August 2010 Photograph of the Month Twilight on the Sea of Souls

Twilight at the Sea of Souls

Twilight at the Sea of Souls

This months photograph is titled “Twilight on the Sea of Souls”

This image is another in a series I did of the Pigeon Point Lighthouse near Pescadero, CA back in 2006. I really love this particular lighthouse because of it’s archetypal architecture. It is the only classically styled lighthouse on the west coast because this is the only point that does not have cliffs of sufficient height on which to build the structure above the fog.

This is a pseudo high dynamic range image. Normally to shoot HDRI you need several different exposures of the same scene, however if you only have a single exposure you can still get unique and very dramatic results.

I hope you like it.

You can download this month’s screen saver by clicking the images above. A new window will open with a larger version that you can save to your hard drive.

All images in my “Photograph of the Month” series are sized and formatted as a screen saver or computer desktop wallpaper. Please, share it with your family and friends, with my compliments.

Dean

June 2010 Photograph of the Month “Red Clover”

Red Clover in Sunol Regional Wilderness Area

Red Clover in Sunol Regional Wilderness Area

This months photograph is titled “Red Clover”

I shot this image in the Sunol Regional Wilderness Area last year. I love the soft forms and gently colors of the flowers. Upon getting good close look I was surprised a the abundance of nectar produced by the flower, these little beads of nectar really give this image a level of interest that is absolutely delightful.

I always enjoy shooting nature photographs. It gives me the chance to get away from the computer, phone and e-mail, reconnect with my inner being and remember what I love about being a photographer, because in the day to day madness of proposals, appointments and accounting it’s far too easy to forget that I chose this career because I like taking pretty pictures.

All images in my “Photograph of the Month” series are sized and formatted as a screen saver or computer desktop wallpaper. Please, share it with your family and friends, with my compliments.

Please call me if you have any need for photographs and I will do all I can to help you.

Thanks,

Dean

Photograph of the Month March 2010 “Ghost Fence”

Wide Screen Version: High Dynamic Range Image of an old fence in heavy fog

High Dynamic Range Photogrpah of an old fence in heavy fog

This month’s photograph is titled “Ghost Fence” I hope you like it.

I found this fence in Sunnyvale Baylands Park last year while biking with my wife. I waited for the heavy fog to shoot it because the image I envisioned called for a mysterious atmosphere to convey the mood of the fence. I think it worked out quite well.

This photograph is a High Dynamic Range Image as are most photographs I have created over the past few years.

I recently discovered that my gallery software has been restricting the size of the images I posted there. It’s a very complicated piece of software and this feature got past me when I was setting it up.

I have corrected the problem and now the screen saver images will be the full 1920×1200 pixels in wide screen format and 1280×1024 pixels in square format that I intended them to be in the first place. I will be going through my archive and resizing past Photograph of the Month images to meet these specifications.

You can download the full size versions by clicking on the images you see above.

All images in my “Photograph of the Month” series are sized and formatted as a screen saver or computer desktop wallpaper. Please, share it with your family and friends, with my compliments.

Photograph of the Month January 2010 Dawn of a New Day

This month’s photograph is titled “Dawn of a New Day.” I hope you like it.

I found this tree while hiking with my wife in the Sunol Regional Wilderness Area. I saw the placement of the foreground elements, structure of the tree and the open meadow and knew it would be a good photograph.

To create this photograph I had to hike two and a half miles and down hill a thousand vertical feet in the dark. It took longer to reach the tree than I had planned and I was concerned I would loose the light. As I arrived these clouds, lit by the glow of the rising sun drifted through and made the shot. I had to set up my camera quickly to capture the moment and as I clicked the shutter I knew all my efforts were paying off.

You can view and download both the Wide Screen and the narrow Scree versions from my portfolio galleries or simply click on the image above and a full size image will open in the same widow.

All images in my “Photograph of the Month” series are sized and formatted as a screen saver or computer desktop wallpaper. Please, share it with your family and friends, with my compliments.

Thanks and Have a Happy New Year,
Dean

Photograph of the Month “Twilight Time”

"Twilight Time" - A High Dynamic Range Image of Sunset at Russian Ridge Open Space Preserve

The title of this months photograph is “Twilight Time”

I shot this image at the Russian Ridge Open Space Preserve in the Santa Cruz Mountains.  I had read of  Borel Hill, the highest point on the Peninsula, several months ago in the San Francisco Chronicle. On a clear day you can see all the way out to sea, but I had scouted the location hoping to find a good vantage point for a sunset shot with a blanket of fog filling the valleys below.

This image was taken just about a half hour after sunset and is a very long exposure but fortunately on this night the air was almost still with only the slightest breeze to disturb the most delicate branches of the bushes and blades of grass. I knew that it would be difficult to capture the delicate balance between light and dark and the rich colors that are critical to communicating the feeling of peace and quiet solitude of the scene, but the High Dynamic Range Imaging technique I have been working with proved to be just the right tool for the job.

