Uploads from PatrickSmithPhotography, tagged rain

45 Seconds at Hanalei, Kauai

nobody@flickr.com (PatrickSmithPhotography) — Fri, 05 Aug 2011 18:24:31 -0700

Compare this to the last upload. Which do you like better? I got up in the dark to get there early in order to show how the trade winds sweep the clouds past the rainiest mountains in the world. No HDR.

See the super-big 1920 pixel version!
www.flickr.com/photos/patrick-smith-photography/601333646...

---------------------------------------------------------
Settings etc.:
---------------------------------------------------------

Canon 5D Mark II
Canon 24-105L @ 35
45-second exposure @ F11
ISO 160
Lee Big Stopper 10-stop square very dark glass filter for long exposures
(It is hard to get due to limited production so order and wait!)
2-0.9 (3-stop) Lee soft edge neutral density graduated filters
(grads oriented vertically to get light onto the falls)
Lee foundation kit filter holder (3-slots) All full!
Lee adapter ring to fit my 77mm lens to the holder
No polarizer
Small Slik Sprint mini II tripod with Manfrotto 322RC2 pistol grip ball head
RAW file processed with Capture One by Phase One
TIFF file processed with Photoshop
Collapse this post

First light at Hanalei is one of the most spaecacular events to witness anywhere. I feel it rivals Yosemite or practically anywhere I've seen personally or in photographs. It is a warm Yosemite with an ocean! These mountains are as high as El-Capitan and almost as steep. The trade winds more the clouds quickly creating changing light conditions on the 4,000 ft. (1300+m) rain sculpted mountains which are the rainiest on the planet. You must see this place for yourself. I used a very dark Lee Big Stopper filter to allow a 45-second exposure to show the dynamic nature of the light here.

Sometimes the clouds open up a bit and during this time of year, the sculpted cliffs are etched perfectly in relief by the low sun angle. The long exposure also reduces distractions so that the pier and mountains stand out better.

Another nice thing the long exposure does is to eliminate people from the scene. There were paddleboarders, surfers and some boats moving through this scene but as long as they keep moving, all is well! And it was.

---------------------------------------------------------
Resources:
---------------------------------------------------------

Google Earth
earth.google.com/

Simply the best way to scout out locations that there is. You can see sun angles and pre-visualize light under lots of different conditions. Sometimes you can actually pre-compose your shots! This has saved me many thousands of vertical feet of climbing by avoiding spots with blocked views etc.

Satellite imagery (choose 'National' for a local US region or use your fave website)
www.wrh.noaa.gov/satellite/?wfo=mtr

Tide charting and preditions: (chose your area in US, other countries have similar websites)
tidesandcurrents.noaa.gov/tide_predictions.shtml?gid=235

Red Dawn - Pololu Valley, Big Island, Hawaii

nobody@flickr.com (PatrickSmithPhotography) — Fri, 10 Sep 2010 09:14:11 -0700

PatrickSmithPhotography posted a photo:

The sky opened up just as the sun rose to reveal the first light of dawn streaming through a squall of rain in the Pololu Valley on the Big Island of Hawaii. Hawaii is not just all about fun in the sun and coconuts! No HDR.

Free wallpaper for over 100 of my images in 6 different screen sizes is now available!

See the 1200 pixel version!
www.flickr.com/photos/patrick-smith-photography/497665091...

---------------------------------------------------------
Settings etc.:
---------------------------------------------------------

Canon 5D Mark II
Canon 17-40L @39
0.4-second exposure @F9
LEE soft ND grad (100x150mm - 4x6in) 0.9 + 0.9
Lee foundation kit filter holder with Lee 77mm adapter ring
No polarizer.
ISO 50
RAW file processed with Capture One by Phase One
TIFF file processed with Photoshop
Small Slik Sprint mini II tripod
Manfrotto 322RC2 pistol-grip ball head

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Story
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

So, I had to hike 500 ft. down into Pololu vally in the dark before sunrise in the rain to see this. It was slippery, so even though the trail is not difficult under normal conditions, it was not easy to get here.

The process of landscape photography is strange because the worst weather can lead to the most dramatic shots, but also it leads to the lowest probability of seeing anything interesting at all in the bad weather. I think that you just have to keep trying and hope for good luck. I did know the patterns of cloud formation in the area, so that helped. But still, I went down here on 5 consecutive mornings and was totally rained out on 3 of them. But those other two mornings were exilarating!

