Lower South Falls

Posted on September 11, 2011 by Ken Cannon

Lower South Falls, Silver Falls State Park, Oregon

Canon 30D, 17-40 f/4L, ISO: 100, aperture: f/8, shutter: 1/2 second

This is a follow-up to the September 8th post where I mentioned selecting the ‘right’ shutter speed in relation to moving water.  The above photo was taken with a slightly slower shutter speed 1/2 second compared to 1/15 second from last time.  A fraction of a second can make a difference.  You will note the water takes on a different look and feel than the photo in the earlier post.  The slower shutter speed seems to work better with the rocky lower section of this waterfall.  Lesson: try a variety of shutter speeds with waterfall or other moving water shots.  A neutral density (ND) filter will give you more options for using an even slower shutter speed.  More on ND filters in a later post.

Of the ten waterfalls in the park there are trails behind four of them.  The view from behind the falls, looking out, is unique.

ISO: 100, aperture: f/5.6, shutter: 1/5 second

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Surfer

Posted on September 9, 2011 by Ken Cannon

Surfer, Central Oregon Coast

Canon 30D, 70-200 f/4L, ISO: 200, aperture: f/9, shutter: 1/1600 second, tripod: no, B&W conversion: Lightroom

As a young person I was an avid surfer.  I made trips to Baja and Hawaii in search of the ‘endless summer’ and good waves.  In contrast, the northwest is not well know for consistent, high quality waves, but that doesn’t seem to dampen the enthusiasm of local surfers.  In this part of the Pacific, the water temperature rarely gets above the mid 50’s.  A good temperature for salmon, but requires 5 mm neoprene for most people venturing into the water.  Wetsuit clad surfers give new meaning to ‘men in black’.  On the positive side, the local conditions keep the crowds at bay.  This surfer had the waves to himself.

The photo was converted to B&W in Lightroom.  Contrast was adjusted with the tone curve in the develop module.  I used the targeted adjustment tool (TAT) to fine tune the photo.  The TAT is a very slick tool that makes local adjustments easy.

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Silver Falls State Park

Posted on September 8, 2011 by Ken Cannon

South Falls, Silver Falls State Park, Oregon

Canon 30D, 17-40 f/4L, ISO: 100, aperture: f/8, shutter: 1/15 second, tripod: yes

Silver Falls is the crown jewel of Oregon’s State Park system.   It has it all; picnicking, camping, hiking, mountain biking, horseback riding, group camping, cabin rentals, small convention facility, the list goes on and on.  There are at least 10 waterfalls in the park, all within a short hike of a trailhead.  South Falls at 177 feet high (pictured above) is perhaps the most visited falls in the park, it’s only about a 1/4 mile from the parking lot.  The park is one of the ‘must see’ sights in Oregon.  Here’s a link:

http://www.oregonstateparks.org/park_211.php

When I take waterfall photos I try several different shutter speeds to get the one I think conveys the sense of motion the best.  If the shutter speed is slow the water takes on a silky look and will look like one continuous column of water.  A faster shutter will ‘freeze’ the water and will not convey the sense of motion very well.  For the volume of water coming over South Falls, 1/15 second is about right to convey motion and still reveal detail in the water.

The original photo has a lot of contrast between the shady canyon walls and sun-lit trees.  In Lightroom, I reduced the brightness in the upper left corner with the graduated filter.

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Lens Flare

Posted on September 7, 2011 by Ken Cannon

Willamette Valley from Silver Falls State Park, Oregon

Canon 30D, 70-200 f/4L, ISO: 100, Aperture: f/11, shutter: 1/100 second, tripod: yes

I read that lens flare is gaining in popularity today.  At least it is with today’s photo 🙂  I didn’t have my lens hood on when taking this shot (I left it home), so I tried to shade the lens with my hat.  As you can see, I didn’t have much success with that technique.  And since I was aiming almost directly at the sun the hood probably wouldn’t have done much good anyway.  Aiming the lens more to the right would have reduced the chance of flare, but it wasn’t the composition I was looking for… so I got lens flare.

The valley is full of smoke these days from several nearby forest fires.  The bad air quality that goes with fire often yields amazing colors at sunset.  I added a little punch with the vibrance and clarity sliders in Lightroom.

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Willamette Valley Grape Update

Posted on September 7, 2011 by Ken Cannon

Redhawk Vineyard, Salem, Oregon

Canon 30D, 17-40 f/4L, ISO: 100, Aperture: f/8, shutter: 1/60 second, three exposures combined in Photomatix Pro

As I mentioned in the blog back in July, the wine grapes in the valley are very late this year because of our cool wet spring and early summer.  The grapes are now starting to turn, but weather is still a critical factor in this year’s harvest.  Growers are really wanting the warm and dry to continue for at least another 4-6 weeks.  Some say this will be the latest harvest ever for Oregon grapes.  Time will tell if it will be a good one… or not.

About the photo…  HDR software is highly adjustable and can provide a very natural look, or the popular grunge that is commonly associated with HDR images today.  As the name suggests the software increases the dynamic range of color and exposure.  Doing that can add depth and ‘pop’ to the image.  Although HDR may not be for every image, I do like it for some subjects and lighting conditions.

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Layers in the Landscape, Pacific Rim National Park

Posted on September 6, 2011 by Ken Cannon

Comber’s Beach, Pacific Rim National Park, British Columbia

Canon 30D, 17-40 f/4L, ISO: 250, aperture: f/11, shutter: 1/100, tripod: yes, filter: circular polarizer

There are several things about this scene that compelled me to take this photo.  With every photo I take I try to ask myself a series of questions… What is appealing about this scene?  Why am I looking here and not somewhere else?  What drew me to this particular spot?  I try to include the answers to those questions in my work.  Here are a few things that drew me to this particular spot on Comber’s Beach:

1. Warm, soft, low angle light
2. The cloud reflection in the foreground water
3. The texture in the foreground sand
4. The multi layers of sand, water, sky and clouds

In the end, I suppose it boils down to lighting and composition are really the key components to a compelling image.

