Category Archives: Photography Advice

Be Excited about Your Photography

Posted on January 1, 2010 | 2 comments

As we start the new year of 2010, we all tend to make resolutions. My mentor Scott Bourne wrote a short article that I think gives us food for thought as photographers. It is entitled “Are You Excited about Photography?”

I think the message is very appropriate as we shoot any subject at any time. I know I have a feeling of joy and excitement as I create images and always am hopeful that I can share my experience through the finished product.

As you are looking for resolutions as you start this new year, incorporate the ideas that are presented to help you create the best images you can to share with others. As I travel the Palouse and others venues, I am constantly aware how fortunate I am to visit these wonderful places and the opportunity I have to capture the moment and share it with others.

Have a Happy New Year!

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Posted in Palouse Landscapes, Photography Advice

Tagged barn, landscape, Palouse, photography, snow, winter

Tips for Shooting in Cold Weather

Posted on December 21, 2009 | Leave a comment

GHamburghDSC_0068-b&w---2004-01-02-Cold-Day-in-January

Here is an article by Scott Bourne that talks about shooting in cold weather. I find the tips to be extremely useful as I like to shoot in winter conditions.

The image at the top of this post illustrates one of these times to use the tips. It was taken in January in the Palouse with the temperature at 15 degrees.

Follow the advice and your shooting will be a lot more productive and enjoyable.

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Posted in Palouse Landscapes, Photography Advice

Tagged landscape, Palouse, winter

Views of Winter

Posted on December 16, 2009 | Leave a comment

As winter is upon us in the Pacific Northwest, I thought I would show a couple of my favorite images from eastern Washington. I lived in Walla Walla for about 34 years and one of my favorite places to visit was Pioneer Park. The images in this post were talen in January a couple of years ago after a pretty heavy snowfall.

One of the things I like about the Palouse region and all of eastern Washington is that there are definitely four seasons of the year. This creates a great opportunity to photograph the same area with a totally different view

As I have suggested in the past and would like to remind you again, photographing the Palouse can be beautiful at any time of the year.

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Posted in Palouse Landscapes, Photography Advice

Tagged landscape, Palouse, photography, Pioneer Park, snow, winter

Visit One of the Many Wineries.

Posted on December 12, 2009 | Leave a comment

When you are visiting the Palouse, take the time to head south to Walla Walla County and visit the wine country. There are many beautiful vineyards and wineries in that region. Many of the wineries have tours and it is interesting to see the grapes in different stages of growth depending on the season.

The photos in this post are actually from a very exclusive winery near Walla Walla. I feel fortunate to know one of the owners and have had access to visit and photograph the vineyards and interior of the winery.

The photo at the top of this post was taken in January last year when it was very cold and just a hint of snow was on the ground.

The owner of the vineyard bought one of my images of Winn Road Barn (see above) and liked it so much that he decided to build his winery patterned after that barn except to three times the scale. The completed winery is in the photo below. The winery itself is try a work of art built out of imported granite with a slate roof.

Below I have included some images of the interior of the winery. The first shows the tasting area. Also I have included an image of one of the beautiful granite counters.

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The final photo shows the winemaker with a friend as they taste wine from one of the imported French oak barrels in the cave area of the winery. This is an exceptional place to visit, but can only be accessed with special invitation.

In addition to this exclusive winery there are many other wineries that conduct tours on a daily basis. Take the opportunity for a visit and see a rather recent addition to the agricultural scene around the Palouse.

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Posted in Photography Advice, Wineries

Tagged vineyards, winery tours, winery. wine

Creating Depth in Your Landscapes

Posted on December 8, 2009 | Leave a comment

ghamburghDSC_4780-2-Fog-on-a-Winter-Morning

When shooting landscapes in the Palouse, I like to use the layers of the rolling terrain to add depth to the image. As you can see in the image at the top of this post the contours of the hills help to show that the fog is in the distance. To me it is important to create as much depth as I can in a landscape by showing foreground as in the first layer of the field, midground where the barn is located and finally the background where the fog is viewed.

Using layers to create more interest in your landscapes gives your eyes the chance to keep moving through the image. The contours in the Palouse allow you to utilize this technique very effectively.

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Posted in Palouse Landscapes, Photography Advice

Tagged barn, clouds, landscape, Palouse, photography

Ideas for Effective Composition

Posted on November 30, 2009 | 2 comments

GHamburghDSC_0017-Red-Barn-in-Fresh-Snow

I was very interested in an article by Scott Bourne on Photofocus that discusses what to include in the composition of an image. I found the suggestions to be useful and hopefully they will help you as well as you develop not only your photo skills but also your ability to see what makes a good composition.

Read, learn and enjoy.

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Posted in Palouse Landscapes, Photography Advice

Tagged barn, landscape, Palouse, photography, snow, winter

Tutorial on Sharpening

Posted on November 28, 2009 | Leave a comment

GHamburgh_MG_9680-Old-Truck-HIding-in-the-Weeds

I would like to share a tutorial by Nicole Young on building an action to sharpen images that I found on Photofocus. She provides a good explanation and easy to follow method. Try it and see how it works for you. Thanks Nicole.

