Tag Archives: landscape photography

And the Answer is…HDR and an iPhone 4

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The Paradise Valley, Mount Rainier NP, Washington by Jay Goodrich

Last week I created a post asking what a certain photo of Olympic National Park had to do with the new iPhone 4 even though the photo itself was not taken with the iPhone 4. I managed to stump everyone who participated. Thank you all for playing along. The answer is that last week’s photo is an HDR image, a series of 4 exposures that I hand blended in Photoshop. The connection to the iPhone is: now with the new iOS for the iPhone you can create in-camera/phone HDR (high dynamic range) images with one touch of the shutter release.

Now for the nuts and bolts. It really works. Pretty nicely too. Exceptionally well if you think about the fact that you are creating images with a phone and nothing else. The above image was created using the HDR function in a new iPhone 4. I did some post processing in Lightroom 3 just to add some saturation, but that for the most part that is it. Pretty cool. Super fast. And like Chase Jarvis always says–”The Best Camera is the One That’s With You.” This little add by Apple is a new key to getting great landscape shots at the beginning and ending of the day when the light is low and super contrasty. I know HDR has been around since the 3Gs hit the shelves, but those are third party apps, to have this little gem, all you have to do is upgrade your phone’s operating system. And just so you don’t think I am pulling your chain, here is the image with the HDR function turned off:

The Paradise Valley--No HDR, Mount Rainier NP, Washington by Jay Goodrich

Pretty amazing isn’t it. But wait there’s more….

The image of Olympic National Park that we posted last week will be one of ten in a new series of images of mine that are going to be mastered for use as wallpaper on your Lock and/or Home Screens of your iPhone. I know what you are thinking–How much? Well here’s the deal…it’s FREE! Not a penny, but there is a simple catch–all you have to do is sign-up for our monthly newsletter. It is in this newsletter that we will post the link to download the file that gives you 10 original Jay Goodrich images for use on your iPhone free of charge. Not too bad. And, remember we will never sell, forward, or share your email with anyone. Period. And if you are wondering how to sign up for our newsletter look at the top right of any post on this blog. Oh, and the next newsletter is set to go out on October 1st.

Tomorrow I will be posting more images on the Outdoor Photographer Blog highlighting this evening in Paradise Valley.

William Neill’s New E-Book: YOSEMITE: VOLUME ONE Digital Edition

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William Neill's New E-Book: YOSEMITE: VOLUME ONE Digital Edition

Friend, landscape photographer, and writer William Neill has just released a new book: William Neill’s New E-Book: YOSEMITE: VOLUME ONE Digital Edition. It is an e-book that contains over 50 classic William Neill compositions along with technical data and his thoughts regarding each images’ creation. Well worth the $10 purchase price.

  • Sunset Over Shuksan by Jay Goodrich

    A late autumn sunset leaves alpenglow colors over Mount Shuksan in the Northern Cascades of Washington.

October 2009 Photo of the Month

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This month’s image was taken in early September from the end of the Mount Baker Highway near Mount Baker Ski Area in Washington State. My wife Heather, daughter Jade, and son Micah and I were shooting some hiking images for an upcoming calendar along the trails above Artist Point, when we stumbled upon this tarn that was perfectly still at sunset. After I captured a couple of photos with the family in the reflection, I just couldn’t pass up shooting the image as a landscape as well. The more I explore in Washington, the more astonished I am at the unobstructed beauty here. It was one of those evenings where everything came together perfectly-the clouds, the stillness in the water, and the alpenglow on the peak. I couldn’t have created it better with a written request to mother nature. This image was shot with a Canon 1D Mark III, 16-35mm f2.8 II lens, Gitzo carbon fiber tripod, Kirk ballhead, and a three stop graduated neutral density filter.

  • Photo without graduated neutral density filter.

    Photo without graduated neutral density filter.

  • Photo with graduated neutral density filter.

    Photo with graduated neutral density filter.

Go Neutral for Gray Days

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If you have ever headed out photographing at midday on a cloudy day, you have noticed that the light is even and great for shooting. Shadows and harsh contrast are reduced if not completely eliminated. And If you have ever taken a landscape image during this time of day, which included the sky, you have noticed that it became completely washed out. You may have also noticed that there is no exposure that will allow you to bring back detail in the sky while maintaining the light on your foreground subject.

There is a very simple way to compensate for this, while achieving an even exposure that includes both your foreground subject and your background overcast sky; use the graduated neutral density filter that you would normally use during sunrise and sunset images. It will effectively darken the sky and allow those foregrounds to be properly exposed. I tend to choose a 3-stop or darker filter, depending on whether I want the sky to look like a foreboding stormy or a simple overcast gray sky.

To use it, I handhold the filter in front of my lens while pressing my depth-of-field preview button. This allows me to better see the gradation line present on the filter. You should note that your f-stop should be f16-f22, otherwise you will not see the gradation. Once I have it positioned where I want, I press the shutter release. It’s that simple. And this is the result.