Uploads from Jim Patterson Photography, tagged davenport, with geodata

Guiding Light

nobody@flickr.com (Jim Patterson Photography) — Mon, 03 Oct 2011 09:11:42 -0700

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Last week was a marathon run where I saw the dark side of sunrise and sunset 7 of 8 days. In the middle of all that, I was conducting a private photo tour with Jeffrey Wu from Toronto, Ontario. Check out his stream for a few images of our time together. Going in, I fully expected to do a lot of teaching, but ultimately, I simply got to play tour guide. Over meals, we talked photography and I even got some sage advice that I hope to carry with me on my photographic journey. And it is a journey. As we go through this photographic life, there are signs along the way, obstacles we must overcome, and milestones to be reached if we just keep at it.

The Shot:
Headed to Davenport the other morning and took advantage of the overcast skies for some long exposures of the crack. Even ran into a couple from New Jersey who had driven cross country and ended up in Davenport. They helped inflate my ego a bit when they told me they were drawn to the area because of some of my images. That was cool. :)

The Gear:
Nikon D7000
Nikkor 12-24mm @ 12mm
71 sec, f11, ISO 160
Lee Big Stopper and .9 Soft GND filters

Storm Clouds and the Golden Coast

nobody@flickr.com (Jim Patterson Photography) — Fri, 30 Sep 2011 10:14:41 -0700

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I am happy to be busy.

The past week fellow Sea to Summit instructor Joshua Cripps and I taught a sold out 2-day coastal landscape photography workshop where we visited locations along the Santa Cruz and San Mateo coast. Sunday was quite the day. Sunrise on the bluffs overlooking Panther and Hole in the Wall beaches brought us some color and clouds. We then headed up towards Pescadero State Beach for a mid-morning shoot. We really lucked out in that the indoor post processing lecture coincided with some of the first rain of the season. Sunset was spent at the extreme south end of Hole in the Wall Beach as the storm clouds evaporated before our eyes.

I had the pleasure of playing tour guide to a client from Toronto on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday this past week. We hit it off great and spent many hours exploring and photographing the coast. Needless to say, all the 4-5am wake ups and 10pm-midnight bed times knocked me out. But caffeine binges helped with that. :) The diner where we ate most of our meals has a great sign. It reads:

"Instant human, just add coffee."

I hope you all have a great weekend ahead. I have another private workshop this Sunday and then I will be showing my prints the weekends of October 8-9 and 15-16. More info on that later.

As for the image, a storm rolled through with lightning and rainbows two years ago. This is post sunset shot from the bluffs above Hole in the Wall beach as the clouds ripped open.

Nikon D300
Nikkor 12-24mm @ 12mm
15 sec, f16, ISO 100
Lee .9 Soft GND Filter

Channeled Light

nobody@flickr.com (Jim Patterson Photography) — Tue, 20 Sep 2011 07:39:18 -0700

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While preparing for a full workshop this weekend, I was digging through the archives and decided to process this one from a sunset early last year. This is the far south end of Hole in the Wall Beach and requires a little bit of a climb over an 7-8' rock face. For a few weeks each year on either side of the winter solstice, the sun sets down this craggy channel. I had forgotten I had a decent sunset here!

Nikon D300
Nikkor 12-24mm @ 17mm
0.3 sec, f13, ISO 100
Singh-Ray Daryl Benson 3-stop Reverse GND Filter

93 Million Miles - Davenport, California

nobody@flickr.com (Jim Patterson Photography) — Thu, 21 Apr 2011 16:22:42 -0700

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One year ago today, Joshua Cripps and I ran up and down the coast looking for some nice light. We were attacked by the evil sea foam and blown from Pescadero back down to Davenport by the wind. The sea was angry, but the sky was singing. Although the composition is similar to last year's shot, the light was just starting to explode as the sun dipped below the clouds.

I post so much of the technical side of my images, I figure it might be just as important (if not more so) to explain a little of the thought process behind making the image, specifically from a composition standpoint.

First, I used this rocky ledge as my lead-in, trying my best to have the line form an angle and sweep from one side of the frame to the other. Any time you can break up the rectangular format of our cameras with angles and lines, give it a try. I also lowered my camera from eye level down to about 3' off the ground. This helps emphasize the foreground and reduce the middle ground. If possible, I look for textures and patterns to really help bring the viewer into the image, to give them something tangible to lock into and feel like they are there.standing with me. These textures are great for catching light when the conditions are ideal. I really like including the sun in my images if possible. The idea of the sun 93 million miles away reflecting light at my feet is something I love to photograph. Finally, when the ocean is really turbulent, I tend to use faster shutter speeds to maintain some level of detail in the surf. The 1/2 sec - 1/4 sec shutter speed is often just too slow and the ocean becomes a milky mess. This image, even at 1/10 of a second is a bit too chaotic for my taste.

