#azimuth 205

[thorsenmark]

Peaks and Spires of Liberty Bell Mountain and Early Winter Spire (Black & White) by Mark Stevens Via Flickr: Standing in the parking lot to the Washington Pass Observation Site and looking southeast to these amazing peaks...well, it's awe inspiring! I'm also very glad I went with a friend's thoughts as we continued the drive along the North Cascades Highway. The rest of the image for composing enough, and metering was just a matter of finding the right exposure in Manual mode. As I looked at this image, trying to determine what I wanted to do with it, I decided to try out this "Ansel Adams Look" I'd read about in Jason Odell's book on Capture NX2. The idea is to work with the LCH editor, making some adjustments, and then use a Black point and White point before converting to black & white. Before converting to black & white, I used a Polarization CEP filter to bring out a much deeper...or darker look to the skies above which came out even more after the conversion in Capture NX2.

[thorsenmark]

A Sweeping Bend in the Little Missouri River Across the Theodore Roosevelt National Park Landscape (Black & White) by Mark Stevens Via Flickr: A view looking to the southwest while walking along the Wind Canyon Trail. From this vantage point, I wanted to capture that sweeping view to the Little Missouri River flowing that seemed to best bring out the wide open landscape to my front. I later decided to make a conversion to black & white in Capture NX2 with some adjustments to color filters to bring out a more richer tonal contrast for the final image.

[thorsenmark]

A Sweeping Bend in the Little Missouri River Across the Theodore Roosevelt National Park Landscape (Black & White) by Mark Stevens Via Flickr: A view looking to the southwest while walking along the Wind Canyon Trail. From this vantage point, I wanted to capture that sweeping view to the Little Missouri River flowing that seemed to best bring out the wide open landscape to my front. I later decided to make a conversion to black & white in Capture NX2 with some adjustments to color filters to bring out a more richer tonal contrast for the final image.

[thorsenmark]

Hilltops, Forest and Mountains That Stretch to the Far off Horizon (Black & White, Custer State Park) by Mark Stevens Via Flickr: A conversion to black & white using Silver Efex Pro 2 where I used some color filters to bring out a much richer tonal contrast for the final image.

[thorsenmark]

If You Have a Chance to Visit a Place Again by Mark Stevens Via Flickr: If You Have a Chance to Visit a Place Again Do it! Over and over again! Even if you’ve visited it before and is only a fond memory Make new memories! See reflections in the ocean waters you never noticed before Hear happy people scream in joy Birds fly by in the skies above Capture an image, or perhaps five! Say hello or I miss you to a friend you only saw a few months ago Life cannot have too many times of experiencing wonderful things Another work of short poetry or prose to complement the image captured one early afternoon walking along the shores of the Pacific Ocean and taking in view of Morro Rock. With this setting, I happened to notice how the surf from the ocean waters had drawn back, but some water remained, allowing me to catch a reflection of this famous location. The rest was timing with the ocean waters receding and then having a balance between the formation and reflections on the beach. I later worked with control points in DxO PhotoLab 9 and then made some adjustments to bring out the contrast, saturation, and brightness I wanted for the final image.

[thorsenmark]

Outings Along the North Shore of Minnesota by Mark Stevens Via Flickr: A setting extending to the southwest while walking around and exploring Temperance River State Park. This is along the North Shore of Minnesota with Lake Superior on the image left. In composing this image, I chose to use the shoreline as a leading line and frame the image for the viewer. I chose to angle my Nikon Z8 Mirrorless Camera slightly downward to raise the horizon and bring out more of a sweeping view across the image captured.

[thorsenmark]

A View Beyond in Chaco Culture National Historical Park by Mark Stevens Via Flickr: While walking around the Hungo Pavi area of Chaco Culture National Historical Park. The view is looking to the south-southwest through an opening in the wall with a view beyond. In order to capture this image, I closed down on the aperture, so that I could bring as much as I could possible into focus, or with enough of a focus. I later worked with control points in DxO PhotoLab 7 and then made some adjustments to bring out the contrast, saturation and brightness I wanted for the final image.

[thorsenmark]

Enjoying a Walk Along the Shoreline of Lake Superior by Mark Stevens Via Flickr: While walking around and exploring the North Shore of Lake Superior. The setting is located in Temperance River State Park with a view extending to the southwest. With this image, I focused on the lake waters with wave after wave coming into the shore.