#azimuth 155

[thorsenmark]

There's Not a Lot of Traffic in Lassen Volcanic National Park by Mark Stevens Via Flickr: A setting looking to the southeast while taking in views of Kings Creek at the namesake trailhead. This is located in Lassen Volcanic National Park. My thought in composing this image was to simply use the creek itself as a leading line into the image as it flowed through this forested landscape.

[thorsenmark]

An Afternoon Walk in Lassen Volcanic National Park (Black & White) by Mark Stevens Via Flickr: While walking along the shoreline of Manzanita Lake with a view looking to the south-southeast. This is located in Lassen Volcanic National Park and along the namesake lake loop trail. What drew me into the setting was first the opening in the trees and amazing view! But then I started to look around and noticed the reflections in the waters. That led me to attempt to find a balance between the forest and mountain peaks with their reflections, while including some foreground interest with the nearby shoreline. I later performed a conversion to black & white using DxO PhotoLab 8 where I made some adjustments to color filters to bring out a much richer tonal contrast for the final image.

[thorsenmark]

Chimney Rock at the End of the Trail (Capitol Reef National Park) by Mark Stevens

[thorsenmark]

Richard I. Bong Memorial Bridge with the Saint Louis River by Mark Stevens

[thorsenmark]

A Panoramic View of a City from an Overlook by Mark Stevens Via Flickr: Including the Richard I. Bong Memorial Bridge and Saint Louis River. A setting extending to the southeast while taking in views at an overlook along the W Skyline Pkwy in the Duluth, Minnesota. My thought in composing this image had been to take advantage of the higher ground I was located on while angling my Nikon Z8 Mirrorless Camera slightly downward to bring the horizon higher into the image. That would allow me to create more of a sweeping view looking across this cityscape with bridge and waterway beyond. I liked how the location I was at helped to include that curving of the roadway and bridge across the image to add to the composition. One thing I did clean up in the image was to use Photoshop to remove portions of a roadway behind the nearby trees. I felt the roadway was distracting for the image composition. So adding only a little bit of change to include generated trees and a grassy meadow behind seemed better for the final image.

[thorsenmark]

Between a Sunrise and Sunset (Lassen Volcanic National Park) by Mark Stevens Via Flickr: Between a Sunrise and Sunset There is so much to explore in a life For some it’s a day While for others it seems a lifetime One vowel difference But the same feeling expressed There is so much to love And so much to live Another work of short poetry or prose to complement the image captured one afternoon in Lassen Volcanic National Park while walking along the shores of Manzanita Lake. The view is looking to the south-southeast across the lake waters with the reflections of the nearby trees and forest as well as Lassen Peak off in the distance. My thought on composing this image was to both closed down on the aperture so that I could bring more of the entire setting to focus as well as angling my Nikon Z8 Mirrorless Camera slightly downward to raise the horizon a little higher into the image. I felt the latter would create more of a sweeping view looking across this national park landscape and also bring the mountain higher into the image, helping to create more of a sense of grandeur. I did some initial post-processing work making adjustments to contrast, brightness and saturation in DxO PhotoLab 8. I then exported a TIFF image to Nik Color Efex Pro 7 where I added a Polarization, Foliage, and Pro Contrast filter for that last effect on the image captured.

[thorsenmark]

Navigating the Sights Along the Dune Ridge Trail (Indiana Dunes National Park) by Mark Stevens Via Flickr: A setting looking to the south-southeast while taking in views across the forest and marshlands, walking the Dune Ridge Trail in Indiana Dunes National Park.

[thorsenmark]

Navigating the Sights Along the Dune Ridge Trail (Indiana Dunes National Park) by Mark Stevens Via Flickr: A setting looking to the south-southeast while taking in views across the forest and marshlands, walking the Dune Ridge Trail in Indiana Dunes National Park.