Photographing Mesa Arch

After an hour drive from Moab and a short hike I arrived at the famed Mesa Arch. It was 45 minutes before Sunrise and I wasn't alone. At least 8 other photographers were already in place. In what was likely the very best spot was a Italian photographer with a 4x5 and to his left were 2 other pro photographers. By the time the sun came up the total had doubled (mostly Germans), but everyone was polite and I was able to get a good spot. Thanks to one and all.


I had seen many photos from this very spot. When sailors finally cross the equator they get a tattoo of Neptune. I believe with this shot you earn your right of passage, but instead of Neptune it'll be Ansel Adams. (Lovely thought huh.) Anyway, I thought that the sweet light would be right at Sunrise and last but for a few minutes. The light was good at that time, providing a red glow underneath, but the rest of the Arch was very dark, so I zoomed in a little to capture the under glow and valley below. I stopped down f22 and focused on the far lip of the arch which gave me enough depth of field to reach from the front face of the arch to valley below. I just let the sun peek through in order to get a sun star. (Make sure you use a small f-stop. I used f22.) I shot a few more and then I waited for the sun to really come up. About 15 minutes later the Arch had enough ambient light to show detail and the glow was just as bright. I angled my shot to show more of the Arch and a little sky.


About 40 minutes after Sunrise the glow was just starting to fade. Most of the photographers had left but a few die hards were still up front. (Including me.) I wanted to get the entire arch in so I did a quick pano group. I set my camera up in the portrait position (Vertical - an L-Bracket really helps here). I made sure that my focus, aperture and shutter were all on manual. I wasn't using a polarizer, but if I had I would have taken it off to ensure a even sky. Then I loosened the base of my ballhead and took about 8 shots with plenty of overlap. (That's not what hangs over my belt, but about a 50 percent overlap of each frame.) I just rotate the camera using the base. The tripod was fairly level, but not prefect.

Back at the ranch I stitched the frames together with ArcSoft's Panorama Maker 4. I thought the perspective would be off since I was so close, but it was fine. Not bad for one morning's work. As for the tattoo well...

Tech Info: Canon 1Ds Mark II, Tamron 28-75mm Lens, Gitzo Tripod, No Filters.
For more on Panoramas see my previous article A Stitch In Time
More more photos see my gallery - Latest Additions

Rubbing Elbows at Maroon Bells

On the last Monday of September I drove straight from Los Angeles to Maroon Bells, CO. It took 15 hours and I was beat. I slept in the back of my SUV. I didn't want to miss sunrise. When I awoke it was dark and their was frost on the ground. It was an hour before sunrise as I walked down to the lake. Wow! At least 60 photographers were elbow to elbow. I grabbed a spot and watched as the conga line grow. Someone later counted 107 photographers.


I used a split neutral density filter for the first sunrise shot. It took on a nice red glow and the water remained calm for a perfect reflection. I used f22 and my focus point was about a third of the way into the picture to give me the greatest depth of field.


It was freezing cold so I took a hike to warm up. I stopped to take up near the creek and ran into Derek von Briesen. I met Derek while shooting Red Rock Crossing in Sedona. Derek gives workshops and I hope to join him on one soon. He's very gifted and has a talent for teaching too. You can check out some of his fine works at his gallery. It was great seeing him again.


It took an hour before the sun came up over the surrounding ridge and let the light poor onto the aspens. I think it was close to 10 or 11 when the pine trees on the left lit up. No filtration was needed as the light in the scene was now balanced. I tried a polarizer but the sky is already a dark blue.


I headed back down the road and spotted some aspens that I wanted to shot but it was too late. I returned the next day a little earlier and the light was just over the top of the cliff. The backlight really made the trees pop out. The stand of trees was perfect as a panoramic. I stitched them together with ArcSoft's Panorama Maker 4. For the how to's see my previous article here.


I got off to late start in the afternoon as I headed for Kebler Pass. It's about 2 hours to the crest from where I'm staying in Carbondale. Kebler Pass is a 26 mile long dirt road. When I passed over the top towards the Crested Butte side there was plenty of color but not much light. I spotted the perfect scene. It was a 30 second exposure @ f22, ISO 100. The wind blurred the leaves and gave it a painterly look. I returned the next day about an hour before sunset, but the light was never the same. I have many sharp pictures but none equal to this one.

