Planescape

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Image: 5D Mk III, 70-200 f/4 L IS, f/7.1 at 1/640 sec.

Rather than the usual airplane shot, as below, I noticed Mt Baker and that I could align the mountain in the shot of the incoming 747-8 at Pain Field Everett, I live just a few minutes away from the Boeing plant so I get a lot of opportunities to shoot test flights, the above image turned out rather nice and proved a lot more interesting to me than the normal airplane shot. 

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Ross

Images In Light

Getting low to the ground

Image: 5D Mk III, EF 24-70 f/2.8L II, 35mm at f/16, 1/50th sec, tripod.

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Image: 5D Mk III, EF 24-70 f/2.8L II, 28mm at f/16, 1/13th sec. tripod.

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Getting down low and looking before you set up your tripod is how a lot of my images are taken, I wish I had shot this with my tripod fully extended so I could demonstrate the difference, but let me tell you it was huge, there was a guy from California (tripod at eye level) next to me, taking a similar shot as me, when I stood up to see what the reflection was, the top of the mountain was just barely reflected in the water, my camera lens was about 8 inches off the ground, tripod legs spread out fully 90° from the camera and ball head.

I did point out the reflection to him, but he would have none of that, oh well, I tried, we did however commiserate for a time before heading down the trail.

It doesn't have to be a lake, a tarn or a snow melt or stream will work, bend over and check before setting up a tripod, most reflections are down low.

Image: 5D Mk III, EF 24-70 f/2.8L II, 30mm at f/16, 1/50th sec. tripod.

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No reflection but again I was down low getting my lens in the Alpine Heather, maybe 1 foot off the ground here focusing on the heather and shooting stopped down to f/16 for depth of field.

Ross

Images In Light

The Perfect Landscape Lens

Image: 5D Mk III, EF 24-70 f2.8L II, 31mm, f/16, 1/50 sec, tripod.

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I have been searching for the perfect landscape lens for a 35mm system since I was shooting film , ok so now that I've shown my age, what is the perfect landscape lens?

To me the perfect landscape lens would be a zoom as sharp as the best primes and with enough resolution to shoot f/64, but oh wait thats what the Large Format segment has, so now what? well at 35mm our minimum aperture is usually f/22, beyond that and diffraction would make our images so fuzzy you could hardly tell what you where looking at.

I never shoot beyond f/16, and with some lenses I wont go beyond f/11, with my newest lens, the EF 24-70 f/2.8L II, I have the first lens that Im not afraid to shoot at f/16, although it is sharper at f/11 I will still go to f/16 without hesitation and that is due to its resolution.

 Image: 5D Mk III, EF 24-70 f2.8L II, 35mm, f/16, 1/50 sec, tripod.

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Canons super wide could still use some improvement now that the 24-70 and 70-200 have been improved to the point of equaling or bettering the competition, but I still like my EF 16-35 f/2.8L II and will stick with it.

I keep getting asked, "what is a good landscape lens" my answer is always, the best lens you can afford, not every one can afford the f/2.8 zooms or want to carry them all, I know I don't want to carry all that weight, there are compromise lenses, you just need to figure out their limitations and use them at there optimum aperture. Focal length? well I use 16mm all the way up to 300mm for landscape, but typical landscape images I take are probably between 24mm and 35mm.

So right now, my perfect landscape lens is the EF 24-70f/2.8L II

Ross 

Images In Light 

Park Butte

Image: 5D Mk II,16-35 f2.8 L, 23mm at f10, 1/50 sec, hand held 3 stop GND.

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Mt Baker from Park Butte
Image: 5D Mk II, 16-35 f2.8 L, 29mm at f16, 1/25 sec, hand held 3 stop GND.

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Definitely one of the most beautiful hikes in the state, Park Butte on the south side of Mt Baker or Kulshan (the Indian name) just a couple hours from the trail head and just 2 1/2 hours north of the Seattle area.

Three trails lead off to different parts of the mountain, photo opportunities abound on these trails, with Kulshan in view most of the time. Get up Railroad Grade to climbers camp and to see a glacier tumble off a cliff or make your way up the Roman Wall to summit the mountain. Great wildlife opportunities all summer and fall color the first week of October.

Black and white conversion done in Lightroom.

Ross

Images In Light

My favorite Image for 2009

Image: 5D Mk II, 17-40 f4 L, 3 stop soft GND, Mt Baker B and W.

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Kulshan (the Lummi indian name), The most prominent active volcano in the The North Cascades and part of the Pacific Rim of Fire. Renamed Mt Baker in 1792.

Ross Murphy Images In Light

A fun shoot and some wild light.

Image: 5D Mk II, 70-200 f4 IS L, CPL. at + 2 ev.
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Moments after the storm I took this shot of a tranquil sunset.

Image: 5D Mk II, 24-105 f4 IS L
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The clouds enveloped my position from behind me and came between me and the sunset for this shot.


Image: Mt Baker and Alpine Tarn, 5D Mk II, 17-40 f4 L,3 stop GND, f11, 1/60 sec.
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On a backpacking trip to Mt Baker last night, produced some good images and when a thunder storm rolled in, made for some wild light, including glowing thunder heads and rainbows in the same shot, will try to get some images up to add to this post in the next couple of days, but boy was last night a wild ride in the North Cascades.

Ross Murphy Images In Light

Image: Thunder Heads at sunset

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Image: Incoming storm over the North Cascades
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Light and the landscape

Image: Mt Shuksan sunrise, 30D, 17-40 f4 L , f9, 19mm,GND filter, CPL. Tripod, Ball Head.
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The Magic hour, this is the time I go out if I hope to make a dramatic image, I want to be on location just prior to sunrise or sunset, preferably a place that was pre-scouted. The magic hour light is when landscape's are most dramatic, some times it can start well before the sun comes up or long after it has set, I don't know how many times I have been working a location at sunset, when as soon as the sun drops behind the horizon people are leaving for their cars, often times this is the best time to stay and photograph a landscape. I have stumbled up trails at 4:00 in the morning to reach a place, in time to get set up for sunrise. This is what landscape photography is all about, often you can come away with an image that no one will ever see, even if they have stood in the very same place as you.

Ross Murphy Images In Light