And the tech, of course:
Nikon D300
Nikkor 12-24mm @ 12mm
1/10 sec, F14, ISO 100 (2nd exposure at 1/20 sec brought in for the sun)
Singh-Ray Daryl Benson 3-stop reverse GND

Gateway to Another World - Davenport, California

nobody@flickr.com (Jim Patterson Photography) — Mon, 28 Feb 2011 09:22:25 -0800

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Just over a week ago, the radar showed a potential break in the storm that was raining up and down the west coast of California. So what does any self respecting seascape photographer do? I made my way to one of my favorite local spots and enjoyed the stormy light at the beach.

This is the infamous "hole" in Hole in the Wall beach. I've passed through here hundreds of times, often running from the waves that wash through here. The tide was pretty low on this evening, and the arch was taller than usual as the storms had scoured out a lot of sand. The low tide did allow for some nice sunset reflections vs. having water movement in the foreground. I'd like to try this composition again with more waves, but the sand has already started to build back up and the interesting rocks along the bottom are starting to get covered up.

This image easily had too much dynamic range for a single exposure and is a result of double processing a single RAW file and blending it with a bracketed "fused" image using the Exposure Fusion function in Photomatix. I am keen to try more advanced image blending techniques for shots such as this where traditional filter use and single exposures just don't work.

Anyway, hope everyone had a great weekend and as always, thanks for stopping by, I appreciate it!

Nikon D300
Nikon 12-24mm @ 12mm
-bracketed exposures at f11, ISO 200 fused and blended with a single RAW file
-Tony Kuyper's luminosity masks and color tools used extensively to better balance the image

Slowing The Rush - Panther Beach, Davenport, California

nobody@flickr.com (Jim Patterson Photography) — Sat, 11 Dec 2010 10:42:23 -0800

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--The Shot--
Taken back in February. For more info, check out my blog (the links are in my profile).

--The Story of the Morning--
Flickr cracked down hard last night. Myself and a couple other people had their images removed from explore and flickr searches due to our violation of the "selling yourself" clause.

I apologize if my banner ads in the comments were offensive to anyone, I'm just a guy trying to make photography more a part of my life. That being said, I am off to teach Sea to Summit's first workshop this afternoon. If you want to learn more go to my profile. Thanks everyone, and have a great weekend!

--The Gear--
Nikon D300
Nikkor 12-24mm @ 12mm
Nikon MC-36 cable release
1/6 sec & 1/20 sec, f11, ISO 100
Singh-Ray 3-stop Daryl Denson reverse graduated neutral density filter
Markins M20 ballhead
Really Right Stuff lever clamp and L-plate
Gitzo GT3351 carbon fiber tripod

--Software & Editing--
In ACR, one RAW file for the sky had a custom white balance applied and minor brightness and exposure adjustment to better balance the other RAW file. Main RAW file for the water and water was double processed for exposure values to darken the water relative to the rocks.
In PS CS5, the three files manually blended with layer masks. Adjustment layers included Basic Mid-Tones luminosity mask with Curves adjustment for contrast, Vibrance mask for color boost and Saturation mask for rescuing oversaturated color. Burn/Dodge layers usign 50% Gray and layer mode Soft Light through Shadow Darks and Light Lights luminosity selections to improve localized contrast, and Nik Sharpener Pro for sharpening. Custom action to downsize, sharpen, convert to sRGB, downsample to 8-bit, and custom exif data.

Prime Light - Wilder Ranch State Park, Santa Cruz, California

nobody@flickr.com (Jim Patterson Photography) — Wed, 10 Nov 2010 10:47:30 -0800

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The Shot
Back on Sunday, most of California was sitting through a moderately heavy rain storm. Almost an inch fell in parts of Santa Cruz which is a lot for this area in that time span. Kendra, my girlfriend, was getting restless.

I checked the radar and waddya know, the tail end of the storm wasn't too far off shore. We headed out the door with sunset 90 minutes away. I called Cripps and my cell phone snap of the breaking clouds was all he needed to motivate.

We met at Cripps Cove, his new spot (which by the way is a great reason to take our workshops. Between the two of us, we have countless hours of scouting and experience along this coast). The light was shifting and conditions really looked promising. Josh shows up and the rain starts falling again. It really didn't let up until about 10 minutes after sunset. So no epic color, but I did catch this evening's prime light, albeit overcast.

