View allAll Photos Tagged lightrays
Perhaps it's the years of dedication to photography that has finally worn me out to the point where I no longer wish to chase a picture like an elusive dream. Waiting for a picture to come to you on the other hand can be just as frustrating unless you adjust your attitude accordingly. It's been a long hard road to capture and share the incredible beauty that this Realm has to offer but every once in a while the dedication and determination will pay off.
Not every photographer will be ready for my newly acquired attitude towards capturing that special image, but I have come to believe that if a picture is meant for you, it will be handed to you like the Gift that you should realize it is.
I have driven like a mad fool chasing a sunset on a warm summer evening. I have found myself running across open fields until my heart raced out of control to chase that magical moment of light only to face disappointment and discouragement when I failed to get the shot and ended up going home empty handed. I have stood in the middle of rivers in hip waders, tracked through waste high snow in -27 degrees and stood under the blazing sun until I was sure that I would pass out at any moment just to get that one shot.
Perhaps you can understand why my attitude has changed somewhat and why I have chosen to accept the true gift of photography when and if it crosses my path.
Yesterday was one of those new found pleasures for me. I patiently waited until I finished my supper, grabbed my gear and headed out for a drive under the soft evening light that had started to appear on the horizon. It was another one of those warm summer evenings when I went as far as to stop in and grab myself an Ice cap, a rare occasion for me. Driving slowly down a deserted road and sipping on my cool drink, I was beginning to feel like I did not deserve all of the beauty that surrounded me.
The sun was beginning to set and from past experience, I could tell that there would likely be some color in the sky if I just waited long enough. It would take at least another hour or so and it gave me lots of time to find a subject for an image. I was close to the lake and so I headed for a spot along the shore line where I had some luck before. To my surprise, there were more people there than I had expected. With my new found attitude to life, It was nice to see that others were able to find the time in their lives to relax and enjoy the warmth and beauty of a summer evening as much as I did.
I felt an eerie but most certainly welcome calm as I grabbed my tripod and gear out of the car and began to look for a spot that would suite the scene. A rock formation used as a breaking wall with a light beacon at the mouth of an entrance to a boat launch was as good as I would find here.
The sun was quickly setting now and the colors were a promising and welcomed sight. Under the pole that held the light beacon sat an elderly gentleman holding up a cell phone and taking what he hoped would be a satisfying image of a beautiful sunset. I had to chuckle to myself knowing that results that he would get would be less than the beauty that nature was about to hand to both of us. I fumbled with several filters before deciding on my 15 stop which would give me enough time to streak the clouds.
To my surprise, the show had begun. Lovely colors of light began to appear on the horizon. After taking several exposures to test the results, I was ready to take my best shot at what by now had become a dramatic exhibition of mother nature at its finest.
I had set my shutter to open for 120 seconds and no sooner did I trip my shutter release cable when a couple decided to walk right into the middle of my frame. They too had come to see and enjoy the beauty of the setting sun over the shimmering waters of the lake. My first thoughts were of slightly more than disappointment, but my new found and relaxed attitude quickly had me realizing that they had every bit as much right to be there and enjoy the beauty as I did.
Trapped in the middle of an exposure, I could not shut down what was about to be my last chance for the evening light. I can always clone them out, I thought to myself as I watched them pacing like a dog looking for a comfortable spot. She found a rock to sit on while he was up and down like a yoyo that could not find the end of the rope. After settling herself, I watched her staring lovingly and peacefully into the setting sun and admiring the amazing light show that was revolving all around her. There was no way that she could hold that position for 2 full minutes I thought to myself as I began to accept the fact that my last and only shot was ruined.
Just after my exposure finally came to an end, I watched them get up and walk away not ever realizing what they had done or been a part of. My new found sense of calmness allowed me to keep from lashing out at anyone or anything and a smile on my face assured me that I was headed in the right direction.
