Archives For Featured Download

The Wave, Coyote Buttes - Arizona, USA

Featured Download: Storm at “Sea”

Varina Patel —  January 18, 2013

This is a photo of The Second Wave in Arizona. I took the shot as the storm clouds cleared behind me – allowing the rich, golden-hour light to paint the already-colorful sandstone a richer shade of orange. The heavy, blue thunderclouds in the distance were a perfect complimentary backdrop for the scene.

Click to Download

As always, these images are provided for personal use as computer wallpaper or backgrounds ONLY. Copyright belongs to the photographer, and photographs cannot be used, redistributed, or recreated in print, on the web, or in any other medium without written permission from the photographer.

In Featured Download , , , , , ,
permalink
The Dreaming - Varina Patel

Featured Download: The Dreaming

Varina Patel —  December 21, 2012

I took this shot a few years ago in Bryce Canyon National Park. This is a spectacularly beautiful location at any time of year – but on this day, the fresh snow made Bryce look like a winter wonderland. We arrived while it was still dark, and ours were the only footprints in the newly-fallen snow. Although I wore my warmest clothing, I was shivering with cold – until I pulled out my camera. Suddenly, I forgot about the cold… scenes like this are what nature photographers dream of. Everything came together for me. A beautiful location in perfect conditions. Stunning skies, soft light… and perfect silence.

“May your days be merry and bright!”

Happy Holidays!

Click to Download

Click on the image above to download the image for your desktop background. We hope you enjoy this featured download.

As always, these images are provided for personal use as computer wallpaper or backgrounds ONLY. Copyright belongs to the photographer, and photographs cannot be used, redistributed, or recreated in print, on the web, or in any other medium without written permission from the photographer.

In Featured Download , , , , , , , , ,
permalink
IMG_2925.tif

Featured Download: Rain, Rain, Go Away.

Jay Patel —  December 7, 2012

Click to Download

On the first day of our 2009 workshop in Death Valley (California), it rained hard… and then it rained some more… and a bit more after that. Total Rainfall in 24 hours: 1 inch. That’s a lot for the driest place in North America. All the roads were closed, and some were damaged – but with big storms come great light. The next day, the storm started to clear. Over the course of the next 24 hours, we got some spectacular light conditions and some very unique photos of flooding in Death Valley National Park.

This is a manual blend of 3 images using our iHDR technique. I used a low perspective to capture the flowing streams of water. I focused at my hyperfocal distance to ensure that the entire image was sharply in focus. I chose to keep the image dark in post processing, because of the heavy storm clouds hanging overhead.

As always, these images are provided for personal use as computer wallpaper or backgrounds ONLY. Copyright belongs to the photographer,and photographs cannot be used, redistributed, or recreated in print, on the web, or in any other medium without written permission from the photographer.

In Featured Download , , , , ,
permalink

Featured Download: ‘Twixt Autumn and Winter

Varina Patel —  November 23, 2012

This is a shot I took near the roadside in Utah. A small creek ran beside the road, and it was covered in a thin layer of ice. I loved the pretty patterns – and even better, frosted Aspen leaves were scattered across the ice. I chose this one carefully – looking for one with a curve that echoed the patterns in the ice, and a stem that wasn’t too long or too short or to straight. :) This one fit the requirements, so I placed it where its shape would echo the patterns in the ice and took my shot.

Click on the image above to download the image for your desktop background. I hope you’ll enjoy it!

As always, these images are provided for personal use as computer wallpaper or backgrounds ONLY. Copyright belongs to the photographer, and photographs cannot be used, redistributed, or recreated in print, on the web, or in any other medium without written permission from the photographer.

In Featured Download , , , , , , , ,
permalink
St. Mary

Featured Download: St. Mary’s Sunrise

Jay Patel —  November 9, 2012

Click to Download

We had been up for almost 24 hours the day before, but decided to get up and shoot anyway. It’s tough to get out of bed after just 4 hours of sleep… but it was worth it. We were rewarded with fantastic light and clouds over St. Mary Lake in Glacier National Park (Montana).

This image is all about balancing the light. I used a 0.6- stop GND filter to balance the light between the foreground and the sky. Even with the GND filter, I needed to use our manual blending (iHDR) workflow. I also used a 1.2-stop ND filter and polarizer to slow down the shutter speed for a smooth surface on the water.

