Adam's Nature Photographs
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Stacks of Rock
My 10 week trip to the Pacific Northwest was full of misfortune. My camera was water damaged, costing me a week. I visited Vancouver Island hoping to shoot Rivers and streams only to find them dry as can be. But the worst was day after day of completely clear blue sky sunsets. I waited night after night for the sky to deliver, and only came away with 2 evenings better than pure blue. This was the prettiest sunset of them all. Also, the beach had this beautiful low lying mist that drew out the sea stacks as the cascaded away. This is at Shi Shi Beach, in Washington. The foreground is a mean blend of 50 exposures to create a soft water effect. The amazing colors are as they occurred, unadjusted, other than stretching the contrast, bringing them out.
King’s Crown of Sandstone
From the first time I saw photos of this place, I was immediately excited to go shoot here. The experience of white pocket is special. The nearest campground is 80 minutes and 2000 feet of elevation away. You drive most of it on a sandy, sometimes bumpy 4x4 trail. Plenty of people struggle to get there. In the month of so I’ve spent on location I’ve pulled about 7 vehicles out from being stuck in the sand. You hike a short distance on a sandy trail, and then you come over a rise to see it, an area about half a square mile of open rock surface. The slick rock terrain is truly like an alien planet, with pentagonal patterns of white or pink rock mixed with marble textured swirls of multicolored rock. In several spots the formations get really vertical and wild, like in this scene. The sign at the entrance says there are dinosaur footprints preserved in the rock, and you do see what looks like very large footprints. It’s otherworldly, so beautiful. I spent so many evenings at this spot waiting for a nice gradient of light to grace the scene, but clouds kept covering the area of the sky around where the sun sets, flattening the light. I was excited to see a nice gradient with a beautiful sky behind it, but was not expecting the clouds to light up a pinkish orange and add such color. When I looked up from my camera to see this sudden change, my response was audible. I immediately started my shot over, as I knew it would only last a short time. As quickly as I could I took my shots. It’s a 10 image stitch, 3 shot HDR, and a 5 shot focus stack. I knew I was really pushing the time it takes to capture all of that, so I minimized it as much as possible, cutting it down to a 2 shot focus stack on the top row of the stitch, and only shooting HDR on the left third of the frame, where it’s needed. It was such a brief window of colorful light, it faded fast just as I was finishing. In the 2.5 weeks I was there, the best light lasted about 3 minutes! It was a risk that ended up paying off. The final result is a sharp 230 megapixel. It’s should print nicely.
Thor's well under the Nebula
If you are planning on shooting the Oregon coast, this spot will make for an experience unlike any other. Simply watching the water heave up and down 15 feet inside the hole is mesmerizing. Occasionally it will come spraying 10 feet out of the ground, drenching any photographers who take a shot so close. For this reason most stand back on a few rocks that surround it, staying a bit dryer. I made the mistake of turning my back to it once, soaking my camera bag in the process. Plenty of things need to line up for a good shoot. It's helpful to have a pretty sunset, which I was denied for all 8 plus evenings I spent shooting here. Some nights are a waste due to the tide level being wrong, and others it's just too treacherous to even attempt a photo. It helped to go there at low tide mid day and experiment with camera position and composition without all the drama making it difficult.
Wilson Arch under the Milky Way
Wilson Arch is around a 25 minute drive south of Moab, Utah. It's a beauty, and huge! The first attempt was ruined by the moonlight coming up before I could capture the stars, reducing the clarity. I came back a few nights later, and captured this. I spent a lot of time lighting the rock, to get even light while also skimming the rock surface to bring out the cracks in shadow. 6s, F8, 500 ISO on the rock. 8s, F2.8, 6400 ISO, with 8 shot noise stack on the sky. I tried higher aperture on the sky, but lens coma flaws were bad either way. Flash was at full power. This is not a composite, everything occurred in one session in the same frame.
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A blue morning under the Golden Gate
I went to this beach in search of a completely different photo, I was just looking to shoot out to the sea with some pretty rocks in the foreground. I need low tide for that shot, and the next time there will be a low tide around sunset is 4 months after my visit! I saw this composition, and came back in the early morning when the tide was the right level. Walking out across the beach in the near dark with the bridge glowing ahead of you is peaceful. The sound of the waves crashing to your left echoed off a steep rock cliff to the right, making a sound that reminded me of putting a seashell to your ear. It was a surround sensation. I was knee deep in the ocean, tripod legs buried in the sand for stability. It ended up taking 4 visits to get the shot. The sky was so boring most mornings. It's a 3 shot focus stack, 2 shot HDR. Soon after was a stellar sunrise, I'm sure there were plenty of other great photo opportunities that morning. Every time I got back to my car I cheered when I saw it wasn't broken into. There are over 30,000 break in's a year in SF, and I park in a shady spot at 4 am for this photo!
