Landscape Photography – Longhorn Caverns State Park

This is a shot I took from the rooftop of the original park headquarters at the Longhorn Cavern State Park near Burnet, Texas. This beautiful stone building was built by the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) back in the mid 1930’s. The Civilian Conservation Corps had a real impact on Texas by constructing the state’s first park system. The CCC was Franklin D. Roosevelt’s most popular “New Deal” programs and put unemployed men to work on conservation projects throughout the United States. The second image is a shot of the incredible arches which lead visitors down to the caverns.

Rooftop Compass at Longhorn Cavern State Park, Texas
Copyright © 2009 Jeff Lynch Photography
Shot taken with a Canon EOS 40D set on aperture priority (Av) using an EF-S 10-22mm f/3.5-4.5 USM hand-held. The exposure was taken at 10mm, f/8 for 1/2000th of a second at ISO 100 on Sandisk digital film. Post capture processing was done in Lightroom 2 and Photoshop CS4. Click on the image above for a larger version.

Arches & Shadows at Longhorn Cavern State Park, Texas
Copyright © 2009 Jeff Lynch Photography
Shot taken with a Canon EOS 40D set on aperture priority (Av) using an EF-S 10-22mm f/3.5-4.5 USM hand-held. The exposure was taken at 22mm, f/8 for 1/400th of a second at ISO 100 on Sandisk digital film. Post capture processing was done in Lightroom 2 and Photoshop CS4. Click on the image above for a larger version.

Nature Photography – More Images from Gorman Falls

Here are two more shots taken last month at Gorman Falls in the Colorado Bend State Park near Lampasas, Texas.

I was blessed to have perfect morning light filtering through the trees for these shots and the green moss covered rocks really seemed to glow. On my immediate left was the Colorado river flowing south to the Gulf of Mexico. The water in the Colorado was its usual brown, full of red clay and silt but the water pouring over the falls was perfectly clear, cool and refreshing. The geology of the area was fascinating and beautiful falls looked as if it belonged in Hawaii, rather than some remote corner of the Texas Hill Country.

I can’t post all my photos from this shoot because I’m planning to submit an article to Texas Highways and Texas Parks & Wildlife magazines. I haven’t had any of my work published in the past 30 years so we’ll see if this old guy’s still got what it takes. I also plan to make these two posters available for sale on my blog later this month if I can get PayPal configured correctly. And I’ll also be leading a photo-safari to this location in the fall if anyone’s interested. I’ll post more details later in the summer, so stay tuned.

Gorman Falls, Texas 16″ x 24″ Poster
Copyright © 2009 Jeff Lynch Photography
Shot taken with a Canon EOS 40D set on aperture priority (Av) using an EF 24-105mm f/4 L IS USM tripod-mounted. The exposure was taken at 35mm, f/16 for 1/2 second at ISO 100 on Sandisk digital film. Post capture processing was done entirely in Lightroom 2. Click on the image above for a larger version.

Gorman Falls, Texas 16″ x 24″ Poster
Copyright © 2009 Jeff Lynch Photography
Shot taken with a Canon EOS 40D set on aperture priority (Av) using an EF-S 10-22mm f/3.5-4.5 USM tripod-mounted. The exposure was taken at 10mm, f/13 for 1/3rd of a second at ISO 200 on Sandisk digital film. Post capture processing was done entirely in Lightroom 2. Click on the image above for a larger version.

Landscape Photography – Rocks, Trees & Turtles?

Here is another shot taken a few weeks ago at the McKinney Falls State Park in Austin, Texas. The rocks and trees made a great frame for shot of these three large snapping turtles sunning themselves in the middle of Onion Creek.

Rocks, Trees and Turtles at McKinney Falls State Park, Texas
Copyright © 2009 Jeff Lynch Photography
Shot taken with a Canon EOS 40D set on aperture priority (Av) using an EF 24-105mm f/4 L IS USM tripod-mounted. The exposure was taken at 88mm, f/11 for 1/30th of a second at ISO 100 on Sandisk digital film. Post capture processing was done in Lightroom 2. Click on the image above for a larger version.

John O’Connor Posters Available!

My friend John O’Connor has decided to offer posters of some of his most popular landscape and nature photography directly from his blog Meditations on a Moment. How cool is that?

If you’re not familiar with John’s work then you don’t know what you’re missing. John is an incredible young photographer and currently works as an assistant for William Neill, one of the great nature photographers of our era. Bill Neill has photographed for National Geographic, Smithsonian, Natural History, National Wildlife and many others. I own a number of Bill’s books and you can see his influence in John’s exceptional images.

I’ve watched John’s work for several years now and was lucky enough to purchase the number 2 limited edition print of his Oak Saplings in Fog, Sierra Nevada Foothills, California 2008 photograph which hangs proudly in my office for all to see.  Posters are a great way of sharing John’s images with friends and family or perhaps just for a nice spot in your own office. His work continues to inspire me daily in my own quest to become a better photographer.

