Approaching Buddha

We took a few days to visit southern Utah to meet up with family a few weeks ago- what a beautiful road trip!  As we drove along south of Moab we noticed what appeared to be a huge rock Buddha in the distance. The sky was darkening as rain clouds formed ahead, but the “Buddha” sat in a patch of light. I took several shots through the windshield before it disappeared from view.

A little while later we could see that we were approaching the Buddha- or maybe it looked like a huge beehive?

As we drove by, the huge rock seemed to change shape, and no longer looked like a Buddha at all. Maybe a landlocked ship? Or an alien craft? All photos were taken through the car window as we whizzed by.

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Indecisive

I sometimes get bored editing landscapes- a little clarity and contrast, maybe a little vibrance, some dodging and burning, some sharpening- and done.  Since joining the photo group, I’ve tended to use Nik Color Efex Pro or sometimes Silver Efex (both photoshop plug-ins) to edit my landscapes – because that’s what they all use in class. Now I am trying to use Luminar, because Google, who bought the program, is no longer supporting or updating the older programs. And we all use the TK Actions panel as well.

I decided to try doing a black and white in Luminar- but I ended up having to do a lot more more afterward in Photoshop, because I couldn’t figure out how to get the look I wanted.  And when I was done getting the look, I decided I really wanted a color image after all.

Here is the black and white, edited in Lightroom, Luminar, and Photoshop. This was taken in the Matanuska Valley in Alaska.

And here is another view from a slightly different angle (and with a different focal length) of the same scene, edited mostly in Lightroom, with just a little work in Photoshop.

Sometimes you CAN have it both ways!

And now that I see them together, I think I like the black and white better after all. Maybe.

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Palm Tree Play

I have always loved how palm trees line Benicia’s First Street and especially love how they look at night lit up with twinkly white lights. After photographing sunset there a couple weeks ago, I took a moment to take some photos looking up at the palm fronds.

The below image started as an in-camera multiple exposure- and then I went a little crazy . . .

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Familiar

Does this scene look familiar to you?

That’s right- it’s the Carquinez Bridge as photographed from the Benicia waterfront! After our trip to Alaska last month, we were in the SF Bay Area for two days on business. I had a wonderful reunion with some of my teacher friends, and then came back later for sunset photography.  The Benicia waterfront was one of my favorite photography haunts from the beginning of my photography journey, and I miss it! I know I was shooting some of the scenes I have shot many, many times- but couldn’t help myself.

Here is a different take on a familiar view- the sunset and bridge shot through the waterfront fence.

I’ve moved to Arizona and love it, but I still miss my friends and the beautiful Benicia waterfront.

 

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Iconic

One of the iconic Alaska views- mountains and trees with fireweed in the foreground. I couldn’t manage to frame it with the Matanuska Glacier as a background (I might have fallen off a cliff. . .), so I settled on this view. Fireweed is just about everywhere in Alaska at this time of year.

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Look Up!

When we were visiting Talkeetna, Alaska, we kept hearing a motor over our heads. We looked up to see this guy with a very loud motor powered paraglider (is that what it’s called?) going back and forth over the downtown and river areas. It looks peaceful (and fun!) in this photo- but it was very LOUD.

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Before and After Reflections

We stopped at a pullout to walk down to the water after we crossed this bridge in Alaska. I was standing there taking photos when another truck pulled onto the gravel- and then surprised me by continuing on through the water to the other side. I started photographing the now distorted reflections – but then along came another truck. Time to leave!

 

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Green Thumbs!

My daughter and son-in-law moved to Alaska just one year ago and have worked so hard to not only upgrade their house, but to create areas to grow vegetables, herbs, fruits, and flowers. Here’s a peek at part of what they’ve accomplished:

 

 

 

 

 

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