The map shows the exact location.

---------------------------------------------------------------------
Other stuff
---------------------------------------------------------------------

My pictures are featured on the front page of the newly redesigned
The state Gov. of California website. Have a look! It is Flash with my pics cut into layers for a 3-d slideshow. If you are into building apps, the State has opened up lots of data to the public, so check it out!

----------------------------------------------------------------------
Resources:
----------------------------------------------------------------------

Google Earth
earth.google.com/

Simply the best way to scout out locations that there is. You can see sun angles and pre-visualize light under lots of different conditions. Sometimes you can actually pre-compose your shots! This has saved me many thousands of vertical feet of climbing by avoiding spots with blocked views etc.

Satellite imagery (choose 'National' for a local US region or use your fave website)
www.wrh.noaa.gov/satellite/?wfo=mtr

Tide charting and preditions: (chose your area in US, other countries have similar websites)
tidesandcurrents.noaa.gov/tide_predictions.shtml?gid=235

Wave Heights (I choose 'North Pacific from Global')
polar.ncep.noaa.gov/waves/main_int.html
Or Here:
www.opc.ncep.noaa.gov/shtml/RP1bw.gif

Photos of every inch of the California coastline from a small plane. Excellent for close in detailed views.

www.californiacoastline.org/

.
.

Speed! - San Francisco - Oakland Bay Bridge

nobody@flickr.com (PatrickSmithPhotography) — Mon, 18 Jan 2010 11:33:45 -0800

PatrickSmithPhotography posted a photo:

San Francisco - Oakland Bay Bridge, 5-Seconds, lower deck, 5 lanes each deck, bumper to bumper, at the speed limit! Tripod, both hands on wheel! No HDR.

Free wallpaper for over 100 of my images in 6 different screen sizes is now available!

See the 1200 pixel version!
www.flickr.com/photos/patrick-smith-photography/428586380...

---------------------------------------------------------
Settings etc.:
---------------------------------------------------------

Canon 5D Mark II
Canon 17-40L @37
5-second exposure @F8 (5-10 sec. is best for this)
No Filters
No polarizer.
ISO 50
Small Slik tripod with Manfrotto pistol grip ball head
(see how I used it below)
RAW file processed with Capture One by Phase One
TIFF file processed with Photoshop

---------------------------------------------------------
Story:
---------------------------------------------------------

First, the results of the Haiti Charity relief auction for my last upload:

Congrats to Peter Kent from NSW, Australia with his winning bid of US $ 400.00!
And in a late night email, which I didn't see until this morning, Kenny Shields from Scotland matched Peter's $400 final bid.

So I'm going to make two prints, and the photo 'The Curl' has now raised US $800.00 for Haiti Charity Relief!

------------

Okay, so I was headed home after chasing some nice light which lasted about an hour. I may upload one but I'm not sure yet. Anyway, the San Francisco area has lots of bridges and tunnels, so I've been thinking about doing this sort of thing for a while.

Going across this bridge can be quite intense. It is the second busiest bridge in the world, just 3% behind the GW in New York. But there are only 5 lines in each direction, so traffic is always packed and going as fast as possible.

So, this is what I did:

1. I pulled over on a side street before one of the bridge onramps and set up the tripod with two legs extended beside each front seat, but firmly on the floorboard. The third leg was shortened and firmly on the console. The other two legs were wedged between the seats and the console and the camera was firm and not wiggling around at all. So I could speed up, stop quickly and go over bumps with hardly any movement of the camera. The lens was 1 inch below the rear-view mirror and 1 inch from the windshield.

2. I composed the shot with the hood of the car just below the frame, slightly pointed upwards and a little off-center. It was right at sunset, mostly cloudy and raining so I set the aperture to F8 for 5-seconds just making a guess with the light meter in the middle. It was darker under the deck so I added a bit of time for that.

3. I entered on the San Francisco side during a pouring rain right at sunset. (It should be raining for the best reflections on the road surface.) And it should be sunrise or sunset for the best light effects.

