Landscape Images by David Shield's photostream  

Valley View - Yosemite National Park

Technically, this is not my best work. I arrived at this location just as a light storm was passing through. It was still raining, but I really wanted to capture an image of the scene that included the fast moving clouds. I set up so quickly, I grabbed a hard ND filter instead of a preferred soft edge. By the time I realized my error the storm clouds had just about dissipated, leaving me with a less than optimal capture. I was however, much more satisfied with a similar image I captured about 30 minutes later, and posted last year. For the image I am posting now, I panned to the right to include more of the orange glow on the river's surface.

Nikon D700
18-35mm f3.5 at 23mm
1/5 Second
f22
ISO 200
Singh-Ray ND Grad

I returned to Santa Cruz this weekend. This area is so abundant with hiking trails and spectacular scenery; I plan on returning often. I visited Wilder Ranch State Park for the first time, with the intent of shooting sunset at Four-Mile Beach. Even though I found multiple scenes to shoot, the sky was so clear, none of the images I took came close to satisfying me. No complaints; I was painfully aware of the weather forecast; however I just wanted to get out and at very least explore this area.

The following morning, I noticed a few clouds in the sky. Knowing that the tide was high, I decided not to go back to the rocky beaches this time, but instead take the short drive south to the town of Capitola. It is here that I have wanted to capture a long exposure of the much photographed Capitola Pier.

Nikon D700
18-35mm f3.5 at 26mm
113 Seconds
f/22
ISO 200
Singh-Ray ND Grad

Virgin River Narrows – Zion National Park - Utah

Many of my favorite hikes are located in Utah. The Virgin River Narrows hike is no exception. The trail leads hikers through the Virgin River, which requires one to hike in water. Water levels can reach up to at least three feet in places, so this can be a great hike to do in the warmer summer months. Much of the river’s water has a swift moving current; however I found this spot along the trail where the water was calm.

I composed this scene to convey a sense of calm and peacefulness. I liked the contrast of the different elements including canyon wall, boulders, tree and calm water.

Pentax 645
Fujichrome Velvia
Manfrotto Tripod
Polarizer

Mt. Rainier - Little Tahoma Peak - Mt. Rainier National Park

This image was taken about 20 minutes after an earlier post, titled “Setting into the Mist”. Therefore, it seemed fitting to post this version as a part 2.

The mist had now completely engulfed the valley between my camera and Mt. Rainier. About 30 minutes after this image was captured you could have stood at this exact spot, and you would have seen absolutely nothing but mist.

Nikon D7000
Nikkor 16-85mm f3.5 at 16mm
1/10 Second
f/11
ISO 125
Singh-Ray ND Grad

Greetings and Happy New Year to everyone...It’s good to be back!

For New Year's Eve, I had dinner in Sausalito, before watching midnight fireworks over San Francisco. However, the object of this trip was to capture the last sunset of 2011.

My mind has been working overtime lately, thinking of possible new locations to shoot, and trying to visualize different ways to capture images from places I have already visited.

Having some clouds pass by above the crashing waves at Rodeo Beach, I waited until just before the sun had completely set. I wanted this capture to include a small amount of sunlight on the foreground rocks, to add dimension. The key to this image was a long enough exposure to highlight the final sunset's last brush strokes.

Rodeo Beach - Marin Headlands

Nikon D700
18-35mm f3.5 at 35mm
198 Seconds
f/10
ISO 200
B+W ND Grad
Singh-Ray ND Grad