Dunk the Funk!!

November 4, 2015 by The PHOTOROGR Project in Uncategorized and tagged Bears, Carson Valley, Moon pictures, photo editing and composition, photography techniques, Sierra Nevada Mountains, sunrise, Wildlife photography | 2 Comments

In my last post, I described a condition I called ‘PHOTOFUNK.’ I just couldn’t make myself get out there and take pictures. Well – I got over it. A couple days after I made my post, the most beautiful almost full moon popped up on the eastern horizon. I was motivated and excited. I got the camera and tripod and ventured into the yard to get some images. For the first time, I got good moon images. I DUNKED the FUNK!

What do you think?

I was able to make moon shots two nights in a row. I tried different editing techniques to see how to bring out the best detail.

I was up early one morning and found a gorgeous sunrise. I put on some clothes and grabbed the camera. This image is from a neighbor’s driveway.

I usually associate color like this with sunset.

And then there was the day I got an email about a bear release. The sow had been hit by a vehicle on the freeway a couple days before, but was fine ( a little road rash but she was moving pretty well). We were in the trees, lots of direct light mixed with shadows. I was challenged by the light but I think I did okay.

The sow on the run. Moving quickly and easily.

After everyone got out of the trailer and the cubs came down from a tree, they all just sauntered up the hill.

This week’s panorama is a doozy – lots of great clouds!

That’s Jobs Peak ‘peeking’ through the clouds on the left. A pretty view!

We got some snow this week – YAY!! I hope to have some great snow shots in my next post! Until then – ENJOY!!

PHOTOROGR

PHOTOFUNK…

October 24, 2015 by The PHOTOROGR Project in Uncategorized and tagged Carson Valley, Lake Tahoe, photo editing and composition, photography techniques, Photoshop, Pine Nut Mountains, Sierra Nevada Mountains, Wildlife photography | 2 Comments

Joan Didion, an American author best known for her novels and literary journalism, once described a ‘bankrupt morning’ as “…where you wake up, devoid of inspiration, for your creative projects.” She also said, “Nothing is critic-proof.”

I saw her description of a bankrupt morning several months ago, wrote it down, and placed it in a prominent place on my computer desk. I look at it every time I sit down to work on pictures, and I think about it every time I pick up a camera. When I started this journey, there was so much to learn and I was so excited and I didn’t have a problem motivating myself to get out, find subjects, and take pictures. Every now and then, I’d take a break and step away from my cameras for a day or two. I’d do something else or go visit my photo mentors, and motivation would return. This week was different.

In the early part of the week, I felt good. One morning, I saw the clouds over the Sierras so I drove to my favorite pano spot and made this panorama.

As a self-challenge, I’m going to make a pano from this spot at least once a week for the coming year. I hope that Mother Nature cooperates and gives me variety in the scene.

I headed for Taylor Creek to see if the Kokanee were running and attracting the bears. I found that the Forest Service closed a major portion of Taylor Creek to protect the animals from the stupid people who don’t know how to behave. I wasn’t in the mood to walk the trails by the Visitor’s Center, so I went to the Big Meadow trail head and hiked up the hill. I found a little wildlife and tried some panos with trees in the foreground.

In addition to working on my shooting technique, I am experimenting with different ratios. This one is 5:1. I wasn’t sure how much the trees would impact the view. I think it’s a good balance, but wish there was more fall color.

This is a 3:1 ratio, and I was a little higher, so the trees are not as dominant in the scene. I like it, too.

These guys don’t sit still often, unless they think you don’t see them and they can stay hidden.

I tracked this little fella’ for a couple minutes, and he held still long enough for this image.

And this small Chipmunk scurried a bit, and then stopped in this spot – the worst light in the world (bright background and sunny spot on the rock, with him in full shadow). But I got him anyway.

But then, things changed. I would wake up motivated, but easily talked myself out of going out. I sat at the computer and started to play with some older images – ones I hadn’t made time to edit, but ran out of emotional energy after a short time. I was in a PHOTOFUNK! I stepped away from photography, but found I wasn’t motivated elsewhere, either. I turned to the books. Trying to find a little motivation, I opened those expensive ‘how to take this or that picture’ and ‘learn your camera’ books. I found a new tool in Camera Raw, and tried it out. I’d been wrestling with an image I made a few weeks ago – great sky or great foreground, but not both at the same time. This new tool allowed me to get both. What do you think?

I was in the Pine Nut Mountains, looking northwest. This is a pano made from 10 images, and I shot it for the sky, but I wanted a nice foreground, too. No, I’m never satisfied. But I’m happy I found the tool that allowed me to get the sky and the foreground.