I tried to post this while I was on the road but my server (iPower) locked up and I didn't want to spend an hour on the phone with them.

For more photos see Latest Additions on my gallery. These are straight off my laptop and need to be tweaked a little. I'll have additional photos, articles and color corrected images later this week.

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Photo Tips Article Index

Scenic Locations

Photographing Mt.Whitney & the Alabama Hills
Yosemite Stock Photo Gallery
Photographing California's Wildflowers
Earthday and Photography
Photographing Yosemite in Winter
Photographing Dead Horse Point
Photographing Bryce
Pixel Wrangler (Balanced Rock, Arches, UT)
Photographing Mesa Arch
Rubbing Elbows at Maroon Bells
Photographing Mt. Rainier National Park
Photographing The California Redwoods
Photographing The Columbia River Gorge
Photographing Malibu
The Last Days of Summer (Leo Carrillio State Beach, CA)
Photographing Big Sur

Photoshop Tips

A Stitch in Time

Flash Tips

What! Using Flash For Nature Photography!

Reviews

Hummingbird Flies

Updates will follow as needed.

Photographing the California Redwoods

As I headed back from Mt. Rainier to Los Angeles I took a chance and went to the California Redwoods. I was there as a child and I had a vague recollection of it. The best time to visit is late May through early June. Since it was August I knew I wouldn't be seeing any blooms, but there would be plenty of fog and a beautiful coastline.

I stayed in Klamath which is about dead center of the 40 plus miles of the various redwood parks. The State and National Parks have combined and now act as one big park. The 101 Freeway runs right though the park, but there's the old highway and many dirt roads off the beaten path.

On the first night I went to False Klamath Cove. The fog rolled in and I only had about 10 minutes of color. I got a few good shots but I would not see another sunset. The fog came in every afternoon starting around 4.

The fog was so thick it made it tough to shoot along the coast. At times I wasn't able to see past the pullout. But fog and redwoods are a perfect mix. An early morning hike into the foggy woods is a surreal experience. The fog gets so thick it seems like you're walking though a painting. I went along the Coast Drive. It's a dirt highway off the 101 beginning at the south corner of Del Norte Coast Redwoods State Park. It hugs the cliffs along the coastline. You can see some of my photos here on a previous post. All fog no coast.


I headed back to Klamath around 11 and stopped in at the "Trees of Mystery". It's a tourist trap to be sure. Years ago as you traveled up the coast you couldn't miss all the cardboard bumper stickers tied to each and every car. They were yellow with "Trees of Mystery" in bold red type. The park has made improvements but it's trademark 49 foot tall Paul Bunyan statue with a 35 foot Babe the Blue Ox along his side remains out front. Loud music is playing and Paul Bunyan shouts over the P.A. to the all little kids. They look up at in amazement at Big Paul as if he was really talking. My favorite part (as if that wasn't enough) was the Sky Trail a tram ride up the mountain. On a clear day you can see the ocean from here. It was still foggy so I couldn't see the ocean but there are plenty of other views right from the platform. You can hike the trail that winds around the top too.


Last but not least there are several herds of Elk in the park. They're usually right off the 101 on Davidson Road. There are many pull outs to shoot from. I found that for days 3 bucks stayed in front of someones farmhouse. You better not get close. They're wild and (at when I visited Canada) they have been known to run down joggers.


With it's rocky coastline, towering trees and plentiful wildlife you'll have a wide variety to shot. It's also one of the easiest parks to photograph as long as you play along with the weather. A rule of thumb is to shoot the redwoods in the mornings and check out the coast at sunset. Of course a foggy coast can look great if the fog isn't too thick. I hope to return one spring when the rhododendrons are in full bloom. They would add a little extra sparkle.

