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Hi and thanks for hanging out !!
I live in Portland Oregon with a wonderul wife and beautiful 6.5 year old daughter. Photography to me is a passion that has really taken hold in the last 4 years. Before then, I worked in recording studios and never noticed the sunset, or the type of clouds in the sky. I lived in Seattle for 3 years and did nothing but music !!
In the real world, I am a Professional Musician, Engineer and Composer. My main occupation is as one of the principal sound designers for Korg Synthesizers (my work can be found in synthesizers from the M1, Wavestation to the new Intel processor based Korg OASYS workstations). I have done voicing work with Korg since 1988. I also have a number of drum loop libraries that you can add to Stylus RMX (go to www.ilio.com for details). I also have sound banks that I have produced for Samplebase (If you are a computer based musician and want a awesome quality samples for your music productions, go to samplebase.com/home.htm to download the free "Satellite" Virtual Instrument and get started).
I have received many questions about how to make beautiful photographs and thought I'd share a couple thoughts here. The biggest key to awesome photographs is the quality of the light you are shooting in. The majority of my work is shot during the golden light of sunrise or around sunset - when everything looks it's most beautiful. Colors are full and vibrant and shadows are soft. Later day shooting (even 1 hour AFTER sunrise !!) and the look can be totally different (harsh, washed out colors, strong sharp shadows) - the use of golden light isn't new... we have all heard about it. But getting up at 4am and driving/hiking in the dark to get somewhere beautiful requires serious dedication.
The other half of the equation is post processing. We now have the power to shape our photographs and to do so requires a huge investment in time working with your tools. My chosen tool is Photoshop - Everything I need is in this one application (or a plug-in exists that works in Photoshop).
So learn layers and masks as if you are learning to walk. Knowing how to double expose a RAW file to add more details to the shadows/dark areas of a photograph is easy and makes a huge difference in the final photo.
I don't believe the perfect shot exists, but I'll try to get it anyway.
I don't use HDR in any of my images. HDR is still in a very uncontrollable form of technology, in my opinion. Used with a heavy hand it the photos look cartoonish and artificial with black skies and horrible halos around everything of contrasting luminosity.
About Explore: Ignore it and you will sleep better at night.
PLEASE NOTE: All images on this site are the property of John Lehmkuhl. I ask that all viewers enjoy the images on this site but PLEASE DO NOT USE ANY OF THEM without notification or my permission. If there is an image that you would like to use please contact me and we can discuss the terms of usage. I thank you for respecting intellectual property rights of all photographers on Flickr.
I also sell prints of select images in sizes up to 16 x 20. Let me know if curious !!
ALSO, many thanks to these talented people to the right >>>>>>>>>>>>
for saying such nice things about me. they are photographers
whose work i greatly admire, so you should check em out.
- JoinedNovember 2006
- OccupationSound Designer, Professional Musician
- HometownOntario, Oregon
- Current cityPortland, Oregon
- CountryUSA
- Websitehttp://www.realkuhl.com
Most popular photos
Testimonials
John doesn't know this--well, now he does--but some of his Second Beach shots have sat as my laptop's wallpaper for the longest time. How beautiful are those? John's account of how he started photographing landscapes is amazing! How he went from never noticing the sunset or types of clouds in the sky before to producin… Read more
John doesn't know this--well, now he does--but some of his Second Beach shots have sat as my laptop's wallpaper for the longest time. How beautiful are those? John's account of how he started photographing landscapes is amazing! How he went from never noticing the sunset or types of clouds in the sky before to producing the jaw-dropping masterpieces displayed here is fabulous! And I love the interesting captions he writes under his shots. You're awesome, John! Thank you for sharing your magic!
Read lesswow..u have a interesting gallery album..i admired your work!
