Path to God: Panasonic GF-1, Panasonic 7-14mm f/4

I have been in Tucson for the past week working with the American Board of Radiology (ABR) to develop some exam questions.  Cindy and I arrived a few days early to photograph Saguaro National Park and the surrounding areas of Tucson.  I hope you enjoy these images!

The opening image of this blog is of the famous, Mission San Xavier del Bac, located just south of Tucson.  It was established by Father Kino in 1732.  It still serves as an active place to worship for the Tohono O’odham congregation.  It’s magnificent design and intricate interior artwork have earned it the nickname, “The Sistine Chapel of North America,” San Xavier is perhaps the best example of Mission architecture in the United States. [1]

Heavenly Artwork: Panasonic GF-1, Panasonic 7-14mm f/4

Watched Over by a King: Panasonic GF-1, Panasonic 14-45mm f/3.5-5.6

Tree of Life: Panasonic GF-1, Panasonic 14-45mm f/3.5-5.6

Distant Mission: Panasonic GF-1, Panasonic 14-45 f/3.5-5.6

Holy Water: Panasonic GF-1, Panasonic 14-45mm f/3.5-5.6

Icons: Panasonic GF-1, Panasonic 45-200mm f/4.5-5.6

We also visited the Tumacacori National Historical Park, located just a few miles south of Tubac (a burrow located 44 miles south of Tucson).  By the way, Tubac is the oldest European-settled city in Arizona.  Mission San Jose de Tumacacori was first listed in 1961 as an outlying settlement by Father Kino and is one of the oldest in Arizona. [1]

Tumacacori: Panasonic GF-1, Panasonic 14-45mm f/3.5-5.6

The Granary at Tumacacori: Panasonic GF-1, Panasonic 14-45mm f/3.5-5.6

Cindy and I had a great time exploring, photographing, and learning some Southwest history.

Ancient Art: Panasonic GF-1, Panasonic 7-14mm f/4

Wanted: Dead or Alive: Panasonic GF-1, Panasonic 45-200mm f/4.5-5.6

Saguaro Mountains: Panasonic GF-1, Panasonic 45-200mm f/4.5-5.6

Moon Catcher: Panasonic GF-1, Panasonic 45-200mm f/4.5-5.6

Careful Where You Sit: Panasonic GF-1, Panasonic 7-14mm f/4

Last Light: Panasonic GF-1, Panasonic 7-14mm f/4

Purple Majesty: Panasonic GF-1, Panasonic 14-45mm f/3.5-5.6

We finished off the journey with a visit to Old Tucson Studios.

Studio Church: Panasonic GF-1, Panasonic 14-45mm f/3.5-5.6

Horse Thief Shot Dead: Panasonic GF-1, Panasonic 14-45mm f/3.5-5.6

Carriage Ride: Panasonic GF-1, Panasonic 14-45mm f/3.5-5.6

1.  Yamnitz J.  Explore the Southwest’s Spanish History on the Anza Trail.  Visit Tucson – Official Destination Guide.  Fall/Winter 2010. p. 22,23

Through the Doughnut Hole: Panasonic GF-1, Panasonic 45-200mm f/4.0-5.6

Yes, another evening out with the family and another beautiful sunset.  Tonight we mosied over to Volunteer Park, you know…close to where Brandon and Bruce Lee are buried.  Anywho, I thought the light was going to be a dud, as the dark clouds were moving in very quickly.  However, I’ve learned from countless past mistakes, you just can’t tell.  Well, this was one of those evenings.  About 15 minutes after sunset, the sky lit up like a burning forest.  I was already positioned with my telephoto lens looking through the “doughnut” artwork prominently displayed in the park.  The opening nicely frames the Space Needle and the distant Olympics.  In the picture above, you can just catch a bit of the Olympics near the bottom of the Space Needle.  What a great evening this was!

Volunteer Park Sunset: Panasonic GF-1, Panasonic 45-200mm f/4.0-5.6

Alki Beach: Panasonic GF1, Panasonic 45-200mm f/4.0-5.6

It was a beautiful evening, so my wife (Cindy), our two dogs (Penny and Wally) and I drove to Alki Beach in West Seattle.  I brought along my micro 4/3rd camera and a couple of small lenses.  While Cindy walked Penny and Wally, I set up my tripod and took some long exposure shots of the skyline.  The image you see here is a composite of two separate exposures.  I exposed the city buildings for 3.2 seconds at f/8 and the water for 4 minutes at f/8.  In Photoshop, I applied an additional horizontal motion blur filter to the water to spread our the colored reflections and give it an even smoother appearance.  I then combined the two exposures.  Blending the two images wasn’t difficult as the junction between the city and waterline is almost perfectly horizontal.  I was hoping to give the somewhat lack-luster scene a bit of “punch” and an artistic touch.  I hope you enjoy it.

