HDR


26
Mar 10

Daffodils in Winter

Photograph of a field of daffodils near Castroville, CaliforniaA row of Daffodils retreats into the distance. Five exposures blended together to create a High Dynamic Range image. Taken on Blackie Road above Castroville in North Monterey County, California.


12
Mar 10

McWay Falls at Waterfall Cove

Photograph of McWay Falls on Big Sur CoastI have driven Highway 1 through Big Sur for many years but had never found McWay Falls. I was aware that the falls were somewhere near Julia Pffeifer Burns State Park but, somehow, never made the connection until an afternoon in late February. I was astonished by the setting. The conditions were challenging for this photo, harsh midday light, but I shot 5 exposures a stop apart and blended them together to bring out he detail in the shadows.

McWay Falls: highly recommended!


9
Mar 10

Another View of Bixby Creek Bridge

Photograph of Bixby Creek Bridge on California Big Sur CoastThe Bixby Creek ridge is 280 feet high and the main span measures 320 feet. This shot  was taken a short walk up the Old Coast road which rejoins Highway 1 at the bridge. Before the bridge was finished in 1932, travel to Big Sur from Monterey was an arduous journey over rough roads and many ridges and valleys. I’m grateful that it is so much easier today.


8
Mar 10

Bixby Creek Bridge

Photograph of Bixby Creek Bridge on the the California Big Sur CoastThis beautiful arching bridge is an icon of the California Central Coast. It may be familiar to many from its appearances in numerous automobile commercials. There is some historical information here.

I stopped for this shot on a bright and hazy day in late February. The winter rains have turned the hills green. I set the aperture to f/16 for more depth of field and shot 5 bracketed exposures and blended them together in Photomatix Pro 3.2.


23
Feb 10

Oaks on a Ridge

Photograph of oak trees and clouds in San Benito County, CaliforniaAnother image captured North of San Juan Bautista in San Benito County, California. I used a telephoto lens at  200 mm to bring the trees and clouds closer. The longer lens also helps find pleasing compositions by excluding unwanted elements in the scene. This image, and the others in this series, are five bracketed exposures blended together in Photomatix Pro.


19
Feb 10

Cumulus Cloud Detail

Detail of a cumulus cloudAn HDR image of A cumulus cloud taken near San Juan Bautista, California. Five exposures bracketed 1 stop apart and blended together in PhotoMatix Pro.


16
Feb 10

Solitary Oak on Ridge

Photogrpah of a oak tree and cloud in San Benito County, California

As the storm cleared. patches of sun alternated with shadow. This lone oak on the top of the ridge was momentarily bathed in sunlight. Taken with a 200 mm telephoto lens  in San Benito County, California.


9
Feb 10

HDR in the Lobby of the Mandalay Bay Resort

High Dynamic Range photograph of the Mandalay Resort lobby in Las VegasThe interior of the Mandalay Bay Resort seems quite removed from the natural world, my normal photographic home. The marble, the grandeur, the illusion doesn’t attract me, but I wondered if I could capture the extreme range of light from the shadows in the plants to the overhead skylight and the reflections from the windows. I took five exposures, one stop apart, and blended  them together with Photomatix Pro to create this High Dynamic Range image.


8
Feb 10

Hotel Reflections in Las Vegas

Reflections in the black glass of the Luxor hotel in Las Vegas, NevadaThe black glass of the Luxor hotel reflects part of the pyramid and a palm tree in the early morning in Las Vegas. 1/100th of a second, f /6.3. The image was processed with Photomatix to bring out the detail in the shadows.


15
Jan 10

Boat Out of Water

I enjoyed the incongruity of a boat out of water. This old fishing boat is one of several that are part of a display to attract attention to a road side restaurant in Moss Landing, California. The boats are visible from Highway 1. This one is decorated with Christmas lights. I’m sure it has many stories to tell. I used a wide angle lens to take five one-stop bracketed exposures with an aperture of f/13 and blended them together into a single image.