Uploads from Jim Patterson Photography, tagged reallyrightstuff

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

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.

New Horizons - Clarens, Free State, South Africa

nobody@flickr.com (Jim Patterson Photography) — Thu, 04 Nov 2010 09:28:59 -0700

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I want to take a moment to thank all of you who take the time to visit my account here on flickr. I appreciate all the support and without you, I literally would not have had the opportunity to go to South Africa last month.

You see, one of the vice presidents of the Photographic Society of South Africa, Johann van der Walt, originally invited a photographer from the UK. Unfortunately, the guy in the UK shot Canon, and Nikon wasn't exactly keen on sponsoring a photographer who doesn't even use their equipment. As luck would have it, Johann went home and flipped through his (then) new issue of American Photo...the Nov/Dec 2009 issue to be exact. That issue featured me and two other flickr photographers. I got an email from Johann shortly after, inviting me to come to South Africa. So you see, flickr helped me expand my horizons and go on a wonderful trip and gain new experiences.

Flickr is you. It is me. It is all of us. And it is social. But like all things social, there are up sides and down sides. I think it's important to focus on the positive aspects. So thank you once again. And you never know, your opportunity could be next! Keep shooting!

Nikon D300
Nikkor 70-200mm and TC-14E II teleconverter (though not needed) @ 165mm
1/25 sec @ f14, ISO 100
Singh-Ray Gold-N-Blue Polarizer
Lee .9 Soft GND Filter

Life Source - Oliphants River, Kruger National Park, South Africa

nobody@flickr.com (Jim Patterson Photography) — Sat, 30 Oct 2010 10:31:44 -0700

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Where there is water, there is life. This is especially so in the arid vastness of South Africa's Kruger National Park. Our first pass over the Oliphants River, we saw a troop of baboons, hundreds of impala, and a hippopotamus lounging on the river bank.

On our way south to the Lower Sabie camp, we made our second pass over the Oliphants River...but on a different bridge, one we hadn't been on before. Much to our surprise, the bridge had a designated area which you could get out of yoru car! You see, one of the rules inside the park is you cannot get out of your car except in designated areas.

Not one to pass up on some dramatic early morning clouds, the car was stopped, the tripods came out, and some filters were employed.

Nikon D300
Nikkor 12-24mm @ 12mm
0.3 sec @ f14, ISO 100
B+W Polarizer
Lee .9 Hard Stop GND Filter

Red Dawn - Golden Gate Highlands National Park, Free State, South Africa

nobody@flickr.com (Jim Patterson Photography) — Tue, 19 Oct 2010 14:22:31 -0700

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I have so many wildlife images to go through, it is immensely overwhelming at the moment to look at them. Luckily, I shot some landscapes on this trip as well, and a few stood out as really keepers. I'll do my best to intersperse them with the wildlife shots.

As I mentioned previously, I was in South Africa for two weeks with the first week bwing spent at the PSSA's annual congress. This year's theme was landscape photography and the location was near Golden Gate Highlands National Park in the Free State near the little artsy town of Clarens.

And what do landscape photographers do? We get up at ungodly hours of the morning and chase light! This was sunrise on the third day and the location is near one of the many pull outs on the main road through the park. I'm sure it had a name, but we were in a hurry, so I failed to write it down. You see, the night before, a passing thunderstorm knocked out the power and my ride, one of the event organizers Johann, needed to make sure the right people knew about it at 5am so that the morning presenters at 9am could do their talks.

So Johann, Kendra, and I scrambled down the hillside and set up on the edge of this little valley. I kept moving and I'm glad I did as these rock patterns, red grasses, and the little pools of water made for a great foreground as the sun rose above the mist.

And before I get a ton of people asking, no I did not ditch my D300 rig. Nikon South Africa, one of the event sponsors (they paid for my plane ticket), loaned me a D3s, 14-24mm and 500mm lens for the week. The 500mm would have come in more handy for the wildlife, but I got good use of the 14-24mm. It is sharp, even at the corners. Great color and contrast rendering as well. Just no ability to use my filters, so this is a two exposure blend. One for the majority of the scene, one at -2 stops for the sky.

Nikon D3s
Nikkor 14-24mm @ 14mm
1/8 sec and 1/40 sec @ f16, ISO 100

Dune Trails - Death Valley National Park, California

nobody@flickr.com (Jim Patterson Photography) — Fri, 17 Sep 2010 12:20:42 -0700

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Sometimes, it's ok to photography footprints in the sand at the Mesquite Dunes in Death Valley National Park. :)

The second morning we spent here, we made our way early enough to find dunes with very few footprints. Of course, when I found these, I stopped to take a few shots before the encroaching shadow took them over.

Thanks everyone for the kind words on my last post, I appreciate it!