And I got a call from a customer who had ordered some large prints. He was back from hunting and we arranged for delivery – he loved the prints.

In spite of these successes, I still have a little bit of PHOTOFUNK left. I’ll get over it, I know. I have a show in a couple weeks, and need to get some printing done. The creative juices will flow – I know it. And there are those horses and raptors waiting to have a picture taken.

Thanks for listening and ENJOY! PHOTOROGR

…busy busy…

October 19, 2015 by The PHOTOROGR Project in Uncategorized | 2 Comments

Fall is in the air and I’ve been very busy. I’ve been to Taylor Creek a couple times and still empty for bears there. I was invited to a Nevada Department of Wildlife bear release, though. Tough environment for shooting (tall grass and lots of people), but I got a couple good shots with the bear dogs.

During my recent trips to Taylor Creek, I tried a few panoramas. I like the result!

This is my favorite from that day. The panorama is made from several individual images, and was shot from one of the observation decks near the Taylor Creek Visitor Center. The view is north, toward Emerald Bay. I have a couple more panos of Taylor Creek in the Landscapes and scenery page.

The ducks cooperated, however. Here are a few duck images from Taylor Creek.

This group of Mallards was downstream, but the big lens brought them close!

This guy swam straight to me. The people on the trail thought he wanted his picture taken!

And these guys get fairly close.

A beautiful bird.

I also took a ride with my ATV group last week. Tough trail and not many pictures. Here’s one of the places we stopped and turned around. You can see why in these pictures.

This is the view of the trail ahead of us. Turning around was a challenge.

This is the view behind us. The picture doesn’t do the tough terrain justice.

But I found a beautiful Skunk Cabbage and had to take a picture. Skunk Cabbage gets its name from the pungent odor the plant emits – people don’t like to be near it – but if you need to attract pollenating insects into your garden, a couple of these are welcome. They like wetlands, however, so don’t plant it in your desert backyard (like mine).

I had a great time editing this picture. In this version, I added a little texture to the background, just for fun.

I used a technique I call ‘Dreamscape’ to create this image, and enhanced it with a little oversaturation. I used this picture for my ‘Fall’ photo challenge submittal, because the really great fall colors didn’t arrive until the day after my challenge was due.

But here is the beautiful fall color in the Carson Valley. These colors were gone a couple days after I made this image.

These trees surround an industrial park, and are a very popular fall color subject. I timed my visit perfectly this year. Check out the Landscapes and Scenery page for a couple more fall images.

I made a couple other photo trips last week. I went to Reno and took pictures of the Virginia Street bridge and up to Virginia City for a photo walk. The bridge was lots of fun, and I’m not done with those pictures yet, so check back. Virginia City was cold and rainy, and I didn’t get the shots I wanted. I had a great time, however, and want to thank Gordon’s Photo Service and Tamron Lenses for the photo walk and the wild horses for the quick shoot on the way up the hill to Virginia City.

This doesn’t tell the story, but it’s the only picture I have ready. Thanks to my friends Pete and John for making this shoot possible.

From the interior of the beautiful Catholic Church in Virginia City, and probably the best image I’ve ever made there.

The beautifully preserved license plate is part of a sidewalk in Virginia City.

These two were on a hillside on the road to Virginia City. While it may appear to be the case, I did not interrupt their meal.

So that’s my journey in the last couple weeks – or at least that part I’m sharing with you. Check back for more Virginia Street bridge and Virginia City pictures later this week!

Enjoy – PHOTOROGR

Panos and Monos and a Whole Lotta’ Fun!!!

September 30, 2015 by The PHOTOROGR Project in Uncategorized and tagged Carson Valley, Dangberg Home Ranch, Nevada Gunfighters, night photography, photo editing and composition, photography techniques, Photoshop, Sierra Nevada Mountains, sunsets | 1 Comment

In my last post (only 11 days ago for those of you who are counting), I introduced my exploration into panoramic images. To me, a panorama (or pano) is an image that is much wider than it is longer. Panos show the world in a little different way. They can be made from any image – it’s just a matter of cropping to create the pano. I prefer to make a number of overlapping images, and then use the magic of Photoshop to merge them together to create a pano. A quick note on panos – they are best suited to stationary subjects! I don’t think I can make a pano of a band of wild horses walking to the water tanks. With that said, let’s see some new panos!

This pano was made by combining 8 images together. The subject is a stretch of U.S. Highway 50 from Echo Summit (on the left) to Meyers CA (to the right), and was shot from a turnout on CA Highway 89. I love driving this piece of road towards Meyers because the view of Lake Tahoe is superb. My lovely bride, however, doesn’t like this road because of the dropoff. The text was an experiment, as my photo challenge last week was text overlay. After making the pano, I tried a new editing workflow to make the colors ‘pop’ more. I like the new workflow, and am adjusting it to my processing.