For more photos see my Redwood National Park Gallery.
For an excellent photo guide on California's Redwoods see Photograph America
Don Gale Workshops is planning a trip to the California's Redwoods in late spring 2008

Photographing the Columbia River Gorge

The last 2 summers I stopped off in Portland on my way to photograph Mt. Rainier. I'm always trying to cram in more than I should and the Columbia River Gorge is truly worth a trip all on it's own. I was only able to stay overnight each time. I like to stay in Troutdale which is just outside Portland and very close to the Gorge. The main freeway along the Gorge is the 84 but it's better to get off at Corbet Hill Road (Exit 22) and follow the signs towards Crown Point. (You''ll be turning onto Crown Point Road.) The road changes names and eventually becomes Historic Columbia River Highway. All of the main waterfalls are along this old highway. It's 2 lanes and very narrow in spots. You'll drive under canopies of trees and cross over some old moss covered bridges.


I like to make my first stop Chanticleer Point which is cared for by the Portland Women's Forum. It's a small parking lot that has a view of Crown Point. It's a great location at Sunset. Sunrise isn't bad here, but so far the early morning fog has pushed me to Crown Point itself.

It's a short drive to Crown Point and it too offers many spectacular views of the Columbia River Gorge. There's more of a crowd here at Sunset, but almost no one at Sunrise. With a long lens you can pick out the sweet spots. (See Last Shot.)

Moving down the road you'll find many waterfalls, but the granddaddy of them all is Multnomah Falls. If you're coming from town take the main exit (for Multnomah Falls) off the 84 freeway you'll end up in the lower parking lot. If you take the Old Highway from Crown Point you'll be in the upper parking lot right next to the falls. There's a large Restaurant and Gift Shop and if you arrive late in the day you'll find bus loads of people. I recommend going very early, right after Sunrise, while the falls are in shade. After you get your main shots of the falls continue up the hill. Here you can get a few shots of the upper falls as well and you can cross over the bridge.



It's been sunny both of the times I was there, but if it's overcast I think I'd hike in to one of the other falls there. On sunny days with the extreme contrast of bright daylight and deep shade it's best to just enjoy the hike. You'll have the place all to yourself. I've never see anyone else on the trails. I hear Panther Falls, which is on the Washington side, is one of the best locations. There's a host of other falls listed in Robert Hitchman's Photograph America's Photo Guide. These are great guides and a true bargain. Please don't follow my poor example. Take your time and gorge yourself. (Did I say that?)

For More Photos see my Oregon Gallery.
For info on Mt. Rainier see my previous post Photographing Mt. Rainier.

What! Using Flash For Nature Photography!

I'm slowly coming to grips with using a flash for Nature Shots. I generally prefer natural light, but there are situations that call for additional light. Here's one example on a foggy morning along the coast in the Redwoods. There wasn't much light and the wind wouldn't stop blowing.

Now, I just wanted a small piece of this web to really show off the dewdrops, but I couldn't resist trying to get the entire web at 2.8. (ISO 400.) The background is too bright in comparison to the web and too close to the web for the background to blur out. Even at ISO 400 and f2.8 it's still too windy to keep the web tack sharp.




Pumping it up to ISO 800 helps the freeze the motion and moving in a little closer helps separate the background. (The more you magnify the less depth of field you'll have.) It's still not tack sharp.

Now my flash comes to the rescue! With a Canon Speedlite Transmitter ST-E2 you can get the flash off the camera. Once it's off you can try it in different positions until you get the correct balance between the foreground and the background. At 2.8, only part of the web is in focus. Since I wanted all of the dewdrops on the web to be sharp I set the camera to f16. Not a problem since I'm using a flash and it will freeze the motion. You just have to set your camera up so it's not letting in the ambient light. Nice shot, I like it, but I'll try ISO 100. Nope, the background went black. (Just like I thought not enough power.) I'll stick with ISO 800 at f16.

So I was able to freeze the web and still pick up a little of the background at ISO 800 with one flash. With 2 flashes I would have been able to light them both up properly at ISO 100. Of course I left the 2nd flash at home. (What good was it doing there? Guarding the house?) I did run into some poison oak and picked up some rubbing alcohol to clean off my tripod. (And me!) Anyway, I like the shot, the dewdrops look like a pearls on a necklace.

