Photo Friday: Quiet DawnPosted by drfl on October 28th, 2011

In the sandhills of Nebraska there are several permanent and temporary lakes that are formed from water from the Ogalala Aquifer. There are protests and meetings happening right now because of the TransCanada XL pipeline that is currently planned to cross over the region containing this large underground body of water. The primary contention of the protesters is that the pipe will break and oil will leak into the water tainting it for the region’s drinking supply and agricultural uses. Since going through Nebraska is in the path of the shortest distance between Alberta, where the oil resides in the oil sands, and Texas, where it will be processed, this is a key element of the current plan. In today’s post I present an image of the North Marsh Lake at Valentine National Wildlife Refuge one such lake created by the Aquifer, reflecting the morning sunrise.

Technical Details:
Canon 5D Mark II, 24mm TS-E 3.5 II, .6 sec, f/9, 3-stop Hard ND Grad, 3 images stitched and cropped to 2×3
Valentine National Wildlife Refuge, Nebraska

Ask Around: Calm Mist and Morning’s WelcomePosted by drfl on October 19th, 2011

The locals are often very helpful on good locations around the area. When I was exploring the Oglala Grassland this past September, I stopped into the lcoal ranger’s office to grab a map. While there, I asked the ladies where I should visit to get some good shots. They recommended an area on the north side of the grassland. One morning before sunrise, I took a road up that direction and saw mist rising from this reservoir. I drove up the two-track road, grabbed my gear and captured these photographs.

Meng Reservoir, Oglala Grassland, Sioux County, Nebraska

Technical Details (Calm Mist):
Canon 5D Mark II, 17-40 f/4l @ 40mm, f/9, 1/160 sec., Singh-Ray 2 Stop Hard ND Grad Filter

Technical Details (Morning’s Welcome):
Canon 5D Mark II, 17-40 f/4l @ 21mm, f/8, 1/100 sec., Singh-Ray 2 Stop Hard ND Grad Filter

Look Closer: Sandhill AbstractPosted by drfl on October 17th, 2011

Completely overcast and rainy conditions can present real challenges for landscape photography.  Often, photographers get caught up in the idea that successful landscape photography must be captured with a wide-angle lens.  Some of the most successful images, however, are captured with long lenses.  This image was captured with a 300mm lens coupled with a 1.4 teleconverter on a Canon 50D.  That’s long for a landscape!  I really wanted to isolate the abstract nature of the intense red and orange colors of the prairie grass that were emerged during the rain.  While I was initially bummed by the rainy conditions, I wouldn’t have seen these colors without it and if it had been sunny, the colors would be contrasty and hard to capture.  I found that when I looked closer I could find a more intimate and abstract landscape that I might not have seen otherwise.

Technical Details:
Canon 50D, 300 f/4l + 1.4tc, f/7.1, 1/250 sec.
Cherry County, Nebraska

Also, I wanted to mention that if you have not “liked” me on Facebook, please do by following the link below. I will be adding some unique information, events and deals there in the future.

http://www.facebook.com/JourneyOfLightPhotography

Photo Friday: Tranquil FieldPosted by drfl on September 2nd, 2011

This past weekend the family and I got away from the city and went to Ponca State Park in northeastern Nebraska. This is one of my favorite areas of the state – forests atop high bluffs, rolling hills, and a slower pace of life. On both Saturday and Sunday I went out into the surrounding area to explore and capture what I found. Both days I had excellent light – great sunrises with dynamic clouds. Today’s post was taken on a random gravel road that I decided to explore. I was drawn to the hay bales as they dotted the landscapes. The fields were very green, even though it was August due to increased rainfall. It almost looked like spring with the dew glistening on the grass, almost that is, except for the harvested hay.

Technical Details:
Canon 5D Mark II, 17-40 f/4l @ 17mm, f/8, 1/100 sec.
Dixon County, Nebraska

Photo Friday: Calm and QuietPosted by drfl on August 26th, 2011

I found myself yet again at Jack Sinn last week photographing the marsh. It is similar to my image, “Listen to the Quiet” taken last year, abut different enough I though it warranted processing. This image is another stitched Tilt/Shift image. Weighing in at just over 32 megapixels I once again enjoy the ability to take multiple shots for stitching with ease. One thing I do want to say, though, is that the stitching technique can be performed with any normal and some wide angle (wide to about 24mm) lenses. Before the tilt/shift I used my 17-40 f/4l which worked well, but shifting the 24 TS-E lens is much easier than lining up my tripod head and moving it correctly.

Technical Details:
Canon 5D Mark II, 24 TS-E II, f/9, 2 seconds, 2-stop Singh-Ray Hard Stop, 3-stop Singh-Ray Hard Stop Reversed
Jack Sinn Wildlife Management Area, Nebraska

Photo Friday: Grass AbstractPosted by drfl on March 11th, 2011

Happy Friday!  Photo Friday today is a black and white abstract of grasses.  While out taking a small walk through the OPPD Arboretum, I came across this grass that had been flattened from a large animal (likely a deer) resting or sleeping on it.  I was drawn to the lines and patterns, the swirls and the contrasts.

Technical Details:
Canon G10, 8.9mm, f/4.5, 1/200 sec.
OPPD Arboretum, Omaha, Nebraska