10 seconds @ F16, ISO:100

As always, these images are provided for personal use as computer wallpaper or backgrounds ONLY. Copyright belongs to the photographer,and photographs cannot be used, redistributed, or recreated in print, on the web, or in any other medium without written permission from the photographer.

In Featured Download , , , ,
permalink
Between a Rock & A Trillium

Featured Download: Between a Rock and a Trillium

Jay Patel —  October 26, 2012

Click to Download

Here is a photograph that I took in Olympic National Park of a fully open trillium. This little cascade was located deep in the wood off the beaten path… and I was just lucky enough to stumble upon it. This simple photograph required lots of small details to compose and capture.

I wanted the trillium to stand out from the background… so choosing a composition as close to the flower as possible was a must. I also placed the Trillium in front of a dark background so that it would draw the viewers attention to the bright white flower. I placed the rock and the trillium using the rule of thirds, and made sure that everything in the frame was in focus.

As always, these images are provided for personal use as computer wallpaper or backgrounds ONLY. Copyright belongs to the photographer, and photographs cannot be used, redistributed, or recreated in print or on the web or on any other medium without written permission from the photographer.

In Featured Download , , ,
permalink
ohio_4038

Featured Download: Frosted Maple

Varina Patel —  October 12, 2012

Click to Download

Photographing autumn leaves is so much fun. The colors are incredible in Ohio at this time of year – and it’s so easy to find beautiful subjects. For this shot, I wanted  to show the beautiful patterns of ice on this pretty maple leaf from our back yard. I used a clothes pin to hold the leaf upright while I took the shot. I chose a brilliant background of golden leaves for a monochromatic color scheme.

As always, these images are provided for personal use as computer wallpaper or backgrounds ONLY. Copyright belongs to the photographer,and photographs cannot be used, redistributed, or recreated in print, on the web, or in any other medium without written permission from the photographer.

In Featured Download , , , ,
permalink

Featured Download: Autumn Wanderings

Jay Patel —  September 21, 2012

Click to Download

Cuyahoga Valley is the only National Park located in the state of Ohio and every fall it puts on a stunning show of colors.

I took this shot on an overcast day when the fall colors were at their peak. On this particular day, we decide to go wandering along the river towards the base of Brandywine Falls. We came upon this beautiful cascades that was flanked on both side by steep walls of stone. The deciduous trees growing all around us were dropping leaves into the gorge and creating a carpet of autmn color.

As always, these images are provided for personal use as computer wallpaper or backgrounds ONLY. Copyright belongs to the photographer, and photographs cannot be used, redistributed, or recreated in print or on the web or on any other medium without written permission from the photographer.

In Featured Download , , , ,
permalink

Featured Download: Aspen Glen

Varina Patel —  September 7, 2012

I took this shot during a rare sunny moment on a stormy autumn day. We spent the day exploring Colorado’s shockingly beautiful Snowmass Wilderness. It rained most of the day, and we took lots of photos of drifting fog and dripping grasses. When the storm clouds began to stand aside, I positioned my camera near this aspen glen. I wanted to show the beautiful texture of the bark, so I got as close as I could to the pretty trees in the foreground. The sunlight is passing through the leaves in front of me, making them seem to glow in this lovely light.

Click to Download

As always, these images are provided for personal use as computer wallpaper or backgrounds ONLY. Copyright belongs to the photographer, and photographs cannot be used, redistributed, or recreated in print, on the web, or in any other medium without written permission from the photographer.

In Featured Download , , , , , , , ,
permalink

Featured Download: The Fawn

Varina Patel —  August 24, 2012

Click to Download

This beautiful baby spent much of the summer eating flowers and plants in our wooded back yard. She was born late this year, so she’s still small – but she’s full of life and so much fun to watch. She wanders the neighborhood with three pretty little cousins and her mother. They’ve eaten half my flowers. But who’s complaining! The kids love having her around, and I have plenty of flowers to share.

I waited to take this shot until the fawn was mostly in shade for even lighting. A fast shutter speed kept her nice as sharp as she moved. I also wanted to be sure the capture the catch-light in her eye, and to get her in a pleasant pose. I got a few shots of her looking right at me with her mouth open as she chews… but that’s not quite what I was going for! ;)

As always, these images are provided for personal use as computer wallpaper or backgrounds ONLY. Copyright belongs to the photographer,and photographs cannot be used, redistributed, or recreated in print, on the web, or in any other medium without written permission from the photographer.

In Featured Download , , , ,
permalink