Tuesday (22-March-2011) — California

Gone to See California. Day 3: Working in South San Francisco.

Before going to work, I took some images of a sailboat at anchor in Oyster Bay. Two of the images were combined using the Photoshop CS5 HDR module.

Sunrise with Sailboat at Anchor in Oyster Bay. Images taken with a Leica X1 (ISO 100, 24 mm, f/4.5, 1/250 + 1/2000 sec). Two image HDR processed with Photoshop CS5 HDR module (photorealistic). Noise reduction with Nik Define 2.0. (David J Mathre)
Sunrise with Sailboat at Anchor in Oyster Bay. Images taken with a Leica X1 (ISO 100, 24 mm, f/4.5, 1/250 + 1/2000 sec).

Sunday (09-January-2011) — Chile

Gone to See Patagonia 2010/2011. Photography Workshop with Thom Hogan. Day 14: Hosteria Lago Grey.

Our first full day in Torres del Paine National Park. I got up early to check out the colors that can be amazing in Patagonia at sunrise and sunset. I was not disappointed. The wind was very strong as we hiked on a sandbar in the morning. Our guide Rob, did some wire-walking. In the afternoon, we took a boat ride to view the glacier up close. I’ll share those images in the future.

Early Morning Colors in Patagonia. Hosteria Lago Grey, Torres del Paine National Park in Chile. Image taken with a Nikon D3x camera and 70-300 mm VR lens (ISO 100, 75 mm, f/5.6, 1/10 sec). (David J Mathre)
Early Morning Colors in Patagonia. Hosteria Lago Grey, Torres del Paine National Park in Chile. Image taken with a Nikon D3x camera and 70-300 mm VR lens (ISO 100, 75 mm, f/5.6, 1/10 sec). (David J Mathre)
Glacial Ice on Lago Grey. Image taken with a Nikon D3s camera and 24-120 mm f/4 lens (ISO 200, 120 mm, f/4, 1/2000 sec). (David J Mathre)
Glacial Ice on Lago Grey. Image taken with a Nikon D3s camera and 24-120 mm f/4 lens (ISO 200, 120 mm, f/4, 1/2000 sec). (David J Mathre)

Saturday (01-January-2011) — Argentina

Happy New Year! And May the Light Be With You!

Gone to See Patagonia 2010/2011. Photography Workshop with Thom Hogan. Day 6: Hosteria El Pilar, Fitzroy Massif at Sunrise, and a Hike to Laguna Torre.

Some of us got up early in the morning to see what Fitzroy would be like at sunrise. Thom didn’t even need to leave his room since his window looked right at the Fitzroy massif. I actually went out to look a bit earlier to see the southern night sky, and realized that Orion was upside down. I hope to get some night sky and star trail images later in the trip if the weather continues to cooperate. I was able to set a camera up in several locations just in front of the El Pilar for as the early morning light began to develop.

After breakfast, we set off to El Chalten to pick up our guide and start a hike to Laguna Torre. This was a long hike with some elevation gain, bringing us to a glacial lake at the base of Fitzroy. It was relatively warm, and on the way back I could tell that I was overheating – and needed to cool down. At one point Rob, our Wilderness Tours trip leader poured some cold water from a glacial stream over my head. The rest of the hike back was then OK as long as I kept a slow pace.

