My tickets are booked to go back to New York for a long weekend in December. So, it seems fitting for me to add what I think is my last photo from New York. I’ll have to resupply on my next trip.
Sep 012012
Aug 312012
I saw this scene and really liked the way that the tree separated the bench and the sun drenched Old Fort Niagara across the water, in the US. It makes the bench feel nicely isolated but gives you an idea of the expansive view. The lines, framing the scene the way they do, were what drew me into the scene. I’ve tried to process this numerous times, employing my usual HDR process and was never happy with the results. Whatever I did it always felt too busy.
Tonight, I had a bit of an epiphany. I’ve often thought to myself that I should be careful about only photographing scenes that strike me as good for HDR and make sure that I recognize when I’d be better off not using those techniques. This photo, was a prime example. The lines are very nice and the branches in the trees make for wonderful patterns. there’s enough going on that by bringing in the detail of the bench and tree the whole image gets far too busy.
I’m glad I’ve realized this and will try to stay sensitive to when I should just look to capture a silhouette. I am very fond of this technique. My first successes in photography involved snapping silhouettes, in Bolivia and Peru, with a little Olympus point-and-shoot ten years ago.
Aug 302012
As you reach the crest of the cliffs overlooking Hafragilfoss it would be difficult to categorise the view in front of you as beautiful. Jaw dropping is far more appropriate. The view before you, atop that cliff, is of a rugged landscape. A gorge bore out by flowing water. The waterfall’s roar can be heard even from this distance and the mist of Dettifoss can be seen rising into the sky just around the bend up river. Below Hafragilfoss, the milky river swirls with crystal blue as the pure, clean waters of a nearby spring merge with silty run off. The best part is, the fact that you’ve made your way up the rugged dirt road at 2 in the morning means you have the whole place to yourself.
As a testament to just how incredible the waterfalls are in Iceland, this 27 meters tall, 91 meters wide, waterfall isn’t even considered one of the must-sees!
Aug 292012
New Look Coming Tonight
I decided to overhaul the appearance of Traverse Earth about two months ago. It didn’t take me too long to design how I wanted it to look. Bending Suffusion (my WordPress template) to my will has taken quite a while though. I used DesktopServer to set up a development website that mirrored this one. I’ve now got it looking just about how I want it. So, I’ve decided to unleash it onto the world, tonight. So, as you’re reading this you my be looking at the old website, the new website, or some hideous, deformed in-between stage. Either way, I hope it works and that you like the end result.
Today’s Photo: The Surge, Bermuda
When I first got a camera that allowed me to adjust aperture and shutter speed I got really into photographing moving water. I’d fire off loads of photos at one scene then dig through them to find the most pleasing blurring of the waters motion. Not a lot has changed, except now I’m working with multiple exposures for each image. So, getting the timing right is a bit more complicated and there’s a lot more photos to sift through!
This photo was taken early morning, shortly after sunrise down on the beach on the Southlands property.
Aug 282012
I’ve stumbled upon an interesting photo contest taking place with a fast approaching deadline (tomorrow) and decided to toss my hat in the ring. It’s all about colour. They’ve specified 5 colour categories. You have to enter one photo in each. You can read more about it at ‘Capture the Color’ photo contest at Travel Supermarket.
Blue: Last Light, Lake Ontario, Niagara-on-the-Lake
During the last gasps of sunset, as the blue hour set in, a feeling of calm overcame me. For two hours I’d rushed around, trying to take advantage of the beautiful sunset, but was repeatedly thwarted by private property and fences. Now, I sat on a beach, totally alone, listening to the cool Lake Ontario waters lap the shore a few feet away. I stayed there as the sky faded from baby blue, through to an inky royal, and, finally, star speckled black.
Green: Masticating Mountain Gorilla, Rwanda
Green fills your brain as you hike through the dense growth of the Volcanoes National Park. It’s all green, for as far as the eye can see, which isn’t very far. Then, across a clearing you spot black, punctuated clearly against the green. Was that a gorilla? There it is again, definitely a gorilla. You move closer. You’re closer than seems sensible, at first, but then you lock eyes with one, calmly chomping on the greenery, and any fear is replaced with awe.
Yellow: Young Boy with Fruit, Rwanda
Walking through Rwanda with a large camera draws a lot of attention from the local children. I was regularly mobbed and would spend a lot of time trying to get far enough away to shoot a picture so I could kneel down as they crowded round me to see it. Then, this little boy caught my eye (possibly drawn by the bright yellow shirt). He was watching intently but stood aloof. His expression caused me to decide to take a photo of him. I point at the camera and him and he smiled. Then, I knelt down to get on his level. Unfortunately, he followed suit and we played a weird up and down game until I got him to stand up straight while I knelt down for a shot.
