2012, Day 274 - Arctic stream

I awoke this morning a little chilly and discovered I grabbed an extra blanket in the middle of the night.  Fall's arrival can't come quickly enough, I am worried that with my travels plans that I might miss it and will have to wait another year to see the spectacular foliage display.  Until then I will think back on my adventures of last winter as consolation should my fears come true.

Canon 1D Mark IV, Canon 16-35/f2.8L Mark II
23mm, f22, 1/3 sec @ 100 ISO

2012, Day 226 - Moody cool

I am a weather wimp when it comes to the heat but if you read my ramblings with any regularity that shouldn't come as a surprise.  Today was another warm one and it is supposed to get hotter as the week progresses so I delved months back to my trip to Sunriver this past winter and discovered this photo.  I pushed the dynamic range close to breaking but it was easier then my failed attempts at layer masking.  The goal was to create a sort of moody evening look to the scene and I think it came out rather nicely even if it is slightly melodramatic.

Canon 1D Mark IV, Canon 16-35/f2.8L Mark II
25mm, f5.6, 1/8000 sec @ 200 ISO

2012, Day 52 - Winding

Normally power lines are the bane of my existence.  They always seem to be run through the most interesting views like some intentional flaw in an otherwise ideal scene.  Last week when I was in central Oregon riding out to our day's snowshoeing I made my friend pull over as we came upon these power lines because I liked the clouds and the serpentine access road below.  The power lines in this situation act like leading lines and they aren't totally distracting.  I used OnOne's Perfect Blur and the Nicely Toasted Effect for the finishing touches.

Canon 1D Mark IV, Canon 16-35/f2.8L Mark II
23mm, f4, 1/5000 sec @ 200 ISO

2012, Day 51 - Trial

This photo was taken as a test to figure out what kind of exposure time would be necessary to capture the stars.  To the naked eye not all the clouds were visible but I still took another shot at a lower ISO.  Unfortunately the clouds were coming in and at the end of that five minute exposure almost no stars were visible.  That left me with my test shot which I processed and share with you now.  While it isn't ideal is it better than what I ended up with which is why you never delete anything until you've had an opportunity to review it on your computer.  In fact I don't delete anything, sometimes the best shots look terrible as you are chimping (reviewing your photos on the back of your camera).

Canon 1D Mark IV, Canon 16-35/f2.8L Mark II
16mm, f2.8, 25 sec @ 8000 ISO

2012, Day 43 - Bursting

What I love the most about central Oregon is the huge variety of outdoor activities.  When I was here last fall most of the days were filled with hiking.  Given the snow hiking is an impossibility so instead I spent the afternoon snowshoeing.

After a failed attempt to find decent snow in the area immediately around Sunriver we gave up and drove to Tumalo mountain which sits adjacent to Mount Bachelor, a popular skiing area.  Our climb was almost completely uphill with an elevation gain of over 1,000 feet in about a mile.  It was brutal going up and almost as bad on the way down.  I thought I was terribly out of shape, which I may be, but on the descent I gained a real appreciation for how steep the trail was that we followed.

Tomorrow we head out for more snowshoeing.  I am excited but in remains to be seen if my legs will be as eager as I am when I get up tomorrow morning.

Canon 1D Mark IV, Canon 16-35/2.8L Mark II
18mm, f4, 1/3200 sec @ 200 ISO

2012, Day 42 - Trails

This evening the sky was looking nice and clear and because I am taking a weekend vacation to central Oregon I decided to load up my gear and try my hand at astro-landscape photography.  Unfortunately by the time I found an area with a nice view clouds started to invade my skies.

Because I was already out and about I thought I would take some pictures anyway.  This is my favorite of the evening, I like the streaks of clouds and the glimmer of a few stars that were not yet obstructed.

Canon 1D Mark IV, Canon 16-35/f2.8L Mark II
31mm, f3.2, 2 minutes @ 200 ISO