270 Degree View

When we visited Big Bend National Park in west Texas, I found this old panel truck near Terlinqua.

I struggled with how to make an interesting photo of this subject. The sun was high, the sky was clear and I couldn’t come up with a way to turn it into an interesting photo, so I made shots from different positions all around it. In my post processing, I tried many different approaches but found nothing that I liked. As I thought about what to do that would be creative, I thought of Picasso who showed the front and side view in the same painting. With that in mind, I set out to combine images of the side and front of this truck into a single image. I was so pleased with the result that I decided to include the rear of the truck. Ultimately I produced a 270 degree view of the truck in a single image. While I was doing all my photoshopping, I decided to replace the sky with something a little more interesting.

Here’s the final result.

"Killing Time"

I recently joined a photography club. The club's “creative” special interest group issued a monthly challenge with the subject “clocks”.  I had only a couple of days to meet the challenge if I was to show an image at the SIG meeting. I really didn’t know how to make a creative photo of a clock so I decided to start by making a photo of a clock we had on the wall. It was a traditional clock with traditional numbers that we had purchased at Wal-mart for less than five dollars. Clearly, I couldn’t make a creative image of that clock in the camera so I relied on Photoshop to help with the creative piece.

My first idea was to liquefy it. Salvador Dali, the famous Spanish artist had done that so I used Photoshop’s “puppet warp” tool to squash it up a bit. That seemed like a good start but I needed to do more than that. Then I came up with the theme of “killing time” so I decided to create a clock image with that title, complete with bullet holes and blood drippings. This is the final image.

Photo Stacking to Capture the Light.

When I set up my camera and tripod in anticipation of making a photograph of this beautiful valley in Iceland, I hoped for something better than I ended up with. The sky was mostly cloudy but the sun would peek out through an occasional break in the clouds. As portions of the valley lit up, I would make an exposure; all the time hoping the sun would light up the mountain at the end of the valley and that a blue hole would open behind it. Unfortunately, the sky simply did not cooperate and this was one of the photos I was able to make.

While this photo is acceptable, it wasn’t what I was looking for.

Before I packed it in, I raised my camera, and using a wide angle lens, captured the scene with the blue hole that was high in the sky. That photo wasn't very good because the blue sky wasn’t where I wanted it in the frame, it had too much sky and the valley was completely shaded.

As I made my photographs, I was thinking about whether I could make the shot I wanted in my post processing by combining the images that I had made.

When I got home I gave it a try. First, in Adobe Camera Raw, I opened twelve images I had made of the valley; all with different places lit by the sun. I made my adjustments,made sure that I had selected all the images and applied the adjustments to all of them. I then clicked on the “Done” button. With those same images selected in ACR, I clicked on Tools,  Photoshop,  Load Files into Photoshop Layers. When all the files were opened, I selected all the layers and changed the blending mode to “Lighten”. By changing the blending mode, all the lightest pixels were exposed so the entire valley was lit up. I liked the final product much better, but all the shadows were now lost. I then clicked on the eyeball next to each layer to see what it was contributing to the entire image. By turning off some of the layers, I was able to bring some of the shadows back into the image. When I found the combination I liked, I flattened the image and the result was much better than the original. Still I wasn’t satisfied.

In ACR, I opened the final photograph I made; the one with the bit of blue sky. I applied the same settings as I had made for the other images and opened it in Photoshop. Next I duplicated the layer by pressing CTRL  J. I then clicked on Window, Arrange,, Tile All Vertically. Now I could see my two images side by side. I took the Move Tool, grabbed the top layer of the image with the blue sky and dragged it to the other image. While holding down the Shift key, I dropped the layer on top of the other image. Holding Shift ensures that the two images are aligned on top of each other perfectly. With the blue hole image on top, I went to the bottom of the Layers Pallet and while holding down the ALT key, I clicked on the Add a Layer Mask icon. Holding down the ALT key created a black mask that hid the entire layer. Next I clicked on the background layer and using the Quick Selection Tool, I selected the sky. I then selected the blue hole layer mask and  hit the DELETE key. That painted the mask white in the selected area and revealed the blue hole layer in the selected area. The blue hole was perfectly placed. (If it had not been where I wanted it, I would have used the Move Tool to position the layer in such a way that the blue sky was where I wanted it.)

I then pressed CTL ALT SHIFT E to flatten the layer above the other layers. I converted it to a smart object and applied select filters from Nik's Color Efex Pro 4. I then used Nik's Viveza to make some targeted adjustments to the mountain top, adding the light I had hoped I would get from the sun as well as adding a little saturation.

