I’ve been refining a new effect for a gentle warm sunset feel. This result is something that may well find it’s way into my Color Fantasies and Lightflow collections in the future, but I thought it would make a great freebie for you readers today.
It was interesting making the same effect side by side in both LR and Aperture.I don’t plan to do that with everything, as both my Lightroom and Aperture preset collection have their own effects that suit the tools available in each. But it was a good challenge to use the varying tools of both applications for the same effect. While their not identical, the preset should run very close on a RAW file in Lightroom or in Aperture. Cross platform. Oh yea.
This effect is gentle. Well suited for pictorial or portrait work, where a warm gentle process is needed. It’s meant to be used like a summer breeze. Not sharp, but not dull. Not too hot, but enough to make you smile. I really like it and I hope you will too. Below is a quick example of what the preset does. You can download it via the link. Enjoy… Gavin Seim
Canyon Dance. Grand Canyon National Park. Gavin Seim, Spring 2011
The final rays of glistening sunset are often the most remarkable. Their golden glow flaring for a mere moment before dying into memory and waiting for another sunrise.
Next to the unimaginable vastness of the sky itself, the Grand Canyon is one of the largest most beautiful things I’ve seen. It’s views take the breath away and make me wonder at God’s creation. But as magnificent as it is, it’s a challenge to convey, as it seems that landscapes of this scale often fight against being pulled into the single, two dimensional frame.
Knowing the crowds would come, I set up at Yavapai Point nearly two hours early. I went to the overlook and set up my digital, along with my 4×5, claiming the space as my own and not moving. By the time the sun set, I was crowded in on every side. It was hazy, as often seems with the great distances across the canyon.
The walls that I planned to photograph did not respond quite as I had hoped. But just as the sun set, this side of the canyon walls came alive with color. I had been crowded in so much that I could not move the tripod even the two feet I needed. Frantically, I leaned over and rested the camera on the handle of my second tripod where the 4×5 sat. Then I made the frame that would become this image and preserve that fleeting light. In all my planning, I was still not fully prepared for the moment, but I made the best of it. This frame does not do it’s beauty justice, but it gives a tiny taste of my awe.
I’m right on the shore, the waves of the incoming tide lapping against the legs of my tripod, sometimes making me step back to keep my feet dry. The sun is just setting off to the right, casting an orange warmth on the largest of the rocks. The sky is simple, but it’s smooth, the gentle color soothing, and the lines and details on the rocks are mesmerizing in their intricacy.
California is a beautiful place. Due to its population and popularity, it always always the most east access, but if you get there and get settled it’s really breathtaking. There’s so much to see and so little time to get it done before rush hour.
Sunset's Hidden Falls - Yosemite National Park, Fall 2010.
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I’ve seen amazing things in my travels. So at first glance it just seemed like a beautiful landscape. But as I took what little time I had to really look at Yosemite through the eyes of an artist, I soon begin to realize why Ansel Adams loved it so much and to see that those giant slabs of rock towering above me were true wonders of natural beauty.
I had just one afternoon for this, as it was the tail end of our Fall 2010 tour and we needed to move towards home. I was hoping to take away at least one really good frame that afternoon. I think I did just that. I made various compositions throughout the day, and though we did not get to see a fraction of Yosemite’s beauty, we wound the narrow highways and hills, seeing what we could in the time we had. We ended up down in the village and roamed a bit, taking time to visit Ansel’s gallery and peek at some of his legendary images.
We were heading out of the village, working our way back to camp near Mono Lake. I was hoping to see some sort of sweeping sunset as the night drew in, but we barley got a mile before I rounded the bend and experienced this view for the first time. Gateway to Yosemite is a sight. With a view right cross the river and down the valley. Bridal Veil falls in the distance. Some others were in the pull off, snapping photos and enjoying the view as the low evening sun cast sprawling light on the crags of El Capitan and it’s surrounding landscape. I knew this was it and I was going to take my time.
Those of you who know me, know I’m a fan of silver prints and of Ansel. I don’t want to copy what he did, but his and others work have allowed me to gain appreciation for quality silver images as I continue to refine my own approach. In the past few years I’ve started spending time in the study of monochrome. I love color, but sometimes I just want to take it away. Allowing me to explore the canvas that is tone, depth detail and density. This was one of those times.
This this was one of those places that get’s photographed often, but I wanted something above average and was willing to wait for it. I set up the tripod and gear, waiting for some people to move so I could get right where I wanted. I meticulously analyzed the composition and setup for the image. I think I spent a good twenty minutes planning it and running few test frames, refining the focus manually and just making sure I didn’t miss this.
Finally it all came together. The light, the plan and the moment. I made my final frames, then packed up. I don;t believe I took any more photos that night. This was what I had come for and I felt satisfied. After I was back in the trailer, final process proceeded. I could try it describe the scene, the flowing river, the driftwood, and the tiny distant waterfall. But I need not because I have the result of many hours of labor to show just how it felt to me on this evening in September 2010. I’m currently doing test prints on metal and this one should be officially released this year.
Silver Waves of Grain. | Near Moses Coulee in Central WA | This image is available in print.
Making landscapes comes with the privilege being able to focus on one subject. Unlike with a wedding, where I need capture a multitude of stunning images, the goal with fine art is a single frame. Lately I’ve been focusing on the idea of a large effort going towards the single frame. Sometimes the more work it takes, the more pride I feel for the piece.
I am satisfied with this and it will probably appear in my Signature Collection as a 30-40 inch piece. That does not happen every time I go out, so I’m happy. It’s a simple landscape, yet it embodies northwest farming without clutter or distraction and does so in a way that I think in unique, the sea of blurred grain surrounding the lone family of grain bins which will soon have their bellies filled with the very ocean that surrounds them.
