monochrome - David Mathre Photography

Seven-Years Ago (25-March-2011) — California

Gone to See California. Day 6: Death Valley Spring 2011 Photography Workshop with Michael Mariant.

On the second day of the workshop we started the day before sunrise at Mesquite Flats Sand Dunes. Fortunately, this was not very far from Stove Pipe Wells where we spent the night. We did have to hike in the dark from the parking lot to the sand dunes. This was the reason Michael had geomarked the trail the day before. If you are going to do this remember to bring along a flashlight or headlamp, and watch out for sidewinder rattlesnakes It also was a bit chilly out. All of the images have been re-processed with Capture One Pro, including conversion to B&W.

Individual images from the slide-show can be viewed here.

Hey – The Moon is Behind You!!! Mesquite Flats Sand Dunes. Death Valley National Park. Image taken with a Nikon D3x camera and 50 mm f/1.4 lens. (David J Mathre)

Seven-Years Ago (24-March-2011) — California

Gone to See California. Day 5: Death Valley Spring 2011 Photography Workshop with Michael Mariant.

I rode into Death Valley with Michael Mariant. We made an initial stop at Mesquite Flats Sand Dunes prior to the start of the workshop, so Michael could geomark a trail for the next day. The photography workshop group met up at Furnace Creek. After lunch and an orientation session, we spent the afternoon at Dante’s View, Golden Valley trail, and the Devil’s Golf Course. There still was some snow on the ground at Dante’s View — 5476 ft (1669 m) above sea level. The Devil’s Golf Course is only a few feet above the lowest point (282 feet below sea level) in the National Park (and the Continental United States). You have to be careful when in the Devil’s Golf Course as the halite crystals are very sharp — which I learned the hard way. While squatting to take a picture, I managed to cut a big hole in my favorite pair of lightweight linen pants.

Individual images from the slide-shows can be viewed here.

Wednesday (21-March-2018) — New Jersey

Early Spring Backyard Nature in New Jersey.

The second day of spring brought the fourth Nor’easter storm this March. Images from mid-afternoon, and it is still snowing. So far the power has stayed on, and I haven’t lost any more trees.

Resilient Daffodils on the second day of spring. Image taken with a Leica CL camera and 18 mm f/2.8 lens (ISO 100, 18 mm, f/4, 1/400 sec). Raw image processed with Capture One Pro (monochrom + one color). (David J Mathre)

Four-Years Ago (14-March-2014) — Iceland

Gone to See Iceland 2014 – Winter Photography Workshop. Day 6: Golden Circle.

Return from the center of the earth. Fisheye view from behind Seljalandsfoss, a waterfall in southern Iceland. HDR composite of 3 images taken with a Nikon Df camera and 16 mm f/2.8 fisheye lens (ISO 100, 16 mm, f/10) using Capture One Pro and Google HDR Efex Pro 2. For the title, I like the B&W version better than the color one. There are also too many artifacts (purple fringing) in the color version. In either case, it was a difficult shot with the wide range of light, and the constant spray of water from the waterfall. The pathway to the back of the waterfall was covered with ice, and I was glad I had crampons for my boots.

Fisheye View From Behind Seljalandsfoss, a Waterfall in Southern Iceland. HDR composite of 3 images taken with a Nikon Df camera and 16 mm f/2.8 fisheye lens (ISO 100, 16 mm, f/10) using Capture One Pro and Google HDR Efex Pro 2. (David J Mathre)

Four-Years Ago (05-February-2014) — Florida

Gone to See America 2014 Road Trip Day 5. Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge.

Great Egret Coming to Visit a Snowy Egret. Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge in Florida. Image taken with a Nikon Df camera and 300 mm f/4G lens (ISO 140, 300 mm, f/4, 1/1250 sec). Raw image processed and converted to B&W with Capture One Pro 7.

Great Egret Coming in to Visit a Snowy Egret. Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge in Florida. Image taken with a Nikon Df camera and 300 mm f/4G lens (ISO 140, 300 mm, f/4, 1/1250 sec). Raw image processed and converted to B&W with Capture One Pro 7. (David J Mathre)