I did not try to process my images until the next morning in fear that I would no doubt find some disappointing results. When I finally did work on the only image that I believed to be of any use, I was taken back in total surprise and amazement that the girl in the middle of the frame had held perfectly still for the whole 120 second exposure. I could not believe that I was not only able to salvage this image, but that her presence sitting on that rock created a wonderful silhouette, and added the most perfect touch to an otherwise already lovely sunset photograph. An absolute Blessing.
It's little things like these that have taught me to reign in my out of control emotions that I have suffered from over the years, and gratitude, respect, and compassion have filled the void.
"into the sun..." in French
Shot directly into the sun piercing through the trees before sunset. The light was constantly changing and created interesting lens flares and atmospheric sun rays.
Groups:
6 invites
Downtown XXIV
(In-Camera Multiple Exposure)
[Sunlight filtered through a steel fence and falling on an orange wall]
Gran Alacant's nature reserve. Just over the hill is the beach.
This is a wonderfully tranquil oasis, close to the beating heart of the bars and beachside attractions but you’d never know it.
In 2022 we drove to the Hope Valley in California to see the fall colors in the Sierra Nevada mountains. On the way we passed by a walnut tree farm near Lockeford, where we noticed a lot of dust in the trees. We stopped, it was a good photo opportunity! It turned out that the walnuts just were getting harvested. One machine drove along the nicely arranged trees to shake them one by one so that the nuts fall to the ground, another machine arranged the fallen nuts and debris in the middle between tree rows, and a third machine scooped it up. All that created a lot of dust, to the delight of us three photographers.
I processed a balanced, a paintery, and a photographic HDR photo from two RAW exposures, blended them selectively, carefully adjusted the color balance and curves, desaturated the image by 90%, and added some sepia. I welcome and appreciate constructive comments.
Thank you for visiting - ♡ with gratitude! Fave if you like it, add comments below, like the Facebook page, order beautiful HDR prints at qualityHDR.com.
-- ƒ/5.6, 16 mm, 1/160, 1/640 sec, ISO 200, Sony A6000, SEL-1650, HDR, 2 RAW exposures, _DSC5095_6_hdr2bal1pai5pho1j.jpg
-- CC BY-NC-SA 4.0, © 2022 Peter Thoeny, Quality HDR Photography
I woke up at 630 this morning and saw the fog outdoors so I decided to go for it and try to capture it. I went to Fabyan Park in Geneva, Illinois and found this spot on the east side of Rt. 25 and decided on the iconic foggy forest sun ray shot.
The elements were perfect. The sunlight was cutting through the fog between the trees creating these delicious rays. I wanted a sunburst, too, so I had to find a spot between the leaves for the right amount of sunlight coming through. Out of all the shots I took, I liked this one best. Thanks Mother Nature!! This was a great light show!!
Have a great upcoming week everyone :-)
After a wet day in Akaora the sun came out briefly as it was setting. September 5, 2015 New Zealand.
Bridal Veil Falls drop 122 metres (400 feet) over a wide rock face, creating a "veil-like" effect, however, only the bottom 200–250 feet can clearly be viewed from the base, due to significant foreshortening due to the viewing-points' location at the base of very steep mountainside. It is located at the south end of the land set aside as provincial Park.
Its source is from Mount Archibald and flows into Bridal Creek where it travels to Cheam Lake Wetlands Regional Park and finally to the Fraser River.
The Light Show
Beautiful light flooding through the trees at Lazonby in the Eden Valley, Cumbria
Sony A7RII + Sony FE24-70mm f2.8 GM
All rights reserved
© Brian Kerr Photography 2016
Hier an einem frischen Spätsommertag im Wald – durch die Lücke im dichten Blätterdach bricht die Sonne mit voller Kraft hindurch. Ein Moment voller Licht, Leben und Energie.
Here on a fresh late-summer day in the forest – the sun breaks through a gap in the dense canopy with full intensity. A moment full of light, life, and energy.