Uploads from Matthew Crowley Photography, with geodata

The Heavens Parallel the Earth

nobody@flickr.com (Matthew Crowley Photography) — Fri, 05 Apr 2013 08:42:59 -0700

Matthew Crowley Photography posted a photo:

Some of you may have noticed my very lengthy absence from Flickr. What have I been up to? Well....

This is the Milky Way, over Mesa Arch, in Canyonlands National Park. This was very close to blue hour, which is why the sky is not quite dark.

I dumped a truckload of photos onto Flickr today and I still have tons more to upload.

www.facebook.com/MatthewCrowleyPhotography

Ethereal Arch

nobody@flickr.com (Matthew Crowley Photography) — Fri, 05 Apr 2013 08:42:58 -0700

Matthew Crowley Photography posted a photo:

Some of you may have noticed my very lengthy absence from Flickr. What have I been up to? Well....

The Milky Way, over Delicate Arch, in Arches National Park. Again, this is near Blue Hour.

Say Ahhh...

nobody@flickr.com (Matthew Crowley Photography) — Tue, 15 Jan 2013 06:04:40 -0800

Matthew Crowley Photography posted a photo:

Got My Eye On You

nobody@flickr.com (Matthew Crowley Photography) — Mon, 14 Jan 2013 05:49:20 -0800

Matthew Crowley Photography posted a photo:

Taken in Tropic World at the Brookfield Zoo, this is JoJo, a silverback Western Lowland Gorilla. It has always been just a little too dark for my camera equipment in there and I either had to shoot really slow or have a lot of noise. This time I flexed my Canon 5D Mark III's muscle. This shot was taken at ISO-5000. I'm amazed at the detail and lack of noise. Now I have the capability to photograph a subject that I previously could not do very well.

If you like this photo, like my Facebook Page too: www.facebook.com/MatthewCrowleyPhotography

McWay Falls

nobody@flickr.com (Matthew Crowley Photography) — Tue, 08 Jan 2013 05:40:52 -0800

Matthew Crowley Photography posted a photo:

It may not look like much from this view, but that waterfall (upper-left) is an 80 foot drop. It is known as a "tidefall" or a waterfall that is close enough to the ocean that it drops straight in on high tide. It was such an amazing place, you could have sat there for days watching the ocean waves and this beautiful waterfall.

The Lone Cypress

nobody@flickr.com (Matthew Crowley Photography) — Mon, 07 Jan 2013 05:10:34 -0800

Matthew Crowley Photography posted a photo:

The Lone Cypress, along the 17-mile Drive, on the Monterey Peninsula.

Press L to view Large on Black

Mustang Reflection

nobody@flickr.com (Matthew Crowley Photography) — Thu, 03 Jan 2013 04:45:44 -0800

Matthew Crowley Photography posted a photo:

A mustang, on the range, in the Colorado Rockies. Shot this out of the passenger side window of my Lincoln Town Car (a.k.a. Pimp Limo) rental.

Tenaya Lake

nobody@flickr.com (Matthew Crowley Photography) — Wed, 02 Jan 2013 05:02:24 -0800

Matthew Crowley Photography posted a photo:

Along Tioga Pass is the very beautiful Tenaya Lake, with glacial boulders and gorgeous reflections of the Sierra Nevada mountains.

Hope everyone had a very Happy New Year!

Aqua Festive

nobody@flickr.com (Matthew Crowley Photography) — Thu, 20 Dec 2012 05:45:13 -0800

Matthew Crowley Photography posted a photo:

Christmas Lights on several terraces of the Aqua Building, in Chicago.

I want to wish all of my great Flickr friends a very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Tioga Pass

nobody@flickr.com (Matthew Crowley Photography) — Wed, 19 Dec 2012 15:06:12 -0800

Matthew Crowley Photography posted a photo:

Nestled in the Sierra Nevada mountains of California, Tioga Pass connects the east entrance of Yosemite National Park to the west entrance and Yosemite Valley. It's the highest pass in California, with the highest elevation being approximately 9,943 ft (3,031 m). There are some amazing stop-offs along the way that can't be missed, but God help you if you get stuck behind a slow vehicle because it's almost impossible to pass in some places.

In the distance, in this photo is Tenaya Lake, with the beautiful Sierra Nevada mountains in the background and rolling clouds just behind.

Foggy Creek

nobody@flickr.com (Matthew Crowley Photography) — Tue, 18 Dec 2012 05:10:40 -0800

Matthew Crowley Photography posted a photo:

Gives new meaning to the term, vanishing point. :-)

Another benefit of fog is that this was shot in a suburb, but because of the fog you do not see the houses or power wires.

N Michigan Ave

nobody@flickr.com (Matthew Crowley Photography) — Thu, 13 Dec 2012 05:09:47 -0800

Matthew Crowley Photography posted a photo:

Did a Christmas Light photowalk, last night with my friend, Jeff Ryan, in Downtown Chicago. N Michigan Ave was just a festival of lights. I even managed to capture the green, yellow and red lights of the traffic light in one exposure.

This morning, I passed 500,000 views on Flickr! I'd like to thank all my great photographer contacts and friends that have been so supportive over the years!

Yosemite's Iconic Tunnel View

nobody@flickr.com (Matthew Crowley Photography) — Tue, 11 Dec 2012 05:15:47 -0800

Matthew Crowley Photography posted a photo:

The first thing you see when you enter Yosemite Valley, through the Wawona tunnel; El Capitan, Bridalveil Falls, The Three Sisters and of course Half Dome. It's the most famous view of Yosemite National Park. If you had the time, you could sit there for hours and gaze at this most gorgeous sight.