Nikon D300
Nikkor 35-70mm @ 35mm
10 seconds @ f16, ISO 100
Singh-Ray Gold-N-Blue Polarizer
Singh-Ray 5-Stop Mor-Slo ND Filter
Lee . 9 Soft GND Filter

The Moon, the Sky, and the Wizard's Eye - Joshua Tree National Park

nobody@flickr.com (Jim Patterson Photography) — Wed, 15 Sep 2010 13:01:04 -0700

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Back in July, I mentioned some good news about an image possibly getting into National Geographic. Well, the day has come, the issue arrived yesterday and the NGM website has been updated. I am excited to say the least, and want to take the opportunity to thank you all for your support. Flickr has helped me get inspired about photography and get out of the house and visit the great landscapes that surround us.

This is another image from my brief visit to Joshua Tree National Park back in December. This unique rock formation is just past the arch rock and deserving some fave time with the ol' camera and lens.

Nikon D300
Tokina 10-17mm fisheye @ 14mm
30 sec @ f5.6, ISO 200
White LED flashlight for light painting

Layered Earth - Zabriskie Point, Death Valley National Park, California

nobody@flickr.com (Jim Patterson Photography) — Tue, 14 Sep 2010 19:01:54 -0700

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For more abstracts like this, I will try and find some repeating patterns, and here, I liked the subtle line leading from the upper left down to the lower right and the overlapping ridges.

I used the Gold-N-Blue polarizer here to accentuate the lighter rocks in the top of the image to give a little 'spice' to the colors.

Nikon D300
Nikkor 35-70mm @ 70mm
10sec @ f16, ISO 100
Singh-Ray Gold-N-Blue Polarizer

The Tale of Two Towers - Kirby Cove, Marin Headlands, California

nobody@flickr.com (Jim Patterson Photography) — Wed, 08 Sep 2010 10:47:55 -0700

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First off, thank you for all the words of encouragement on my last post. I'll keep plugging along with my talks, but want to post some images that I've been working on to help flesh out some ideas on getting multiple takes on similar locations. Variety is the spice of life after all!

Back in January, I met up with Steve (aka maxxsmart) for a morning shoot of the bridge(s). While there, we ran into Lukas and his wife Megan as well. Almost 8 months later, I'm getting around to posting a shot. The processing here is pretty simple: high contrast. Local adjustments were needed here and there to get the look the way I wanted. I got somewhat lucky with this one. I had about 15 different compositions this morning, each with multiple frames taken...except for this one. This composition, I took one shot, and this is it. I guess I wasn't all that thrilled with it on the morning I took it, but now, looking back, it is the one I like the most. Go figure!

Nikon D300
Nikkor 70-200mm @ 70mm
8 seconds @ f16, ISO 100
Singh-Ray Vari-ND Filter
Lee. 9 Soft GND Filter

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

Endurance - Cape Kiwanda, Pacific City, Oregon

nobody@flickr.com (Jim Patterson Photography) — Wed, 25 Aug 2010 10:42:43 -0700

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Back in June Kendra and I made a quick road trip through Oregon and up to Seattle. It certainly was not a proper photography trip. We needed to make constant progress along the way and only had two days in Oregon. The first was spent in Bandon, the second at Pacific City.

We did get to see a lot of the popular spots along the way such as Seal Rocks, Cape Perpetua, and Heceta Head Lighthouse. We did miss out on a few other spots, but now that we have a taste, a return trip is certain.

Despite how calm it was on the south side of Cape Kiwanda, we were impressed with the wave action once we arrived at this commonly shot vantage point. During the big sets, waves would explode as high as the tops of these sandstone bluffs. Impressive for such a 'calm' day.

I have some long exposures from here which I may post down the road...or tomorrow! I've been on a run of pulling images from the recent past to post up. Hope you don't mind.

Nikon D300
Nikkor 35-70mm @ 70mm
0.5 sec @ f13, ISO 100
Lee .9 Soft GND Filter

Beacon of Light - Pigeon Point, San Mateo Coast, California

nobody@flickr.com (Jim Patterson Photography) — Tue, 24 Aug 2010 15:18:06 -0700

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One last Pigeon Point lighthouse shot for awhile until I figure out what other shots I want to share.

Those who have been here can probably spot some creative cloning I performed on this one. There is an ugly chain link fence surrounding this old lighthouse, and I did a rough job of getting rid of it. Call it cheating, call it fakery. I call it artistic license. ;)

Nikon D300
Nikkor 12-24mm @ 12mm
45 sec @ f14, ISO 100
B+W ND110 10 stop Neutral Density Filter
Lee .9 Soft GND Filter

Battered Coast and the Pigeon Point Lighthouse - San Mateo, California

nobody@flickr.com (Jim Patterson Photography) — Mon, 23 Aug 2010 18:18:16 -0700

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First off, thanks to all those who have left me testimonials in the past. I realize I never formally thanked you. So thank you's all around, even you Jave!

