UPCOMING 2010 WORKSHOPS:
Arches/Canyonlands Photo Workshop - November 3-7, 2010 (Workshop Sold Out)
Winter Big Sur Photo Workshop - Magic Light and The Pfeiffer Beach Arch - January 11-14, 2011 (space available)
Northern Arizona Photo Workshop - Grand Canyon, Upper Antelope Canyon, Horseshoe Bend and Sedona - March 16-20, 2011 (space available)
Spring Big Sur Workshop - 4th Annual Wildflowers and Color - April 17-20, 2011 (space available)
Springtime in Lake Tahoe and the Mokelumne Wilderness Photo Workshop - May 14-17, 2011 (space available)
Northern California - 3rd Annual Redwoods and Mendocino Photo Workshop - May 23-26, 2011 (just added)
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New Article on my Website: Three Ideas for Improving Your Compositions
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Books Available for Purchase on my Website:
Refined Vision: 50 Lessons Designed to Improve Your Digital Landscape Photography (e-book and printed versions - 160 pages)
The Photographer's Guide to the Big Sur Coast (e-book version - 102 pages)
On the Edge (printed version - softcover and hardcover - 120 pages)
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A 5.3% waxing crescent moon seemingly loses the race with the sun as both set over a thick fog bank covering California's Monterey Bay. My original intent with this image was to capture a 5-frame pano, which by the way I did, but the finished image was a crop of the pano to give a bit more prominence (and a stronger visual placement) for the moon.
This sea of fog has been a constant companion for those of us who live along the central coast of California. Some have been bemoaning the fact that our true summer never really arrived, while others are enjoying the respite from the heat (I tend to reside with the latter half). Regardless, the fog makes for interesting photography as my workshop students discovered in my recently completed Big Sur Summer Workshop. We photographed under the fog, along its edges, and even above it at this location in Fremont Peak State Park which rises 3100 feet above sea level.
I captured this particular image a week prior to the start of the workshop while awaiting the cover of darkness for the Perseid Meteor Showers. Fortunately the thin crescent was visible enough to be juxtaposed with the setting sun as it seemingly melts into the fog. I used my Canon 24 mm Tilt/Shift lens (which helped me to create the pano). After I stitched five frames in Photoshop CS5, I began to play with the crop tool as discussed in my previous post. I simply place the crescent moon in the upper left quadrant (a stronger visual placement), which in turn created a diagonal link (implied line) to the setting sun that created some visual movement for the eye.
Lastly, I allowed the camera's limited vision to turn the foreground peak into a non-distracting silhouetted form that served as a base for the frame. The juxtaposition of the warm transition line of the horizon to both the cool blue of the sky and the cool blue fog allowed for some visual tension. Hopefully, the overall simplicity of this image is the key for its success.
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@Barbara: Good morning Barbara. Thanks for your nice words. I hope you have been having a fantastic summer - maybe today the weather will actually feel like summer - no fog this morning!
@KriKridesign: I hope you also have a peaceful day Kristen!
@Denny Jump Photo: What a nice way to begin the week Denny -I always look forward to reading your thoughts. I included the peak to provide a sense of depth and scale for this image. One thing I made sure to do was to not allow the silhouetted line of the peak to merge with the horizon line of the fog and sky. This in turn allows for separation. If I would have allowed that line to merge it would have not revealed the depth as this is a 2-dimensional rendering of a 3-dimensional scene - hope that makes sense - it's early. Enjoy your new granddaughter gramps!
@Tamara: I like to think of the sun "melting" into the ocean - I really love viewing this scene and the crescent moon was a bonus! Hope you are having a fantastic Monday Tamara :)
@Chris Anderson: Thanks Chris for joining in on my blog. It was a simple color palette but the warm and cold tones complement. Hope you are having a good day!
@Marie LC: We have had this view for most of the summer Marie but now our first heat wave of the year has arrived and the fog has vanished! I hope you are doing well.
@Sandy Weston: I am glad that my writings have helped Sandy, that is part of the goal of this blog. As I have said many times, this is my way of thanking all of my mentors over the years. I hope you pass on your knowledge to someone who is trying to learn. After 31 years in business I am still learning, and hopefully will never stop!
@Sergei Z: Much thanks Sergei. I hope your day is going well.
@Sunder: Simplify, simplify, simplify. And when you are not certain you have the composition correct - simplify again! This is obvious tongue-in-cheek but actually a very effective way to think about our compositions, and much harder than one thinks!
@salva: Thanks for joining in Salva.
@Judy aka Ladybug: That is indeed a funny post today Judy. I left you a message on your blog. I can't begin to relate how many times I've gone out with great anticipation only to have Mother Nature intervene. But as the old saying goes, "When life hands you lemons..."
@Wild Mustang Photography: Good morning Pam. Thanks for your nice comment. Hope you are staying cool today - I think summer has officially arrived!
@DarkElf: It does look like an ocean and indeed the Pacific Ocean is out there (but also towns of Salinas, Monterey, and Santa Cruz). It's amazing how much visual weight a small crescent moon holds. It can balance and entire half of a frame.
@Ralph Jones: Thanks Ralph!
@Scott F. Schilling: I know you have some awesome images from this location also Scott. Can't wait to see them. Hope you are staying cool today - I read that it's supposed to get to 106 degrees in Morgan Hill - yikes - that's hot!!!
@Mici: You are very nice to continually write Mici. I hope you are having a good day!
@Tracy: Thanks Tracy. The workshop was very enjoyable. An extremely nice group of participants form as far away as Vienna, Austria! That gentleman almost stepped on a rattlesnake (fortunately I gave everyone a head's up prior to departing up the trail to Fremont Peak)! We even had a small earthquake (3.3 magnitude) during dinner at San Juan Bautista. Welcome to California!!!
@KriKridesign: What a boring world it would be if we all had the same personal vision!
@PD: Hi Paul, thanks for checking in. I hope you are doing well. It soared to 109 degrees here yesterday! A far cry from the cool fog last week in Big Sur.
@MK: Thanks MK.
@steve loos: THis was one of those images I saw "finished" in my mind. Check Scott's post for an entirely different view.
@Mike: Simple is good - thanks Mike!
@Vaido: Thanks for pointing that out Vaido. It's amazing how much "visual weight" a small moon carries. It can indeed balance an entire half of a frame!