I decided to revisit this image using some new techniques I’ve picked up over the past few years and a came across a piece of writing that I published with it some time ago. A lot has changed since I first wrote this excerpt so I’ve decided to amend it a bit to reflect my current thoughts:

Everyone has heard the phrase a picture can be worth a 1,000 words, but what does it really mean? The vary convention that any of sum of words can surmount to a real life experience captured by one exposure is an interesting thought. Witnessing the event, feeling the hard emotion flowing through your veins, being there, not here, but there, being part of something raw, something organic, and something new. That’s the type of emotion a single exposure can evoke out of one’s soul. That feeling that you are part of something bigger than you, all trapped within the matting and encased within the glass and framework that is our limitations. A picture is a powerful thing and as a photographer the ultimate goal is to bring life, to evoke emotion, be it negative or positive and to initiate a spark; a spark that can flourish even in the darkest of times. Each and every exposure has meaning, be it symbolic, raw or natural. Be it taken from an iPhone, a point and shoot or a full frame DSLR; each image taken has a certain resonance, a unique tone, a frequency that can really, truly, only be heard by the photographer and left to interpretation by the masses. We risk everything for that one shot, the shot that can not only quench our thirst for perfection, but the shot that can make waves, a shot who’s frequency can be heard by millions and can resonate for many years to come.

Photographers are in a constant ebb and flow; in a search for that one tone; the frequency that drives them, but when it’s all said and done what are they really remembered for? Is it the images they leave behind? The stories they told? Maybe it’s the sheer impact they made by simply existing; by doing the things that others wouldn’t or just couldn’t do. I don’t think that there is any one single answer to a question such as this. The topic is complex and rich; just as the photographs we produce. Perfection isn’t easily attained. We drive hundreds of miles for that perfect moment, the one that gives us goosebumps and sends our hearts racing and leaves us struggling to grasp reality. For me perfection is not in the photo itself, but the journey you took to achieve it. Blood, sweat, tears, aches, and pains; all physical limitations that are exacerbated by one’s own mental inability to grasp reality. We push our bodies to climb, to climb faster, and to climb higher. We climb toward a purpose; maybe it’s to get over that self-perpetuated wall, or maybe it’s to reach the summit. Each and every adversity we face builds character and adds depth and richness to the moments we capture from behind the lens.

(c) Chris Williams Exploration Photography 2014

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This was probably the hardest I’ve worked for a photo in a long time.  Mt. St. Helens seems to be one of the most stubborn mountains I’ve ever had the privilege to photograph.  It seems to shy away from the photographic spotlight, well at least for me anyways.  This photo was taken on my third attempt this month at photographing this gorgeous area.  In the previous two times I was promised gorgeous conditions by amazing forecasts only to be socked in dense fog on the ridge line near the mountain.  With my dreams and hopes dashed I had all but given up but decided to try desperately one more time and man was the reward sweet.  I literally ran to my car after work and left as soon as I could in hopes of avoiding the rush hour commute toward the mountain (it’s an almost 4 hour drive one way).  I arrived just in the nick of time; 30 minutes before sunset and scrambled around like a crazy man trying to find a good composition.  The sunset was one of the most intense I had ever seen; it burned and lingered for almost two hours.  The intense reds and oranges faded to soft magentas and purples.  As an added bonus the clouds broke up just enough to allow the super moon to rise up just to the east of the mountain.  It was a memorable sunset to say the least.  I also ran into two local photographers I had never met in person before.  We chatted and snapped away as the glow faded and the stars began to shine like tiny diamonds in the sky.  The sunset was still lingering and a light pink glow illuminated the western side of the mountain while the bright moonlight from the super moon enveloped the eastern side of the blast zone.  It was at that point that I decided to put together one more photo to end the night and this was the result.  It was a very long and tiring drive home but well worth all of the effort in the past three weeks.  It was a night that I wont soon forget.

I set my camera up maybe 6-8 inches or so from the flowers with the lens pointed down at a slight angle and took 6 separate exposures to ensure that all of the foreground flowers were in focus.  I then followed that by taking an additional photo of the mountain, the moon and clouds to ensure that it was in focus and at the correct exposure for dynamic range.

Technical information:

6 photos focus stacked at 16mm, f/2.8, 1/4 sec, one more for dynamic range

I used the auto-align action in Photoshop CS6 to align all of the photos and then used the auto-blend action to blend the photos by selecting the sharpest pixels.  I had to go back in and fix several areas due to wind blown flowers not blending correctly.  I then blended in one more exposure for the mountain, the moon and the stars and clouds.  This sounds like a lot of work but it is what is needed to see exactly what the eye sees.  Many folks say this is “photoshopped” the bottom line is your camera can’t see everything in focus in one shot at certain focal distances.  In order to get everything in focus you absolutely have to use multiple exposure blending techniques. I then applied several post-processing techniques to maintain details in the shadows while giving the photo a dark and natural look in Photoshop.

