Once in a lifetime Experience - Capturing the Solar Eclipse

The solar eclipse at 100% totality.    1/60s * f/6.3 * ISO 100* 200mm — The solar eclipse at 100% totality. 1/60s * f/6.3 * ISO 100* 200mm

Solar eclipses don't come around all that often but on August 21st 2017, I was only 3.5 hours away from experiencing an event I will never forget!

A good friend and I set out early in the morning and made our way to Arthur Nebraska to capture this once in a lifetime event. About half way there, we encountered a significant amount of fog and I began to have some doubts. With the way conditions were, I didn't think we would get anything and if cloud cover was bad, we would end up capturing Lake McConaughy and just leaving it at that.

Once we arrived in Ogallala Nebraska, we were greeted with partly cloudy skies and we faced a bit of a dilemma. Do we stay the course and go to Arthur Nebraska or do we take a chance and just head to North Platte? Both cities were in the path of totality and weather reports had indicated that both cities would have partly cloudy skies. Given the weather conditions, it was a toss up so we decided that we would just stay the course and head to Arthur.

As we made our way towards Arthur Nebraska, we encountered traffic which slowly got worse and worse the closer we got. About a mile away from Arthur, we parked at Crusty's Feed Shop and setup. Given the significance of the solar eclipse, there were a lot of people there who wanted to witness it firsthand so we were definitely not short on company.

We weren't the only ones here and many had the same plans as us.  1/400s * f/8 * ISO 100 * 200mm — We weren't the only ones here and many had the same plans as us. 1/400s * f/8 * ISO 100 * 200mm

As the solar eclipse began, I started to notice the temperature drop and the light surrounding us became more and more ominous as it progressed. Many others were able to capture the progression of the eclipse with their cameras since they had solar filters on their lenses. I did not have a solar filter and I was fine just capturing totality and the quintessential "me too" shot of the diamond. As the eclipse progressed, the skies cleared up and you could definitely feel the temperature drop. It felt like sunset all around us. As we inched closer and closer to totality, a puffy cloud rolled in and covered the sun. Luckily, it wasn't a thick cloud so it gave me the opportunity to shoot the "crescent" through the cloud without a filter so I lucked out in that regard.

A cloud hovering over the eclipse just before totality which allowed me to capture this without the use of a solar filter.  1/500s * f/6.3 * ISO 100 * 200mm — A cloud hovering over the eclipse just before totality which allowed me to capture this without the use of a solar filter. 1/500s * f/6.3 * ISO 100 * 200mm

Then totality hit and the sky went dark as if it was early dawn. You could see stars in the sky and it was an eerie feeling seeing the darkness mid day. After (2) minutes of being in twilight, the light from the sun began to shine and the temperature began to rise. It was all over. After witnessing a solar eclipse first hand, it was truly a phenomenal experience and I'm glad I was able to come home with some decent shots.

A wide angle shot of the eclipse after totality.  (7) bracket HDR *f/5.6 * ISO 400 * 26mm — A wide angle shot of the eclipse after totality. (7) bracket HDR *f/5.6 * ISO 400 * 26mm

Looking back at the experience, I only have one regret. I wish I would have taken a few moments to take it all in instead of focusing all my energy in getting good shots. Lesson learned and perhaps in 7 years, I will make the trip out to Texas and take the "photography hat" off and just enjoy it like everyone else.

The "diamond ring" just after totality.  1/100s * f/8 * ISO 100 * 200mm — The "diamond ring" just after totality. 1/100s * f/8 * ISO 100 * 200mm

A Trip to the City of Angels

I don't often get the opportunity to travel much to shoot outside the state of Colorado but when I do, I make sure I take advantage of it and shoot as much as I can. This year, my family took a trip out to Los Angeles to celebrate the holidays with family and friends and I was fortunate enough to have the opportunity to shoot with fellow photographers in the Arcanum. I was really excited for this trip as this was the first time since 2011 that I got a chance to visit since we moved from LA

While in LA, our family friends Andrea and Silverio offered us a place to stay for a few days and after we all got settled in, I was able to link up with a Lisa, a fellow member of the Arcanum and we planned on getting some sunset shots of Santa Monica Pier. Given that I had part of the morning and early afternoon with not much to do, I went down to LA Union Station to kill some time and shoot before Lisa picked me up to shoot Santa Monica.

