landscape – Page 29

February 28, 2010March 20, 2019

Moonset At Dawn (Photo of the week)

On a recent morning out at the coast, I was lucky enough to have the conditions of a clear sky, a full moon, and a moonset close to the moment of sunrise. My goal had been to use my longest telephoto lens to zoom in on the moon and capture it setting over the horizon, or behind on offshore rock formation. By using my long lens, the moon would have appeared huge.

However, as soon as I got to my desired location (in the dark of course), I saw that the morning also brought with it the typical fog bank looming just off shore. Once the moon set behind this layer of cloud, it would be gone – long before ever reaching the horizon.

I now had to quickly decide what kind of image this new challenge would allow me. With the rising sun behind me, I was sure to get some interesting colors off of the fog. The telephoto lens would no longer work for this composure because with no strong elements (only moon and fog), the photo might lack interest. I looked around and saw and old fence that could serve well as a silhouetted foreground. I set up my tripod with my 24-70mm zoom just in time to capture the moon before it disappeared behind the fog.

February 14, 2010January 14, 2013

Back to Muir Woods (Photo of the week)

Mossy Tree — 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.

Redwood and Fern — 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 and Ferns — Redwood Creek flows through the forest, bringing nourishment to the many ferns and redwood behemoths that flourish along its length, Muir Woods National Monument

White Black and Green — 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

January 30, 2010January 14, 2013

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

January 25, 2010January 14, 2013

Purisima Creek Redwood Sunset (Photo of the week)

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.