Palouse Tree: Panasonic GF-1, Panasonic 45-200 f/4.5-5.6

Since my first visit of the year earlier in April, I promised myself a return trip to The Palouse to capture more of the spring greens.  This Memorial Day, I fulfilled that promise.  Cindy, my friends, and I drove down first to Palouse Falls and then to Steptoe Butte.  It was nice to take a break from the constant rain we’ve been having for the past week.  While at the waterfall, we hiked down to its base, and I was able to capture a not-too-often photographed view.  The image was take at mid-day, but I really liked the wide-angle perspective and the white puffy clouds in that sea of blue sky.  I hope you agree.

Looking Up at Palouse Falls: Panasonic GF-1, Panasonic 7-14 f/4

We were also blessed with good light at The Palouse.  The recent rain had minimized the atmospheric haze and the brilliant spring greens were breathtaking to behold.  I tried to stray away from the “typical” shots and concentrated on creating some unique compositions.  As the sun went down, the overhead clouds turned a nice shade of pink just before a downpour rushed towards us.  All in all, this was a fine day!

Red Barn, Green Fields: Panasonic GF-1, Panasonic 45-200 f/4.5-5.6

Silo: Panasonic GF-1, Panasonic 45-200 f/4.5-5.6

Pink Over Green: Panasonic GF-1, Panasonic 45-200 f/4.5-5.6

Forest Greens: Panasonic GF-1, Panasonic 14-45 f/3.5-5.6

A couple of friends are visiting me in Seattle, but the weather has been damp and dreary.  Today we made the best of it by exploring Olympic National Park, including the Hoh Rain Forest.  The opening image and the shots below are my favorite forest photos from the outing.  A light drizzle can do wonders for forest photography.  The colors are richer, there are no harsh shadows, and the venue is typically not very crowded.

I almost always use a polarizer when doing this kind of photography.  It will significantly decrease glare from reflective surfaces such as wet leaves and rocks, providing more contrast and deeper colors.  Of course, a tripod is a must as the exposure times are often several seconds long.  I also recommend taking along a lens hood, if you have one, and a lens cloth. Chances are the wet climate will leave water drops on the surface of your lens or filter.  The hood will help minimize this, and the lens cloth can be used to safely wipe off any moisture that makes it on to the lens surface.  If you don’t have a “weather-sealed” camera, you may want to take something to protect your expensive gear.  A plastic or zip lock bag works great.

I hope you enjoy the images.  As always, you can click on the pictures to go to the original gallery.  Once there, you can see the images at larger sizes, peruse the shot settings (including GPS coordinates), and explore other galleries.

Inviting Trail: Panasonic GF-1, Panasonic 45-200 f/4.5-5.6

Mossy Cascades: Panasonic GF-1, Panasonic 14-45 f/3.5-5.6

Friendly Ferns: Panasonic GF-1, Panasonic 14-45 f/3.5-5.6

Vertical Forest: Panasonic GF-1, Panasonic 14-45 f/3.5-5.6

Color in Crevices: Panasonic GF-1, Panasonic 45-200 f/4.5-5.6

A few friends, Cindy, and I made a whirlwind tour of Painted Hills, OR and Bruneau Sand Dunes State Park, ID over this three day weekend. Boy, what fun we had!  We left Seattle 9:30 Friday morning and arrived in Mitchell, OR 6 1/2 hrs later.  We set up our tents near Painted Hills and headed out to explore and photograph the area.

Painted Hills Unit is one of three components of the John Day Fossil Beds National Monument.  These colorful hills are located about nine miles northwest of Mitchell, OR.  The varying hues and tones of the hills are best seen in the late afternoon, but early light can offer dramatic backlit compositions for the creative photographer.  The yellow wildflowers were in full bloom, and lined several cervices, as seen in the opening image of this blog.  Below are three more images of this beautiful, ancient wonder.

Wild and Beautiful: Panasonic GF-1, Panasonic 7-14 f/4

Painted Hills in the Distance: Panasonic GF-1, Panasonic 14-45 f/3.5-5.6

Painted Hills, Painted Sky: Panasonic GF-1, Panasonic 45-200 f/4.5-5.6

The next morning, we shot the sunrise at the same location and headed out to Bruneau Sand Dunes State Park, ID, another 6 hrs away.  We arrived in the late afternoon, set up camp and headed out to climb the largest single Sand Dune in North America, rising 470 ft above small surrounding lakes.  It was a short but tough hike.  Below are two of my best images from there.

Bruneau Dunes Reflected: Panasonic GF-1, Panasonic 7-14 f/4

Late Light on Bruneau Dunes: Panasonic GF-1, Panasonic 45-200 f/4.5-5.6

The next morning (Sunday), we slept in and drove back to Seattle, 9 1/2 hrs away.  By 8 pm, I was post-processing and uploading images.