This is the same stretch of highway, but I used 10 images to create this one. This pano has more content on the left side, and is the image I submitted for my challenge. I used the word ‘Journey’ in this image. Remember that I am on a ‘Journey in Creative Photography.’ It seemed appropriate.

This view of Jobs Peak (on the left) and the Sierra Nevada Mountains was made from 10 images, and was shot from the Dangberg Home Ranch. The clouds and the sky cooperated – I can hardly wait for snow on the mountains!

Our sunsets have been amazing this past week, so I got out the tripod and camera to see what I could do. I like the results! All the sunsets were made from my backyard, but I may have to see what other views of the mountains and sunsets I can find!

Makes you want to live here – or at least come to visit!

I made this pano to see how it would look in black and white (or monochrome – mono), but I kept it in color.

And so, we come to the ‘mono’ portion of the post. After reading several articles on black and white images in one of the photo magazines recently, I thought I’d give it a try.

This is a composite made from 6 images. I was going to make a pano, but I would have lost too much texture from the clouds. It was early for the sunset (the sunsets above were shot a few minutes later) and not much color, but I like the texture of the clouds. A little desaturation and other tweaking, and voila!

Painted Hills, Central Oregon, last July.

Same image in black and white. I need to work on my technique, but there’s definitely potential.

Same location, different view.

And still a fun technique. Of course, the colors in the Painted Hills just can’t be improved upon.

And if you think trying new shooting and editing techniques isn’t enough fun, you missed a great show at the Dangberg Home Ranch (www.dangberghomeranch.org) last Saturday. The Nevada Gunfighters put on a great show. Here’s a couple images – please go to my Nevada Gunfighters page for more pictures.

As I recall, Miss Emma – she runs an escort service, of sorts…

Miss Strawberry Tart. Former School Teacher and now escort, of sorts…

There you have it! Panos and monos and a whole lotta’ fun! The raptors are slowly coming back to the Carson Valley, and it’s just about bear time at Taylor Creek. I won’t forget to visit the wild horses, too – I promise! I hope you had as much fun looking at my pictures as I did making them. Until next time – Enjoy! PHOTOROGR

I just get distracted too easily…

September 19, 2015 by The PHOTOROGR Project in Uncategorized and tagged Blue Jays, Carson Valley, CV Chamber of Commerce, photo editing and composition, photography techniques, Photoshop, Pine Nut Wild Horse Advocates, Sierra Nevada Mountains, sunsets, Walker Burger, Walker CA, Wild Horses, Wildlife photography | 1 Comment

I’ll admit it. Three weeks between posts is abhorrent and shows a lack of discipline on my part. I just get distracted too easily. Between taking pictures, exploring new techniques in shooting and editing, friends visiting, printer issues, some business stuff, and ensuring I spend time with my lovely bride and the family, the blog suffers – sometimes for a couple weeks. When you see the pictures, however, I think you’ll appreciate what I’ve been doing.

I fixed the printer problem by purchasing a large format printer. I can now print up to 13″ x 19,” and shouldn’t be distracted by printer dysfunction anymore. By the way, the prints are great!

I spent some time working with the PhotoMerge function in Photoshop and Lightroom. I successfully merged a series of images of the Sierras that I made in 2008. I was on my way to work when I saw the mountains with a band of snow, a band of light, a band of dark, and some low clouds. I was in awe and stopped to grab a few pictures. My plans to merge them were always set aside (see, distracted too easily), until now. Here’s the result – not a great image, but it proves that I can do it. More to follow!

Susan’s dad asked for a Walker Burger a couple weeks ago. (It’s a great distraction!) If you haven’t been to Walker Burger, it’s worth the drive from anywhere. Thankfully, it’s only a 40 minute drive from the Carson Valley on US 395. Go soon, because they close for the winter on October 15. Not only are the burgers the best on the planet, but the ‘Garden Dining’ experience is wonderful. The Blue Jays were great and the small birds enjoyed the bird feeders. You can buy a bird house there, or just enjoy the bird houses in the dining area.

We’ve had some phenomenal sunsets due to the smoke from the California fires. Most exciting for me, however, was the morning that the sun was screened by the smoke and I got great pictures. See what I mean! (Check the Landscapes and Scenery page for more sunset images.)

Yes, this is the sun screened by the smoke. The color is great, but I was very excited to catch a couple sun spots.

If I put a stem at the top, it could be an orange or a peach, but it’s the sun. Not the sharpest focus, but the colors are beautiful!

One of my favorite sunset images. The smoke can be seen low on the horizon making a wonderful golden glow, but the light on the contrails makes the picture for me.

