maxxsmart's photostream  

Its been awhile since I have photographed much of anything other than sea and landscapes.... So after processing this image a few times (couldn't make up my mind on this one) I started to think.... I need to get out and get back to photographing skylines, buildings and other interesting looking structures.

So as the hot summer days continue, I will be out looking to make something new. Maybe interesting.... Maybe not..... Who knows......

Canon 5D Mark II
24-70 f2.8 L @ f/13
B+W 10 stop solid ND
Lee .3 & .9 hard edge ND grads
Exposure - 840 (14 minutes)
ISO - 50

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Uploaded on Jul 1, 2009

17 comments

Garrapata State Beach, Big Sur California, December 2008

Nothing but egg yolks in the forecast so I decided to sort through my hard drive. I came across another image from my (as one person put it) "man vs weather" outing.

I have been to a particular spot in Big Sur about 5 times now in hopes of getting a nice sunset image. Each time I made the hike down through the poison oak and down the steep cliff, only to have the weather either A.clear up or B. storm like crazy. On December 18th the storm chased me off the rock landing and back to my truck. I watched the sky to determine the direction the clouds were moving and decided to go south, away from the incoming storm. With caution of course, I drove as fast as I could until the rain stopped. I grabbed my tripod and bag and quickly made my way down to this beach.

The sky was dark and gray for the last 20 minutes before the sun broke the horizon, but shortly after, the clouds opened up just enough to let a bit of color in.

Canon 5D Mark II
17-40 f4 L @ 21mm
f/11
ISO 100
Singh-Ray 2 stop hard ND grad
Singh-Ray 2 stop reverse ND grad

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Uploaded on Jun 24, 2009  |  Map

43 comments

McClures Beach, Point Reyes National Seashore, California


Sitting out on the cliffs on the south end of McClures Beach is something I could do everyday.... Waves crashing along the rocks. Seals napping not far away as others bob up and down in the water. Pelicans dive bombing into the sea for dinner. You wouldn't know this was all going on while I made this image but it was. So many things to watch! Not to mention the fast moving clouds as the sun set behind them. It may not have been the perfect lighting for faster shutter speeds but it was still a perfect day.

As I said a few images back in my stream, I love making extra long exposures. Sitting back, watching everything around me all while capturing this extended moment in time in one still image. The result is less than realistic but still pleasing.

This is one of three images I came away with. Each one had something unique about it. One was a little dark but the tones on the water from the light on the right was perfect. The other lacked the detail of the curving white water trail. This image seemed to have the best balance of light and detail so I spent a few minutes adjusting the RAW image and came up with this. No HDR or layers used on this.... Just a 10 stop solid ND and a 1 & 3 stop ND grad.

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Uploaded on Jun 17, 2009  |  Map

4 notes / 84 comments

Moss Beach / Fitzgerald Marine Reserve California.

About a month back I came across this little cliff section of the San Mateo County coastline. I really like the area but it seems that it is almost always socked in with fog. I kept this area in mind for when a storm made its way over the area. On Wednesday evening it looked like we would have a nice cloud cover so I started watching the direction of the clouds. I was thinking of heading out to Point Reyes but it looked like the cloud cover would pass by before sunset. Sure enough, as I stood out here on this cliff, I could see the lighthouse at the very end of Point Reyes and it was clear.

I arrived here with about two hours to kill so I did what I normally do...... Long exposures. I like doing these because it gives me time to look around and study how the light, water, and foreground interact with each other. plus its always cool to see the unpredictable outcome.

So after three or four long exposure compositions, I noticed that the small band of sunlight was getting bigger. The clouds were moving in a southeast direction. It looked to be a promising sunset.... I know better than to expect anything when it comes to dealing with nature, but it looked to have the key elements of what what makes up a nice sunset. So... After the sun had dropped below the cloud cover, I snapped a few images only to have way to much contrast between the sky and the sunlight.... I tried different combinations of filters.... 2 stops, 3 stops, reverse grads..... Nothing seemed to work. Ehhh... Thats just the way it is at times.

Canon 5D Mark II
17-40 f4 L @ 20mm
B+W 10 stop solid ND
Lee .3 & .9 ND grads
ISO 50
f13
480 sec

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Uploaded on Jun 11, 2009

37 comments