Sunset Over Point Lobos - Carmel, California

Coast Highway Detour

In May of 2017, a massive landslide destroyed a significant portion of California's coastal highway south of Big Sur. Six months later, the roadway is still closed and may remain closed for another year. Motorists are forced to follow a very long detour along an inland route.

I arrived in Carmel later than expected due to delays incurred along this detour. Desperate to grab a shot of something (anything) before the last light faded, I parked by the outlet of the Carmel River, grabbed my camera, and pushed through a thicket of poison oak to find a vantage point on the beach.

I set my tripod up as quickly as I could and composed a frame with the line of the beach running through the foreground. I focused on the distant trees, locked it in, and bracketed a few exposures before the light disappeared.

Sunset Over Point Lobos - Carmel, California

It's amazing how often you have to scramble like mad in order to capture a landscape photo. The landscape doesn't move around, but the light can change rapidly. Miss that light by a few seconds, and you'll lose your chance completely.


Camera:    Sony A7R II
Lens:        Sony FE 16-35mm f/2.8 GM

Wishing you great light and meaningful moments!

Copyright 2017 Daniel R. South

www.dansouthphoto.com

All Rights Reserved

Tower Bridge - London

Triumph of the Human Spirit

London. Paris. New York. 

These great cities have experienced more than their share of troubles, both in recent years and throughout history. And yet, each one stands, boldly and proudly, a testament to the triumphs of the human spirit. 

You'll find the world's best museums here. The best libraries. The best examples of art and architecture. The best music The best ideas. And the epitome of commerce and business. 

Tower Bridge - London

Humanity will always face problems. Life has never been easy, and some of our most persistent challenges have been self-inflicted. But the sum total of the human experience is wildly positive. If you need a reminder, take a walk along the Thames. Or the Seine. Or Fifth Avenue. Let the historic achievements of mankind inspire you to reach for your own soaring accomplishments.


Camera:    Nikon D700
Lens:        AF-S Nikkor 24-70 f/2.8G ED IF

Wishing you great light and meaningful moments!

Copyright 2017 Daniel R. South

www.dansouthphoto.com

All Rights Reserved

Love Comes In Every Color

A Timely Message

Camera:    Sony a7R II
Lens:        Sony FE 85mm f/1.8

Wishing you great light and meaningful moments!

Copyright 2017 Daniel R. South

www.dansouthphoto.com

All Rights Reserved

Three O'Clock High

Architectural Abstract

Moments after the peak of the eclipse, I pulled out my wide-angle zoom and aimed it skyward.

Three O'Clock High

Camera:    Sony A7R II
Lens:        Sony FE 16-35mm f/2.8 GM

Wishing you great light and meaningful moments!

Copyright 2017 Daniel R. South

www.dansouthphoto.com

All Rights Reserved

Distressed Brick and Air Conditioners

Summer In The City

One of the unique experiences of city life in the summertime is having the condensation of air conditioners drip on you as you make your way down the sidewalk. Summer has its challenges, but we all would do well to savor its sweet rewards.

Camera:    Sony A7RII
Lens:        Sony FE 85mm f/1.8

Wishing you great light and meaningful moments!

Copyright 2017 Daniel R. South

www.dansouthphoto.com

All Rights Reserved

Can-can Dancers

La Fête Nationale

Can-can dancers perform at a Bastille Day / Quatorze Julliet celebration in New York.

Camera:    Sony A7RII
Lens:        Sony FE 85mm f/1.8

Wishing you great light and meaningful moments!

Copyright 2017 Daniel R. South

www.dansouthphoto.com

All Rights Reserved

51st Street Subway Sign

Miles of Tiles

The walls of New York's underground subway stations are finished with tile. The signs marking the station stops are made of tiles as well and help to give the subway its unique look and character. 

The sign pictured below is nearly eight feet wide and clearly visible to the passengers on the arriving cars. Someone put a lot of time and effort into assembling these beautiful creations.

51st Street Subway Station - New York

Camera:    Sony A7R II
Lens:        Sony Sonnar T* FE 35mm f/2.8 ZA

Wishing you great light and meaningful moments!

Copyright 2017 Daniel R. South

www.dansouthphoto.com

All Rights Reserved

Desert Highway - Death Valley

Converging Lines and Calculated Risks

I made my first trip to Death Valley on a clear day in June when the temperature hit 122 F. I had recently become a photography enthusiast and wanted to capture some images of this majestic wilderness. 

In extreme temperatures, however, one shouldn't venture too far from the car. I made an attempt to hike to the Mesquite dunes but turned back quickly due to concerns over dehydration and heat exhaustion. For the rest of the day, I stayed close to the car.

I exposed the most memorable image of the day as sunset approached. I pulled the car off to the side of a stretch of roadway that had been freshly paved with deep black asphalt and painted with bright yellow lines. I mounted a 24mm lens on my trust Nikon F100 - yes, a film camera - and had my travel companion watch for cars approaching from behind me.

Of the handful of shots that I snapped, one of them turned out particularly well. I had several copies of it printed; a few of my friends still have that image hanging in their homes.

Returning to Death Valley some years later, I wanted to capture a similar image with the help of a tilt-shift lens. The tilt feature on this special-purpose lens enables focus to be repositioned from a vertical plane (typical for most cameras) to a ground-hugging plane that extends infinitely off into the distance. When the lens is adjusted correctly - which is a bit tricky - focus will be sharp on both the foreground features in the frame (e.g. the yellow lines and pavement near my feet) and distant objects as well (mountains, sky, brush, distant lines on the roadway). 

The stretch of highway that I had photographed years earlier was now gray and worn, but I found another location that appealed to my eyes. The surface was in good condition, it had been painted recently, and it stretched straight off into the distance where the last light of sunset was still visible. 

I was set except for one major complication. On this trip, I didn't have a travel companion. I had to rely on my ears and frequent glances behind me to keep from getting run over while focusing my camera in the middle of a highway. (Luckily, no one was drag racing through the valley that evening.)

As I mentioned before, focusing a tilt-shift lens can be tricky, and it becomes increasingly more difficult as the light fades. It's a manual process, but you have to focus for the near and far objects separately. By adding a small amount of tilt, typically only a degree or two, you can reach a point where both near and far objects are sharp. It's very each to add too much tilt, however, which messes everything up.

The process typically takes a few minutes even for skilled photographers - and even when you're not in mortal danger of being struck by a fast-moving automobile. Luckily, I had a lot of experience with my tilt-shift setup, so I was able to acquire the proper focus fairly quickly - while looking over my shoulder every ten seconds or so. 

Please don't attempt a shot like this without spotters. Even if you have someone - hopefully more than one person - watching your back, this kind of shot is risky to say the least. Just because I got away with it doesn't mean that it was a good idea. 

You'll think about it. It's tempting. My advice is to think about the future as you relax and enjoy the sunset a safe distance from traffic.


Camera:    Canon EOS 5D Mark II
Lens:        Canon TS-E 24mm f/3.5L II

Wishing you great light and meaningful moments!

Copyright 2017 Daniel R. South

www.dansouthphoto.com

All Rights Reserved