Last weekend, a good friend came to visit. Brian and I served together in the Air Force almost 30 years ago. We drove a bunch of miles, but the horses weren’t cooperating, the leaves are already gone in the Sierras (dadburned drought), and the Glen Alpine Falls were a mere trickle. We had a great couple days, catching up on family and life. I’d say ‘just another distraction,’ but it could have been a different story if I’d gotten some pictures.

I caught up with some of the horses this week. Most were uncooperative, but Blue let me walk around his band and make images. In spite of his gruff demeanor, he’s just a big Blue puffcake at heart. Don’t tell the other studs, though – they will NOT believe you! Check out the Wild Horses page for more images.

Blue! Nothing more need be said.

I don’t get ‘artsy’ with the horses very often, but I loved the line of heads as they walked by.

Socks – chillin’ under a tree while his ladies were enjoying a dirt bath. Seriously…

Blue with a couple ladies and one of the kids!

For the business stuff – I’ve been working on new note card designs and filling an order for Christmas cards. I have two images in the Pine Nut Wild Horse Advocates Foals of 2015 calendar, and got notified that I have an image in the Carson Valley Chamber of Commerce 2016 landscape calendar. It’s very exciting for me!

So, I hope I’m forgiven for the long wait and I hope you enjoyed these pictures. Many more to follow – please stay tuned!

Enjoy – PHOTOROGR

Energize and revitalize!

August 27, 2015 by The PHOTOROGR Project in Uncategorized and tagged Aviation Roundup, Beechcraft Twin Beech 18, Carson City, Carson Valley, Genoa Peak, Lake Tahoe, photo editing and composition, photography techniques, Photoshop, Photoshop Elements, sunsets, USAF Thunderbirds, Warren Engine Company | Leave a comment

A little over a year ago, I retired and started a journey to become a photographer. Every time I try to sit back and take stock of my progress, there’s a new subject begging to be photographed. The best part is that I feel like I actually have a starting point to make the image. I’m not always right in my decisions, but I feel like I can make the adjustments and have a successful shoot. I’m still loving my journey and have no regrets about taking that first step.

I have great friends, old and new, and family who have been supportive through it all. Thanks to everyone for helping me along the path, from encouraging words to buying my images to telling me about photo opportunities. It’s not much fun without you. Please stay with me as the journey continues, because there’s lots more to come!

Every now and then, I am unhappy with my images and myself. Sometimes it’s the subjects or the challenges of light and shadow, and sometimes it’s my lack of knowledge in editing. When I get down, I give myself a break, clear my head, and then jump back in. This week, the grind of editing for the Boy Scout car show got to me. I took some horse pictures, and wasn’t happy with the results. Last night, I went on a photo walk with a couple of my mentors and a few new friends. I made images of subjects I don’t normally shoot and cleared my head. The people were fun and the pictures are coming out great. I’m doing a little experimenting with the editing, but I’m renewed and re-energized.

In my last post, I promised more car pictures from the Boy Scout car show. As noted above, it’s become more work than I had originally thought (but it’s providing a great opportunity for learning the business side of photography), and those images aren’t ready yet. I’ve also been distracted by other subjects in the last couple weeks. Here are the images from my distractions.

Lake Tahoe ATV ride: we rode a trail on the east side of the lake, with fantastic views. There are a couple more pictures in the Landscapes and Scenery page.

And the USAF Thunderbirds came to the Carson Valley. See the THUNDERBIRDS! page for more images!

The Thunderbirds were here as part of the Aviation Roundup, with static displays and other flying demonstrations. This is a Beechcraft Twin Beech 18 doing some acrobatics.

Which brings us to the Photo Walk and its non-routine subjects. This is only a sample – there are more to come!

This stained glass piece is in a local antique shop. It was nicely backlit and easy to shoot.

I was intrigued by this street light against the west wall of the original Warren Engine Company fire station. I added the vignetting in the corners, but I’m not sure I am completely pleased with the result.

The sunset was beautiful, and the church steeple made an excellent foreground!

I’m trying several new techniques with this image. I made multiple images from this location, including several bracketed exposures. I’ll let you know how the experiments come out.

I caught the moon over the roof of the Nevada Supreme Court Building. I kept hoping the wind would come up and extend the flag, but it was not to be. I like this image, though.

As you can see, sometimes the distractions are very hard to overcome. They are, however, very necessary to maintain the creative juices. This crusty old engineer needs all the creative juices he can get, because they are sometimes hard to come by. Enjoy – PHOTOROGR

All cars – all the time!

