Mysterious Traveler

True Vision

To be true to your vision, defy description.

Camera:    Sony a7R IV

Lens:        Sony FE 135mm f/1.8 GM

Wishing you great light and meaningful moments!

Copyright © 2023 Daniel R. South
www.dansouthphoto.com
All Rights Reserved

California Memories

Searching For Lost Gold

In the spring of 2007, I made three trips to the California coast to take photos with a large-format film camera that I had recently purchased. It was an adventurous undertaking. I was still learning how to use the camera which typically took several minutes to set up and focus. This built-in delay required me to think ahead and visualize what the light was about to do. This was particularly tricky at or near sunrise and sunset when lighting conditions change quickly.

Point Sur Lightstation In Morning Light - California, 2007

The trip presented a number of challenges, like spending time each day loading and unload film holders, managing and labeling boxes of exposed sheet film, and lugging some heavy bags along narrow, hilly trails.

Along the way, I managed to capture some keepers. I also made a lot of mistakes, often in terms of exposure. The camera was fully manual. I had to meter the scenes with a handheld spot meter, and admittedly this was not a skill that I had practiced enough prior to hitting the road.

Sunset With Flowers From Point Reyes - California, 2007

I had a digital camera with me, as well. My plan was to use the digital camera to grab quick shots and research compositions, and to use the film camera to capture the best shots. That worked to a degree, but I had overlooked a couple of important factors.

First, images captured on film have to be scanned into digital form in order to be used the way we use images today, i.e. sharing them on blogs and posting them to online galleries. Quality scanning is a laborious effort if you do it yourself, and it's expensive to have it done by professional services. For that reason, most of my film photos live in a box. I take them out occasionally when I'm feeling nostalgic, but I'm not going to invest in scanning most of them.

Second, the quality of digital cameras even in those days was quite good. Further, software has gotten more powerful. I'm able to resize 10 megapixel images to the point where they look like they came from a 40 megapixel camera. That's plenty of resolution to make large prints and even do creative cropping.

I've been through those digital images recently to see what gems I may have overlooked or forgotten. The quality varies - sometimes, camera shake was an issue. It's windy on the coast - but I'm happy to report that I've been finding some pleasant surprises among them, and I'm looking forward to seeing what other treasures I may discover.

Camera:    Nikon D200

Lens:        Nikon AF-S 17-55mm f/2.8

Wishing you great light and meaningful moments!

Copyright © 2023 Daniel R. South
www.dansouthphoto.com
All Rights Reserved

Heceta Head Lighthouse In Fog

A Beacon Of Hope

We have reached the end of another year. I hope that you made many happy memories and took lots and lots and lots of photograph along the way.

Wishing you joy, success, good health, deep passion, and the fulfillment of your dreams in 2023!

Camera:    Fujifilm GFX 100S

Lenses:     GF 45mm f/2.8

Wishing you great light and meaningful moments!

Copyright © 2022 Daniel R. South
www.dansouthphoto.com
All Rights Reserved

Cannon Beach, Oregon

Haystack Rock At Dusk

Wonders of the Pacific Northwest

Camera:    Fujifilm GFX 100S

Lenses:     GF 45mm f/2.8

Wishing you great light and meaningful moments!

Copyright © 2022 Daniel R. South
www.dansouthphoto.com
All Rights Reserved

California Sunset

Path To The Waves

I took this shot from a trail that led down a steep incline toward the water. There aren't many places in the Big Sur area where you can get close to the ocean. A lot of the coastline is on private property, and trespassing is strongly discouraged.

I was delighted to find a trail that went down so far. I hadn't explored this spot before, and I wanted to see what was visible as I got close to the edge. I wasn't looking forward to climbing back up to my car in darkness, but I didn't have to worry about that yet.

I discovered that the view at the edge of the water wasn't particularly spectacular. The vantage point was too low. I climbed back up the hill a little way until I reached this position and took shots in different directions.

This was the most dramatic view, but it was a complicated shot to capture. Setting a tripod up on a steep incline is always a challenge. There was a lot of vegetation, so there wasn't a lot of firm ground where I could place the tripod legs. On top of that, the wind was strong and getting rather chilly. I didn't have a good place to stand, so I had to bend my body in strange ways to compose and focus the shot. My feet got sore from clinging to the sloping path while recording long exposures.

Was it worth it in the end? I'll let you be the judge. It was an experience. Thankfully, the climb back up to the roadway wasn't as bad as I expected.

