#azimuth 45

[johnnyslittleanimalblog]

Much Ado About Brown Bears (Katmai National Park & Preserve) by Mark Stevens Via Flickr: I captured this image at the Falls Platform with a view looking to the northeast at Brooks Falls while observing brown bears in Katmai National Park. The image is of two male brown bears who were walking in the Brooks River on top of the falls waiting for salmon to make the jump and attempt to catch it to eat. I pulled back oil the focal length to capture more of the surrounding landscape.

[thorsenmark]

Jagged Peaks Along the Vasiliki Ridge by Mark Stevens Via Flickr: For this image, I decided zoom in and capture a view of some of the mountain peaks on the other side of this valley at Washington Pass Overlook. In some ways, it was like a stepped view of one set of peaks after another. The closer set of peaks are of Silver Star Mountain; the ridgeline off in the distance are of Vasiliki Ridge. Not wanting to blow any of the highlights with the snow and clouds above, I decided to keep my SLR camera in Manual mode and adjust the shutter speed to capture that "right" exposure, balanced with the more shadowed and midtone areas of the mountainside and peaks. I later used some CEP filters (Low Key, Polarization and Graduated Neutral Density) in Capture NX2 which seemed to best bring out look I wanted in a final image, even with the bright sunlight that day.

[thorsenmark]

Always Exercising Hope and Joy by Mark Stevens Via Flickr: While taking a morning stroll through the city of Mount Shasta, California, I was taken in by the breathtaking view to the northeast. The majestic summit of Mount Shasta stood tall, its peak seemingly bathed in the golden glow of the morning sunlight. The rest of the image was aligning myself with the evergreen trees that lined the nearby street to frame the setting and using this for a view beyond.

[thorsenmark]

Strolling Along the Streets of Mount Shasta, California by Mark Stevens Via Flickr: I found myself drawn into this picturesque setting to the northeast with an open street view looking to Mount Shasta. I liked how the street to my front with buildings and tall evergreen seemed to frame a view beyond. I came across this as I enjoyed a morning walk and exploration of the area I was staying.

[thorsenmark]

Morning Sunshine and Only a Set of Eyes Required! by Mark Stevens Via Flickr: During a recent stay in Mount Shasta, California, I was fortunate to take in a breathtaking setting that captivated my attention with a morning vista of Mount Shasta. The picturesque view was to the northeast, with the majestic summit and peak of Mount Shasta. The morning sunlight seemingly bathed the mountainside to my front. The rest of the image composition was aligning myself with the nearby street and the evergreens on both sides. The other thing I kept in mind was to expose for the highlights on the mountainside to not blow any highlights, knowing I could pull out the shadowed area later in post-production.

[thorsenmark]

Balconies and Machete Ridge by Mark Stevens Via Flickr: While hiking the Jawbone Trail with a view looking to the northeast at eroded volcanic formations. This is looking to the Balconies and Machete Ridge and is in Pinnacles National Park.

[thorsenmark]

A Forest and Woods in Black & White in Indiana Dunes National Park by Mark Stevens Via Flickr: A conversion to black & white using DxO PhotoLab 4 where I made some adjustments to color filters to bring out a much richer tonal contrast for the final image.

[thorsenmark]

Nature Always Was And Will Be Amazing to Me (Pinnacles National Park) by Mark Stevens Via Flickr: A setting looking to the northeast while taking in views across and down to eroded volcanic formations present with Machete Ridge and Balconies in Pinnacles National Park. This was captured while hiking the Jawbone Trail. In capturing this image, I took advantage of some high ground I was walking that happened to have a large clearing to the setting below. My other thought was to have a balanced look with the landscape to my front and the skies above. I felt the blue skies and clouds added a color contrast to the earth-tones in the lower portion of the image.