Hark Lee Photography's photostream  

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- Location : Lundy Canyon, Inyo National Forest, California
- Gear : Pentax 645d + D-FA 645 25mm f/4
- Display Settings : conventional web display
- Best viewed large on black

Note
Make sure to see the 1200px version, composition and processing are optimized for large prints.

Story
After a mild hike in complete darkness, I arrived at the vantage point. Walking through closely packed aspen trees, a growing concern was about the timing of my visit, since faint light from the LED lamp was not particularly helpful in distinguishing colors. A flock of low clouds were racing towards the dawning skies, and with the first light of the day, I could see an amazing display of colors.

- Location : Rodeo Cove, Marin, California
- Gear : Pentax 645d + D-FA 645 25mm f/4
- Display Settings : conventional web display
- Best viewed large on black

Note
Make sure to see the 1200px version, composition and processing are optimized for large prints.

Story
A vantage point near Rodeo cove is definitely one of the better locations for coastal photography. In summer, sun sets in northwest and lines up with the seastacks. A typical sunny afternoon brings in heavy fog, which is the lifeline for redwoods in otherwise dry north california. A latest research reports that the climate change is leading to lesser fog in summer and threatening the redwood forests, which once again draws our attention to the importance of conservative efforts. On this particular day, the sky was clear beyond the low fog and I was pleasantly surprised with an amazing view at sundown.

- Location : Conness Lakes, Yosemite National Park, California
- Gear : Pentax 645d + FA 645 25mm f/4
- Display Settings : conventional web display
- Best viewed large on black

Note
Make sure to see the 1200px version, composition and processing are optimized for large prints.

Story
After spending the night at Conness Lakes, we were supposed to get up for a morning shoot. With all the overnight storms, the weather was not getting any better. Hard rain and wind gusts were relentless, and it didn't seem like a good idea to leave the tent. But when the wind finally calmed down and I looked out the window, the rising sun was painting the storm clouds in beautiful colors. Rushed down to a little creek that I had scouted the night before, and I was fortunate enough to capture some of the magic.

- Location : Davenport Beach, Davenport, California
- Gear : Pentax 645d + FA 645 35mm f/3.5
- Display Settings : conventional web display
- Best viewed large on black

Notes
This is a re-take of the original shot in 2009.
Make sure to see the 1200px version, composition and processing are optimized for large prints.

Story
After many days in Davenport area, I set my eyes on this interesting rock formation on Davenport beach. At medium-to-high tide, waves come in and fill up the tide channel and quickly retreat, forming a momentary waterway to the setting sun. This unique phenomenon takes place only in early or late winter, where the sun aligns with the channel at the last minute of the day.

To Friends
The past week has been quite hectic for me, I haven't had enough time to check out your works. I will make sure to do that in a few days. : )

- Location : Horseshoe Bend, Page, Arizona
- Gear : Pentax 645d + A 645 35mm f/3.5
- Display Settings : conventional web display
- Best viewed large on black
- Make sure to see the 1200px version

Story
'Frustration' might be the choice of word to best describe my state of mind when the pink glow hit the stormy clouds. Unprepared, the only wide angle in my bag was 35mm (28mm on a 35mm full frame), and to cover a scene of this magnitude, I needed to get down to 14-16mm range. My plan was simple but tricky to execute, split the scene in two rows, cover the top row with 3 exposures with a 3-stop GND on, each one of them bracketed, so nine shots in total. And another 9 non-filtered exposures for the bottom.

I was in luck since I could take all the top shots with the pink at its best and the glow was contained near the horizon, since the lighting was different when I covered the bottom row, any major change in reflection might have caused problems. It was fun talking to James at dinner, although my head was full of concerns about processing the shot.

So there it is, a 100MP panorama of Horseshoe Bend, whether I planned it ahead of time or not. : )