August 13, 2015 by The PHOTOROGR Project in Uncategorized and tagged car photography, Carson Valley, Ford Falcon, Ford Mustang, Ford Thunderbird, Ford Trucks, Hot August Nights, Lincon automobiles, Minden Nevada, photo editing and composition, photography techniques, Reno Nevada, Silver Dollar Car Show, Sparks Nevada | Leave a comment

August is here, and it’s the serious part of car show season. If you’re a car person, Northern Nevada is a great place to be in the summer. There are car-based events within a half day’s drive every weekend and many weeknights all summer long! Many events are in Reno, Carson City, or the Carson Valley, making the drive even shorter. Classic cars sparked the photography bug in me, so the summer months are enjoyable for me. August is wonderful, with Carson City’s Silver Dollar Car Show, followed immediately by Hot August Nights and other local shows.

We have a new show, called the ‘Send a Scout to Camp’ Car Show, put on by Boy Scout Troop 33 in Carson City. This show is this Saturday, August 15, 2015, in Fuji Park, one of my favorite venues for a car show. I will be photographing participant’s cars and the awards ceremony, and selling a photo CD with those images – all proceeds go to Troop 33. Come on down and see the cars. Oh yeah – I’ll have my 2008 Mustang Bullitt on display.

The last couple weeks have been great for me to get in shape for this weekend’s action. I traveled to Mills Park in Carson City for the Silver Dollar Car Show. Just when I think I’ve seen every car in the area, something new pops up. This year, I came across a gorgeous Ford pickup. The truck was beautifully restored and modified, with fun surprises at every turn. Here are the pictures!

What a gorgeous truck. The paint has a matte finish (no clear coat here!). I’d love to get this truck in better light and uncluttered surroundings.

Beautiful craftsmanship in these bed rails.

Radiator overflow? I hope so…but I won’t be accepting a drink from the owner anytime soon!

The tires and wheels were spotless and perfect for the truck.

Underhood we find a 5.0L High Output (HO) motor from a 1988 Mustang. Wow!

And the air filter, with a cap from Shell Motor Oil!

This truck was very easy to shoot, sans clearcoat and no shiny surfaces. Glare and reflections are always a challenge, more so when you don’t control the light. In bright conditions, I use a neutral density (ND) filter or circular polarizer to minimize glare.

The Thursday after Silver Dollar, I loaded up the PhotoRanger and my buddy Rich, and headed for Minden for the Hot August Nights Poker Run. The Poker Run takes the cars on a lengthy journey – usually over 100 miles- and, depending on the route, from Reno to Lake Tahoe, Minden, Virginia City, other places, and back to Reno. I prefer to sit on 4th Street and capture the cars as they come into town. The light is generally good and the background is (most of the time) uncluttered. Here are a couple images from the Poker Run.

This was not the only Lincoln at Hot August Nights. This 1948 made a grand entrance into town!

I’ve always been partial to Falcon station wagons, as my first car was a 1961 Falcon Style 21, a 2 door wagon. It was the lowest priced Falcon, and also the least desired. Yes, I wish I had mine back. This lovely 1964 would be a suitable replacement.

While my lovely bride and I were dating, my ’65 Mustang was having issues. My older brother owned a dark blue 1965 Thunderbird convertible, vey similar to this well restored car.

I was asked to come to Sparks on August 8 to take pictures of a friend’s car, intended to be a birthday present. My lovely bride consented to go with me, but not act as my assistant (I’m hoping to have an assistant one day). We wandered around Sparks, the best venue (in my humble opinion – Victorian Square is like walking around a park), waiting for the cruise night to begin for the pictures. I won’t post pictures of the surprise car, because I don’t want to ruin the surprise. Another day, perhaps. Here are a couple cars from the show and shine, and some cars cruising down Victorian Square.

A beautiful 1966 Mustang GT fastback.

What can you say about this truck, other than WOW?

Sometimes you see amazing things on Cruise Night. That’s an interesting way to walk your dog, eh?

Here’s another Lincoln – this one a 1947.

There are additional pictures in the Automobile page – please take a look! And I hope to see you at Fuji Park this weekend. If you can’t make it, watch for pictures in my next post!

Enjoy – PHOTOROGR

On the road with ‘fresh eyes’ – Part 2

July 31, 2015 by The PHOTOROGR Project in Uncategorized and tagged Cape Creek Bridge, Florence OR, Heceta Head Lighthouse, Mitchell OR, Newport OR, Painted Hills Oregon, photo editing and composition, photography techniques, Rogue Brewing Company, Siuslaw River Bridge, Yaquina Bay Bridge | 1 Comment

July 31 is a special day for me. One year ago, I filed my ‘dba’ (doing business as) with Douglas County. Douglas County does not require business licenses, so the ‘dba’ process is used to protect business names and provide a vehicle for taxing a business (just filed my first ‘personal property’ report – waiting for the tax bill now). If you’ve been following my blog for any length of time, I hope you can see my personal growth as a photographer. The journey is lots of fun and I am still enjoying the learning process. Retirement is a wonderful thing!

