Nature Photography – Swirl

Just a quick (prescheduled since I'm out shooting) post with an image I took a few weeks ago and couldn't decide what to do with. I love the color of the water and the rocks and the way the water swirled in the little pool. I'm just not sure what story this image tells, if any.

So here's the thing. You get to tell the story in the comments while I'm out in the blazing heat and awful humidity of the East Texas Piney Woods. I know you're out there lurking Mark, Ray, Jaime, Michael & Terry. Tell me why this shot works or why it doesn't. Tell me what you "feel" when you look at it. (sidebar: a little alcohol helps). Let me have it with both barrels!

And have a great weekend!

Swirl - Pedernales Falls State Park, Texas
Copyright 2009 Jeff Lynch Photography
Shot taken with a Canon EOS 40D set on aperture priority (Av) using an EF 24-105mm f/4 L IS USM tripod-mounted. The exposure was taken at 28mm, f/16 for 1.6 seconds using a Singh-Ray Vari-ND neutral density filter. Shot at ISO 100 on Sandisk digital film and post capture processed in Lightroom 2. Click on the image above for a larger version.

You can also find a 1200 x 800 version of this image and many others on my Flickr site.

Posted in Photography Tagged: Canon, Canon 40D, Nature Photography, Pedernales Falls State Park

Landscape Photography – Reflections in Black & White

Thanks everyone for those great comments on Saturday's post. I appreciate all my friends taking up the slack while I was out in the heat.

When I wander the back roads of Texas I seldom know exactly what I'm looking for until I see it. I may drive hundreds of miles (as I did in the past few days) in search of some allusive subject or location to photograph. More and more I find myself searching for a subject that speaks to me of peace and quiet, both of which are in short demand these days. This still little spring fed lake in the Angelina National Forest of East Texas fit the bill perfectly!

Reflection - Angelina National Forest, Texas
Copyright 2009 Jeff Lynch Photography
Shot taken with a Canon EOS 40D set on aperture priority (Av) using an EF 24-105mm f/4 L IS USM tripod-mounted. The exposure was taken at 25mm, f/16 for 1/15th of a second using a Singh-Ray 3-Stop/Soft graduated neutral density filter. Shot at ISO 100 on Sandisk digital film and post capture processed in Lightroom 2 and Photoshop CS4. Click on the image above for a larger version.

Posted in Photography Tagged: Angelina National Forest, Canon, Canon 40D, Landscape Photography

Landscape Photography – Curves

Here is another image taken last month at the Pedernales Falls State Park near Johnson City, Texas. I'm heading back to the Texas Hill Country later this week for a few days of landscape and nature photography. It's going to be hot with the daily highs hovering around 102F, so I'll probably stick to shooting during the "golden hours" during sunrise and sunset.

Curves - Pedernales Falls State Park, Texas
Copyright 2009 Jeff Lynch Photography
Shot taken with a Canon EOS 40D set on aperture priority (Av) using an EF 24-105mm f/4 L IS USM tripod-mounted. The exposure was taken at 95mm, f/16 for 1.6 seconds using a Singh-Ray Vari-ND neutral density filter. Shot at ISO 100 on Sandisk digital film and post capture processed in Lightroom 2 and Photoshop CS4. Click on the image above for a larger version.

Posted in Photography Tagged: Canon, Canon 40D, Landscape Photography, Pedernales Falls State Park, Texas Landscapes

Landscape Photography – Sam Rayburn Reservoir

I thought I'd post a Google Map just in case you're wondering exactly where I took these next two images. I realize that these don't look the way folks expect Texas to look but it's real. East Texas is covered in lush pine forests with several beautiful rivers running through the area. It's completely different geology and geography from the areas of central Texas I've previously shown you.

Sam Rayburn Reservoir - Angelina National Forest, Texas
Copyright 2009 Jeff Lynch Photography
Shot taken with a Canon EOS 40D set on aperture priority (Av) using an EF 24-105mm f/4 L IS USM tripod-mounted. The exposure was taken at 28mm, f/9 for 1/60th of a second at ISO 100 on Sandisk digital film. Post capture processed in Lightroom 2 and Photoshop CS4. Click on the image above for a larger version.

Sam Rayburn Reservoir - Angelina National Forest, Texas
Copyright 2009 Jeff Lynch Photography
Shot taken with a Canon EOS 40D set on aperture priority (Av) using an EF 24-105mm f/4 L IS USM tripod-mounted. The exposure was taken at 32mm, f/20 for 6 seconds using a Singh-Ray 3-Stop/Soft graduated neutral density filter. Shot at ISO 100 on Sandisk digital film and post capture processed in Lightroom 2 and Photoshop CS4. Click on the image above for a larger version.

View Larger Map

Google Map of the Angelina National Forest and the Sam Rayburn Reservoir in East Texas.

