Scene on Site | Take 2

On a recent, whirlwind trip through Telluride, I found a few moments between photographing weddings to capture some moments of the gorgeous autumn up there.  I feel so lucky to have lived in such a spectacular place!

Enjoy!

 

 

Painting with Light

Warning: These photographs aren't for everyone.
But if you're among the curious... I'd like to share!  There's something I find enormously compelling and peaceful about leaving the exposure open just long enough to "paint" the sensor with a swath of light dotted foliage.  Resulting streaks of color appear painterly, but are completely the result of photographic processes.  I'm going to include a few sets here from my favorite experiments with this method.  Enjoy!

Favorite Photos from 2010 | Part 1: Scenic + Macro

(click and zoom in to see images larger)

Celebrating Autumn's End in the Mountains...

Fall in the mountains carries quite a weight for us crazy photo types.   My eyes often suffer an exhaustion of consumption after a gorgeous day of shooting.  I remember some autumns past, when upon the last leaf's falling I would breath a sad but honest sigh of relief... the pressure to capture dramatic light on fleeting color was gone.

This autumn I have been so busy shooting real jobs (for which I am hugely grateful!) that I have not had as much time for fun landscape outings, but I did manage one trip up to the Maroon Bells, and thought I'd share just a few of my favorites.  Hope you are all having a lovely fall '10!

McClure Pass Panorama

(click image to see larger)

My wide angle lens was recently rendered temporarily out of commission in a job-related tripod incident...

I might have normally pulled out that wide lens for a shot such as the above, encompassing such a vast expanse of scenery.  However, on the heals of my 16-35mm being sent to the shop, Outdoor Photographer's George Lepp inspired me (at this past week's first annual Telluride Photo Festival - I'm already excited for next year's festival!) to take out the 70-200mm and create a panorama from 7 different vertical shots (something I haven't done for a while).  Check out the above image by clicking to see it larger (although this is still a low res version).  What a satisfying experience to make a crisp, high resolution image with an older Canon 5D that would print over 4 feet wide!

The patterns up there were truly gorgeous... what an interesting fall, with some patches still green, and others completely bare already.  Here are some of the details that are in the panorama:

Photoshop Magic

It's hard not to love the San Juan Mountains in a blanket of fall color!

This panoramic photo was created for a client in Telluride desiring a photograph which would show the view from their property.  The panoramic was created by shooting 5 different vertical shots... (the high res image is 44" wide).

Did I mention the big RED CRANE that was in the way??  Would have been nice to shoot from in front of the crane, but alas, such a view is not possible.  Here are the raw files loosely placed together:

Needless to say, photoshop skills came in quite handy in merging the photos, evening out the sky and erasing all evidence of that big red crane!

Just for Fun: Different kind of Light + Color

Gotta love Denver... We received 18+ inches of snow in 2 days, and a few days later we are soaking up sunshine and 60 degrees!  Amazingly, we STILL have leaves on the trees, post blizzard event!

This was the landscape just a few days ago...

Just for Fun: Painting with Light + Color

I have experimented for years with the technique of slowing down the shutter speed and panning my camera while exposing a shot, but to get an image that goes beyond just a blur to something soulful and beautiful is not easy! This year I finally achieved a few images that I really love.

Using a camera to "paint" with color can be hugely satisfying... It is incredibly fun to take an exposure beyond straight capture, into a whole new realm of creativity.

Some images are more abstract than others, and really start to feel like paintings, complete with brush strokes of natural color and light.

I look forward to experimenting next with printing these on fine art papers!