#azimuth 54

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Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore...Another Ultimate Stress Escape by Mark Stevens Via Flickr: I captured this image with a view extending to the northeast while on the Pictured Rocks Cruises. This setting is along the Lake Superior coastline of Upper Michigan in Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore.

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Tales and Adventures of Exploring Dry Tortugas National Park by Mark Stevens Via Flickr: From an overlook along the upper sections of Fort Jefferson in Dry Tortugas National Park, I captured this picturesque image. The expansive view extends to the northeast. In the composition of this image, I positioned the seawall as a focal point, guiding the viewer’s eye into the scene. The seawall effectively splits the waters, with the vibrant turquoise and blue hues of the Gulf of Mexico extending to the left side of the image. Conversely, the right side of the image is dominated by a moat area. To further enhance the sense of perspective, I incorporated elements from the overlook and a nearby fort wall into the foreground. Additionally, I slightly angled my Nikon Z8 Mirrorless Camera downward to elevate the horizon, creating a sweeping visual effect that captures the vastness of the surroundings.

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My Navigations in Dry Tortugas National Park by Mark Stevens Via Flickr: A setting looking to the northeast while taking in views within Fort Jefferson with the bricked walls and walkways. This is in Dry Tortugas National Park.

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I See Mountains Beyond the Trees (Jasper National Park) by Mark Stevens Via Flickr: While hiking the Valley of the Five Lakes Trail in Jasper National Park.. The view is looking behind some nearby evergreen trees to a more distant ridge with the trees and then a backdrop of ridges and peaks with Mount Tekarra and Signal Mountain.

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Cap Rock, Joshua Trees and the Moon (Joshua Tree National Park) by Mark Stevens

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Recharging Outside by Mark Stevens Via Flickr: While walking along the Simpson-Reed Grove Trail with a view looking up and to the northeast at nearby coast redwoods in Jedediah Smith Redwoods State Park. My thinking in composing this image was to take advantage of an opening through the trees and capture a view of the coast redwood caught in the afternoon sunlight. The rest was metering the image so as to not blow any of the highlights in the upper portions and tree crowns of the nearby redwoods while still being able to pull out the more shadowed areas later in post production.

[thorsenmark]

Recharging Outside by Mark Stevens Via Flickr: While walking along the Simpson-Reed Grove Trail with a view looking up and to the northeast at nearby coast redwoods in Jedediah Smith Redwoods State Park. My thinking in composing this image was to take advantage of an opening through the trees and capture a view of the coast redwood caught in the afternoon sunlight. The rest was metering the image so as to not blow any of the highlights in the upper portions and tree crowns of the nearby redwoods while still being able to pull out the more shadowed areas later in post production.

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Rainbows Are So Wonderfully Beautiful (Guadalupe Mountains National Park) by Mark Stevens Via Flickr: Rainbows Are So Wonderfully Beautiful They are found almost any place the eye looks Sometimes they are seen across a valley Others are found walking a meadow While their colors are a spectrum of light They are magical, with or without a pot of gold So when I saw a storm across the Guadalupe Mountains, I did not expect to see a rainbow But there it was And I was a better person for stopping. Another work of short poetry or prose to complement the image captured one afternoon at a roadside pulloff while taking in views of a rainbow and rainstorm going over the mountains of Guadalupe Mountains National Park. The view is looking to the northeast with El Capitan and Guadalupe Peak as the most prominent near the rainbow end. My thinking in composing this image was to capture a little bit of the foreground to lead up to the mountains off in the distance. Then would come the portion of the rainbow present in the skies from the rain storm. I wanted to include the storm clouds above, as I felt it added a sense of drama to the skies, rainbow and landscape leading up to the Guadalupe Mountains. I did some initial post-processing work making adjustments to contrast, brightness and saturation while playing around as I learned how to work with DxO PhotoLab 5. I then exported a TIFF image to Nik Color Efex Pro 4 where I added a Polarization and Pro Contrast filter for that last effect on the image captured.