STAGE LIGHTING AT THE DUNES

I cannot yet decide if this image is best in color or in black and white.

MY OTHER AND CURRENT BLOG SITE

APACHE CANYON CHURCH, NEW MEXICO

I took this photograph last week. It is near Santa Fe, and it is not the first time that I photographed here, but it has been awhile.

Please note that most of my current blogging is on my new site. wwwthomasbethune.com

ARCATA QUEEN ANNE

An Arcata Jewel

MAGIC SUNGLASSES AT SUNSET

Yesterday evening at the Ma-le'l Dunes

A SAMPLING OF WHAT I AM WORKING ON

There is more information about these and other images on my WordPress blog. A link is on the right side of this page. Thanks

OVER THE TOP?

AN OVER THE TOP RENDERING?

See new blog: www.thomasbethune.com

SECRETS OF THE FOREST

SPIRIT TREE SERIES – PRAIRIE CREEK

Posted on August 15, 2014by Thomas Bethune

I took this image in April 2011, but it took until tonight for me to figure out how it was supposed to be interpreted. Here it is: another in the Spirit Tree Series. I suppose that I should give it a number, but I do not feel like researching it now. Remember: my new blog site is: www.thomasbethune.com

OUR LITTLE PLACE IN THE COSMOS

LAST NIGHT UNDER THE STARS

Please see my new blog at www.thomasbethune.com

COMPARING THE 16-35MM WITH THE 17MM TSE

16MM AT F11

17MM AT F11

Both of these images were taken from the exact same position on my tripod just a minute apart. It is not my intention to claim to be a lens reviewer, but I am posting them in case anyone that reads this blog has an interest it either of these lenses.

On my outing Sunday morning, I primarily shot with the new 16-35, and throughly enjoyed myself. What I did discover (not surprisingly), is that the 16-35 does not replace the 17 when it comes to architectural photography. The 16-35 will work in almost any situation where I can keep the lens/camera level. The top photograph from my post of yesterday was taken with the 16-35, the lens/camera was level, and the results were very satisfactory. There were situations during that shoot where to properly portray a taller building, that the 17 was the only logical choice.

I prefer to not use perspective adjustments in post production to straighten out converging lines, but in a pinch it could be done since the quality of the photographs from the 16-35 are so high. However, I always prefer to start with the highest quality imagery that I can, so using the right lens for the task is my rule. I just know that there will be times when I am walking around and photographing where time and convenience will dictate that I use the lens that is attached to the camera. Therefore, as a do anything lens, the 16-35 will serve very well with its image stabilization for these shaky hands.

OLD THINGS AND PHOTOGRAPHY

Parked Northwest "Steam Shovel"

I am drawn to this sort of equipment. I always liked many of the color schemes that traditionally were used during the industrial age. 

BIG CITY LIGHT INVADES THE DESERT NIGHT

Light Pollution from the "Greater" LA Basin Invades the Night Sky at Joshua Tree National Park

I admit to going over the top with the saturation of this image, but what the heck - I like it. I am so grateful that I live far away from this type of pollution. It is sort of beautiful in a weird way.

BLOG MOVED

Geezer Selfie, or "dagnabbit, I've been holding the camera in my face for fifty some years.

Please note that I am doing most of my blogging on the WordPress site. A link is provided on the right . Thanks

A GREAT BUT MODEST RUN

Things That Go Bump in the Night

I think this little blog has just about run its course. Very few people find it, and I only get numbers greater then ten hit if I promote it on Face Book. I started a replacement blog and I am satisfied with how things are going there. You may find it at: http://thomasbethune.wordpress.com/

WINDSWEPT BUT STILL STANDING

HOLDING OFF THE ELEMENTS AS LONG AS POSSIBLE, A STRUCTURE IN THE GHOST TOWN OF BODIE STILL SURVIVES THE ELEMENTS

I am still working on the photographs from my recent trip to the east-side of the Sierra Nevada. In the not-to-distant past, I would have already printed many of these images. I am holding off on printing until I work each candidate on several different occasions. I make copies of each variation and review up to three or four iterations of each composition. I then review each in the print module of Light Room, and rate accordingly (I start out with one star for the initial pick, and I eventually will give the preferred images a second star and so on until I select the best variant of that image and give it a higher rating yet).

 I reworked this image this morning, lightening up the dark wood on the end of this building. Yesterday, I worked the sky, and the day prior, I did a small amount of cropping. It is now up to a four star rating.

On the Brink

Tourists Looking Toward Yosemite Valley from Olmsted Point

MORE BODIE

Lessons in Oxidation

The Ever Evolving Color Scheme Reminds Me That Beauty is Truly in the Eye of the Beholder

STANDING PROUD: AWAITING THE IMPENDING STORM

Bodie Relic, May 2014
I am working my Bodie photographs from my recent trip to the east-side of the Sierra Nevada, Mono Lake, and Yosemite.

"LISTENING" TO THE LIGHT

Interior Grace Cathedral, San Francisco, May 31, 2014
I was enchanted by the the effect of the blue and red streamers that hang from the ceiling of this immense space.

THE INCOMING PHOENIX ARRIVES FOR THE GATHERING OF THE "OTHERS"

Earth, Wind, Fire, Water, and The Others, Arrive for Their Gathering

There is something very special about standing in a remote and unfamiliar environment during the dark hours. It is especially so to do so without the intrusion of artificially created light pollution. I think that I speak for many of us when I declare that we all need to expose ourselves to the elements of the night. I think it is important to do so without being "connected" via modern technology, IE cell phones and other distractions, that may take one's awareness elsewhere during the experience. Of course one may argue that my having the camera, and my busyness with photographing brings that element of modernity into the mix. I assert that instead of a distraction, the camera allows me to focus my attention to the aesthetic possibilities, and that it promotes my awareness.

Greeting the Rising Saturn, Sand Tufas Stand Proud

A Procession of Tufas Salute the Moonless Night Sky

I suppose that I may sound trite by adding some form of written meaning to some of my recent images, but I cannot help myself. I am not a student of modern fantasy, but I did grow up hearing and reading mother goose and other "children's" tales. I listened to recordings of talking trains, and of pumpkins that turned into coaches, so it is no wonder that I can perceive an essence of the unseen in so-called inanimate objects. 

SIERRA SUNSET

Sunset Over the June Lake Loop Area, May 2014

I know that I said before on this blog that I do not do sunsets. Well, I was wrong. If one is on the east side of the Sierra then how can may one pass this by.

A LITTLE BIT OF HEAVEN

Looking Toward Tioga

Up stream from my campground.

I just returned from a photography outing to Mono County on the east side of the Sierra Nevada Mountain Range. My pal Marc Chaton accompanied me on the trek. Saturday evening we went to the shore of Mono Lake to work on sunset photos and perhaps to do some light painting of some tufa towers. I did a considerable amount of light painting of some sand tufa while Marc prepared some burritos for us in my trusty Roadtrek camper van. After supper Marc wanted to experiment with taking photos of the abundant stars overhead. We discussed some of the technical challenges of doing so.
I realized that my knowledge of observational astronomy was very rusty. I suggested that the Milky Way was perhaps overhead in the still brightening night sky, but I could not even be sure of the location of the summer triangle to confirm my guess. We agreed that we need some direction and help with stellar location. Shortly thereafter, we noticed the approaching beam of a LED head lamp. That person went to the only other car in the area for awhile. Meanwhile Marc kept on experimenting with exposures of the stars. after a while, the person from the other vehicle came over and started talking about astro-photography. It turned out that this person was an expert on the subject. Brad Goldpaint http://goldpaintphotography.com/ then shared some of his considerable knowledge about locating nebula, stars, and constellations. He also shared technical know-how about exposure and lens selection.
Here is one example of some Milky Way imagery that I took on the next night.

HAND TINTING

Hand-Tinted Photo or Silo Number One

In the nineteen-eighties, I started a series of photographs of various structures in the rice growing region of California's Sacramento. Awhile back I posted some of the early work that I did with my old Rollicord film camera. This image is one I took in March, and it is in the early stages of what I expect to do with the "colorization".

CENTRAL VALLEY RICE

Here is a Sample of Some What I am Working On

END OF MY DROUGHT?

A Sneak Peek at What I am Working on

I have not posted on the blog for over a month. So here is a notion of what I am still working on.

MOUNT TOM ON THE EAST SIDE OF THE SIERRA

Mount Tom on the Eastside, 2013

I appreciate how the boulder mirrors the shape of the obscured Mount Tom.

CARSON BLOCK

The Carson Block Building, 2012

I normally go out of my way to exclude motor vehicles and foot traffic from this series of photographs, but I like this image and so here it is.

A SAMPLING OF MY NEW BODY OF WORK

New Work, 2014

I love the color images, but I am really inspired by the black and white renderings of these images, and I think that is how I will show these.

NO ESCAPE

Joshua Tree Night Light, 2014

I took this image from my campsite at Belle Campground in Joshua Tree National Park. I think I took this sometime after midnight. The moon was about three-quarters full, and provided the terrestrial lighting. The clouds are illuminated by the far distant megalopolis of L.A. Despite the moonshine, and city light, the stars were clear and vibrant (note the Pleiades). By-the-way, I am using ISO 1600 with impunity, and loving it.

LIGHT POLLUTION

Light From the Bay Area Affecting the Night Sky at Pinnacles National Park, 2014

It is sort of beautiful is its own sick way, but I do pine for a night sky that excludes the intrusion by others into my view-shed. The sky at Joshua Tree National Park was somewhat better, but I think that was so because there is less moisture in the air there. The last time I really experienced a "natural" night sky was when I was in a remote corner of the Himalaya at the village of Karzok. 

MORE SEEING IN BLACK AND WHITE

In a Remote Part of California, 2014

I just love this composition.

JOSHUA REACHING FOR THE SKY

Joshua Reaching for the Sky, 2014

I do not know if this image even makes sense to the viewer. I think it is more easily understood as a color image, but I like the mystery.

BACK FROM MY ROAD TRIP

Highway Convergence, 2014

I will be posting some imagery of my recent trip to Pinnacles and Joshua Tree National Parks. As exciting as those parks were to me, the trip itself was equally fulfilling.

MORE FROM THE STREETS

Bright Light and Bold Shadows, February 2014

WORKING THE STREETS

In the Evening Light

I took this a  couple of hours ago.  I spent about an hour in town, and loved every moment of it. I suppose I  can say that I love working the streets. More to come.

LONELY NIGHT AT THE PEARL

A Pink Night at the Pearl

The quality of this jpg is considerably off from what it actually looks like. That said, I think it is a pretty  cool night time photograph.

WEB OF INTRIGUE

Web of Intrigue

Some creative spider weaving at the marsh.

ONE OF MY FAVORITES

The DeLuxe Express at Lamy, New Mexico, 2007

This is one of my favorite images. I only made one print, it sold, and like the train, is long gone. I think I  will print one for myself.

SOME NEW WORK ON TWO YEAR OLD IMAGES

Sunset at the Beach, 2012

I am always amazed whenever I come across some of these nearly forgotten images. This photograph was unimpressive at first glance, but once I started processing in Light Room I soon found its potential. The image on this blog is only a representation of what the actual print will look like.

MY NEW EXHIBIT AT THE REDWOOD ART ASSOCIATION

I realized earlier this week that a small gallery at the RAA was not being utilized by anyone. I thought it that was a shame to have an empty room in an otherwise full gallery, so I secured the space. I hung a show today in gallery number two.

There are three primary themes within the room. One of them is about the interplay of the ocean and sand. These images represent an ongoing theme for me. I consider what I see in this give-and-take of two of our primary elements - earth and water whenever I photograph at the beach.

The second theme is more on the essence of what I sense from some of the trees of our coastal and redwood forests. It is common to salute and honor the giant trees in our area, and I do almost daily, but there are other elements of the forest that I feel that are unique unto themselves. Perhaps I can succeed in sharing some of that with these images.

I represent the third theme with one image. It stands alone because it represents our prairies and the vastness of our sky. Here on the north coast, we are not always surrounded with the forest, and there are places where one does not hear the sounds of the ocean.

Manifestation at Low Tide

There are other aspects to this marvelous area that many of us call home, and I realize that it will take more than my lifetime to explore all of it.

THE MUMMY BERT

The Mummy Bert at the South Spit

I am hanging a last minute exhibition today at the RAA Gallery in Eureka. I printed this photograph yesterday as I wanted to include something new and related to the other images. I am taking down the marsh exhibit today, and using some of those in the new show. I think this show will have a water theme.

DEATH VALLEY GOLD

Death Valley Gold

This is another image that I am working on from my November trip to the south. I am unsure if it is a candidate for printing.

PATRICK'S POINT

At Patrick's Point 2012

I took this image about two years ago. I suppose that I just forgot about it. Anyhow, here it is.

SELECTING THE BEST COMPOSITION

The Way I Saw it Sunday Morning

Same Image Cropped

The question of the day is: "did I see it right the day I took the image, or does a second look allow me to bring more out of it?"