While I captured the light I wanted via stacking and getting the sky I wanted by compositing the sky from a photo made during the same stop, I still wasn't completely satisfied with my shot. I liked everything about it except the foreground. I thought it needed more or none at all because I thought that what I had was more of a distraction than a photographic element.

I looked through my images and found another one I made at the same location but at a shorter focal length. I was able to move the foreground from that image to my stacked image and it worked well.

Here is the final result.

This is the image I set out to create. When the sun and sky didn't cooperate, I took what they gave. When my eye didn't capture the best foreground, I inserted the foreground from another image. In the end, I created the image I was after.

What a View!

In 1961, the area which is now known as Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park was donated to the State of California by the Helen Brown, wife of a former New York Congressman Lathrop Brown. They acquired the property in 1924 and built a stone house along the Big Sur coast.

As I recall the story, Helen was the adopted child of a wealthy family in New York. When they died, she was left with a fortune. She married Brown, moved to California and purchased this property, which was literally in the middle of nowhere. There were few people in the area but Helen and Julia became good friends, so good, in fact, that when Helen donated the property to the State of California, one stipulation was that the land be made into a state park and another was that it be named after her friend Julia.

The Brown's built a home at this location above the ocean. Their home had extraordinary views. This view looks north.

The view looking South was even more magnificent than the other one. An 80' waterfall poured on to the white sand beach with Caribbean blue waters at McWay Cove.

If there is a more beautiful view along the Pacific coast, I haven't seen it and can't imagine how it could be more beautiful than this location.

Why I Make Composites for My Night Sky Photos

I enjoy making photos of the night sky, especially when the Milky Way is clearly visible. I usually try to shoot on clear moonless nights because I find that a moon produces too much light. Even a quarter moon lights up the sky and, as a result, dims the stars. Of course, the problem with shooting the night sky with so little light is that in order to light up the foreground, a long exposure is required. An exposure long enough to light up the foreground is too long to capture pinpoint stars.

Left: Exposure for the foreground.






Right: Exposure for the sky.











I photograph the night sky with a 14mm, 21mm or 24mm lens which means that I usually keep my exposures to 25 seconds or less. Anything longer than that will produce unacceptable star trails. Now star trails can make very nice photos but the exposure needs to be more like two and a half hours. A dark foreground can’t be captured satisfactorily in 25 seconds. Using Photoshop to increase the exposure for the foreground can work, but there is simply too much noise to make the shot acceptable.

 Either before or after I expose for the sky, I shoot the foreground. I’ve found that I like to have three stops of light greater than the exposure for the sky. Getting three stops requires about four minutes. (A one minute exposure doubles the 25 second exposure, two minutes doubles it again and a four minute exposure doubles it again for a total of three stops.)

  

Compositing the two shots in Photoshop is relatively easy so long as the foreground isn’t too complicated.

Here is he final composited image.

The Dreaded Orange Glow

I like to photograph the night sky on clear, moonless nights when the only light comes from the canopy of stars. I also like to create composites for my final image. To do this I make exposures of about 3 minutes for the foreground and 25 seconds for the sky and combine them in Photoshop. 

Unfortunately, even on the darkest nights, the camera will capture the orange glow of a distant city.

The photo below, made from Yavapai Point at the Grand Canyon was exposed for three minutes. Notice that the canyon is properly exposed but the stars are forming trails because of the long exposure. Notice the glow in the sky just above the horizon on the left. It comes from the City of Las Vegas which is 175 straight line miles away. 

Here, the sky is exposed for the stars but the canyon is underexposed. The glow from Las Vegas is still clearly visible.

I combined the above two images to make this composite.

Here's how I did it. First, I opened both photos in Adobe Camera Raw and made various adjustments. What they were is really not important because this article is about creating a composite from two images. What is important is that I made the same adjustments to both images. I've found that making separate adjustments for each layer tends to make the composite look fake and fixing it is more difficult than just using the same adjustments.

I opened both images in Photoshop. I made a copy of the image with the properly exposed foreground (CTRL J) and using the move tool, placed it as a layer on top of the image with the properly exposed sky. Using the quick selection tool, I made a selection of the sky. Because the intersection of the horizon and the plateau is virtually flat, the quick selection tool did a great job. With the sky selected, I held down the ALT key and clicked on the create a layer mask icon on the Layers pallet. That created a black mask which hid the selected the area on the top layer and revealed the selected area on the bottom layer creating the perfect composite.

