Aravind's PhotoBlog

Bonsai Rock Sunset

2012-02-05T14:48:00.000-08:00

Bonsai Rock Sunset - 5D2, ZE 50, f/11, 20s, ISO 100

The high water level at Lake Tahoe submerges many of the rocks around the largest one with the tree growing out it. I haven't had a chance to get back to Tahoe to photograph it with the water level lower. I made this image this past summer and though I ended up liking a different version which I posted earlier, there are elements of this one that work well for me too. One of the things you learn as you do more and more landscape photography is to really work and explore a scene. Try different vantage points and different framing options.

Portal

2012-01-30T08:16:00.000-08:00

Portal - 5D2, 70-200 II @ 120mm, f/14, ISO 100

Its been a very busy last couple of weeks and so I haven't had a chance to even look at any images to post. On Saturday, I got a break, not only time off from all the regular stuff but a day trip to the coast and so took the opportunity to make some images at Pfeiffer Beach. Now its back to the slog, so I probably won't get a chance to post any images for a while.

Over the Ngorongoro Crater

2012-01-18T21:10:00.000-08:00

Over the Ngorongoro Crater - 5D2, 24 f/1.4 II, f/3.5, 1/2500s, ISO 200

If you do a safari in Tanzania that includes the Serengeti, chances are that for one leg you'll end up in a flight over the Serengeti and the Ngorongoro Crater. The flight is relatively quick, about an hour long and its incredible to see the variety in the landscape below. In this image, the Ngorongoro Crater is visible in the distance with farmland in front.

Chicken Dance

2012-01-16T18:09:00.000-08:00

Chicken Dance - 1D4, 500 f/4 IS, f/4, 1/800s, ISO 400

I know its cheesy but c'mon, this Pelican totally looks like he's doing the chicken dance :)

Gnarled

2012-01-13T21:34:00.000-08:00

Gnarled - M9, 28 Elmarit, ~f/5.6, 1/1500s, ISO 160

Gnarled branches lit up by the mid day sun make for an interesting study in lines and shape. I made this image in the late morning at Patriarch Grove this past summer. The final mile on the road to the grove was closed due to a large snow drift requiring a hike. It was my first time at this location and I was mainly interested in scouting locations for a later shoot. Though I typically don't make images with the harsh mid day sun, in this case the isolation of this tree and its gnarled limbs were too tempting to pass up.

Mount Woodring under Cloud and Mist

2012-01-12T22:12:00.000-08:00

Mount Woodring under Cloud and Mist - 5D2, 70-200 @ 145mm, f/4.5, ISO 100

A much more popular subject to photograph from this spot at Oxbow Bend in the Grand Tetons is Mount Moran. However on this morning clouds engulfed Moran and so I had to make do with what I had and that was the peak of Mount Woodring visible just over the many layers of cloud and mist coming up from the Snake River.

Lightroom 4 Public Beta

2012-01-09T21:03:00.000-08:00

California Coastal Sunset - M9, 28 Elmarit, ~f/8, 1/60s, ISO 160

Adobe Lightroom 4 Public Beta is now available. There are a bunch of new features and I won't go over them here, but instead direct you to some other folks who have put together tutorials and other information (some of these may not be live for a while):

http://thelightroomlab.com/2012/01/introducing-adobe-photoshop-lightroom-version-4-beta/
http://www.lightroomqueen.com/2012/01/09/whats-new-in-lightroom-4-0-beta
http://holycrop.wordpress.com/2012/01/09/holy-crop-lightroom-4first-public-beta-peek/
http://fleetingglimpseimages.wordpress.com/2012/01/09/the-lightroom-4-public-beta-top-ten-features/

The feature that I think will have the most impact across all types of photographers are the reworked tonal controls part of "Process Version 2012". It took some getting used to, I had to change the way I worked with my images but the end result is a level of tonal control that I can't get in Lightroom 3.

In Lightroom 3 I would set the white point with 'exposure', the black point with 'blacks' and the tonal distribution between your white and black points with 'brightness'. I usually ignore 'fill light' and 'recovery' as I find 'recovery' reduced highlight contrast and I didn't like the global nature of 'fill light'.