Chocolate Tort
I love when a memorable journey separates me from a photo location. Few have been as entertaining as the hike to Zebra slot canyon. You hike through the wash for about 1000 feet before reaching the most stunning section. The slot is narrow. So narrow that at 2 spots there is simply zero extra space at your chest, stomach, and butt. Meanwhile you are chest deep in water, camera bag held overhead. Sometimes the ground is literally a crack, and you must awkwardly wedge your boot into it to find footing. My waders tore on the rock at my belt buckle, filling my waders with water by the end. There are a few other slot canyons nearby, they are so fun to explore!
Frosted Tree
Taken near my home in Colorado. A fog moved through and froze to all the tree branches, frosting them over. It's was a beautiful day, The fog was still in the air as I drove around searching for a photo. The trees and bushes shimmered with a brightness against the soft backdrop. I found this tree and came back at night.
Shi Shi at dusk
Shi Shi beach on the tip of the Olympic Peninsula, Washington. Most photographers visit the far end of this beach, to the left when the trail reaches the water. Just there to the right, and over a small but steep hill sits this spot. You can camp here, right behind my shot, and what a place to spend the night! Everyone lines their tents up near where the trail reaches the beach. But if you hike over the hill you come to this amazing spot. It's far better than where everyone stays. the beach curves inward, with seas stacks on both sides. This view is right in the middle. Behind you is a very steep hill. It's like a scene out of a James Bond movie. I kept expecting a mini submarine to show up, with a guy in a tuxedo and his mistress inside!
Glacier Forest in the Mist
One early morning while returning from a hike, I stopped to enjoy the view from above a valley with a fog rolling through. The treetops stuck out of the fog, making for a better photo than the one I set out to take that morning!
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Windy Mesquite
Hiking through sand dunes is normally a peaceful experience. It can be so quiet you hear your own sounds like they’re amplified. Not this day! It takes about 50 mph of wind to kick up sand like this. You get sand everywhere. It hits you like sand paper. What most people find miserable becomes a delight to a nature photographer. If you watch the ripple texture on the dunes, you can see it slowly moving. It feels like the dunes come to life. These are the best days to shoot dunes. The sand whipping over the dune crests are stunning. As I climbed this dune and looked to this scene, my response was audible. It was even more beautiful in motion. This was the first exposure I took. I kept at it, refining the shot, but the sand was the most intense right at the start. I have better compositions, but the way the scene fades to windswept sand at the bottom only happened like this for a moment.
Proxy at Night
I've been really enjoying light painting recently. This photo was a blast to shoot. I was dying to shoot closer, and wider. This was the closest I could get without getting droplets of mist from the waterfall on the lens. I had to start exposing, hike up the stream(waders) with my studio light in both hands, and then balance on the extremely slippery log while holding and spreading the light. I would have much preferred to be standing in front of the heaviest part of the falls, but there was no climbing that slippery log! Plus the drop was 8 feet down onto the rocks. The camera was repeatedly taking 15 second exposures. The flash was set to constantly produce light, so the water would be soft. Each area is actually a 4 shot noise stack. The falls, foreground, and myself were each different shots later blended together, making for a 12 exposure image. I wanted to keep shooting, but I was completely spent by the time I was done with the first round!
Moab Canyons
The area around this photo is one of my favorite places. The scenes are awe inspiring. Every last thing you see is beautiful, there is no looking away from the stunning landscape, it engulfs you. This photo displays Potash Road, Hurrah Pass, and the White Rim trail. These 3 trails are some of the most beautiful scenes in all of Utah. The Colorado River winds around the camera, and back through the scene, right next to itself. The mountains in the distance are the La Sal mountains on the border of Colorado. The view stretches over 180 degrees side to side. Me, and my vehicle are in the photo. I’m so far away you can’t see me, even in the full 180 megapixel version of the photo. I flew my drone about a mile away to get the shot. I spent 4 mornings flying out and back, I flew around 24 miles total to get the shot! 8 stops of HDR exposure were needed to expose everything correctly.