Posted in Photography Tagged: Angelina National Forest, Canon, Canon 40D, Landscape Photography, Texas Landscapes

Landscape Photography – Boykin Springs

Hey folks! Just a real quick post and update as I head out to the Texas Hill Country for a little commercial and landscape work. I took this image at Boykin Springs in the Angelina National Forest last weekend. It was a pretty windy day and I wanted to see what effect the moving clouds and ripples in the water would have on a long (4 second) exposure.

Poster & Print Update
I expect to have my first three 16 x 24 posters available for sale early next week on the "Prints & Posters" page on this blog. Each poster will be printed on Kodak Professional Supra Endura VC Digital Paper which boasts superb color reproduction and a standard archival value of 100 years in home display and 200 years in dark storage. Most orders will ship in 48 hours. All posters will be shipped flat in a very secure padded cardboard container to protect your poster during transport. To keep things simple there is a flat shipping charge regardless of the number of posters ordered.

If you would like to order a fine art print of any image posted on my blog, please contact me via the "Contact" page on this blog and I'll send you a price list to look over.

Boykin Springs - Angelina National Forest, Texas
Copyright 2009 Jeff Lynch Photography
Shot taken with a Canon EOS 40D set on aperture priority (Av) using an EF 24-105mm f/4 L IS USM tripod-mounted. The exposure was taken at 24mm, f/18 for 4 seconds using a Singh-Ray Vari-ND neutral density filter. Shot at ISO 100 on Sandisk digital film and post capture processed in Lightroom 2 and Photoshop CS4. Click on the image above for a larger version.

Posted in Photography Tagged: Angelina National Forest, Canon, Canon 40D, Landscape Photography, Texas Landscapes

No Post Friday!

Hey folks! No daily post today since I'm out traveling to central Texas for some landscape and commercial work. Enjoy the Worldwide PhotoWalk on Saturday! I'll be there in spirit if not in the flesh.

Have a great weekend.

Jeff

Posted in Photography

Landscape Photography – Sunset on the Rocks

I had a great time photographing the sunset at the Pedernales Falls State Park near Johnson City, Texas on Friday evening. I arrived about an hour before sunset and had plenty of time to hike the falls and find a good spot or two. Unfortunately, the drought in central Texas continues and there was very little water flow running between the huge granite boulders and rock shelves. Only a few still pools of water to catch the sun's final rays and provide me with a nice reflection to capture. When the water level is this low you can see millions of years of sedimentation in the granite. It's humbling to sit there and imagine the water flow that it took to carve these rocks into their unique shapes.

Sunset on the Rocks- Johnson City, Texas
Copyright 2009 Jeff Lynch Photography
Shot taken with a Canon EOS 50D set on aperture priority (Av) using an EF 24-105mm f/4 L IS USM tripod-mounted. The exposure was taken at 73mm, f/13 for 1/13th of a second at ISO 100 on Lexar digital film and post capture processed in Lightroom 2 and Photoshop CS4. Click on the image above for a larger version.

Posted in Photography Tagged: Canon, Canon 50D, Landscape Photography, Pedernales Falls State Park

Prints & Posters

It took me a while to figure all this PayPal stuff out but I now have posters and prints available for sale on this blog!

Each poster will be printed on Kodak Professional Supra Endura VC Digital Paper which boasts superb color reproduction and a standard archival value of 100 years in home display and 200 years in dark storage. Most orders will ship in 48 hours. All posters will be shipped flat in a very secure padded cardboard container to protect your poster during transport. To keep things simple there is a flat shipping charge regardless of the number of posters ordered.

If you would like to order a fine art print or poster of any image posted on my blog, please contact me via the "Contact" page on this blog and I'll send you a price list to look over.

Thanks for all your support!

Jeff

Posted in Photography Tagged: Posters and Prints

Landscape Photography – More Neutral Density Filter Magic

Remember the days before Photoshop? When the photographer used his skill and experience to capture an image even though the scene was far beyond the film's dynamic range? When "post" (post capture processing) meant pushing or pulling during film development or dodging and burning during enlargement? When a graduated neutral density filter could span the four or five stop difference between the foreground and the sky? When the photographer spent hour after glorious hour behind the camera, trying out different color filters, different speed film stock and different exposure combinations in his or her quest for a decent image?

In some ways I miss those days and find myself now spending more and more time trying to get back to my photographic roots. No, I don't miss the cost, mess and hassle of film development and darkroom work, but I do miss the time spent behind the camera working on various techniques to perfect my craft. These days I seem to spend four hours in Lightroom and Photoshop for every hour behind the camera. I'll be the first to admit it. I love digital imagery but not the tedium of post capture processing. Sorting and keywording is obviously important but boring beyond belief. Processing RAW files into finished JPEGs is more interesting but after a while, even the allure of CS4 begins to fade.