4. I moved into the middle lane so that there were two lanes on either side.

5. This suspension deck is 2 miles (3.2km) long before the tunnel on Yerba Buena island, so I had time to move around in traffic to get into an open space for a wider unobstructed view.

6. As I approached the tunnel, I slowed down to allow a car on the left and right to pass me and I made the exposure. The cars went streaking by as you can see.

That's it. I made other ones too, including one in the tunnel and the other side of the island on the 2-mile long east span.

Be SUPER careful if you do this! Practise on empty streets. I was able to keep both hands on the steering wheel, my eyes on the road, by using the remote shutter release.

------------

The map shows exactly where this is.

See my Flickr profile for a link to my newly designed website.
.

---------------------------------------------------------
Resources:
---------------------------------------------------------

Google Earth
earth.google.com/

Simply the best way to scout out locations that there is. You can see sun angles and pre-visualize light under lots of different conditions. Sometimes you can actually pre-compose your shots! This has saved me many thousands of vertical feet of climbing by avoiding spots with blocked views etc.

Satellite imagery (choose 'National' for a local US region or use your fave website)
www.wrh.noaa.gov/satellite/?wfo=mtr

Tide charting and preditions: (chose your area in US, other countries have similar websites)
tidesandcurrents.noaa.gov/tide_predictions.shtml?gid=235

Wave Heights (I choose 'North Pacific from Global')
polar.ncep.noaa.gov/waves/main_int.html
Or Here:
www.opc.ncep.noaa.gov/shtml/RP1bw.gif

Photos of every inch of the California coastline from a small plane. Excellent for close in detailed views.

www.californiacoastline.org/

I get my cameras, filters, etc. here:

www.bhphotovideo.com/
or
www.adorama.com/

---------------------------------------------------------
---------------------------------------------------------

Ray of Light - Mt. Diablo California

nobody@flickr.com (PatrickSmithPhotography) — Sat, 07 Feb 2009 07:57:25 -0800

PatrickSmithPhotography posted a photo:

Sunset slid in behind a late winter storm creating some incredible light! on Mt. Diablo 20 mi. east of San Francisco. No HDR.

Free wallpaper for over 100 of my images in 6 different screen sizes is now available!

See the 1200 pixel version!

www.flickr.com/photos/patrick-smith-photography/326074992...

--------------------------------------------------------
Settings etc.:
---------------------------------------------------------

Canon 5D Mark II
Canon 17-40L @ 17
1.4-second exposure @F11
LEE soft ND grad (100x150mm) 0.9 + 0.6
Lee foundation kit filter holder with Lee 77mm adapter ring
ISO 50
RAW file processed with Capture One by Phase One
TIFF file processed with Photoshop

It was really stormy just a few minutes before I saw this. But on the satellite photos, I could see the storm ending so I was hoping that this might happen. And it did. Somnetimes it is good to get out there and hope that the moment is right.

The map shows exactly where this is.

See my profile for a link to my website where I have limited edition prints and less expensive open edition prints.
.

Walking on Glass - Pismo Beach, California

nobody@flickr.com (PatrickSmithPhotography) — Fri, 05 Dec 2008 16:52:26 -0800

PatrickSmithPhotography posted a photo:

The sky opened up for sunset on Nov. 26th after only the second rain since February 24th! No HDR.

Free wallpaper for over 100 of my images in 6 different screen sizes is now available!

---------------------------------------------------------
Settings etc.:
---------------------------------------------------------

1/5th-second exposure @F22
LEE soft ND grad (100x150mm 0.9 + 0.6
Lee foundation kit filter holder with Lee 77mm adapter ring
Canon 5D
Canon 17-40L @40
Cokin z-pro filter holder
RAW file processed with Capture One by Phase One
TIFF file processed with Photoshop

This couple was fortunate enough to be witnessing an unbelievable sunset just after an early winter rainstorm was clearing away from the coast. As they walked along, the sky opened and the sun illuminated a low bank of fog and mist right behind them. They stopped and watched it all happen for about two minutes before the clouds returned and the went on their way. The depth in the cloud deck was impressive and the tide was the lowest of the month at sunset. Everything came together for just a moment on this evening.

The sky did end up being a nice red for the sunset but the light here (1/2 hour before sunset) provided better depth to the image.

See my profile for a link to my website where I have limited edition prints and less expensive open edition prints.
.