Camera:    Fujifilm GFX 100S

Lenses:     GF 120mm f/4

Wishing you great light and meaningful moments!

Copyright © 2022 Daniel R. South
www.dansouthphoto.com
All Rights Reserved

Pigeon Point Lighthouse

Visiting A Friend On The Coast

I have spent a lot of time photographing Pigeon Point Lighthouse over the years. I've learned a lot about photography on my visits to this iconic tower, about light and composition, about weather and focus, about attaining critical focus in a variety of conditions.

Anytime I plan a trip to this section of the California coast, I make sure to stop by and spend a little time with my old friend.

Pigeon Point Lighthouse With Spring Flowers

Camera:    Fujifilm GFX 100S

Lenses:     GF 45mm f/2.8 (photos 1 and 3)

                GF 80mm f/1.7 (photo 2)

Wishing you great light and meaningful moments!

Copyright © 2022 Daniel R. South
www.dansouthphoto.com
All Rights Reserved

Remembering Galen Rowell

Discovering The Possibilities

I had a casual interest in photography as a young adult. When I was growing up, my family had a black and white television. I got my most vivid view of the world through photographs published in magazines.

Cameras fascinated me. I was always a fan of gadgets, and cameras seemed like marvels of precision and craftsmanship. They also had the almost magical power to capture moments for later review. I dreamt of buying a nice camera one day and using it to take pictures of seashores, sunsets, and lighthouses. I subscribed to photography magazines and read them eagerly each month.

But the dream had to wait. I didn't have the expertise or the financial resources to pursue photography seriously. The camera ads in the magazines were more confusing than helpful. The myriad of choices seemed overwhelming.

I took snapshots with point and shoot camera. I recorded family events and short trips, and dropped the film off at the drugstore to be processed. The prints were reminders of places and events, but with rare exceptions, there weren't artistically impressive.

Pfeiffer Beach Sunset - Big Sur, California

One day, while visiting a museum, I happened upon an exhibition of photographs from the Tongas, a rain forest in Alaska's panhandle. It was a surprisingly moving experience. The photos were beautifully colored and highly detailed. It was hard to imagine that such images actually came out of a camera.

The photographer was the late Galen Rowell. Rowell was a seasoned climber and wilderness enthusiast. He traveled the world capturing images of remote and surprising places for National Geographic and similar magazines.

These were impressive locales, but the magic of Rowell's photos was in their vivid colors, stunning detail, and surprising juxtapositions, like dramatic skies and rugged foregrounds. Rowell liked photographing in what he called "last light," a post-sunset glow of dim but saturated colors.

I found these qualities fascinating. I was immediately obsessed with this style of photography. I wanted to figure out how he had captured these breathtaking images and hoped that one day I would be able to make photographs of my own using a similar approach.

I drove to my local Borders, bought a few books about photography, and started studying. I bought a reasonably priced Nikon with a serviceable zoom lens, along with twenty rolls of the film that Galen preferred, and I got to work. Every week, I was shooting, experimenting, making mistakes, trying again, and learning all the time.

Sadly, I never had the chance to meet Mr. Rowell. He died in a plane crash on August 11, 2002. That was twenty years ago as of the writing of this post. Coincidentally, I am now the age that Rowell was when he passed away.

Inspiration is one of the most wonderful things that can happen to a human being. A magical moment can change the trajectory of our lives, taking us in directions that we never thought possible, leading us to places and experiences that we could never have imagined.

The Tongas exhibition set my photographic journey into motion. Seeing Galen Rowell's dramatic images printed in all of their finely-detailed glory was more than an inspiration. It was an awakening. It introduced me to possibilities in image making that I would never have imagined possible and to a fascination with the art of photography.

Camera:    Fujifilm GFX 100S

Lens:         GF 30mm f/3.5

Wishing you great light and meaningful moments!

Copyright © 2022 Daniel R. South
www.dansouthphoto.com
All Rights Reserved

Cleopatra's Needle

Egyptian Obelisk In Central Park

Camera:    Fujifilm GFX 100S

Lens:         GF 80mm f/1.7

Wishing you great light and meaningful moments!

Copyright © 2022 Daniel R. South
www.dansouthphoto.com
All Rights Reserved

A Plane Flies By

Golden Hour On Central Park West

A view of the El Dorado and Central Park West during a dramatic summer sunset.

Camera:    Fujifilm GFX 100S

Lens:         GF 120mm f/4

Wishing you great light and meaningful moments!