But what about the glow from Las Vegas? Here's how I fixed that. I simply selected the sky layer and then chose EDIT, TRANSFORM, SCALE and dragged the handle at the bottom corner to make the sky layer larger. I then used the move tool to move that layer down until the glow was below the foreground layer. With the original foreground selected and making sure I had selected white as the foreground layer, I clicked on the add layer mask icon. This action revealed the sky of the transformed layer.  It was a simple matter. Because the sky layer is larger, you can also move it from side to side to get that layer in the best position.

Is there a downside do using Transform? Yes, it has the effect of using a longer lens so the slight trailing in the stars from the 25 second exposure will be a bit larger but that will only matter if you decide to print an enlargement of your photo. But even then, depending on your camera, the effect will be minimal.

To see other composite photos on my site where I used the same technique click here or here. The first composite was not as easy because selecting the tree on the right was much more difficult.

Favorite Photo Locations - Arches National Park - Part II

After visiting the windows section of Arches National Park, follow the road back to the main park road and turn right. The road will take you down to the floor of the valley. Watch for the signs to Delicate Arch. Turn right there.

There are two parking areas along the road. The first is at the Wolfe Ranch where the trailhead to the arch begins. It isn’t a hard hike but is about a mile and a half and has an elevation gain of about 500 feet. Most of the hike is over slick rock and there are cairns along the way to direct you to the best route. As you approach the arch, the trail is narrow and drops off a sheer cliff but the trail is wide enough and smooth so walking is easy.  You can’t see the arch until you get to the end of the trail.

There is a small arch in the wall just before Delicate Arch that provides a nice view of this famous arch. It is a relatively easy climb up but the climb down is dangerous. If you choose to check out the view, be prepared to slide down on your backside.

Make sure you take plenty of water on your hike to Delicate Arch. The hot dry climate can drain you of water. The effort will also cause you to perspire. If you visit Delicate Arch during the cool season, make sure you carry a jacket. It may be warm on your hike, but when you get to your destination, even the slightest breeze will cool you down fast.

The best time to photograph Delicate Arch from this location is in the late afternoon when the sun lights up the arch and the La Sal Mountains in the distance.

The hike to Delicate Arch is well worth the long hike.

The less strenuous place to see Delicate Arch begins at the parking area at the end of the road. There is a lookout area a short distance from the parking lot. The arch is a long way off so you won’t get the classic view of the arch, but you will be able to see it. There is a hiking trail there that will lead you to a viewpoint much closer to Delicate Arch. It isn't nearly as demanding the hike to the arch itself, but it is steep. You can’t get to the base of Delicate Arch from this place as there is canyon that separates the two places.

These locations offer good photographic opportunities from mid-morning on. Early in the day, the arch is in shadow. A long lens is a good idea when photographing Delicate Arch from these viewpoints.

Delicate Arch Viewed from the upper viewing area at the end of the road. I made this photo using a 400mm lens.

After viewing Delicate Arch, head back to the main park road and turn right. The road will take you past Fiery Furnace and lead you to the parking area near the Devil’s Garden.

The Fiery Furnace is interesting and best captured from the viewpoint. The best way to see it close-up is to sign up for a ranger led tour. The Fiery Furnace is a maze that can easily get you lost if you don’t know where you are going.

As you drive along the road past the Fiery Furnace, you will see Skyline Arch along the fin wall on your right. There is a parking along the road if you wish to hike to the arch. It is less than a half mile round-trip to the arch.

The setting sun will light up Skyline Arch so plan you photo op for late in the day.

Make sure you leave plenty of time to visit Landscape Arch which the longest known arch in the world. It is accessible via an easy hike from the parking area at the Devil’s Garden. The hike is along flat ground and is about a mile and a half round-trip walk. You can get reasonably close to this arch but, because a piece of the arch collapsed a few years ago, access to the area below the arch is prohibited.

The view of this arch is from the east, so early morning works best for photographing it. That time of the day also assures you of a parking place. The Devil’s Garden is a very popular area of the park and parking spaces are not always available.

Landscape Arch may collapse in the near future so make sure you see it while it is still there.

Beyond Landscape are some other impressive arches but getting to them requires much more effort. Access to Pine Tree and Tunnel Arch are just off the trail between the parking lot and Landscape Arch. These are easy walks.

If you see all of the features of Arches National Park found in these two articles, you will have seen some of the best that the park offers.