The Gear
Nikon D300
Nikkor 12-24mm @ 12mm
1/5 sec @ f13, ISO 100
Lee .9 and .75 Soft GND Filters
Lee Foundation Holder with 77mm Wide Angle Adapter Ring
Markins M20 Ballhead, Really Right Stuff Lever Clamp and L-plate
Gitzo GT3531 Tripod

Software & Editing
RAW file double processed in ACR 6.2 for better balancing the sky and foreground
16-bit file edited in PS CS5 using a Levels layer and several Tony Kuyper color tools and luminosity masks
Nik Sharpener Pro ran twice with layer masks, one for land, one for sky
Noise Ninja used and layer masked to selectively reduce noise.

Storm Surf in Monochrome - Davenport, California

nobody@flickr.com (Jim Patterson Photography) — Mon, 06 Sep 2010 15:39:38 -0700

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I am in the final stages of preparing three talks for the PSSA (Photographic Society of South Africa) which will take place early next month.

Needless to say, I've been busy, a bit stressed, a bit excited, but mostly just stressed. I am mostly a quiet person, unless of course I've had a couple drinks. ;) I am going through a lot of my images from earlier this year and into last looking for images from the same location, albeit with different feels. The long exposures vs. the rushing water. The tranquil seascape vs. the kinetic seascape.

I don't think much about my photography, I just do it. I also don't have a strong sense of photographic history. I've never studied the works of anyone as I find plenty of inspiration from the images I see on flickr. But preparing these talks has been challenging as I search within myself to determine what it is that keeps me going, keeps me interested.

I'm in a monochrome mood, so the next few posts could be lacking in the color department...hope you don't mind.

Nikon D300
Nikkor 12-24mm @ 14mm
0.5 sec @ f13, ISO 100
Singh-Ray Daryl Benson 3-stop Reverse Graduated Neutral Density Filter
LEE .75 Soft Graduated Neutral Density Filter

Primordial Sea #2 - Davenport, California

nobody@flickr.com (Jim Patterson Photography) — Mon, 30 Aug 2010 12:48:33 -0700

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I normally don't post two conversions of the same shot, but I guess there is a first time for everything!

I had a little open opinion session over on my Facebook page (link in my profile). But feel free to check out the black and white version and let me know your thoughts.

Cheers!

Nikon D300
Nikkor 12-24mm @ 12mm
1/4 sec @ f16, ISO 100
LEE .9 and .6 Graduated Neutral Density Filters

Primordial Sea #2, Monochrome - Davenport, California

nobody@flickr.com (Jim Patterson Photography) — Mon, 30 Aug 2010 12:46:46 -0700

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I normally don't post two conversions of the same shot, but I guess there is a first time for everything!

I had a little open opinion session over on my Facebook page (link in my profile). But feel free to check out the color version and let me know your thoughts.

Cheers!

Nikon D300
Nikkor 12-24mm @ 12mm
1/4 sec @ f16, ISO 100
LEE .9 and .6 Graduated Neutral Density Filters

Nikon D300
Nikkor 12-24mm @ 12mm
1/4 sec @ f16, ISO 100
LEE .9 and .6 Graduated Neutral Density Filters

Summer Light - Davenport, California

nobody@flickr.com (Jim Patterson Photography) — Tue, 27 Jul 2010 10:02:53 -0700

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Had the pleasure of hanging out with Zeb Andrews and Aaron Reed on their recent road trip. I met up with them at 4 Mile beach along with local photographer Joshua Cripps. We chatted about photography, snapped some frames, and then chatted some more. One of the hot topics of conversation was choosing appropriate keywords for shots on flickr and how to increase one's traffic to their photostream. Aaron may put my idea into practice, so be on the lookout!

Eventually we wandered up the road to stop at Laguna Road beach and mostly watched the surf while talking more shop. While having dinner in Davenport, we were joined by The Giggler (aka Rich), The Hobbler (aka Dawn), and Mrs. Reed (aka Lisa).

Sunset was spent at Hole in the Wall beach where Aaron (aka Sham Wow) shot the epic wave action, and Zeb (aka Zen Master) simply vanished while Rich, Dawn, Josh and I took photos.

Not the best light, not the worst. Sure beat hanging out at home. And I'm grateful to live so close to such beauty. Aaron and I briefly talked about people who may live their entire lives without ever seeing the ocean with their own eyes. If you currently fall into this category, do yourself a favor and make the journey. Spend some time next to the sea and experience a sunrise or sunset while immersing your senses with the salty air and the sound of crashing waves. You won't regret it!