In Lightroom 4, I instead use 'exposure' to get the bulk of my midtones where I want them. Then use 'shadows' and 'blacks' to both control shadow contrast and to push the shadow tones around and use 'whites' and 'highlights' to do the same with the highlight tones. Since these new parameters can go negative and positive, I find it easy to get my tones where I want them and maintain shadow and highlight contrast.

The other cool thing about the way these parameters work in Lightroom 4 is that they are based on the tonal distribution of the image you are working on. In Lightroom 3, it was possible in scenes with extremely low contrast to push the blacks slider all the way to the right and still not have enough contrast. This shouldn't be as much of a problem in Lightroom 4. These same smarts are also carried to the 'clarity' control.

The best part about all of this is that the 'shadows' and 'highlights' adjustments can now be done locally. This is really powerful because it means that I can lift the shadow tones in a part of the image or pull back the highlights locally. For an image like the one above, it takes only seconds to get all my tones where I want them without going into Photoshop.

Oh yea, and the last nifty thing about the tonal controls is that highlight recovery has been reworked so that you don't get those hue shifts that you do in previous versions.

There's a lot of neat stuff to explore in Lightroom 4, so definitely check it out.

EDIT: I forgot to mention this originally, don't change all your existing images to Process Version 2012. They will look very different and you'll have to process them again. In fact, since this is a beta, you shouldn't use it with your production catalog either.

Silent Hunter

2012-01-08T12:04:00.000-08:00

Silent Hunter - 1D4, 70-200 II + 1.4x TC, 280mm, f/4.5, 1/50s, ISO 400

Though I wish the background were a bit cleaner, I still like the way this image of a gator in the Everglades came out.

Galapagos Sea Lions

2012-01-07T10:23:00.000-08:00

Galapagos Sea Lion - 1Ds3, 24-105 @ 32mm, f/8, 1/100s, ISO 200

The Galapagos Sea Lion is a fairly common sight on the Galapagos Archipelago. Their inquisitive nature makes them great photographic subjects, though in this case these two guys are just laying around, not doing much.

Galapagos Sea Lion - 1Ds3, 24-105 @ 99mm, f/8, 1/80s, ISO 200

Halfdome Among Granite and Trees

2012-01-06T08:23:00.000-08:00

Halfdome Among Granite and Trees - M9, 50 Summilux, ~f/9.5, 1/350s, ISO 160

On my drive through Yosemite in mid afternoon on my way to Bishop this summer, I spotted a scene which I liked despite the harsh light. It was Halfdome tucked away with trees below and fluffy clouds above. Though I made a mental note to return here to photograph this scene in better light, I couldn't resist the temptation to make just one image and try to compensate for the harsh light later.

Lilac Breasted Roller

2012-01-05T19:38:00.000-08:00

Lilac Breasted Roller - 1Ds3, 500, f/10, 1/640s, ISO 400

I just realized that I haven't posted a single bird image from Tanzania so far. I guess avians just weren't my subject of interest, but I did manage to make a few images. The Lilac Breasted Roller is a bird you will definitely see if you go on safari in the area.

Trails

2012-01-04T17:20:00.000-08:00

Trails - NEX-5N, 18-200 @ 25mm (37mm equiv.), f/6.3, 1/60s, ISO 160

Last week while in Santa Barbara I went for a walk on the beach with family during sunset. I was mostly taking family snapshots with my Sony when I saw the the curious patterns in the sand.

Summer Storm

2012-01-03T20:40:00.000-08:00

Summer Storm - M9, 50 Summilux, ~f/6.7, 1/250s, ISO 160

I made this image as I was driving to Patriarch Grove earlier this summer. A light summer storm was dumping rain the distance and this lone tree was lit up with golden light from the setting sun.

Bixby Bridge

2012-01-02T16:54:00.000-08:00

Bixby Bridge - 5D2, 24 TS-E II, f/5.6, 30s, ISO 800

Bixby Bridge is probably the most iconic bridge on California's coastal Highway 1. I was playing around with tilting the focal plane when I made this image. At first I wasn't sure I liked the effect but it has been growing on me. I also added some grain in Lightroom after everything else was done, just felt that it needed a bit of grain to give it that old school vibe.

Hello 2012

2012-01-01T22:17:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year! I rang in the new year doing the things I love to do, hanging out with family and photography.

