Wet leaves

“The camera for an artist is just another tool. It is no more mechanical than a violin if you analyze it. Beyond the rudiments, it is up to the artist to create art, not the camera”. -Brett Weston

The Shawangunks have been a part of my outdoor experience for many years, beginning over 15 years ago when I first started mountain biking on the wonderful carriage trails of Minnewaska State Park and the Mohonk Preserve. Both are now one of my favorite landscape locations, and I was recently asked by the Mohonk Preserve if I would be willing to donate a print for their 2008 Benefit Auction. “Storm Clouds Over Mohonk” was the image they specifically suggested, and I was more than happy to donate a 19×32 matted and framed original. It is continually one of my best sellers at art shows, and always elicits positive comments from locals who know the area well. I don’t think I could have made this image without my own familiarity of the nature and character of the “Gunks” as it is often called.

The auction finally took place this past Saturday June 21, and the print was auctioned off for $1,200. This is much more than I expected, and I’m very happy that it will help to protect and preserve a wonderful location that inspires me each time I visit. The opportunity to have a positive effect with my photography is both humbling and tremendously satisfying, especially when the results go beyond any monetary value. If you’ve never visited the Shawangunks, I highly recommend a visit where you can enjoy wonderful hiking, biking, wildlife, and beautiful scenery just 90 minutes north of NYC - a real treasure.

Esopus Meadows Sunrise

I’ve been spending some time at Esopus Meadows lately working on a major project for Scenic Hudson. While this image does not really fit within the guidelines of the assignment, I could not ignore the wonderful contrast between color, texture, and detail that I constantly search for in a scene.

I’ll talk more about this special project in the next post…

Shaupeneak Ridge, Hudson Valley

This image was made by combining several exposures (5 total) into an HDR image. It was the only way I was able to capture the extreme dynamic range found between the bright sky and relatively dark foreground. I was literally running around this field trying to find an interesting composition before the amazing sky disappeared.

I will be talking more about HDR imaging in an upcoming article, and will be including it in a future workshop covering advanced techniques in Lightroom and Photoshop.

What I love most about the Hudson is the endless possibilities for interpretation. Regardless of how often I return to a favorite spot, there is always something new to learn, see, and understand.

Had a great time at the free workshop I gave for Scenic Hudson this weekend. It was extremely hot and humid, but there was a good turnout, and I gave a short talk about landscape photography and answered lots of good and interesting questions. I also met many of Scenic Hudson’s employees, as well as president Ned Sullivan, and they are truly dedicated to their mission, as well as being a wonderful group of people. We even enjoyed a movie under the stars…here are some photos…

The June 2008 Print of the Month is titled “Lost City Dawn” which I made at the Mohonk Preserve in New York. I visit Mohonk and neighboring Minnewaska State Park quite frequently as it is only 30 minutes from my home and offers some fantastic opportunities for landscape and nature photography. This particular spot is a 30 minute hike from the parking area, and with sunrise approaching 5:30AM, I had an early start that day.

Although I am familiar with this area, I didn’t have a specific composition in mind, and decided to improvise with whatever conditions nature provided to work with. This is sometimes risky during sunrise, since you can find yourself searching for something interesting and not being ready for the best light. This is exactly what happened to me, and I found myself at a loss and thinking I would have to wait for a better day. But I was attracted to this particular tree and small pockets of water that held some nice reflections of the blue sky and clouds overhead. The combination of all of the elements gave me a sense of harmony, a feeling I’ve learned to trust.

The problem now was dymanic range (the range of values between light and dark areas) which by now was too great for my camera. I quickly decided to make several exposures and try and make an HDR version in post-processing. I waited for the sun to barely peak above the clouds on the horizon, and made 5 exposures separated by about 2/3 stops each. This allowed me to capture the darkest parts of the scene as well as the highlights in the sky which would never have been possible with a single exposure.

For those not familiar with HDRI, short for high dynamic range imaging, is is a process whereby multiple images taken at different exposures are combined in software to accurately represent the entire range of highlights and shadows found in a scene. Much of the hdr images being created today have a tendency to look too artificial and surreal to me, and lacking in real expressiveness. I prefer to make images that are more based in reality and use it as a tool to help me in situations where the human eye can see the entire range of a scene but the camera can not. I will be writing more on HDR imaging and the techniques and software that I use.

This image captured what I felt and saw on this rock outcropping that morning, a moment without thoughts, preoccupations, problems, or any of the other baggage we carry around in our heads on a constant basis. Just a moment of being alive with my surroundings.