Special Effects Through Mistakes

Making the Most of the Moment

Rushing out with the camera to catch that scene before it disappears can often allow for mistakes.  However, a few of my mistakes have created some interesting photographs.

While trying to catch the full moon just as it was peeking over the Gillis Mountains at Walker Lake, Nevada, I forgot to remove the UV filter. As a result, the light reflected off the optical elements within the lens and bounced back to the camera's sensor, thereby producing this scene where the moon has lost her face.

On a sunny day, I was attempting to photograph ice crystals or sundogs (parhelion) that were forming in the clouds.  Aiming that close to the sun, it is almost impossible not to catch flare, even with a lens hood.  The flare in this image produced radial streaks, appearing as a bright spots (ghosting) across the scene.  An added bonus to this scene was the jet and contrail that seems to be headed toward one of the polygonal shapes.

As much as I love full moons, the crescent moon also holds as much beauty and intrigue.  While bracketing my exposure on manual setting, I overexposed this scene of the moon with some interesting highlights.

My first attempt to catch the solar eclipse ended in disappointment when clouds covered the Wassuk Mountains just as the sun went in to eclipse.  Not being one to give up, I took the photos hoping that the sun might show through the clouds.  What I did catch, due to filter stacking was some interesting effects from lens flare.    

 

Attempting to capture the scene of the undertaker's parlor through the dusty window at Bodie Ghost Town State Park put shivers up my back.  However, when I processed the RAW images and saw the light streaking from the dark ceiling, it really gave me the shutters!

Creating special effects with photography is fun and can be challenging.  It’s a special bonus when they just happen and create a more interesting scene. 

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What an exciting and interesting photo-adventure this day has been.  I love it when I am drawn to an area and not knowing what to expect I get treated to new experiences. 

Sign up and follow my blog to see where my next photo-adventure will be!

Photography places me in the moment where I can share that moment in time. It becomes a life story as represented by my interaction with the scene. The happiness and beauty or the sorrow and strife; how I focus leaves a lasting impression that might touch the viewer on a spiritual level.

 "Reflecting Nature's Artistry" 

Many of these images are available on my website:

 http://www.bonnierannald.com/ 

For custom matted and framed images:
Off The Wall

No images on this blog are within Public Domain or are available for free download. 

 All rights reserved, world-wide and images protected by Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA). All photography, graphics, text, design, and content is copyrighted by Bonnie Rannald and should not be copied, down-loaded, transferred and re-created in any way without the express consent, in writing to Bonnie Rannald. For information on Bonnie Rannald licensed, right-managed images, please submit a written request.

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Winter Solstice, a Time for Reflection

Welcome to 2012 Winter Solstice

Winter Solstice, a period of so much darkness, to me is a time to turn inward. A time for quiet reflection and as the earth slumbers, inner peace is restored.  The video, “Winter Solstice” is my reflections of special moments over the past year.

Winter Solstice 2012

 

Winter solstice occurs on December 21st.
When the sun shines directly over the tropic of Capricorn.

  The sun appears at its lowest point in the sky, 

marking the shortest day and the longest night of the year.
  The word solstice from Latin, solstitium, sol, sun.  

  A balance between the forces of day and night.
 Nature's reprieve from summer follies,

when nature lies dormant all around us and stillness settles over the land.
  A time for quiet reflection, to reflect on the passing year.
 The longest night surrenders, the light shines on a new day, 

renewing our inner light, and focus for a new year.

 

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What an exciting and interesting photo-adventure this day has been.  I love it when I am drawn to an area and not knowing what to expect I get treated to new experiences. 

Sign up and follow my blog to see where my next photo-adventure will be!

Photography places me in the moment where I can share that moment in time. It becomes a life story as represented by my interaction with the scene. The happiness and beauty or the sorrow and strife; how I focus leaves a lasting impression that might touch the viewer on a spiritual level.

 "Reflecting Nature's Artistry" 

Many of these images are available on my website:

 http://www.bonnierannald.com/ 

For custom matted and framed images:
Off The Wall

No images on this blog are within Public Domain or are available for free download. 

 All rights reserved, world-wide and images protected by Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA). All photography, graphics, text, design, and content is copyrighted by Bonnie Rannald and should not be copied, down-loaded, transferred and re-created in any way without the express consent, in writing to Bonnie Rannald. For information on Bonnie Rannald licensed, right-managed images, please submit a written request.

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Chasing the Sunrise

 Morning Walk

There is something so peaceful and inspiring about getting up early and watching the earth come alive from the night's slumber.  I guess in a way it has become an obsession because I never tire of watching the sun come over the Gillis Mountains on the east side of Walker Lake. 

When there are interesting clouds, I grab my camera and tripod to rush out with coffee in hand for an early morning walk.  If I time it just right, sometimes I catch the transition just as dawn rolls back the curtain of night.  It is a wonderful feeling, almost like witnessing the earth's creation.

As dawn begins to light the eastern sky, the stars are still visible over the silhouetted tall elm trees.

 

Silence fills the earth as the early rays of sun begin to warm the still lake; the first inland gull begins its morning quest.

The sun ascends; a star-studded sky is now an artist's pallet of color.

A lone owl watches and waits for an early morning snack.

Standing quietly on the bank's edge, the camera catches a falcon flying overhead.

Mr. Robin warms overhead as the sunlight breaks through a dense layer of cloud.

A flock of inland gulls scurry with wings warmed by the morning sun.

A contrail appears to shoot from the sunlight blushed moon as it descends, giving way to the start of a new day.

  

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What an exciting and interesting photo-adventure this day has been.  I love it when I am drawn to an area and not knowing what to expect I get treated to new experiences. 

