Arizona Christmas

Arizona Christmas

This past week we flew to Arizona to share grandson, William Gregory's first Christmas. Sam,  Rob, his girlfriend Megan joined Bob and I for five days 5 days in Arizona. The following pictures are just a few of the many photos we took during our stay.

William's Hand

Beth and William

William Close-up

Sister Beth and Sarah with William

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Palm Trees at Sunset

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Beth and William play the drum

William Celebrates Christmas

William on the Cheerios Mirror

William sees his reflection

William and Megan

Rob and William

 Karl holds William

Family Site

This blog site is now going to be devoted to family pictures and discussions of that nature. To that end I am going to post the pics of Tom and Nancy's house that some folks did not see. (I didn't post them in my photography blog: pdpetersonphoto.com/blog/ when I posted the Cascades Loop trip in Washington State.)

The above is a photo os Tom's house with the cadillac named "Mom" in the foreground. He is proud of that car.

Tom and Nancy walking the dogs

Tom and Nancy with Dogs

New Website

Got a new website. Check it out. Let me know what you think. Click on the following link.

http://pdpetersonphoto.com/index.html

Valensole Plain 2012

Lavender Fields, Valensole Plain by Phyllis D. Peterson, 2012

I'm up to day three of my photographic journey through the Provence area of France.  It wouldn't be a trip through that area of France without the obligatory photograph of the lavender fields of the Valensole Plain. (I just love writing those words. I think it conveys the specialness of the place.) But don't be fooled. These lavender fields bloom for only 2-3 weeks. Our visit was specially timed to be at the lavender field when they were in bloom. This is an important cash crop for the French. As we found out when we visited the town of Sault, they sell the lavender blossoms and scent in their markets and worldwide.

As photographers we are all aware of the popular scene of neat, clean purple rows stretching into the horizon. How do you capture the scene without being boring? First of all, not all the rows were neat and clean. You had to find rows that were mostly purple. It was difficult because we were at the beginning of the two week period of bloom, so there were distracting green and white plants mixed in. We were lucky in that there were field of bright green fields to break up the color, and bordered by fields of wheat.  The trick is to shoot down the rows to show the perspective of converging lines in the distance. And, because it is a landscape shot needing focus in the distance you have to plan to set your aperture small (larger number) like f/16 or f/22. If you use Aperture Priority, the shutter speed will adjust and you just need to tweak it with the Exposure Compensation. Focus into the scene about 1/3 of the way in and you will get good focus, front to back.

We went to the market at Sault and took pictures of the lavender that was for sale. Of course, I brought home some lavender fragrance bags for my drawers at home. The fragrance brings me back to that place and time.

Outdoor Photographer Calendar Desktop Photo

Magnolia Light Through The Trees by Phyllis D Peterson
Outdoor Photographer Digital Calendar Desktop-August 2012

Above is the photo that I submitted to the Outdoor Photographer American Landscape Contest which finished about a month ago. I was chosen as a finalist which is a means that it was one of 12 photos chosen out of thousands to be in the running for first place through third place as well as honorable mentions. My photo did not win any prizes but I was proud to be among the finalists. I was contacted not long ago by Outdoor Photographer Magazine to see if I was interested in placing the image on their digital calendar as the August Photo. I eagerly agreed.

Here is the link if you would like to have a look see and while there you can download the photo as your Desktop Calendar.

http://www.outdoorphotographer.com/extras/calendar.html

Lyon, Summer 2012

Lyon is a city in south-central France that is situation between the Rhone River and the Saone River. Because of this situation, their buildings are very close to one another and they have many passages between the buildings to save space. These passages became important during the World War II as the French Underground came to life in their city.  It has a wonderful history dating back to the Romans. A city that became famous for their textiles and specifically their silk. They have their own unique culinary style.  I'd be happy to return anytime.

I had read what Rick Steves had written about Lyon but I was not prepared for how beautiful the city really is. The weather was not great but cloudy skies are what you want for photography. We all assembled in front of this view and waited for dusk to settle in and the lights to come on. We were not disappointed.

More to come. This week was traveling and a family funeral so I will cut the blog short.

