2012, Day 60 - Never was

What I love about leap year is that it happens so infrequently that it is an occasion that should be marked.  It is a spare day, one where we should all be free to do what we want with extra time.  I think we have too many holidays but I think that extra day in a leap year should be a holiday.  All government controlled areas that require fees or permits should be open and everyone should be allowed to do as they wish, within the contraints of the law of course.

For today's photo we go back to the shell of a warehouse that I explored with Brian Matiash.  I chose this vantage point to capture the reflection of the sky and building in the water and I knew I wanted to incorporate some of the burnt timbers as well.  This is five shots run through Photomatix Pro, then tweaked in Photoshop, the messy HDR sky was replaced with that out of a single image, then exported to OnOne's Focal Point and Effects (I chose a low level vintage Brandon), then back in to Photoshop to spot-intensify a few colors and finally cropped for the web!  Easy-peasy!

Canon 1D Mark IV, Canon 17-40/f4L
17mm, f8, merged layers of 1/100, 1/50, 1/25, 1/13 and 1/6 sec @ 100 ISO

2012, Day 59 - Idle threats

On Sunday I got a call from my buddy Brian Matiash telling me he came upon a wonderland of urban decay and before disclosing the location he threatened me with bodily harm if I had knowledge of the place and didn't share.  Well, I did know about it, it is a burnt out warehouse ostensibly closed to the public but with no effective measures to keep people out, as evinced by the copious graffiti.

This shot was taken in a small concrete room and the subject appears to be some kind of furnace.  There was a lot of charred wood on the floor and the melted remains of objects unknown.  I had to use three images to soften the transition on light from top to bottom after which I tweaked the colors, applied a partially opaque duotoned layer, a quick run though OnOne's Focal Point, back into Photoshop for some toning and there you have it!

Canon 1D Mark IV, Canon 17-40/f4L
17mm, f11, merged layers of 0.8, 1.6, and 3.2 sec @ 200 ISO

2012, Day 58 - Long shadows

I love the gentle undulations of virgin snow.  It is reminiscent of sand or salt or sugar but in a totally alien landscape.  The world seems almost out of context, especially when you grew up in a snow-free climate like I did.

Canon 1D Mark IV, 16-35/f2.8L Mark II
35mm, f5, 1/400 @ 200 ISO

2012, Day 57 - Sentinel

We have been inundated with the occasional snow shower today and yesterday with more possible tonight.  It is hard to believe that despite a relatively mild winter we have had so many little winter storms.  If the snow actually stuck to the ground I would be pleased but mostly it just means it is going to be wet and cold outside.

This is a photo from my recent trip to central Oregon.  As you can see the clouds were pretty solid but the occasional ray of sunshine would break through highlighting some part of the landscape.  I liked this old tree, it look so gnarled and has probably seen thousands of people pass by in its lifetime.  Now it is just a husk serving to remind us that wildfires in central Oregon are common and the last was recent enough that the surrounding trees display the willowy trunks of their youth.

Canon 1D Mark IV, Canon 16-35/f2.8L Mark II
20mm, f4, 1/1000 sec @ 200 ISO

2012, Day 56 - Easter flower

Have you ever had a locally raised farm-fresh egg?  The shell is much stronger, the flavor fullers, and the colors so much more vibrant.  Those yolks are almost orange and this crocus has colors like one of those eggs.

Canon 1D Mark IV, Canon 100/f2.8L IS
100mm, f8, 1/125 sec @ 200 ISO

2012, Day 55 - Painted peacock

I thought I would try my hand at something a little different tonight.  I've always wondered what an alien sky might look like and found this quite pleasing...

Canon 1Ds Mark II, Canon 16-35/f2.8L Mark II
18mm, f8, 120 sec @ 100 ISO

2012, Day 54 - Bells

Little flowers are really starting to sprout up all over the place.  Don't misunderstand, it is still mostly cold and wet here in Oregon but we are getting the occasional break in the clouds and the random warm(er) day so the plant life is starting to respond.  The small flowers seem most likely to appear early but the bulbs are starting to come up, the hellebores are in full bloom, and the promise of spring is enough to keep up all hopeful!

Canon 1Ds Mark II, Canon 100/f2.8L IS
100mm, f4, 1/320 sec @ 320 ISO