White: Icy Stare, New York
One Christmas, walking up 5th avenue at an ungodly hour, an icy stare caught my eye. A wintery woman strode gracefully toward the window as if there were no glass to hold her back. Her servants, various white animals, accompanied her. I stepped back, startled for a moment, waiting for the thud as her forehead struck the window. But no, it was just a manikin. I could take my time to capture the moment before the bang.
Red: Eerie Light, Central Park, New York
I’ve got a great tendency to get carried away taking photos until I realize it’s dark and I don’t know where I am. Walking into Central Park as the sun is getting ready to set, with the knowledge that you’re foolish enough to stay until after dark and get lost, is eerie enough. As I did just that, I received a foreboding omen. Entering this tunnel I heard a buzz above me, followed by a loud pop, and a red light began flickering erratically. If it had been dark already, I probably would’ve turned tail and run. Instead, I took a picture.
I’m supposed to nominate 5 other bloggers. It’s probably a bit of a moot point this late in the game and I’m quite new to the network of travel bloggers, but there are 5 that I’ve found interesting:
You can follow me on Facebook, Twitter (@TraverseEarth) or via e-mail above.
Aug 272012
I’m not sure why, but I decided to treat the Twitter-verse to a play by play as I processed this one. I have no idea if it will be interesting to anyone but think I’ll keep doing it from time to time. Purely because I feel a bit like I have this underutilized Twitter account. You can follow me there if you like: @TraverseEarth. If you’ve got some time to kill feel free to read over tonight’s ramblings. If anyone finds them at all interesting, I can try to make a habit of it.
This photo was taken at the end of my first full night in Iceland. The sun was just peaking over the mountains behind us and turning everything we could see a beautiful golden hue. I liked the way the road peaked in and out of view as it wound through the fjord. I do wonder if I’d have gotten a slightly better vantage point if I’d climbed on top of the jeep, though.
Aug 262012
Waking up early, we made our way to Alice Bel Colle to take advantage of the specially made mound in the middle of the town. Our guidebook stated that it offered a 360 degree view of the surrounding landscapes. It didn’t disappoint, climbing atop the mound, once we found it, we were met with an excellent view. The sunrise, on the other hand, wasn’t ideal. It was overcast and hazy. The haze added an eeriness to the landscape, so I set about making the best of it by taking photos focused tightly on a subject, while allowing the haze to emphasise the distance to the background.
We had planned on going back for a sunset, and there were some great ones, but as you know I was relieved of my camera equipment at a service station just outside Genoa… I’m still a little bitter.
Aug 252012
I was actually all set up for a photo in the other direction when I looked over my shoulder and the sun was on its way up just over a nice Bermuda roof. I quickly spun everything around and got set up for this shot. I switched to my 70-300mm lens and zoomed right in to make the moon as big as possible. I’ve tried processing this photo a number of times but was never satisfied with the results I got out of Photomatix. The roof looked dirty (which it wasn’t) and the moon just looked weird. So, tonight, I made a change. Rather than run it through Photomatix I just loaded all three images into Photoshop and masked through to the bits I wanted. This meant using the underexposed photo for the moon and a bit of the overexposed image to brighten up the roof. The moon still looks a bit weird but I think it’s the best I’m going to manage.
Let me know what you think.
Aug 242012
Just off the square pictured here, we came across this alleyway. I thought the peeling paint would look particularly interesting if I could work a lot of detail into the scene.
I’ve lodged my claim for my camera equipment so hopefully I will be able to replace my gear soon. I’m looking at buying a 5d Mk III. It’s the next evolution of the 5d and it looks like they’ve made some significant improvements. They’ve bumped the frames per seconds up and improved the auto-focus system. These were the key benefits of having a Canon 7d alongside my 5d Mk II. Now I don’t think I’ll need it and am considering buying the new mirrorless camera offered by Canon. It’s able to use all the Canon lenses via an adapter and it’s smaller size would allow me to keep a camera on me all the time when I’m traveling. I’m just trying to find examples of photos taken with it to make my mind up!
Aug 232012
Arriving in Iceland at midnight, in the middle of June, immediately makes you realise you’re entering a surreal land. As the flight begins it’s descent you can see the vibrant colors of sunset around you. The colors continue long after you’ve left the airport. Long enough that you can travel 20 minutes to your accommodation, drop off your bags and wake up your sleeping travel mate, that got there a day earlier, and still be able to take photos of the unending light!
This beach was walking distance from our guesthouse in Gardur so we made our way straight there. I spent at least two hours taking photos that night, despite my total lack of sleep, and didn’t even begin to feel tired. The air was crisp with a slight scent of sulphur from nearby springs. We even managed to climb up the lighthouse pictured in the distance here. It afforded a great view back across the landscape, including the newer, still-functioning lighthouse nearby.
