Total Internal Reflection

Here's the first picture in a series from Ruby Beach on the Pacific Coast of Washington State. I took a day trip out to the Olympic Peninsula with Scott and Lucy to do some hiking. We weren't able to climb Mt. Muller due to excessive snow. However, we kept on going and ended up on the coast for a great hike and a stellar sunset.

This is also the first time I've taken the new 40D out for a real try and good quality pictures. I was never really happy with my 20D because the pictures always came out poorly. For a long time I thought it was just me but the percentage of shots that I think are good from the 40D is really high compared to the 20D. I think the crazy focus issues with the 20D just kept it from being the rock star camera that I thought it was.

Camera = Canon 40D
Lens = Canon 17-40mm f/4L
Shutter = 1/50
Aperture = f/4
Focal Length = 40mm
Flash = Off
ISO = 200

I usually don't post pictures of people because I am horrible at portraits. For some reason they always look wrong. This one came out really great. There is something really different about the aspect, depth of field, lighting, etc with this shot that really grabs my attention. If I could just figure out how to replicate whatever I did that would be swell. It's my sister mary by the way... isn't she perdy!

Camera = Canon 20D
Lens = Canon 28-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS
Shutter = 1/250
Aperture = f/5.6
Focal Length = 70mm
Flash = Off
ISO = 200

Have you ever had an eye exam? Well here's one for you to comment about!

I've been struggling with Photoshop's masking features forever. For some reason i've had a mental block against them for quite some time. As a result I always get images that I know I can make better using PS and some masking tools; yet, I give up because it was just too hard.

Well, I finally decided it was time to learn. I picked up a book titled "Photoshop CS3 for Nature Photographers," written by Ellen Anon and Tim Grey. Their explanations are really good and I am happy to say I now "get" how to do masks. I don't know what my problem was, they are so easy!

Anyway, here's a pic I processed in my usual way using a few steps in Apple's Aperture software:
http://www.iparcher.com/tir/Lucy%20at%20Iron%20Mountain%20P.jpg

The dynamic range for digital cameras has not quite caught up to the range that can be captured with film. So, I always shoot for processing to the middle. That is, balance the light and the dark areas. The results, as you see here, are a sky that's too bright with lost detail in the clouds and a dog that is too dark with lost detail in the fur.

Now that I can do masks, I decided to try again using photoshop to add two curves layers to this image and mask part of it so that I could maximize the exposure settings for both the dog and the sky while maintaining a natural look.

I think this second image is much more visually exciting than the one above... What do you think? Did I over do it?

Camera = Canon 20D
Lens = Canon 17-40mm f/4 L
Shutter = 1/100
Aperture = f/11
Focal Length = 33mm
Flash = On
ISO = 200

Yellow Aster Butte is my favorite hike in the Cascades. I've been coming hear annually for several years and am always inspired by the dramatic scenery. This year was no exception. I was surprised to find almost a foot of snow on the mountain this early in the season. I also met several other people along the trail. One couple even camped at the tarns the night before. Apparently it was quite cold! There were bear tracks about and I met a couple of duck hunters who said they could see the bear near the peak through their scopes. What are duck hunters doing up here where the lakes are frozen... and, what is a bear doing on a frosty mountain peak? It was very weird. The whiff of clouds capping Mt. Baker was really dramatic in the bright sun.
Camera = Canon 40D
Lens = Canon 100mm f/2.8 Macro USM
Shutter = 1/250
Aperture = f/14
Focal Length = 100mm
Flash = Off
ISO = 100

This is the first pic from my new Canon 40D camera... and the first pic I've posted here in quite some time. Now that I'm done with school I'm looking forward to having more time to spend on my various hobbies.

I was never really happy with my Canon 20D. I always thought the pictures were really soft so I was hoping that the new 40D would resolve those issues. I can say that this image would have looked awful with the 20D. I know this because I have many similar ones taken under similar conditions that turned out all fuzzy looking. This one is quite sharp given that it's a 4 second exposure.

Camera = Canon 40D
Lens = Canon 17-40mm f/4 L
Shutter = 4 seconds
Aperture = f/20
Focal Length = 19mm
Flash = Off
ISO = 100

Scott and I went hiking on Saturday with the intention of finding Tronson Ridge. However, due to a wrong turn, we ended up hiking the opposite direction toward Mt. Lillian. A great hike none-the-less. The views were outstanding and the weather was very nice. Even spotted a group of six Elk wandering through Haney Meadow.

This is one of the Indian Paintbrush that we saw during the hike.

Camera = Canon 20D
Lens = Canon 100mm f/2.8 macro
Shutter = 1/320 second
Aperture = f/6.3
Focal Length = 100mm
Exp Comp = 0 ev
Flash = off
ISO = 200

Scott, Lucy, and I took a trip up to Iron Peak in Eastern Washington. It's a relatively easy hike (7miles r/t with 2900ft gain). A few people on the trail but not too crowded. This picture was taken at the peak with the Stuart range in the background. She's was really tired when we got back to the car.

Camera = Canon 20D
Lens = Canon 17-40mm f/4 L
Shutter = 1/100
Aperture = f/11
Focal Length = 33mm
Flash = On
ISO = 200