A part of being a business owner is learning how to market your business. I don’t know which is more challenging – learning how take a picture or learning how to market the business. Both are important, as business owners well know. That said, please forgive the following shameless plug for the business. BUY MY PICTURES! They are available in prints or on canvas, and as note cards. Watch for a new page in this blog that will highlight new note cards – and don’t forget that the holidays are coming and my picture note cards are the perfect gift for that person who has everything.

I’m also learning how to blog more effectively, and have learned that I should use fewer pictures in my posts. In this and future posts, look for references to specific pages for additional pictures. Okay – let’s get into this week’s featured images!

The engineer in me can’t pass a bridge without giving a little interest. Often, I have to pass it by because there is no easy way to stop and make an image. On this trip, however, I found three bridges that sat still long enough for me to get some good pictures. Please note that the weather did not cooperate with me during much of the trip. The skies were overcast and, given the time of day I was trying to shoot, quite often appear washed out. In future visits, I hope to have more cooperative skies. For more information on each bridge, just google the name of the bridge.

Coming into Florence OR on U.S. Highway 101 from the south, one crosses the Siuslaw River on this bridge. These images were made from the east bank (the town side).

The view looking south. The steel portion of the bridge raises to allow ships to pass under the bridge.

A detail of the bridge along the southern exposure.

The southern exposure.

North of Florence on U. S. Highway 101, we find the Heceta Head Lighthouse (see part 1 for pictures of the Heceta Head Lighthouse). South of the Lighthouse, we see the Cape Creek Bridge. We drove under the bridge to access the parking lot for the Lighthouse.

This is the most common view of the bridge, taken from the pedestrian trail to the Lighthouse. Some time, I’d like to hike upstream (we’re on the downstream side) to see what that view looks like.

In Newport OR, next to the Rogue Brewing Company Headquarters (great lunch and my sons tell me great beer!!) stands the Yaquina Bay Bridge. My lovely bride ‘googled’ this bridge and found that it is one of the most photographed bridges in the world. After seeing it in person, I’m not surprised. I chose the absolute worst conditions to shoot the bridge, and it shows. In the famous words of Douglas MacArthur, ‘I shall return.’ Until then, this is the best I can offer.

Yaquina Bay Bridge, notes for next time: don’t shoot in the middle of the day; don’t shoot in overcast conditions; move either upstream or downstream for a better view.

On the way home, we drove through central OR. After fueling the car and ourselves in the quaint little town of Mitchell (one gas pump in a dirt lot – analog gauges in 10 cent increments; one great little café), we drove a few miles to the Painted Hills. Here, the skies were awesome and the scenery gorgeous. I loved how these came out. (Susan took a picture of me taking a picture of the hills – it’s now my cover page on Facebook – check it out!)

I thanked the photo gods for the great sky – and the cool temperatures from the rain. Go see this beautiful place!

We will definitely go back to see this place again – hopefully in the evening ‘Golden Hour’ to catch some awesome light!

I hope you enjoyed this brief look into our vacation. Please take a look at the ‘Vacation – July 2015’ folder for more pictures.

Enjoy – PHOTOROGR

On the road with ‘fresh eyes’ – Part 1

July 23, 2015 by The PHOTOROGR Project in Uncategorized and tagged California coast, Canon cameras, Ft. Bragg CA, Glass Beach, Harbor Seals, Heceta Head Lighthouse, Highway 1, Highway 101, light houses, Oregon coast, photo editing and composition, photography techniques, Seagulls, Wildlife photography | Leave a comment

A few days after my last post, my lovely bride and I loaded the Escape and headed west. Our ultimate destination was south-central Washington state, to attend our grandson’s birthday party. For a little extra fun, we chose to drive up the California coast and into Oregon before we headed inland. This was not my first time on a coast but, having been born and raised in the high plains of a landlocked state (Wyoming) and currently living in the high desert (Nevada), seeing the vast expanse of water with nothing (figuratively, not literally) on the horizon was different and fun. We also experienced an unknown phenomenon called ‘humidity.’ We’re told they have it there all the time – how very interesting.

One of my photography and Photoshop mentors (and very good friend) has been blogging about travel photography recently. She and her hubby travel often, so she has vast experience and knowledge on the subject. She encourages her readers to take lots of pictures when traveling. Please forgive me, Katie, I tried but probably didn’t take as many as I could or should have. The engineer in me just can’t take pictures just to consume pixels. Someday I’ll get over it – I hope.

