It’s been a long 5 or so years since life as seemed semi-normal. It’s time to grieve for all the losses and get back into life. I hope you enjoy these photos from 2025. This year is just beginning, and looks so bright. . .
Tag: landscape photography
Photographing the Aurora Borealis
It was interesting photographing the Aurora Borealis for the first time. We arrived around 8:30 pm and left a little before 1 am. I always find it a balance between pure excitement of creating amazing photographs and life commitments. So, I did my research, but quickly realized that it was only a starting point to get a picture. The results of my experience unfolds below. . .
The photo above is the sunset before the show. I thought is was interesting to see the halos around the sun as it was setting. I took this like any sunset. I noticed the halo and soft appearance of the sun once I got home and looked at it on the computer. Truly, it was the perfect beginning of an evening photographing the Aurora Borealis.
This is my very first attempt at photographing the Aurora Borealis. I followed the instructions from online, and this was the result. I placed my Canon 5D Mk II with Sigma 24-105 Art Lens on my tripod. I adjusted it so the horizon was straight. I used the following exposure: ISO 1250, f4, 8 sec. I set my focus manually to infinity. Afterwards, I did some exposure adjustments in the digital darkroom, and this was the end result. I think it’s pretty good for the first time.
As I thought about the location, exposure, and composition elements, I realized that I needed to experiment with the exposure. I usually try to use lower ISO so I do less post-processing to reduce noise and pixelization. If it can be done in the camera, why should I spend time on the computer trying to “fix” it?
Finally, the show revved up! The whole sky filled with color and movement. I wanted to show it all, so I pulled out my Canon 8-15mm lens. The image above is taken at 8mm (fish-eye), and captured the entire scene. I like the people, buildings and lights around the edge. It gives it a sense of place, and shows the life of the event. People cheered as the Aurora shifted and showed its colors. At this point, I changed my exposure and approach to photographing the aurora. My camera was still mounted on my tripod. My exposure was ISO 400, f4, and 10 sec. I worked with fine tuning the exposure and color afterwards in the digital darkroom.
I think the biggest thing I learned about this event is to be open to experimenting with exposure and composition. Often, we are in a place or situation less than ideal for our vision. It is good to be adaptable and open to the opportunities available. What knowledge I can offer is simply. . .you need a tripod to get crisp, clean photos of the aurora or other night photography. The rest is up to your knowledge of your equipment and exposure.
Capturing Nature’s Mood
Each season brings different moods to our natural landscape. Winter shows us a moody vision with clouds, rain or snow, and lower light. The colors shift from bright summer colors to subdued winter shades. The tonal quality moves towards the middle tones, and contrast is decreased. Clouds in the sky become a giant diffusion filter, diffusing the natural light and letting less light hit the landscape.
The image below shows low lying clouds nestled between hillsides, leafless trees, and rain drops on the water. Less light brings a “darker” feeling to the forest. The aperture is larger to bring sharpness to the entire photograph. So, what mood does it show?
The composition affects the amount of light that shows in the photograph. Less sky leaves less light in the image. More sky includes more light. Each of these situations changes how the camera “reads” the available light. The exposure with more forest is easier to get a correct exposure, and details in the land features. When more sky is included, the exposure needs to over-expose the scene, if details are wanted in the forest and land features.
In the image below, the exposure allows more light to create the image. The mid-tones (Highlights and Shadows) are worked on through Adobe Camera RAW, which brings out more detail in both the clouds and the trees. A similar exposure can be created in-camera using HDR.
Drama in the image is created through working on contrast, keeping areas darker/lighter, or desaturating the color (including black & white). The best way to create “moody” images is to shoot RAW files, and refine the photograph on the computer. Sometimes, it is simple like darkening specific areas, and lightening others. The image below is desaturated color. There is still a little bit of color left in the green trees. The clouds contribute to the separation of the darker, tree covered hills. This image shows more contrast in this monochromatic form, than full color.