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Canyon de Chelly under a glowing sunset
This spot proved to be a difficult image to capture. I visited this location 3 times the year I captured this. The first 2 times the weather did not give me a pretty sky the many days I spent waiting on the ledge. Finally I was graced with a stunning evening, with a bright red cloud overhead, off camera. It made the canyon glow intensely with colorful soft light. I did not adjust the color to saturate more red, only contrast adjustments. The scene is about 220 degrees from side to side. The right side faces behind the left side of the photo. This is an 18 image stitch, which results in a stunning 442 megapixel photo. I needed to capture as much above and below as possible to compensate for such a wide pano, so I frantically moved my tripod twice to get far enough over the edge to capture down. Native american ruin sites can bee seen in the full res version on the canyon walls in 2 different spots. Sitting on the edge for so many hours turned out to be a very enjoyable experience. It's is such a peaceful spot. There is so much to see. I never grew bored of waiting there. I love this location!
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Proxy on black
I’ve visited several waterfalls in Oregon and Washington, and this one is the most awe inspiring one I have seen yet. I arrived a bit early, the road was still closed. I had to hike 2.3 miles up it to the trailhead, and another .5 to the falls. The gradual uphill walk made for the perfect skateboard luge back down! What took about 90 minutes up was around 10 minutes down. I had to lodge a branch under my feet to use as a brake to avoid speeding out of control. The trail wanders through a field of lava formed rocks covered in moss, very pretty. The falls required wading through up to 18 inches of water to get certain shots. This one is a 9 image stitch, and 2 image HDR. The full 350 megapixel result if superbly sharp and clean. I like to think if this was a drawing, it was made on black paper.
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Calm after the storm
I've been spending my evenings shooting Seal Rock, Oregon. The spot I have in mind is intense. You climb up on a sea stack with water on all sides. Huge waves crash into the rocks, spraying water 30 feet up. The rocks are jagged and vertical. The wind and waves roar. Then, you walk back across the beach through a mist for a mile to the parking area. This photo is on the way back to the car. A vast open flat stretch of sand. As the light faded, the setting was peaceful and serene. The total opposite of where I just was a few minutes earlier.
Moon on the Peak of Mt. Whitney
I lucked out on my visit to Whitney’s pocket, Ca. Winter collected more snow on these peaks than in many years. I chose this morning to shoot since the moon would be setting around sunrise. I never would have thought it would position itself in the perfect spot at the perfect moment. The moon was right there, at the tip of a peak, right when the light was perfect. There is about a 15 second window of best light, so the chances were slim. It seems the Universe wanted me to get a good photo. 6 image stitch resulting in a 260 megapixel photo, although pixel sharpness takes a hit due to heat waves captured in the air. 560mm telephoto per shot.
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Erosion
My visit to Petrified forest was almost a bit of a let down. I spent many days searching for a good photo, and came up short. I was starting to doubt the location, and planned on moving on, when I came to this spot. There wasn’t much there either, except these hills. Finding this spot made the entire trip worth it. I showed up for the first time to the scene at the end of dusk, when the light was fantastic(pictured). The gradient of light produced by the sky had grown sharper, but remained a soft light source. I shot with my tripod low to the ground to try my hardest to avoid letting the wind ruin the sharpness. I came back again the next night, but the light was just perfect the moment I discovered it. In the middle of the day the same scene looks incredibly different, like a whole different photo! I took a 4 image stitch, since that was all I had time to set up. I really love this photo, it was worth spending a lot of time getting just right. Day after day I came back to it and put thought into the color balance, and the depth of the shaded sides of the mounds of dirt. Getting these subtle details just right feels so important with this image. The dirt really was that PURPLE in person!
A Sea of Sand
I spent 3 weeks shooting the sand dunes of Death Valley. I spent most of that time figuring out where the best locations for shooting were. While the Eureka dunes were bigger, and more dramatic, the Mesquite dunes ended up being more photogenic. The sand is more colorful, and less disturbed. The arrangement of dunes is more aesthetically pleasing. I can’t believe how much it rained! Death Valley gets 2 inches of rain a year. I’m sure it rained more than that while I was there! There were several other days of straight overcast weather as well. It dawned on me to try shooting from above late in the trip. I climbed up 4 hills, including this one 3 times to find the best shot. The hill was a monster. I have never seen a hill less fit for climbing. It was full of the sharpest rocks I have ever seen anywhere, it was steep, and some evenings your face was full of insects. The rocks were weak, and would sometimes break free. I left with a shredded pair of pants, and an 8 inch cut on my arm from falling on the rocks that gave way. This shot took all 560mm of Zoom I have. My favorite detail is hardly visible online. There is a photographer on top of a dune on the right side, shooting to the left, into the frame. He puts to scale just how huge of an area is in this picture.