In addition to birthday presents and our bags, I packed all the camera bodies and lenses for the trip. My lovely bride expressed an interest in using a ‘big camera’ on this trip, so the Canon EOS Rebel XSi was hers to use. I had to be on top of my game to explain the photography concepts I’ve been struggling to learn. I enjoyed trying to put into words the actions/effects of and relationship between aperture, shutter speed, and ISO in making images. The part I liked best, however, was her fresh perspective on photo composition. Susan is a quilter and tole painter, and her artistic eye is vastly different from mine. As expected, we took many pictures of the same subject, but our interpretations and capture rarely showed the same subject. The wildlife photographer in me, combined with my engineering background, makes me work to get close to a subject, while she takes a broader view. Not surprisingly, her images are very good, and I enjoyed the experience of learning to look at things differently. I hope her influence helps me be a better photographer, in the same way that she helps me be a better person.

Let’s get to the pictures. I’m still working on pictures from the trip so you won’t see everything in this post. This first group are shots along the California coast – I don’t recall specific locations.

Several days after I took this picture, I found a wonderful book on landscape photography. The authors recommend putting something in the image that helps establish scale, such as people. In this image, I have people and the added benefit of the road and stairs at the right to establish scale. Sometimes I get very lucky.

I had seen this rock with the hole from a previous stop. My pictures emphasize the rock and Susan’s introduced a little vegetation in the foreground.

This is Susan’s interpretation of the scene. Very nice!

Long ago, I learned that you must look everywhere when shooting. This is the view in the opposite direction from the above images.

These images created lots of discussion between us. I favor the wider view showing the end of the land mass at the upper left and the hint of the tree at the right…

…but my lovely bride preferred more of the tree and less of the land mass. Both are very nice, I think. If you have a preference, please make a comment.

We spent the night at Ft. Bragg CA. Our hotel was called the Emerald Dolphin and they had a miniature golf course, with a free round included with our hotel room. After a long day in the car, a little mini golf was great. Nope, we didn’t keep score, but I’m certain that my lovely bride took the trophy!

Taken with my cell phone. The best camera is the one in your hand!

On our way out of Ft. Bragg, we stopped at Glass Beach. The views were gorgeous, but we got caught up in the wildlife. I am a wildlife photographer, after all.

From the path above the ‘beach.’ It was overcast on most of the trip along the coast, which made for challenges while shooting. I wasn’t able to get those amazing Pacific Coast sunsets.

The Harbor Seals were enjoying low tide. I think this is a young one.

Another Harbor Seal. We decided that Harbor Seals are kind of homely when they’re just laying around.

While shooting the Seals, we happened upon a Seagull nest with a little one. This little guy was very active and put on quite a show. The wildlife photog in me was ecstatic.

I’m not sure if it was just stretching or checking me out…

We’re not sure which parent this is. Both were present while we were there.

In this setting, the Seals don’t move very quickly. Not like the wild horses and raptors I usually shoot.

The Seals are barely visible in the top third of this image. I was struck by the rock on the bottom left…so similar to a Seal…

The last images for this post come from the Heceta Head Lighthouse in Oregon. Do a quick Google search for Heceta Lighthouse and you’ll find lots of information. This is one of many lighthouses built along the Oregon coast, and is currently owned and maintained by Oregon Parks and Recreation. We took the brief tour and learned about the unique Fresnel lenses that concentrate the light, focusing it in one direction. The landscape shots were made from a scenic overlook just south of the lighthouse. The lightkeeper’s residence can be seen in the last image. They were preparing for a wedding at the residence when we were there – what a fun venue for a wedding.

Great view!

This image represents another of those ‘fresh eye’ moments. Susan requested images of the lighthouse with the tree in the foreground. I wouldn’t have done it if she hadn’t asked.

I worked hard to capture the light as it rotated around. I’d love to be there on a foggy evening to capture the beam of light sending its warning to ships on the ocean.

Sometime, I’ll get a wide angle lens to remove some of the perspective. Maybe they’d let me bring in a ladder? Probably not.

The view from the trail to the lighthouse.

A wider view with the lightkeeper’s residence visible. Could you imagine living there and raising a family? We learned that they had a school on site for the children.

Well, that’s all for today. There will be many more pictures in future posts. After all, we visited an aquarium and a brewery, saw several great bridges, and more beautiful scenery. Oh yeah – we stayed in a bed and breakfast that was originally a Sears kit house!

Enjoy – PHOTOROGR

Happy 4th of July!

