Photography

[KingOfPain]

Crater Lake

Crater Lake, what started this thread, is a volcanic crater lake in south-central Oregon.
The lake partly fills a 2,148-foot-deep caldera that was formed around 7,700 years ago by the collapse of the volcano Mount Mazama. No rivers flow into or out of the lake; the evaporation is compensated for by rain and snowfall at a rate such that the total amount of water is replaced every 250 years. With a depth of 1,949 feet the lake is the deepest in the United States.
Crater Lake features two small islands. Wizard Island, located near the western shore of the lake, is a cinder cone about 316 acres (128 ha) in size. Phantom Ship, a natural rock pillar, is located near the southern shore.

Boat rental and guided boat tour available.

This is a place tagged for a revisit for sure since I have only explored a very small part of this area, the very front end of it (as seen in the map)
This photo is a phone grab; mainly to gather geo data. 
So you asked how much post processing goes into my photos. It depends
I just want to share a quick note here about post processing. Most of the scenes that don’t have challenging lighting conditions, such as this, needs no more than a little brighten up here and darkening there to bring it to life.
Darken the sky a touch - Note: to restore the blown out sky just above the tree top on the right
Brighten up the water, as well as Wizard Island, adding back detail on the calm water (right of the island) enhanced the focus of the photo.
Brighten the trees just a touch so they a not a blob of black. But not enough to fight for attention
Darken the foreground to further force the viewer’s eyes to the mid ground.



There are many, too many for the time I had, different shots can be had just from this small area off the road. Such convenience  

Sharing these images has been a GoodThing™ for me personally. Normally, the most critical task for a photographer is to restrict what he shows to the public, to cull his portfolio. As a musician would say, you are only as good as your last record. A lot of the photographs that are just as good as the ones shown to the public don't get to see the light of day. They are "second best", only because they are not drastically different from the choice, such as the two images below. I have only published the first of the two. The choices are not necessary based on my own favourites, rather, what I think which ones most people would like, more sellable, what would please contest judges. That's not to say I am a sell out. I do choose what I like when I print my photo books and prints for myself.

But I have been proven deadly wrong what people would like. My most profitable photo is a photo I wasn't going to publish at all.

This journey has also given me the incentive to look at and edit previous neglected photos, also to relive the memories.

Sunset


Into the twilight


 
Just working the angles
Black and White because the lighting, the clouds, and the colors were all wrong. The perspectives are good. Another day....
Note to self: Black and White works to show off the texture of the tree. Shoot with B&W in mind.






Editing - HDR
This is a strip of the 5 consecutive shots of the same scene that makes up the HDR image of the second color photos shown above. These are raw images, meaning they are as Straight Out Of The Camera as they can be, without any digital effect from the camera. They are x4, x2, Normal, -2x, -4x exposure.

Note all the colors, brightness and darkness of the twilight photo are there within the 5 photos. I only choose which parts to reveal.



Other similar technique is Focus Stacking - Multiple shots focusing at different distance of the scene. Extremely useful for super insect size closeups, as well as, getting crystal sharp focus through out scenes showing closeup subjects (say a traffic line down on the tarmac) to infinity.   





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[Boro]

It's always fascinating to see professionals in action, but even more so when it's about something I (amateurishly and casually) always liked to do.

Do you have a stand for your mobile too?

[KingOfPain]

Forgot to post this
First thing first is to go around the place to check out vintage points. First impression:
Note the scene is right beside the road. Nice
Terrible lighting condition, harsh shadow and blown out highlights. 
Ugly cloud above the peak
Could be a nice sunset over the lake with layers of clouds, IF the sun can clear the clouds on the right
DEAD TREE STUMP!

LoL. Fair enough to say I was there to shoot the dead tree, and the live one too ;p

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Boro
Do you have a stand for your mobile too?

If I am out with my camera and tripod, all I use is this simple gadget.




Otherwise I walk and hike with a mono pod with a little detachable tripod-leg. These can easily fit inside (or hung onto) my sling bag when folded. They can be had for as little as $50. Mine is a bit more expensive than that because I NEED heavy duty. I don't worry about banging things around and nicks and scratches. I am not a slave to my material things, they serve me, not the other way around.   

The best thing is most mono pods can be used as a alpenstock for walking and hiking. So check if it claims to be sturdy enough.
Mono pods comes in very handy with a lot of indoor places. Some don't allow a professional looking camera, some don't allow tripods. I haven't run into any problems with phone or a compact camera on a mono pod yet.

The need to mount the phone is not only for low light situations. It extend the reach like a selfie stick, and it's a must have to make time lapse vids. 






