Tag: landscape

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Back to Muir Woods (Photo of the week)

Soft light filtered by the forest canopy partially silhouettes this moss covered tree, Muir Woods National Monument

Early this year, I made a very brief stop to Muir Woods National Monument as my wife and I were touring around with an out-of-town guest. I knew that I wanted to come back soon to do some more in-depth photography, and last week I was able to do just that. Armed with a lightweight tripod, a polarized filter, and my 24-70mm zoom lens, I worked my way through the heart of the canyon in which Muir Woods is situated. The day was overcast and slightly drizzling – perfect conditions for forest photography.

The photo above was created from five photos stitched together. I love the tree’s long, gangly branches and the bright green of the moss-covered bark. The way in which the filtered light penetrates the thick canopy above gives the grass and green foliage an almost translucent glow.

Scroll down to see more photos from that day, or click here to see the entire gallery.

A fern grows at the base of a massive redwood tree, flourishing in the light of a rare clearing, Muir Woods National Monument
Redwood Creek flows through the forest, bringing nourishment to the many ferns and redwood behemoths that flourish along its length, Muir Woods National Monument
The white and black bark of these redwood trees are tied together by the ubiquitous green of forest life, Muir Woods National Monument

Muir Woods National Monument

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Updated Panoramas gallery

I recently updated my Panoramas gallery to include some more recent photos. Most of these were created by taking several photos and stitching them together, creating one larger photo. Some were simply cropped to a panoramic format. Most of the photos have a 3:1 aspect ratio. While there is no true standard panoramic photo ratio, 3:1 has been used by several film-based cameras over the years, including the Fuji GX617.

Check out the Flash gallery below, or click the Panoramas link below that to jump straight to the gallery page on my web site.


Panoramas – Images by Hank Christensen

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Purisima Creek Redwood Sunset (Photo of the week)

The sun sets over the Pacific Ocean beyond green hills, Purisima Creek Redwoods Open Space Preserve
The sun sets over the Pacific Ocean beyond green hills, Purisima Creek Redwoods Open Space Preserve

While one of the main draws is its old-growth and second-growth redwoods forests, Purisima Creek Redwoods just west of Redwood City also offers expansive views of the Pacific Ocean. I took this photo earlier this month, on a hike meant to capture some shots of the park’s redwoods and creek. However, if the weather was right, I thought it might be a nice opportunity for a good sunset.

I was toward the bottom of the park, trying to get some panoramas of redwood trunks shrouded in fog when I realized I only had 20 minutes to get back up the trail to the spot I had picked on the way down. I ran up the trail as fast as I could, climbing a good 700 feet in elevation, just in time to see the once-hidden sun peek out from beneath a thick cloud bank. I set up my tripod, threw the camera on, and started capturing images. This was one of my favorites due to the great blues reflecting off the bottom of the clouds which offset the warm tones of the sunset.

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Twin Giants (Photo of the week)

Twin redwoods stretch toward the forest's upper canopy, Muir Woods National Monument
Twin redwoods stretch toward the forest's upper canopy, Muir Woods National Monument

This photo was taken last week on a quick visit to Muir Woods National Monument, a short drive north of San Francisco across the Golden Gate bridge. The trails of Muir Woods merge with those in Mt. Tamalpias State Park, giving visitors many miles of hiking full of beautiful old growth coastal redwoods and stunning vistas of San Francisco and the surrounding coast line.

Although you can’t tell from this photo, it can be quite dark at the forest floor, requiring long shutter speeds (which means tripods are essential). Also essential (or at least highly desirable) in forest scenes is the polarized filter. While there may be no water to reflect or sky to darken anywhere in sight, the forest vegetation itself can reflect a lot of light, especially any plants with a waxy surface. Using a circular polarizer brings out their true green color and makes them pop.

The two trees in this photo were huge specimens, stretching side by side to disappear into the upper canopy of the redwoods and Douglas fir.

Copyright 2017 Hank Christensen