John is the top class photographer who comments on my photos when I very first join flickr and this is very honor to me. His photostream is full of the best quality photos which always make me amazed. I always learn from his every single work which inspires me a lot. I have to get this opportunity to thanks you for alw… Read more
John is the top class photographer who comments on my photos when I very first join flickr and this is very honor to me. His photostream is full of the best quality photos which always make me amazed. I always learn from his every single work which inspires me a lot. I have to get this opportunity to thanks you for always sharing great works in this tetimonial written.:)"
Read lessThere are few people that I would actually want to shoot with. Realkuhl is one of the elite of the Flickr photographers and a guy who would be fun to be out in the field with to see what he does and how he does it. Man, I love your stuff even if I don't comment much! It is mainly because I am anxious to get to the… Read more
There are few people that I would actually want to shoot with. Realkuhl is one of the elite of the Flickr photographers and a guy who would be fun to be out in the field with to see what he does and how he does it. Man, I love your stuff even if I don't comment much! It is mainly because I am anxious to get to the next image!
Read lessFirst class images from a first class guy! John has a real artistic touch when composing his images, and am envious of his post-processing skills! Great work, John! Look forward to shooting with you again soon.
realkuhl chose an appropriate name because no doubt his photos are really really really kuhl. I enjoy his photostream not only for the superb nature images, but also because he goes to so many varied places, mountains-deserts-canyons-forests-beaches, etc., and he goes a lot. He's a gifted photographer and I find his … Read more
realkuhl chose an appropriate name because no doubt his photos are really really really kuhl. I enjoy his photostream not only for the superb nature images, but also because he goes to so many varied places, mountains-deserts-canyons-forests-beaches, etc., and he goes a lot. He's a gifted photographer and I find his photostream a wonderful display of real talent combined with a passion for adventure and beautiful places.
Read lessJohn is a fantastic photographer, his work varies a lot but usually sticks to a unique style, he is not afraid to try something new. His waterscapes are oh the highest standard, being able to transform any scene into a beautiful, soft photography. Keep 'em coming! :)
John's photostream is always one of the first I visit in anticipation of a great new image - his landscape images are dramatic, stunning, but still real, tangible. Occasionally, upon viewing the images I find particularly beautiful for the first time, I find that I forget, briefly, to breath - such is the beauty and at… Read more
John's photostream is always one of the first I visit in anticipation of a great new image - his landscape images are dramatic, stunning, but still real, tangible. Occasionally, upon viewing the images I find particularly beautiful for the first time, I find that I forget, briefly, to breath - such is the beauty and atmosphere John is able to convey through his photography.
Read lessThere's so much to admire about the wonderful places in John's photostream, and his very connected approach to photographing them and their atmosphere. I feel that I want to be standing there in almost every shot. Landscape work for me is all about being immersed and present, and John conveys this more than most. A gen… Read more
There's so much to admire about the wonderful places in John's photostream, and his very connected approach to photographing them and their atmosphere. I feel that I want to be standing there in almost every shot. Landscape work for me is all about being immersed and present, and John conveys this more than most. A genuinely excellent portfolio.
Read lessJohn, your photographic eye and skills just keep getting better and better. What a pleasure to take a stroll through you stream. Your love of the PNW comes through so clearly in your artistry. I know that I look forward to each new installment. Keep them coming.
Realkuhl's images are of the utmost quality and more importantly he provides inspiration through magical captures of our beautiful world. From the Pacific Northwest Coast, to the Utah Desert, to the Cascade Volcanoes, to elsewhere his work is simply inspiring and uplifting.
On Flickr, there are many beautiful photos. Once in awhile, you're lucky enough to find a photographer whose entire photostream takes you to another world, or shows you your own world (in this case, the Portland area) through different eyes than you've seen it so many times. John's pictures are easy to spot--they alw… Read more
On Flickr, there are many beautiful photos. Once in awhile, you're lucky enough to find a photographer whose entire photostream takes you to another world, or shows you your own world (in this case, the Portland area) through different eyes than you've seen it so many times. John's pictures are easy to spot--they always have something special going on, and stories to bring them closer to reality. Step in and enjoy.
Read lessGreat landscapes !! esp. Oregon I see where we hang out over @ Freds - I just discovered this site .Certainly the price is right Cheers john