Tuesday, March 31, 2009

Red Rock Canyon in Las Vegas










































































































Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area is located 17 miles west of the Las Vegas Strip. It is 196,000 acres in size, and has more than 30 miles of hiking trails. You access the trailheads via a 13 mile, one-way, scenic drive. I was last in Las Vegas during the fall of 2008. Car rentals were cheap, so I grabbed a compact limo and headed out to Red Rock. The one-day entry fee was $5.00. This gets you a trail map and visitor guide, as well as entry into the visitor center. I spent the morning slowly covering the scenic drive, while taking photos, and stopping twice to hike trails. The early morning temperature at 6:30 a.m. was in the low 70’s, but by 11:00 a.m. the temp was in the high 80’s. This is the desert. It is hot and dry, and there is no water!!!! Make sure you take at least a gallon of water with you in the car if you are planning on a day hike. You can fill up your smaller water bottles from this larger container throughout the day. I drank nearly a half-gallon on this morning trip. Also, there are no food items available once you’re at Red Rock. Stock up before heading out of town. A little salty trail mix is not a bad thing on a hot day! There are many sites on the internet providing Red Rock trail information, as well as directions for driving from the Strip and wonderful photos. A good place to start is www.blm.gov/nv, or just Google and you will find! Red Rock is a welcome break from the craziness of the casinos and streets of Las Vegas. Try it … you’ll enjoy it.

Saturday, March 28, 2009

HDR Photography





























Here are few HDR images. The process requires that you take a minimum of three bracketed photos of the same object....one properly exposed, one underexposed, and one overexposed. When the three are blended and tone mapped using software, the resulting photo should show near maximum dynamic range! The use of a tripod is recommended. Photomatix Pro is the most popular HDR software option out there for a PC. Kinda cool, huh? Try it, you'll like it.

Friday, March 27, 2009

Warming Up
















I went for a long walk today between projects. We're warming up. It was 40 degrees about 3:00pm. I took the camera with me and took a few shots of objects along the way. My purpose was to have a few pics for post processing into abstract artwork. The photos are of a galvanized garbage can, a sidewalk crack, a curvy road, a birch tree trunk, and an espresso stand. Kinda different, but fun to do. Just take a normal photo and use the levels and curves function in your photo editting software to get the effect you like. All shot with a Nikon 300 and a 50mm f1.4 lens. Photo edit using Nikon Capture NX.

Redoubt Eruption 3/26/09


Here's a photo that was sent to me via email of the Mt. Redoubt eruption yesterday. Pretty spectacular, I'd say!

Thursday, March 26, 2009

Mt. Redoubt Volcano Activity











I was scheduled to fly out to Tuluksak on Monday, but my flight was canceled due to the eruption of Mt. Redoubt. The mountain blew again this morning about 8:30 sending ash to the 30,000 foot level. Anchorage and the Valley may receive some ash fall, dependent upon the winds. The volcano presents little danger, but the ash is a health hazard and is problematic for airplane and auto engines, as it is highly abrasive. You can check out the volcano action by going to http://www.ktuu.com. The photos today are just for fun. Have a wonderful day! Update!!!! A second eruption has occured, and ash fall is expected on the Kenai Peninsula within a few hours. We will likely get a "dusting" late this afternoon. 65,ooo feet is approximately the same level as the Mt. St. Helen's eruption, so this is a big one.

Friday, March 20, 2009

Shrimp Shack and Wiamea Bay



















Here are more photos of our North Shore adventures. Of note for eating is the Shrimp Shack. It has been featured on the Food Network and Travel Channel. The shrimp plates are about $10. They come with ten medium sized, very fresh shrimp, prepared to your liking, and a couple scoops of rice. We had coconut shrimp and peel-your-own medium spicy shrimp...two orders shared between four people. That was plenty, as we had already downed a fresh pineapple! The Shrimp Shack is just one of several shrimp wagons you will find around the island. I'm guessing they are all pretty good, though we've only tried a couple. The Shrimp Shack has indoor seating...a couple of colorful tables in a storeroom next to the food wagon. The surf and beach photos are mostly from Wiamea Bay on the North Shore. The surf was up pretty good on this day. Eventually, the lifeguards closed the cliff for diving, as the waves were causing a dangerous surge and shore break.