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

Enjoy!  Bill

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

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__1/3 sec at f / 19__ISO 200

I have lived in the Sierra for 33 years, and I have always been thrilled when seeing the first buckeyes popping out in early spring.  The leaves come out so fast that I have never caught that moment I have enjoyed for so many years.  The bare branches of these small trees often have wonderful patterns that I have photographed during the winter months.  See one such image on mine on the OP site:  The Digital Deluge.

I have been wanting to capture that sense of early spring that I have seen and felt every spring for so long.  The timing for this image was critical – early enough in the budding process to still see the branch patterns and also see the full, radiating shapes of the leaves.  On Tuesday morning, on my Morning Light run, I think I captured the moment.

Enjoy!  Bill

Canon EOS-1Ds Mark III__EF70-200mm f/2.8L USM__1/125 sec at f / 16__ISO 400

Aspen in late afternoon light, Conway Summit, California  2010

I have been neglecting my blog lately due being too darn busy!  To see my most recent posts and images, also check here:  William Neill Photography

Here is a new image, made last Friday afternoon.  It was  simply gorgeous, with amazing clouds over the Sierra peaks freshly counted with a fall snow.

I was working against windy conditions, and the aspen were moving most the whole session.  I turned up my ISO so I could use a shutter speed to spot the leaf action.  This was the reason I took a few hundred frames here, which also included 7 frame brackets when including the very bright clouds.  Started using Nik’s HDR Effect today, which looks great so far.  I will post images soon.

Enjoy!  Bill

If you haven’t already, check out my latest ebook:

William Neill’s Yosemite: Volume One

Painted bark eucalyptus, the Hana Coast, Island of Maui, Hawai

John and I have been working on more scans from my 4×5 film archive.  It has been rewarding to finally make use of these images, but also frustrating to see how many good images are languishing in my filing cabinets.  I have also been placing new images on my Facebook Fan page.  I look forward to your comments here or on the Fan Page!

Enjoy,  Bill

PS  On March 10th, my next 4-Week BetterPhoto.com begins!
Inspiring Nature Photography: The Essentials
Key Features:
• Landscape Photography: focusing on the main ingredients
• Regarding Light: how to recognize good lighting conditions
• Using the Frame: how to compose an effective landscape image
• The Magic Element: expressing and sharing emotions in your work
For serious hobbyists, intermediates and advanced students.
Learn to use a fine quality of light.
How to apply interesting and dynamic image design.
Discover how emotional content can engage the viewer.
Sign up for this 4 week online course at BetterPhoto.com

Red Maples and forest, autumn, Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Tennessee

Here is another image from Monday morning.  I took seven frames, each one stop difference, and my assistant John assembled them using Lightroom and Photomatix’s Lightroom plugin (http://www.hdrsoft.com/).  This was taken with my Canon 16-35mm as the sun rose through the fog.  The tree behind the big oak were heavily tilted due to the convergence caused by aiming upward with 22mm of focal length!  I raced back to my car (yes, I should have had my camera bag next to me!) to get my 24mm Tilt Shift lens, which I used in the previously posted image.  To correct for the distortion of the trees, I asked John to straighten up the trees.  Instead of using Photoshop’s Lens Correction tool, he used the Crop tool, with Perspective box checked.  John writes about using this tool in this blog post, at the bottom of the page:  Breaking the Funk/Meditations on a Moment Blog.

Let me know if you have a favorite between the two Sunrise Fog images!

Bill

ONE ON ONE WORKSHOPS

The bark of a Gumbo Limbo tree, Everglades National Park, Florida

The bark of a Gumbo Limbo tree, Everglades National Park, Florida

Photographed in 1992 with a Wista 4×5 Field Camera

John and I continue our efforts to scan film in my files. Here is an old favorite, never scanned or printed before.  I must credit Eliot Porter for the inspiration as I first learned of this tree and its amazing bark from a photograph of his.

I am starting to develop an idea for a new portfolio that includes my more abstract details of nature.

The 4×5 film was scanned using my Epson Perfection V750 Pro.

Enjoy,   Bill

William Neill Portfolios

Canon EOS-1Ds Mark III__EF50mm f/2.5 Compact Macro__1/2000 sec at f / 2.5

Last weekend, after we had an icy storm that knocked our power out, I made this macro photo.  I had never noticed an “ice drop” of water like this before.  Amazing patterns.

This drop was on a young oak tree in my yard, and struggled to compose since I had to stand on a retaining wall, shooting hand held with no place to set up a tripod.  Fortunately, I caught a few sharp ones.  Next time, I will try some with a slightly smaller aperture which would have given better sharpness in the ice patterns at this extreme shallow DOF.

Enjoy,

Bill

PS.  There is space still available in my February online course with BetterPhoto:

Inspiring Nature Photography:
The Essentials

Black oaks, autumn, El Capitan Meadow, Yosemite Valley, Yosemite National Park, California 1984

For the month of September, I am offering a new Special Edition “Mini” Print from my Yosemite portfolio. I am releasing one image at a time as a “Featured Print” which you will be able to purchase directly from me!

This month’s Featured Print is “Black Oaks, autumn, Yosemite National Park, California 1984″ shown to the right.

This Special Edition image is an archival inkjet print, sized to 9″ x 7″ on Premium Satin Paper, matted and mounted to 11″x14″ on archival museum board. The print will be initialed by me, not signed. The series will be unlimited in quantity, but numbered sequentially on the label.

With each collectible Special Edition released, you can build a fine art portfolio of my photographs at a very reasonable cost. And the best part…it’s only $40!

Click here to get your print!