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[T-hawk]

I happened across this thread on Reddit, just in case anyone here wants to see some wild landscapes: https://www.reddit.com/r/geography/comments/1bb9wia/

Or maybe if it gives KoP any ideas for far flung trips

[KingOfPain]

I happened across this thread on Reddit, just in case anyone here wants to see some wild landscapes: https://www.reddit.com/r/geography/comments/1bb9wia/

Or maybe if it gives KoP any ideas for far flung trips

Sure get my travelling bones rattling.

Those are a lot of famous landmarks worth a look see. Not new to me only because I naturally read up on these. I have come to the conclusion that I will never make it to most of them. I don't have a bucket list because that only create regrets.  I wish travel was as cheap as they are now when I was younger. Turns out my daughter lived my fantasy and did 40 countries before 40, and counting...

I think I am going to cheat and plan a trip to China instead, then worry about the other "must see". Some of those unique landscape are also available in China, with more drama even. Probably the best bang for the scenery buck. I mean, you can spend 3K to see some giant stone heads in Easter Island and not much else.

As a side note. We really should appreciate some of these amazing photos from these dedicated photographers. Although, being there to experience a place is most excellent, we have to realize that we most likely not see the place as beautiful as the photographs. Simply, these photos represents the best view points, seasons, lighting and environmental conditions that most tourists will not experience. Thus, beware of travel advertising showing beautiful birds eye view landscape in slow mo. The tourist only get the see it on ground level in normal speed.

Right now, I am envious for those going the see this special Solar Eclipse, and the Devil's Comet in April.





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[KingOfPain]

Pacific West Coast - San Francisco

The journey down the Pacific West Coast continues, although not on the same Coastal Drive trip.
Circa Y2K, during the dot com boom, I worked in San Fran, aka Silicon Valley, for 3 years doing R&D in Virtual Reality. We later expanded to Vegas and have received the Best of Las Vegas Award for Best Tourist Attraction. This was also the time I saw across the street from my office a 3 story building with a large banner down the entire length of the building reading RealmsBeyond.Com. I thought so this is the guy who registered RealmsBeyond.Com; (jokingly) I am going to own you one of these days... So now I do

Some of the images might not be up to par since a 2MP digital camera was all the rage way back when lol

The view from my office at Pier 39 - Alcatraz.
Alcatraz housed some of most notorious offenders from 1934 to 1963. They were held under the most secure and regimented conditions, in the virtually escape-proof environment on a rocky island in the middle of San Francisco Bay. The thing is, even if you manage to make it to the waters you won't survive the 2km of shark infested treacherous ocean with dangerous under currents before you touch land.

Turned out it was all a scare tactic. Since then, among others, The Escape from Alcatraz Triathlon is held annually.



This is where I lived for 6 months when I first arrived. No, not in the Disney cruise ship ;p but one of those smaller love boats
One of my most treasured and memorable moments in life happened here. I was woken up by some noise 5 am in the morning. Which was kind of strange because you get used to the gentle (and sometimes not so gentle) rocking of the boat and the noise of waves slapping against the hull. Anyway, it was first light and the pier was half covered in a heavy mist. Then I begun to recognize the music playing on the loud speakers was I Left My Heart In San Francisco by Dean Martin. And I made out, a battle ship sailing pass me submerged in fog with all hands on deck saluting as they leave port. It was surreal.



The famous 2-story Merry Go Round


Angel Island, the largest natural island in the San Francisco Bay, offers some of the best views of the surrounding Bay Area.
View from inside the fog.The mist covering the top half of the photo is not fog in the distant, it is just over my head I am looking out of.


The Bay Bridge that collapsed in 1989 due to a strong earth quake



San Francisco bay area is known for its fog coverage. Many a beautiful photos of Golden Gate Bridge half covered in fog can be found on the web. The question is why I don't have one!? Could it be I was slaying demons all night with Charis till the morning? I mean, it's ok for me since I can choose to work from "home" and sleep in, I can choose when I go (or not go) to the office, but Charis had a job to go to. LoL.

An experience.
Note the clump of fog on top of the tower was starting to catch some light. 10 minutes later would have been epic sunrise. Next time, I am driving.




A street entertainer, or a homeless guy?
As beautiful San Francisco is, Pier 39 and Fisherman's Wharf being the tourist traps that see 10 millions visitors a year, it is such a shame the streets are lined with homeless camps and garbage everywhere. When I first arrived, I am generous to the homeless, sharing cigarettes, give spare changes and occasionally bought an extra lunch to give away. It just got too much after awhile, day in and day out.



A couple of random buildings downtown





Of course the famous oldest Chinatown in North America



The hills of San Francisco. Some claim why San Francisco girls have the most beautiful legs. I was getting my workout too ;p



Something old, something new in one photo but worlds apart!



