Enjoy!  Bill

Oaks and Fog, Ahwahnee Hills Regional Park, Ahwahnee, California 2012
Canon EOS-1Ds Mark III, EF70-200mm f/2.8L USM,
1/125 second at f/16, ISO 100
Copyright © 2012 William Neill

Other Morning Light images:

Late Summer Meadow, Ahwahnee, California 2011

Spring Oak, Coarsegold, California 2011

Buckeye, Foothills of the Sierra Nevada, California 2011

Sunbeams and Forest, Sierra Nevada Foothills, California 2010

Autumn oak and snowstorm, Ahwahnee, California 2010

Waterfall and Sunbeam, Sierra Nevada Foothills, California 2011

Morning Fog and Oaks, Ahwanhnee, California 2011

Canon EOS-1Ds Mark III__EF24-105mm f/4L IS USM__0.7 sec at f / 16__ISO 400

Last week, I was photographing in Zion while traveling with my family.  I returned to a favorite location and was thrilled to find favorite red maples in fine autumn dress.  My kids loved the spot, and they spent about an hour burying each other in the sandy wash. I climbed around the steep slope opposite the trees and slickrock wall, looking for good compositions.  There was a breeze, so with each framing, I waited and watched for the leaves to stay still.  Here is one of my favorite versions from that afternoon.

I am continuing to process images from my trip, so come back soon to see more new work.

Enjoy!   Bill

I have also attached a 4×5 film image, taken from the same location in 1985.  Back then, when using Ektachrome 64, I used an 81A filter to counteract the blue balance.  This accounts for some of the color difference, as does later stage of the maples and oak’s leaves.  Ultimately, color is a matter of taste.  I “feel” far more than “think” when I create and process my images, and sometimes the interpretation of the same locations can very different.  I have learned to trust my instincts more than second-guess them.

Red maples and slickrock, Zion National Park, Utah 1985

Canon EOS-1Ds Mark III__TS-E90mm f/2.8__1/8 sec at f / 13__ISO 320 + Canon 2X Extender

I made this image yesterday.  I’ve been driving by this spot almost daily and had decided that I would need my Tilt Shift lens to achieve sharpness from front to back.  The morning was overcast so now I had the light I wanted.  Adding the 2X Extender to my 90mm T/S, I isolated these layers of color and texture.  There was a breeze, which made catching a sharp frame tough.  I spent 30 minutes in one spot, especially watching the tall composite flowers for when they stopped moving, to capture 2-3 sharp images.

This image will add nicely to my Morning Light series.

Enjoy!

Bill

If you haven’t seen my ebooks, check them out.  If you have one or more, share with your friends!

Rock and Water, Cascade Falls, Yosemite National Park, California 2011 / Canon EOS-1Ds Mark III__EF70-200mm f/2.8L USM__1/2 sec at f / 27__ISO 320

On a recent trip to Yosemite Valley, I spent some time photographing waterfalls.  The water levels are still very high for this time of year, but they are down quite a bit from the highest levels earlier this spring.  I had been stuck in my office for far too long, working for about two weeks straight catching up with orders.  I desperately needed this water therapy!

I had the idea of finding some water details and abstracts here at Cascade Falls.  I wanted to see what variations I might come up with like the detail shown below using a fast shutter speed made in 2005.  I worked with bright sunlight again but doubted I had any worthwhile images, so I did my errands and came back in the evening.

These two image are of the same section of the falls, the smaller 2005 image being a detail within the area of the larger image along the center left edge.  One of the reasons for showing this is to show how vastly different two interpretations can be.  I also want to mention how much I photographed in both these sessions.  My long time friend of 27 years, Michael Frye, posted an excellent comment recently about how many frames he made to find the best combo of texture and pattern in his waterfall image: Why Am I Taking Forty Frames of the Same Thing? It happens that his photograph was of this section of waterfalls on Cascade Creek, but of Lower Cascades Falls just over the cliff from where I made these frames.  He made a critical point about why he makes many variations of one composition, with the same camera settings, to find one frame that stood out above the rest.  Even with the same shutter speed, each of 40 frames was different.  Doing the work paid off for Michael, and it will for you too.

I use the same approach, especially with photographs showing moving water.  Not only do I make many frames with the same settings, I also “bracket” my shutter speeds.  I have been photographing moving water for a long time, but I am never quite sure which shutter speed will give the best effect for a given scene.  I watch the water carefully, looking for prime moments of action, like especially high leaps of spray.  I make a burst of frames, and when I think I’ve caught a good moment, I’ll move on to another shutter speed.  For the Rock and Water image here, I made around 100 frames total using about 6-7 shutter speeds.  When editing my images from this one day, I had 450 frames made at several locations.  For each composition, I had to view each frame, with Lightroom’s Compare View tool, to slowly edit down to the best expression of what I saw and felt.  Each exposure had subtle differences.  The larger image was made with a 1/2 sec exposure, the 2005 image at 1/1000.  My point is that it takes this kind of extra effort to push one’s work to the next level.