Copyright © 2022 Daniel R. South
www.dansouthphoto.com
All Rights Reserved

Belvedere Castle At Sunset

Stone and Stormy Skies

Belvedere Castle At Sunset

Architecture is grand, but nature is the finest artist.

Camera:    Fujifilm GFX 100S

Lens:         GF 80mm f/1.7

Wishing you great light and meaningful moments!

Copyright © 2022 Daniel R. South
www.dansouthphoto.com
All Rights Reserved

Fast Times At The Guggenheim

Motion Pictures

I enjoy capturing motion with a still camera, rendering moving objects as smears of color, as though they were created by sweeping a paint brush across a canvas.

The effect stands out against a sharp, well-focused background, especially when the background contains a recognizable landmark.

Camera:    Sony a7R IV

Lens:        Sony FE 16-35mm f/2.8

Wishing you great light and meaningful moments!

Copyright © 2022 Daniel R. South
www.dansouthphoto.com
All Rights Reserved

NYC in Black and White - Part 3

Three Views Of Midtown

Vernal Equinox

277 Fifth Avenue

Lofty Intentions

Camera:    Fujifilm GFX 100S

Lenses:     GF 80mm f/1.7

                GF 23mm f/4

Wishing you great light and meaningful moments!

Copyright © 2022 Daniel R. South
www.dansouthphoto.com
All Rights Reserved

NYC in Black and White - Part 2

Drama in Darkness

Reaching - New York (2022)

Cable Car - New York (2022)

Contrast - New York City (2022)

Ornate Church - New York (2022)

Camera and Lens:

1, 2, 4:    Fujifilm GFX 100S, GF 80mm f/1.7

3:            Sony a7R IV, FE 70-200mm f/4 G OSS

Wishing you great light and meaningful moments!

Copyright © 2022 Daniel R. South
www.dansouthphoto.com
All Rights Reserved

NYC in Black and White - Part 1

Manhattan In Monochrome

Queensboro Bridge and Cable Cars - New York (2021)

The San Remo - New York (2021)

Between The Lines - New York (2022)

United Nations Complex - New York (2022)

Camera:    Fujifilm GFX 100S

Lenses:     GF 120mm f/4

                GF 80mm f/1.7

                GF 23mm f/4

Wishing you great light and meaningful moments!

Copyright © 2022 Daniel R. South
www.dansouthphoto.com
All Rights Reserved

Nights In The Park

Finding Beauty In Darkness

My low-light photography journey began long ago. One of the first books I bought when I was learning to use a camera specialized in the challenges of capturing images in dimly lit conditions.

Bethesda Terrace and Reflections - Central Park, New York City

That was back in the film days, and the process was quite different. We didn't have the ability to confirm a proper exposure at the time of capture. HDR, Image Stabilization, and Night Mode didn't exist. High ISO film looked horrible, and the film that we used to capture most images required specially calculated adjustments to exposure time when the exposures lasted longer than a few seconds. Focusing effectively in the dark was extraordinarily challenging.

Castle Belvedere With Moon - Central Park, New York

I didn't do terribly well at first, and for some years, I all but gave up the idea of taking photos at night. The only photos I took at night were star trails which, surprisingly, were easier to capture on film than with digital sensors.

Bethesda Terrace With Moon - Central Park, New York

Once I made a firm switch to digital imaging, I gave night photography another try. One year, I went around the city photographing exterior Christmas decorations in the Winter darkness. It was a great exercise. I learned a lot in a few months, and I haven't looked back. I'm always looking for opportunities to capture the beauty of the night.

Camera:    Fujifilm GFX 100S

Lenses:     GF 110mm f/2

                GF 30mm f/3.5

                GF 23mm f/4

Wishing you great light and meaningful moments!

Copyright © 2021 Daniel R. South
www.dansouthphoto.com
All Rights Reserved

New Brunswick, New Jersey

A Clear Evening In Hub City

I haven't been traveling much during the pandemic, but I make occasional trips to visit friends and relatives in neighboring states. I always try to snap some photos if there's time and the weather's agreeable.

Railroad Bridge - New Brunswick, New Jersey

Stately Architecture On George Street

Scooters Near The Rutgers Campus - New Brunswick

Bookstore - New Brunswick, New Jersey

Modern Office Tower At Sunset

Camera:    Sony a7R III

Lens:        Sony FE 85mm f/1.8

Wishing you great light and meaningful moments!

Copyright © 2021 Daniel R. South
www.dansouthphoto.com
All Rights Reserved