Off to See the Great Trees of Muir Woods

Once I arrived at Muir Woods I quickly realized there would need to be some serious HDR type exposures made in order to capture the deep shadows and bright highlights of the sky and wet leaves.

I fixed the camera to a tripod and set off to bracket several scenes with seven exposures ranging from +2 over to -3 under (approx).  This type of range worked for the scene to capture what I needed to represent the forest.  Of course many feel this is not enough and some may say way too many.  That's not really the point for me - I got a fun image and it was a nice experience.  The real artistry comes in how you manipulate the HDR blended bracket to set the realism to the level you like.  The first image has a soft real look and the one below has a harder feel to me.

An example of the vast exposure difference needed in this scene is shown by the jpegs below.  

 

I feel none of the jpegs quite get the full feel of the image like the blended frame does.

As I walked around the park the light was soft and muted most of the time - but the white clouds above made it tough to shoot upwards and show the true majestic feel of the great trees.

I thought this root sure had a prehistoric bird look to me.

When in doubt of the impact of color - go to the truest colors - black and white.

After the woods it was time to take off up US 1 and check out some other scenery.  Unfortunately there was an abundance of fog and my shots of the ocean cliffs just don't quite have the look I wanted since the ocean is right out there.

There was a quick stop by at Drake's Bay to see the oyster farm. 

On the edge of the beach it was a quick change of focus point to influence the scene.

Some buzzards were working on a seal (?).

The layers in this image are just as they were.

Next stop - up to Napa to take in some wine time!

 

I am an employee of FUJIFILM North America Corporation.

The statements, comments and opinions expressed here represent my own, personal views and are not endorsed by, or affiliated in any way with, FUJIFILM North America Corporation or its affiliates.
bremler@fujifilm.com

Weekly Email - Making the Most of a Brooklyn View

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Last night after an appointment in Brooklyn I decided I would use the time wisely and grab some city shots before heading back home.  The weather wasn’t really cooperating, and as the rain started falling lightly I saw the clouds filling with reflective colors of the city.  I switched my camera into a custom white balance to influence the cast and pumped up my film selection to Velvia for a bit more saturation.

Then in another scene I switched to tungsten to capture the Manhattan Bridge with blue sky.  Of course some people feel that all photography should be done in two colors - black and white - so that is for you purists out there.

Lastly a composite of the bridge arches and the Empire State Building.

 

The views before the light changes aren't exactly exciting - but waiting for it is key.  Here are a few shots from before the sun set and the cloud cover took on its glow.  In addition the setup I used - a Fujifilm X-E2 and a MePhoto http://www.mefoto.com/

I am an employee of FUJIFILM North America Corporation.

The statements, comments and opinions expressed here represent my own, personal views and are not endorsed by, or affiliated in any way with, FUJIFILM North America Corporation or its affiliates.
bremler@fujifilm.com

San Francisco Travels

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Leaving NYC was a challenge with the snow coming down hard in the morning.  Luckily our flight took off after two de-icing stops.  
Dropping down into San Fran on a foggy afternoon I headed out to Hyde Street to see the trolley work the huge hill.  While there for a bit the fog lifted off Alcatraz and the sun hit the city illuminating all the wonderful colors of the landscape.

I've always loved driving around San Fran.  The area is so different from NYC and the streets are unique in all the ways we can see.  Hills and trolleys are special landmarks of the area.

 

 

  

For this trip I brought three cameras.  My main is the Fujifilm X-E2 and back up is the X-PRO1.  Then for many grab shots I used the XQ1.  My lens selection was quite simple.  The XF14mm, XF23mm and XF55-200.  This worked out great and is a light group.

 

In camera filter for making a more dynamic scene.

After a couple hours in the city we headed out to cross the Golden Gate to see the city from the Marin Headlands.  On the way down to the bridge it was great to see some guys surfing at the base.

 

Once clearing the bridge the moon was rising and the sun was setting and leaving a warm glow over the city.

 It's always interesting to see what types of cameras people are using and how they use them.  As expected there is always someone lifting an ipad up to catch a moment.

 The sun dropped and the moon rose over the bay and here is the glow of the moon off the water from Sausalito.  The Inn Above Tide was a wonderful place to stay and offers water view rooms.
http://www.innabovetide.com/

 

 Next stop after San Fran is Muir Woods.  A chance to capture some lush greenery and see the big trees.

I am an employee of FUJIFILM North America Corporation.

The statements, comments and opinions expressed here represent my own, personal views and are not endorsed by, or affiliated in any way with, FUJIFILM North America Corporation or its affiliates.
bremler@fujifilm.com