Sandpiper at sunrise, Santa Monica State Beach, California 2012
Copyright © 2012 William Neill
Canon EOS-1Ds Mark III, EF70-200mm f/2.8L USM, 1/4 second at f/13, ISO 100

I have just recently created a 2012 calendar using HP’s MagCloud.  Many of the images are newly created in the past year, so those of you that know my Impressions of Light ebook, you will see fresh new images!

I want to share this with you since many of us are exploring self-publishing options, and I’ve wanted to produce calendars for sale and gifts.  I found a well-designed template, so I simply added images and captions.  It was more work than I had hoped for as I haven’t used Adobe InDesign for awhile, but all said, it was worth the effort.  The quality of the reproductions is very good.  The size is based on 8.5×11 pages, so the open calendar is 17×11.  The only issue is getting the calendar to lay flat, but with a bit of back-folding, it works fine.  If you’ve wanted to make your own calendar, this is a good option.  Here are some screenshots of the layout below.

Oh and by the way, if you like the look of my calendar, they are for sale on the MagCloud web site for just $9.99:

Start out your New Year with William Neill’s Impressions of Light 2012 Calendar!

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Bill

Canon EOS-1Ds Mark III__EF70-200mm f/2.8L USM__1/4 sec at f / 4.5__ISO 100__FILTER: Singh Ray Vari-ND

Here is a newly processed image, made in March, from the same Coarsegold, CA location I’ve earlier posted on my blog: http://bit.ly/fJHRRw.  I made the image above with low-angle sunlight on the first morning, then returned the next morning when the light was flatter.  Below is the image from the second morning.  Which one do you like better?

Canon EOS-1Ds Mark III__EF70-200mm f/2.8L USM__0.7 sec at f / 9.5__ISO 100

Enjoy, and let me know your thoughts, Bill

Canon EOS-1Ds Mark III__EF70-200mm f/2.8L USM__1/2 sec at f / 8.0__ISO 100

I am trying to catch up with processing all the images I’ve made in the last few months.  It has been a very productive time for me! Here is one taken on February 2o. I have already posted another image from this session, but I made a quick edit initially so I felt the need to dig back through the captures to see what else was was there.  This is an important process for all of us photographers, because we can generate so many versions of any given composition that we can’t digest them all in one or two editing sessions.

I will post two here for your review and comparison.  The  top image is newly post-processed, and the bottom photograph was posted on Facebook in February.  For both images, I used my trusty Singh Ray Vari-ND in order to use slow shutter speeds.  Your thoughts are welcome.

Enjoy,  William Neill

William Neill ebooks

Canon EOS-1Ds Mark III__EF70-200mm f/2.8L USM__0.7 sec at f / 6.7__ISO 100

This past week, I made around 700 exposures at a favorite location where the plains of the Central Valley meet the Sierra foothills near Fresno.  The conditions were spectacular as the recent winter storms came and went, billowing clouds and beams of sunlight.

Here is one of my new Impressions of Light images.  I am still editing in Lightroom, and hope to post more soon.  To learn more about how I create these photographs and why, read my essay on Luminous Landscape.  One key ingredient to making this image, and many of my other Impressions images, is Singh Ray’s Vari_ND filter, which allows me great flexibility in my choice of shutter speeds.  Here is another example of how I’ve used this filter:  The Intimate Landscapes of William Neill.

Enjoy!  Bill

Please let me know which ones are your favs!  Thanks to all of you who have followed my ongoing adventures in creative photography.