Continuing with the lighthouse theme from my last shot, here is a shot from back in January. This was more of a warm up shot at the time, but ultimately became more agreeable with me than the sunset colors that came later.

Yes, that little ball is the sun burning through the clouds during my one minute exposure. I did wait for the sun to get behind that cloud bank before starting my shot, but it still managed to make an appearance.

I tried my best to find some form of leading lines amongst all the chaos here...a challenge if you've ever photographed here, especially at a lower tide.

The one lesson learned that I will pass on to you is never leave your tripod unattended for more than a second. On this evening, I walked over to my camera bag to swap filters and heard a splash. My camera and lens fell into a shallow tide pool, but it was the impact with the granite rocks that did a real job on my lens. $500 later, my camera and lens were fixed, but it was a mistake that could have been avoided! :)

Nikon D300
Nikkor 12-24mm @ 16mm
60sec @ f13, ISO 100
B+W ND110 10 Stop ND Filter
Singh-Ray Daryl Denson 3-stop Reverse GND Filter

Pigeon Point Lighthouse on a Stormy Evening - San Mateo Coast, California

nobody@flickr.com (Jim Patterson Photography) — Sat, 21 Aug 2010 13:42:41 -0700

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Here's an image from a nice storm system that passed through back in early February. Kendra and I ran back and forth from just below the lighthouse, to the beach on the north side, to the walkway here to the south.

This was a big compstomp, I must admit. While I was squeezing my camera through the chain link fence getting tight shots of the lighthouse, Kendra was over on the walkway composing a similar scene. As I walked over to her, I immediately knew I had to set up and get the wrapping iceplant leading to the lighthouse.

I used my Singh-Ray Gold-N-Blue polarizer to help highlight the blue in the sky and the golden greens in the iceplant.

Challenges in post processing included correcting the pincushion distortion from my wide angle lens and burning and dodging areas to get the light better balanced.

Hope everyone is having a great weekend! I will be down in Capitola for a one day art show tomorrow from 11am-6pm, so if you happen to be in the area, stop on by the Esplanade and say 'hi'!

Nikon D300
Nikkor 12-24mm @ 13mm
1.6 sec @ f16, ISO 100
Singh-Ray Gold-N-Blue Polarizer (thin mount)
Singh-Ray 3-stop Reverse Daryl Benson GND Filter (hand held)

Blue - Natural Bridges State Beach, Santa Cruz, California

nobody@flickr.com (Jim Patterson Photography) — Wed, 04 Aug 2010 10:39:46 -0700

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Here is an image from last December when about all I recall is driving north and getting hammered by a thick marine layer and eventually driving all the way back to Natural Bridges as it was still in the clear.

The color only came out a solid 15-20 minutes after sunset, so a blue hour long exposure seemed appropriate.

Happy Wednesday everyone and hope you are all doing well.

Nikon D300
Nikkor 12-24mm @ 18mm
60 seconds @ f13, ISO 100
Singh-Ray Daryl Benson 3-stop Reverse GND Filter
Lee .6 Soft GND Filter

Passage of Time #2 - Sand Harbor, Lake Tahoe, Nevada

nobody@flickr.com (Jim Patterson Photography) — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 12:41:23 -0700

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Here's another composition from the day Kendra and I had a nice storm system pass through during the mid afternoon at Lake Tahoe's Sand Harbor.

We got really lucky with the weather that trip. We had still waters and a colorful sunset the first night and morning. Then we had a storm rear its beautiful head the 2nd day and had a light snowfall on us for our sunset shoot turning into tons of fresh snow for sunrise the next day. By sunset, it was clear, but we got nice shots. Variety is the spice of life!

Just going down memory lane at the moment and this shot jumped out at me. Have a great weekend ahead everyone!

Nikon D300
Nikkor 12-24mm @ 14mm
124sec @ f13, ISO 200
B+W 10-stop ND Filter
Singh-Ray Gold-N-Blue Polarizer
Lee .75 Soft GND Filter

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

Under the Rising Moon - Arch Rock, Joshua Tree National Park, California

nobody@flickr.com (Jim Patterson Photography) — Thu, 15 Jul 2010 15:49:24 -0700

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Here is another shot from my brief visit to Joshua Tree back in December. For this image, I used a white LED flashlight to light paint the rocks and took a few steps back from my previous composition. The moon had climbed higher in the sky and I used my fisheye's extreme wide field of view to include it in the scene.

This was my first serious light painting attempt and over all, I'm happy with the results, but will definitely hope to improve my next time out.

I decided to upload this image as I will have a similar one featured in an upcoming issue of National Geographic. Keep an eye out!

Nikon D300
Tokina 10-17mm fisheye @ 10mm
30 sec @ f8, ISO 800
White LED flashlight for light painting