July 3, 2015 by The PHOTOROGR Project in Uncategorized and tagged Carson Valley, Ford Ranger, night photography, photo editing and composition, photography techniques, Photoshop, sunsets, Wild Horses, Wildlife photography | Leave a comment

Can you believe that it’s July? The calendar year is half over, but the business year is not. Next month will be one year since I decided to become a full-time photographer. Am I making lots of money? No, but I’m having a lot of fun and my knowledge of photography and photo editing is growing by leaps and bounds. You’ll see some of that growth in this post. For the business year – It’s time for me to report my business assets to the County Assessor for tax purposes. I think I can get everything together and look forward to the tax bill.

But first, an update on the wild horses. Until last week, I have been photographing four bands in the area. The studs are Blue, Blondie, Socks, and Shorty. Please also recall that we have a group of bachelor studs, the ‘Boys’ Club,’ waiting for their turns to establish a band – Sampson, Jack, Little Socks, and Skip. In a major power move, Shorty stole all of Socks’ mares so Socks is now a bachelor. When I see him, he appears very lonely and forlorn.

A very lonely Socks!

He won’t even look at the camera.

I have a theory that Socks cut a deal with Shorty to look after the family while he took a little break. I’m told that’s not a viable theory.

Here’s an image of Shorty’s band taken yesterday, with all of Socks’ mares and foals in the group. Please don’t ask me which mares formerly belonged to Socks.

They were enjoying a lazy day, just relaxing and not too concerned as I approached on foot.

And my buddy Blondie – remember the butt shot from my last post? Well – late last week I found his band, parked, and approached on foot. Blondie didn’t like that in the least! For the first time, he ‘challenged’ my approach, actually running towards me. He stopped when he could see me and I was never in any danger, but it made me a little more wary than usual of where he was while I made my images.

Blondie keeping a very watchful eye on me!

I only made a couple images due to Blondie’s obvious ‘discomfort’ with me being there. I like this one – I think it’s Little Scarlett and Mama.

Yesterday, Blondie’s band was across a small valley from Shorty’s band. As I approached in the PHOTORANGER, Blondie gathered everyone up and off they went. I’m not sure what I did to make him mad.

Blondie’s band moving off. Horse butt pictures aren’t really exciting, but I like the pattern created by the numerous rears as they walked away.

And Blondie, walking away – keeping himself between me and the band.

And what about the Boys’ Club? Some of my friends have pictures of Socks with the Boys, but I don’t have any as yet. I found the Boys close to some of the houses, just being boys.

Our temperatures have been high the last couple weeks, with intermittent rain and thunderstorms. We have a fire south of us that has burned 18 square miles. Thankfully, the wind has blown the smoke away (and my power bill likes that!). Since I melt at about 85 degrees (figuratively, not literally), my shooting time is short, leaving me lots of time to stay indoors and work on my editing skills. A really BIG SHOUT OUT to my Photoshop mentors (you know who you are!!), who helped me over a giant hump in learning a couple techniques. Here are a couple of images I edited this week – see if you can identify the changes I made! Hint – they’re very subtle.

This is Little Jo with Mom, Dad, and several other members of the band. The exposure is way off and there is the horse at the bottom of the shot who just doesn’t belong.

Through the magic of Photoshop, I removed the horse at the bottom of the picture and rescued my poor shooting. The result is very pleasing, I think. Oh yeah, Blue is facing the camera behind the black horse. That’s not him on the left.

During the winter months, the Raptors migrate through the Carson Valley. Photo opportunities are everywhere. I caught this juvenile Red Tailed Hawk last February at one of the local ranches. Exposure has been one of my greatest challenges, and lately I’m getting a better handle on it.

I think the image works better with him facing right instead of left, and I fixed my poor exposure and got a little closer.

The night skies have also called to me. The sunsets have been gorgeous and I’ve worked on my ‘low light’ shooting while I’m out there. Temperatures are much better when the sun goes down, so why not?

I made this image from my backyard while we still had a hint of smoke from the wildfire.

Another from my backyard, through the trees. The smoke is gone, but the storm clouds made gorgeous light!

Same evening – different vantage point.

…and a little to the right…

A look at the Pergola in our backyard. This is looking northeast, so the evening light is much different.

One final night shot. This is looking southeast from my front yard. My neighbors very thoughtfully built this beautiful scene in the front corner of their yard. I photograph it often.

And I’ll close this post with a couple images of the PHOTORANGER in action. This little truck has been a great addition to the stable, and I continue to be impressed with its performance in the field. I took my father-in-law out to look for the wild horses yesterday. He was impressed with the truck, but said he preferred the ‘softer’ ride of the other cars. I understand completely.

Enjoy – and have a wonderful 4th of July! God Bless America! PHOTOROGR