Ralph Nordstrom Photography - Print of the Month

January 2009

Racetrack Road (2008)

October 2008

Yes, this photograph was taken in 2008 during the fall Death Valley workshop. We had a good session at Death Valley's famous Racetrack. It was partly cloudy but the weather was pleasant and the light very soft. We found plenty of the mysterious gliding rocks to photograph with their paths trailing off into the distance. The time came when it was time to start the 2 1/2 hour drive back to our rooms and dinner. But nature put on a display that stopped us in our tracks. As the sun set the clouds in the clear blue sky began to radiate a golden glow. "I think we better stop," I said to the driver. We pulled over and piled out to capture the special moment.

I like the soft colors in this photograph and the extreme feeling of depth. The road seems to go on forever while the clouds traced a diagonal across the sky that also accentuate the depth. I tried for a soft look in this photograph that still captures the excitement and exhilaration of the moment. I was able to achieve a glow in the landscape that mirrors the sky.

This photograph was taken with my Canon 1Ds Mark III with a Canon 24-70 f2.8L USM lens. There was no time to set up tripods or attach filters. I just started pointing and shooting, making sure the shutter speed was quick enough to eliminate any blur that may have resulted from hand holding the camera.

February 2009

Upper Antelope Canyon 4 (2008)

February saw a photography trip to the Antelope Canyons in Northern Arizona with a group of photography friends. This photograph was taken in Upper Antelope Canyon under some rather unusual circumstances. If you've photographed in Upper Antelope Canyon before you know that you take a two to three mile jeep ride from the parking lot up a dry wash to the entrance to the canyon. It wasn't until I got into the canyon that I realized the ball head of my tripod was frozen. There was no way I could use my tripod. So I opened my lens all the way to f/2.8 sacrificing depth of field. And I punched the ISO up to 800 and proceeded to shoot hand held. It's amazing what you can do when you have to. This photograph is actually three HDR images merged together and all captured without a tripod. I laid on my back aiming my camera nearly straight up, held very still, stopped breathing and pushed the shutter. It all worked out although a tour guide gave me a strange look as she led her group past my prostrate body.

When I was photographing this in the canyon I was struck by the waves of luminous stone that lead from the darkness into the light. Back home I saw a lace curtain blown by the wind streaming through an open window along with the golden rays of the setting sun. In the print I tried to achieve a translucent effect in the folds of the 'curtain' and create the appearance of the sun was shining through the lace.

This photograph was taken with my Canon 1Ds Mark III with a Canon 24-70 f2.8L USM lens. While the ball head on my tripod was frozen, I still used the tripod as a monopod to provide the added little bit of stability I needed to capture this HDR image hand held.

March 2009

Golden Canyon (2009)

Golden Canyon is one of the most visited destinations in Death Valley. It's not far from the hotels, cabins and campsites of Furnace Creek. The parking lot often overflows and cars are forced to park on the highway. But on this Friday afternoon in February, the crowds hadn't arrived yet. There were only a couple other cars in the parking lot. It was my first time to explore the length of this canyon and I was curious.

With my camera bag on my back I set out up the canyon. This time I wasn't going to photograph everything that caught my eye. Rather, I was holding out for something that would stop me in my tracks, something that would make it worth while to go to all the 'trouble' to set up my camera, tripod and all. I actually walked about 50 feet past this image but it pulled me back. And as I studied it I became more and more excited. I tried several compositions moving left, right, forwards and back. But this time I got it right the first time.

I think of this magnificent cliff as a glorious cathedral. I can't help smiling and feeling its glow. It tugs at me, pulling me up to its soaring heights.

April 2009

Death Valley Reflections (2009)

If you’ve traveled across the desert on a warm summer day you’ve probably seen mirages – these shimmering expanses of blue that appear to stretch across the desert floor. But they always retreat as you try to approach them. That’s what I thought I saw in Death Valley in February of 2009 – a mirage. I couldn’t believe my eyes. Stretching for miles across the salt flats was a vast sweep of sparkling blue. This is Death Valley, the hottest, driest place in North America. It had to be a mirage. There’s no way it could be real.

But it was. An immense lake had formed out on the playa called Cotton Balls. I dubbed it Upper Lake Manley. Then, when on the next to last day of our workshop it stormed, laying a fresh blanket of snow on the Panamints, there was no doubt where we would be the following morning.

A few clouds lingered in the pre-dawn sky, remnants of the storm. We stood at the water’s edge, our boots sinking in the mud, waiting. Then the first rays of the sun caught the clouds, causing them to glow a soft orange against the pale blue sky. Shortly after that the sun caressed the very tops of the peaks. The moment had arrived.

May 2009

Sierra God Light (2008)

The arch wasn't our destination that day. We were headed for Grand View campground high in the White Mountains. But you practically pass right by this on US 395 so we took the short detour to check it out. I normally prefer to shoot this location in the morning. But the clouds were fantastic and the sun sent piercing shafts of light racing across the sky as it settled behind Lone Pine Peak, Mount Whitney and Mount Russell. It was good to be there.

I felt the tremendous energy and power of the sun beams - the God Light as many call it. And even though it was streaking high overhead, I still felt its presence all over and around me, engulfed if you will in a kind of protective shield. A strong sense of well-being came over me. Yes, it was good to be there, really good.

June 2009

Sierra Impressions (2009)

I'm reading this fascinating book, "Art and Physics - Parallel Visions in Space, Time and Light" by Leonard Schlain. It's an amazing read. Schlain covers the parallel developments of art (mostly painting) and physics from the Classical Greek period to the present day. Most of the book is devoted to Einstein's special theory of relativity and how the strange concepts he theorized had parallels in the various art movements beginning in the mid-19th century. The book is an intriguing discussion of art history with some insights I had never thought of before, especially when compared with scientific developments that were taking place or were about to take place.

