1/3/08 First Post of the New Year

Oregon Coast Shots

Slightly before sunset just north of Manzanita, Oregon. I tried to get a wave smashing into this rock but it fizzled.

This was taken before the first shot but I love the really warm light that is hitting the waves and rocks.

This was the only sunshine I saw during my whole trip. We got a nice break in the clouds around sunset as we were heading south towards Manzanita on 101. I waited at this spot for half an hour for the light become optimal and began shooting away. All three of these shots are HDR but were edited to portray what I saw with my own eyes. I had no GND filter so this technique was used to capture the full dynamic range of the scene. These are pretty much the best shots from my trip. Unfortunately, the trip to the Columbia Gorge was a disaster but I am working on one possible keeper from that excursion. I had wanted to get a shot of Portland with Mount Hood in the background but it remained hidden in the clouds. The trip was a failure from the photography standpoint but being able to spend quality time with my family more than made up for that.

50mm Denver Abstracts

These were all taken with the plastic fantastic 50mm f1.8 lens. I should keep this lens on my camera more often. it was really fun to play with focal points and depth of field at f1.8.

HDR Panorama 9/14 near Altus OK.

I put this one together the other day usung Photomatix for the HDR and Stiched using CS3. This image constists of 5 frames with 3 shots for each frame bracketed at -2, 0, +2 EV. The autostitch feature in CS3 is simply outstanding. My next project is to create giant photo-composites with perhaps as many as 20 to 30 shots per image.

10/13/07 Kansas Night Chase

We started the day in Denver with little hope that the cap would break by sundown. Stopped in Great Bend for dinner and just fineshed when storms fired north of Dodge City around 8 p.m. We were treated to an awesome lightning show and some decent storm structure. Our chase ended around 1 a.m. near Wakeeney, where we bunked down for the night. Notice how the lightning is casting shadows upwards in the last two shots. I havent seen this in my lightning shots before.

Chasing Saturday and Sunday

A really nice autmn severe weather episode appears to be in store for parts of Kansas tommorow. Unlike last week, the forecast models have remained consistant in depicting a really nice severe weather day. The cap will be an issue tommorow but we will be positioning our selves on the nose of a dry punch where airmasses are colliding. A 60-80 kt upper jet will begin to enter the area around 0z and hopefully will provide some decent forcing. Based on the latest NAM model guidance, I am inclined to target near Oakley Kansas. The Merage family and myself will be on the road by 11:00 a.m. tommorow morning. Jon Merage and I will also be staying out for sunday's potential setup in central KS or south central NE. Finally a decent chase opportunity!!!

If the cap breaks, this will be the most likely area for tornadoes Surface based Cape approaches 2500 J/Kg

Fall Colors. 50mm fun

I wasent able to make it up to the mountains for the fall colors but had some free time today to check things out near the South Platte river. These are all taken with my plastic fantastic 50mm f/1.8 lens. Going chasing this weekend so expect pictures from that by teusday.