I am often asked how I captured the details when I show someone my photography. The comment that their “photos don’t look like that.” I then explain the process of capturing the details, through proper exposure, and the benefits of High Dynamic Range (HDR) photography. I though it might help to produce a post that visually details how to capture a scene in HDR an show that everyone can do it…
Photos From "Cajon Day": Part 4
Photos From "Cajon Day": Part 3
Photos From "Cajon Day": Part 2
Here are a few more images that I have post-processed that I took on November, 13, 2010 at BNSF and the San Bernardino History & Railroad Museum’s celebration of the 125th anniversary of train service through Cajon Pass.
The photos are representative of the vehicles that were on display, complete with accompanying employees, specific to each vehicle type and service, to field questions from the public and give demonstrations…
Photos From "Cajon Day": Part 1
Poster Art: Travelers
As I exited the tunnel from Track 3 at Los Angeles Union Station and joined the tide of humanity, the hundreds of recently freed commuters that were rushing to the find their exits, I felt the pressure and the urgency that seems to be part of the daily commuting process. Making my way through the main waiting area of the terminal I passed several lines of people that seemed to consist of business travelers, family vacationers, and many others seeking to be elsewhere…
Cajon Pass in HDR - Crossing Over Cajon Style
Cajon Pass in HDR - Sleepless Summit Sojourn Seeking Sunrise
Toying Around with Hyper-Real HDR
On Labor Day this year I went out shooting. I opted to stay locally, near Ontario, California, and see what I could find since I usually head out for a few days into the remoteness of the Mojave Desert when I get the chance. After I left the Pomona, California area I headed towards Union Pacific’s large classification yard at West Colton, California…
Inspired by a Book to Try Something New
Sunset Over Metrolink’s San Gabriel Sub
iPhone HDR: Metrolink
Here are two recent HDR efforts made from an Apple iPhone 3GS telephone with the application called “Pro HDR for the iPhone 3GS.” The application currently sells for $1.99.
NOTE: Apple iPhone 4 users will now have native HDR support built-in to their camera upon updating to iOS version 4.1 which is now available for download…
Tehachapi Pass in HDR: Caliente
A long-time favorite spot to watch and photograph trains of mine is the Tehachapi Mountains, located between Mojave and Bakersfield, California. I have made countless trips to the golden hills of Tehachapi over the decades and the area is on my list of places where I would like to live. The area features hard-core mountain railroading, a storied past, and four seasons complete with all the changes that brings…
A Passing Opportunity - HDR of Los Angeles Union Station
During one of my morning jaunts to work in downtown Los Angeles I found myself presented with an opportunity I couldn’t pass up. The old ticketing area of Union Station, or the Los Angeles Union Passenger Terminal (LAUPT), is often closed from view and hidden in a veil of secrecy. Apparently Hollywood uses the area often for film and television shows and is funny about public access to the area - for some insane reason, I am sure.
On this particular morning I walked through the station to reach my shuttle to work and saw the area was viewable and bathed in the morning light. I hesitated briefly and took in the scene. “I want a photo,” I thought…
Convergence at Crookton
After leaving the Canyon Diablo bridge we meandered west along Interstate 40 towards Williams, Arizona. By this point it was late afternoon and the lighting was getting good. I was hoping to shot at a location we discovered during our last trip to this area in 2006. It is a cool spot near Williams that affords a semblance of solitude and the railroad track alignment offers some great curves to accentuate the struggle trains face climbing the Arizona Divide. We dubbed this area “Scary Bear Road” because the area was remote and certainly seemed like bear country to us. (We have “friendly names” for many of our railfanning locations to help differentiate them and make them easier to remember…)
I Finally Met the Devil
The date was August 11, 2010. I awoke earlier than Deb, as is the usual case because she likes to stargaze into the wee morning hours. I was feeling a bit anxious. I knew the day’s activities could be challenging based on all that I read and heard.
I let her sleep in as I made preparations for us to leave the Meteor Crater RV Park where we had stayed the night. We were there to witness the Perseid meteor shower and since we were in northern Arizona we concluded that there was no more appropriate place to see the meteor shower than at Meteor Crater, Arizona, some forty miles east of Flagstaff…
A Parting View of Yavapai Point
Sunrise Over Yavapai Point, Grand Canyon
A week or so ago Deb and I took a brief road trip to Arizona. During our trip I took as many HDR photographs as the scenery and time permitted. One of the first stops we made was to the south rim of the Grand Canyon. Since we were traveling at night, Deb had the idea to see if we could catch the sunrise over the Grand Canyon in HDR. Thanks Deb, what a great idea…
Pseudo-HDR Images from Cajon Pass
During my deep-dive into the realm of High Dynamic Range photography I have been forced to test with pseudo-HDR images which are the byproduct of a single RAW image file. (See my previous blog post, “Going to the Next Level: Learning HDR,” for a detailed explanation.) I am learning the nuances and challenges of the process, the various techniques and softwares packages available, and developing a maintainable workflow process. Above all else though, I am becoming inspired…
Going to the Next Level: Learning HDR
I recently started to explore the photographic technique called High Dynamic Range photography or simply HDR. This technique is centered around the post-processing task of combining a series of images, taken at different exposure settings, to create a scene that is, arguably, more realistic, which is not possible with a single camera photo…