As I read I kept asking myself how this could apply to my photography. Several ideas came to mind, one of which was to create photographs that incorporated the principles of the various art movements. Schlain spends a lot of time talking about Western art beginning in the mid-19th century and art has changed very rapidly during this time. I thought it would be a great adventure to try to emulate some of these periods such as Impressionism, Fauvism, Cubism, Surrealism, etc.

Then the first weekend in June I found myself at South Lake in the Eastern Sierra in the early morning. I had it in my mind to capture tapestry photographs, images that were mostly texture, patterns and color. Spring was just barely starting to touch the foliage and the previous afternoon had seen a powerful thunderstorm over the area. I was having a great time capturing tapestry when I saw this one. "Impressionism," I muttered to myself as I raised my camera to my eye. The light, the colors, the patterns all said "Impressionism."

Back in the digital darkroom I experimented with and discovered some techniques that would solidify the impressionistic look - bold strokes of color, fantastic light, patterns and shapes, and the presence of being outdoors in the bosom of Nature.

July 2009

Mt Whitney Alpenglow (2009)

Alpenglow is a mysterious phenomenon. I had never seen it before this month. I thought I had when I mistook the sun's first rays on the peeks, something I had seen many times even before becoming such a dedicated photographer. But that was not alpenglow. So I was taken by surprise when we saw the real thing on the tallest peak in the lower 48, magnificent Mt Whitney.

Alpenglow is unmistakable, even if you've never seen it before. The peaks glows with an amazing soft, warm light. They appear to have a radiance that emanates from within. It begins about a half hour before sunrise and at first it's very faint. Then it grows to a peak of intensity and starts to fade just before the sun peeps above the horizon. Experiencing alpenglow is exhilarating, especially on a majestic peak like Mt Whitney.

I photographed it from the valley below right at the base of the mountain using my Canon 70-200 f/2.8L lens with a -2/3 stop exposure compensation. Mt Whitney is unique among the Sierra Crest peaks in that it is set back from the crest a couple of miles. The valley that leads up to Whitney Portals and the peak beyond frames the mountain and sets it off. The lower cliffs weren't catching the alpenglow yet and were still painted in soft blues and purples from the early morning sky. I cropped the final image to a 4X5 aspect ratio to further emphasize the power of the mountain.

Post processing in the digital darkroom required very little adjustments. The most important was to pull detail from the shadowy forest in the bottom center and overcome some color gamut errors.

This was definitely one of the highlights of the entire workshop. This image lingered in my mind for the remainder of the time I was up there and is still with me, more than a week later as I write this. And I expect it will stay with me for a long, long time to come.

August 2009

Mono Lake Morning Song (2009)

South Tufa on Mono Lake, California is a must sunrise location. One never knows what to expect and often we are pleasantly surprised. Some mornings you have beautiful clouds. On other mornings the wind churns the water into angry foam.

This hot July morning was tranquil, peaceful. The dry summer air was clear and calm. The approaching sun set the eastern sky aflame. Silhouettes of the tufa were reflected in the still water.

A vertical composition captured this moment best, rendering both the drama of the sky and the tranquil delicacy of the water. Centering the tufa created a restful feeling of balance and harmony while placing the horizon on the upper 1/3rd line kept the image dynamic.

I experimented with a lot of different interpretations during the post processing, maybe as much as 15 or 20. I was looking for the one interpretation that best communicated the mood. The interpretation I finally selected best captured the drama of the colors while at the same time revealed the soft luminance and gentle shades of tonality and color in the water.

This was one of those experiences in which you knew at the time that on this morning the photography was all about color. Discovering the luminous quality of the water during post processing made this a truly exciting and powerful image for me.

September 2009

Point Imperial Sunrise (2009)

This morning I arrived at Point Imperial on the North Rim of the Grand Canyon more than an hour and a half before sunrise. My plan was to photograph the rising moon in the early dawn light. It was the last day before new moon.

It was a beautiful morning with not a cloud in the sky. Smoke from the nearby wild fires added a little atmosphere. The moon shots didn't work out as planned but the haze in the sky made for an image with a great deal of drama and depth. I photographed basically this same scene from early dawn to first light, varying the composition a little and playing with the placement of Mount Hayden, the peak that others have called it a castle or a temple.

There were some very moody and exciting images before the sun rose and I'm still excited about them. But this image is so joyful that I had to choose it for the September Print of the Month.

The composition uses the rule of thirds for the placement of Mount Hayden. But the line of ridges receding into the haze not only provide a sense of depth but also the suggestion of a strong diagonal line that extends back from the peak. I'm very pleased with how everything fits together to give a sense of quite harmony.

The post processing was relatively straightforward. I balanced the color to emphasize the golden glow which helps create the mood if the image. A few local adjustments were applied to emphasize Mount Hayden and make it the focal point of the image while toning down the ridges in the background.

A person is awfully fortunate to be out experiencing our beautiful Mother Earth this way. It gives meaning to the Navajo refrain, "Walk in beauty."

September 2009

Wild Irises (2009)

There were some very moody and exciting images before the sun rose and I'm still excited about them. But this image is so joyful that I had to choose it for the September Print of the Month.

A person is awfully fortunate to be out experiencing our beautiful Mother Earth this way. It gives meaning to the Navajo refrain, "Walk in beauty."

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