Tech info: Canon 5d, Canon 580EX Flash, Canon Speedlite Transmitter ST-E2, Canon 100mm Macro Lens, Gitzo Tripod, Kirk Ball Head and L-Bracket (No spiders were harmed in the making of this photograph.)

For more on flash photography go to strobist.com - a "Must See Website"

Photographing Big Sur

One of the most beautiful drives in the world is along California's Highway One. Near the middle of the state, just below Carmel, you have soaring Redwoods on one side and high rocky cliffs dropping into the ocean on the other side of the highway. You'll often see this highway used in car commercials. Typically it's covered in a blanket of fog in the morning and then the skies clear in the afternoon. Big Sur with all it's majestic beauty and easy access is nothing but photographic opportunities awaiting you.

If you stay at the lodge inside the Pfeiffer Big Sur State Park you can just head out the door and take anyone of the many trails in the morning. There you'll find tall redwoods, waterfalls and a fern covered forest floor. You can also find many turnouts along Highway One that overlook the Cliffs. The fog helps to separate the cliffs. I like to keep my camera set on it's daylight setting. This captures the blue light and gives it a cool look. My favorite spot was Ragged Point, but the last time I was there they had a chain link fence around most of it.

In the afternoon if the cloud cover breaks a little you'll want to head down to Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park. It's another state park just south of the Pfeiffer Big Sur State Park also on Highway One. It's easy to miss so I always like take along Andrew Hudson's "PhotoSecrets San Francisco and Northern California". It not only covers Big Sur but it also covers the San Francisco region and has a section on Yosemite. Complete with maps, beautiful photos and all the details. He even provides a clock face showing the best time to photograph each location. With Andrew's book you'll find an excellent map for finding Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park. This is where you'll find McWay Falls. It's a 80 foot waterfall that flows into the Pacific Ocean. You won't want to miss this one even if it's socked in. Andrew has a beautiful photo of McWay Falls covered in fog. The fog gives it a mysteries mood. Often right at sunset there will be a clearing on the horizon and the sun will poke through.

Another great way to get a feel for this location is Don Gale's DVD "Photographing San Francisco and the Central Coast." Don travels from Santa Barbara to San Francisco with many photo stops along the way. He shows a unique viewpoint at McWay Falls. You'll get an inside look to the thought process of working pro. Don provides many tips and locations. This video won a couple of awards including "Best Editing" by yours truly. I had so much fun. I actually went with Don on the trip and learned sooo much!A fun place to visit is Nepenthe Restaurant. It's a 4 star restaurant with a spectacular view of the coastline. Soak it all it in on their beautiful deck. It doesn't get better than this.


For great photoguides see Photo Secrets "PhotoSecrets San Francisco and Northern California"
For Don Gale's DVD "Photographing San Francisco and California's Central Coast"
These can also be found on Amazon.
For accomodations see Big Sur Lodge

A Stitch In Time

After reading Don Gale's Blog on stitching I decided to try it myself. I pulled out some old images from 2004 at Oxbow Bend, WY. I downloaded the trial version of Arcsoft Panorama Maker 4. Now I had tried this same sequence of photos before both in Photoshop and Canon's software without success.


I popped the photos in and within seconds the image appeared. It was perfect. Flawless! Wow! I know that I shot this with too wide a lens, and although I had used a tripod, it was anything but straight. I brought it back into Lightroom and tweaked the levels. This is what I love about digital. As time goes by the software keeps improving. Not only are the images I'm shooting now effected, but so are my images from the past.

Of course you don't have to use Panorama Maker just for panoramics. You can use it just to get more resolution for those extra big prints. I knew I had a shot a sequence of Multnomah Falls just for this purpose. I loaded the images, changed the direction to vertical, and let 'er rip. Presto. Success at last.

Arcsoft Panorama Maker is going to change the way I shoot in the field. After all these were worst case examples. I'll be shooting many more panoramics now that it's so easy.

If you'd like to try it yourself just follow the directions on Don Gale's Blog or join him on a workshop. Now as for that bigger printer...