Day 1: Union Station and Santa Monica Pier

Union Station is just filled with interesting things and to me, it looks like it is trapped in 1940s with a special nostalgic feel to it. While at the station, I tried to do some HDR work to get some of the architectural details of the station and not even 30 seconds after I setup my tripod, I was quickly told by security that I was unable to use a tripod while indoors. Not a big deal and just shot hand held while I awaited Lisa to pick me up.

Union Station is a good place to photograph and has a very nice 1940s feel to it

After getting an ample amount of photos from the Union Station, Lisa finally arrived and we set out to shoot Santa Monica pier. Lisa is a smart cookie when it comes to photoshop and she has helped me quite a bit in regards to making my workflow more efficient while improving the quality of my work. It was great opportunity getting a chance to shoot with Lisa while picking her brain on her various shooting techniques!

Once we arrived at the Santa Monica pier, we had an hour or so before sunset and to kill the time, we shot around the pier. We shot a bit of street while on the pier and afterwards, we went underneath the pier to get some good shots of the pylons with the waves crashing into them. As one would expect, it was misty underneath the pier but it was well worth the effort as I came out of there with a few compelling shots using a 10-stop ND filter that I picked up prior to the trip.

Underneath the Santa Monica pier using a 10-stop ND filter.

My friend Lisa getting into the shot as the sun began to set

As it got closer to sunset, we made our way towards the beach and setup to get some sunset shots and thankfully, we were not disappointed at all! The sky was very colorful and we got a lot of great shots. We also got really wet in the process and coupled with the ocean breeze and mild temperatures, we got pretty cold and enjoyed a nice dinner at Bubba Gump's at the pier to cap off the night.

Sunset on the Santa Monica Pier. The sky was just crazy awesome and we definitely lucked out!

Day 2: Downtown LA and Rodeo Drive

The next evening, Lisa picked me up and showed me this really awesome spot to shoot the LA skyline. While we were there, we met up with Caleb who is another member of the Arcanum and we shot the skyline until the fog began to roll in and cover up some of the skyscrapers. While shooting, the sky had looked rather ominous and it almost appeared that the sky was half cool and half warm. Not sure what may have caused that but I am willing to bet that it was a combination of the lights on the buildings coupled with that LA pollution. Whatever the case, I loved the effect and came out with some great photos.

After the fog covered up some of the skyscrapers, we went down to Rodeo Drive to shoot for a bit. During the trip there, it began to sprinkle and once we arrived at Rodeo Drive, it was definitely raining. It wasn't raining too hard while we were there but it rained enough to the point where it got rather annoying as I kept getting water drops on my lens. I worked around that by cleaning the front element of my lens from time to time and shooting wide open or close to wide open to prevent the water drops from showing up on my photos. I figured since I was shooting at 16mm to 20mm, f/4 to f/5.6 would give me just enough depth of field without the water drops showing too much if at all.

Christmas on Rodeo Drive.  I think its best for me to visit a place like this at night since I can't afford to buy anything here.  Too rich for my blood... — Christmas on Rodeo Drive. I think its best for me to visit a place like this at night since I can't afford to buy anything here. Too rich for my blood...

The rain finally increased to the point where we were getting soaked and we pretty much called it a night after that. I had a real good time shooting with Caleb and Lisa from the Arcanum and I am especially thankful for them showing me around Los Angeles. Both Caleb and Lisa are both very talented photographers and if you are interested in seeing some of their work, below are links to there websites and portfolios:

See Lisa Speakman's work HERE

See Caleb Asch's work HERE

Day 3: Family and friends photos on the Beach

Since this was a family vacation, it was only fitting that I capture various moments of my family enjoying the beach. When I shoot photos of my family, I don't care much for shooting posed photos since they look too "staged" for me and prefer capturing them enjoying everyday moments and prefer the natural feel. My son loved the beach and he had such a great time playing in the sand and in the water!

Wife and son enjoying the setting sun in Santa Monica.  The light was fantastic which made for a wonderful scene — Wife and son enjoying the setting sun in Santa Monica. The light was fantastic which made for a wonderful scene

What a great trip!

I don't always take selfies but when I do, I do it with a DSLR.  Good times! — I don't always take selfies but when I do, I do it with a DSLR. Good times!

We enjoyed our time here in LA and I wanted to give special thanks to Andrea and Silverio for providing great hospitality during our stay. We had such a good time hanging out and if you ever need a place to stay while in Colorado, your always welcome.

Thanks Andrea and Silverio for letting us stay at your place!