Clik Elite Photo Packs

I hate photo-packs!

I’ve never liked the idea of carrying my gear in any sort of backpack when hiking. For nature and wildlife photography, I always want my camera ready to shoot at any moment. I generally use the extra wide and deep pockets in my Filson or L.L. Bean cargo pants to carry an extra lens, filters and CF cards. If I need to carry more than this then I usually use the Think Tank modular system.

I hadn’t really given much thought to buying a photo-pack until I stumbled upon the Clik Elite web site. These folks are avid hikers, skiers and mountain bikers as well as being serious photographers and they’ve solved one of the biggest issues for nature photographers everywhere… WATER!

I live and shoot in sunny Texas and on any given day in the summer, I’ll brave 100F+ temperatures and 100% relative humidity on my hike to an interesting location. Having sufficient water is not a luxury, it’s absolutely vital to my survival.

Each Clik Elite pack is designed with a hydration sleeve and tube port along with the normal space reserved for your camera and lenses. The Compact Sport pack shown here weighs less than 2 lbs and will easily hold a 1 liter reservoir. During my last hike to shoot Gorman Falls in the Colorado Bend State Park, I needed every last drop in the hot Texas sun.

Other features include:

• Zippered outer pocket for sunglasses and cell phone.
• Stash pocket with compression cord.
• Mesh side pocket for water bottle or lens.
• Bottom organizer to protect digital film, filters or business cards.
• Padded shoulder straps with adjustable sternum strap.
• Built-in ChestPorts to attach Clik Elite ChestPacks.
• Attachment points on straps and belt to attach small pouches and lens holders.
• Padded contour waist belt.

Like I said. I really don’t like photo-packs but the Clik Elite packs and accessories are rapidly changing my mind.

More Racing Photography

Here are the final set of images taken earlier this month for the Houston Mini Motoring Society during one of their autocross events. Obtaining sharp focus while panning is pretty straight-forward if you remember to use these settings on your Canon 40D or 50D DSLR.

• Use Shutter Priority (Tv) mode at around 1/100th of a second.
• Use the center auto focus point only.
• Use AI Servo auto focus mode.
• Use a high-speed burst at 6 fps.

Racing Glow
Copyright © 2009 Jeff Lynch Photography
Shot taken with a Canon 50D set on shutter priority (Tv), using an EF 300mm f/4L IS USM hand-held. The exposure was taken at 300mm, f/18 for 1/100th of a second at ISO 200 on Lexar Professional digital film. All post capture processing was done in Lightroom 2. Click on the image above for a larger version.

On Three
Copyright © 2009 Jeff Lynch Photography
Shot taken with a Canon 50D set on sahutter priority (Tv), using an EF 300mm f/4L IS USM hand-held. The exposure was taken at 300mm, f/16 for 1/100th of a second at ISO 200 on Lexar Professional digital film. All post capture processing was done in Lightroom 2. Click on the image above for a larger version.

Mean and Green
Copyright © 2009 Jeff Lynch Photography
Shot taken with a Canon 50D set on shutter priority (Tv), using an EF 300mm f/4L IS USM hand-held. The exposure was taken at 300mm, f/18 for 1/100th of a second at ISO 200 on Lexar Professional digital film. All post capture processing was done in Lightroom 2. Click on the image above for a larger version.

White Hot
Copyright © 2009 Jeff Lynch Photography
Shot taken with a Canon 50D set on shutter priority (Tv), using an EF 300mm f/4L IS USM hand-held. The exposure was taken at 300mm, f/20 for 1/100th of a second at ISO 200 on Lexar Professional digital film. All post capture processing was done in Lightroom 2. Click on the image above for a larger version.

Monday’s Rat Race

Here are a few more racing images taken early this month for the Houston Mini Motoring Society during one of their autocross events. The track and cones were provided by the Houston Police Academy!

Shooting a race takes intimate knowledge of your camera so that you can adjust shutter speeds, aperture settings and focus points without taking your eye away from the viewfinder. Looking up for just a split second can mean you’ve missed a great shot. Panning while using a slow shutter speed (under 1/125th) can give your images that feeling of motion without throwing the entire car out of focus. A faster shutter speed may freeze the action but not portray the feeling of speed as the cars zoom past you. It takes practice to be able to change these settings on the fly but the reward is some very nice action shots!

Tight Turn
Copyright © 2009 Jeff Lynch Photography
Shot taken with a Canon 50D set on shutter priority (Tv), using an EF 300mm f/4L IS USM hand-held. The exposure was taken at 300mm, f/13 for 1/250th of a second at ISO 200 on Lexar Professional digital film. All post capture processing was done in Lightroom 2. Click on the image above for a larger version.