For a more detailed review and panoramic tips see Don Gale's Blog
For a trial copy or to buy visit Arcsoft Panorama Maker

Photographing Mt. Rainier National Park

I had so much fun hiking and photographing at Mt. Rainier National Park. Easy access, a wide variety of subjects and it wasn't too crowded. (At least weekdays.) In late July I found beautiful skies and an abundance of wildlife and wildflowers. I got more shots in 3 days than I usually get in a week. The Paradise Inn which is inside the park was being remodeled until 2008, so I stayed in the nearby town of Ashford. Just outside the park it's about a 20 minute drive up to the main locations.


Early mornings I would head over to Reflection Lakes. There were 2 lakes and only 3 or 4 photographers so I felt like I had the place all to myself. There wasn't much of a sunrise so I waited until the light began hit some foreground. The lake remained calm for a few minutes and I got some shots in. As the wind picked up I would move on.

Paradise Meadows is known for it's spectacular wildflower displays. The blooms generally start in late July and peak the first week of August. I was there just as things were beginning to heat up. Avalanche Lilies covered the hillsides. Fields of Indian Paintbrush were about to bloom.

The honeycomb trails of Paradise Meadows offer many vantage points. I took the trail up to Upper Myrtle Falls. You'll want to get there midday. Earlier it's in shadow. The wildflowers are easy to spot and deer roam the hillsides.

For sunset I'd travel back to town and stop at some of the turnouts along the way.They over look the valley. Plenty of room to park even if you're in an R.V.


The very first day I saw some foxes playing, but they scurried off before I could get a shot off. I asked around and was told that the picnic area might be good. Wow! Deer, grouse and the foxes, all in one morning! The little red fox cubs even tried to play tag with me. They'd run in and out and then dart at my feet. Apparently people had been feeding them. Mom stood by and watched them. When she figured out that I wasn't going to feed then she ran off and the cubs followed. It was only a couple of minutes, but needless to say it was the highlight of my trip.

There are many grand vistas, waterfalls and hidden treasures left for my next visit. I can't wait. Hope to see ya there!

See more photos of Washington on my photo gallery at http://www.craigwolf.com/
Join Don Gale's Mt. Rainier Photo Workshop at http://www.photographybydon.com/
Plan your own trip with a photo guide on Mt. Rainier http://www.photographamerica.com/.

Photographing Malibu

Malibu

Winters along California's beaches are magnificent for photography. I wait for a clearing storm and pack up my gear and hit the road. My favorite location is Malibu. There are many beaches but my two top picks are El Matador State Beach and Leo Carrillo State Beach.

Along the way there are long stretches of rolling hills with beautiful oaks. You can stop at Malibu Creek State Park in the morning or you can camp here and photograph the oaks in the early morning fog and then catch the sunset at one of the beaches.


El Matador State Beach

Matador State Beach has some great sea stacks and the sun sets between the stacks in mid winter. I look for shorebirds, rock formations and pools of color once the sun begins to set. If you're patient you can find s-curves that develop along the shoreline. The dirt parking lot closes right after sunset so you'll have scamper up the two hundred or so steps back up to your car.

Leo Carrillo State Beach

Leo Carrillo State Beach has camping and a day use charge. The park has lots of parking close to beach. If you have a summer storm Matador Beach will be in shadow during the summer and here at Leo Carrillo it will be picture perfect.

Afterwards you might want to drive down to Gladstone's. They have great seafood and they're located right on the water. Have fun at the locations I've mentioned here but do some exploring on your own. I continue to find fantastic places along Malibu's shoreline.

Matador State Beach
32215 Pacific Coast Highway
Malibu, CA 90265

Leo Carrillo State Beach
35000 W. Pacific Coast Highway
Malibu, CA 90265

Gladstone's
17300 Pacific Coast Hwy
(Where Sunset Blvd crosses)
Pacific Palisades, CA 90272

© Copyright Craig Wolf 2006

Craig Wolf Photography

Welcome to Craig Wolf Photography! I'll be posting reviews, before and after examples, favorite places and some of my most recent photos.