Lakeside Sunset

Tempe Town Lake is a wonderful local spot to go to when I need to experiment with technigues in a place that offers a variety of visual opportunities. I set up two cameras on the north side of the Lake just before sunset. The front coming in from the west gave me a wide range of interesting cloud shapes but muted the normally dazzling colors seen as part of the December desert sunsets.

One camera was set to do a time-lapse of the sunset. I will post that video later. This image was captured with the Sony A77 and the 16-50mm F2.8 Sony lens that is currently shipped with the A77 body. I have come to really love taking pictures with the A77. The electronic viewfinder is exceptional and lets me dial in the exposure through the viewfinder. This sunset image has been slightly enhanced with Nik software's Color Efex 4.0. I added some contrast and enhanced detail with this outstanding set of filters. 

Twilight At Casa Blanca Cemetery

If you are paying attention driving south from Phoenix on Interstate 10, you will notice a small cemetery just north of Casa Grande. This desolate piece of desert is the final resting place for about fifty people. The Cemetery creates an impressive visual and emotional contrast of treasured family memories strewn about on makeshift graves in the harsh landscape of the Sonoran Desert.

The following images are just the first of a number that I hope to create at this site. This will by my first real attempt to create a study. I intend to visit this location frequently to capture and preserve one of a very few remaining natural cemetery locations.

 

Golden Glow

This is a second image from the Cave Creek Glow held on Saturday, January 8, 2011. There were lots of people in attendance and virtually everyone had a camera. The challenge for me was to capture something that was different from all those others taking pictures.  I went with three elements. First, better low light capability let me capture further into the twilight without being tied to a tripod. That gave me the second element....a chance to play with angles. Finally, the Nikkor 70-200mm f2.8 with VRII enhanced my telephoto ability in low light. My Nikon D3s on a monopod allowed me to get this image at 1/3 sec, ISO 400 F5.0 A touch of Topaz Software's Adjust 4 let me enhance the textures.

Cave Creek Glow

Who can resist hot air balloons. Apparently not the 5000 people who showed up in Cave Creek, Airizona tonight. Fortunately for me, only half of them were photographers. Lighting was a big issue. The balloons didn't inflate until after sunset. That means capturing a good image meant timing an exposure to coincide with a burst of flames from a nearby balloon. Focusing is another concern. Focusing in the dark is a challenging task. I captured this image with the Nikon D3s and the 70-200 mm F2.8 lens. The exposure was 1/15 sec at f 4.0 with an ISO of 5000. I have to admit, having a camera that was born to take pics in he dark makes a difference.

Winter Cactus

Yesterday I climbed several hundred feet up the side of a ridge to capture an unobstructed view of Four Peaks. I either have to get in better shape or give up photographing mountains!!! The sunset was cold and unremarkable. But, as I waited, I spotted this cactus and really liked the lighting. This image was captured using a Nikon D300, a tele-extender and the Nikkor 70-200 mm lens. I didn't climb up there just to photograph a cactus but the image felt warm while the blues of the sunset gave me a very harsh, cold feel. I went with warmth. For some strange reason, the hundred degree heat of August doesn't seem all that bad right now!!!