Tags
arches aspens balloons barn boat california clouds color deer valley desert dubrovnik fall fall color faves fog forest fun golden gate hayward hdr idaho kids moab mountains nature night oregon park city People rainbow redrock san francisco scenic sea sky snow sunrise sunset travel trees utah waves weather winter wisconsinArchives
- March 2013
- February 2013
- December 2012
- November 2012
- October 2012
- August 2012
- June 2012
- May 2012
- April 2012
- February 2012
- December 2011
- November 2011
- October 2011
- September 2011
- August 2011
- July 2011
- June 2011
- May 2011
- April 2011
- February 2011
- January 2011
- December 2010
- October 2010
- September 2010
- August 2010
- July 2010
- June 2010
- May 2010
- October 2009
- August 2009
- May 2009
- April 2009
- March 2009
- October 2008
- August 2008
- May 2008
Tag Archives: sunrise
2012 Faves: Desert Towers
I love wandering around Arches National Park. As many times as I’ve been there, I continue to find new places and photographic angles. This past May I was out one morning for sunrise and decided to hike back behind the Courthouse Towers. What a completely different world!
It’s a short hike but a challenge to stay on rock and not damage the soil. Once back there, the entire desert opened onto a slickrock bowl with this wonderful bank of pristine desert sand stretching up to the base of the towers. It was completely aglow in the morning light, with wavy, rippling patterns formed by the wind.
This image is one of my favorites of the year, captured on a tripod with my Nikon D300 and Nikkor 10-24mm lens at about 12mm. Exposure at ISO 200 was 1/50th at f25.
This image is one of my favorites for 2012. You can checkout more on my Flickr Photostream.
Morning on the Seine
Our last morning in Paris and I hope to find just one more memorable photograph. In the pre-dawn hours I grabbed a Velib bicycle and cruised down along the Seine. It was much quieter than it had been just a few hours earlier.
It was not a brilliant morning. Grey clouds blocked much of the sun. But as I rode past the Pont de l’Archevêché and looked back at Notre Dame, I was struck with the pastels in the sky and just a glint of dawn light touching the cathedral.
I made a few initial photographs with the D300 and super wide Nikkor 10mm before switching to the D700 at about 24mm on the zoom. I propped the camera up as best I could on a railing for stability, with no tripod available.
It was okay, I though, and rode away.
Just a few days later I brought the image into Photoshop and saw just how wonderful the light had been. Beautiful pastel skies with grey morning clouds whisping over Paris. Very little direct light but the splash on the east side of the cathedral really helped to make the photograph work.
It was a great way to end a weekend in Paris, spending a morning on the Seine. (c) 2012 Tom Kelly
2011 TOP 10 #7 – Birds on the Silos
I love barns. What photographer doesn’t? Barns are prolific in my home state of Wisconsin. So when I’m back there, I love cruising the rolling hills at sunrise searching for a great photograph.
I had spotted this particular farm several days earlier. I made several sunrise trips up there with no success. This particular morning, the shoot was going well with a magical sky and mystical light. But as I photographed the red barn, I noticed all the birds resting on a silo. I immediately changed the shot … and waited.
With camera on tripod (brand new Nikon D700 with Nikkor 70-300mm zoom), I waited. And I waited. Suddenly, the birds flew. The sun reflected off them against the darkened western sky. And the magic of the early morning light through the clouds painted a colorful picture on the silos.
It wasn’t what I came for, but it was a fantastic result and one of my favorite photographs of 2011.
2011 TOP 10 #8 – Lake Owen Boat House
One of my most enjoyable memories of 2011 were the days spent aboard the pontoon on Lake Owen with Bill and Ralph, my guides as I photographed for a pictorial book on the Northern Wisconsin Lake. This particular photograph became my favorite from the moment we turned into this bay one August morning.
Lake Owen has an amazing history, originally settled during the logging boom of the late 19th century. Top to bottom it measures nearly 12 miles with over 1,300 acres.
While I have much background in the Cable Lakes region, I had not spent much time on Lake Owen (other than living in a non-winterized cabin the winter of 1977-78). So as we cruised the bays and channels, I was in constant awe of the scenery.
We were blessed with perfect shooting conditions each day. Making images from a pontoon boat isn’t the most stable, but a tripod, calm waters and good boatsmanship from Captain Bill made it all worthwhile.
Most of the boathouses on the lake date back 50 more years. And with present regulations, you can’t build, remodel or substantively repair the existing structures. At some point in the foreseeable future, they will go away. That will be a sad day.
This particular boathouse struck me for its vivid red with green trim, reflected in the calm sunrise mornings.
The image was made with a Nikon D300 fitted with a Nikkor 70-300 zoom on a Manfrotto tripod.
Clouds Over the Courthouse
Early mornings in the desert are a special time. What’s even more special is when there’s puffy clouds floating against the blue western sky. Such was the case this past May during the Moab Photo Symposium in Courthouse Wash of Arches National Park.
It was a lazy morning. A day earlier I had driven in the pre-dawn hour to be in place at Mesa Arch. Today was going to be a bit easier. My favorite morning spot in Arches has always been Turret Arch through the North Window. But as I drove up the switchbacks as the pre-dawn light was tickling the sky, I could see I was in for a treat.
The clouds were racing across the sky, high enough to not block the sun as it crept up over the eastern horizon. The speed of the clouds diminished the opportunity for an HDR. But it wasn’t necessary.
As dawn broke, the clouds initially blocked the sun. But it looked hopeful, so I setup. Then – boom – the skies broke, the sunlight painted Courthouse Tower, and the puffy cumulous clouds literally flew across the sky.
No, it’s not an HDR. But the combination of white clouds against a deep blue sky and the brilliant redrock of Courthouse Towers made it a photograph to remember.
Mountain Morning Light
[singlepic id=19 w=600 h= float=center]
There is nothing more breathtaking than morning light hitting a snow-capped mountain. This was one of those mornings to just take a break from the hustle-bustle of the opening race of the Audi FIS Alpine World Cup to just look around at the panoramic beauty of Austria’s Tyrolean Alps. The press center at the Soelden World Cup is the most scenic of any sport, anywhere in the world. High up on the Rettenbach Glacier, you can look down into the valley and pillows of fog, or scan the panorama to see glacial ice and snow bathed in low angle light.
Colorado River Sunrise
[singlepic id=28 w=600 h= float=]
Redrock glows at sunrise as the Colorado River winds its way below Dead Horse State Park towards the confluence with the Green River. (c) 2009 Tom Kelly
Golden Gate Sunrise
[singlepic id=30 w=600 h= float=]
Golden Gate Sunrise
The sun rises over San Francisco’s Golden Gate Bridge.
Colorado River Sunrise
Redrock glows at sunrise as the Colorado River winds its way below Dead Horse State Park towards the confluence with the Green River. (c) 2009 Tom Kelly
Follow Me
Follow Us!