San Francisco Bay - some of the most iconic landmarks in one shot. From left to right
The pointy Trans America building
The Ferry Building (the tower with clocks)
Coit Tower (on the hilltop)
Pier 39 and Fisherman's Wharf (the 2 smoke stacks of the cruise ship near Alcatraz)
Alcatraz Island






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[Boro]

So as a photographer you lived on a small boat, worked in an office or from home, in that area I only knew about for most of my childhood as a map from Midtown Madness 2.

Much much later on I learned that it is one of the most expensive areas to live in.

It's very different to see it all through a photographer's lens, especially since your album is more of a vertical slice (a bit of everything, good and bad, old and new) than one trying to paint an idealized picture.

[KingOfPain]

So as a photographer you lived on a small boat, worked in an office or from home, in that area I only knew about for most of my childhood as a map from Midtown Madness 2.

Much much later on I learned that it is one of the most expensive areas to live in.

It's very different to see it all through a photographer's lens, especially since your album is more of a vertical slice (a bit of everything, good and bad, old and new) than one trying to paint an idealized picture.

I was doing R&D in Virtue Reality back then, as sort of an unofficial lead of a small team. Duty included programming, automation, photo and video productions, 3D animations, designs, user interface, web presentation, etc., etc.. Not that I was the best (far from it actually) in any of the required fields, but I was able to speak all their (tech) languages, I was the interpreter, the glue. For example, with all their expertise it still fell on me to script and take total control of and automate Photoshop to automate the digital camera, genlock, green screen and separate elements, and print to various media. Most of that can be done alone at home if I wanted to. A lot of the time is just day dreaming (being creative) which can be done anywhere; and surprisingly done well while chilling. Why high tech firms have entertainment facility and offers spots/concert packages. So yeah, some days, I going in the office late, socialize a bit, go for lunch and call to say I am just going to catch a movie too. But, I am sleeping in the office when crunch time comes.

The disparity between the rich and the poor was obscene. A fresh out of college tech guy starts at around 65k Y2K US a year plus stock options and bonuses. Stock options from the right company is what make you rich. Minimum wage back then was $5.00, roughly 10K/yr. Boom time San Francisco was the most expensive city to live in because of the sudden influx of people and the wealth being generated. Good for us but very bad for the poor. When I was looking for an apartment, saw a half decent one (fresh on the market that morning) for $2500 a month and agreed to the offer for consideration. That was ~$8,000 (first and last month rent, damage deposit and $200 parking per month ($200 at work too)) just to move in; and never got a call back. I remember I was having lunch in Chinatown chatting up the locals and see if they know a place. Turned out some one just died that morning in one of those rundown Chinatown apartments (probably a shit hole) was up for $200, the place was already gone when I called. Lunch with a quarter of bbq duck, rice, couple pieces of greens, and soup of the day was $1.75.

San Francisco is a wonderful place to live if you can afford it. It is rich in culture with world class entertainment and decent climate, and well, the ocean. Also cool to have many sudden realizations the places you just visited was where this and that movie was shot. This is where who is who lives. I remember walking in a somewhat shabby little pub in a somewhat seedy neighbourhood, and saw Van Morrison jamming there...  

If you are poor, well, there are many places tourists are warned to stay away...



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[RefSteel]

I love the pictures and stories of SF - I can't remotely afford to live in the city, but I do live close enough to visit occasionally. And I'll add a small historical note on that picture of the Bay Bridge: It's actually three bridges with the same name: The gorgeous one in the photo's foreground, which stretches from SF to the island in the middle of the bay, survived the earthquake just fine, and has since been retrofitted in case of larger quakes. But just visible in the background of that picture, shrouded in fog, is what was then the second half of the Bay Bridge: The webwork of steel girders that led from the island to Oakland on the other side of the bay. That bridge no longer exists: After part of the top level of the bridge collapsed in the quake - one end of a section of the bridge went crashing down to the lower level, rendering the entire span unusable - the bridge underwent emergency repairs to get back into service, but was eventually judged too structurally unsound to adequately retrofit for safety against future quakes and therefore slated to be replaced. As of the time of the KoP's photograph (if I'm reading the post correctly - circa Y2K?) more than a decade after the earthquake, the bridge still hadn't been replaced because of complicated politics. It has since been replaced with a modern bridge though, with a single tower and cable supports: The "third" bridge not shown in that picture. The old and new bridges actually stood side by side for years, but the old one was finally demolished a few years ago ... more than a quarter of a century after the earthquake that brought down its upper deck!

[KingOfPain]

I can't imagine what it must have been like to clear the traffic as the traffic can be bumpers to bumpers multiple lanes all the way to Sacramento. I remember how once it took 4 hours to travel that ~100 miles during a jam. How it was organized to have moved all the vehicles, back to their rightful owners.