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Deepwood Estates

Posted on August 19, 2011 by Ken Cannon

Deepwood Estates- Salem, Oregon (backyard view)

Canon 30D, 17-40 f/4L  ISO: 100, aperture: f/5.6, shutter: 15 seconds middle exposure (5 bracketed images), tripod: yes, post: Photomatix Pro 4 and Lightroom 3.

The Deepwood Estates is a treasure of the City of Salem.  The 1894 Queen Anne Style home is fully restored and open to the public for tours…it is fabulous.  The grounds include several unique garden areas, gazebos and the original carriage house.  The estate is a popular venue for weddings and other special events.

Early evening is a great time for photographing the house and grounds.  This is the time of day when the yard lights come on and there is still ambient light that fills in the shadow areas.  The above image was created from 5 bracketed exposures combined in Photomatix.  Once in Lightroom, I made adjustments with the transform sliders in the lens correction panel.  Distortion is a common problem when photographing architectural subjects with a wide-angle lens.  Lightroom can help correct the problem.  This ‘darkroom’ adjustment tool is not nearly as good as using the tilt-shift feature of a view camera, but can help none the less.

Above: This is a 5 exposure HDR image adjusted using the sliders in the lens correction panel.  The perspective is still not perfect but a nice improvement over the original.

Left: Here’s the original image before making adjustments.  Click on the image for a larger view.  The software gives you an opportunity to square up the leading edge of the building and remove the converging lines as evident on the left edge of the house and the columns on the front porch.  One disadvantage when using this tool is the cropping that goes on when adjusting the image with the vertical, horizontal and rotate sliders.  So, when composing the original shot allow for cropping.  My original wasn’t quite wide enough.

The last photo, showing the west side of the house was also adjusted with the lens correction sliders.

Below: 5 bracketed exposures processed in Photomatix, ISO: 400, aperture: f/8, shutter: middle 0.4 seconds.

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Cone Peak, Central Oregon Cascades

Posted on August 15, 2011 by Ken Cannon

Cone Peak flowers with Three Sisters in the background.

Canon 30D, 17-40 f/4L, ISO: 100, aperture: f/11, shutter: 1/50 second, filter: circular polarizer

I had a car with a 10-foot paint job awhile back.  If you didn’t get closer than 10 feet the car looked pretty good.  This photo reminds me of that old car.  It looks pretty good until you look close.  There was enough movement in the flowers that nothing appears in sharp focus.  That spoils the shot for me.  Next time I’ll kick up the ISO so I can use a faster shutter speed.  Even though I didn’t get the shot I wanted it was wonderful to be among the flowers and peaks on such a beautiful day.  The view east to the high Cascades was spectacular, as the below shot reveals.  Although sometimes the view under foot is noteworthy too.  The aphid tending ants were interesting to watch and photograph.

The above photo was taken from the summit of Cone Peak, a wonderful botanical area in the Central Oregon Cascades.  The area is known for its great wildflower display and plant diversity.  The cool wet spring has made this year’s bloom especially good.

Three Sisters from Cone Peak, Central Oregon Cascades

70-200 f/4L, ISO: 800, shutter: 1/200, lens: zoomed to 126mm, filter: circular polarizer, HDR: 3 exposures (2 stops over, 2 stops under) combined with Photomatix, local adjustments made in Lightroom.

Aphids and Ants, Cone Peak

60mm f/2.8 macro, ISO: 100 aperture: 2.8, shutter: 1/250

More information on the Cone Peak Trail.

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Summer Lake, Oregon

Posted on August 2, 2011 by Ken Cannon

Summer Lake Wildlife Area

Canon 30D, 17-40 f/4L, ISO: 100, tripod: yes, filter: 2 stop soft edge graduated ND

The Summer Lake Wildlife Area is a great birding area in south central Oregon.  The area is managed primarily for migratory waterfowl that move up and down the Pacific Flyway.  Camping is allowed in designated locations among the ponds and dikes.  The wildlife provide abundant ‘jungle’ noises at night.  This is a terrific place to enjoy the sights and sounds of nature.  Come prepared to deal with voracious mosquitoes during the warmer spring and summer months.

There are great landscape and wildlife photo ops here.  A tripod and split ND filter are a must.  Bring all the glass you own to provide as many shooting options as possible.

Below: 70-200 f/4L, ISO: 100, aperture: f/8, shutter 1/250, tripod: yes, filter: circular polarizer

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Hart Mountain National Antelope Refuge

Posted on August 1, 2011 by Ken Cannon

Antelope, Hart Mountain National Antelope Refuge

Canon 30D, 70-200 f/4L, ISO: 100, Aperture: f/6.3, shutter: 1/400, tripod: no

Southeast and South Central Oregon are truly where the deer and antelope play.  Some of the most remote areas in the continental US are found in this part of the country.  Views are unobscured by power lines, buildings or other man-made features.  In fact, the only sign of development, in this part of the state, is the gravel road that brought you to this wide open landscape, known locally as the Oregon Outback.

This photo was taken out the window of the pickup.  In this landscape vehicles provide the best wildlife viewing blinds.  But, you have to work fast because as soon as your vehicle stops, animals become wary and will quickly take to flight.  To speed up the photo process the camera sits on my lap with adjustments preset so I can quickly shoot when the time comes.

For more information about Hart Mountain:
http://www.fws.gov/sheldonhartmtn/Hart/index.html

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