I also wanted to mention that the photos you see here were processed using some of the techniques I learned in the Arcanum. The Arcanum is a great place to hone your photography skills and highly suggest you check them out HERE if you want to take your photography to the next level. I have learned so much from this community and what makes this so special is that everyone is willing to help you achieve your artistic goals. Come join me in the Arcanum as it is truly a blessing being a part of this group - House Lightbender Strong!

Photo of the Day - Sunrise at Waterton Canyon

Not the best skies this morning but you work with what you got..

This morning I decided to go out with a friend of mine to Waterton Canyon to see if we can get some nice sunrise shots and also get some wildlife work in. Like the days before this one, the skies did not have any clouds and today was no different. After hiking a mile or so into the canyon, we decided to climb up a hill in hopes of catching the alpenglow to the west of us. After getting some of shots of the glowing mountains, I looked to the left and noticed this really old tree that I thought looked rather interesting.

I would have liked to have clouds in the sky to make it more dramatic but mother nature would have it otherwise and like most things in life, you work with what you got and in photography, it's no different. When I processed this photo, I wanted to give it an "aged" look and the way I accomplished that was by overlaying a texture over the original photo and tweaking it just a bit until I got look I wanted. Normally I do not add textures to my landscapes but as of recently, I have been experimenting with this technique just to see what I can come up with.

After climbing up this hill, I realized that I am a bit out of shape.  A little less beer and a little more exercise is definitely in order. (7) bracket HDR * 1/1000 * f/13 * ISO 800 * 16mm — After climbing up this hill, I realized that I am a bit out of shape. A little less beer and a little more exercise is definitely in order.
(7) bracket HDR * 1/1000 * f/13 * ISO 800 * 16mm

Photo of the Day - 20 Mile House

Reprocessing Old Photos - Photo 1 of 5

As many of you know, I am currently in a photography mentoring program called "The Arcanum" and one of the level requirements that I have is that I have to reprocess a photo that I took during my foundation levels and apply everything I learned up to this point either by using new post processing techniques or taking a new photo of the same subject.

20 Mile House (version 1)  * 5-Bracket HDR * f/22 * ISO 400 * 24mm 5/25/14 — 20 Mile House (version 1) * 5-Bracket HDR * f/22 * ISO 400 * 24mm 5/25/14

The photo you see here was in my first photographic critique and my mentor at the time had indicated to me that although the processing was nice, he had suggested that I re-shoot this as he felt that there was another shot to be had. Looking at this now, with a much improved eye, I can see that there are a few distracting elements in the photo such as the trashcan in the background as well as some minor bits and pieces on the pathway that could use some "tidying up". The tree branches on the left of the frame are also a bit distracting but the major thing that I noticed was that the greens in the bush almost look a bit "toxic"

I agreed with my previous mentor that compositionally, there was another shot to be had and after looking through all the photos I had during this shoot, I found something that worked for me that I think is better compositionally with less distracting bits:

20 Mile House (version 2)  * 5-Bracket HDR * f/9 * ISO 100 * 24mm 5/25/14 — 20 Mile House (version 2) * 5-Bracket HDR * f/9 * ISO 100 * 24mm 5/25/14

I decided that I wanted to go with a square crop on this improved version since I felt that the portions outside the photo didn't really add anything to the subject and the added benefit was that I was able to remove distracting elements. I also toned down the greens just a bit so that they looked more realistic and less toxic. Contrast was also added to the house to give it a little more "pop". Going through this exercise, I have realized that my eye now vs a year ago, has really improved a lot and now, I tend to be more critical of my work. I still have (4) more of these left to do so stay tuned for the remainders.

Photo of the Day - Passenger

So much for the 6 inches of snow....

For a period of time, I was taking my camera everywhere I went and would run the same lens for a few weeks at a time so I could focus more on just "getting the shot" and not worry about gear so much. As an added benefit of just shooting primes during this period, I got to the point now where I can look at any given scene and visualize what it would look like at any particular focal length. This has helped me a lot with composition and if you have primes in your camera bag, I suggest you run just one prime lens for a week (or more) so that you can really understand the lens inside and out. Also, try to shoot everything from portraits to landscapes and see what kind of interesting compositions you can come up with. It's a very good exercise and I think you will benefit greatly from it.