I hope you like the image and that it brings a small measure of peace and quiet to your busy day.

All images in my “Photograph of the Month” series are sized and formatted as a screen saver or computer desktop wallpaper. You can click on the image to open in a new window or download; please, share it with your family and friends, with my compliments.

Dean

Photograph of the Month – Autumn Skies

High Dynamic Range Image

This month’s photograph is titled “Autumn Skies.” I hope you like the image.

I shot this image as I was returning to the San Francisco Bay Area from Monterey late one afternoon. I was planning to shoot a sunset shot of Pigeon Point Lighthouse, but dense fog was rolling in and I knew I couldn’t reach the lighthouse before conditions deteriorated beyond any hope of getting the shot I wanted. So, I decided to stop at Ano Nuevo State Park to see if there were any scenes that would photograph well. I was pleased to find this scene right at the entrance to the park and knew I had a spectacular image. And since this wasn’t a commissioned shot I was free to not worry about the photorealistic representation of the scene and let my creative energies run free.

I used the high dynamic range imaging technique to create this image.  With this technique I captured a range of contrast and luminance values far beyond what is possible with conventional photography. This technique helps me communicate my perceptions of the emotional character of a space or scene. All of my clients love the results when photographing their projects. I will continue using this technique to help my clients win awards and secure new clients by communicating the emotional character of the spaces and structures they create.

All images in my “Photograph of the Month” series are sized and formatted as a screen saver or computer desktop wallpaper. You can click on the image to open in a new window or download; please, share it with your family and friends, with my compliments.

Photograph of the Month: Sunset at Gray Whale Cove Beach

A sunset photograph at Gray Whale Cove State Beach in California

This month’s photograph is titled “Sunset at Gray Whale Cove Beach” this is a photorealistic High Dynamic Range Image.

Gray Whale Cove Beach is one of those hidden treasures of the San Francisco Peninsula. It is located north of Montara directly below the south opening of the new Devils Slide Tunnel. Perched atop the hill on the right side of the frame is a decommissioned cold war era radar emplacement that everyone who drives by wonders about because you can’t miss it.

Gray Whale Cove State Beach really is a great little secluded clothing optional beach and once you’re down on the beach you have no indication, by sight or sound that the famous California Highway 1 is “right there.” It is a little dicey getting to the beach from the parking lot because you have to cross the highway with no crosswalk and a restricted view of traffic. And I am sure that drivers aren’t expecting to see pedestrians along this particular stretch of the road so don’t be surprised to find that they aren’t paying close attention, but if you’re careful and courageous you can get across the highway safely. Maybe they’ll put in a pedestrian tunnel once the road construction is completed.

This photograph was shot using the High Dynamic Range Imaging (HDRI) technique. I have been working with HDRI for many years and for the better part of the past year I have been working with the new computer programs that partially automate the process and decided to see how well it worked on a beach sunset. I think the results are pretty good. The aesthetic result is that I captured the perceptual context of scene every bit as well as when I use the technique to photograph architecture and interior design in a more controlled environment. The technical result is that this image contains a wealth of detail in the highlights with no clipping and the shadows show no grain or noise whatsoever.  I did have to resort to compositing the image in Photoshop to get sharp representation of the crashing surf, but I don’t mind using manual methods.

I hope you enjoy this month’s photograph.

All images in my “Photograph of the Month” series are sized and formatted as a screen saver or computer desktop wallpaper. You can click on the image to open in a new window or download; please, share it with your family and friends, with my compliments.

May 2009 Photograph of the Month: Sunset at Pigeon Point

Sunset at Pigeon Point

This month’s photograph is titled “Sunset at Pigeon Point”

In my work I am usually facing the wrong direction to see the sunset, so this is a somewhat unique image for me. I shot this image as part of a series I was working on at the Pigeon Point Lighthouse; it has turned out to be my second best selling stock image. The Pigeon Point lighthouse is unique in that it is the only “classic” lighthouse on the West Coast. Its tower-like structure is required due to the low cliffs that are available at this location, while elsewhere along the coast the cliffs provide the elevation required to lift the lighthouse up out of the fog on the surface of the sea.
This was a difficult image to create because I wanted detail in the lighthouse without creating a solid black silhouette. To achieve this I needed to wait until very late in the sunset cycle, beyond what most people see as complete darkness, and then I light-painted the lighthouse with a two million candlepower spotlight from the camera position. The result was the perfect combination of darkness and light to capture the mood of the scene.

It was challenging not only because of the technical and creative obstacles I needed to overcome, but also because once it was done I was 100 feet from the beach  negotiating rather treacherous wet rocks covered with seaweed in the dark with my camera bag & tripod, the tide was rapidly advancing and I had a 25 foot cliff to climb. I made it out safely and now have both an interesting story to tell and a wonderful image to share.

I hope you enjoy this month’s photograph.

