Archives For autumn

Twin Lake Storm

Jay Patel —  April 17, 2013

Twin Lakes, Colorado (CO), USA

While driving to our destination in Aspen Colorado, we took the scenic route through the Twin Lakes region. As we stood there photographing this little spot, clouds started to move in – within 10 minutes, the blue skies were all but covered up by dark clouds.

This is a manually blended image created from 3 bracketed shots using out iHDR workflow. The dynamic range of this photo was extreme, and the horizon was not level – so a graduated neutral density filter was out of the question. I chose to place complementary colors close together to make those brilliant trees stand out. I used a 4-stop neutral density filter and a circular polarizer to slow down the shutter speed.

In Photo of the Day , ,
permalink

The Road Less Traveled

Jay Patel —  March 18, 2013

Marble, Colorado (CO), USA

We went wandering on roads less traveled on our last trip to Colorado – and found ourselves in this beautiful place. We saw only a couple of cars during the two or three hours we spent wandering. The fall colors were spectacular in this area.

This is a pretty simple exposure on a day with overcast skies. We had partly overcast skies, so I waited for the sun to go behind the clouds before I took the shot. I chose this composition to avoid the sky and other uninteresting elements. I used the road as a leading line to lead the viewers through the image.

In Photo of the Day ,
permalink
Maroon Bells, Snowmass Wilderness, Colorado (CO), USA

Outdoor Photography – Being Flexible

Jay Patel —  December 17, 2012

We plan our landscape photography outings so that we maximize our chances of getting the best weather patterns and the right seasons. But things don’t always go according to the plan. Experience has taught us to be flexible and open to new ideas.

I first visited Maroon Bells in 2007. I used an interesting root structure beneath the surface of the lake as a foreground object in the photo above. Five years later, in 2012, we returned to the lake again. This time, we discovered that the lake had shrunk dramatically because of a long summer drought. It no longer reached the grassy shores we remembered from our previous trip. Instead, the lake was surrounded by mud and rotting wood. The brilliantly colored moss that was growing under water in 2007  had died off. Here’s a shot of the same roots I photographed five years ago. The difference is stark.

Though the banks of the lake were uninspiring, I still felt that there was incredibly beauty to be captured in this place. I focused my attention on the creek and the mountains behind me. I waited until the clouds were lit up by the evening light and captured the photo below less than 50 yards from the roots in the first two shots.

I was able to come away with a photo that I like because I was willing to be flexible and look for alternative shots. So next time you are faced with unexpected conditions, don’t give up.

Te learn more about creative photography check out our eBooks below:

In Quick Tips , , , , ,
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
The Keeper of the Pond

The Keeper of the Pond

Varina Patel —  November 13, 2012

This is a great place to use a circular polarizer filter.

This little guy is going to be famous! :) He will be featured in our next Workflow Series eBook! I’ve been keeping my eyes open for a detail shot that would show the effect of a circular polarizer, and this was perfect. I took two shots – one with and one without the polarizer filter. This is the filtered shot. The colors are nice and clean and bright, and you can see lots of details on the surface of the lily pads. Without the filter, the lily pads reflect too much light toward my camera, so all that nice color and detail is lost. I’m sorry to say that you’ll have to wait for the eBook to see the unfiltered shot (mostly because I haven’t processed it yet.) ;) I guess this is just the teaser.

So there you go! Now you can say you knew him before he was famous!

In Photo of the Day , , , , ,
permalink
Aspen Leaf on Marble

Aspen Leaf on Marble

Varina Patel —  November 6, 2012

Marble, Colorado is a tiny town that boasts a pretty darn impressive marble quarry, a lot of awfully nice people, and some absolutely beautiful scenery. As the leaves start to change color, photographers descend upon the town. The locals call us “The Leafers”. It’s a name I embrace. I am, most definitely, a Leafer at this time of year… seeking out colorful autumn foliage like a junkie. ;)

I used a 70-200mm lens for this shot. A macro lens would have worked just as well, but I didn’t need to focus too close… and Jay had absconded with the Macro lens anyway. :) Getting the exposure right was easy – the range of light is very narrow, as you can see. Actually, the hardest part was just finding the right leaf. I wanted one with a variety of colors. Most of the aspen leaves are a brilliant golden color – and they are lovely – but I wanted one with a little more character because I knew my background would be very subtle. Once I’d found my leaf, I carried it very carefully up the road toward the huge marble blocks that lined the roadside… I didn’t want to disturb the water droplets. Then, I scanned the surface of the stone –  looking for the right vein in the marble. It took just a moment to find the one I wanted… this jagged grey line that defines my marble background. I placed my leaf, set up my camera straight overhead – on a tripod. And took a shot. Not quite right. I bent down, pushed the stem just slightly so that it curved a bit, and took another shot. I zoomed in to check the image on the back of my camera – it was perfectly sharp. Done.

In post processing, I was very careful about color balance. I didn’t want the marble to appear at all yellow – or the leaf to have any tint of blue. Slight color casts in a shot like this would really dull the photograph. I removed a few tiny specks of dirt from the rock and the leaf, and brightened up the water droplets just a tiny bit.

This is, hands down, my favorite shot from the trip. I love the contrast between the colorful foreground and the subtle background. Heck – this one just makes me smile. What do you think?

In Photo of the Day , , , , , , ,
permalink
autumn_2468 copy

Which photo do you prefer?

Varina Patel —  October 30, 2012

I took this shot of my youngest son, Damian, a few years ago in Cuyahoga Valley National Park. Damian and I spent that morning traipsing through the woods, playing in the leaves, and enjoying the breathtaking beauty of autumn in Ohio. And of course, I took a few photos. :)

I rarely include man-made elements in my images – and my landscape photos almost never include people. But sometimes a photo just works better with someone in it. In this case, my little son made a perfect point of interest, and he loved being a part of the photograph.

So, what do you think? Maybe I just like the shot with my son in it because he’s my child, and the memories are good ones. Which photo do you prefer? And why?

In Photo of the Day , , , , , ,
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

Frost

Varina Patel —  September 18, 2012

I love the time between autumn and winter – as the two seasons blend together in a brilliant display of color and ice. I took this shot early one morning when the frost had added a beautiful layer of ice to every leaf. My fingers were freezing – but I had a great time anyway. Maple leaves make such gorgeous subjects!

In Photo of the Day , , ,
permalink