Star Trails Over Joshua Tree, Panasonic GF-1 & Panasonic 7-14mm f/4

Last week I was down in San Diego for another Radiology conference.  After the conference, my buddy, Joel, and I decided to visit Joshua Tree National Park for the weekend.  The Park is about a 3-½ hr drive northeast of San Diego, and offers some of the most beautiful desert landscape terrain in the world.  In this blog, I’ll share with you my favorite shots from the short visit.

Home to picturesque, twisted trees and massive rock formations, Joshua Tree is sandwiched between the Mojave and Sonora Deserts.  Joshua Tree National Monument was established in 1936, and the Desert Protection Act upgraded it to National Park status in 1994.

We drove to Twentynine Palms, a gateway town to Joshua Tree, located just north of the park.  As an interesting bit of information, this town is home to the largest Marine base in the world.

We arrived late Friday afternoon and explored the park from the comfort of our air-conditioned car.  When the outside temperature became more bearable, we took a nice stroll through the Hidden Valley nature trail, where we saw fascinating rock formations and labeled desert vegetation.  Below is an image of a particularly interesting rock, which to me looks like the “Flying Elvis” logo found on the New England Patriot’s football helmets.

Flying Elvis Rock, Panasonic GF-1, Panasonic 45-200 f/4.5-5.6

We then headed up to Keys View.  Unfortunately, the visibility was poor and much of the distant mountain ranges were obscured by haze.  However, I did manage to capture an image of a photogenic lizard with a multi-colored underbelly, basking on a warm rock.

Joshua Tree Lizard, Panasonic GF-1, Panasonic 45-200 f/4.5-5.6

That evening we headed over to the White Tank Campground and hiked the easy Arch Rock nature trail, where I captured the image below of Arch Rock.

Arch Rock, Panasonic GF-1, Panasonic 7-14mm f/4

The next morning we awoke before sunrise and headed back into the park.  The light was spectacular, and below are my attempts at capturing it.

Joshua Tree Silhouette, Panasonic GF-1, Panasonic 45-200 f/4.5-5.6

Standing Proud, Panasonic GF-1, Panasonic 7-14mm f/4

Two of a Kind, Panasonic GF-1, Panasonic 7-14mm f/4

Later that morning, we found ourselves in the Cholla Cactus Garden capturing wildflowers and Teddy Bear Cholla cacti.

Teddy Bears and Wildflowers, Panasonic GF-1, Panasonic 7-14mm f/4

Backlit Cholla Cacti, Panasonic GF-1, Panasonic 45-200 f/4.5-5.6

While at the Cholla Cactus Garden, a long-eared denizen popped out to pay us a visit.  She eyed us suspiciously for a few seconds, wiggled her nose, and hopped away.

Desert Jackrabbit, Canon 1D Mark IV, Canon 400mm f/5.6L

By 8 am the light was getting harsh, and we headed back to Twentynine Palms, grabbed some breakfast at a local diner, downloaded our images, and took a well-deserved nap.  We awoke in the afternoon and headed back to Joshua Tree.  Around 5 pm we began a moderate 3-mile hike up to Ryan Mountain where we ate dinner and photographed the sunset.

Ryan Mountain Sunset, Panasonic GF-1, Panasonic 14-45 f/3.5-5.6

We then headed down the trail with headlamps illuminating our path.  On our way back to town, we pulled off the road to photograph star-trails.  We watched a 1 hr 40 min movie on my iPad while our cameras captured the celestial movements above Joshua Tree.  The opening image of this blog was the product of this long exposure.  I combined one hundred consecutive 1-minute exposures. During the first minute of exposure, I used my headlamp to illuminate the foreground. The camera was set to manual exposure at f/4 and 60 seconds on “burst mode”. I attached a cable release and locked down the exposure button.

The next morning we slept in, packed up and headed back to San Diego to catch a plane to Seattle.  I hope you enjoyed these images and thanks for visiting!

Panasonic GF-1, Panasonic 14-45 f/3.5-5.6, 14mm (28mm equivalent), f/8, ISO 100, 1.3 sec.

One of Seattle’s most famous icons, Pike Place Market is a photographer’s paradise.  Neon lights, charismatic people, beautiful views of Puget Sound and Mt. Rainier…you name it, The Market has it.  I like to arrive especially early in the morning, preferable after a rainy night. The wet, slick brick road leading into the market will give off beautiful reflections of the colorful neon signs, and hopefully there won’t be many parked cars to spoil your foreground.  The traffic this Sunday morning was especially light.  I was able to set up my tripod in the middle of the road and snap a few shots.  I suggest you stroll up and down the market and surrounding neighborhoods.  Take your time, walk slowly and look for interesting compositions.  After you’ve finished shooting, stop by a local cafe or restaurant and grab a little breakfast.  There are also beautiful flower arrangements throughout the market.  Why not buy some for your home?  This morning, I ate at Lowell’s restaurant while enjoying views of Puget Sound and the Olympic Mountains.

