Gone to See America 2010. Big Sur Photography Workshop with Michael Mariant. Day 1: Afternoon/Evening.
For the Afternoon, we spent time at Redwood Gulch Falls. The light levels within the forest near the falls ranged from very bright to very dark — well beyond the capability of DSLR sensors. Here I used Singh-Ray filters (to smooth out the water flow) and HDR (took 5 images under and over exposed) which were then combined using Photomatix. Later on we traveled to Sand Dollar beach. Our first exercise was to use filters at the beach to give the waves a soft ethereal effect. As the sun set over the Pacific ocean, I used HDR again to adapt to the wide range of light.
Redwood Gulch Falls, Los Padres National Forest, Central California Coast. Image taken with a Nikon D3x and 24 mm f/3.5 PC-E (ISO 100, 24 mm, f/16, 2.5, 5, 10, 20, 30 sec). Singh-Ray Filter. HDR Composite of 5 images using Photomatix Pro.Redwood Gulch Falls, Los Padres National Forest, Central California Coast. Image taken with a Nikon D3x and 24 mm f/3.5 PC-E (ISO 100, 24 mm, f/16, 2.5, 5, 10, 20, 30 sec). Singh-Ray Filter. HDR Composite of 5 images using Photomatix Pro.Long Exposure Exercise at Sand Dollar Beach, Big Sur Central California Coast. Image taken with a Nikon D3x and 50 mm f/1.4G lens and Singh-Ray Filter (ISO 100, 50 mm, f/16, 5 sec).Long Exposure Exercise at Sand Dollar Beach, Big Sur Central California Coast. Image taken with a Nikon D3x and 50 mm f/1.4G lens and Singh-Ray Filter (ISO 100, 50 mm, f/16, 15 sec).Long Exposure Exercise at Sand Dollar Beach, Big Sur Central California Coast. Image taken with a Nikon D3x and 50 mm f/1.4G lens and Singh-Ray Filter (ISO 100, 50 mm, f/16, 15 sec).Long Exposure Exercise at Sand Dollar Beach, Big Sur Central California Coast. Image taken with a Nikon D3x and 50 mm f/1.4G lens and Singh-Ray Filter (ISO 100, 50 mm, f/16, 8 sec).Long Exposure Exercise at Sand Dollar Beach, Big Sur Central California Coast. Image taken with a Nikon D3x and 50 mm f/1.4G lens and Singh-Ray Filter (ISO 100, 50 mm, f/16, 15 sec).Sunset at Sand Dollar Beach, Big Sur Central California Coast. Image taken with a Nikon D3x and 50 mm f/1.4G lens (ISO 100, 50 mm, f/16, 1/5, 1/10, 1/20, 1/40, 1/80 sec). HDR Composite of 5 images using Photomatix Pro.
Photography Workshop “Yosemite in Winter: A Season of Contrast” with Michael Mariant. Day 0: Travel to Yosemite National Park.
The next few days will be images from the 2010 “Yosemite in Winter: A Season of Contrast” photography workshop. I was picked up in South San Francisco as part of a carpool for a ride to the Yosemite National Park. I’ve included one image of an (almond?) orchard while the traveling through central California. Even though the trees didn’t have any leaves, the grass was bright green indicating recent rain. The night before the workshop I stayed at the Yosemite Lodge in Yosemite Valley. I took a few pictures that evening from around the lodge. I was blown away by what the Nikon D3s camera can do in low light, especially with a 50 mm f/1.4 lens.
Almond Orchard in California Central Valley. Drive By Photography. Image taken with a Nikon D3s and 50 mm f/1.4G lens (ISO 220, 50 mm, f/1.4, 1/1600 sec). (David J Mathre)Yosemite Valley in the Winter. Image taken with a Nikon D3s and 50 mm f/1.4G lens (ISO 200, 50 mm, f/1.4, 1/80 sec). (David J Mathre)Winter Clouds in Yosemite Valley . Image taken with a Nikon D3s and 50 mm f/1.4G lens (ISO 20, 50 mm, f/1.4, 1/80 sec).(David J Mathre)Yosemite Falls from Yosemite Lodge. Image taken with a Nikon D3s and 50 mm f/1.4G lens (ISO 1280, 50 mm, f/2.8, 1/40 sec). (David J Mathre)
Gone to See America October 2008 Road Trip. Eighth Annual Nikonian Photography Adventure Trip. Day 6: Yosemite National Park.
The smallest waterfall in Yosemite Valley is at Fern Spring. It is just off the road and in the shade. Well worth taking the time to visit and photograph.
Fern Falls in Yosemite Valley. Image taken with a Nikon D3 camera and 24-70 mm f/2.8 lens (ISO 200, 42 mm, f/16, 1/2 sec). (David J Mathre)Yosemite’s Smallest Waterfall at Fern Spring. Image taken with a Nikon D3 and 24-70 mm f/2.8 lens (ISO 200, 70 mm, f/16, 5 sec). (David J Mathre)
Gone to See Hawaii. Big Island Photography Workshop with Thom Hogan. Day 6: Hawaii Tropical Botanical Garden.
We stopped at the Hawaii Tropical Botanical Gardens on our last day of the workshop. The Garden is located about 7 miles north of Hilo along the Old Mamalahoa Highway overlooking Onomea bay. This was a target rich environment. I do recommend mosquito repellent and possibly an umbrella. The hike down the trail from the gift center to Onomea bay takes a couple of hours, and is about a 500 foot elevation drop. Just remember you have to walk back up (although there is a golf cart for the physically challenged to take you back up). Thom spent some time helping me get the focus right for the image of the yellow orchid. I learned that Varilux glasses can be a problem when trying to get accurate/critical focus through the viewfinder.