Nikon D300
Nikkor 12-24mm @ 17mm
1/8sec @ f13, ISO 100
Singh-Ray 3-stop reverse GND Filter
Lee .9 Soft GND Filter

The Draw - Panther Beach, Davenport, California

nobody@flickr.com (Jim Patterson Photography) — Fri, 23 Apr 2010 08:26:13 -0700

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I got out shooting the other night with fellow Santa Cruz photographer Joshua Cripps. We encountered an alien life form seen in this video taken by Josh. Luckily we both survived unscathed.

We retreated back to an old familiar beach and settled in to some good old fashioned seascape photography.

One of the aspects of shooting with someone new is the ability to talk about the photographic experience. Whether it's the exchange of new ideas or simply just to hear another photographer shares some of the same ups and downs, it can be a refreshing experience.

One of the things that came up in conversation was the burn out factor. When shooting local seascapes, like the one shown here, there are certain elements I look for to make an image one I will enjoy viewing. But sometimes this approach can be too formulaic, and I often feel like I am on auto pilot capturing these scenes.

I think this can come from a personal need to be challenged. As I have been out of the SCUBA diving world for over half a year, local seascapes have been one of my main outlets for photography, and I was growing less inspired to photograph the coast.

My recent trips to Yosemite, Death Valley and Lake Tahoe have been more fun and inspiring than I can explain here. I've been diving this past week for the first time since September, and I am excited to be off to Fiji next week. I hope returning to underwater photography will break me out of the seascape funk.

But until then, there is a certain "draw" to shooting the coast when it is good. And when Josh and I met, it got good. Here is an image from the brief window of intense light, color, reflections, and water action that I love.

Nikon D300
Nikkor 12-24mm @ 14mm
1/8sec @ f13, ISO 100
Singh-Ray Daryl Benson 3-stop Reverse GND filter

In The Groove - Davenport, California

nobody@flickr.com (Jim Patterson Photography) — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 08:45:34 -0800

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This shot goes out to Hark Lee. I've shot this spot before, but I had been waiting for the sun to line up with the slot. I knew around December and into January would be the best time, but it wasn't until I saw Hark's shot that I realized the time had come!

Although I didn't have the dramatic conditions, I still am happy about the shot. And unlike Hark, I didn't fall "Into The Groove". ;)

Sorry Hark, I had to do it.

Nikon D300
Nikkor 12-24mm @ 21mm
1.6sec @ f22, ISO 100
Singh-Ray 3-stop Reverse GND Filter
Lee .6 Soft GND Filter

Turbulence - Davenport, California

nobody@flickr.com (Jim Patterson Photography) — Wed, 03 Feb 2010 22:11:13 -0800

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Sometimes, the elements cooperate.

I have been out for almost every sunrise and sunset for the past couple weeks. Not many images have been made due to lackluster conditions.

But this is what we do. For those of us inspired by nature, and that holy grail of "good light", we trudge on through the storms and the bland skies hoping for something special.

I recently received an email asking me how I attain such clarity and sharpness in my images. It almost goes without saying that knowing your equipment and basic photographic fundamentals help. Shooting often is equally important.

Being there through all the disappointing sunrises and sunsets can be discouraging, but "being there" is what it takes to capture good light.

And on this night, yeah, there was some good light.

Nikon D300
Nikkor 12-24mm @ 12mm
0.25sec @ f13, IS0 100
Singh-Ray 3 Stop Reverse GND Filter

Primordial Sea - Davenport, California

nobody@flickr.com (Jim Patterson Photography) — Wed, 13 Jan 2010 10:18:59 -0800

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I recently revisited the beach that was my main "go-to" beach last winter. I have very fond memories of first happening upon this spot. Back then I was unaware of researching spots via search engines; I was just a photographer in search of new locations to photograph. I felt I had found my personal seascape utopia.

This winter, I have mostly avoided it. Partly, I still yearn to explore and find new locations, and partly, a lot of my contacts are now shooting here, allowing me to live vicariously through their imagery.

But with a recent storm, I headed up to Panther Beach, made my way through the hole in the bluff, and headed south. My heart was racing as I soaked in the mix of warm light and quickly moving storm clouds. Electricity was in the air. Storm waves curled in gnarled masses, often three sets deep. Compositions would be limited due to the surging forces at play.

The south end of the beach, once familiar, seemed foreign to me. Sand, scoured away by incessant ocean energy was replaced by slabs of scalloped rock and masses of eroding stone. I jumped into the chaos and started shooting.

Thick, churning sea foam was proof the ocean meant business this evening. Huge volumes of water would fill the short distance between my pet rocks and the walls of earth behind me.