Blue Streak
Copyright © 2009 Jeff Lynch Photography
Shot taken with a Canon 50D set on shutter priority (Tv), using an EF 300mm f/4L IS USM hand-held. The exposure was taken at 300mm, f/22 for 1/100th of a second at ISO 200 on Lexar Professional digital film. All post capture processing was done in Lightroom 2. Click on the image above for a larger version.

Little Red
Copyright © 2009 Jeff Lynch Photography
Shot taken with a Canon 50D set on shutter priority (Tv), using an EF 300mm f/4L IS USM hand-held. The exposure was taken at 300mm, f/20 for 1/80th of a second at ISO 200 on Lexar Professional digital film. All post capture processing was done in Lightroom 2. Click on the image above for a larger version.

Landscape Photography – Stone and Cedar

As I first walked down the hill from where I had parked, I noticed the unusual color of the water in these pools at Pedernales Falls. I thought perhaps it was a trick of the sun reflecting off the stone and cedar which surrounds the falls on both sides. When I climbed down to the falls I found that the water was crystal clear but each pool seemed to glow with this beautiful green color from the moss growing at the bottom. With the water also reflecting the blue sky the effect was wonderful to capture.

Stone and Cedar at Pedernales Falls State Park, Texas
Copyright © 2009 Jeff Lynch Photography
Shot taken with a Canon EOS 40D set on aperture priority (Av) using an EF 24-105mm f/4 L IS USM tripod-mounted. The exposure was taken at 58mm, f/9 for 1/40th of a second at ISO 100 on Sandisk digital film. Post capture processing was done in Lightroom 2. Click on the image above for a larger version.

Landscape Photography Using Singh-Ray’s Vari-ND Filter

I love flowing water. Images of flowing water speak to me more than any other landscape photograph except perhaps for sunsets. There is something both dynamic and serene about water flowing gently down a stream or the surf crashing against the rocks. Water just speaks to me.

To get that smooth flowing look when photographing running water, I’ve found that a shutter speed of about 1 second is usually required.

Singh-Ray’s Vari-ND neutral density filter allows me to control the amount of light which passes through my lens from 2 to 8 stops of exposure. With the filter mounted on my lens and set to its lowest setting (minimum density) I can frame my subject (the rocks and flowing water) and use my camera’s auto focus system without any trouble. When I’m ready to shoot, all I need to do is turn the outer ring to increase the density until my long shutter speed provides the effect I’m looking for in the running water. I could achieve the same effect using a conventional neutral density filter but it’s a much more time consuming process.

Running Water at Pedernales Falls, Texas
Copyright © 2009 Jeff Lynch Photography
Shot taken with a Canon EOS 40D set on manual using an EF 24-105mm f/4 L IS USM tripod-mounted. The exposure was taken at 32mm, f/11 for 1 second at ISO 100 on Sandisk digital film. Post capture processing was done in Lightroom 2 using Nik Software’s Viveza plug-in filters. Click on the image above for a larger version.

Landscape Photography – Gorman Falls

I arrived at Colorado Bend State Park before dawn and hiked about 2 miles to Gorman Falls, following the trail staked out with orange markers. The sun was just rising over the hills to the east and I knew I had to hurry to catch that perfect light that comes only in the early morning hours. I arrived at the end of the trail at first light to find a steep, rocky descent down to the base of the falls. The climb down looked treacherous, with no steps carved into the rock face. A few steel poles and cables had been cemented into place and I used those to guide my descent, carrying my tripod in hand with my camera slung over my shoulder. At my age, a slip and fall would spell disaster and I checked to make sure that my cell phone had reception this far from an major city. My descent was slow and measured. No sense in coming this far just to sprain an ankle and ruin my chances to get some good shots.

At the bottom of the ravine I stood in wonder at the magnificent spectacle before me. It seemed as if no one had been down here in years. The falls before me was surrounded by trees with the early morning sunlight filtering through the leaves. The green moss covered rocks and the cool spray of the falls was a refreshing sight after my long hike and climb. Excited at the prospect of capturing this beauty I quickly setup my tripod and camera and selected a medium zoom lens for my first exposures. Just a few quick test shots at f/8 to see how the water looked and if the leaves would be still enough in the breeze to be sharp in my photographs. As I sighted through my viewfinder I knew I had found the a perfect spot to spend a few wonderful hours doing what I love the most.

Gorman Falls at the Colorado Bend State Park, Texas
Copyright © 2009 Jeff Lynch Photography
Shot taken with a Canon EOS 40D set on aperture priority (Av) using an EF 24-105mm f/4 L IS USM tripod-mounted. The exposure was taken at 24mm, f/8 for 1/6th of a second at ISO 100 on Sandisk digital film. Post capture processing was done entirely in Lightroom 2. Click on the image above for a larger version.