Funflowers

Sunflower Field

Sunflowers should be called funflowers because they look so bright and happy.  On a sunny day the yellow sunflower contrasts nicely with the deep blue sky.  We saw our share of sunflowers that were worn out from the constant wind.  But the first field we came to in France on our 2nd day (shown above) were "funflowers." The wind was blowing but they were still strong enough to look you straight in the eye.  

The next field we came to seemed to be much more worn out from the wind. One technique of getting good photographs was to grab hold of the stem and place the blossom where you wanted in the image. This way you could keep shadows from falling across the front of the bloom.

France, Day 1

Finally, I have gotten over my inertia since my trip to France. The first day we photographed as a group had very overcast skies in Lyon. Our workshop leader wanted us to use flash so we took turns taking pictures of each other with the flash against the dramatic sky.

The couple above were from New Hampshire.  There was a flash held off to the right of them, lighting their faces.

Above is our intrepid leader, Bryan Peterson. He had a flash with a blue gel lighting his face and another flash with a red gel lighting the back of his head. With the hair, the dramatic sky and the church in the background, it has a devilish feel.  We were using the strobe with the Pocket Wizards in the hot shoe.

Here is a photo of a tour boat on the Soane River.  The old city of Lyon is on the left and the newer part of the city was on the left. I highlighted the boat and the water in Lightroom.

More to come. Stay tuned.

Waterfalls of Western North Carolina

Log Hollow Falls

In May I was able to travel to the waterfalls of Western North Carolina.  I wanted to find out what all the excitement was about. I had never thought waterfalls were particularly photogenic.

Getting to the first waterfall was an easy hike. Our group of photographers took pictures quietly as we fell under the spell of the water rushing down the mountain. I wanted to slow the action of the water so that the water looked like spun glass. The way to do that is to slow the shutter speed down to around 1/2 second to 2 seconds. In order to control the shutter speed you set the mode to manual priority, then, set the aperture to f/16 so that you can get good focus and depth of field. Then, set the shutter speed to 1/2 second. The ISO should be set to 400. Once you begin to photograph you can think about leading lines which lead your eye into the scene. 

Bull Pen Falls

The second waterfall (Bull Pen Falls) was a bit more of a hike and required some climbing--tough to do when you are carrying a backpack and tripod but not impossible. Kind of fun, actually.
We were able to get up close and the rocks had interesting patterns and colors.

Triple Falls

Other factors to consider when you are photographing waterfalls are the water on the leaves and the rocks around the falls.  With a polarizer you can rotate it to subdue the reflection on the rocks or the leaves. You don't want to have a lot of shine on the rocks because the shine can draw your eye away from your subject.

The third waterfall was Triple Falls. It was named because there were two smaller falls before arriving at the large falls seen in the last picture above.

Waterfalls in the first weekend in May were incredible to see due to the sound and power of the water. To be able to recreate the experience in a photograph was the goal. In looking at my photos when I got home I was reminded of the feeling of awe I felt when heard and saw this natural force. I am convinced that it is worthwhile to photograph waterfalls.

Napa, Sonoma and Anderson Valley

Tasting Room at Domaine Chandon Winery

Our recent trip to Napa, Sonoma and Anderson Valleys of Northern California was so enjoyable. It was not a photographic trip but I managed to get some photos that I hope describe the area and give a glimpse into what can be found there.

We had a fantastic dinner at Farallon Restaurant in San Francisco and the sommelier suggested that we drive to Anderson Valley, north of Napa and Sonoma. There, we could explore an area that is reminiscent of what Napa and Sonoma were like 30 years ago. The next day we took the long, twisty drive to Anderson Valley. We loved the charming wine region, away from the crowds. In Anderson Valley, dogs rest in the driveway and rise to greet you as you approach. Wine barrels line the tasting room walls. Frills are at a minimum but we found a winery we enjoyed: Toulouse.

