Hopper Time

Summer = Hoppers. Fly fishermen pay particular attention to them, because it means bombing terrestrial patterns the size of European swallows at gamefish. These tank-like, armored eating machines are really quite remarkable when you look closely, however.

I have experimented a little with new macro techniques lately. HDR is a method that has been increasingly used in landscape photography recently, but I've never seen it applied to insect macros. The use of backlighting and direct flash with HDR creates some fun images.

Storms, Sails, and Rainbows

HDR is a technique where multiple photographs are taken in a series using bracketing, where some images are both under and over exposed intentionally. These images are then overlayed to create strong contrast and graphic compositions. Over the past couple of weeks I've been experimenting with this concept out at Utah's Great Salt Lake.

Drenching rains, which kept me from fishing today, had subsided. Unstable air chasing the front was perfect for sailing.

There was some verga to be seen, and a few drops of rain spattered down on the rocks.

Saltair isn't exactly what most would hope to find at the end of rainbow, but this one formed for all of 30 seconds before disappearing in the blink of an eye.

Looking East from the marina towards Salt Lake, plenty of storm clouds were still gathered.

I like the effect that HDR has on stone, and this compass at the observation deck is a good example.

Every time it storms I'm tempted to visit the Great Salt Lake. The skies and sunsets are spectacular, and this guy had the right idea with an ice cold one, a lei, and a caribbean style hat.

Wind but no Sails

These are a few additional shots from the Great Salt Lake expedition. The trip was specifically to experiment with HDR landscapes. Drop me a note and let me know what you think.

Hitting the Brine

The signs pointed to some excellent sky conditions tonight so I tossed the wide angle in the pack and drove West until things started to smell like billions of years of decomposing brine shrimp.

Great Salt Lake sunsets during impending weather changes rarely disappoint, and tonight was no exception.

I didn't have too much time to sort through the evening's shots, but it was well worth huffing the primordial ooze. Watch for Jay's Full Frame Goodness on his photo blog too.