Mist on the hills of Quinault
The Quinault Rainforest was my favorite place on the Olympic peninsula. One early morning this scene presented itself on my way to a hike. It seemed fitting for black and white, When I dropped the color the image hardly changed at all. In all my years taking pictures I've never come across a scene that was so lacking in color!
Shafer Trail driven at night
This was a nerve wrecking photo to take. First off, I had to suspend my Camera over a cliff with bungee chords to get the angle. I never felt 100% sure it would hold up. Then I left it there for about 20 minutes while I drove the trail to light it up with my headlights. As I drove I reconsidered this move, since someone could walk past and hear the shutter going off every 30 seconds, goodbye camera, lens, and tripod. Driving the trail at night is a little scary as well. It's a shelf road with no railing, and many horseshoe curves to stare out over the abyss at. After shooting the headlight shots, I took 8 more at a brighter exposure, noise stacked, to get the rest of the scene at a proper brightness. I ended up blending the brighter shots with the darker exposures to get a more natural underexposed look, while still showing some detail in the shadows. Lastly, I pointed the camera up a bit to expose the stars, and left it shooting until the battery died 100 minutes later. 30s f5.0 250 ISO mixed with 25s f5.0 2500 ISO foreground, 30s f4.0 1000 ISO sky.
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Cascade
Water Cascades down the many layers of moss covered rock at this waterfall. This close up is near the top of a 226 foot fall. The water easily continues down another 190 feet before reaching the bottom.
Where a hill and slope meet
Searching through the sand dunes of Death Valley to find a good photo ended up taking a while. Some areas of the dunes have too much clutter, in the form of bushes, debris from bushes, or footprints. Larger dunes sit far apart, making for long spaces without much detail between dunes. It took many days of searching to find the best little area within the dunes, from which I took many photos. This is the first of a few shots. I was searching for several qualities to capture within the sand. I wanted to shoot where a hilltop gradiently turns into a slope, where sand stripes fade to shadow, where the shadow curves like an S, and there there were no distractions in the frame from the subject. I never expected to see them all fall into one shot! The best quality to this photo is lost when shared online. At full detail you can make out the sand texture much more clearly. The patterns in the image are a collection of grains of sand, and it's on display in the full res version, it adds so much to the image! This was a 28 image focus stack, shot with my sharpest lens, at it's sharpest aperture.
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Panther Creek Falls
This is a must visit location if you're in the Cascade Locks area of Oregon/Washington. Panther Creek Falls was my favorite spot on the whole trip. There is plenty more to it, including another set of falls just below this one. I love the moss on the rocks on the right side, I had to include it in my shot.
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A Wave of Sand
Photographing a sand dune is a great way to spend an afternoon. You hike around in solitude, navigating an open space with nothing but hills of sand. The silence is intense. You hear yourself so well, and little else. The sun slowly drops, revealing the layers of dunes and the textures of sand among them. It’s the one place you actually want to be windy. The wind kicked up bits of sand, which caught the light in this photo, sparkling brilliantly. 35 image focus stack, 1/500s, F8, 100 ISO.
Onion Creek Campfire
Onion Creek in Utah is a spectacular place. You drive down a trail and through a stream over 2 dozen times before reaching this point. The cliffs surround you in every direction! Down 30 feet to the left of the campsite is the stream. This was by far our favorite campsite anywhere. They no longer allow camping here!
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Ophir Pass Under Beaming Light
Ophir pass can be driven over with good ground clearance and four wheel drive. It's a fun way to get from Silverton to Telluride, Co. I drove this way a few times, hoping for some pretty light around sunset. I made an unexpected stop for this shot mid afternoon. This is a 4 image stitch with a 2 shot HDR blend.
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Porous Rock Waterfall
Burney Falls in Northern California. This waterfall is fed from water flowing out of a porous rock wall. Plants and moss cover the holes, and line the open spaces of the waterfall. This was a difficult photo to get a pixel sharp image from, since a subtle vibration shook the ground from all the water impacting at the bottom. Most cameras would not pick up this vibration, but a 50 megapixel camera will. I shot a 3 exposure bracket, and blended manually. It was a large stitch, cropped to about 250 megapixel. Blending the borders of the stitch was a challenge in some places too.
Snowy Foggy Road
This scene looks so dramatically different on any given day. There are steep mountains just out of site through the fog in the middle, with the road moving steeply up hill between 2 ledges. Off to the left only 30 or 40 feet away is Horsetooth Reservoir. To the right you would normally see the plains of Colorado. I removed nothing from the scene. It looked just like the photo on this foggy day!
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