Uploads from Ivan Makarov, tagged fav160

Up

nobody@flickr.com (Ivan Makarov) — Thu, 05 Aug 2010 07:29:20 -0700

Pacific Tank Farm, Reno, Nevada

Changing Light Over Garrapata Beach

nobody@flickr.com (Ivan Makarov) — Mon, 21 Dec 2009 07:31:51 -0800

I recommend viewing this LARGE.

There are some days when we drive a distance in vain, and the good light never shows up, and there are other, rarer days, when elements come together at the right place at the right time.

I met up with Patrick Smith, whose work I followed for a while, but have not had a chance to shoot with before, and we headed down the coast to the Big Sur. Not having any specific locations in mind, we started scouting some sites at the north end of the coastline, and just as we pulled into Garrapata beach, the heavy clouds started coming on shore, with light changing every minute. In fact, the light show lasted for almost an hour, and we watched what was perhaps the best light we have seen in that part of California ever. The sunset was not eventful, as heavy clouds eventually took over, but an hour before it is something we'll long remember.

Patrick always seem to find this kind of weather no matter where he goes, as you can see in his very rich and diverse photostream. This time I was lucky to come along.

Technical Details
Exif Data

Since few people asked about how I processed this image, here is a quick run down. When shooting, I used two ND grad filters (5-stop combined) to balance out the sky with the foreground. I use Hitech filters, and they do a decent job. In terms of post processing, I mainly adjusted the contrast of the scene, fixed the color cast and sharpened the image to finish it off.

Links into the Past

nobody@flickr.com (Ivan Makarov) — Sat, 22 Aug 2009 11:15:47 -0700

Ivan Makarov posted a photo:

Abandoned Davenport Pier, Davenport, California.

Please do see this one LARGE.

Big thanks goes to my buddy Jim Patterson, who faithfully geo-tags all his photos, for helping me find this location. BlackStar GPS app for my Blackberry also comes handy, as now I can get exact coordinates for all my photos or pre-map the locations before I head of of the house.

Having no photos I was happy with to submit to Flickr 64 Challenge (I'm actually in the final - have no idea how that happened), I woke up early today and headed to the Pacific Coast. In the summers that typically means fog, but I decided to deal with it anyway and focus on minimalistic composition. The fog was coupled with smoke from the nearby Santa Cruz fires, but the beach was completely empty, which is always a photographer's dream.

A hike to get to this place is actually very steep, and I kept telling myself not to look down. Time to upgrade my hiking shoes.

Black & White - My Tribute to Michael

nobody@flickr.com (Ivan Makarov) — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 22:48:16 -0700

Ivan Makarov posted a photo:

I Said If
You're Thinkin' Of
Being My Brother
It Don't Matter If You're
Black Or White

Much is being said and written about the King of Pop right now. I was as surprised as anyone when I heard the news today. The last 15 years of his life is not something I want to focus on. My memory of him is connected to my childhood when I first heard his music and saw him dance. Back in the Soviet Union we knew the changes were quickly coming when we would hear Jackson music on the radio or see it on TV. Even today I occasionally play Thriller album on my iPod.

RIP Jackson.

The Gate to the Bay

nobody@flickr.com (Ivan Makarov) — Fri, 22 Aug 2008 19:29:42 -0700

Ivan Makarov posted a photo:

Please see it LARGE.

This summer has been really frustrating to me in terms of new work. Every time I got our to shoot recently I encountered bad or boring weather on location and came home with no interesting shots whatsoever. At least this gives me a chance to go back through my archives, delete a lot of useless images, and perhaps find one or two to work on.

This was taken earlier in the spring when MumbleyJoe and I got out one evening to shoot on the beach nearby the Golden Gate Bridge. This gives you an idea of what San Francisco Coast mostly looks like - lots of rocks. In this image you're seeing a Western side of the bridge, entrance into the City, or a gateway into the Pacific Ocean.

To see my other images from the Pacific Coast of California, please click here.

The Edge of the Day at Golden Gate

nobody@flickr.com (Ivan Makarov) — Wed, 04 Jun 2008 08:00:32 -0700

Ivan Makarov posted a photo:

Besides being a good rocky beach, Marshall Beach also offers alternative views of the Golden Gate Bridge that most tourists coming to San Francisco do not see (the beach is a bit of a hike, and the trail is easily overlooked), and it's there that one realizes that this big famous bridge is just a tiny structure in a huge Bay, not the other way around, as pictures taken from the top may suggest.

