Uploads from SheldonBranford (RichGreenePhotography.com), tagged capturenx2

Close...but no stogie.

nobody@flickr.com (SheldonBranford (RichGreenePhotography.com)) — Sat, 02 Jul 2011 10:18:11 -0700

SheldonBranford (RichGreenePhotography.com) posted a photo:

In search of the elusive red ribbon of Horsetail Fall at Yosemite National Park's El Capitan.

In the El Capitan picnic area its definitely a tailgating kind of atmosphere. People hanging out, waiting for the big event -- which in this case, was a no show just about thirty minutes before it was supposed to arrive.

You can barely see a trickle of the fall in the upper right -- coming off the cliff next to the pine tree. About an hour earlier, the falls was a no show, too. According to those in the know, it was too cold to flow...

Hopefully next year.

Pffft!!!

nobody@flickr.com (SheldonBranford (RichGreenePhotography.com)) — Mon, 21 Feb 2011 22:08:38 -0800

SheldonBranford (RichGreenePhotography.com) posted a photo:

So, there we were, my buddy Steve and I, at Yosemite's El Capitan picnic area, tailgating with some 200 other die-hards, three and a half hours before sunset in our second annual attempt to catch the fire fall.

How did we pass the time, you ask?
Had a sandwich,
drank a beer,
listened to tunes,
listened to kids scream in the meadow,
took a nap,
read a map,
took a walk,
fell in the snow,
talked to nice people,
watched poor suckers drive by while privately gloating that we got the last parking spot and they didn't,
and last, and perhaps most disturbing saw a family of clueless idiots try to park in the middle of the parking lot and block everyone else just so THEY could be there.

Yeah -- we did it all in those three and a half hours.

But when it all comes down to it, we were so close, but yet, so far. Things really looked good for awhile. This one was taken about an hour before the official sunset time of 5:45pm. Fifteen minutes later, all the light was gone, and the party was over -- blocked by a giant cloud mass to the west that we had no idea was as huge as it was. It was even snowing on the way back to El Portal.

You know what they say -- if at first you don't succeed, try, try again. So, that's the plan. Try again -- next year. God willing, and the creek don't rise.

Cathedral Rocks from Tunnel View

nobody@flickr.com (SheldonBranford (RichGreenePhotography.com)) — Wed, 14 Apr 2010 21:39:26 -0700

SheldonBranford (RichGreenePhotography.com) posted a photo:

My buddy steve.lanctot and I headed up to Yosemite for 3 days and two nights in hopes of capturing the illusive red ribbon on El Capitan at sunset.

Of course, just as we came through the tunnel, we had to stop at Tunnel View.

As you can see, it was mostly cloudy -- but still a spectacular view, no matter how many times you've seen it from this vantage point.

Late Winter in Valley View

nobody@flickr.com (SheldonBranford (RichGreenePhotography.com)) — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 09:15:05 -0800

SheldonBranford (RichGreenePhotography.com) posted a photo:

This is a three exposure HDR of Valley View processed in HDR Max, then given some final tweaks in NX2.

I like the rocks in river in the foreground, but from this vantage point, you can only see the top of Bridalveil Falls.

All day long I kept holding out hope that the skies would stay clear enough to get some red ribbon shots of Horsetail Falls. But just like clockwork, about 5:15 it started raining, postponing the light show for the second day in a row.

Still an amazing trip, though. No complaints. Not even with the broken tripod, broken filter, and broken cable release.

Valley View

nobody@flickr.com (SheldonBranford (RichGreenePhotography.com)) — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 06:36:45 -0800

SheldonBranford (RichGreenePhotography.com) posted a photo:

My buddy steve.lanctot and I headed up to Yosemite for 3 days and two nights in hopes of capturing the illusive red ribbon on El Capitan at sunset.

I won't tell you yet whether or not we got it, but in the meantime, we had a pretty productive time getting from gorgeous vantage point to gorgeous vantage point getting images like this one from Valley View of the aforementioned El Capitan and Bridalveil Falls.

It really is true what they say about Yosemite in the winter. The light can disappear and change within the blink of an eye.

This started as a single RAW and saved as 11 separate exposures from -1.6 ev to +1.6 ev and processed in HDR Max. I then did some final tweaks in Nikon's Capture NX2.
I strive to make turn out like I remember seeing them when I use HDR -- and this was pretty close.

If you'd like, check it out large, on black:

View On Black

Chrysler Retro

nobody@flickr.com (SheldonBranford (RichGreenePhotography.com)) — Sat, 02 Aug 2008 18:59:29 -0700

SheldonBranford (RichGreenePhotography.com) posted a photo:

Manhattan has so many cool buildings, but the Chrysler Building is definitely near the top of my list.

I'm obviously not alone -- in the summer of 2005, New York's own Skyscraper Museum asked one hundred architects, builders, critics, engineers, historians, and scholars, among others, to choose their 10 favorites among 25 New York towers. The Chrysler Building came in first place as 90% of them placed the building in their top-10 favorite buildings.