One final note: I have made a great effort to avoid photographing icons and cliches in Yosemite for the past 34 years.  When I made this recent image, I was aware that this rock and waterfall combo had been photographed before.  As when photographing Half Dome, I could only hope to add my own creative take to a common subject like Cascade Falls.  Whether or not I have succeeded , I do not know.  In any case, I had a great time in my favorite sanctuary – Yosemite.  Let me know your thoughts, and enjoy!

To see more of my Yosemite work, check out my PFD ebook or new iPad app!  William Neill’s YOSEMITE:
VOLUME ONE

Cascades Falls, 2005

Canon EOS-1Ds Mark III__TS-E90mm f/2.8__1/30 sec at f / 22__ISO 200

Practice, practice…

I’ve been very frustrated lately because I haven’t been able to get out of the office and up to Yosemite for waterfalls, reflections in the meadow, corn lilies in the high country.  Fortunately, my water lilies are in bloom and I check them out every day.  We had an amazing rain storm Tuesday night and the next morning, and so I took a lunch break on my patio.  My water lilies had been washed clean and were gleaming with water drops.  I used my trusty 90mm Tilt Shift lens, making two frames to merge into this square composition using Photo Merge in Photoshop CS5.  The storm was starting to clear, with the sun on the edge of a cloud which gives this image a fresh and sparkling mood.

So when I finally get up to Yosemite Valley next week, I’ll have had recent practice.  Practice seeing every day, get your camera out whenever and wherever you get inspired, and be ready for the next opportunity.  Oh yes, and it might just happen in your back yard!

Enjoy,  Bill

William Neill’s Yosemite Volume One

Canon EOS-1Ds Mark III__EF70-200mm f/2.8L USM__2.0 sec at f / 19__ISO 100

I have been very overwhelmed with work and thus have a large backlog of images to process.  I made this image last month at Happy Isle in Yosemite, which is an amazing place anytime but especially during high water.  This subtle image is part of my ongoing efforts to reveal the Inner Yosemite!  I hope you enjoy it and also hope to post more new work soon.

New App – William Neill’s Yosemite Volume One

Winter, Yosemite Valley, Yosemite National Park, California 2008

I am happy to let you know about a new Fine Print offer just announced by The Ansel Adams Gallery.  I have been honored to be the first artist for this exciting new series among the elite group of photographers represented by the Gallery.  Two of my recent images are being offered at an exceptional discount of 25% for a limited time.  The sale began this morning and will end at 6PM on Sunday, June 12^th.

The two images, never printed previously, will be hand printed by me using archival inks on my high quality inkjet printer, then mounted and over-matted using archival materials.  The prints will be signed and numbered with print details included on the label attached on the back of the print.  For more details on my printing process, see Fine Art Print Information on my web site.

Valley Oak and fog, Ahwahnee, California 2010

I hope you will check for further details on Gallery’s site, pass it on to your friends, on Facebook, Twitter or on your blog.  Below you can see the images, and read the story of making each photograph.

The Ansel Adams Gallery has represented my fine art photographs since 1983, after Ansel viewed my prints himself. I am especially excited because I knew Ansel personally and his mentorship greatly inspired my career in landscape photography.

Special Fine Print Offers from The Ansel Adams Gallery

Regards,  William Neill

Canon EOS-1Ds Mark III__EF24-105mm f/4L IS USM__1/15 sec at f / 16__ISO 400

Last week, I was in the Toronto area with my family for a wedding.  I brought along my camera and a few lenses in case I found inspiration.  Staying at our  family’s home,  I took a short walk about their property on a drizzly day.  I am not sure if these plants are hosta, or maybe veratrum, but I know I loved the patterns.  Does anyone know the common and/or latin name?

Thanks for reading my blog.  Stay tuned for new postings soon regarding a special Fine Print offer!  To ensure receiving info about my Fine Prints, ebooks, online workshops and more, be sure to sign up for my email newsletter.

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Enjoy, and let me know your comments about my latest image!

Bill

Canon EOS-1Ds Mark III__EF70-200mm f/2.8L USM__3.0 sec at f / 32__ISO 400

Here is my favorite image from  Saturday May 7th in Yosemite. The dogwood were beautiful, and I had a blast! More to come!  I posted this image on FB earlier but loaded the wrong jpg.

Enjoy, and please give me your feedback!  Bill

Enjoy!  Bill

Canon EOS-1Ds Mark III__EF16-35mm f/2.8L II USM___ISO 160