I was on my way home from work and had my camera equipped with a 50mm prime lens to get this fleeting scene of a passenger getting ready to board the light rail.  I shot exclusively at 50mm for a month to get a better understanding of how the l… — I was on my way home from work and had my camera equipped with a 50mm prime lens to get this fleeting scene of a passenger getting ready to board the light rail. I shot exclusively at 50mm for a month to get a better understanding of how the lens handled as well as what situations it would be best suited for. What I learned is that the 50mm focal length was quite versatile and could be used in a variety of situations which is probably the reason why this focal length is popular.
1/50 * f/6.3 * ISO 200 * 50mm

Photo of the Day - Winter's First Daylight

Almost the start of the snow season

It has been raining for a better part of the afternoon today and the forecasters are saying that we are expected to possibly receive up to 6 inches of snow by the end of tomorrow. Since we are going to see snow tonight, I figured I would post a nice wintery scene from Castlewood Canyon State Park.

Hope you all enjoy and I expect that the winter this year will be a bad one. I could be wrong though ;-)

When I took this photo, it was very cold.  So cold in fact that not even five minutes of being out here, my camelback tube had frozen solid(5) bracket HDR * f/13 * ISO 100 * 16mm — When I took this photo, it was very cold. So cold in fact that not even five minutes of being out here, my camelback tube had frozen solid
(5) bracket HDR * f/13 * ISO 100 * 16mm

Photo of the Day - Sunrise at Slemmer Barn

Waking up early has it's benefits..

With a full time job, photography, and a 2 year old running around the house, I don't get as much sleep as I should but after shooting this wonderful sunrise at Slemmer Barn, I think I need to shoot more sunrises. To me, the light seems just a bit different in the mornings and coupled with the fact that the days are getting shorter, I am less likely to capture sunsets given my current work schedule and family life. For the fall and winter months, expect to see more sunrise photos. Hope you all enjoy!

Coupled with the rising sun and the cloud cover, it really made for a colorful morning.(5) bracket HDR 16mm@f/5.6 ISO 400 — Coupled with the rising sun and the cloud cover, it really made for a colorful morning.
(5) bracket HDR 16mm@f/5.6 ISO 400

Been Busy but for Good Reason!

OK IM BACK!

REALLY

I AM ;-)

When I first started this blog, I had every intent of keeping this updated periodically with my photographic experiences with the added side benefit of improving my writing skills. As with many excuses for not doing things, I have actually been quite busy but for good reason.

As many of you know, I have recently been picked to be a part of The Arcanum ( http://www.thearcanum.com ) which is based on learning art the "old way" using a Master/Apprentice learning method. I actually had heard about this a year ago and signed up for it when it first rolled out. A month ago today, I finally got accepted by my Master John Arnold ( http://www.photowalkthrough.com ) to be part of his cohort so I figured since I've had a month being in the Arcanum, it would be a perfect time to update the blog.

My month so far in The Arcanum has been truly an eye opening experience from a photography perspective and I am very thankful for being a part of it! I have learned so much in 1 month than I ever had on my own and the best part of it all is that I have learned mostly from my peers. I think the one differentiating factor in this program that has made it so successful for me is the whole community aspect of it all. All of us in the cohort all have the same goal - which is to become better photographers and to take our artistic skills to a new level. The Master plays more of a facilitator role in it all and his main purposes is to guide us in finding direction with our art. The community is close knit and I talk/converse with my fellow members all the time and to be honest, I am starting to get attached to them. It's almost like a second family.

The feedback/advice that I have received from my cohort along with my master has proven to be invaluable and after (1) month, I see noticeable improvement in my work. I am actually at the cusp of reaching a major milestone which is getting my first official critique from my Master and fellow cohort members this Thursday 2/26. I will be graded/critiqued on 5 of my best photos so I will make sure that I update the blog with the results. Im pretty excited about it!

Now that I have found a nice group of photographers online to share my experience with, I think its also important to shoot with other photographers as well. I have spent some time hanging out with a good friend of mine Jenn ( http://www.wildflowerstudiodenver.com ) and recently, we shot a wedding together which was very fun but also quite stressful as well. All in all, we had a good time and I think we did a great job in capturing the event! We have another wedding lined up this September so things are moving along quite nicely and I highly recommend you check out her website since her portrait work rocks!

So as mentioned, I have been quite busy - but for a good reason. I still intend to get this updated at a faster rate than I have been so thanks to all who have stuck around thus far!

P.S I am always posting online via 500px and twitter so make sure to check the "Whats New" section of the site for the latest and greatest!

John