Happy New Year,  Bill

Salsify Seeds, 2010

Ice, Ahwahnee, California 2010

Stones and reflections, Ahwahnee, California 2010

Valley Oak and fog, Ahwahnee, California 2010

Valley Oaks and fog at sunrise, Ahwahnee, California 2010

Plum Blossom, Ahwahnee, California 2010

Plum Blossom #2, Ahwahnee, California 2010

Sunrise at Scripps Pier, La Jolla, California 2010

Twilight, Scripps Pier, La Jolla, California 2010

Twilight at Scripps Pier, La Jolla, California 2010

Three Calla Lilies, Ahwahnee, California 2010

Two Calla Lilies, Ahwahnee, California 2010

Dogwood Branches over the Merced River, Yosemite National Park, 2010

Dogwood Branch, Merced River, Yosemite National Park, 2010

Lily, Ahwahnee, California 2010

Pier Pilings and Fog, Coquille River, Bandon, Oregon 2010

Pier Pilings in the Coquille River, Bandon, Oregon 2010

Pier Pilings, Coquille River, Bandon, Oregon 2010

Rock formation and driftwood, Bandon, Oregon 2010

Two Lilies, Ahwahnee, California 2010

Sunflower Impression, Ahwahnee, California 2010

Sunflower, Ahwahnee, California 2010

Four Oaks, Coarsegold, California 2010

Sunbeams and Forest, Sierra Nevada Foothills, California 2010

Grasses and Raindrops, Siesta Lake, Yosemite National Park, California 2010

Aspen, Conway Summit, California 2010

Aspen and Sierra Nevada Mountains, Conway Summit, California 2010

Sunrise Storm Clouds, Mono Lake Tufa State Natural Reserve, California 2010

Pinecones, Mono Lake Tufa
State Natural Reserve, California 2010

Sunrise surf, Carmel, California 2010

Rocks and Surf, Carmel, California 2010

Rock Formations and surf, Pt. Lobos State Reserve, California 2010

Winter Hills, Diablo Mountains, Pacheco Pass, California 2010

Cows and Winter Hills, Diablo Mountains, Pacheco Pass, California 2010

Autumn oak and snowstorm, Ahwahnee, California 2010

Oaks in autumn snowstorm, Ahwahnee, California 2010

Autumn oaks and snowflakes, Ahwahnee, California 2010

Calla Leaf, Ahwahnee, California 2010

Pine forest in fog, Ahwahnee, California 2010

Oak forest in fog, Ahwahnee, California 2010

Canon EOS-1Ds Mark III__EF70-200mm f/2.8L USM__1/45 sec at f / 16__ISO 400

Aspen and approaching storm, Conway Summit, California  2010

I have been spending time today catching up with post-processing my images from last weekend.  My style leans strongly towards making detailed and intimate views of the landscape.  Giving the conditions of an approaching Sierra storm, I widened out to include trees, mountains and clouds.  I experienced amazing light here at Conway Summit, as well as at sunrise on Mono Lake

The image made here was made last Friday, with two exposures blended in PS5.  The highlights on the clouds were just too bright to record with just a “normal” exposure of the aspens.

I will be posting more new images from last weekend soon.  I can’t remember when I made so many new images that I am excited about, especially on a short 24 hour trip over to Mono Lake.  We drove over the pass on Friday morning, and had to head back again Saturday morning in order to get through Tioga Pass just as the snowstorm closed the road.

Enjoy!  Stay tuned for some new Impressions of Light images of aspen and Mono Lake!

Bill

William Neill’s Yosemite: Volume One

Canon EOS-1Ds Mark III__EF70-200mm f/2.8L USM__1/2 sec at f / 6.7__ISO 100

I continue to edit my Cally Lily images.  I made a few new Impressions of Light images.  Here is one of them.  Would love to hear your comments!

Cheers,   Bill

I haven’t had time to fully edit my Yosemite images from last weekend.  Soon, I hope!

Impressions of Light – Deluxe Edition

Impressions of Light – Digital Edition

Canon EOS-1Ds Mark III__TS-E90mmf/2.8+2x Extender__1.5 sec at f / 2.8__ISO 100

Yesterday afternoon, and early this morning, I took about 550 frames of my purple plum trees which are in bloom.  I know about quality over quantity, but this is what happens when I get excited making Impressions of Light images!

I have barely started editing, but found this one to share.  Below you can see the setup I used for both the ice image, and this blur!  Ironic somehow…  For the blossom images, I added the Singh Ray Vari-ND filter, which I’ve used often for my Impressions images.  It allowed me to use the widest aperture for shallow depth of field, but still use a slow shutter speed.

In the next few days, I will edit and upload more new images to share.  For more Impressions of Light images, see my ebook:

Impressions of Light

Taken with my iPhone

Canon EOS-1Ds Mark III__TS-E90mm f/2.8__1/180 sec at f / 2.8__ISO 400

New photo! I made this image yesterday evening.  My purple plums are just started blooming, so out comes the camera!  I used my Canon 90mm TS lens with two Canon 2x extenders.  It’s a bit like have a Lensbaby, and I could play around with focus point and blurring the background.  The image was made from two exposures blended – one “sharp” and the other complete soft focus.

Enjoy!   Bill

There are several purple plum images in my Impressions of Light ebook:  Impressions of Light.  Download it now for only $15.00.