I shot this from a New York City Water Taxi -- coming back to Manhattan after the Hunters Point stop and Water Taxi Beach in Queens, if I remember correctly.

The Water Taxi Hop On/-Hop Off service on weekends is a real cool way to see NYC. We started at West 44th and went all around the island and back.

Rocky Point Light

nobody@flickr.com (SheldonBranford (RichGreenePhotography.com)) — Sat, 19 Jul 2008 16:30:29 -0700

SheldonBranford (RichGreenePhotography.com) posted a photo:

Going through my shots from Big Sur, which I was fortunate enough to visit with three buddies -- two weeks to the day before the devastating fires started.

This was taken with a ND4 filter about a half-hour before sunset at Rocky Point.

I'm not sure if this area was spared or not...

Reached Explore #190 on Tuesday, September 16, 2008. Thank you all!

Chasing The Sun

nobody@flickr.com (SheldonBranford (RichGreenePhotography.com)) — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 22:50:51 -0700

SheldonBranford (RichGreenePhotography.com) posted a photo:

Left work Tuesday evening and decided to head north on PCH past Malibu to see if I could catch a decent sunset.

I thought the chances might be pretty good because several previous nights, the sunsets had been enhanced by the smoke from some of the almost 2000 wildfires that have plagued California the past four weeks.

Before I knew it, I had driven over 40 miles and just as I came around the bend near Sycamore Cove Campground at Point Mugu State Park, the sun was just hanging in the sky like a huge yellow ball. I flipped a quick U, pulled off the road, and had no more than a couple of minutes before it went behind the cliff.

Rocky Foreground

nobody@flickr.com (SheldonBranford (RichGreenePhotography.com)) — Sat, 05 Jun 2010 11:27:45 -0700

SheldonBranford (RichGreenePhotography.com) posted a photo:

Waiting for the sun to set just south of Point Mugu on a winter evening. These clouds were part of the advance team of four consecutive storms that hit Southern California that week.

3 exposures at 20mm, ISO 100:

f/29 @ .08 sec, 2.0 sec, 4.0 sec

No Red Ribbon For You!

nobody@flickr.com (SheldonBranford (RichGreenePhotography.com)) — Sat, 06 Mar 2010 19:04:47 -0800

SheldonBranford (RichGreenePhotography.com) posted a photo:

My buddy steve.lanctot and I headed up to Yosemite for 3 days and two nights in hopes of capturing the illusive red ribbon on El Capitan's Horsetail Falls at sunset.

This is from our first day. Of course, as we came to the park entrance, it was beautiful --- blue sky, cool clouds, and warm. But the Ranger said the rain was supposed to move in around 4pm. I looked at the clock on my dashboard. It was 2:15.

We drove to Tunnel View and took some obligatory shots. I don't have anything from there that really blows me away, so I can't say right now whether I'll post anything from that vantage point or not.

After Tunnel View, we took the Valley Loop. Road Construction going on, so everything was different from how I remembered it from June '07. And I wasn't driving then, so I just took it slow.

We pulled off Northside Drive where a guy at the Ansel Adams Gallery suggested, and then hiked up into the woods.

It was a cool vantage point -- and it would have been perfect --- had we had one thing -- THE SUN.

As 4:00 came and went, we had avoided the rain, but the sky wasn't looking too promising. Clouds like the ones here kept blowing past the face of El Capitan, obscuring the falls, and the sky.

Finally, about 4:45, the Ranger's prediction came true. It started to rain. A light, steady drizzle at first. But it got steadily heavier. And as the drizzle continued, the ground started getting wet -- and slippery.

At some point, I slipped on some pine needles, fell, hit the tripod, and barely caught it as one of the legs absorbed a Lawrence Taylor on Joe Theismann hit, and starting falling in slo-mo. Fortunately I caught it, but ended up shooting on 2 1/3 legs the rest of the weekend, despite my best Crazy Glue repair attempts.

Fortunately a replacement tripod bracket from Manfrotto is $6.99 plus shipping.

It really is true what they say about Yosemite in the winter. The light can disappear and change within the blink of an eye.

If you'd like, check it out large, on white:

View On White

Out Of The Clouds

nobody@flickr.com (SheldonBranford (RichGreenePhotography.com)) — Sun, 28 Feb 2010 19:47:04 -0800

SheldonBranford (RichGreenePhotography.com) posted a photo:

Yosemite in winter. I've always wanted to shoot here because of conditions like this. The clouds are amazing. The light changes even faster than you can compose and focus. Most of all, there aren't the incredible crowds that you fight for vantage points in the summer.

This shot of Half Dome is on the other side of the meadow from the previous image in my stream. I thought it was a perfect candidate for black and white.

