DREAMY

Dreamy Mini-Rock Falls, Columbia MO

Hinkson Creek is slowly receding and I'm able to get just little further out into the creek without getting wet.  But after seeing this view the other day now I'm determined to bring my sandals and get in the frigid water for the ultimate Mini-Creek falls shot!  I should see if the Columbia MO parks department wants to use some of these photos to promote Grindstone Nature Area.  Maybe I should make a Grindstone calendar or iphone app or something?

This is a five exposure HDR.  The single exposures range from 30 seconds to 2 seconds in one stop increments.  The light on the trees in the background and the long exposure water really make this photo for me.  I'm never satisfied with my composition, but I think getting in the water will yield much stronger compositions.  The slow moving water behind Mini-Rock falls created some cool patterns I'll have to try and capture better in the future.

Photo taken Feb 17, 2012

HINKSON CREEK BLUES

Hinkson Creek Blues, Columbia MO

This reflecting pool caught my eye as Nini and I walked with the dogs along Hinkson Creek in Grindstone Nature Area yesterday.  There are several nice reflection pools along the creek now that the high water has started to recede.  I tried to get Big Red to pose in the water for me with a big reflection, but there were too many squirrels in the area.  Maybe next time.

This is a six exposure HDR.  I had originally set up my tripod about 10 feet in front of where this one was taken, but noticed the branch reflection and had to move back to place it in the frame a little better.  I used a circular polarizer to increase the glare on the water, bringing out the reflections and the blue sky.  When we were on our way to the park I noticed we would have a boring cloudless blue sky and I thought it would not be a very productive outing.  I'll have to remember to look for reflections the next time I see a cloudless sky.

Photo taken Feb 17, 2012

AFTER SUNDOWN

After Sundown, Rocheport MO

The final of three sunset photos from our trip to the "best beach in Missouri" on the banks of the Missouri River.  I usually plan to stay for an hour after sundown and take photos during the blue hour when the light goes cold and blue.  I really love the way the camera catches that deep blue light.  This photo was taken just after sundown.  See my previous posts from the best beach in Missouri here and here.

This is a five-exposure HDR and the exposures range from .5 to 8 seconds in one-stop increments.  After the sun had set I was still set up facing directly toward the sunset.  But Nini pointed out that the Southeastern sky was glowing purple!  I quickly recomposed to get some of the purple light in the frame.  It was gone before I could get off six exposures, so I was left with five to work with!

Once again, CreativeLIVE is LIVE today and it's free.  The workshop is "Posing Masterclass" with Bambi Cantrell.  You can go to www.creativelive.com/live but if your internet is slow I recommend the low resolution link here:
http://www.ustream.tv/channel/creativelive-lowres

Photo taken Feb 22, 2012

DUSK IN THE WOODS

Dusk in the Woods, Columbia MO

The boys and I took a quick hike at Grindstone Nature Area.  The sun had already went down and it was getting cold, but I decided to take the high ridge trail out of the park anyway.  I was treated to this lovely view of the dusk sky along the trail.

This is a six exposure HDR.

BEFORE SUNDOWN

Just Before Sundown, Rocheport MO

Nini and I took the dogs to our new sunset location the night before last and were lucky to see a beautiful Missouri River sunset.  This little sandbar is just below the Katy Trail outside of Rocheport Missouri.  The Katy Trail is a 240 mile state park that runs along the old M.K.T. railroad line (Missouri-Kansas-Texas).  To access the sandbar you have to climb down a steep dirt cliff, but there are plenty of tree roots to help lower yourself down.  The dogs were down in a skip and a jump.  One passer by said, "How in the heck do I get down there?  That's the best beach in Missouri!"  We had a fun time watching the sunset on the best beach in MO.

This is a six-exposure HDR.  Despite an awesome view of the sunset, I struggled for a long while to find a composition I liked.  But we arrived 45 minutes before sunset and I had plenty of time to try out different compositions and ultimately settle in on a few that I liked.

Photo taken Feb 22, 2012

VICTORIAN SUNRISE

Victoria Memorial Sunrise, Kolkata India

Continuing with the story from my previous post, this photo was taken with Nini standing directly to the left of the camera so that it could not be seen by the guards at the main entrance and in the middle of the grounds.  By the time the sun was this high more than 500 morning walkers were getting their exercise walking around the huge park within the gates of the Victoria Memorial.  Some were meditating, others playing badminton or frisbee, and there were several workout groups of mostly men doing stretches, sit ups, push ups and jumping jacks.  It was an older crowd, the average age was probably around 45 or 50.  It was very cool to see so many people using the beautiful park early in the morning.  Even with all of the walkers the park is so big that it was not crowded at all. In fact, I don't think you can spot any people in this photo, even in Original size.  In comparison, the crowd at sunset was massive, check out the crowd in larger sizes of this photo.

Daily photo: Jan 21, 2012, taken Jan 12, 2012

VICTORIA MEMORIAL SUNSET

Victoria Memorial Sunset, Kolkata India

Kolkata was the British capital of India and this is the memorial they built for Queen Victoria. There are many other British memorials and government buildings around Kolkata but it is amazing how the modern city has swallowed them up. Because Delhi is now the capital, it seems that the old government buildings and memorials are a bit more isolated there than in Kolkata.

When I first set up my tripod and started composing the first batch of photos, I placed my tripod on the concrete bank of a reflecting pool. I was careful not to break any rules, and we didn't see any signs warning us against it. But after about three minutes a couple of guards started hollering at me from the other side of the reflection pool, making quite a scene. There were thousands of people on the grounds and many were already staring at me. Now everyone was looking as Nini and I made our way to the guards. They simply said "no stands," and walked off.

ON THE TRAIL FOR SUNRISE

On the Trail for Sunrise, Gretna NE

We returned from India on the evening of January 16th, and by 7PM I was fast asleep.  But I awoke at 5:30AM the next morning and could not go back to sleep.  So I made myself some steak and eggs from a leftover steak from the dinner I slept through the night before.  Then I woke up dad around 6:30, picked up my boy Big Red, and headed to Gretna to make more photos of the Holy Family Shrine.  Since it was so early in the morning I let Big Red run with me, but don't tell anyone.

For more information on the Holy Family Shrine see my older post here.

The sunrise was pretty lame, the sun peaked out for about five minutes before being engulfed in clouds.  Also lame: ISO 640!  I made an amateur mistake and forgot to reduce my ISO after my previous shoot, which was indoors in very low light.  Whoops!  As a result, this photo required more noise reduction than I normally like.  This is a six exposure HDR.

Photo taken Jan 17, 2012

FIRE IN THE WOODS

Fire in the Woods, Columbia MO

The sky started to combust as Nini and I were hiking with the dogs along the cliffs overlooking Grindstone Nature Area.  I thought we'd have a view of the sunset from our vantage on the cliffs, but we were in a new area and I was totally wrong.  I headed off-trail toward the colors and ultimately found this clearing in the woods.  It wasn't the best spot for photographing the sunset but this was one of the best sunsets I can recall in Columbia and it was amazing to watch the colors change and ultimately fade away.

This is a six exposure HDR.  With a single exposure I was able to capture the gorgeous colors of the sky, but everything else in the frame was completely black.  But when I was standing there, witnessing the sunset, I could see beautifully colored light washing over the three layers of leaves: in the distance, on the low brush and in the foreground.  Using multiple exposures I was able to create a more accurate, yet still far from perfect, match with the reality that unfolded in front of my eyes.  HDR photography doesn't always work out this way, and can be used to create unrealistic looking photos as well, but in this case I think it helped a lot.

Daily photo: Feb 3, 2012, taken Jan 30, 2012

EXHALE

Exhale, Columbia MO

Big Red does not wait to exhale.  He came running up the trail from behind me, huffing and puffing plumes of breath all along the way.  He had just finished romping through the woods after a squirrel and was catching his breath while looking for his next friend to chase.  I already had my camera set up on the tripod taking multiple exposures for an HDR photo of this trail in the morning light.  I was about to ask Big Red to kindly move out of my frame, when he turned to the side and exhaled a perfectly backlit breath.  He stood still enough for a moment to allow me to capture him and his breath at 1/40th of a second.  He's such a good boy!

This is a three exposure HDR.  If you're curious about my field process for HDR photography you can read a little about it in the caption for my previous daily here:
http://smu.gs/xyAvva

Photo taken Feb 1, 2012

MISSOURI RIVER MAJESTY

Purple River Majesty, Rocheport MO

Nini and I took the dogs to our new sunset location the night before last and were lucky to see a beautiful Missouri River sunset.  This little sandbar is just below the Katy Trail outside of Rocheport Missouri.  The Katy Trail is a 240 mile state park that runs along the old M.K.T. railroad line (Missouri-Kansas-Texas).  To access the sandbar you have to climb down a steep dirt cliff, but there are plenty of tree roots to help lower yourself down.  The dogs were down in a skip and a jump.  One passer by said, "How in the heck do I get down there?  That's the best beach in Missouri!"  We had a fun time watching the sunset on the best beach in MO.

THE BOAT

The Boat at Beach #5, Havelock Island, India

This old boat was tied to the tree for the two days we were on Havelock Island. It doesn't seem to get much use these days, but it sure makes for a great photo op. Any time I had some free time to take photos on the beach I always found myself coming back to this boat.

The shallow waters at Beach #5 make for a beautiful mix of blues and greens. See my previous post for more info about Beach #5.

This is a four exposure HDR. This is a case where I really don't see any alternative to HDR given the extreme lighting contrasts that were present at the scene. The water color is accurate. If you visit this beach you'll see for yourself.

Photo taken: Jan 9, 2012

THREE AMIGOS, HAZARIBAGH, JHARKHAND INDIA

Ever been to Hazaribagh in the state of Jharkhand India?  It's a small town by Indian standards, but I love it there.  When I'm travelling in India people are always asking me how I like it and what part of the country I like the most.  I always say Hazaribagh and most people have either never heard of it, or say something like, "I can't believe you went to Hazaribagh, Indians don't even go there."  But I love the small town pace and hospitality, and of course my amazing family that lives there.

From left to right, Kaushik, Dinesh and Paul.  In total I've spent about a month in Hazaribagh over the last few years and I've never seen a cloud in the sky.  But on this day it was quite cloudy and I knew there could be a nice sunset.  So I convinced my father in law to let the three amigos climb up to the roof for some sunset photos.  Kaushik is Nini's brother and Dinesh is the handy-man of the house.  The three of us are always getting into trouble when I'm in town.

This is a three exposure HDR.  The selective de-ghosting tool in Photomatix has opened a whole new world of HDR portraiture.

RAJGIR SUNSET, BIHAR INDIA

The view from a hilltop in Rajgir, a holy town for Buddhists.  We made a quick one night trip to visit Nini's Aunt and Uncle during our trip to India in late December 2011.  You can see the row of tour busses carrying mostly Japanese and Korean buddhist travelers.  The main road was completely swamped with people wanting to see the holy hot springs where Buddha himself once bathed.  I much preferred the view from the hills and the fertile valleys beyond.  It was amazing that in one minute I was on the road below, stuck in a traffic jam and breathing fumes with thousands of others, and 10 minutes later I was on top of the hill, all alone, taking in this beautiful view.  Everyone was amazed that I could run up the hill so fast!  I was amazed no one else wanted to do the same!

HOLY FAMILY SUNSET

On December 22 2011, my little sister and I went out and photographed the Holy Family Shrine near Gretna Nebraska.  The Holy Family shrine is located about 20 minutes West of Omaha on Interstate 80 and is clearly visible from the interstate.  Look for exit signs on the interstate that will lead you right to it.  The chapel is a stunning combination of glass and wood designed by famous architect E. Fay Jones, an apprentice of Frank Lloyd Wright.  To find out more about the The Holy Family Shrine you can visit their website here.

This is a seven exposure HDR.  There were serious halo problems around the top of the shrine that took a lot of time to fix and I'm still not totally satisfied with it.