Take this image for example. I could have spent hours using various Lightroom/Photoshop techniques creating an acceptable image from a RAW file where the dynamic range of the scene far exceeded my camera's capabilities. Yes, I could have bracketed three to seven exposures and blended these into an HDR image in Photomatix. Or I could employ a simple 4-stop, soft, graduated neutral density filter to tame this scene's dynamic range to show the incredible cloud cover over these rolling hills in central Texas on a hot July afternoon. It took me four or five exposures before I got the image I wanted "in camera", but the resultant RAW file took only seconds to process in Lightroom before the scene looked as I remembered it.

Here's the important part! I enjoyed creating this image "in camera" much more than I usually do with images I have to "fix" in Lightroom or Photoshop. It took longer to capture this image but far less time to post process and for me, the enjoyment of photography is being behind the camera looking through the viewfinder.

Clouds Over Packsaddle Mountain - Kingsland, Texas
Copyright 2009 Jeff Lynch Photography
Shot taken with a Canon EOS 50D set on aperture priority (Av) using an EF 24-105mm f/4 L IS USM tripod-mounted. The exposure was taken at 47mm, f/11 for 1/200th of a second using a Singh-Ray 4-Stop/Soft graduated neutral density filter. Shot at ISO 100 on Sandisk digital film and post capture processed in Lightroom 2. Click on the image above for a larger version.

Posted in Photography Tagged: Canon, Canon 50D, Landscape Photography, Texas Landscapes

Texas Autumn Landscape Safari

I'm putting together the final schedule for the Texas Landscape Safari that will take place in the Texas Hill Country this fall when the colors begin to change. I should have the schedule finalized within the next few weeks and the participant worksheet posted on this blog at that time. The plan right now is to shoot at the following state parks and key locations during the four day workshop.

• Colorado Bend State Park in Bend, Texas
• Longhorn Cavern State Park in Burnet, Texas
• Packsaddle Mountain near Kingsland, Texas
• Enchanted Rock State Natural Area near Fredericksburg, Texas
• Pedernales Falls State Park in Johnson City, Texas
• McKinney Falls State Park in Austin, Texas

I'll have lots more information posted in the nest few weeks but one thing to keep in mind is that most of the best locations will require some hiking over terrain like this. A good pair of hiking shoes and strong back may be required! But hey, if an old fart like me can do it, so can you!

Rough Trail - Bend, Texas
Copyright 2009 Jeff Lynch Photography
Shot taken with a Canon EOS 40D set on aperture priority (Av) using an EF 24-105mm f/4 L IS USM hand-held. The exposure was taken at 28mm, f/8 for 1/15th of a second at ISO 100 on Sandisk digital film and post capture processed in Lightroom 2. Click on the image above for a larger version.

Posted in Photography Tagged: Canon, Canon 40D, Colorado Bend State Park, Texas Landscapes

Texas Landscape Safari – Gorman Falls

Here is one of the incredible sights you can expect to photograph if you decide to join me on this fall's Texas Landscape Safari. The beauty of Gorman Falls in the Colorado Bend State Park near Lampasas, Texas is truly unmatched in all the Texas Hill Country. It's like climbing down a steep Texas gorge into a tropical rain forest. Unexpected and wonderful!

Moss & Rocks - Gorman Falls, Texas
Copyright 2009 Jeff Lynch Photography
Shot taken with a Canon EOS 40D set on aperture priority (Av) using an EF 24-105mm f/4 L IS USM tripod-mounted. The exposure was taken at 105mm, f/8 for 1/15th of a second at ISO 100 on Sandisk digital film and post capture processed in Lightroom 2. Click on the image above for a larger version.

Posted in Photography Tagged: Colorado Bend State Park, Landscape Photography, Texas Landscapes

Texas Landscape Safari – Hill Country Drive

Here is another of the incredible sights you can expect to photograph if you decide to join me on this fall's Texas Landscape Safari. The area just northwest of Austin, Texas covers some of the beautiful and picturesque scenery in the state. From this lookout at the Inks Lake State Park you can follow the Colorado river all the way north from Inks Lake to the Buchanan Dam. In October, the air should be crisp and clear providing a wonderful opportunity to capture some beautiful landscape images. Come and join me for a Hill Country drive during the Texas Landscape Safari this fall.

Hill Country Drive - Burnet, Texas
Copyright 2009 Jeff Lynch Photography
Shot taken with a Canon EOS 50D set on aperture priority (Av) using an EF 24-105mm f/4 L IS USM tripod-mounted. The exposure was taken at 50mm, f/11 for 1/50th of a second at ISO 100 on Lexar Professional digital film and post capture processed in Lightroom 2. Click on the image above for a larger version.

Posted in Photography Tagged: Canon, Canon 50D, Inks Lake State Park, Texas Landscape Safari, Texas Landscapes

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