpeg file mode. Btw…the cake is incredible! Click on this for Pottery Barn Blog for the post and recipe!

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The next photo was the appetizer. I added a second Profoto B1 light with a grid to create a stronger shadow to the right that was next to the main light with a softbox. A French style tablecloth also was added. BTW…I use Capture One Pro 9 software that allows me to tether my laptop to my camera while shooting. The TetherTools USB 3.0 cable plus TetherBoost Pro are the connection cables used. This workflow is very helpful and allows me to check focus, exposure, and composition on a 15″ screen! Click this for Pottery Barn Blog for the post and recipe!

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I took this lifestyle photo in the kitchen. I mixed a Profoto B1 with Beauty Dish to the right of the camera. I mixed that with the available light both inside and outside and then balanced the color temperature in Capture One Pro 9. I used the Canon 5D Mark IV and a 90mm tilt-shift lens.

Kodak Box Brownie still life with an old pocket watch. Hasselblad 500CM and 150mm Sonnar. Lighting provided by the sun.

A still life of my Grandpa’s handmade tools to make Ivory Shogi chess pieces along with his Elgin pocket watch. He played the game in his leisure time in Winslow, Arizona. I used Google’s Nik Collection Silver Efex Pro 2 Photoshop plug-in on this image. Canon 5D Mark IV with 90mm tilt-shift lens. Profoto B1 used with a snoot.

Creating window light with artificial light on chess still life. Canon EOS 1-N and Agfa 1000 slide film. LTM Pepper lights and various light modifiers including antique rippled glass and tracing paper scrims.

A snow covered mountain in Prince William Sound, Alaska. My computer crashed awhile back, and I finally recovered my Aperture library.

Cloud covered mountainside in Prince William Sound, Alaska.

Tundra shot with late afternoon dappled light, Denali National Park, Alaska.

Late afternoon light on a mountainside in Prince Williams Sound, Alaska. Photo captured on Canon 10D with 200mm.

Somewhere around Williams, Arizona. Fall Aspen in the foreground with fresh snow on a distant mountain peak. Canon EOS 1-N and Agfa 1000 film.

Cloudburst over Mammoth, California. Kodak HIE with 87C opaque filter on a Leica M6. Scanned with Nikon 9000ED scanner with ScanVue Professional software on MacPro on El Capitan OS.

Just out of college I did editorial photography for a local newspaper. One assignment was to take photos at a restaurant of dessert and wine. A waitress dressed up to hold the items I photographed. I used a Norman 2000 watt-second power pack with one head in a Chimera 3’x4′ softbox to the left and a reflector to the right while the waitress was standing a few feet from a neutral wall at the restaurant. I photographed using my Hasselblad 500CM and Sonnar 150mm lens with Kodak TMY 120 film. The wine shot includes a bottle of Opus One 1982 vintage. I used Selective Color in Photoshop to dial in some warmth for the chocolate cake photo. I liked the simplicity of the lighting that shows off the detail in the cake.

Oceano Dunes bring back some fond memories, and some of my favorite photos. I have visited a couple of times, and each visit I find new vistas and details. The first photo is a Vista looking from the dunes to the Pacific Ocean in the late afternoon. I like the long stretches of dunes with the shadows as well as the atmospheric haze of the ocean in the horizon. All photos in this post are with a Leica M6 and Agfa 400 film and a Yellow filter for added contrast. The dunes allow you to photograph both details and long shots which are rewarding.

Chiaroscuro light used in this photo creates a precarious balance of the dunes.

The detail of the partially filled bottle on the sand creates drama as the side light rakes across the sand and illuminates the bottle. I like the shape of what looks like a bottle stand that creates to me a magic lantern.

Kelp is everywhere. I framed these kelp pods in a harmonious way as the side lighting brushes them in the late afternoon light.

Just a quick post. A trip just outside Las Vegas to photograph some scenery. I believe the location is called Red Rock. This frame of the rock that mimics the head of a fish, so I named the photo Rock Fish. I photographed with Kodak TMZ 3200 ISO film on a Leica M6. I think the high-speed film helped with the contrast photographing in the shade.