The detail on the dome is cool large, on white:

View On White

Out Here in the Meadow

nobody@flickr.com (SheldonBranford (RichGreenePhotography.com)) — Fri, 26 Feb 2010 22:01:28 -0800

SheldonBranford (RichGreenePhotography.com) posted a photo:

El Capitan -- Wrinkles and All

nobody@flickr.com (SheldonBranford (RichGreenePhotography.com)) — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 23:02:18 -0800

SheldonBranford (RichGreenePhotography.com) posted a photo:

Great morning light hits the face of Yosemite's El Capitan, while the clouds try their best to shield the summit from view.

My friend steve.lanctot has a much cooler shot of this IMO, from around the same vantage point about 20 minutes later, with the clouds creeping up the face from the bottom of the frame. His was shot at a slower shutter speed and wider aperture.

Makes a big difference. That's what makes Yosemite in the winter so cool.

If you have a big enough monitor, it really pops on black:

View On Black

Light on the Captain

nobody@flickr.com (SheldonBranford (RichGreenePhotography.com)) — Sun, 21 Feb 2010 22:02:29 -0800

SheldonBranford (RichGreenePhotography.com) posted a photo:

My buddy steve.lanctot and I headed up to Yosemite for 3 days and two nights in hopes of capturing the illusive red ribbon on El Capitan at sunset.

I won't tell you yet whether or not we got it, but in the meantime, we had a pretty productive time getting from gorgeous vantage point to gorgeous vantage point getting images like this one from Valley View of the aformentioned El Capitan and Bridalveil Falls.

It really is true what they say about Yosemite in the winter. The light can disappear and change within the blink of an eye.

This is a three exposure RAW processed and HDRMax, then tweaked in Nikon's Capture NX 2.

If you'd like, check it out large, on black:

View On Black

Prelude to a Storm

nobody@flickr.com (SheldonBranford (RichGreenePhotography.com)) — Mon, 18 Jan 2010 00:27:44 -0800

SheldonBranford (RichGreenePhotography.com) posted a photo:

Yesterday the clouds were building on the horizon near Point Mugu making for a fabulous sunset on the Pacific Ocean, as SoCal awaited the first of up to four consecutive powerhouse storms -- predicted to dump up to a foot and a half of rain in some areas, and snow above 4000 feet.

I can hear it pounding the roof as I type this. They're saying some areas will get over an inch an hour -- three counties that were hit hard by the wildfires are now facing flash flooding and mudslides.

Six straight days. I hope the burn ravaged hillsides can take it.

Extra points for those who can spot the fishing line.

Calm Before the Storm

nobody@flickr.com (SheldonBranford (RichGreenePhotography.com)) — Sun, 17 Jan 2010 11:21:55 -0800

SheldonBranford (RichGreenePhotography.com) posted a photo:

SoCal is supposed to be hit by four consecutive storms starting today. In fact, it's already started sprinkling at my house. Some areas could get as much as sixteen inches. I pray the burn areas from last summer's wildfires hold up and the storms don't create even more havoc in the form of mudslides.

Yesterday the clouds started to roll in and the sunset here near Pt. Mugu was sensational. This is a single RAW exposure shot with a Singh-Ray reverse grad.

I brought up the luminance on the foreground rocks a bit to match the way I remember seeing the scene.

Probably the last time we'll be seeing the sun for a few days. I was fortunate to catch such a good one.

Ready to Roll

nobody@flickr.com (SheldonBranford (RichGreenePhotography.com)) — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 08:07:39 -0800

SheldonBranford (RichGreenePhotography.com) posted a photo:

The Aero L-39 Albatros is a high-performance jet trainer aircraft developed in Czechoslovakia with Soviet assistance to meet requirements for a "C-39" (C for cvičný - trainer) during the 1960s to replace the L-29 Delfín.

More than 2800 of these planes are still in service in 30 air forces around the world.

This one sits on the line at Van Nuys Airport in California.

Big Apple Alpenglow

nobody@flickr.com (SheldonBranford (RichGreenePhotography.com)) — Sat, 18 Jul 2009 14:20:27 -0700

SheldonBranford (RichGreenePhotography.com) posted a photo:

Going through the archives - found this example of alpenglow New York City style, right outside the Hilton on Avenue of the Americas as I headed north toward Central Park.

Letchworth Cliffs

nobody@flickr.com (SheldonBranford (RichGreenePhotography.com)) — Sat, 08 Nov 2008 12:02:48 -0800

SheldonBranford (RichGreenePhotography.com) posted a photo:

Known as the "Grand Canyon of the East," Letchworth State Park offers 14,350 acres of scenic beauty as well as a multitude of year-round recreational opportunities. A 17 mile gorge, carved by the Genesee River as it tumbles over waterfalls and meanders through the park, provides spectacular views at every turn.

This is a single exposure tweaked in Nikon's NX Capture 2. Compare it with the 3 exposure version tonemapped in Photomatix below. I think I like this one a lot better.

A lot of detail large on black:
View On Black

I'll Follow The Sun

nobody@flickr.com (SheldonBranford (RichGreenePhotography.com)) — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 21:36:36 -0700

SheldonBranford (RichGreenePhotography.com) posted a photo: