This past weekend I had the pleasure of shooting in Joshua Tree National Park and around the Salton Sea with an awesome group of guys: Mike Olbinski, Chris DeAngelis, Rick Young, Chris Frailey, and Doug Wise. I was down in the Palm Springs area for a week of vacation and let these dudes (who are from Phoenix and the Fresno area) that I was thinking of camping one night in Joshua Tree and taking some photos, of course. These brave souls agreed to meet me, and we proceeded to freeze our butts off as temperatures dipped below freezing overnight! Despite the cold, we had a great time and I think we all came away with some shots we’re quite proud of. Make sure you stay tuned to all of our blogs for the photo goodness that is sure to come.
The first image I’ll share with you is from Bombay Beach on the Salton Sea (some of you may remember my series from this location last year). It was great to visit this unique location again – and doubly awesome to have some clouds in the sky this time!
Equipment:
– Canon EOS 5D Mark II
– Canon EF 17-40mm f/4L
– B+W 77mm 10 stop ND Filter
The one sunrise I caught while in New York was on the morning of the epic 18 hour photowalk with the now infamous photog crew that gathered there. We began the day in an area of Brooklyn called DUMBO which offers great views of the lower Manhattan skyline along with the Brooklyn and Manhattan bridges. While it would have been nice to have a few clouds in the sky, we were blessed with some wonderfully warm light as the sun started to come over the horizon. I think we call came away with some sort of composition with the light spilling onto this boardwalk with the Manhattan bridge in the background – but we all saw it slightly differently. This is my take.
Equipment:
– Canon EOS 5D Mark II
– Canon EF 17-40mm f/4L
– B+W 77mm 10-stop ND Filter
This shot is just down from a roadside pullout about halfway between Kihei and Lahaina. The view from the top is quite nice, but just a short journey down the hill led to some much better views of these awesome cliffs. This was a stunning spot in the middle of the day, so I’m sure it would have been than much more amazing during sunset – but I never made it back.
This is a 3 exposure panorama using the shift capabilities of the Canon 24mm tilt/shift lens. Such a great lens and such an easy way to create panoramas – one day I may add that lens to my bag permanently.
Equipment:
– Canon EOS 5D Mark II
– Canon TS-E 24mm f/3.5L II
The next morning I awoke before sunrise to completely cloudless skies – quite the dramatic transformation in weather overnight. Next week I’ll share a couple images from the second day of my trip so you can see the difference.
Equipment:
– Canon EOS 5D Mark II
– Canon EF 17-40mm f/4L
– B+W 77mm Circular Polarizer
Equipment:
– Canon EOS 5D Mark II
– Canon EF 17-40mm f/4L
– B+W 77mm 10-stop ND Filter
There’s something so relaxing about sitting on a secluded beach all on your own listening to the waves roll in. It’s like all your cares and worries are temporarily washed out to sea with each successive wave, leaving only peace and serenity.
Equipment:
– Canon EOS 5D Mark II
– Canon EF 17-40mm f/4L
– B+W 77mm 10-stop ND Filter
Life is all around us – enjoy it and capture it.
Equipment:
– Canon EOS 5D Mark II
– Canon EF 17-40mm f/4L
Equipment:
– Canon EOS 5D Mark II
– Sigma 15mm f/2.8 Fisheye
– onOne Phototools
Any guesses on what that yellow crop is?
Equipment:
– Canon EOS 5D Mark II
– Canon EF 17-40mm f/4L
I’ll tell you one thing: it’s much harder to shoot out of a cramped helicopter than you would think. Not only were quarters close, but the curved windows had so many planes of reflection it was hard to cut them all out all the time. I did my best and came away with a few shots I’m happy with…all while experiencing Maui one of the best ways possible: from the air.
Equipment:
– Canon EOS 5D Mark II
– Canon EF 17-40mm f/4L
– B+W 77mm Circular Polarizer