Ben Canales' photostream

As they say in Fiji, "Bula :-)"
Welcome and hello to a view of the stars, Milky Way, and Magellanid Galaxy in the Southern Hemisphere.

You are looking at Turtle Island's Blue Lagoon. Come on in, the water's warm. Thunderstorms move through and recycle the day's air making everything fresh and new. As the storms passes, stars emerge through the clouds eager to shine. The warm waters of the Blue Lagoon remain still as they reflect the beauty of the night sky with envy.

In the shadowed darkness, fish noisily jump up and out of the water chasing or being chased. A warm, gentle breeze occasionally stirs up, rustling the palm leaves above and behind. In the air, the sweet smell of Hibiscus blossoms cover everything.

It's 3am, the island's few inhabitants are asleep, and will be for a few more hours. On a small, isolated island far off in the South Pacific Ocean- the Blue Lagoon is yours

I am tentatively trying out the new +500px "Market" feature by making this image available as a full, HD downloadable desktop image.
Here, it's 800px long, for $2.99 you can download a full 1920x1080 version to make a full screen desktop background with. If interested, follow the link here:
500px.com/photo/5479059

Suh-weet!
Nailed a plane crossed the fully eclipsed moon. It was exciting :-)

Now I am tired.

Where have I been the last couple of months? I have been buried in the most challenging and rewarding project I have ever taken on- and I am so happy to say, it is finished and online to be enjoyed!

I present to you, "Finding Oregon." It is a 3.5 minute timelapse video showcasing the beauty of Oregon in the most powerful way I am currently able to capture. I have been smitten by the beauty of Oregon since I moved here, and this is a love letter to her.
vimeo.com/32852978

This image here is an edited frame from the opening credits and a scene later showed in the video. I had spent alot of work in post figuring out the star trail method to use in the video and I knew I wanted to make a still using the same effect. After months of working on timelapse, it's felt great to be back working on a still image! The shot is a "stack" of an entire night, and the images were taken by my new business partner John Waller. He shot it, I've processed it. Together we work with two other guys at Uncage the Soul Productions (www.uncagethesoul.com) on projects like this and many other exciting things. "Finding Oregon" is an Uncage the Soul piece and was only possible because of the support and hard work of the rest of the guys there. Check us out at our website or look for us on Facebook.

Big thank you to Darlisa for posting a screenshot on her page giving us a shout out. Darlisa, that kind of support means alot :-) Check out her link, she's got a great photo book she's working on.

I'm sorry I've been MIA for so long, the timelapse video became my obsession. It's done now, and there's lots more timelapse on the horizon, but I hope to get back to regularly taking starry night stills also. ...not sure how that all works out though!
Keep your eyes and ears open for an upcoming behind the scenes video.

This is Mirror Lake up in the Eagle Cap Wilderness of the Wallowa Mountains.

I love Oregon!

Hey guys!
Couple cool things to talk about.
1, This image has been posted before, but it's been newly reprocessed because I got a request for it to be used in a children's book about "stargazing" :-)
I really try to embed my images with curiosity and wonder, so to be asked to share an image in a children's book is, ironically, a huge honor!
This is Smith Rock State Park in Central Oregon.

2, For you locals, I have been asked to speak at a local camera club just outside of Portland in Forest Grove, OR. It's going to be Oct 26th, at 7:30pm till whenever. I am REALLY excited about this. I'll be showing a ton of my images, take some time to talk about how to take night images yourself, even spend some time talking about processing. Annnnd, I'll probably even show some EXIF info ;-) Oh, also, if there's time, I'll show and tell about the timelapse work I've been getting into.

So, if you're a local, consider coming out. It should be an interesting night and it would be great to meet any Flickerites in person. I spent a night with the club a few weeks ago to get a feel for the group- they're AWESOME. So, if you've been looking for a public outing to engage in photography with- I highly recommend this group!

Here's some info:
Club meets at "Valley Arts" store, 2022 Main, Forest Grove, OR
Wednesday nights @ 7:30pm

Alright, 'nough yakkin from me.
Hope all is well with you :-)