As I navigate through the new reality of the pandemic and other challenges, I am teaching more classes and workshops online. If you would like more information on this topic, feel free to contact me directly. Thank you. . .
Happy Shooting. . .Karen
Looking Forward into 2021
When we look at our world, it influences our vision and photographic images. There are times when it’s easier to escape into nature, and express ourselves through the environment. After 4 years of unpredictability, it is nice to see some calm in the world. So, I’ve spent the month of January creating new images, and teaching. It’s been a nice change in the storm that keeps coming into my life.
I chased the King Tides in January, and came away with amazing images of the tenacity of the ocean. One thing that helps with creating a good photograph is having a vision. I envisioned showing the ocean and coastline interacting with an extreme tide (and hopefully big waves). I wasn’t disappointed!
This is the coastline at Kalaloch. This stretch of coastline is part of the Olympic National Park. Normally, more beach is walkable. This day, the ocean came up to the sandstone cliffs. The photo above was taken two to three hours before the high tide.
I went out to the coast the previous day to catch the incoming tide. A rain and wind storm came through the night before, and I spent the night sleeping in the car a 100 yards or so from the ocean. The sunrise case a soft pinkish cast to the clouds and ocean white caps.
The morning progressed, and the sun lit up the waves. The sound of the surf, along with the amazing amount of sea foam, created a magical scene to photograph. I think I ended up with over a 1000 frames, and several video clips. As a creative person, the challenges of the past year of a Pandemic washed away with the wind, surf, sun, and the photographs.
The image below is looking north from Kalaloch. The intense storm clouds brought rain to the north and south of this area along the coast. The sunlight added to the power of the moment, and allowed faster exposures to capture the immensity of the incoming surf.
In closing, I encourage all to venture out, and enjoy the beauty of nature. It’s times like this where seeing and feeling nature can move us forward to new visions of future photographic projects.
Happy Shooting. . .Karen
Looking Back on 2020
WOW! I made through 2020, but looking back I discovered that I shot less than 10 shoots. Most years, I’ve reached this number of shoots by the end of February. We made through Pandemic lock-downs, travel restrictions, and other limiting factors. I taught only 4 classes, 1 bird festival, and sold a couple prints. With all this, there is visible growth in my photographic vision, and I’m looking forward to 2021. Here, I’m posting my best from 2020.
May the New Year be filled with may photography opportunities. . .Karen
Creating a Photographic Story
A photograph is the reflection of the photographer at the time the image is created. It reflects our mood, vision, and emotional state. The way the light is captured in the image, then post processed reveals the story hidden in the photograph. It is a visual communication between the photographer and their audience.
The image above was take this spring during the afternoon (during a short day escape during the Pandemic). The weather report called for rain, yet it hadn’t rained yet. The clouds were amazing and dynamic. The hillside viewpoint allowed me to include the Columbia River, Vantage, I-90, and the dynamic clouds. I brought more contrast into the post processing. I like how it look a ominous.
In the next image, I took a different approach. . .
What attracted my attention in this image is the dynamic clouds, the lines of the hillside, and the wild horse monument. I return to this place at least once a year to experience the high desert changes. I love the changing sky. Often this area is a treasure trove of opportunities to explore line, shape, textures, and other compositional elements. It usually isn’t over-run with people, and the hike to the top is relatively easy.
The biggest piece in creating a photographic story is the photographer’s vision or ability to compose in the field. It is the culmination of an idea, and the cooperation of the weather/other elements in the environment. The subject or important element needs to fill the frame. The following photograph focuses on the amazing cloud formations.
The clouds are far more interesting than the landscape, yet what sits on the horizon? This is looking west towards the Cascade Mountains, and the clouds have created a dark blue-gray background for the turbines in the distance. A small airplane sits in the sky against the background of the massive clouds. Both the turbines and airplane give some perspective on the size of these cloud formations.