I took a whole series of images of the San Francisco fireworks:

And another sequence with a slightly different framing:

Goodbye 2011

2011-12-31T18:00:00.000-08:00

Well that pretty much wraps up 2011. Its been a curious year for the photographic industry and the world in general. The disaster in Japan in March had repercussions around the globe and had a pretty big impact on the photographic industry made only worse (for some companies more than others) by the flooding in Thailand near the end of the year. Olympus has seen better days and there seems to be a general theme where executives high up at major corporations seem to be out of touch with their customers. Well, thats enough depressing thoughts, onto the point of this post, recalling my favorite images from 2011.

I started off the year busily working on the images I had made at Bosque just before the holidays.

Then there was my second photographic trip to San Diego with my friends Bobby and Francisco. At Santee Lakes, I made my first tight portrait of a Coot.

I participated in several workshops organized by Edward Mendes the first of the year being in Yosemite. During one of the evening shoots I witnessed one of the most incredible sunsets.

My major trip for the year was on a photographic safari to Tanzania with Andy Biggs. I had the chance to make many wonderful images, some of which are still in my queue to process. It proved to be an experience that I don't think I'll ever forget and one which has changed my photography.

I saw and photographed by first Mandarin Duck this year, what a beautiful bird.

I participated in another Edward Mendes Workshop, this time in Big Sur where I was introduced to a variety of wonderful photographic opportunities.

I went back to Yosemite for some spring photography and though that part wasn't as successful, I did come away with a star trails image that I like and that has been popular.

In June, I went to the Grand Tetons National Park, again on a workshop with Edward Mendes. We ended up having some challenging (though at times interesting) weather but made the best of it.

My major photographic equipment change (or more like addition) came in July when I added a Leica M9 to my kit. Over the remainder of the year, I have expanded and refined my Leica kit and its a camera that I use often.

I set out in the late summer / fall to try and get to the Bristlecone Pine forest in the White Mountains. Though I still haven't captured the exact image I have in my mind, there have been other favorites that have come of the various trips.

I photographed at Lake Tahoe for the first time this year. Its a place I'm sure I'll be returning to in coming years.

I photographed a lot more people this year than I have in the past. I'm not sure if thats because I'm using the M9 a lot more or if I'm drawn to the M9 because I'm shooting people more...

I photographed an event this year, namely my father's 60th birthday.

I returned to Mono Lake this year and was disappointed to find that the lake level had risen 2 feet since my visit in 2010. Due to the crowds at the regular South Tufa area, my friend Greg and I decided to make an image at a slightly less traveled location.

Just before joining Edward Mendes for another fall color in the Eastern Sierras workshop I managed to capture an image with Bristlecone Pine and star trails. Though not quite ideal, its a step in the right direction.

I made images at Pfeiffer Beach for the first time this year, again a location I'd like to return to several times over in the coming years.

I decided earlier this year that I was going to de-emphasize avian photography and spend more time on mammals and landscapes. Looking back at the year, it appears thats exactly what has happened. Though I've enjoyed all the landscapes I've made this year, I'm really itching to photograph more mammals.

The first while of 2012 is going to be very challenging photographically. I'll be extremely busy, have no trips planned and will likely not get to make any new images (or even process ones on the queue) for a few months.

The latter part of the year will be exciting though. I will finally get to go make images at a place I've been looking forward to for years, South Georgia Island and the Falklands. Can't say I'm looking forward to spending 3 weeks on a ship but it should be a small price to pay.

Once again, here's to wishing that 2012 is a prosperous year for all!

La Jolla Pelican

2011-12-30T22:49:00.000-08:00

La Jolla Pelican - 1D4, 500, f/5.6, 1/500s, ISO 100

Yesterday morning I went out for what is I'm sure my last shoot of the year (certainly my last avian shoot). I had arrived at the La Jolla Cliffs a little too early the day before, so I chose to sleep in and arrive around 7 AM yesterday. My timing was good, I hadn't packed a flash on this trip, so I couldn't make the usual flash lit images of the gulls against the pink ribbons of the pre-sunrise dawn sky. My primary goal was to capture a Pelican performing one of their head throws with which I've had little success in the past and only moderate success the day before. However, when I saw this composition available (with no other Pelicans cluttering the frame and a lot of negative space in the direction the Pelican was facing) I knew I had to make an image with it.