All images in my “Photograph of the Month” series are sized and formatted as a screen saver or computer desktop wallpaper. You can click on the image to open in a new window or download; please, share it with your family and friends, with my compliments.

Composition – Alternative Framing Conventions

You might be thinking that this is going to be another discussion advocating  use of the “Rule of Thirds” when composing your images. I plan to discuss alternative compositional rules as well as the rule of thirds.

I want to be certain we all understand the Rule of Thirds and why compositional rules are used, but only briefly because there are much better places to learn the basics of composition.
There are two parts to the rule of thirds the first is if you divide your frame into three equal sections horizontally and vertically the result is nine rectangles of equal size and proportion. The “rule” is to place your subject on one of the lines or at the intersection of the lines, this is an “action point.”  It is a location within the frame that people naturally perceive as a point of focus based upon our perceptions of the geometry of the image frame, subjects placed at the action points will be given greater attention by all viewers. The second part of the rule is to use the “thirds” to balance the image either by placing your subject in one or two thirds.

The most basic means of applying this rule using shooting landscapes as an example is to fill the lower third for your foreground the middle third for your background and keep approximately one third of the frame filled with sky. This will give you a “balanced” composition, it might not be the most dynamic photograph ever taken, but it will be balanced.

I am a strong advocate for using compositional rules because I know they are powerful tools that help me create good photographs. I am not suggesting a slavish adherence to these rules; I am advocating that you study these rules and put them into practice when you’re taking pictures. They will help you understand, control and manipulate the concepts of line, movement and balance, which are subjects for a later discussion.

Now that we have a mutual understanding of the application of compositional rules in general we can explore the different rules available to us.

There are five compositional rules that I normally work with: the Rule of Thirds, Golden Section, Golden Spiral, Triangle and Diagonals.

Example of Rule of Thirds Compositional Guide

The Rule of Thirds is well known, easy to work with and generally results in well composed pictures. I use this rule but try to stay away from it when I can because it is so commonly used your images can become hackneyed or static, which might be a good thing depending on the image.

Example of Triangles Compositional Guide

My favorite rule to use is Triangles. I find it easily to visualize on most subjects. And it’s use leads to asymmetrical compositions that have a lot of life. (I am unable to find a source link for this compositional guide I had one back in 2002 when I began to consciously work with the different rules, but it’s gone now.) To construct this guide is quite simple: draw a straight line from one corner of your frame to the diagonally opposed corner, then draw a right angle line from this line to the opposing corner of the image. The elegance of this rule works in direct relation to it’s simplicity, which is why I work with it so often.

Example of Golden Section Compositional Guide

The Golden Section is close relative to the rule of thirds, but because of the asymmetric layout of the grid images composed using this rule can be pereceived as being more powerful. I tend to use this rule when working on single, easily defined subjects.

Example of Spiral Compositional Guide

The Fibonacci Spiral , which is built upon the Golden Section, is a wonderful compositional guideline that will give you very sophisticated compositions, but it is devilishly hard to work with. Trying to build a spiral line in a photographic composition is not easy, unlike a painter we cannot always find a “convenient” branch to close off part of the frame. As you can see I have done the best I can to match the line of the spiral but had to distort it to achieve my goal which was a well composed image not adhearance to the rule.

Example of Diagonal Compositional Guide

Finally we have Diagonals. These, too are related to the Golden Section and have been in use for centuries. My use of them is limited because I don’t see things in that manner.

There you have it, these are the different compositional tools that we have available to us. I know that judicious application and manipulation of these rules are part of why my clients love my photographs, using these rules will help anyone get better pictures.

Photograph of the Month: Along the road to Avalon

An HDRI photograph of the Sunol Regional Wilderness Area in the SF Bay Area

Please find this month’s screen saver attached to this e-mail. It is sized and formatted as a screen saver or computer desktop wallpaper. Please share it with your family and friends, with my compliments.

This month’s photograph is titled “Along the road to Avalon”. My wife and I love exploring the many recreational opportunities available in the SF Bay Area, and recently we discovered the Sunol Regional Wilderness Area which is part of the East Bay Regional Park District. It is a wonderful place to hike and spend the day with spectacular views that reminded us of a landscape in a fairy-tale. I hope you enjoy this month’s photograph as much as I enjoyed creating it.

I used a technique called High Dynamic Range Imaging (HDRI) to craft this romantic image that sparks the imagination and instills a sense of wonder in the viewer. When combined with my refined talent to work with light and my well-honed compositional skills, the HDRI technique allows me to communicate the character and experience of the structures and spaces I photograph with greater finesse and fidelity than ever before.

You can see samples of HDRI photographs I have created for different clients by following this link to my High Dynamic Range Imaging Portfolio.

High Dynamic Range Imaging is an exciting innovation that gives me a degree of control over the contrast and luminance of my images that was previously impossible. I look forward to exploring and further perfecting the application of HDRI photography to give my clients’ presentations even greater impact by bringing a new vitality to your visual communications.