The image at the top of this post was taken in the Palouse. Many times you see abandoned vehicles near an old farm house. I like to shoot them as they tend to show a bit of history about the environment. It seems to me that very few farmers ever get rid of a vehicle. They just seem to add them to their “vehicle boneyard” somewhere on their property.

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Posted in Palouse Landscapes, Photography Advice

Tagged Palouse, photography

Photograph the Transition between Seasons

Posted on November 22, 2009 | 1 comment

gHamburgh_MH_6425-Textured-Snow-with-Red-Barn

I have always loved to shoot landscapes during transition times of the year. These periods usually only last for a few days at most. In the Palouse the time between winter and spring can give some great venues

I was visiting in the Palouse last February and ventured out in the early morning to explore the countryside around Colfax, Wa. The images in this post are the result of that early morning trip. The air was crisp and cold with the temperature in the high 20’s.

GHamburgh_MH_6329-February-Morning-in-the-Palouse

The picture at the top of this post shows a lot of texture in the snow as the day before it had been raining and windy. The other two images were taken on my way to Steptoe Butte. By the way as I arrived at Steptoe Butte a little later, the road was still snow covered and not passable to the top even with my 4 wheel drive.

If you are in the Palouse during February or early March remember to take advantage of the fleeting time between seasons. As always the terrain provides beautiful landscapes.

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Posted in Palouse Landscapes, Photography Advice

Tagged barn, landscape, Palouse, photography, snow

Use Changing light and conditions to add interest

Posted on November 21, 2009 | Leave a comment

GHamburghDSC_6681January-Morning-at-Winn-Barn

I am always looking for a different perspective of photographing familiar areas and subjects. One of my favorite barns is located on Winn Road near Weston, Oregon. This is about one hour south of the Palouse. I visit this barn at all times of the year and at various times of the day. I am rarely disappointed in the images I capture at this spot.

On a January morning, I arrived at this barn about 30 minutes before sunrise and prepared to capture the barn at sunrise. To my delight as the sun was rising a fog filled the area where the barn was situated. I took my first image which is shown at the top of this post. As I waited the light was changing as can be seen in the image below. I also liked the black and white version of this image so included it as well.

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GHamburghDSC_6699-January-Morning-at-Winn-Barn-2-b&w

Finally as the sun got higher in the sky the fog lifted and the barn and its clouds were very visible as seen in the final image. As you can see, by remaining in place I was able to capture several different images with a variety of moods of the same composition.

GHamburghDSC_6709-January-Morning-at-Winn-Barn-3

I would suggest trying this procedure as you may be amazed at the image that is available with just a change of light or conditions.

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Posted in Palouse Landscapes, Photography Advice

Tagged barn, clouds, fog, landscape, Palouse, photography

Palouse Falls – A Challenging but Rewarding Photo Experience

Posted on November 11, 2009 | 1 comment

GHamburgh_MG_9782-Afternoon-at-Palouse-Falls-1

One of my favorite places to visit in eastern Washington is Palouse Falls State Park. The scenery leading to the park is actually quite mundane with a few cattle grazing on land that doesn’t appear to have much grass. When you make the final descent into the park the vista that opens up in front of you is quite amazing with the deep canyon walls and of course the falls.

As much as I like to visit this area, it is one of the most difficult spots to photograph. You need to be there when the sun is high overhead so the the falls will be in light. At this time of day the light is very harsh and the canyon walls are still in shadows.

I have tried to create an HDR image in Photomatix to capture this high contrast scene but for me it never is quite right mainly because of the breezes that constantly move the mist around the falls and the slight movement in the grasses.

The image at the top of this post was processed with a few adjustments that I will describe to you. I feel it gives the best representation of the view that I see when I visit this area. Below is the image that I captured in camera as I exposed for the waterfall to retain the highlights.

GHamburgh_MG_9782-Afternoon-at-Palouse-Falls

The processing I used was very minimal but it did open up the necessary areas. I opened up the shadows a bit in Aperture to start with. Next I went to Nik Color Efex Pro 3.0 and used the tonal contrast filter. This gave the image a little bit more pop and created for me the image that I had seen. I have shown the finished image again below so that you can see the comparison of before and after.

Visiting Palouse Falls is a must side trip if you are in the Palouse region. Just remember to go when the sun is high and plan your post processing as you capture your images.

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Posted in Palouse Landscapes, Photography Advice

Tagged landscape, Palouse, palouse falls state park, photography

Category Archives: Photography Advice

Be Excited about Your Photography

Tips for Shooting in Cold Weather

Views of Winter

Visit One of the Many Wineries.

Creating Depth in Your Landscapes

Ideas for Effective Composition

Tutorial on Sharpening

Photograph the Transition between Seasons

Use Changing light and conditions to add interest

Palouse Falls – A Challenging but Rewarding Photo Experience

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