Lights and Reflections of the Temple Square

nobody@flickr.com (Ivan Makarov) — Sat, 29 Dec 2007 15:17:06 -0800

Ivan Makarov posted a photo:

We just got back from a trip to Utah where we spent Christmas with our family. The weather was bad most of the week, with snow,fog and cold keeping me away from shooting, but I'll still have few images to share.

Temple Square in Salt Lake City is one of the most beautiful places to be around Christmas time, with all kinds of lights surrounding beautiful temple.

His Beautiful Life

nobody@flickr.com (Ivan Makarov) — Sun, 14 Oct 2007 08:40:01 -0700

Ivan Makarov posted a photo:

Healing

nobody@flickr.com (Ivan Makarov) — Sun, 07 Oct 2007 08:57:47 -0700

Ivan Makarov posted a photo:

McWay Waterfall - one of the few waterfalls in the world that empties directly into the ocean. Also, because of the waves constantly moving the sand, there is no usual pool of water underneath it.

An Evening in San Francisco

nobody@flickr.com (Ivan Makarov) — Sun, 16 Sep 2007 08:27:47 -0700

Ivan Makarov posted a photo:

The Uproar of Nature

nobody@flickr.com (Ivan Makarov) — Sat, 08 Sep 2007 00:05:40 -0700

Ivan Makarov posted a photo:

Approaching the City in the Fog

nobody@flickr.com (Ivan Makarov) — Sun, 15 Jul 2007 12:44:57 -0700

Ivan Makarov posted a photo:

1,000,000 Years Old Window

nobody@flickr.com (Ivan Makarov) — Tue, 19 Jun 2007 07:55:49 -0700

Ivan Makarov posted a photo:

It existed long before man invented windows, and in fact, long before man existed, period.

Freedom

nobody@flickr.com (Ivan Makarov) — Sun, 17 Jun 2007 22:18:44 -0700

Ivan Makarov posted a photo:

"He enjoys true leisure who has time to improve his soul's estate."
Henry David Thoreau

How Nature Should Be Protected

nobody@flickr.com (Ivan Makarov) — Fri, 16 Mar 2007 18:13:39 -0700

Ivan Makarov posted a photo:

The more I go out to shoot the landscape, the more I appreciate my own surrounding, and the more I am disgusted with humans. Utah landscape is occupied by hunters, and though I have nothing against hunting, they always leave piles of trash behind them (bullet shells, food, bottles, etc.). Someone should really put up a wired fence around nature so we don't destroy the beauty like this.

My Dream House

nobody@flickr.com (Ivan Makarov) — Mon, 05 Mar 2007 20:05:29 -0800

Ivan Makarov posted a photo:

I grew up in a big city, but I fell in love with the nature as I spent my last four years living in Utah. Today I was at the study session with three buddies of mine who are also moving away from Utah, and they are all in the process of buying new houses in Arizona, Colorado and Texas. I'm moving to Bay Area shortly, so my aspirations aren't as high, but if I was to buy a house, I'd want the one just like this one - on a lake in the mountains.

The Alignment

nobody@flickr.com (Ivan Makarov) — Fri, 15 Jan 2010 13:30:00 -0800

Ivan Makarov posted a photo:

"Luck is what makes photography an entirely different medium from art forms based only on planned creative acts." -- Galen Rowell

I did not blend any images, and did not paint the clouds. The birds lined up like this against the skies by themselves, and the shutter was released at a perfect moment by a share of good luck. I had no idea about this until I found this unprocessed image from our visit to the Pebble Beach in my Lightroom collection.

Faithful Citizen

nobody@flickr.com (Ivan Makarov) — Sun, 19 Jul 2009 16:44:55 -0700

Ivan Makarov posted a photo:

Tis the Season To Be Jolly

nobody@flickr.com (Ivan Makarov) — Sat, 08 Dec 2007 09:24:34 -0800

Ivan Makarov posted a photo:

My favorite time of the year, and we've got all of our Christmas friends out. Time to start getting presents under the tree.

The End of Another Day at Point Lobos

nobody@flickr.com (Ivan Makarov) — Sun, 26 Aug 2007 00:20:00 -0700

Ivan Makarov posted a photo:

Every minute of every sunset at Point Lobos that I have witnessed had been simply out of this world, including today's.

This one is dedicated to my wife Becca who patiently and cheerfully hiked with me for the previous two hours while also carrying our 7-week old Maks.