Thank you Olympus Corporate...

Today, I woke up and found out that Olympus USA Corporate marketing posted one of my images to the world on their site and Twitter feed. I'm both humbled and shocked, as most of you know - I just "do what I do"..

Anyway - the link is here:  Get to Olympus

My thanks Olympus.....

Breakwater

Breakwater. The image struck me as I was shooting, simply watching the waves and wind strike one side of the jetty while the ocean was perfectly calm on the opposite side. I could draw numerous analogies to life, people and social norms - but, I'll spare all those quotes.

Sony A7RII with the Sony-Zeiss 16-35mm f/4 taken February 25, 2016.  Long exposure with an ND 3 stop filter. Post-processed in Lightroom and Photoshop.

Thank you for looking!

Shoreline Storm

Taken yesterday during wonderfully high-surf off the coast in Rye NH USA. The cause of this seasonal storm was a rise in temperatures by over 20 degrees Fahrenheit overnight, bring on terrific winds, rain and even a random February Thunderstorm.

This is a long-exposure taken with my Sony A7R II and the Sony-Zeiss 16-35mm f/4 using a three stop ND filter. Postprocessing from a single RAW file was accomplished in Lightroom, and then brought into Photoshop for some work in various layers.

I'll be posting a few more images from yesterday over this weekend, but, I hope you enjoy this one. Thanks for looking!

Mist, Snow and Fog

We awoke early this morning to new snow, with a quick changeover to sleet and freezing rain - all of which created a wonderful fog over the coast. As the tide was coming in, and expected to peak in the next few hours, I packed up my gear and headed to the coast. While the wind was brisk on the beaches and inlets (to say the least,  I was thankful that I brought my cold weather gear.

There are a few challenges in shooting in weather like this with the first - staying warm while it is blowing cold rain and mist into your face. The second is trying to keep the fron element of the lens dry enough during a long exposure (such as above) to not blur the image. As a lens hood won't fit (and probably isn't long enough) - I sacrificed my warmth to use the visor of my cap to shield the ND filter long enough to finish the long exposure.

I'll try to post more from this mornings shoot in the next few days, but for now, this was taken with my Olympus OM-D E-M5 Mark II, the Olympus 12-40mm f/2,.8 Pro lens and a 10-stop ND filter. Post processed in Lightroom and Photoshop.

The Trail

Taken earlier this week in Bellamy NWR, Dover NH USA.  While the snow comes and goes, it allows outstanding photo opportunities as there are huge expanses of natural habitat that most folks don't go into given the recent weather. And tomorrow? We are expecting snow, sleet and freezing rain. What I saw, and liked, are the subtle tire tracks leading my eye to the incredible winter sky.

Sony A7R with the Sony-Zeiss 16-35mm f/4 lens. Post-processed in Lightroom and Photoshop

Spring Break

What a terrific day today - it is finally feeling a bit like spring.  Taken today in the late morning in an estuary.  Given the weather, I was surprised that no one was in the 120 acre refuge.

Sony A7R II with a Sony-Zeiss 16-35mm. I used an 10 stop ND filter to show the motion in the water. 

First Flight

Taken this morning at GBNWR. The past few days has been a bit challenging weather wise, when until this morning, temperatures have been hovering at the 0F mark. But, that changed early today. We awoke to a new 6" of wet snow and the forecast was for rain and temperatures soaring into the mid-50s (F), which as I write this - it's headed up into.

For that, I knew before heading out this AM that the estuary would be deserted of people and hoped for a foggy mist to continue to roll in as the the wild temperature swing would create.

Walking through the estuary, I heard a flock of Canada Geese making a ruckus - as they always do before taking flight. So, I crept to the shore and simply hoped for the best, as I didn't have my typical wildlife gear/lenses, so I figured I try to combine my two passions - both landscape and wildlife photography. Out of the hundreds of images I shot this AM - this is the one that I thought caught the moment - the stillness of the estuary, an incoming flight and the beauty of the reserve.

Taken with an Olympus OM-D E-M5 Mark II with the consumer version of the Olympus 40-150mm lens.

Winter Mere

Taken during the snowstorm a few days ago, this small pond ("mere") was the only open area of fresh water within the Wildlife Refuge. Numerous deer, rabbit and other tracks were quickly getting filled in by the increasing snow fall. The only sound made by the forest were the infrequent groans from branches as they struggled against the weight of the new snow. It was, for the most part - "deafening silence" for sure.

Shooting during a snowstorm is challenging enough, but to effectively post-process images I find even more challenging and complex, as I always want to show what my mind's eye captured. In this case, I processed in Lightroom - and then exported into Photoshop, where I used several layers/masks and filters to subtly bring out the contrast, lights and tones. This image was taken with my Olympus OM-D E-M5 Mark II and the Olympus 12-40mm f/2.8 Pro lens. 

Winter Coastline

Yesterday along the coast, we had exceptionally high surf and temps in the low 20's F (-6C) - making shooting somewhat daunting. As the surf rolled in - the sea-spray would turn into an icy slush, covering the rocks - and unsuspecting photographers ("me" ;) ) and equipment. The soft winter light, however  - was just tremendous.

This was taken with my Sony A7R II and the Sony-Zeiss 16-35mm with a 10-stop ND, tripod mounted - giving a 20 second exposure at f/16 - 100 ISO. The image was processed in PerfectPhoto Suite, then finished in Lightroom for export as a JPG for the Web.

Season Change

A few months ago - I posted an image taken from this same location. Today, however, we had our first major snowstorm, and like an mad idiot - drove to one of my favorite locations. Upon arriving on un-plowed roads, I was the only person once in the multi-acre area. That was no surprise, quite frankly - as it was still snowing quite hard and I'm sure most rational people were safe, warm and cozy at home.

After spending several hours just going through the woods, fields and shoreline - this is the first image I've post processed so far - but, I'm sure I'll share others in the near future. This was taken with my Olympus OM-D E-M5 Mark II and the 7-14mm f/2.8 Pro lens. This system is weatherproof, freeze proof and needed to be today.. 

Sunset Over the Portsmouth Traffic Circle

Taken this evening just after sunset in Portsmouth NH USA. While outside what I typically post - it was a long day of try to shoot a flock of Canada Geese - and they had a mind of their own in coming close enough. After a few hours I gave up - went home - and grabbed my Olympus OM-D E-M10 Mark II, as this is an image I've envisioned for quite some time.

Shot in RAW and only post-processed in Lightroom, it shows the traffic flow around the rotary. I liked the lights, sunset colors and patterns. I hope you do as well.