Sign up and follow my blog to see where my next photo-adventure will be!

Photography places me in the moment where I can share that moment in time. It becomes a life story as represented by my interaction with the scene. The happiness and beauty or the sorrow and strife; how I focus leaves a lasting impression that might touch the viewer on a spiritual level.

 "Reflecting Nature's Artistry" 

Many of these images are available on my website:

 http://www.bonnierannald.com/ 

For custom matted and framed images:
Off The Wall

No images on this blog are within Public Domain or are available for free download. 

 All rights reserved, world-wide and images protected by Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA). All photography, graphics, text, design, and content is copyrighted by Bonnie Rannald and should not be copied, down-loaded, transferred and re-created in any way without the express consent, in writing to Bonnie Rannald. For information on Bonnie Rannald licensed, right-managed images, please submit a written request.

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Photography in Weather Extremes

 Worse Weather Makes for Good Photographs

I was commenting on a photo that I recently saw on Facebook where the wind was blowing so hard that the photographer had to take the photo from inside her car.  The photo was a scene of a beach on the east coast that was accented with snow, waves were crashing to shore and dark clouds hung overhead.  This gave me inspiration for a new blog topic, since a number of my most popular photos were taken during some of the worse weather.  

I have always been a weather watcher and growing up in the southern U.S., I've seen my share of interesting types.   The trick with photography is to use adverse weather to enhance the scene while keeping yourself and the camera safe and out of harm's way.  

One of my first adverse weather photos was "Snow Tree at La Madre Springs".  It was during Thanksgiving weekend and a major winter storm brought cold temperatures, rain and snow to the Las Vegas Valley.  I ventured out to the Red Rock Canyon Conservation area for photos.  When I turned on the La Madre trail to get some macro photos of cacti in the snow, I noticed the trunk of a bare tree standing out in the distance.  I decided to take my chances with the macro lens and managed to get two exposures before the low clouds covered the outline of the tree.  My shutter speed just happened to be fast enough to catch the falling snow and create a Monet effect. 

Cold weather can be a very harsh extreme for photography and so can the heat.  I was at White Sands National Monument in June to get a sunrise and even in the early morning hours there was no relief from the blistering heat.  Hiking up and down on the white sand dunes became a major chore, but when I noticed the pyramid shaped dune with the setting moon I had to get closer for a better camera angle.  My effort was rewarded with one of my most popular photographs, the "Morning Moon".

I love the rain and enjoy being out in it, however moisture is not good for the camera.  For this reason, I always carry plastic bags to protect my equipment.  During one of my autumn photo shoots in Zion National Park, I noticed the trees in the picnic area with the leaves covering the ground.  There was a mist in the air and I had just taken a few exposures when the rain started pouring down.  Grabbing my camera and tripod, I managed to get back to my truck without getting soaked!

Lightning has always fascinated me and even more so when it occurs in the desert.  When I saw thunder cells develop over the near by Spring Mountains in the early evening, I decided to go out and take my chances on filming some strikes.  I positioned the camera and tripod next to my truck door just in case I needed to quickly jump in.  Luck was with me when I got a two minute exposure in the photo titled "Summer Storm", right before the storm moved in my direction.   

El Nino can bring a lot of rain to the southwestern desert. That January, the weather had been exceptionally cold and wet.  One morning, I received an early call from the ranger station in the Red Rock Canyon Conservation area that there was a huge waterfall flowing at Lost Creek Canyon from the rain and snow melt and they did not know how long it would last.  Rushing out with camera in tow, I made the 400 meter hike, scrambling over the rocks and cold frosty trail as fast as possible.  Setting my camera and tripod in the water at a low angle, I was able to slow the fast moving "Waterfall at Lost Creek" to a gentle flowing stream. 

 

As soon as I heard that the last full moon of the 20th Century would also fall on the Winter Solstice, I knew that I had to get photos.  Since Red Rock Canyon has always been one of my favorite places for the full moon, this was where I decided to do the photography.  Well, the best laid plans are always conginent on the fate of the weather and on this special night the winds were forecast to be very strong!  For a low light photo, my shutter speed was going to be slow and more susceptible to camera shake.  After finding the right location, I positioned my truck to block some of the wind while trying to time my shutter release in between the gusts.  

Maybe it's my sense of adventure or love for a challenge, but being out in the elements and getting that once in a lifetime photo makes the effort even more rewarding.  

If you are interested in reading about more of my adventures in weather photography, please check the links below. 

http://bonnierannald.blogspot.com/2009/07/weather-tales-of-alpine-lake.

http://bonnierannald.blogspot.com/2010/11/cold-weather-photography.html

http://bonnierannald.blogspot.com/2009/10/national-weather-service-weather.html

http://bonnierannald.blogspot.com/2009/03/chasing-rainbows.html

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What an exciting and interesting photo-adventure this day has been.  I love it when I am drawn to an area and not knowing what to expect I get treated to new experiences. 

Sign up and follow my blog to see where my next photo-adventure will be!

Photography places me in the moment where I can share that moment in time. It becomes a life story as represented by my interaction with the scene. The happiness and beauty or the sorrow and strife; how I focus leaves a lasting impression that might touch the viewer on a spiritual level.

 "Reflecting Nature's Artistry" 

Many of these images are available on my website:

 http://www.bonnierannald.com/ 

For custom matted and framed images:
Off The Wall

No images on this blog are within Public Domain or are available for free download. 

 All rights reserved, world-wide and images protected by Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA). All photography, graphics, text, design, and content is copyrighted by Bonnie Rannald and should not be copied, down-loaded, transferred and re-created in any way without the express consent, in writing to Bonnie Rannald. For information on Bonnie Rannald licensed, right-managed images, please submit a written request.

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