American beech tree photo, Dodge Park, Sterling Heights, Michigan
There are a lot of very large beech trees in the woods behind my home that I have photographed quite often. I have always been drawn into the characteristic white branches of the older trees. Like gray hair, I see it as a sign of wisdom, life experience, and survival. I like how they retain many of their leaves well into winter, often standing out in a snow covered forest.
Beech trees have quite a bit of folklore about them. Sometimes their smooth grey bark in the lower portions of the tree carries some human history. Unfortunately so many people see it as the prime spot to proclaim their undying love. The wisdom of the upper branches of the tree looking downward seems to be lost on such people.
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Cedar Lake sunrise with fall colors, near Traverse City, Northern Michigan
This weekend my wife, our malamute Willow and I stayed with some friends at a cabin we rented near Traverse City, Michigan. It is a truly beautiful area. It wasn’t primarily a photography trip, but more about taking in some of the remaining fall color there, some relaxing site seeing along the coastline, and of course visiting some of the great Michigan wineries.
I did manage to get out this morning though for a quick fix of burning some pixels. This image is from the property where we stayed on Cedar Lake, about 25 minutes west of Traverse City.
With the exposure blending options available today, I find myself much less reluctant to photograph into the sun – even after it crests the horizon. I have always liked the way morning sun makes fall leaves glow when they are backlit. This is an attempt to capture some of that.
I blended this one (7 images, 1 stop apart each) using my 15 day trial version of Nik HDR Efex Pro. So far I like it. It offers a nice alternative to Photomatix with excellent presets for very realistic looking blends. Photomatix has dominated the market for so long (for good reason), it is interesting to see the approach another company takes with HDR. I finished it up with minor additional tweaks in Lightroom 3 and Photoshop CS5.
My Michigan Landscapes Gallery
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Infrared hillsides
This past weekend Scott Kelby did a quick Photoshop quick tips session at the Detroit Mac Group presentation. He managed to pack in quite a bit to an entertaining hour and a half. (If you keep an eye on the link above, the video of the session should be posted soon).
Although he wasn’t plugging Nik filters, he did mention he liked Color Efex for some of his landscapes. Since I had already tried Silver Efex and liked it, I thought I would give Color Efex a trial run. I liked the infrared preset for a few landscapes I was working on. Although this preset also appears in Sliver Efex, the one in Color Efex takes on a different look which I found more appealing. It took on the ethereal glow I was used to with actual infrared images.
I used to experiment quite a bit with actual infrared photography when I was using my D2H because it was particularly sensitive to that spectrum. I thought it was quite cool to be making photographs from no visible light. Filters over the later camera sensors tend to filter out most of infrared, making it much more difficult without a special dedicated camera that has been modified. Applying a filter after the fact for sure isn’t quite the same, in experience or results, but I liked the effect nonetheless.
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Bush Bay boulder, alone along a Lake Huron shoreline...
In a recent post by Seung Kye Lee, he wrote about a recent trip he had taken through Rondane National Park in Norway. Of course, he posted some phenomenal images as usual and offered some thoughts about the inspirations he takes away from this place. I admired this trek and the fact that he was able to photograph for nearly 48 hours straight due to the lack of complete darkness this time of year in Norway. It seems so far away and remote to me over here on the other side of the world. The solitude and isolation of simply being connected to some far off land sounds quite alluring.
In the discussion following the post, the topic of familiar vs. unfamiliar landscapes comes up along with a situation sometimes found in the US. That situation being lines of other photographers showing up at some iconic place, each jockeying for position. Most photographers reading this probably know exactly what he is referring to.
It’s true that in many places, this is the case nearly every day. For such a place as America with our wide open spaces, isn’t it interesting that these spots attract so many? In thinking about this, I began to reflect upon my own experiences here in Michigan. Quite often, I am the only one present in my jaunts along the shorelines and through the woods. While there may be signs of civilization and sprawl just a short walk away, it never changes the fact that that moment, that landscape, that light, is mine alone to experience.
Far off lands and unfamiliar landscapes are always nice to dream about visiting. But if it remoteness we seek, peaceful solitude and connection with a landscape, we must not forget that these can also be found in our own backyards.
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Sand ripples
With temperatures this week soaring towards the upper 90′s (37 Deg C or so), and humidity levels well over 50% – I have been yearning for a cool down in Lake Superior. It is difficult to breathe with air this hot and thick.
Unfortunately it wouldn’t yield any immediate relief as Lake Superior is at least a 6 hour drive from where I live. There is definitely a unique character to Superior. The water can be unbelievably clear. Clarity always seems to imply healthy and fresh water. Sandy bay such as the one here offer rhythmic patterns. It can be flat calm to a raging sea that has swallowed many ships in its time. As a diver, I have often appreciated the water clarity and good visibility, even though it gives a glimpse at shipwrecks when times were not so peaceful on this Great Lake.
Ah well, at least I can edit a few images with a fan breeze blowing and at least try to imagine wading the shoreline. Cool water against your legs, soft sand under your feet, and the gentle movement of water as a massage. A feeling of connection with the lake. Sounds pretty good right now.
Fortunately some rain is coming, and a cool down. I have also created a new gallery of Great Lakes pictures during my indoor escape from the heat, stop by and check it out.
Calm reflection on Lake Superior
http://t.co/1xjuh7fT - posted on 23 hours ago
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