Early Morning View of Fitzroy from El Pilar Hosteria in El Chalten. Image taken with a Nikon D3x and 50 mm f/1.4 G lens (ISO 100, f/11, 1/5 sec) (David J Mathre)
Early Morning View of Fitzroy from Hosteria El Pilar in El Chalten. Image taken with a Nikon D3x camera and 50 mm f/1.4 G lens (ISO 100, f/11, 1/5 sec) (David J Mathre)
Senda a Laguna Torre. Image taken with a Nikon D3x and 50 mm f/1.4G lens (ISO 100, f/4, 1/60 sec). (David J Mathre)
Senda a Laguna Torre. Image taken with a Nikon D3x camera and 50 mm f/1.4G lens (ISO 100, f/4, 1/60 sec).
Multilingual sign with info and regulations on the trail to Laguna Torre. Image taken with a Nikon D3x and 50 mm f/1.4G lens (ISO 100, f/4, 1/60 sec). (David J Mathre)
Multilingual sign with info and regulations on the trail to Laguna Torre. Image taken with a Nikon D3x camera and 50 mm f/1.4G lens (ISO 100, f/4, 1/60 sec).
Female Magellanic Woodpecker. Image taken with a Nikon D3x and 70-300 mm VR lens (ISO 100, 300 mm, f/5.6, 1/100 sec) (David J Mathre)
Female Magellanic Woodpecker. Image taken with a Nikon D3x camera and 70-300 mm VR lens (ISO 100, 300 mm, f/5.6, 1/100 sec)
Patagonia Panorama. Image taken with a Nikon D3x and 16-28 mm f/4 VR lens (ISO 100, 31 mm, f/11, 1/200 sec). Five image HDR with Nik HDR Pro. (David J. Mathre)
Patagonia Panorama. Image taken with a Nikon D3x camera and 16-28 mm f/4 VR lens (ISO 100, 31 mm, f/11, 1/200 sec). Five image HDR with Nik HDR Pro.
Hikers on the trail to Laguna Torres. Image taken with a Nikon D3x and 50 mm f/1.4G lens (ISO 100, f/11, 1/160 sec) (David J Mathre)
Hikers on the trail to Laguna Torres. Image taken with a Nikon D3x camera and 50 mm f/1.4G lens (ISO 100, f/11, 1/160 sec)
Laguna Torre Panorama. Composite of 4 images from a Nikon D3x and 50 mm f/1.4G lens (ISO 100, f/11, 1/40 sec) combined using AutoPano Giga Pro. (David J. Mathre)
Laguna Torre Panorama. Composite of 4 images from a Nikon D3x camera and 50 mm f/1.4G lens (ISO 100, f/11, 1/40 sec). Images combined using AutoPano Giga Pro.

Friday (24-December-2010) — Florida

Gone to See Florida — 2010 Road Trip Day 4: St. Petersburg Skyline at Dawn from the Vinoy Hotel.

Downtown St. Petersburg at Dawn from the Vinoy Hotel. Image taken with an Nikon D3x and 16-35 mm f/4 lens (ISO 100, 22 mm, f/5.6, 0.5 sec). (David J Mathre)
Downtown St. Petersburg at Dawn from the Vinoy Hotel. Image taken with an Nikon D3x and 16-35 mm f/4 lens (ISO 100, 22 mm, f/5.6, 0.5 sec). (David J Mathre)

Thursday (23-December-2010) — Florida

Gone to See Florida — 2010 Road Trip. Day 3: Sunshine Skyway Bridge at Dawn from Fort De Soto Park

Sunshine Skyway Bridge Panorama at Dawn from Fort De Soto Park. St. Petersburg, Florida. Composite of 3 vertical images taken with an Nikon D3s and 45 mm f/2.8 PC-E lens (ISO 200, f/11, 0.5 sec). Images processed with DxO, AutoPano Giga, Photoshop CS5, and Topaz Define. (David J Mathre)
Sunshine Skyway Bridge Panorama at Dawn from Fort De Soto Park. St. Petersburg, Florida. Composite of 3 vertical images taken with an Nikon D3s camera and 45 mm f/2.8 PC-E lens (ISO 200, f/11, 0.5 sec). Images processed with DxO, AutoPano Giga, Photoshop CS5, and Topaz Define. (David J Mathre)
Sunshine Skyway Bridge Panorama at Dawn from Fort Desoto Park. St. Petersburg, Florida. Composite of 3 vertical images taken with an Nikon D3s and 45 mm f/2.8 PC-E lens (ISO 200, f/11, 0.5 sec). Images processed with DxO,PTGui Pro, Photoshop CS5, and Nik Silver Efex Pro (David J Mathre)
Sunshine Skyway Bridge Panorama at Dawn from Fort De Soto Park. St. Petersburg, Florida. Composite of 3 vertical images taken with an Nikon D3s and 45 mm f/2.8 PC-E lens (ISO 200, f/11, 0.5 sec). Images processed with DxO, PTGui Pro, Photoshop CS5, and Nik Silver Efex Pro (David J Mathre)