Anderson Valley

Toulouse Winery in the Anderson Valley

Trefethen Winery

Napa Valley

Sonoma

Darioush Winery

Vineyard poppies behind our Hotel: The Meritage

Mondavi Winery

Napa Valley certainly has changed over the years. When I was there some 30 years ago, restaurants were rare. The tasting rooms were informal and usually outside and free. This time, we ate at a different restaurant every night: Ristorante Allegria and Cole's Chop House in Napa, to name a few. Although we visited many wineries, a few stand out: Chimney Rock, Darioush, Domaine Chandon and Mondavi. All the wineries require a tasting fee now but at Mondavi I approached the greeter and casually told him that I had been there 30 years before and there had been no fee. I requested the same treatment and, surprise, my wish was granted.

Enjoying our wine at Mondavi Winery

We all agreed that we would enjoy returning to Napa one day.

Water Wheel

Water Wheel

Another image from the Smokies... I am just about finished posting my images from that trip.

I took this image of the water wheel and I liked how the water looks. My shutter speed was about 5 seconds so I was sure to get smooth water.  I was not wild about the color image so I took the photo into Color Efex Pro and turned on Black and White.  Voila!

Precarious position

I have a few photos that I have taken from almost the same spot on a stream in Tennessee's Great Smoky Mountain Park in April.

Somehow I got up the nerve to stand out on a rock in the middle of the stream. I managed to get my tripod and camera up on the rock. My bag stayed on the side, nice and dry.
I set my lens to 50mm and my exposure to f/16 at 4.0 sec, and ISO 200. I knew I wanted the image to be clear from foreground to background.

Mountain stream looking one way

I turned around and took a picture of the stream going away from me. The settings for the following picture were almost the same: 45mm, f/22 at 6.0, and ISO 200. Of course I used a polarizing filter for both of these shots.

The most spectacular scenery you can find up in the mountains is often not the mountain vistas.  (That's a quote from me.)

Another Smoky Morning

Morning Dew

The photo seen above was taken at Cades Cove in the Great Smoky National Park early one spring morning. The mist still covered the ground in the park. What I was trying to achieve was the effect of sun glittering off the dew drops on the grass in the foreground. It did not succeed in my mind. The sun causes a huge jump in the histagram off to the right but so what. I have seen photos where the sun is in the photo with the mist below. I'm not sure this photo succeeds.

Morning Dew#2

Above is a similar photo after cropping and post processing in Color Efex Pro. I think I like the cooler effect better.

Fire in the Sky

Smokies Fire in the Sky

The first evening in the mountains of the Great Smokies we traveled to a vista and set up our cameras to catch the "Fire in the Sky." I had my camera on tripod with a 70-300mm lens set at 195mm. The settings in camera were 1/20 sec at f/16, ISO 400. As the sun was setting we had a swath of light which penetrated through the clouds and lit up the mountains tops.

When I looked at my photos afterward, I wasn't sure these photos were the best they could be. Post processing might be needed. In this image I used Viveza to give the clouds some definition and brighten up the various mountains.

Here is the photo without any processing:

What do you think? Processing was needed or should have been left the way it was?

                                                   


   

One Spring Day

Cades Cove Morning

The weather is becoming warmer and even steamy but I'd like to remember back 4 weeks to the middle of April when I was in The Smokies (Great Smoky National Park).

Mornings were cool. Probably wore jackets. Going to shoot in the Smokies is a rare treat. We had to set our alarms for 5 AM so that we could meet the group at 5:30 AM. We were in the car by 5:45 AM and heading to the entrance to the park where we would get in the line of cars and wait for the gate to open at 7 AM. The sun would barely be up and it would be hidden behind the mountains. But the most glorious thing would be the mist which hugged the ground and everything would be kissed by a golden glow.


More Smokies images to follow...

Tonto National Forest

Saguaro Cactus in the Desert

OK, one more post about Arizona and then I will move on.

When I was in Arizona a few months back, I was able to photograph in the Tonto National Forest of Mesa. Arising before dawn, I drove over to the Tonto National Forest where you can still see Saguaro Cactus as far as the eye can see.  (a quickly disappearing scene around Mesa, I'm afraid). I just had fun taking pictures. When I'm next in that area, I hope there will be some interesting clouds in the sky, or I could take some sunset shots.

Desert Tree

Saguaro Cactus with Superstition Mountains behind (I think).

Not exactly a place I would want to be walking without water or a hat, but the landscape can be quite beautiful at times and for that reason, makes fun photography.