Gear Used:

Camera: Sony a7r, MetaBones Canon Lens Adapter

Lens: Canon 16-35mm f/2.8L II

Tripod: MeFoto Road tripper

If you have any questions feel free to message me: cwexplorationphotography@gmail.com

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Fine Art Pacific Northwest Landscape & Nature Photography

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Landscape photography can be very challenging, but with the right skill set and some perseverance you too, can set yourself apart from the crowd.  Here, I will be outlining a few tips and tricks that I think are essential to getting a great landscape photograph.

1.) Use A Tripod

This may seem trivial, but a tripod is essential to getting the perfect shot.  Not only does it add stability, but it also helps you to avoid camera shake and enables you to use longer shutter speeds for low light conditions or to capture beautiful silky waterfalls, like the one pictured here.  Even at extremely fast shutter speeds a tripod can help you to line up your shot and maintain consistency throughout your entire photography session.   A cable release and or a remote control can also be used in addition to a tripod to ensure that the camera doesn’t move or vibrate during the shot.

2.) Look For A Focal Point 

When you’re looking at a vast landscape what stands out to you?  A roaring waterfall, an old tree, maybe a mountain?  These are all considered focal points.  Focal points or subjects are crucial to getting the perfect landscape photograph and can really add character and depth to a photo.  A focal point also helps to lead your eye through the photograph giving it a nice ‘flow’.

Try to frame your focal point of interest to add depth to the photo.  The rule of thirds is often referred to by photographers when discussing focal points but it can be a bit confusing.  The main idea is to avoid cluttering an image with multiple points of interest while also avoiding too much open space in the photo.  It’s a bit of a ying and yang principle.

3.) Depth Of Field (DOF) and Focus Stacking   

Depth of field is very important to capturing every detail possible in a landscape.  The main idea is to have as much of landscape in focus as you can.  A wide angle lens can be very useful for this but another way to go about it is to use an extremely small aperture.  This means setting your camera to a high f/stop number i.e. f/22 or f/16.  This allows for greater DOF to be obtained.  It’s important to keep in mind though that this will darken your image a lot as it blocks more light from hitting the sensor of the camera.  To counter this you can increase your shutter speed to allow more light into the photo.  You can also increase your ISO but this can sometimes lead to grainy photos, so try to adjust your shutter speed first.  Focus stacking is the key to obtaining pin point sharpness throughout your images.  I always start with the subjects closest to me first and then move to the back of the image.  This means that you get the object closest to you in focus first and take a photo, move to the next point and take a photo.  You do this as many times as necessary to achieve a sharp image from front to back.  To put an image like this together you need to load the layers into Photoshop, align them and then blend them using the action in Photoshop.

4.) The Foreground

This is another crucial element to setting your photo apart from the rest.  An example of this would be an alpine meadow with a large mountain range in the background.  Pick a foreground that will add a sense of depth and character to your image.  Gorgeous wildflowers are often the choice foreground for most photographers; but anything of interest can be a foreground element; a log, rocks, water you name it!

5.) The Sky

The sky can add a great deal of character to your image, but it’s important to avoid adding too much to the shot as it will take away from your focal point (remember the rule of thirds).  For instance if you have a pristine blue sky, don’t let it dominate the image as it can take away from your focal point.  If you have interesting clouds or an amazing sunset to work with then make that more of a focus in your shot, maybe even the entire foreground.  Using lens filters can also add drama and color to the sky your working with.

6.) The Weather

Here in the Pacific Northwest we are quite accustomed to clouds and rain, but don’t let that discourage you!  In fact I encourage you to go shooting in less than optimal weather conditions.  A stormy sky can often add a great deal of character to the image and can really make your photo stand out from the crowed.  I encourage you to look up, look for dramatic clouds, foggy skies, misty mornings as these things can all add a great deal of character to an image.

 7.) Lines and the Horizon

While photographing landscapes a tripod can be an immense help when it comes to keeping a straight horizon line.  I can’t tell you how many times I’ve come home to find that my horizons weren’t perfect (this can be fixed with post processing but it’s better to get it right the first time).    Try to adjust your horizon based upon your foreground.  By adjusting the horizon you can get more or less of the sky in your shot.

Lines can also add a great deal of depth to an image and can also help to frame the photo.  A river, road or even a valley can help lead the eye to your object of interest.  Look for lines that add depth to the photo, they can even be a focal point in your image.

8.) Photographing Movement

Slow shutter speeds are your best friend while trying to photograph movement.  A silky waterfall is a classic example of this technique but there are many other uses for this type of photography such as long exposures involving a freeway full of cars, waves in the ocean or even the stars in the sky.  Movement in a photo can add drama and a sense of actually ‘being there’ to the photo.  Longer shutter speeds allow a great deal more light to hit your sensor, so remember to adjust your aperture accordingly (bigger f/numbers).

9.) Golden or Magic Hours

Timing is everything!  Instead of shooting a photograph in the middle of the day wait until sunset or dusk or even sunrise to add more character and richness to the photo.  The colors, the lighting and the conditions will make for a much more dramatic and appealing image.

10.) Perspective

Sometimes looking straight out over a vast landscape will leave you with a boring image.  Get dirty.  Shoot low, look for flowers and other objects and points of interest.  Look for unique angles and different points of view to give your shot character and set it apart from the rest.

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