Exposure for these images is important and contributes to the story. All three are shot with at F16 or F22. This is a large depth of field, and gives the viewer a visual reference to the fore-ground, mid-ground, and background. A larger depth of field gives an expansive feeling to the photographs, and contributes to the 3D feeling in the images. A shallower depth of field would give less visual information to the viewer, and feel more 2 dimensional.
Through all these social challenges we face today, may everyone stay well and continue to photograph the world around us.
Karen
Photo Walks Are A Hands-on Way To Learn Photography
Sunsets and Photo Walks seem to go together. It is a great way to learn exposure, while photographing a sunset. Exposure affects the colors in the sunset, whether or not a foreground object becomes a silhouette, or simply how to prevent the flash from going off. It’s helpful to have a knowledgeable photography instructor to help hone these skills.
The Edmonds waterfront is a great place to see the sunset, and experience a photo walk. There is a great abundance of subjects to photograph, including the ferry boats, sail boats, gulls, bald eagles, harbor seals, and more.
I would love to see you at my next photo walk on August 25th, 2016. Sign up is through the City of Edmonds at http://www.reczone.org.
Life is Good!
Karen
Painting With Light on the Oregon Coast
Thought I would share my latest venture. June is the time to teach on the Oregon coast at the Sitka Center for Arts & Ecology. Hope you enjoy & please share. . .Life is Good!
Happy shooting. . .Karen
The Call of Iceland
As a photographer, specific places call to my spirit to visit. Iceland calls. It calls to the very core of my being. It’s all about the birds.
I’ve been watching the birds here on the Pacific Ocean shores, and it’s interesting to see their successes and slow disappearance. Iceland isn’t different. The largest colony of Atlantic Puffins have not had a successful breeding season in the past 5 years (from my online research). I want to see 500,000 birds before they disappear. I want to feel dwarfed by the amazing landscape, powerful sea, and the incredible bird colonies.
The water temperatures are changing, which is changing the food supply. This is a personal project for me. Those without voices look to those of us with words and photographs to speak for them.
I want to invite other photographers to join me in the isolated and breathe-taking landscape. I’m putting together lodging and guided trips to isolated areas. I’m hoping to connect with a biologist or two, and to experience the culture of Iceland.
Let me know if you’re in for the adventure. I’m going the end of May 2016.
The Spirit Of Place
The Spirit of Place is one of my ideas or personal concepts about photography. At its core is the idea that photographs are created by the photographer through use of light, exposure, and composition. It is our personal view-point or way we translate the scene in a visual way.
This photo uses shadow and light, lines, and people to create the composition of the place. In this image, the viewer sees the blowing sand (top of dune), the rocky wall in the foreground, and the people making their way up the sand dune. It speaks of man and nature co-existing in the late afternoon light.
Nature is one constant in our lives that is ever-changing, yet remains the same. The challenge for the photographer is to take existing elements, and create a pleasing photographic image. Photography is a tool to document the world around us, yet our personal view-point is always present in our images.
The blowing sand in this photograph creates designs on the sand that mimic the wet sand reflecting the blue sky and the ocean waves. In this image, one could see the hillsides in the background as repeating the wavy shape created by the sand and ocean. The scene is completed by all the people enjoying the beach, whether walking along the water or sitting in the sand. By including people, I have given a reference to the size of the landscape.
Another way to look at this scene is to eliminate or hide the man-made or man’s influence upon the scene. By moving the point-of-view, this image the viewer sees the ocean waves and four gulls. Yes, there is some indications of civilization, but they are not the main components of the composition.
Now to end this entry, I’ve added a little different concept. This image is titled Windy. It leaves the question, how do we as photographers show wind or other elements in our images? What is that special ingredient that we have included to make our photograph stand-out from the millions of images on the internet?
Stay tuned for more. . .or simply join me for my Spirit of Place workshop on the Oregon coast in June.
Happy shooting. . .Karen