One reason that it felt rather fitting was because I'd made an image with a lot of negative space featuring a California Brown Pelican back in January of this year. It seemed fitting to wrap up the year making an image with a different theme.

Merry Christmas

2011-12-25T16:38:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah or Happy Holidays, whatever works for you. Whether the religious significance has meaning to you or not, now is just a great time to hang out with family!

Aged Branches

2011-12-24T08:31:00.000-08:00

Aged Branches - M9, 18 Super Elmar, ~f/13, 1/250s, ISO 160

This is one of the first real images I've taken with the Leica 18mm f/3.8 Super Elmar lens. I bought this lens primarily for landscape work and it certainly lives up to its Leica name when it comes to optics and build. I also have the viewfinder attachment (the M9 framelines don't go as wide as 18mm) but in this case, I ended up not using it, opting to take several images guessing where my frame was. It worked out, of the 4 images I took of this scene, this one was framed exactly the way I wanted it, requiring no cropping in post. I looked through the other images I took with the 18 SEM and I'm very pleased with this lens. I compared it quickly to my Canon 17 TS-E on a 5D2 and it appears the 18 SEM is very slightly optically superior (small enough no not matter), but its miniscule size when compared to the Canon kit that makes it my favorite lens at this focal length.

Landing Manoeuvres

2011-12-23T08:59:00.000-08:00

Landing Manoeuvres - 1D4, 800, f/5.6, 1/640s, ISO 800

It was exactly a year ago that I was returning from my trip to the Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge in New Mexico. It was second year there and turned out to be more productive than my first time in 2009. I was hoping to return there this year, but that didn't end up happening, maybe next year.

Lone Cypress

2011-12-21T08:19:00.000-08:00

Lone Cypress - M9, 50 Summilux, ~f/6.7, 0.7s, ISO 160

I think this iconic Monterey Cypress has been photographed by virtually everyone who visits 17 mile drive, so when I went there one morning a couple of weeks ago I didn't have much expectation to make something unique.

Lichens on Rock

2011-12-20T09:46:00.000-08:00

Lichens on Rock - 5D2, 24 TS-E, f/10, ISO 200

I saw this formation on my drive back from Patriarch Grove this summer. I thought the lichens growing on the rock had striking color and so set up to grab a quick image. Though I took this at 7pm, sunset was still a ways away so the sky was still very bright. I had to capture multiple exposures to get detail in all the tones.

Rocky Shore

2011-12-17T20:09:00.000-08:00

Rocky Shore - 5D2, 17 TS-E, f/5.6, 2min, ISO 200, shifted down.

This was one of the untended gems that came out of the 'bust' of the eclipse shooting last weekend. We got to the spot where we wanted to capture the eclipse very early and so took the opportunity to do some long exposures by moonlight.

I decided to experiment with several focal lengths and figured that the 17 was the ticket to get a very strong foreground element. I have several more images from the area taken with lenses at different focal lengths which have a different feel to them which I will release as I process them in the coming weeks.

Academy of Sciences

2011-12-15T22:22:00.000-08:00

I spent this morning at the California Academy of Sciences in San Francisco. It was a holiday event for work, and afterwards we went for a tasty lunch at 'Park Chow'.

We got "behind the scenes" passes which included a tour of areas that normally aren't accessible to the public.

One of these areas is all the machinery that goes into maintaining the gigantic tank in their aquarium.

The amount of salt they have on pallets all over the place was incredible, literally tonnes.

I used the Leica 21mm Summilux and the Voigtlander 12mm (above) for the most part.

One of the vaults is another one of those places that you usually don't get to see.

Mmmmm, jars of pickled snakes...

The gigantic tank in the aquarium is quite impressive.

And these are the guys I have to work with... :)

Portal to the Sun

2011-12-13T07:03:00.000-08:00

Portal to the Sun - 5D2, ZE 21, f/22, 0.6s + 2.5s + 10s fusion

I made this image at Pfeiffer Beach on Saturday evening. It was a receding slow tide at sunset but I couldn't get as close to the rocks as I would have wanted since there were many other photographers there who arrived before I did. I couldn't make the iconic image (with the sun's golden rays scattering off the mist) that evening since mist/spray disappeared shortly after I got there. So settled for something wide with a 'sun star' in the frame. This will definitely be a place I will visit several more times until I get the image I'm looking for.