Light and Magic

nobody@flickr.com (Matthew Crowley Photography) — Mon, 10 Dec 2012 05:15:18 -0800

Matthew Crowley Photography posted a photo:

I'm not even sure I can fully explain what exactly is going on in this shot. We were driving through Yosemite Valley, shortly after sunrise. The sun was getting very close to the top of Sentinel Dome and was so intense that the trees above appeared to be on fire. I cannot tell you, however what all the sparkly things were in the air; dust, insects, etc. Also, it appeared as if the objects cast a shadow into the air itself. It was so intense that we were not the only people to stop to check it out. Never seen anything like it before. This is zoomed all the way in at 400mm.

2012 has been an amazing year for scenery photography for me. Check out my brand new YouTube video slideshow of some of my best shots from 2012: Scenic Photo Highlights 2012 - Matthew Crowley Photography

The Fox River in Downtown Aurora

nobody@flickr.com (Matthew Crowley Photography) — Fri, 07 Dec 2012 06:55:58 -0800

Matthew Crowley Photography posted a photo:

For the past couple weeks my wife and I have been volunteering as handlers for a rescue dog, in the play "Annie," at the Paramount Theatre, in Downtown Aurora. The rescue that we bring plays a very small part in the play, being picked up by a dog catcher, at the beginning of the second act. Every time we would walk to and from our car to the Paramount I would notice this awesome reflection from the bridge we were crossing. I decided one night to bring my new camera to see how it does with night shots. It does not disappoint!

Morning Rays in Yosemite Valley

nobody@flickr.com (Matthew Crowley Photography) — Wed, 05 Dec 2012 04:49:32 -0800

Matthew Crowley Photography posted a photo:

Something about sun rays, coming off the top of mountains, makes them shine visibly like laser beams. Had to pull off the road and dash through this meadow to get this shot. The light that was hitting those pine trees, on the right, was tantalizing.

Press "L" to view this one large on black.

2012 has been an amazing year for scenery photography for me. Check out my brand new YouTube video slideshow of some of my best shots from 2012: Scenic Photo Highlights 2012 - Matthew Crowley Photography

A Clear, Crisp Yosemite Morning

nobody@flickr.com (Matthew Crowley Photography) — Tue, 04 Dec 2012 05:36:38 -0800

Matthew Crowley Photography posted a photo:

Of all the views in Yosemite National Park, something about this one makes you feel on top of the world. It's not even the highest point in the Sierras, but it has such a vast and grand view of the valley, of Half Dome and the mountains beyond. Taken from Glacier Point Road, near Glacier Point Overlook. This was our last view of Yosemite before we headed back to San Francisco.

2012 has been an amazing year for scenery photography for me. Check out my brand new YouTube video slideshow of some of my best shots from 2012: Scenic Photo Highlights 2012 - Matthew Crowley Photography

Keeping Things in or Keeping Things out

nobody@flickr.com (Matthew Crowley Photography) — Mon, 03 Dec 2012 14:36:16 -0800

Matthew Crowley Photography posted a photo:

Back from a little hiatus, from Flickr. The last couple weeks have been a busy time for me in other respects.

During this time there was a very foggy day. I drove around the rural areas nearby looking for cool compositions with the fog.

2012 has been an amazing year for scenery photography for me. Check out my brand new YouTube video slideshow of some of my best shots from 2012: Scenic Photo Highlights 2012 - Matthew Crowley Photography

Shark Fin

nobody@flickr.com (Matthew Crowley Photography) — Thu, 15 Nov 2012 08:03:57 -0800

Matthew Crowley Photography posted a photo:

Just outside of Davenport, along Highway 1, is a really amazing sight; Shark Fin Cove Beach. It gets its name for obvious reasons. It is a very interesting spot to explore and the morning sun brilliantly lights up the shark fin monolith.

2012 has been an amazing year for scenery photography for me. Check out my brand new YouTube video slideshow of some of my best shots from 2012: Scenic Photo Highlights 2012 - Matthew Crowley Photography

Playing with Smoke

nobody@flickr.com (Matthew Crowley Photography) — Wed, 14 Nov 2012 05:39:30 -0800

Matthew Crowley Photography posted a photo:

Something a little different for a change from me. Had a competition, through my local camera club, and the category was "Smoke (Be Creative)". I had absolutely 0 photos of smoke that I have ever taken, so I figured it was a good time to do some experimentation on a new subject.

The setup was relatively easy. I used the black side of my 5x3' reflector as the backdrop, my camera mounted on a tripod, the incense stick taped to a light stand in between and a Speedlite on a TTL cord in the middle, pointed perpendicular to the camera, towards the smoke. I made a very crude DIY snoot for the flash out of a piece of white drawing paper so that the light of the flash was only directed straight ahead. It was fun waiting for different patterns in the smoke to appear.

I duplicated the layer and flipped it horizontally. I then colorized the smoke, in post, with a Gradient Fill layer set to Color blending mode. I got many really cool shots from this shoot but this one was my favorite and also scored the highest in competition, a 24 out of 27.

In a lot of these shots, my wife and I could see different shapes appearing from the smoke. Sort of like a Rorschach test. For instance, in this shot, I see a bull moose blowing smoke out of its nose.

What do you see?