A never before shared piece shot way back in 2016.
This is a single exposure using light painting. A buddy with a flashlight for the blue beam, and myself behind the camera with a flashlight to paint the sandy desert foreground.
It took me half the night to figure this out and about 50 attempts.
My first and only time shooting the Milky Way. It was life changing seeing it with my own eyes!
I shot this in 2016 during my epic 7000 mile Miami to Seattle cross USA journey.
This is in Death Valley, California.
It was completely unplanned as are most of my favorite works.
We arrived to Death Valley from Page, Arizona (where the famous Antelope Canyon is).
It was pure darkness and 120°F (48.8°C) at NIGHT
Driving into Death Valley, my buddy and I saw it for the first time - Holy SHIT THAT'S THE MILKY WAY!
an unforgettable moment and night
We spent most of the night playing with flashlights and doing test shots.
But that's not where the story ends.
I have edited this shot probably 100 times over since 2016.
Bought software just for this.
I wasn't prepared, couldn't find my remote and so was limited to 30 second exposures.
30 second exposure turned out to be a good thing, longer would have caused star trails unintentionally.
However, my Canon 6D only shoots dark frames (for noise reduction) on exposures of 1 minute or more.
So, these files were extremely noisy and unusable.
Until...
Enter the new Lightroom AI Denoise feature!
Finally, I was able to edit this shot to a quality I can be proud of given it was my first ever attempt at shooting the Milky Way!
I have a huge respect for Astrophotography and how difficult and challenging it is.
And an Astrophotographer, I most certainly am not!
But I'm damn proud of this piece and what it means to me.
Tags: Milky Way night Nightscape Nightscapes stars galaxy light starry night light painting light beams light beacon Death Valley California dunes sand dunes night sky desert
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What's not to love when the early morning low fog meets the beautiful atmospheric conditions found during sunrise, just after dawn?
The Black Creek in North Florida is a mighty waterway, snaking its way through the local nature, with docks built for people to enjoy the scenery, while boaters enjoy their pastime along this beautiful road of water.
Since I moved to North Florida, and live nearby to one such dock, it has been my vision to capture amazing light covering the Black Creek in the perfect light.
Each morning for several weeks, I would wake up before dawn and check the skies. Clear skies were no good, I needed some magnificent clouds for my scene.
Well, on this morning, mother nature delivered.
I grabbed my gearbag, and my dog, and went straight to the dock. To my amazement, the clouds were covering just the perfect angle from my location.
I set up my camera and started to fire off some shots, just as the colors in the sky became a breathtaking pink, with yellows further behind from the rising sun.
A boat came cruising by and its wake generated these beautiful textured waves you see in this image.
The final "piece de resistance" came after I had shared the image on Twitter and got a great response. I asked what it should be called, and my friend Scott R. Smith came up with the perfect title, "The Breath of Black Creek"
I hope you enjoy this piece of my homeland as much as I do every time I look at it!
Tags: sunrise creek pink atmospheric water river dawn clouds
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It has been 2 years since I last came here, to the Nantahala Mountains.
At the end of 2021, inspiration found me again and I dusted off my unused camera gear, and planned a trip.
The weather didn't cooperate, but many lessons were learned and the joy of shooting remembered.
This image represents to me the strength of that calling to create, to photograph, to be out there with nature.
No matter how many times I may have put my camera down over the years, that calling to be inspired and creative and share my passion with the world is as ever-strong as this beautiful mountain slope, as sacred to my soul as this part of the world is to my heart.
Sacred Mountain Calling
Tags: Smokey Mountains mountains fog cloudy moody powerful
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Tags: bmw m2 mpower roadtrip tailofthedragon cherohalaskyway mountains scenic overlook road automotive cars
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During a trip to Tail of the Dragon with some fellow driving enthusiasts.
The fisheye loves to shoot cars!
Tags: Tail of the Dragon fisheye 6D North Carolina mountains scenic road road trip fog automotive bmw m2 m3 m6 mpower
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