The primordial sea greeted me, "welcome back".

Nikon D300
Nikkor 12-24mm @ 12mm
0.4sec @ f18, ISO 100
Lee .9 and .6 Soft GND filters

Making An Appearance - Davenport, California

nobody@flickr.com (Jim Patterson Photography) — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 09:20:05 -0800

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As is often the case when out shooting landscapes, whether by land or by sea, the sun can play hide-n-seek with us hapless photographers. Some of the best moments occur during those brief glimpses when the sun does make an appearance.

Nikon D300
Nikkor 12-24mm @ 12mm
2.5sec @ f22, ISO 160
Singh Ray 3 stop reverse GND filter
Lee .9 Soft GND filter

Davenport Beach, Revisted - Davenport, California

nobody@flickr.com (Jim Patterson Photography) — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 00:10:36 -0800

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I shot this spot back in May at sunrise and discovered these cool foreground rocks. Well, now low tide is at sunset and it was time for another visit.

I'll keep this short, but I know this is almost identical to my last shot from here. I have one where I like the color and it's a vertical composition, but my girlfriend Kendra joined me tonight, and she had a very similar shot that she wanted to post, so I let her have first dibs.

Check her shot out, it's in the first comment below. Tell her I sent you. ;)

Nikon D300
Nikkor 12-24mm @ 12mm
30sec @ f11, ISO 200 (to keep the exposure at 30 seconds)
Singh-Ray 5-Stop Mor-Slo ND Filter
Lee .9 and .75 Soft GND Filters

Davenport Sea Stack

nobody@flickr.com (Jim Patterson Photography) — Tue, 16 Jun 2009 00:04:12 -0700

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Considering my last post was all about vivid, technicolor eye candy, I figured I should follow it up with a good ol' fashioned monochrome creation.

The days have been pretty cloudy around these parts, especially in the morning. The tide was around a -0.8, and I was pleasantly surprised to find these cool fingers of rock exposed. The waves were minimal, so catching wave action was not really an option, so I slowed the exposure down to get a more dreamy look.

I guess I dream in black and white, too!

After shooting, I walked the bluffs around Davenport because one of my contacts had told me he had seen one of my images on a sign. Since I had not given anyone permission to use my image for such a thing, I figured I might as well investigate. As it turns out, a Davenport local took it upon himself to create some informational signs and used my image. Although I am flattered, I was a bit disappointed no contact was made to ask permission.

Nikon D300
Nikkor 12-24mm @ 12mm
20sec @ f22, ISO 100
Lee .9 and .6 Soft GND Filters

I Dream In Color

nobody@flickr.com (Jim Patterson Photography) — Fri, 12 Jun 2009 00:05:06 -0700

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Here is me having a little fun, "just for kicks".

A few nights ago, I was struggling with trying to figure out what I wanted to shoot. I had been getting great wave action shots for the last couple nights, and it just wasn't happening for me.

So I switched gears, went for the long exposure and zoomed into the most colorful part of the sky while focusing on the staircasing coastline.

The trick to all this color?

1) Using Photoshop's Smart Objects, I triple processed a single RAW file. Once at 5000 K for the cool blue ocean and twice at 6000 K for the sky with two different tints (-1 and +20) to get a warm and magenta color cast. These were then blended together using simple layer masks.
2) Really part of #1, I used Nikon's VIVID Picture Control through ACR.
3) I used a Vibrance mask to desaturate the blues for the water, but with an overall increase for the rest of the image.
4) POW!

Nikon D300
Nikkor 35-70mm @ 40mm
58sec @ f10, ISO 100
Lee .9 Hard and Singh-Ray 3-stop reverse GND Filters

A Glimpse of History - Davenport, California

nobody@flickr.com (Jim Patterson Photography) — Thu, 14 Jan 2010 15:11:50 -0800

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Just a few days ago, Ivan Makarov and I met up for the Annual Davenport Summit (ADS for short). Invites were handed out ten minutes ahead of time, sorry if you got yours late. ;)

Diego Tabango received the invite in time as well, although prior committments and a forgotten quick release plate rendered his creative output to handheld HDR. Sorry buddy.

We did have two random photographers show up, who were obviously not on the guest list. However, we did charge $200 per head for use of our rope. Their lives depended on it, so they gladly paid the fee.

We chose the site of the old abandoned pier, as the risk to life and limb getting down the cliff kept the paparazzi away.

I wanted a shot of the pier framing the supports further out to sea. Somewhat of a cliché shot, but I like it enough to post.

Nikon D300
Nikkor 35-70mm @ 70mm
60sec @ f14, ISO 100
No Filters