Panasonic GF-1, Panasonic 20 f/1.7, f/1.7, ISO 400, 1/125 sec

Panasonic GF-1, Panasonic 45-200 f/4.5-5.6, 61mm (122mm equivalent), f/8, ISO 100, 1.3 sec

Panasonic GF-1, Panasonic 45-200 f/4.5-5.6, 109mm (218 mm equivalent), f/8, ISO 100, 1/10 sec

Panasonic GF-1, Panasonic 45-200 f/4.5-5.6, 180mm (360mm equivalent), f/8, ISO 100, 1/8 sec

• Directions:  If you’re traveling east on the 520, take the 84th Ave NE exit and turn right.  Take the 2nd right onto NE 24th St and drive about 1/2 a mile to 76th Ave NE/Evergreen Point Rd.  Turn right on this road and you’ll arrive at the bridge in about a 1/3 of a mile.  Just before the bridge, there is a park and ride on the right side.  Here are the coordinates:  47.637248,-122.238659.  See map below.
• Clear winter or early spring mornings are best, especially after a rainy day.  The precipitation tends to “wash away” the haze.  Snow capped mountain tops always look better than the bland peaks we see in the summer and fall.
• Bring a long lens.  Recently, there has been construction on the 520 bridge.  Ugly metal bars have been placed above the road, and florescent orange construction signs litter the foreground.  A long lens will allow you to exclude these distracting elements.  It will also give a great “compressed” effect to your picture.  By this, I mean the distant mountains will appear much closer to the bridge.  My photograph below was shot at 400mm.
• Use a polarizer to minimize glare from the surfaces of the bridge and water.  It will also increase contrast and give better definition to the mountains.
• Black and white or color is personal preference, but for my shot, I liked the look of black and white better.

Panasonic GF-1, Panasonic 45-200 f/4.5-5.6, 200mm (400mm equivalent), f/8, ISO 100, 1/200 sec

The day was overcast with light drizzle, perfect for waterfall and forest photography.  I left home at 6 am, grabbed a quick bite at McDonalds, and was at the park by 10:30.  I left my car at the North Fall parking area and did a relatively easy 3 1/2 mile loop that took me to Upper North Fall, North Fall, and Winter Fall.  I came across very few people and took my time enjoying the hike and views.  I don’t think I captured anything spectacular, but today was more about the journey and hike.  I stopped over in Portland and had dinner before heading back to Seattle.  By 8 PM I was downloading and post-processing the images from the day.

Here are a few tips and personal preferences for waterfall photography:

• I love overcast days for waterfalls, as the light is diffused, with no harsh shadows or overly bright sunlit areas.
• If at all possible, I try to not include a lot of sky in my images, as gray skies are dull, uninteresting, and often show up as bright, overexposed areas in my pictures.
• My favorite shutter speed for waterfalls is between 1/4 and 3/4 second.  Any slower, the water looks too much like shaving cream for my taste.  Any faster than 1/4 second, and the water isn’t blurry enough.  This is all personal preference, of course.
• I like to use a polarizer when shooting waterfalls, because it significantly reduce glare from things such as water surface and wet leaves.
• Because you’re working with such slow shutter speeds, a tripod is a must.  Don’t be lazy; carry a tripod.  I also recommend using a cable release and enabling mirror lock-up if your camera has the feature.
• Proper exposure can be tricky, as waterfalls are very white while the surround foliage, rocks, etc. are much darker.  I always exposure bracket my shots about 1 to 1 1/2 stops on either side of 0.  I then combine the exposures later in post-processing to get the perfect balance between highlight and shadow detail.  In the near future, I’ll write a tutorial describing how I do this.
• I often find myself getting very close to waterfalls, and keeping my equipment (especially the front of the lens) free of water droplets is a real challenge.  I carry a small lens cloth which I use to wipe down the front of the lens (or polarizing filter if you have it on) between exposures.  The trick is to have everything set up (eg, composition, f-stop/shutter speed/ISO values) first.  Then wipe down the lens and snap the image (or bracketed images).  A lens hood helps, as does a portable umbrella.

Here are a few shots from today’s trip.

Panasonic GF-1, Panasonic 14-45 f/3.5-5.6 lens, 26mm (52mm equivalent), f/18, (2/3 and 1 1/3 sec exposures), ISO 100

Panasonic GF-1, Panasonic 14-45 f/3.5-5.6 lens, 23mm (46mm equivalent) f/8, 8 sec, ISO 100

Panasonic GF-1, Panasonic 45-200 f/4.5-5.6 lens, 132mm (264mm equivalent), f/8, 1/13 sec, ISO 100